News for the Week of July 10, 2017 – July 16, 2017
Newgarden takes victory at Toronto – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden dominated and won the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto after pit strategy and an early caution gave him the lead. The rest of the Top 5 was Rossi, Hinchcliffe, Andretti, and Pagenaud. Power finished last in P21 after a first lap incident with Dixon. Dixon finished P10. Full race results here. – INDYCAR – (7/16/2017)
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Honda Canada extends Toronto sponsorship through 2020 – “Honda Indy Toronto along with its owners and operators, Green Savoree Racing Promotions, is proud to announce the extension of its sponsorship agreement with Honda Canada Inc. for the annual event at Exhibition Place through 2020. Honda Canada has been the title sponsor of the race since 2009 when Green Savoree Racing Promotions relaunched the event with the Verizon IndyCar series as the feature. The 2018 Honda Indy Toronto will be a special event with Honda’s 10th year of partnership.” Full release at the link. – Honda Indy Toronto – (7/16/2017)
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Kaiser completes Toronto sweep with Race 2 win – Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser completed his weekend sweep in Indy Lights on the Streets of Toronto with a win in Race 2. The rest of the Top 5 was Telitz, Claman De Melo, Piedrahita, and Leist. Herta dropped out of the race from the lead with left rear suspension damage after 25 laps. Full Race 2 results here. – Indy Lights – (7/16/2017)
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Toronto starting lineup with tire designations – The official starting lineup with tire designations for the Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto is available at the link. Spencer Pigot is the only driver to not start on the alternate tire. – INDYCAR – (7/16/2017)
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Newgarden fastest in morning warmup at Toronto – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden’s lap of 1:00.0122 was fastest in the morning warmup for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto. The rest of the Top 5 was Pagenaud, Hunter-Reay, Rahal, and Dixon. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/16/2017)
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INDYCAR clears Gutierrez to race at Toronto – “Dale Coyne Racing driver Esteban Gutierrez was re-evaluated by INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Michael Olinger this morning after experiencing concussion-like symptoms Saturday following a crash in Honda Indy Toronto qualifying. Gutierrez has been cleared to drive.” – INDYCAR – (7/16/2017)
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Herta wins pole for Lights Race 2 at Toronto – Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing’s Colton Herta set a new track record and won the pole for Indy Lights Race 2 on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 1:05.0449. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Kaiser, Jamin, and Claman De Melo. Full Race 2 qualifying results here. – Indy Lights – (7/16/2017)
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INDYCAR provides medical update on Gutierrez after qualifying incident – “Following an incident during qualifications today for the Honda Indy Toronto, Dale Coyne Racing driver Esteban Gutierrez was evaluated by INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Michael Olinger after experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Gutierrez was treated and released but has not been cleared to drive, pending further evaluation Sunday morning.” – INDYCAR – (7/15/2017)
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Pagenaud wins the pole at Toronto – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud’s lap of 58.9124 won the pole for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto. The rest of the Firestone Fast Six order was was Rahal, Castroneves, Power, Dixon, and Hinchcliffe. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/15/2017)
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Kaiser wins Lights Race 1 at Toronto – Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser extended his championship lead with a flag-to-flag victory in Indy Lights Race 1 on the Streets of Toronto. The rest of the Top 5 was Claman De Melo, Urrutia, Herta, and Telitz. Leist finished in P13 after contact into a tire barrier on Lap 4. Full Race 1 results here. – Indy Lights – (7/15/2017)
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INDYCAR confirms Montoya and Servia as ’18 aero kit test drivers – INDYCAR has confirmed that Juan Pablo Montoya and Oriol Servia will be the drivers to test the 2018 universal aero kit. “On-track testing begins July 25-26 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and will be followed by sessions at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Iowa Speedway in August, and at Sebring International Raceway in September. Team Penske is providing the Chevrolet-powered Dallara IR-12 chassis to be driven by Montoya. Servia will drive a Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara with a Honda engine. While the teams are providing crews to service the cars, the testing regimen will be supervised by INDYCAR, the sanctioning organization for the Verizon IndyCar Series. INDYCAR will maintain control of the test chassis and data, so as not to provide either test team a competitive advantage for the 2018 season. Data and results will be distributed to all teams once testing is complete.” Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/15/2017)
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Pagenaud fastest again in Practice 3 at Toronto – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud was fastest for the second straight session in Practice 3 for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 59.7864. The rest of the Top 5 was Castroneves, Newgarden, Power, and Hunter-Reay. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/15/2017)
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Kaiser wins pole for Lights Race 1 at Toronto – Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser set a new track record and won the pole for Indy Lights Race 1 on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 1:05.3511. The rest of the Top 5 was Leist, Claman De Melo, Herta, and Kellett. Full Race 1 qualifying results here. – Indy Lights – (7/15/2017)
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Hinchcliffe visor cam from Toronto – INDYCAR’s excellent visor cam series continues with Canadian James Hinchcliffe on the Streets of Toronto. Check out the video at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/15/2017)
