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The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies since 1920 after two initial attempts in 1905 and 1916. The series is self-sanctioned by its parent company, INDYCAR, LLC., which began in 1996 as the Indy Racing League (IRL) and was created by then Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George as a competitor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). In 2008, the IndyCar Series merged with CART's successor, the Champ Car World Series and the history and statistics of both series, as well as those from its predecessors, were unified. The series' premier event is the Indianapolis 500, which was first held in 1911.

McLaughlin Pulls Off Sweet Repeat To Lead Penske 1-2 at Barber

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sunday, April 28, 2024) – Scott McLaughlin proved Sunday there’s no strategy like pure speed to win an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

McLaughlin won the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst for the second consecutive year at Barber Motorsports Park, again using a mash-the-gas, three-stop pit strategy in his No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet to earn his first victory of the season and his fifth career win.

SEE: Race Results

The triumph put a positive exclamation point on a trying week for Team Penske, which was penalized Wednesday for illegal use of the Push to Pass system at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden were disqualified from the race, while Will Power received a 10-point penalty.

“We know our job, we know what we need to do,” McLaughlin said. “I’m just super proud of the execution. A couple of yellows didn’t fall our way, but we just showed our pace. We just keep rolling, man.

“Definitely one of my best drives in terms of execution and just knocking out the laps. Very happy we could advance to the checkered flag there and bring home a W for Team Penske and for Roger (Penske).”

Power finished second in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet, 1.3194 seconds behind McLaughlin, after starting second. Rookie Linus Lundqvist earned his first career INDYCAR SERIES podium finish by placing third after starting 19th in the No. 8 American Legion Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.

Felix Rosenqvist finished fourth in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda to continue burnishing his potential championship credentials after joining Meyer Shank Racing this season. Two-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou rounded out the top five in the No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda as Chip Ganassi Racing matched Team Penske also with two drivers in the top five.

McLaughlin, who led 58 of the 90 laps after earning the NTT P1 Award in qualifying Saturday, took the lead for the final time on Lap 76 after his final pit stop. McLaughlin, Power, Lundqvist and Christian Lundgaard were the leading drivers on a three-pit stop strategy, while Palou and Rosenqvist were among those who opted to make only two stops and conserve fuel in hopes of snatching an unlikely victory like Scott Dixon did April 21 in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Palou led Laps 46-55 while on the alternate strategy before making the last of his two stops at the end of Lap 56. Meanwhile, McLaughlin – who made his second stop at the end of Lap 46 – knew he had to build a gap of around 27 seconds on Palou after Palou’s final stop to be able to keep the lead after his third and final stop.

No problem.

McLaughlin led Palou by nearly 30 seconds before his last stop and exited the pits for the final time ahead of his Chip Ganassi Racing rival. It looked like McLaughlin had more than enough speed to hold off Power over the last 14 laps, as both were on identical fuel strategies and running Firestone Firehawk alternate tires to the finish. Meanwhile, 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Lundqvist completed his mighty march from the back of the field by passing teammate Palou for third place on Lap 84.

But the last of the race’s four caution periods threw a trick in the tail. Rookie Christian Rasmussen spun and stalled his No. 20 Guy Care Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing in Turn 13 on Lap 86.

That set up a two-lap scramble for the victory on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile asphalt roller coaster. On the Lap 89 restart, McLaughlin eased away from Power and stayed inch-perfect for victory.

“It was a hard-fought 1-2 for Penske,” Power said. “We were certainly fast, but obviously a lot of strategy played into that. We were able to use our speed to come out in front again.”

McLaughlin, from New Zealand, has won at least one race in each of the last three seasons after joining the team full time in 2021. He was a legend in the Supercars Championship based in Australia, winning three consecutive titles for Penske in that touring car series from 2018-20.

Six-time series champion Dixon, who led the points entering this event, lost the top spot with his 15th-place finish capping a challenging weekend for the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda crew.

Colton Herta took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points lead for the first time – by one point over Power – after finishing eighth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian. Palou is third, just three points behind Herta. Dixon is fourth, just seven points behind Herta.

That sets the table for a magical Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The most fabled three weeks in motorsports begin with the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 11 on the IMS road course, followed by the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26 on the IMS oval.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Results Sunday of the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (1) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 90, Running
2. (2) Will Power, Chevrolet, 90, Running
3. (19) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 90, Running
4. (5) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 90, Running
5. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 90, Running
6. (3) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 90, Running
7. (17) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 90, Running
8. (15) Colton Herta, Honda, 90, Running
9. (6) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 90, Running
10. (9) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 90, Running
11. (7) Graham Rahal, Honda, 90, Running
12. (11) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 90, Running
13. (22) Jack Harvey, Honda, 90, Running
14. (23) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 90, Running
15. (13) Scott Dixon, Honda, 90, Running
16. (8) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 90, Running
17. (27) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 90, Running
18. (18) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 90, Running
19. (12) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 90, Running
20. (20) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 90, Running
21. (21) Luca Ghiotto, Honda, 90, Running
22. (24) Theo Pourchaire, Chevrolet, 89, Running
23. (4) Pato O'Ward, Chevrolet, 90, Running
24. (14) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 89, Running
25. (16) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 59, Mechanical
26. (25) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 54, Contact
27. (26) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 41, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 106.369 mph
Time of Race: 1:56:45.7773
Margin of victory: 1.3194 seconds
Cautions: 4 for 15 laps
Lead changes: 10 among six drivers


Lap Leaders:
McLaughlin, Scott 1 - 27
Palou, Alex 28 - 29
Rosenqvist, Felix 30
Ferrucci, Santino 31 - 34
McLaughlin, Scott 35 - 45
Palou, Alex 46 - 55
Ferrucci, Santino 56 - 65
Lundqvist, Linus 66 - 69
McLaughlin, Scott 70 - 74
Power, Will 75
McLaughlin, Scott 76 - 90

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings:
Herta 101, Power 100, Palou 98, Dixon 94, Rosenqvist 87, O'Ward 71, Kirkwood 67, Lundqvist 62, McLaughlin 59, Ferrucci 58, Rossi 53, VeeKay 53, Grosjean 50, Ericsson 49, Rahal 48, Newgarden 48, Lundgaard 48, Armstrong 45, Simpson 45, Canapino 39, Harvey 35, Blomqvist 34, Fittipaldi 28, Pourchaire 27, Robb 23, Rasmussen 22, Callum Ilott 19, Colin Braun 10, Nolan Siegel 10, Ghiotto 9

 

 

McLaughlin, Power Sweep Front Row in Penske Rebound at Barber

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Saturday, April 27, 2024) – Team Penske rallied from one of the most tumultuous weeks in its storied history by seizing both front-row starting spots for the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on Saturday afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park.

Scott McLaughlin earned his first NTT P1 Award of the season and his sixth career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole with his final lap of 1 minute, 5.9490 seconds during the Firestone Fast Six session in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet. His teammate Will Power qualified second at 1:06.0460 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.

SEE: Qualifying Results

The strong performance came at the end of a week in which Team Penske was penalized for illegal use of the Push to Pass system at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. McLaughlin and teammate Josef Newgarden were disqualified from the race, while Power received a 10-point penalty.

