Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that current Haas F1 Team reserve and test driver, Pietro Fittipaldi, who is also a multiple open-wheel champion and race-winning world endurance championship driver, will drive the No. 30 entry for his first full season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2024. Fittipaldi, the Brazilian-American grandson of 1989 INDYCAR champion and two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, returns to the series after having made 9 starts in 2018 and 2021 for Dale Coyne Racing. Details on the sponsorship for the entry will be announced at a later date.

Fittipaldi, 27, made six starts in the INDYCAR SERIES in 2018 — three on oval tracks and three on road courses — with his best start being 10th in Phoenix and best finish of 9th coming at Portland. He had planned to compete in more races, but his program was curtailed midseason after breaking both legs in an accident in the World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in May of that year. In 2021, he split the season in the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware entry with Romain Grosjean, running three of the four oval races. His best qualifying effort came in his Indianapolis 500 debut of 13th place, which earned him the “Fastest Rookie Award” and his best finish was 15th in Race 2 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 20th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 108th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, before culminating in Nashville for the championship finale Sunday, Sept. 15. All on-track action can be seen on NBC or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service or USA Network. For more information about the series or team, visit www.indycar.com and www.rahal.com.

PIETRO FITTIPALDI, driver of the No. 30 Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It’s an honor to join a team of the caliber of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. With the experience I’ve gained over the last few years in F1 and other racing series, I am looking forward to the challenge of racing in INDYCAR, one of the most competitive and versatile racing series in the world. I want to thank Mr. Rahal, Mr. Lanigan, and Mr. Letterman for the opportunity and their trust and confidence in me. I can’t wait to get started.”

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to have Pietro join RLL as the driver of the No. 30 car. He has had previous experience in INDYCAR in doing partial seasons with Dale Coyne Racing and impressively qualifying 13th at Indianapolis in 2021. I got to meet him then and since that time he has worked hard to become the reserve driver for Haas F1’s team. And from our discussions, I have been impressed with the maturity and experience that he will now bring to our program. I look forward to seeing what he can do over a full season of INDYCAR competition in 2024.”

MIKE LANIGAN, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We are proud and excited to welcome Pietro to our team. The Fittipaldi family name has always been associated with winning and competitiveness in our sport. The legacy lives on with Pietro and we welcome the challenges in keeping the tradition alive.”

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Fittipaldi joins RLLR for full-time IndyCar season in 2024 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Grosjean starts arbitration case against Andretti ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

McLaren Racing announced Oct. 2 its plans to enter a strategic alliance with Juncos Hollinger Racing starting with the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The alliance will begin with a commercial and strategic focus, possibly evolving over time. Both Chevrolet-powered teams also will develop talent together, with the potential for engineers, mechanics and drivers to build experience.

“We’re continually working to strengthen all areas of our team, and a strategic alliance with Juncos Hollinger Racing helps both of us in leveraging our commercial and marketing power and the McLaren Racing brand in a new way,” said Gavin Ward, Arrow McLaren team principal.

Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi and David Malukas will drive for Arrow McLaren in the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Callum Ilott and Agustin Canapino drove for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the 2023 season.

“Our two teams have a lot of similarities in how we’re attracting partners and building a fan base,” said Ricardo Juncos, Juncos Hollinger Racing president and co-owner. “We’re starting out with a strategic alliance, and we’ll see how that may evolve from here.”

Said Juncos Hollinger Racing co-owner Brad Hollinger: “We believe our alliance will enable us to accelerate our progress while also benefiting McLaren with commercial and talent development opportunities.”

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada McLaren and Juncos announce alliance from 2024 IndyCar season ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

INDYCAR has announced a 17-race schedule for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, which will take the world’s most competitive motorsport series into several fan-favorite markets, including a much-anticipated return to the Milwaukee Mile.

The schedule is also highlighted by two Saturday night races, a new and unique made-for-TV exhibition in Southern California, a global entertainment destination as the new host city for the season finale, and 12 NBC broadcast network showcases bolstered by the rising popularity of live streaming on Peacock.

Milwaukee Mile lands on the INDYCAR SERIES schedule for the first time since 2015. With the return set for Labor Day weekend, the iconic facility began hosting INDYCAR SERIES racing in 1939 and has featured wins by legendary drivers such as Rodger Ward (seven), Michael Andretti (five), Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford, Tom Sneva, Paul Tracy, Al Unser and Bobby Unser (four each).

The fabled 1-mile oval in West Allis, Wisconsin, also will showcase the NTT INDYCAR SERIES racing with a doubleheader weekend for the first time in the track’s history, providing two crucial races during the homestretch of the 2024 championship.

“There is such a great tradition and history of INDYCAR racing at the Milwaukee Mile, and we are excited to build on that legacy with a Labor Day weekend NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader beginning in 2024,” said Roger Penske, chairman of Penske Corporation. “We appreciate all the loyal and passionate INDYCAR fans in Milwaukee and across the state of Wisconsin, and thanks to our partnership with the Wisconsin State Fair Park, we can’t wait to return to the Mile next season.”

The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 20th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26, before all roads lead to Nashville for an unforgettable championship finale Sunday, Sept. 15 down the heart of the city’s entertainment district and honky tonk row, where the 2024 champion will be crowned for the first time.

“The upward trajectory of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is reflected through the 2024 schedule,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “With stops at premier and global entertainment districts, classic American road courses and thrilling, high-speed ovals, the 2024 season will be exhilarating and highly competitive from beginning to end.

“The growth of INDYCAR is palpable. Combined with the efforts of our teams and partners, the 2024 championship will be the perfect showcase for our drivers as we continue to build on our reach and popularity.” For the sixth consecutive season, NBC Sports will be the exclusive home for INDYCAR coverage in the United States. NBC will provide network coverage 12 times during the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. It is the first time in 20 years the INDYCAR SERIES schedule has featured three consecutive years of double-digit events on network television.

Peacock remains the streaming home of INDYCAR. In a first for the streaming destination, Peacock will be the exclusive home of two races in a season – Toronto for the third year in a row and Milwaukee (Race 1) for the first time. In addition to the exclusive races, Peacock will once again simulstream all races airing on TV and will be the home to all practices, qualifying and INDY NXT by Firestone races.

The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season proved to be NBC Sports’ most-watched INDYCAR SERIES season on record, averaging a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.32 million viewers. It also marked the third consecutive year of viewership growth across NBC Sports platforms, including a record audience streaming the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on Peacock.