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Pagenaud tops the charts in Practice 2 at Toronto – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud topped the charts in Practice 2 for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 1:00.2573. The rest of the Top 5 was Power, Dixon, Rahal, and Castroneves. Gutierrez brought out a red flag for this contact in Turn 1 during the session. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/14/2017)
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Kaiser quickest in Lights Practice at Toronto – Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser’s lap of 1:06.3993 was the fastest lap of the only Indy Lights practice session of the weekend on the Streets of Toronto. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Telitz, Herta, and Blackstock. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/14/2017)
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Castroneves fastest in Practice 1 at Toronto – Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves was fastest in Practice 1 for the Honda Indy Toronto on the Streets of Toronto with a lap of 1:01.1211. The rest of the Top 5 was Newgarden, Pagenaud, Dixon, and Rahal. Saavedra was last in the session in P21 driving the No. 7 car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/14/2017)
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Report: Team Penske and SPM to handle initial 2018 aero kit testing – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports Team Penske (Chevy) and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (Honda) will lead the testing for the 2018 universal aero kit later this month. The drivers will be Juan Pablo Montoya and Oriol Servia. Testing begins on the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25th. Full report at the link. – RACER – (7/13/2017)
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Gateway announces INDYCAR weekend schedule – Gateway Motorsports Park released the schedule for the INDYCAR weekend culminating in the Verizon IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on Saturday, August 26th. Pro Mazda, Indy Lights, and the Verizon IndyCar Series will be on track on Friday and Saturday. Full release at the link. – Gateway Motorsports Park – (7/13/2017)
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SPM announces Saavedra will drive No. 7 at Toronto – “Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced today that 27-year-old Colombian Sebastian Saavedra will pilot the No. 7 Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda…The Entry will carry branding from AFS Racing and longtime supporter Gary Peterson who has competed against SPM for years…Mikhail Aleshin will be on-site for this weekend’s event supporting the SPM team, however neither the team nor Aleshin will be providing any further comments at this time.” Full release at the link. – SPM – (7/13/2017)
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The Open Wheel’s Toronto preview – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ preview of the INDYCAR weekend on the Streets of Toronto is available at the link. It features all relevant information for the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights weekend, historical stats, predictions, fantasy advice, and more. – The Open Wheel – (7/13/2017)
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IMS releases impressive Indy 500 radio ratings – “Overall United States radio listenership of the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil grew 43 percent from 2016 on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, according to a recent research study. The study from GfK Custom Research showed 20.5 million radio listeners in America tuned into all or part of the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on Sunday, May 28, won by Takuma Sato after an exciting late-race duel with three-time “500” winner Helio Castroneves.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (7/13/2017)
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Trackside podcast 7/12/17 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 7/12/17 is a great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (7/13/2017)
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Miller’s Mailbag 7/12/17 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (7/12/2017)
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Toronto entry list posted – The entry list for the Honda Indy Toronto is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/11/2017)
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Toronto spotter guide posted – The spotter guide for the Honda Indy Toronto is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/11/2017)
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Toronto Lights entry list posted – The entry list for the Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products is available at the link. – Indy Lights – (7/11/2017)
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DCR announces Bourdais will make an appearance in Toronto – “Ed Jones and Esteban Gutierrez will be making their first appearance on the streets of Toronto this weekend aboard their Dale Coyne Racing Indy cars, as the Verizon IndyCar Series moves north for its only appearance in Canada… Bourdais, who was given the green light last week to put weight on his injured leg, will be making his first appearance at a race track since he attended the Indy 500 last May, a week after his qualifying incident.” Full release from Dale Coyne Racing at the link. – Dale Coyne Racing – (7/11/2017)
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CGRT No. 83 for Kimball to feature new livery in Toronto – Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s No. 83 car for Charlie Kimball will have a new Novo Nordisk livery for the Honda Indy Toronto this weekend. See the livery on our No. 83 livery page here. – Charlie Kimball – (7/11/2017)
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NBCSN’s Iowa broadcast earns 0.37 TV rating – NBCSN’s television broadcast of the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway drew a 0.37 TV rating. That’s the same as last year. – ShowBuzzDaily – (7/11/2017)
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Penske officially announces Acura IMSA DPi effort for ’18 – “Acura Motorsports today announced it will join forces with Team Penske to field a prototype effort in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The program will include a pair of new Acura ARX-05 Daytona Prototype International (DPi) entries, fielded under the legendary Team Penske banner…The official competition debut will take place at the season-opening Rolex 24 in January, 2018. Testing of the Acura DPi will begin soon, with a formal unveiling of the ARX-05 slated for Monterey Car Week in August. The driver lineup will be announced at a future date.” Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves are long-rumored candidates for the driver roles. Full release at the link. – Team Penske – (7/11/2017)