“It’s been tough,” McLaughlin said. “The Good Ranchers Chevy was so good today, and I just wanted to give these guys and girls on the team an opportunity to be back on front row and back on pole. In the last couple of races, we just haven’t hit it in qualifying.

“This means a lot. We’ve just got to keep focusing like this for the rest of the season and keep working hard.”

Up next is the prerace warmup at 10:15 a.m. ET Sunday (Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network). Live coverage of the 90-lap race starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Reigning Barber winner McLaughlin earned the 300th INDYCAR SERIES pole position for the fabled team owned by Roger Penske. Power fell just .0097 of a second short of earning his series record-extending 71st pole as Team Penske swept the front row at an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race for the first time since last August on the oval at World Wide Technology Raceway, where McLaughlin and Newgarden took the top two spots, respectively.

“I’ve said it all year: We’re going to be quick everywhere,” Power said. “I’m not surprised. It was obviously a pretty rough week for everyone on the team. Pretty disappointing, but we moved forward quickly.”

McLaughlin stole the top spot in dramatic fashion on his final lap around the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural road course. He hovered within tens of thousands of a second of Power’s top time, keeping the advantage by ripping through the daunting Turns 12-13 complex.

“I sent it pretty hard through the last couple of corners,” McLaughlin said. “Any time you get a chance to get a Team Penske front row, that’s the main thing. I’m very proud of everyone.”

Christian Lundgaard qualified a season-best third at 1:06:0818 in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Pato O’Ward, who inherited the St. Petersburg victory after Newgarden was disqualified, also will start on the second row after qualifying fourth at 1:06.2940 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Felix Rosenqvist continued the strong start to his season in his new environs at Meyer Shank Racing, qualifying fifth at 1:06.4524 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda. Rosenqvist has qualified in the top five for all three points-paying races in 2024.

Marcus Armstrong ended his first career appearance in the Firestone Fast Six by qualifying a career-best sixth at 1:06.9022 in the No. 11 Root Insurance Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.

Graham Rahal just missed joining RLL teammate Lundgaard in the Firestone Fast Six and will start seventh after a best lap of 1:06.0942 during the second qualifying round in the No. 15 Hendrickson Honda. Newgarden, who offered his reaction to the Push to Pass penalties in an emotional press conference Friday, qualified eighth at 1:06.2908 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.

Points leader and six-time series champion Scott Dixon qualified a season-low 13th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. But Dixon is a master of strategy and reading a race from deep in the pack, as he won the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach last Sunday after starting eighth.

2022 Barber pole winner Rinus VeeKay, quickest in the morning practice, qualified last in the 27-car field after being saddled with an electrical problem in his No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet during the first round of qualifying.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Qualifying Saturday for the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:

1. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 1:05.9490 (125.552 mph)
2. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 1:06.0460 (125.367)
3. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 1:06.0818 (125.299)
4. (5) Pato O'Ward, Chevrolet, 1:06.2940 (124.898)
5. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 1:06.4524 (124.600)
6. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 1:06.9022 (123.763)
7. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 1:06.0942 (125.276)
8. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 1:06.2908 (124.904)
9. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 1:06.2959 (124.895)
10. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 1:06.3013 (124.884)
11. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 1:06.3526 (124.788)
12. (66) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 1:06.3871 (124.723)
13. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 1:06.1425 (125.184)
14. (20) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 1:06.4803 (124.548)
15. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 1:06.1481 (125.174)
16. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 1:06.5054 (124.501)
17. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 1:06.2751 (124.934)
18. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 1:06.5846 (124.353)
19. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 1:06.2825 (124.920)
20. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 1:06.6706 (124.193)
21. (51) Luca Ghiotto, Honda, 1:06.4788 (124.551)
22. (18) Jack Harvey, Honda, 1:06.7969 (123.958)
23. (4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 1:06.5267 (124.461)
24. (6) Theo Pourchaire, Chevrolet, 1:06.9052 (123.757)
25. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 1:06.8404 (123.877)
26. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 1:07.4920 (122.681)
27. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 1:07.7392 (122.234)

 

Newgarden Finds Peace by Setting Pace in Barber Practice

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Friday, April 26, 2024) – After a tumultuous week for himself and Team Penske, Josef Newgarden said Friday morning he couldn’t wait to strap back into his race car at Barber Motorsports Park.

It showed.

SEE: Practice Results

Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden led practice Friday for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst with a top lap of 1 minute, 6.7045 seconds in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. The strong performance came just hours after Newgarden participated in an emotional press conference in which he offered his first public comments after he and teammate Scott McLaughlin were disqualified from the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding for illegal use of the series’ Push to Pass system.

The quick lap on Firestone Firehawk alternate tires at Barber came despite Newgarden spinning off track in Turn 15 early in the 75-minute session after running wide, triggering a red flag. The car didn’t make any contact and continued.

“It’s definitely the best medicine in the world for someone like me,” Newgarden said. “It’s great to be out here, just getting to turn laps. I was a little bit off my game in the beginning, for sure. I dropped a wheel and made a mistake and threw away a set of tires, which was unfortunate.

“We just kept going. We came up with a new plan, and I think the positive thing is the car was really fast, even when I made the mistake.”

Pato O’Ward, who inherited the St. Petersburg victory Wednesday after Newgarden was disqualified, ended up second today at 1:06.7875 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Like Newgarden, O’Ward went off track during the session while exploring the limits of grip but also made no contact.

Two-time series champion Will Power, who didn’t use Push to Pass illegally at St. Petersburg but was docked 10 points as part of the penalty for having override programing code on the car, was third at 1:06.7914 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.

Colton Herta was fourth at 1:06.8002 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global, while Christian Lundgaard rounded out the top five at 1:06.8972 in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Defending Barber race winner McLaughlin, who expressed a similar desire today to find peace in his car like Newgarden, ended up ninth at 1:07.0935 in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet.

Christian Rasmussen was the quickest of the six rookies in the field this weekend, 13th overall at 1:07.4418 in the No. 20 Guy Care Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing.

Up next is practice at 12:15 p.m. ET Saturday on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural road course, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 3:30 p.m. Competition should be taut for the pole, as less than one second separated the top 19 drivers in the 27-car field in practice Friday.

Live coverage of the 90-lap race starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

 

 

Dixon Makes Magic To Pull Off Improbable Long Beach Win

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Sunday, April 21, 2024) – Scott Dixon proved yet again Sunday that almost nothing is impossible for him behind the wheel of a race car, winning the Acura Long Beach Grand Prix with a dramatic blend of patience and aggression over the closing laps.

Nobody in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES saves fuel better than Dixon, and he drove the last 34 laps of the 85-lap street race on one tank of Shell 100% Renewable Race Fuel in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to hold off a hard-charging Colton Herta – who was on a more conventional, less risky fuel strategy – by .9798 of a second.

SEE: Race Results

“That was tough; that was really tough,” Dixon said. “Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to make it, and they kept giving me a (fuel) number, and it just wasn’t getting ... I was close but not enough. Luckily, we were on the safe side there.”

Dixon, who started eighth, even had enough fuel left in his Honda engine to perform a celebratory burnout after claiming his first victory of the season and the 57th win of his legendary career. It was his second victory on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile Long Beach temporary street circuit, joining his triumph in 2015.