The Road to Indianapolis

Two street circuits and two road courses will entertain NTT INDYCAR SERIES fans and set the stage for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. After the 2024 season opens Sunday, March 10 for the 14th time on the sun-splashed Streets of St. Petersburg, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to The Thermal Club for the first $1 Million Challenge Sunday, March 24.

Serving as an Open Test and a non-points NBC showcase, the event will take place at the world-class facility located just outside of Palm Springs, California – a short drive from Los Angeles and the world’s top entertainment market. The $1 Million Challenge weekend format will include a qualifying session and two heat races. With members of The Thermal Club embedded with race teams and drivers, the top six finishers from the two heat races will advance to a showcase of stars, where they’ll compete for a $1 million prize.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule resumes Sunday, April 21 on the palm tree-lined Streets of Long Beach, with a telecast on USA Network. It will be the 40th time the INDYCAR SERIES has raced on the iconic Southern California streets, in the shadows of Hollywood. The series’ next five events will be featured on NBC broadcast television and Peacock.

Barber Motorsports Park will host the INDYCAR SERIES for the 14th time, with the Sunday, April 28 race marking the final NTT INDYCAR SERIES event before moving into the traditional Month of May calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. May at IMS begins with a race on the road course Saturday, May 11 before attention shifts to the famed 2.5-mile oval for two days of qualifying Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19 building toward the 108th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – the world’s largest single-day sporting event – on Sunday, May 26.

Ticket sales for the “500” are at a pace exceeding 2023, when well over 300,000 attended the largest single-day sporting event in the world. It was the second-largest Indy 500 crowd in more than two decades.

Summer Heat

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will feature an adrenaline-filled stretch of action on five consecutive weekends leading into the months of June and July. It begins with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday, June 2 on USA Network, with racing on the 1.7-mile downtown street circuit for the second straight year. The new layout on the city’s vibrant and challenging streets featured as much passing as any street circuit in 2023.

The intense competition continues a week later on NBC and Peacock at historic Road America on Sunday, June 9. The newly repaved, picturesque circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, witnessed the most on-track passing for an INDYCAR SERIES race at the facility in 2023.

The 2024 season continues Sunday, June 23 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on USA Network. Known for its iconic and breathtaking Corkscrew turn complex, the Northern California facility will host an INDYCAR SERIES race in June for the first time in 21 years. The summer heat is turned up in July with four races in three weeks – beginning with three consecutive broadcast showcases on NBC and Peacock.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will continue the country’s Fourth of July celebration by hosting the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on Sunday, July 7 on NBC. Mid-Ohio matches Long Beach as it hosts INDYCAR SERIES racing for the 40th year in 2024.

The annual Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend doubleheader at Iowa Speedway is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 13-14, again on NBC. The 2024 edition will include the return of a Saturday night race to the jam-packed weekend. With support from Hy-Vee, the weekend combines exhilarating, wheel-to-wheel action with world-class music at the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet.”

The final race before the Summer Olympics break takes the NTT INDYCAR SERIES back to the Streets of Toronto on Sunday, July 21. Peacock again will provide exclusive coverage of the fan-favorite event as the INDYCAR SERIES races around Exhibition Place and Princes’ Gates for the 38th time in Canada’s largest city.

Fast, Fantastic Finish

The 2024 season finishes with a flurry as it features five races – including three on ovals – in five weeks. Beginning on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES homestretch races out of the gates Saturday night, Aug. 17 on USA Network. The expected start time will take the brash and bold INDYCAR SERIES stars under the lights on the 1.25-mile track.

A week later on USA Network, INDYCAR returns to the West Coast and races Sunday, Aug. 25 at Portland International Raceway for the 30th time. In 2023, races at both WWT Raceway and PIR featured the most on-track passes on record at those facilities.

The new Labor Day weekend doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile will air on Peacock on Saturday Aug. 31 and USA Network on Sunday, Sept. 1 before the spotlight shifts to the Streets of Nashville for the season finale Sunday, Sept. 15 on NBC and Peacock.

The new 2.17-mile, seven-turn circuit in Nashville still incorporates the iconic Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge but adds views of the Country Music Hall of Fame and world-famous honky tonk row. For the first time, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion will be crowned and celebrated as part of the marquee Big Machine Music City Grand Prix weekend, which will include a massive Broadway street party that only Nashville can throw.

Previously announced, the 2024 season awards ceremony will also take place in the Music City, on Monday, Sept. 16 at the beautiful Schermerhorn Symphony Center. “2023 was a record-breaking season for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “For the first time, 27 starters competed at each event, and on-track passing records were broken at six racetracks. INDYCAR remains the most diverse and competitive championship in motorsports. We cannot wait to see how the 2024 season plays out beginning on the Streets of St. Pete.”

The INDYCAR Radio Network again will provide audio coverage of all NTT INDYCAR SERIES sessions via SiriusXM Channel 160 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. Start times for the 2024 events will be announced at a later date.

Here’s 2024 IndyCar calendar –

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada IndyCar releases calendar for 17-round 2024 season ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

L'entrada Chip Ganassi adds Simpson as its fifth IndyCar entrant for 2024 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

This will be O’Ward second FP1 outing with McLaren after the Mexican made his debut last year in Abu Dhabi GP itself as part of the FIA rookie run plan. The IndyCar driver will most likely replace Lando Norris in the car to complete the programme.

Considering Oscar Piastri made his F1 debut in Bahrain GP, the Australian fulfilled the FIA requirement after McLaren nominated him as one of the rookie drivers. Alex Palou was at the forefront to get the nod until his u-turn on the IndyCar side.

With Palou now staying with Chip Ganassi Racing, McLaren has nominated O’Ward in his place. The Mexican is likely to undertake the post-season Pirelli tyre testing too. He will formally become one of the reserves of the F1 team with these test runs.

The team, though, is still checking on the superlicense situation, but they believe it is just a formality. “We are actually checking with the FIA, and we think he’s eligible now for the superlicence,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. “So he’s qualified to drive an F1 car and be in a position to be one of the reserve drivers.

“In terms of the two main [free practice] events that would have involved either Alex or Pato, we had to do one more session of free practice one, where we have to have a so-called young driver, so a driver that hasn’t participated in more than two races.