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Iowa Speedway set for repave in near future – The Gazette’s Jeremiah Davis reports Iowa Speedway is nearing the window in which it will need to be repaved. “We’re approaching the goal of as close to a 15-year window as possible,” Iowa Speedway President Jimmy Small told The Gazette. “So we’re looking at around 2020-21. We have professionals that have been advisers and consultants to just about every racetrack around the country that come in before the season each year and they’re here each and every event weekend.” Full story at the link. – The Gazette – (7/11/2017)
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Report: Phoenix & Long Beach to be back-to-back weekends in ’18 – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports that INDYCAR will run Phoenix International Raceway and the Streets of Long Beach on back-to-back weekends in 2018. The report has quotes from Mark Miles confirming that report and a mention of the possibility of one new venue for 2018. Full report at the link. – RACER – (7/11/2017)
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Monday Musings: Iowa – The Open Wheel’s Dylan Reynolds’ collection of random thoughts following the INDYCAR weekend at Iowa Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/10/2017)
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The Open Wheel’s Iowa photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s Parker Hall’s photo gallery of Verizon IndyCar Series action from the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/9/2017)
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The Open Wheel’s Iowa Lights photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s Parker Hall’s photo gallery from Indy Lights action at the 2017 Mazda Iowa 100 Presented by Cooper Tires at Iowa Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (7/9/2017)
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Castroneves wins first race in three years for Penske’s first win at Iowa – Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves won his first Verizon IndyCar Series race since Belle Isle 2014 for Team Penske’s first win at Iowa Speedway at the Iowa Corn 300. The rest of the Top 5 was Hildebrand, Hunter-Reay, Power, and Rahal. Dixon remains the championship leader. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (7/9/2017)
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Leist dominates in Lights win at Iowa – Carlin’s Matheus Leist led the last 69 laps of the Mazda Iowa 100 at Iowa Speedway to win his third race of the season in Indy Lights. The rest of the Top 5 was Urrutia, Kellett, Herta, and Kaiser. Kaiser remains the championship leader. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/9/2017)
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Report: INDYCAR to test aeroscreen on new car this fall – David Malsher reports for Motorsport.com that INDYCAR will test an aeroscreen similar to F1’s proposed Shield this fall in testing on the new universal aero kit. Malsher also reports Juan Pablo Montoya will be the test driver for Chevrolet while Oriol Servia will test for Honda. Full report at the link. – Motorsport.com – (7/9/2017)
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Herta wins Lights pole at Iowa – Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing’s Colton Herta won the Indy Lights pole at Iowa Speedway with a 2-lap average at 163.670mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Claman De Melo, Kaiser, Norman, and Kellett. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (7/9/2017)
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Report: Castroneves moving to Penske IMSA team in ’18 – RACER’s Robin Miller reports Helio Castroneves will be moved to Team Penske’s long-rumored IMSA team with Honda in the Daytona Prototype international class full-time in 2018. That would leave Team Penske with just three full-time teams in the Verizon IndyCar Series. It’s expected the team would run five cars for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya. Full report at the link. – RACER – (7/8/2017)
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Power wins the pole at Iowa – Team Penske’s Will Power won the pole for the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway with a 2-lap average of 185.210mph. The rest of the Top 5 was Hildebrand, Castroneves, Carpenter, and Sato. Munoz made contact in Turn 2 during the session and will start last. Full qualifying results here. – INDYCAR – (7/8/2017)
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Boat doesn’t receive medical clearance for Iowa – “Belardi Auto Racing can confirm that driver Chad Boat, who was set to make his Indy Lights debut this weekend at Iowa Speedway, has not been medically cleared to race in the Mazda Iowa 100 Presented by Cooper Tires due to injuries sustained during a National USAC midget race on Sunday, July 2.” Full release at the link. – Indy Lights – (7/8/2017)
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Gateway officially announces repave for INDYCAR weekend – “Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois has launched a major capital improvement project designed to improve the race day experience for fans and provide an enhanced competition environment for race teams. This is the third phase of a plan implemented in 2012 to completely update and upgrade the venue. The primary focus of this phase is to replace the track’s 20-year-old asphalt and dramatically improve GMP’s parking capacity.” Full release at the link. – Gateway Motorsports Park – (7/7/2017)
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INDYCAR announces extension with Xtrac – “INDYCAR announced a multiyear extension today with Xtrac, Inc. that continues the brand’s longtime position as the official supplier of transmissions for the Verizon IndyCar Series. Xtrac is one of INDYCAR’s longest-tenured partners and its parts are utilized across the motorsports landscape in disciplines such as Formula One, sports cars – including IMSA, GT and touring cars – and rally competition. Xtrac began supplying transmissions for several Indy car teams in the 1990s and became the exclusive supplier to the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2000.” Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (7/7/2017)
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