Reigning series champion Alex Palou finished third in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Series points leader Josef Newgarden placed a disappointing fourth in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet after looking to be Dixon’s biggest threat until Herta’s No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global made contact with him late in the race.

Marcus Ericsson rounded out the top five in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda fielded by Andretti Global, as that team and Chip Ganassi Racing each claimed two of the top five finishing positions.

The 27-car field splintered into two groups of differing strategies on Lap 15 when the only caution period of the race was triggered by Christian Rasmussen’s spin and wall contact in Turn 4 in the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing.

Then race leader Will Power and Dixon led a group of drivers that dove into the pits during that caution, with Kyle Kirkwood, Marcus Armstrong, Graham Rahal and Linus Lundqvist among the other leading lights adopting that tactic.

That strategy play handed the lead to Newgarden on Lap 17, and he kept the top spot when green-flag racing resumed on Lap 19.

For the next 45 laps, the early-stopping drivers used every tactic in their bag of skills to save fuel, lifting the throttle early in corners and babying it on acceleration. Every engineer’s calculation on the pit wall showed the margin to make it to the finish on just one more stop would be razor-thin without another caution period.

Meanwhile, the rest of the contenders entered the pits between Laps 30 and 33 for their first stops, with Herta going the longest to Lap 33. The fuel-sipping group then pitted for the final time on Laps 52-53.

The differing strategies then exploded into a crescendo of drama after the second group pitted for the final time between Laps 58-62.

Newgarden emerged in second, about three seconds behind Dixon, after every contender finished their final stops. Newgarden’s tires were seven laps fresher than Dixon’s, and he didn’t have to worry about saving fuel.

Nearly everyone in the sold-out reserved seat grandstands figured it would only be a matter of time before Newgarden passed Dixon for the lead and perhaps an unbeaten start to the season, as he won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on March 10.

Everyone but Dixon, that is.

Dixon masterfully balanced saving fuel with short bursts of push-to-pass to parry Newgarden over the closing laps. Still, Newgarden drove to within a half-second of Dixon on Lap 71 and appeared to be biding his time.

Newgarden then pulled close to Dixon’s gearbox entering the hairpin leading to the long front straightaway on Shoreline Drive on Lap 77 and appeared to be setting him up for a passing attempt on the straight. But that never happened, as Herta nudged Newgarden from behind entering the hairpin. The impact lifted Newgarden’s rear wheels off the ground and engaged his anti-stall function, letting Herta and Palou pass him and dropping him to fourth.

“It seemed pretty obvious,” Newgarden said. “He just misjudged it and ran into me.

“I’m not saying we were going to get Dixon. It was very, very difficult for me to get the run I needed to. I think traffic was going to provide me an opportunity, so that run right there, I was really excited about it. I think that was going to be my last chance. Never know if I would have pulled it off or not.”

Said Herta: “I think he (Newgarden) set up pretty wide and was cutting back in and was a little slower at apex, but ultimately it’s up to me to carry the right speed into the corner and not run into the back of people, and I just misjudged it.”

That incident gave Dixon breathing room from behind as he navigated lapped traffic ahead. Herta pulled to within .328 of a second with three laps remaining, but Dixon was given clearance on the last lap to use all the fuel-gulping push-to-pass he had left and pulled away for the win.

It was yet another chapter in Dixon’s saga of pulling victory from nowhere with fuel saving and pit wall strategy. Just last season, he earned unlikely wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and World Wide Technology Raceway in August with similar tactics.

“It was way up there,” Dixon said when asked where this win ranked among his strategic victories. “The stress level was high. Those guys were coming fast and strong. I think we were off by a lap or two of making it easy. Other fuel races I’ve done I’ve had it under control for the full stint.”

Reigning FIA Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire finished 11th in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the top rookie in the race. Frenchman Pourchaire is substituting for David Malukas, continuing to recover from surgery to repair left wrist injuries suffered in a preseason mountain biking accident.

There’s just one week until the next race, the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on Sunday, April 28 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Live coverage starts at 1 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Results
 
 
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Results Sunday of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.968 mile Streets of Long Beach, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (8) Scott Dixon, Honda, 85, Running
2. (4) Colton Herta, Honda, 85, Running
3. (6) Alex Palou, Honda, 85, Running
4. (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 85, Running
5. (5) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 85, Running
6. (2) Will Power, Chevrolet, 85, Running
7. (10) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 85, Running
8. (16) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 85, Running
9. (1) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 85, Running
10. (13) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 85, Running
11. (22) Theo Pourchaire, Chevrolet, 85, Running
12. (9) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 85, Running
13. (17) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 85, Running
14. (18) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 85, Running
15. (20) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 85, Running
16. (14) Pato O'Ward, Chevrolet, 85, Running
17. (12) Graham Rahal, Honda, 85, Running
18. (25) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 85, Running
19. (26) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 84, Running
20. (27) Nolan Siegel, Honda, 84, Running
21. (24) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 84, Running
22. (15) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 84, Running
23. (7) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 84, Running
24. (19) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 84, Running
25. (23) Jack Harvey, Honda, 83, Running
26. (11) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 71, Running
27. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 14, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 98.350 mph
Time of Race: 01:42:03.1416
Margin of victory: 0.9798 of a second
Cautions: 1 for 4 laps
Lead changes: 8 among 6 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Rosenqvist, Felix 1
Power, Will 2-16
Newgarden, Josef 17-29
Herta, Colton 30-32
Dixon, Scott 33-50
Kirkwood, Kyle 51
Newgarden, Josef 52-57
Herta, Colton 58-61
Dixon, Scott 62-85

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings: Newgarden 87, Dixon 75, Herta 72, Palou 63, Power 61, O'Ward 54, Rosenqvist 50, Kirkwood 45, Rossi 44, McLaughlin 40, VeeKay 36, Ericsson 35, Grosjean 30, Ferrucci 28, Canapino 27, Rahal 27, Simpson 27, Lundqvist 24, Armstrong 23, Blomqvist 21, Fittipaldi 21, Pourchaire 19, Lundgaard 18, Robb 17, Callum Ilott 17, Harvey 16, Rasmussen 14, Siegel 10, Colin Braun 8.

 

Rosenqvist Power Surge Continues with Long Beach Pole

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Saturday, April 20, 2024) – Felix Rosenqvist continues to benefit from a change in scenery in 2024, winning the NTT P1 Award for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday.

Rosenqvist moved from Arrow McLaren to Meyer Shank Racing after the 2023 season, and he delivered MSR its first-ever pole for an NTT INDYCAR SERIES points-paying race with a lap of 1 minute, 6.0172 seconds in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit.

SEE: Qualifying Results

“It was hard,” Rosenqvist said. “Honestly, I didn’t think I had it because I had a big tank-slapper out of (Turn) 5. This is a hard-fought one. It doesn’t come easy. Every lap out there, you’re flirting with the walls. That was a fun one.”

While it was Rosenqvist’s first pole with MSR, it was the Swede’s sixth career pole since he joined the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2019. His last pole came in the season finale last September at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, his final race for Arrow McLaren.

Since moving to MSR, Rosenqvist has qualified second at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and finished second in the non-points The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge last month, where he also qualified first.