“And then we have the post-Abu Dhabi test. Initially, these kind of events would have been split between the two, but obviously now in this situation, we will have Pato at the wheel in FP1 in Abu Dhabi and then I can confirm that he will also be driving the Tuesday after the race in Abu Dhabi.”

Here’s Lando Norris on radio moaning

Here’s McLaren on review of Monza clash

Here’s Lando Norris on partnering Max Verstappen

L'entrada McLaren gives O’Ward FP1 drive in Abu Dhabi GP ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

When the going gets most chaotic, nobody in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES finds a smooth path to Victory Lane better than Scott Dixon. Dixon did it again Sunday, overcoming a starting grid penalty and an early on-track penalty and adapting strategy to multiple caution periods to win the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

It was the third win of the season and 56th career INDYCAR SERIES victory for six-time series champion Dixon, who won on this 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit for the first time. Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda crossed the finish line 7.3180 seconds ahead of the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet of runner-up Scott McLaughlin for his third victory in the last four races of the season. Alex Palou finished third in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda to close out his championship season with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Two-time series champion Will Power finished fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, with Callum Ilott rounding out the top five in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. Marcus Armstrong was the top rookie finisher, eighth in the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants of Chip Ganassi Racing. That was enough to clinch Rookie of the Year honors for New Zealand native Armstrong and helped CGR achieve the unprecedented feat of taking the top two spots in the standings, with Palou and Dixon, and winning the Rookie of the Year title.

Chevrolet edged Honda by just 12 points to win the Manufacturers Championship for the second consecutive season. The first hurdle for Dixon to scale came before the green flag flew to start the race. His CGR team was penalized six spots on the starting grid for an unapproved engine change after the morning warmup, so Dixon dropped from his qualifying spot of fifth to 11th at the start.

That lower starting spot put Dixon in the middle of mayhem that erupted near the front and throughout the midfield on Lap 1. Five cars were officially counted as part of the multiple collisions and jostling in Turn 2. Dixon’s car veered hard right in traffic exiting the calamity corner better known as the Andretti Hairpin on Lap 1 and tapped the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus VeeKay into the gravel just past Turn 2.

After extensive review of the entire maelstrom, INDYCAR officials assessed Dixon with a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact, along with a drive-through penalty for the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Christian Lundgaard. That penalty infuriated Dixon, known as “The Iceman” for his cool under pressure. But he chilled quickly in the cockpit, and Dixon and veteran CGR strategist Mike Hull started to devise alternate tactics to quicken a long climb from the rear of the cars still running on the lead lap.

Hull and Dixon decided to save fuel and try to finish the 95-lap race on one stop fewer than most of the rest of the field. They employed a similar strategy to win after being spun into the grass on Lap 1 of the Gallagher Grand Prix on Aug. 12 on the IMS road course and sipped fuel to win the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Aug. 27 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

When it was drawn up, the fuel-saving strategy was risky because it probably required some slower running under yellow to make it to the finish on one less stop. Dixon also couldn’t let teammate Palou, who was cruising out front while leading 51 of the first 58 laps, build a big enough lead to stay out front after the final pit cycles ended.

The yellows came that Dixon needed – and then some. And one of the caution flags flew with terrible timing for Palou. On Lap 58, the No. 18 HMD Trucking Honda of David Malukas and the No. 29 Sapphire Gas Solutions Honda of Devlin DeFrancesco made side-by-side contact, with Malukas spinning into the gravel adjacent to Turn 3 to trigger the fifth of a race record-tying eight caution periods.

Palou was nearing the end of one of his fuel stints when the incident unfolded, but he couldn’t dive into the pits before the caution lights illuminated. He made his second and final stop on the next lap, Lap 59, and re-entered the race in 15th place with 37 laps to go. Meanwhile, Dixon made his third and final stop on Lap 65.

That ended up being one stop fewer than McLaughlin. Meanwhile, Palou couldn’t make up enough ground in the closing stages of the race to convert his two-stop strategy into catching Dixon or McLaughlin, as the last 17 laps of the race ran green despite the last four caution periods coming between Laps 58 and 75.

Dixon took the lead for good on Lap 76 when leader Romain Grosjean pitted for the last time in the No. 28 DHL Honda of Andretti Autosport. It was one of six lead changes among six drivers in a wild race that featured 432 on-track passes, an INDYCAR SERIES record for this picturesque track that features the famous “Corkscrew” turn complex. From there, Dixon managed the gap after the final restart on Lap 78 and pulled away down the stretch of the 95-lap race with no need to save fuel.

#Indycar #FirestoneGP #LagunaSeca Race results of the final race of the 2023 season. #MsportXtra pic.twitter.com/XKSFYuHYLe

— #MsportXtra © (@MsportXtra) September 10, 2023

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada IndyCar: Dixon ends 2023 season with dominant Laguna Seca win ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Arrow McLaren today announced that David Malukas has signed a multiyear deal with the team ahead of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.   The 21-year-old American-Lithuanian driver is one of the youngest in the paddock and has shown speed and potential over his first two seasons in the series with two podium finishes for Dale Coyne Racing with HMD.

David, a multi-time karting champion, came to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES through INDY NXT, where he finished second in 2021 with a series record of 16 podiums.  David will join Arrow McLaren drivers Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in the team’s lineup and will race the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for team partners NTT DATA, onsemi and SmartStop.

David Malukas, 2024 Arrow McLaren Driver, said: 

“I can’t wait to race in papaya next season. Arrow McLaren has been a threat to the top contenders all season long, and I’m excited to join the team and see what their Chevrolets can do. Pato and Alexander both know what it takes to win, so it will be fun racing alongside them and learning from them as well.”

Gavin Ward, Racing Director, Arrow McLaren:  

“We’ve been extremely impressed with how quickly David has gotten up to speed in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. At 21, he’s already one of the strongest oval racers in the field and his competitiveness on road and street courses has been steadily improving. That speed combined with an excellent attitude and work ethic makes us thrilled to have him join the team.”

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing: 

“David is an up and comer in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and based on what we’ve seen from him so far in his first two seasons, I’m confident there’s a lot of talent we can extract from him through the resources we have at Arrow McLaren. Beyond what he can do on a racetrack, he’s got a great personality and we’re excited to welcome him to the McLaren Racing family.”

