News for the Week of September 19 – September 25, 2016

Pagenaud to drive No. 1 in 2017 – Team Penske’s Tim Cindric confirmed that 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud will exercise his right to drive the No. 1 car next year in 2017 just as Will Power did in 2015. Scott Dixon and his team elected to stick with No. 9 in 2016. – Tim Cindric – (9/21/2016)

Changes rumored for KVSH Racing – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has a nice report on the rumors surrounding KVSH Racing. Almost too good to shorten. Includes speculation on Carlin acquiring assets, Kalkhoven assuring the KV side would be back next year, ramifications of Bourdais likely heading to Coyne, the possibility of Chilton moving to the Carlin effort, and more. Check out the full story at the link. – RACER – (9/21/2016)

Miller’s Mailbag 9/21/16 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great listen as always. – RACER – (9/21/2016)

Trackside podcast 9/20/16 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee is a great listen as always. The pair recaps the final weekend of the season at Sonoma and speculate on all the rumors regarding the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series. – 1070 The Fan – (9/21/2016)

Report: Newgarden to join Team Penske – RACER’s Robin Miller reports that Josef Newgarden will drive for Team Penske in the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2017. Miller cites an anonymous source inside Team Penske. More at the link. – RACER – (9/20/2016)

Report: Rossi close to extension at Andretti Autosport – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports Alexander Rossi is on the verge of signing a three-year extension with Andretti Autosport to remain in the Verizon IndyCar Series. “Looking ahead to next year, I’d love to come back to IndyCar 100 percent,” Rossi told RACER Tuesday morning. “I really enjoyed the experience, albeit from the competitive side we had our challenges, and I think we worked through some of them – I’d love to be able to come back and show what we’re capable of. But it’s not up to me. I’m talking to Andretti, obviously, but I have some other potential options just in case.” More at the link. – RACER – (9/20/2016)

Report: Kimball back at CGRT for ’17 – Motorsport.com’s David Malsher reports Charlie Kimball told him he will be back with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Season. – Motorsport.com – (9/20/2016)

INDYCAR optimistic of future – USA Today’s Brant James has a nice report on the optimism around INDYCAR’s future at the moment. The piece highlights increasing sponsorship, return to traditional circuits, aero changes, and more as reasons those around the series are feeling good about the direction of the sport. Is interesting to note that James says DHL chief executive officer Mike Parra mentioned potential races in China, the Middle East and Australia as key factors in their extension with Andretti Autosport and Ryan Hunter-Reay. – Indianapolis Star – (9/20/2016)

Miller analyzes silly season rumors – RACER’s Robin Miller has a nice report on the current silly season rumors in the Verizon IndyCar Series, their validity, and ramifications of each. Check it out at the link. – RACER – (9/19/2016)

Pagenaud wins race and championship at Sonoma – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud dominated the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma and won the race and 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Will Power was running in P2 when a mechanical problem brought his car to a halt in the middle of the race. Though he continued on, he could only muster a P20 finish 8 laps down. The rest of the Top 5 was Rahal, Montoya, Hunter-Reay, and Rossi. Relive race day with our live blog here. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (9/18/2016)

AA extends RHR/DHL through 2020 – “Andretti Autosport and DHL Express announced today the extension of their partnership which began in 2011. The world’s leading express services provider will remain the primary sponsor on the No. 28 Andretti Autosport IndyCar through 2020…In addition to this partnership extension, the Indianapolis-based, four-time Indy 500 and IndyCar Series Champions confirmed that series veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay will pilot the DHL-sponsored machine for four years beyond this weekend’s 2016 season finale.” – Andretti Autosport – (9/18/2016)

Curry family and Kawhi Leonard visit Sonoma – NBA stars Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard, as well as Curry’s wife Ayesha (the grand marshal of the event), are on-site at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. Check out NBC Sports’ Tony DiZinno’s recap at the link. – NBC Sports – (9/18/2016)

Pagenaud wins pole and vital point in qualifying at Sonoma – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud won the pole for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma with a lap of 1:16.2565 in the Firestone Fast 6. Pagenaud won a championship point for his effort and extended his championship lead. The rest of the Firestone Fast 6 was Castroneves, Montoya, Power, Rahal, and Hunter-Reay. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (9/17/2016)

Menards to sponsor Team Penske/Pagenaud for 10 races in ’17 – “Team Penske announced today that it has reached a partnership extension with industry-leading home improvement store company Menards for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season and beyond. The easily-identifiable bright yellow paint scheme of Menards will continue to shine on track with 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship contender Simon Pagenaud and the No. 22 Dallara/Chevrolet for 10 races in 2017, including the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28.” Full story at the link. – Team Penske – (9/17/2016)

INDYCAR announces ’17 aero kit freeze, new universal aero kit for ’18 – “INDYCAR announced today it has placed a freeze on aero kit development for manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda that will take effect immediately in preparation for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Manufacturers will run their current aero kit specifications next season as INDYCAR prepares to introduce a universal aero kit for the start of the 2018 season.” “Today’s announcement follows an extended dialogue with Chevrolet, Honda, our teams and stakeholders – this decision focused on what is best for the future of the Verizon IndyCar Series,” said Jay Frye, INDYCAR president of competition and operations. “This is an integral component to INDYCAR’s long-term plan to continue to produce the highest quality of on-track competition while also positioning ourselves to add additional engine manufacturers.” Full details at the link. – INDYCAR – (9/14/2016)

2017 Indy Lights schedule released – The 2017 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires schedule has been released. ” Indy Lights will be featured on 10 weekends alongside the Verizon IndyCar Series headline event, marking a total of 16 races with doubleheader rounds on the streets of St. Petersburg, at Barber Motorsports Park, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road course), Road America, on the streets of Toronto and at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Indy Lights will contest single rounds at Iowa Speedway, Gateway and Watkins Glen. The crown jewel in the series’ schedule remains the Freedom 100 on Carb Day of the Indianapolis 500.” Full schedule at the link. – Indy Lights – (9/14/2016)

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