The margin of Rosenqvist’s superiority today was as thin as tissue paper. Two-time series champion Will Power, the leading pole winner in INDYCAR SERIES history, qualified second at 1:06.0211 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet – .0039 of a second behind Rosenqvist. That’s the tightest front-row margin on a street circuit since knockout qualifying started in the series in 2008.

Power’s strong performance came after his Saturday morning practice session was truncated by two slaps of the Turn 8 wall. It also was Power’s best qualifying performance on a road or street circuit since he surpassed Mario Andretti as the INDYCAR SERIES’ all-time pole winner with his 68th career pole in September 2022 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Power won two NTT P1 Awards last season – both on the oval at Iowa Speedway – to increase his career total to 70.

“Just getting into the (Firestone) Fast Six again is a big deal for me,” Power said. “I’ve been working hard on my qualifying. Been quick all year in practice, so super-stoked to transfer. Obviously, it’s a bit (tough) when you miss out by that much, but Felix must have done a phenomenal lap. I couldn’t pick anywhere where I made a mistake. It was about as good as I can do.

“Cool to get the Verizon car on the front row again. It’s been a long time. We can certainly win from there.”

Live coverage of the 85-lap race starts at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on the USA Network, Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Final practice starts at noon ET Sunday, with coverage on Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Series points leader Josef Newgarden, who won the season opener in St. Petersburg, qualified third at 1:06.1059 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Two-time series champion Newgarden will be joined in Row 2 of the starting grid by Colton Herta, who qualified fourth at 1:06.3784 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global.

Marcus Ericsson was the second Andretti Global driver in the Firestone Fast Six, qualifying fifth at 1:06.4039 in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda. Reigning and two-time series champion Alex Palou also will start on the third row after qualifying sixth at 1:06.5444 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Another bright spot for MSR besides its maiden pole by Rosenqvist was the solid performance by Tom Blomqvist, the top rookie qualifier in 15th in the No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda. Reigning FIA Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire qualified 22nd for his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Pourchaire is replacing David Malukas, who continues to recover from surgery to repair wrist injuries suffered in a preseason mountain biking accident.

Margins were very tight throughout all three rounds of qualifying on a partly cloudy Southern California day, and those tight gaps caught out two drivers quick in sessions earlier this weekend.

Pato O’Ward, who led Friday practice, was eliminated in the first round of qualifying and will start 14th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Reigning Long Beach winner Kyle Kirkwood, quickest in pre-qualifying practice Saturday morning, didn’t make it past the second round of qualifying and will start 10th in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda fielded by Andretti Global.

 

O’Ward Takes Top Spot in Tight Opening Long Beach Practice

 

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Friday, April 19, 2024) – Pato O’Ward once again showed why he’s overdue for an NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory, leading practice Friday for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

O’Ward turned a top lap of 1 minute, 6.6874 seconds in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit. O’Ward finished second in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, as he seeks to earn his first series victory since July 2022 at Iowa Speedway, a dry spell of 24 races.

SEE: Practice Results

“The car is in the window, and we’ve been making small tweaks here and there,” O’Ward said. “Some things worked, some things didn’t work.”

Less than a second separated the top 15 drivers in the session Friday, setting up an exciting Saturday of practice and NTT P1 Award qualifying. Practice starts at 11:25 a.m. ET, followed by three rounds of qualifying starting at 2:25 p.m. Both sessions will be broadcast on Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Two-time series champion Will Power was the quickest of three Team Penske drivers in the top five Friday, ending up second at 1:06.7811 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Power won this prestigious event in 2008 and 2012.

Scott McLaughlin helped Chevrolet-powered teams sweep the first three spots on the time sheet, as he was third at 1:06.8258 in the No. 3 Odyssey Batteries Team Penske Chevrolet.

McLaughlin and Power finished in the top three despite both brushing the concrete barriers lining the tricky street circuit in separate incidents during the 75-minute session, which was divided into an all-car session to start and finished with two separate groups.

Felix Rosenqvist continued his early-season strong form by ending up fourth at 1:06.8600 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. Rosenqvist moved to MSR this season after three years at Arrow McLaren, and he has responded by finishing seventh at St. Petersburg and third at the non-points The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge last month.

Series points leader Josef Newgarden rounded out the top five at 1:06.8976 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden earned a dominant victory in the season opener at St. Petersburg.

Two rookies also captured headlines Friday under sunny skies in Southern California.

2023 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Christian Rasmussen was ninth overall at 1:07.2773 in the No. 20 Guy Care Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing, the quickest of the six rookies in the field by more than a second.

Reigning FIA Formula 2 champion Théo Pourchaire was the second-quickest rookie in his first-ever laps in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car, ending up 21st at 1:08.2857 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Frenchman Pourchaire was summoned this week to drive for Arrow McLaren full-time driver David Malukas, who continues to recover from surgery to repair a wrist injury suffered in a preseason mountain biking accident.

Sunday’s 85-lap race will be at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
 

Rain Brings End to Indianapolis 500 Open Test

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, April 11, 2024) – As rain showers continue to move through the Indianapolis area, day two of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Open Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been canceled, concluding the test.

During day one Wednesday, the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program and veteran refresher laps were completed, along with veteran testing. Combined, 34 drivers turned a total of 1,327 laps in sessions that featured adjusted start times in anticipation of weather.

Teams will return to IMS on Friday, May 10 for practice and qualifying ahead of the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 11 on the IMS road course. Practice for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 14, with the race scheduled for Sunday, May 26.

The next event for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 21 on the Streets of Long Beach. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock. Coverage is also available from the INDYCAR Radio Network via the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA and SiriusXM channel 218.

 

Newgarden Leads Rain-Shortened First Day of Indy 500 Open Test...

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, April 10, 2024) – Josef Newgarden must like the view from the top at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as he was fastest Wednesday in the rain-shortened first day of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Open Test.

Reigning "500" winner Newgarden turned the fastest lap during the morning session on the 2.5-mile oval, 228.811 mph, in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden also led the Indy 500 Open Test in 2022 and last year, when he returned in May to earn his first victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” after a scintillating, last-lap duel with 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson.

SEE: Combined Test Results

“We’re not trying to do it because I had no idea,” Newgarden said of leading the Open Test for a third straight year. “I didn’t know it was three years in a row. We want to check off things on our list. Obviously, it’s been right at the front, which is a good sign.”

The first day of testing, which featured separate sessions for veterans, and Rookie Orientation Program and refresher tests, was halted numerous times by passing raindrops, including one midday delay of 67 minutes. Heavier showers arrived shortly after 2 p.m. ET to end on-track activity.

Testing is scheduled to resume from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. ET Thursday, with live coverage in the United States on Peacock and live international coverage on INDYCAR LIVE.

While it was little surprise to see NTT INDYCAR SERIES oval master Newgarden atop the speed chart, the second-fastest driver raised eyebrows and anticipation in equal measure. 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson clocked in second at 226.384 in the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet as he prepares for his first start in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" while also attempting the "Hendrick 1100" double of racing at Indy and in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26.

“Getting in some traffic and feeling the turbulent air,” Larson said. “The first time I got in traffic, I think my tires still had good grip, so I was surprised. It didn’t feel that different in traffic. Then the last time, I was building understeer, and Newgarden got by me and I was super tight behind him.