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Malukas signs multi-year IndyCar deal with Arrow McLaren ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that the team has signed Marcus Armstrong to a multi-year contract extension. Armstrong, 23, currently leads the Rookie of the Year standings in his debut NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with 190 points. The Christchurch, New Zealand, native has competed exclusively in road and street course races. Throughout his first 11 races in the series, he has recorded three top-eight finishes and led the field for five laps.

The Kiwi will be expanding his driving duties to compete on ovals with a full season beginning next season. Armstrong will drive an INDYCAR on an oval for the first time when he tests at Texas Motor Speedway on September 13.

“I am very proud and excited to continue with Chip Ganassi Racing for next year and beyond. Together with this very talented and experienced team, I am confident we can compete at the highest level in this championship. I feel very grateful that Chip has given me the time to adapt to INDYCAR and has helped me every step of the way in what has been a good season,” said Armstrong.

“I’ve spent the year learning from a great group of people, including my teammates and Dario. I’m very grateful for how much help I’ve received from each team member. With a season under my belt, I now want to turn these lessons into results. I will be racing on the ovals for the first time next year and it’s an exciting challenge that I’m confident I can learn quickly. I spent the entire month of May either in the engineering office or in the pit stand this year, trying to familiarize myself with the details of oval racing. It’s a challenge that excites me a lot.”

“Marcus Armstrong has proven in 2023 his quick adaptation to INDYCAR road and street tracks. He’s ready to be a full-time Chip Ganassi Racing INDYCAR driver,” said Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull. “Winning is integrated into his racing resume. This includes his pursuit of the 2023 INDYCAR Rookie of the Year. He knows how to win as a teammate. Next comes ovals at the highest global level. We look forward to a long-term relationship driven by growth and opportunity in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Marcus.”

Armstrong made the jump to race in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Chip Ganassi Racing after competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship from 2020 to 2022 where he earned four wins and eight podiums.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Armstrong secures full-time IndyCar seat with Chip Ganassi ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will expand its NTT INDYCAR SERIES program in 2024, and has signed Felix Rosenqvist to a multi-year agreement with the team. Rosenqvist will bring his pace and experience as he teams up with Tom Blomqvist for MSR’s full-season two-car campaign. MSR is also growing its program to support a third entry for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 for Helio Castroneves.

In addition to Castroneves’ Indianapolis 500-only effort, the team recently announced that the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner has joined the MSR ownership group as a minority partner, serving as driver coach and team ambassador.  Since joining the INDYCAR SERIES in 2019, Rosenqvist has established himself as a proven race winner who will look to continue to build his racing resume with MSR starting in 2024.

“I’m super excited to start the next chapter of my INDYCAR career together with MSR,” said Rosenqvist. “This will be a great opportunity for myself and MSR to elevate and get to the next level together. I’m also pretty excited to get to work with my old friend Tom (Blomqvist) again. I’m ready to start working together and getting the next season started.”

Next year’s INDYCAR season will see MSR have a complete reset with an all-new driver lineup as the Ohio-based team sets its sights on a successful 2024 season and beyond. “We’re very excited to have our 2024 INDYCAR plans finalized and to welcome Felix (Rosenqvist) to the team,” said Mike Shank. “Felix has been someone that has been on our radar for quite some time now and everything lined up this year to work something out with him.

“It’s no secret that we’ve had a difficult season, with some things out of our control and some things in our control. I think we are all looking forward to resetting completely, starting over and getting to work.  I think Tom and Felix will work great together and really feed off of each other. We will also have Helio with us at every race to provide his feedback and advice which will be an added bonus, so I think we’re in for a solid year ahead.”

Meyer Shank Racing will close out its NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign this coming weekend with the series finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Blomqvist will make his third INDYCAR start this weekend on board the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda in place of Simon Pagenaud at Laguna with Castroneves finishing out his final full-season INDYCAR race in the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda.

pic.twitter.com/UIgJ40MCjE

— Simon Pagenaud (@simonpagenaud) September 5, 2023

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Rosenqvist moves to MSR in multi-year IndyCar deal ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Alex Palou put a decisive stamp of authority on a dream season, winning the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday at Portland International Raceway to clinch the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship.

Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, earned his second series title in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing after claiming his first championship in 2021 with the team. He became the first driver to seal the INDYCAR SERIES title with one race to spare since Sebastien Bourdais claimed Champ Car honors in 2007 in the penultimate race.

Chip Ganassi Racing won its 15th INDYCAR SERIES championship, second only to Team Penske’s 17 titles in the history of the sport. Ganassi also clinched its first 1-2 finish in the driver point standings since 2009, as six-time series champion Scott Dixon secured second with his third-place finish in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

This was Palou’s series-leading fifth victory of the season, and he has finished eighth or better in all 16 races this season. Palou, 26, leads Dixon in the standings, 618-527, with one race remaining, the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, Sept. 10 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Palou won the race by 5.4353 seconds over runner-up Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Dixon was 8.0669 seconds behind the winner. Pato O’Ward placed fourth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and two-time series champion Josef Newgarden rounded out the top five in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet.

Palou, who started fifth, led 69 of 110 laps. He paved the way for eventual victory at the start when he darted around Dixon and Colton Herta in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda in the precarious first turn to take third place. Running on Firestone primary tires at the start, Palou first took the lead on Lap 22 when NTT P1 Award winner Graham Rahal and fellow front-row starter Scott McLaughlin stopped for fuel and swapped their Firestone alternate tires for primary rubber.

The CGR team decided on an “overcut” strategy for Palou and Dixon on primary tires, running long on the more durable rubber to build a gap on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course. That strategy worked perfectly. Palou made his first stop on Lap 31, switching to Firestone alternate tires. Dixon stopped a lap later as the last driver to enter the pits for his first service, staying on primary tires.

Palou cycled to the front on Lap 34 when David Malukas pitted from the lead in the No. 18 HMD Trucking Honda fielded by Dale Coyne Racing with HMD. From there, Palou and Dixon alternated the lead during pit cycles until Rosenqvist grabbed the top spot on Lap 81 when Palou made his final stop. But Palou took the lead for good on Lap 84 when Rosenqvist pitted a lap before the caution flew for the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of rookie Agustin Canapino, who spun off track in Turn 12.