“I’m just trying to learn all that and process all that and knowing what I can do in the car to cope with that. I’m just trying to figure out any bit of racecraft today, which I know is tough. Just get notes in my head and all that.”

2008 Indy 500 winner and six-time series champion Scott Dixon was third at 226.346 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, followed by reigning series champion and teammate Alex Palou at 226.201 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Colton Herta rounded out the top five at 225.907 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. Herta was the only driver among the top five to turn his best lap in the brief afternoon session before testing was washed out.

All three veterans requiring refresher tests – Marco Andretti, Pietro Fittipaldi and Katherine Legge – completed that program. Christian Rasmussen, Kyffin Simpson and Nolan Siegel each finished the three-phase Rookie Orientation Program.

The 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 26. Practice opens Tuesday, May 14, with PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19.

 

INDYCAR, Indiana University Health Announce Updates to INDYCAR Medical Team

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 1, 2024) – INDYCAR and Indiana University Health announced May 1 the appointment of Angela Fiege, MD to director of medical services for INDY NXT by Firestone and the addition of sports neurologist Bert Vargas, MD to the INDYCAR Medical Team. IU Health is the official healthcare provider for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the INDYCAR Medical Team is comprised of IU Health physicians and nurses who are experts in motorsports medicine.

Fiege, who is a veteran critical care and emergency medicine physician at IU Health, is also a longtime motorsports physician. She has served in various roles in motorsports including the INDYCAR Medical team since 2010 and the AMR motorsports physicians’ team for NASCAR. She has also worked at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a track physician since 2007. She will continue her role as deputy director of medical services for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, alongside Medical Director Julia Vaizer, MD. Fiege is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine, where she also serves as an assistant professor of clinical medicine.

“Dr. Fiege continues to be a tremendous asset to the INDYCAR Medical Team, and I am thrilled she will be able to focus on the care and well-being of our INDY NXT by Firestone paddock,” Vaizer said.

“The INDYCAR Medical Team and Indiana University Health have a long-standing history of providing exceptional medical care for our INDYCAR racing competitors,” Fiege said. “It is an incredible honor to be a part of an organization that places such an emphasis on promoting the safety and well-being of its participants. I look forward to the opportunity to carry on this tradition and focus on the health of our INDY NXT drivers to prolong the duration of their careers.”

Vargas is the first neurologist dedicated to the INDYCAR Medical team, and his position is funded by Rev proceeds. Rev is the IU Health Foundation’s annual fundraising event which takes place each May at IMS. Working in medical affairs for Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Vargas is a sports neurologist and who has led the AMR neurotrauma team for NASCAR since 2017, serves as a member of the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee and is also a sideline unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant for the NFL. Vargas obtained his medical degree from the University of Arizona and was a flight surgeon with the United States Air Force. After his service and his residency at New York University, he completed a fellowship in headache medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona and now serves as an adjunct clinical professor of neurology at Indiana University School of Medicine.

“To have someone with Dr. Vargas’ experience with us week in and week out, providing post-incident evaluations and creating a comprehensive care plan to get our drivers back on track safely is such a valuable addition to our team,” Vaizer said. “He will also be available to the INDYCAR paddock to provide care for those that may be suffering from non-sports related neurological conditions that might affect performance.”

“It is an honor to be a part of the INDYCAR Medical Team and supplement the superior care that this group offers motorsports athletes and their teams,” Vargas said. “INDYCAR is among a growing list of sports organizations that have seen value in incorporating sports neurologists at athletic events. I hope to provide neurotrauma expertise with the goals to help safeguard driver safety and performance and also help to ensure longevity in the sport for our athletes.”

“The INDYCAR Medical team has played a paramount role in the series’ success both on and off the track and Dr. Fiege has been a key contributor,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “Her background and experience will be a real asset as she focuses on INDY NXT by Firestone. The addition of Dr. Vargas is another example of INDYCAR’s commitment to safety as he contributes his guidance and expertise in an emerging area.”
  INDY NXT  series

www.indycar.com/nxt.indyca

The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies since 1920 after two initial attempts in 1905 and 1916. The series is self-sanctioned by its parent company, INDYCAR, LLC., which began in 1996 as the Indy Racing League (IRL) and was created by then Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George as a competitor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). In 2008, the IndyCar Series merged with CART's successor, the Champ Car World Series and the history and statistics of both series, as well as those from its predecessors, were unified. The series' premier event is the Indianapolis 500, which was first held in 1911.

Abel Earns First Career Victory after Perfect Weekend

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sunday, April 28, 2024) – The wait finally is over for Jacob Abel.

Abel led all 35 laps from pole to claim his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.

SEE: Race Results

The win came in Abel’s 30th career start in the INDYCAR development series and was the first win for the family-owned Abel Motorsports team. His previous best result was second, three times, including in the 2024 season opener March 10 at St. Petersburg, Florida.

Abel led both practices and qualifying at Barber before completing his dream weekend with a win.

“I’m speechless, man,” Abel said. “This team has been working for this for so long now, and to finally get it done and on such a picture-perfect weekend, it’s been lights out all weekend long. It was just up to me to deliver it.

“A lot of nerves all weekend long, but I can finally say that yes, everything went right this weekend. Super happy with it.”

Abel won under caution in the No. 51 Abel Construction entry when Jamie Chadwick spun into the gravel in Turn 1 on Lap 34 and got stuck, triggering a race-ending yellow flag. Abel led Siegel’s No. 39 HMD Motorsports car by about a second when the yellow flew.

James Roe placed third in the No. 29 TopCon car of Andretti Global to earn his second career podium finish. Caio Collet was the highest-placing rookie, finishing fourth in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports car.

Louis Foster completed a stirring drive from 21st and last on the starting grid to round out the top five in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry fielded by Andretti Global.

Siegel, who started second, ran in that position for the entire race. But he did pull side by side with Abel in Turn 5 on Lap 10 after gaining ground after a Lap 6 restart. Abel parried that move by Siegel, who fell back to .5510 of a second behind at the end of that lap.

Abel then controlled the race from that point, but it wasn’t without some anxiety.

Siegel conserved his Firestone Firehawk tires and Push to Pass and started to close in on Abel with 10 laps remaining on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile circuit. Siegel pulled his machine within .479 of a second on Lap 27, but Abel was able to expand that gap to .840 of a second by Lap 30 and held on for the win.

“Congrats to Jacob,” Siegel said. “He did a great job all weekend. Honestly, I think we were faster today. The car was fantastic. We saved everything for the last lap; we saved all our P2P (Push to Pass), saved our tires the entire race sitting there, and right as I started to go for it, that yellow came out.

“Super disappointed, but I think it’s a good day when you’re disappointed with second.”

The duel between Abel and Siegel not only was compelling for the fans watching from Barber’s manicured grounds, but it also set the stage for a potential championship battle all season. Abel and Siegel are tied atop the standings with 95 points after two races.

“Props to Nolan,” Abel said. “He kept me honest. The whole entire race, he was right there. He’s a great competitor, and I look forward to many battles like that throughout the season.”