That caution period allowed Rosenqvist to get heat into his new, cold Firestone alternate tires at slow speed behind the Honda pace car, avoiding a probable attack by Dixon on warmer, grippier tires if the race was under green-flag conditions. Palou eased away from Rosenqvist and Dixon on the restart on Lap 88. But Rosenqvist stayed within one second for the next five laps before Palou began his inexorable drive away from any threats and into victory lane as Rosenqvist’s alternate tires lost grip toward the end of the race.

#Indycar #PortlandGP Results of an eventful race, with a win for @AlexPalou , which also results in Palou becoming the @IndyCar 2023 CHAMPION ! It was also a race in which, FINALLY, it all worked out for @rinusveekay as he finished 6th. #MsportXtra pic.twitter.com/e0FwuvxmQL

— #MsportXtra © (@MsportXtra) September 3, 2023

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada IndyCar: Palou seals 2023 title after Portland victory ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Juri Vips –

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced Aug. 28 that Estonian driver Juri Vips will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in the team’s No. 30 entry at the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Sept. 3 and will drive in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, Sept. 10 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Vips, 23, drove an INDYCAR SERIES car for the first time Oct. 12, 2022, at Sebring International Raceway in a test for RLL and again March 13 of this year at Barber Motorsports Park. He has also performed static simulator testing for the team during the season.

“I’m super happy to get the opportunity with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and very thankful to Bobby (Rahal), Mike (Lanigan) and everyone at the team,” Vips said. “I haven’t been driving all year, so the anticipation for this opportunity has been immense, but I’m really looking forward to starting again. We tested together at the end of 2022 in Sebring, and it seemed like we just jelled. I got along with everyone, and I really like the atmosphere at the team. Bobby’s also one to give second chances, and I’m extremely grateful that he is giving me one and I really hope to bring a good result for him, Mike and the whole team.

“I hope I can prove myself and most importantly get them into the winner’s circle, which is always my main mission. I feel ready for these races, I think the tracks suit my experience and driving style and the car, as well. I’ve already integrated myself with the team this year, doing some work for them on the simulator, so I already know the people and feel very comfortable with everyone, which is a big benefit for me, as well.”

Vips last raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, one level below Formula One. Vips’ teammate Christian Lundgaard, who won this year at Toronto, also competed in that series before moving to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, as did fellow young standouts Callum Ilott of Juncos Hollinger Racing and Marcus Armstrong of Chip Ganassi Racing.

While racing for Hitech Grand Prix in F2 in 2021-22, Vips earned three victories and two poles. His best championship finish was sixth in 2021, placing ahead of Lundgaard and Armstrong. Before his climb to F2, Vips competed in a variety of European junior formula categories. He won the ADAC Formula 4 Championship in 2017. Vips also served as a Formula One test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing from 2020-22.

“I’m very pleased for the team to enter Juri in the Portland and Laguna Seca races,” team co-owner Bobby Rahal said. “Clearly, he was the lead Red Bull Junior driver a few years ago and exhibited a lot of talent, which we saw during the two tests he ran with us, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do on a race weekend.”

Tom Blomqvist –

Tom Blomqvist will drive for Meyer Shank Racing in the last two races of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Sept. 3 at Portland International Raceway and Sept. 10 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Blomqvist will compete in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda in the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, substituting for Simon Pagenaud, who continues to recover from an accident in early July at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Pagenaud has not been medically cleared by the INDYCAR medical team to run the final two races.

These will be the second and third starts of Blomqvist’s young NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. He qualified 20th and finished 25th in July at the Honda Indy Toronto after he was collected in a crash on the first lap. Blomqvist again will team with four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves at MSR for the last two races of this season.

“Obviously the circumstances are quite tricky with Simon’s recovery and the whole situation surrounding the 60 car,” Blomqvist said. “I know the whole team and myself included are thinking about him as he recovers. I’ve got to thank Jim (Meyer) and Mike (Shank) for getting me in the car and looking ahead now to next season having been confirmed to drive with MSR next year. It’s a good thing to be getting these races under my belt before the season and working in preparation for my full program in 2024. I got a brief test in Toronto under very challenging circumstances – without any real preparation whatsoever.

“Now I’ve got a little bit more understanding and knowledge, and I’m hoping it’s going to be easier this time. I’m going to have the opportunity to get into the simulator, and I know a little bit more of what to expect in terms of the way the weekend runs. I don’t know Portland at all, and I know everyone has been racing flat-out in the summer. It’s still going to be an absolutely huge challenge. The series is so, so competitive, and I am still new to these cars. I’m not putting any pressure on myself, and I’m just going to go out there and do my best.”

Blomqvist is moving to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES after a stellar career in sports cars. He won the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the DPi class with MSR. He also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with the team in 2022 and 2023.

pic.twitter.com/PMJJMotgp2

— Simon Pagenaud (@simonpagenaud) August 28, 2023

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Vips, Blomqvist handed IndyCar drives with RLLR, MSR ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

No driver in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES makes the improbable possible more than Scott Dixon, and he did it yet again Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway. Dixon showed every bit of his masterful ability to save fuel and navigate traffic to win the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, earning his 55th career victory and second win this season.

He only needed three pit stops due to saving fuel, at least one fewer than the other 27 drivers in the field. That strategy was borne from necessity since Dixon started 16th in the 28-car field after incurring a nine-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after the last race, the Gallagher Grand Prix on Aug. 12 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He also won that race by saving fuel and mastering strategy after being spun into the infield grass during a Lap 1 incident.

Pato O’Ward finished second in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. David Malukas placed third in the No. 18 HMD Trucking Honda fielded by Dale Coyne Racing with HMD. O’Ward and Malukas were the only drivers on the lead lap with Dixon, whose margin of victory of 22.2256 seconds was the biggest for an INDYCAR SERIES race on the 1.25-mile WWTR oval. Alexander Rossi finished fourth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, with NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin rounding out the top five in the No. 3 Odyssey Batteries Team Penske Chevrolet.

Six-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon also kept his hopes alive for a record-tying seventh title with the victory, as he trails series leader Alex Palou by 74 points with two races remaining. Teammate Palou finished seventh in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda and needs to lead by 55 points or more after the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland next Sunday, Sept. 3 at Portland International Raceway to clinch his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in the last three seasons. Palou and Dixon are the only remaining drivers eligible to win the Astor Challenge Cup as season champion.

Dixon’s victory also ended Josef Newgarden’s run toward INDYCAR SERIES history. Newgarden entered this 260-lap race having won all four previous oval races this year and was trying to become the first INDYCAR SERIES driver to sweep all the oval races in a season with multiple circle-track races. But two-time series champion Newgarden – who had won three straight races at WWTR dating to 2020 – drifted high in Turn 2 on Lap 211 after his final pit stop and hit the SAFER Barrier. He finished 25th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet and was eliminated from title contention.

Newgarden started from the top spot after NTT P1 Award winner and teammate McLaughlin was forced to start 10th after a nine-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after the last race. Newgarden led 98 of the first 102 laps as most teams evolved their pit strategies to four stops.

Dixon was on a different plan. He took the lead for the first time on Lap 113 when Colton Herta pitted from the lead in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. By Lap 120, every driver had made at least two pit stops – except for Dixon.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda, triggering the second and last caution period of the race on Lap 122. Dixon dove into the pits on Lap 125 under caution for his second stop, with Newgarden and O’Ward following suit.

Then Dixon’s mastery of saving fuel took control of the race. O’Ward and Newgarden pitted for the third time on Laps 165 and 167, respectively, while Dixon didn’t make his third – and final – stop until Lap 197, handing the lead to O’Ward.

But O’Ward pitted for the fourth and final time on Lap 214, giving the lead to teammate Rossi. But Rossi and then Herta had to pit for a fourth time within the next seven laps, and Dixon jumped to the front on Lap 221 and stayed there until the checkered flag despite keeping an eye on his fuel number and growing pressure from behind from Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Dixon led a race-high 123 of 270 laps. Power had to make his final stop on Lap 249, and Dixon was home free from that point.

#Indycar #Bommarito500 Race results. #MsportXtra pic.twitter.com/aCt1nEl6Vo

— #MsportXtra © (@MsportXtra) August 27, 2023

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada IndyCar: Dixon works his strategy to win at WWTR from O’Ward ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Mickey Rupp, a native of Mansfield, Ohio, qualified 15th and finished sixth in the No. 81 G.C. Murphy Gerhardt/Offy rear-engine car in 1965. He passed his rookie test in a front-engine Chapman Special Offy roadster that year before moving to the rear-engine car for practice, qualifying and the race.

That sixth-place performance would have earned Rookie of the Year honors in many editions of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” but the 1965 rookie class was arguably the strongest in “500” history. Mario Andretti finished third and Gordon Johncock fifth ahead of Rupp. Future “500” legend Al Unser and future Indy pole winner and USAC national champion Joe Leonard were among the eight other rookies in the field that year who finished behind Rupp.

Rupp’s INDYCAR SERIES driving career was quite short, with just five starts overall in 1964 and 1965. But he finished in the top 10 in three of those five races, with a best result of fifth at Milwaukee a week after he finished sixth at Indianapolis.

His commitment and responsibilities to his growing recreational vehicle empire pulled Rupp from the driver’s seat.

Rupp started building kart kits in his basement in the late 1950s and then began manufacturing his designs that included such innovations as step frames, improved braking systems and eventually four-wheel independent suspension. His Dart Karts immediately became very popular and were produced through the late 1960s, and his brother-in-law – legendary Indianapolis 500 chassis designer A.J. Watson – appeared in a magazine ad for the 1959 Dart Kart.

His company, Rupp Manufacturing (which was renamed Rupp Industries), also produced popular mini-bikes, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles distinguishable by their performance and bright red color schemes.

Dart Kart also gained marketplace recognition due to racing sponsorships in the early 1960s, including a USAC sprint car owned by Watson and driven by A.J. Foyt in 1960 and the car that Don Davis drove in the 1961 Indianapolis 500.

Rupp Manufacturing reached new heights in 1963 and 1964 when its karts and minibikes were supplied to Sears, which successfully sold them through the company’s widely circulated Sears Catalog.

Rupp sold Rupp Industries in the late 1970s and turned his design and entrepreneurial skills to the water. An avid sport fisherman, Rupp designed and manufactured an outrigger system that also gained rapid popularity.

Rupp Marine Inc. was formed in 1980 as demand grew for Rupp’s outrigger designs, and the company still produces sport fishing hardware sold globally from its base in Stuart, Florida.

L'entrada Indianapolis 500 Veteran Rupp Dies at 87 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Andretti Autosport announced today that Marcus Ericsson will join the team’s 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver lineup alongside confirmed teammates Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood.

The Indianapolis 500 Champion will take on his sixth season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2024 looking to add to his four race wins and 10 podiums. In addition to his INDYCAR success, Ericsson raced for five seasons in the FIA Formula One World Championship, has claimed Championships in both British Formula BMW and Japanese F3 and has race starts in both British F3 and Formula 2 (formerly GP2).

The race-winning Swede heads into the final three races of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season in sixth place in the Championship standings with a win at the season opener in St. Petersburg and three podiums, including an impressive runner-up finish at the 107^th Running of the Indianapolis 500. More information on Ericsson’s 2024 entry, including car number and partners, will be provided at a later time.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT: “Like everyone else, we have paid close attention to Marcus’ success in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and have been impressed with how quickly he proved that he belonged with the frontrunners in what is arguably the most competitive INDYCAR field ever. It’s no secret that we want to win races and Championships and to do that we need drivers like Marcus who have that natural talent and determined drive. We are excited for the winning mindset that Marcus brings to the table and I’m eager to see what next season has in store for us.”

MARCUS ERICSSON, DRIVER, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT: “I’m very happy and proud to be joining Andretti Autosport next season. Andretti is one of the most legendary names in motorsports, so it is definitely a dream come true for me to join this team. I want to thank Michael and Dan [Towriss] for putting their trust in me and I can’t wait to get to know everyone in the organization. It’s a very exciting new chapter in my career and I’m really looking forward to getting to work achieving our goals together. Exciting times are ahead and I’m thankful for this opportunity.”

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Ericsson moves to Andretti for 2024 IndyCar season ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Vukovich was the son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bill Vukovich and the father of fellow Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Billy Vukovich III, as the Vukovichs were one of only five families to have three generations of drivers compete in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” joining the Unsers, Andrettis, Foyts and Brabhams.

California native Vukovich made 12 starts in the “500” between 1968-80, with six top-10 finishes. His best result was second in the rain-shortened race in 1973, driving the No. 2 Sugaripe Prune Eagle/Offy fielded by Jerry O’Connell.