Foster may have salvaged his championship hopes with a terrific drive from the back of the field. He barely completed any practice laps this weekend and didn’t participate in qualifying due to nagging electrical problems.

But the Andretti Global crew diagnosed and fixed the gremlins, and Foster diced through the field for a strong recovery. He is third in the standings, 30 points behind Abel and Siegel.

The next events for INDY NXT by Firestone are the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader May 10-11 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Results Sunday of the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama INDY NXT by Firestone event on the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (1) Jacob Abel, 35, Running
2. (2) Nolan Siegel, 35, Running
3. (3) James Roe, 35, Running
4. (4) Caio Collet, 35, Running
5. (21) Louis Foster, 35, Running
6. (9) Myles Rowe, 35, Running
7. (6) Michael d'Orlando, 35, Running
8. (7) Bryce Aron, 35, Running
9. (10) Callum Hedge, 35, Running
10. (12) Salvador de Alba Jr., 35, Running
11. (8) Reece Gold, 35, Running
12. (15) Jack William Miller, 35, Running
13. (17) Christian Bogle, 35, Running
14. (14) Jonathan Browne, 35, Running
15. (20) Niels Koolen, 35, Running
16. (13) Josh Mason, 35, Running
17. (11) Josh Pierson, 35, Running
18. (18) Nolan Allaer, 35, Running
19. (19) Lindsay Brewer, 34, Running
20. (5) Jamie Chadwick, 33, Running
21. (16) Yuven Sundaramoorthy, 32, Running

Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 106.810 mph
Time of Race: 45:13.2293
Margin of victory: Under caution
Cautions: 2 for 3 laps
Lead changes: None
Lap Leaders:
Abel, Jacob 1 - 35

INDY NXT by Firestone Point Standings: Siegel 95, Abel 95, Foster 65, Collet 58, d'Orlando 58, Rowe 52, Roe 49, Gold 49, Browne 44, de Alba Jr. 42, Hedge 41, Bogle 37, Aron 35, Miller 30, Pierson 30, Allaer 28, Sundaramoorthy 27, Mason 27, Brewer 26, Koolen 24, Chadwick 20.

 

 

 

Abel Continues Dominance by Winning Barber Pole

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Saturday, April 27, 2024) – Jacob Abel’s magic carpet ride continued Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, as he drove to the pole for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama.

Abel, from Louisville, Kentucky, grabbed the top spot with a lap of 1 minute, 11.3507 seconds in the No. 51 Abel Construction car fielded by Abel Motorsports. It was the second career pole in the INDYCAR development series for Abel, whose first No. 1 qualifying position came in July 2023 at Iowa Speedway.

SEE: Qualifying Results

The pole continued a dominant weekend for Abel on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural road course. He has led every session, pacing practices Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

“It was more of what’s been going on all weekend long,” Abel said. “The Abel Motorsports guys gave me a fantastic car today, so I just had to go and drive the thing. It felt pretty easy out there. It was awesome. I’ve just got to finish the job tomorrow now.”

The 35-lap race starts at 11:05 a.m. ET Sunday, with live coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Abel’s cruise on Easy Street continued in qualifying, as he ended up .2239 of a second ahead of No. 2 qualifier and championship leader Nolan Siegel, who turned a top lap of 1:11.5746 in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports car. Abel was .5158 of a second ahead of the field in practice Friday, and he led practice Saturday morning by .2995 of a second.

James Roe qualified third at 1:11.5971 in the No. 29 TopCon entry of Andretti Global, joined in Row 2 by rookie Caio Collet after the Brazilian’s best lap of 1:11.7074 in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports entry.

Jamie Chadwick qualified a career-best fifth at 1:11.7240 in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global. Her previous best start was ninth in June 2023 at Road America. Rookie Michael d’Orlando also will start from Row 3, qualifying sixth at 1:11.9051 in the No. 3 Priority RSR Andretti Cape entry.

 

 

Abel Gets Big Jump on Field in Barber Practice

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Friday, April 26, 2024) – Jacob Abel led the opening practice Friday for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, with an uncommon margin of dominance for the INDYCAR development series.

Abel led the 21-driver field with a top lap of 1 minute, 11.9990 seconds in the No. 51 Abel Construction entry. He was more than a half-second quicker than his closest pursuer, fellow series veteran James Roe of Andretti Global, who ended up second at 1:12.5148 in the No. 29 TopCon car.

SEE: Practice Results

The big gap by Abel over the field was even more impressive considering he turned his best lap on his final trip around the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural road course on used Firestone Firehawk tires.

“It’s fantastic,” Abel said. “Basically after St. Petersburg, it was the start of another offseason for us. Last year, St. Pete went really well, and Barber not so much. So, this year St. Pete went well, so we’re going to make Barber go well, too. A lot of work in the past six weeks to keep in it.

“No new tires there. So, we’ll see what she does on new tires for qualifying. I’m feeling pretty good about it.”

Qualifying starts at 2:35 p.m. ET Saturday, preceded by a practice at 11:05 a.m. Both sessions will be streamed on INDYCAR LIVE and available on the INDYCAR Radio Network. The 35-lap race starts at 11:05 a.m. ET Sunday, with live coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Points leader Nolan Siegel was third at 1:12.8955 in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports entry, followed by rookie Bryce Aron at 1:13.1150 in the No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield entry fielded by Andretti Global.

Series veteran Josh Pierson rounded out the top five at 1:13.1425 in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car.

The 45-minute session featured one red flag, to tow in the stalled No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry of Andretti Global driven by series veteran Louis Foster.

 

 
    usf2000 series

www.usfpro2000.com

the USF Pro Championships: The USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires is an evolution of the Road to Indy, one of the most successful driver development programs in the world. Comprised of USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires, the ladder system provides a unique, scholarship-funded path to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES grid is comprised of numerous graduates and, in 2022, 20 of the 33 starters in the Indianapolis 500 were alumni. The mission of the USF Pro Championships is to develop and advance, and that includes not only drivers but teams and personnel as well. For more information, visit usfpro2000.com, usf2000.com and usfjuniors.com.

Johnson Extends USF Pro 2000 Points Lead with NOLA Perfection

Gavin Baker

 

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Nikita Johnson was virtually in a class of his own today at NOLA Motorsports Park. The 15-year-old from Gulfport, Fla., romped to a pair of USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire victories for VRD Racing and now holds a commanding 39-point advantage in the quest for a champion’s scholarship valued at $681,500 to propel him into INDY NXT in 2025.


 

Yesterday’s winner Hunter Yeany (TJ Speed Motorsports), from Virginia Beach, Va., has emerged as Johnson’s closest challenger following second and third-place finishes today. Two Pabst Racing drivers shared the podium honors with 2023 USF2000 champion Simon Sikes, from Augusta, Ga., finishing third this morning and Jace Denmark, from Brownsburg, Ind., going one better in the weekend finale.


 

Race 2 Results

Race 3 Results


 

Yeany continued this morning from where he left off yesterday by taking up his position at the head of the field after having secured his first Continental Tire Pole Award on Saturday in qualifying. The Virginian maintained his advantage both at the start and a subsequent restart after four laps due to Danny Dyszelski, from Belmont, N.C., having been involved in an incident which dumped his Turn 3 Motorsport Tatuus into the gravel at Turn Six.