That result started a three-year stretch of excellence at the Speedway for Vukovich, who finished third in 1974 and sixth in 1975. His best qualifying effort also came in 1975, when he started eighth in the No. 6 Cobre Tire Eagle/Offy fielded by Fletcher Racing.

In 1968, Vukovich qualified 23rd and steadily climbed to finish seventh as a rookie driving the No. 98 Wagner-Lockheed Shrike/Offy fielded by fellow Californian J.C. Agajanian. That performance earned Vukovich the Rookie of the Year award.

Vukovich also was a longtime standout INDYCAR SERIES driver, with 158 career starts and 85 top-10 finishes between 1965-82. His sole career victory came Sept. 16, 1973, at Michigan International Speedway in a 125-mile race that was the first event of a doubleheader that day. His best season came in 1972, when he finished second in the USAC Champ Car standings behind Joe Leonard.

The versatile Vukovich also was a star on short tracks across America. He earned 23 USAC National Midget victories during his career, racing for such premier team owners as J.C. Agajanian.

That success led to Vukovich being enshrined into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998, joining his father. All three Vukovichs also are enshrined in the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, as they all called the California city their hometown.

Motorsports brought Vukovich much acclaim, but the sport also took a tragic toll on his family. His father, Bill Vukovich, died from injuries suffered in an accident while leading the 1955 Indianapolis 500 as he was trying to win the race for an unprecedented third consecutive year. Bill Vukovich II’s son, 1988 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Billy Vukovich III, also suffered fatal injuries during practice for a sprint car race in November 1990 at Bakersfield, California.

L'entrada Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Bill Vukovich II Dies at 79 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The news of Palou not joining Arrow McLaren in IndyCar came to light last week after AP reported about an internal letter from Zak Brown where he shared his disappointment of the Spaniard not honouring his contract with them from the 2024 season.

McLaren had also invested in Palou’s F1 programme after he signed up as a reserve driver. The Spaniard was even dropped by Monaco Increase Management after they were disappointed too by his u-turn to not honour his contract signed for 2024.

CGR has defended Palou but neither the team and nor the driver has yet confirmed their programme for the 2024 IndyCar season. In the meantime, McLaren has pressed on with a court case against the Spaniard and the team for compensation.

The separate cases have been filed at the UK Commercial Court with Morgan Lewis & Bockius hired to represent them as per IndyStar, who have seen the documents. The lawsuits were field as Part 7 Claims which is mostly down to compensation.

The separate case against Palou was seemingly filed this Wednesday, but the one against the team’s entity was done so already last Friday when the news broke about the Spaniar’s u-turn. McLaren is yet to comment anything regarding the court cases.

At the same time, Palou’s management hasn’t said anything either apart from noting that the focus for them remains to win the 2023 IndyCar title as it nears its end with the Spaniard leading the drivers’ standings from teammate Scott Dixon.

Here’s MIM on Alex Palou

L'entrada McLaren files lawsuits against Palou over 2024 u-turn ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Scott Dixon continued two remarkable streaks Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, one at the green flag and another at the checkered. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon rallied from a spin into the grass after being collected in an accident on Lap 1 to win the Gallagher Grand Prix in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Dixon, from New Zealand, extended his INDYCAR SERIES record streak to 19 consecutive seasons with at least one victory on a day when he also set a series record with his 319th consecutive start.

NTT P1 Award winner Graham Rahal finished a season-best second in the 85-lap race, as his late charge to catch Dixon fell just .4779 of a second short in the No. 15 Code 3 Associates Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. It was the closest INDYCAR SERIES finish ever on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS road course. Pato O’Ward finished third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard, who joined RLL teammate Rahal on the front row at the start, placed fourth in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda. Alexander Rossi, who won this event last year, rounded out the top five in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Championship leader Alex Palou finished seventh in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda of Chip Ganassi Racing to expand his points gap to 101 over Dixon, who leapfrogged Josef Newgarden for second. Newgarden also was caught in the melee that collected Dixon but immediately lost a lap due and finished a season-low 25th in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, two laps down. Newgarden is third in the standings, 105 points behind Palou with three races remaining.

Dixon’s “spin to win” maybe wasn’t as dramatic as Danny Sullivan’s similar maneuver in the short chute between Turns 1 and 2 of the IMS oval to win the 1985 Indianapolis 500, but it was arguably just as improbable.

On the first lap, Palou nudged the rear of the No. 11 IU Simon Cancer Center Honda of rookie teammate Marcus Armstrong in heavy traffic in Turn 7 at the end of the back straightaway, and Armstrong spun. The concertina effect of drivers trying to avoid the incident caused Romain Grosjean’s No. 28 DHL Honda to touch Dixon, spinning Dixon’s car into the grass. Then Newgarden, who started 25th, arrived at the scene with nowhere to go, and his car climbed over the nose of Armstrong’s stopped car, damaging Newgarden’s front wing.

Dixon kept his engine running in the infield grass, straightened his car and returned to the track. He pitted on Lap 5 on an alternate strategy and started his march toward the front. Meanwhile, Devlin DeFrancesco continued to hold the lead after a daring dive from his fifth starting position to the front in Turn 1 on the opening lap in the No. 29 TRUBAR/Jones Soda Honda. But Rahal dove under DeFrancesco in Turn 1 on Lap 9 to take the top spot.

Rahal, Lundgaard and Dixon then traded the lead through pit cycles over the next 50 laps before Dixon made his final stop on Lap 59 after turning blazing laps before entering pit road. Dixon also turned scintillating out laps after his final stop. Rahal pitted from first on Lap 64 for his final stop but exited in second behind Dixon.

On Lap 66, Dixon led Rahal by 6.1866 seconds, with both drivers on Firestone alternate tires. But Rahal’s fresher tires paid dividends, and he began to claw ground on Dixon. Dixon’s lead dropped to 3.8448 seconds by Lap 72, with Rahal pulling to within 1.6028 seconds on Lap 80.

Both drivers then reached lapped traffic, and Rahal closed the gap to .5076 of a second on Lap 82 after he and Dixon cleared the slower cars. The margin shrank to .2689 of a second with two laps to go, and it appeared Rahal was setting up for a final-lap showdown for the win with Dixon. But Dixon padded his lead to .8639 of a second at the white flag and hung on during the final trip around the circuit that includes portions of the famous 2.5-mile oval and the Yard of Bricks at IMS.