 

Soon, though, it was apparent that Johnson had the car to beat. Having started fifth and then lost a couple of positions at the initial start, Johnson quickly made up the deficit and more as he charged his way into contention. By lap 8, Johnson was on Yeany’s tail and challenging for the lead.


 

Remarkably, the top two raced absolutely side-by-side through several corners on lap 10, each giving the other just enough space to race cleanly. Johnson was narrowly ahead as they completed the lap, only for Yeany to regain the advantage at Turn One. A lap later, Yeany bowed to the inevitable as Johnson towed alongside on the front straight and finally made the pass stick in Turn One.


 

Johnson then pulled away to his second win of the season, leaving Yeany to settle for second. Johnson’s fine effort brought him a new lap record as well as earning him the Tilton Hard Charger Award.


 

Sikes finished hot on Yeany’s tail in third for his best result of the season, while Canadian Mac Clark (DEForce Racing) also enjoyed a strong run to fourth.


 

The BN Racing duo of Nicolas Baptiste, from Bogota, Colombia, and Mexico’s Ricardo Escotto finished nose-to-tail in fifth and sixth for their best results to date.


 

The Continental Tire Pole Award for the third and final race of the weekend was taken by Johnson by virtue of his new lap record in the earlier race being faster than anyone else’s second fastest lap set during qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, Johnson rocketed into the lead at the start and immediately began pulling away.


 

Johnson stretched his lead to as much as 4.5 seconds following a string of fast, consistent laps before easing his pace a little in the closing stages. His eventual margin of victory was 2.8090 seconds.


 

In stark contrast to this season’s previous four thrilling USF Pro 2000 races, this afternoon’s encounter was rather tame. Denmark completed a strong weekend, which also included a pole position yesterday, by finishing a relatively lonely second as Yeany settled into third and once again kept Sikes at bay.


 

Clark and Escotto finished fifth and sixth, while Danny Dyszelski, from Belmont, N.C., claimed another Tilton Hard Charger Award after rising from 14th on the grid to eighth.


 

The PFC Award for both of today’s races were claimed by Dan Mitchell as the winning team owner.


 

USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire will return to action on May 9-11 at the Indianapolis Grand Prix circuit where a pair of races will be held in support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES headline event.


 

Provisional championship points after 5 of 18 rounds:

1. Nikita Johnson, 141

2. Hunter Yeany, 102

3. Christian Brooks, 80

4. Mac Clark, 80

5. Jace Denmark, 77

6. Lochie Hughes, 75

7. Frankie Mossman, 66

8. Simon Sikes, 63

9. Liam Sceats, 63

10. Danny Dyszelski, 58


 

Nikita Johnson (#17 409A Direct/AnyDesk/Labrador Primary Care-VRD Racing Tatuus IP-22): “Today was great. We came away with two wins. The VRD car was really fast. In Race Two, I started P5 and didn’t get the best start. My tires were brand new and they weren’t in yet so I fell back to seventh or eighth. I had to work back through the field and once my tires came in, the car was just a rocket ship and I was able to pass everyone. We made a change from Race Two to Race Three and that made it even better. Once I broke the draft to Jace I just put my head down and focused on building a gap and that’s what I did. I want to thank everyone on the team, Dan Mitchell, Jacob Loomis, Jacob Abel, Scottie, Hugo, all my teammates, my family and everyone back home watching.”


 

Hunter Yeany (#27 Hard Rock/VHP-TJ Speed Motorsports Tatuus IP-22): “Overall, it was a really positive day and probably one of the most positive days I have had in a while. It was a really big points haul this weekend. I think we are now second in the championship and I am really looking forward to the next rounds at Indy. We just had a fast car here all weekend starting with practice and all the races, coming out with podiums. I want to thank TJ Speed Motorsports for giving me a car to get on the podium and have a win, all my sponsors and my family.”


 

Simon Sikes (#18 USF Pro Championships/Mockett/Bell Racing/Sabelt-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “Like yesterday, I started up toward the front of the field and the main goal was to stay up there this time. Yesterday I was struggling on the restarts. Today, not the best initial start, but I still came out of the first lap P4. On the first Safety Car restart I managed to get a good run down the front straight and moved myself up to P3. Nikita came through on fresh tires and I learned my lesson yesterday in fighting him a little too hard. He went on his way and I was happy with my move up into P3. The car is amazing. It’s been great all weekend and I am sorry we didn’t get the result in Race One.”


 

Jace Denmark (#20 Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “My race was boring, very boring. It was as good of a start as we could have got. We were right there with them into Turn One. Just being on pole for Turn One really seals the deal here at NOLA. I just settled in and he had a tremendous amount of pace. I feel like I had more pace on the rest of the field but no one had anything for him. It was a little bit of a head scratch for us on the pace in the races but we salvaged a good amount of points compared to St. Pete so I am really happy with this weekend.”

 

 

Yeany Becomes Third Different USF Pro 2000 Winner in as Many Races

Gavin Baker

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The new USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire season is off to another intensely competitive start, evidenced by Hunter Yeany this afternoon becoming the third different winner – representing three different teams – from the opening three races of the campaign.


 

Driving for TJ Speed Motorsports, Yeany, from Virginia Beach, Va., added his name to the roster following a hard-fought race in which he muscled past polesitter Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing), of Brownsburg, Ind., on the opening lap and then held off a determined challenge in the closing stages from VRD Racing’s Nikita Johnson, from Gulfport, Fla.


 

Denmark had to be content with a third-place finish.


 

Results


 

It was a different story earlier in the day as Denmark emerged fastest from a close-fought qualifying session – which saw the top 12 drivers separated by less than half a second – to claim his first Continental Tire Pole Award since Sebring last year. Yeany occupied the other position on the front row of the grid with Taiwanese-American Ethan Ho (Turn 3 Motorsport), from Los Angeles, Calif., and last year’s USF2000 champion Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing), from Augusta, Ga., making up Row Two.


 

A fraught opening few corners saw Yeany battle his way to the front following some wheel-to-wheel contact with Denmark at Turn Three, while Sikes fought his way past Ho into third. Unfortunately, Ho’s hopes of a high finish were dashed just a couple of laps later when he clipped the wall at the exit of Turn 13 and spun off the road with damaged suspension.


 

A couple more incidents served to break up the race into a series of short sprints, caution periods and restarts. On each occasion Yeany managed to successfully defend his position to ensure a well-judged victory.


 

After starting a lowly eighth on the grid after making a mistake in qualifying, Johnson – a winner last month on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. – worked his way steadily forward during the early stages of the 18-lap race. He was able to sneak ahead of Denmark at Turn Three soon after one of the restarts, but there was no way past Yeany. As a consolation, Johnson, the only driver to finish among the top four in each of the three races, has now moved to the top of the championship standings.


 

Fellow teenager Danny Dyszelski, from Belmont, N.C., also impressed for Turn 3 Motorsport, earning the Tilton Hard Charger Award as he battled his way from 12th on the grid to fourth, including a late pass on Canadian Mac Clark (DEForce Racing) with a couple of laps remaining.


 

The PFC Award went to Tim Neff of TJ Speed Motorsports as the winning team owner.