Dixon will split $10,000 with Chip Ganassi Racing and his chosen charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge. Palou will earn the $1 million PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge bonus if he wins the next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday, Aug. 27 on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval. The bonus is presented to the first driver who wins on a road course, street circuit and oval in a season. Palou already has victories this season on road course and street circuit.

#Indycar #GallagherGP Race results. @scottdixon9 wins, but just…. #MsportXtra pic.twitter.com/W88lXpoL4i

— #MsportXtra © (@MsportXtra) August 12, 2023

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada IndyCar: Dixon wins at Indianapolis by 0.479s over Rahal ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

After huge dramas last year where Palou wanted to leave Chip Ganassi Racing to join McLaren in 2023, the Spaniard is once again in hot waters. The settlement was made last year where he stuck with CGR in IndyCar, but was allowed to be McLaren’s F1 reserve.

He has since undertaken several F1 tests with McLaren and was poised to join its IndyCar team in 2024. But the latest turn of events has left his own management company in a disarray where they have ended ties with him due to unprofessionalism.

As per reports, Palou was due to join McLaren in IndyCar in 2024 but he has now backtracked on the idea. This move would have opened a better road to F1 which already started with several test runs with the Woking-based team.

But his u-turn has left MIM in a bad space. “Monaco Increase Management is bitterly disappointed to learn about Alex Palou’s decision to break an existing agreement with McLaren for 2024 and beyond,” it said in a statement.

“Together, we had built a relationship that we thought went beyond any contractual obligation and culminated in winning the 2021 IndyCar crown and tracing a path to F1 opportunities. Life goes on and we wish Alex all the best for his future achievements.”

This bit of news was confirmed by Zak Brown to The Race as well. “I’m extremely disappointed that Alex Palou does not intend to honour his contractual obligations to race with us in IndyCar in 2024 and beyond,” he said. “That is all I have to say on the topic for the time being.”

Brown is left disappointed considering the investment that McLaren has already made towards Palou with regards to his IndyCar and F1 programmes. Certain reports suggests Palou to remain with CGR in 2024, while some have linked him with seats at Williams and or AlphaTauri.

The latest contractual drama comes at a time when Palou is leading the IndyCar standings with a chance to win his second title in three years. It remains to be seen if the Spaniard already has a F1 offer on table for 2024 to take such drastic steps.

MIM also presumes that Honda intervened in an attempt to keep Alex Palou, and there could be promises of F1 development with Aston Martin once Honda becomes Aston's engine supplier. But it is all just a guess because all communication has ceased.

— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) August 12, 2023

Ceased since *WEDNESDAY*, MIM says, when it had a perfectly normal call with Alex discussing, among other things, his championship party in Laguna Seca.

— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) August 12, 2023

Here’s Andrea Stella on Spa showing their reality

Here’s McLaren testing at Spa

Here’s Lando Norris being surprised by Top 10 result

L'entrada MIM ends ties with Palou amid latest contractual drama ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Kyle Kirkwood used a combination of smart strategy and raw speed to win the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday on the streets of Nashville. Kirkwood, from Jupiter, Florida, earned the second NTT INDYCAR SERIES win of his career and this season – both on street circuits – in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda fielded by Andretti Autosport. Kirkwood, who started eighth, beat the charging No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet of NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin to the finish by .7633 of a second after a late restart.

Championship leader Alex Palou finished third in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda of Chip Ganassi Racing. He expanded his lead to 84 points over closest pursuer and Nashville native Josef Newgarden, who placed fourth in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Six-time series champion and 2022 Nashville winner Scott Dixon rounded out the top five in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Kirkwood fended off McLaughlin on a restart with just over three laps remaining after a red flag period of 11 minutes. That pause was triggered by a three-car stack-up on Lap 75 of the 80-lap race involving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Felix Rosenqvist, the No. 55 AJ Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet of Benjamin Pedersen and the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of Agustin Canapino in Turn 11.

On the restart at the end of Lap 77, Kirkwood rocketed away on the 11-turn, 2.1-mile temporary street circuit that includes two trips over the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge per lap, pulling a lead of 1.6 seconds after one green-flag lap. But McLaughlin and Palou started a hot pursuit in steamy weather conditions of air temperatures in the high 80s and high humidity. McLaughlin sliced more than half of Kirkwood’s lead at the white flag, but he had to settle for his second consecutive runner-up finish from pole in this race.

Kirkwood led a race-high 34 of the 80 laps, including the last 27. But team strategist Bryan Herta may have paved the winning path with a crucial strategy call early in the race that cycled Kirkwood toward the front of the pack for most of the race. On Lap 14, Palou dove into the pits from the top five during the second of what was expected to be many cautions at this event, where calamity seemingly lurks around every corner.

Palou shed his Firestone alternate guayule tires for the more durable but less grippy Firestone primary tire. It was expected the other cars in the lead pack would do the same, but they all stayed out of the pits and tried to extend the life of their alternate tires. Kirkwood finally made his first stop on Lap 29 after leading Lap 28 during pit cycles, pulling into second behind Palou – on a different strategy – on Lap 33.

Kirkwood took the lead on Lap 45 when Palou pitted and surrendered the lead to teammate Romain Grosjean after his final pit stop on Lap 52. When all the leaders’ stops cycled, Kirkwood was out front on Lap 54 and never trailed thereafter. The early pit strategy for Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing was based on an abundance of yellow flags in the first two years of this street race, as there were an average of 8.5 cautions in 2021 and 2022. But that nearly backfired as there were just two cautions in the first 71 laps.

Palou was running third and within a few laps of maybe needing a quick, costly final stop for fuel when a welcome third caution flag flew for CGR on Lap 71. Rookie Linus Lundqvist hit the wall in Turn 11 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. That caution, and the next caution and red flag after the ensuing restart, saved Palou’s spot in the top three and almost certainly his lead of more than 1.5 races over Newgarden in the points with just four races left this season.

#Indycar #MusicCityGP #Nashville Race results. There was a red flag with 5 laps to go. #MsportXtra pic.twitter.com/2aWadR51lA

— #MsportXtra © (@MsportXtra) August 6, 2023

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada IndyCar: Kirkwood wins at Nashville from McLaughlin ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.