 

The Continental Tire Grand Prix of Louisiana will continue tomorrow, April 7, with another pair of 18-lap races with the green flags set to fly at 10:00 a.m. and 2:15 p.m CDT. Yeany will be in prime position to continue his march up the championship standings after posting the fastest time in a separate qualifying session earlier this afternoon. Live coverage of both Sunday races will be available on the USF Pro Championships App and on the series’ website, www.usfpro2000.com.


 

Provisional championship points after 3 of 18 rounds:

1. Nikita Johnson, 77

2. Lochie Hughes, 61

3. Christian Brooks, 55

4. Hunter Yeany, 53

5. Frankie Mossman, 44

6. Mac Clark, 44

7. Danny Dyszelski, 24

8. Liam Sceats, 37

9. Braden Eves, 39

10. Jace Denmark, 38


 

Hunter Yeany (#27 Hard Rock/VHP-TJ Speed Motorsports Tatuus IP-22): “I wanted to take the lead early because I knew if I got clean air it would be really hard for the guys behind to follow because it is such a high speed track. Everything went to plan and then it was just about holding them off especially on the restarts. It was really hectic. We got the job done at the end of the day so I am super happy. The team did a great job and we have been really fast all weekend. All the hard work in off-season like set-ups and developing the car has really paid off and I want to thank them for all of the hard work they put in. It really means a lot.”


 

Nikita Johnson (#17 409A Direct/AnyDesk/Labrador Primary Care-VRD Racing Tatuus IP-22): “The race went very well. We started P8 and ended up P2. I made all my passes on the starts which was very nice. The car was wicked fast. I want to thank Dan Mitchell, Jacob Loomis and Jacob Abel for helping, my Dad, Mom and [Brother] Kai for coming out and all the Wheldons for supporting and being able to help each other even though we are in different classes. It was a fun race. We had a very strong car and I am looking forward to the next two races.”


 

Jace Denmark (#20 Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a tough one. We thought we were going to be a lot better on pace than we were during the race, and the outside of Turn 3 was surprisingly gripped up. I made it really hard for them to go around me but there was a lot of grip out there I didn’t anticipate. I need to keep a mental note for when I am starting fourth in the next race and, provisionally, pole again in the third race. It was tough on the restarts and once you are out in front you kind of just sit there.”


 

 

 
     

usfjuniors.com.

the USF Pro Championships: The USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires is an evolution of the Road to Indy, one of the most successful driver development programs in the world. Comprised of USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires, the ladder system provides a unique, scholarship-funded path to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES grid is comprised of numerous graduates and, in 2022, 20 of the 33 starters in the Indianapolis 500 were alumni. The mission of the USF Pro Championships is to develop and advance, and that includes not only drivers but teams and personnel as well. For more information, visit usfpro2000.com, usf2000.com and usfjuniors.com.

Elkin and InterMS Sweep Barber USF Juniors Doubleheader

gavin baker

 

LEEDS, Ala. – Israel’s Ariel Elkin and the InterMS team proved to be the class of the field during today’s Continental Tire Grand Prix of Alabama. Less than two weeks after celebrating his 17th birthday, Elkin was never headed in the pair of USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire races at the challenging Barber Motorsports Park road course.


 

Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, followed him home this morning, with Elkin’s teammate, Augusto Soto-Schirripa, from Miami, Fla., close behind in third.


 

Sebastian Wheldon (VRD Racing), from Coral Gables, Fla., pressured Elkin all the way to the checkered flag this afternoon to finish second and extend his championship lead, with Soto-Schirripa once again completing the podium.


 

Race 1 Results

Race 2 Results


 

A huge field of 27 cars was split into two separate groups for qualifying on Thursday afternoon. Elkin, in Group Two, was the fastest driver overall, securing his first Continental Tire Pole Award, while Brazilian Bruno Ribeiro set the best time among the first group to ensure he would start on the outside of the front row for DEForce Racing in Race One this morning. Jeffers and Soto-Schirripa were second fastest in their respective groups, and therefore lined up alongside each other on row two. The remainder of the grid followed an identical pattern.


 

Elkin made an exemplary start to leap into the lead at the start, while behind him Jeffers managed to slip past Ribeiro for second.


 

After a brief early caution following an incident at Turn 12, the top two soon began to inch away from Ribeiro in third, leaving Soto-Schirripa to fight off the attentions of Briton Liam McNeilly (Jay Howard Driver Development).


 

Unfortunately, the second half of the race was peppered with incidents, including a nasty crash soon after a restart with 17 laps in the books when Ribeiro, shortly after losing second place to Soto-Schirripa at Turn One, lost control at Turn Four and came to rest broadside in the middle of the track. Most of the field was able to take evasive action, but an unsighted Ava Dobson (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Brookfield, Wis., had absolutely nowhere to go and caromed into the wreckage at high speed. Thankfully, the state-of-the-art safety systems of the Tatuus JR-23 ensured that Dobson was not seriously hurt.


 

The race was flagged shortly thereafter with 19 of the 20 laps completed and Elkin declared a deserving winner. Jeffers and Soto-Schirripa completed the podium, followed by McNeilly, Evan Cooley (Exclusive Autosport), from Frankfort, Ill., and points leader Wheldon.


 

Zanella Racing’s Teddy Musella, from Orlando, Fla., made an impressive debut by rising from 18th on the grid to 10th, although it was fellow Floridian Giovanni Cabrera (Exclusive Autosport) who garnered the Tilton Hard Charger Award after working his way from 26th to 16th.


 

The grid for Race Two was set according to each driver’s second-fastest lap during qualifying yesterday. Elkin once again led the way after securing his second straight Continental Tire Pole Award, this time with Jeffers for company on the front row.


 

A couple of incidents split up the early part of the race, albeit with Elkin maintaining his stranglehold at the front. Behind, at the first corner, Wheldon found a way past Jeffers, whose hopes of another podium finish were dashed shortly afterward when he tangled with McNeilly at Turn Five. Jeffers resumed a lap down to finish a disappointed 19th, while McNeilly’s title hopes took a beating when he was forced out of the race immediately.


 

The final 12 laps of the 20-lap race featured a thrilling battle for the lead. Elkin and Wheldon exchanged fastest laps on several occasions, but there was no way through for Wheldon as Elkin completed his daily double.


 

Soto-Schirripa similarly triumphed after an exciting back-and-forth battle for third with Leandro Juncos, from Carmel, Ind., as the son of NTT INDYCAR SERIES team principal Ricardo Juncos recorded his best finish to date.


 

Jay Howard Driver Development’s Aiden Potter, from Brentwood, Tenn., earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award by virtue of climbing from 25th in the starting lineup to 12th at the finish.


 

Elkin’s double victory moved him to second in the points table, while Soto-Schirripa’s pair of third-place results capped a breakthrough day for InterMS team principal Juan Garavaglia, who claimed both PFC Awards as the winning car owner.


 

Next on the docket for the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire contingent is an open test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on May 15-16, followed by a tripleheader race event at VIRginia International Raceway on June 14-16.


 

Provisional championship points after five of 16 races:

1. Sebastian Wheldon, 130

2. Ariel Elkin, 123

3. Liam McNeilly, 101

4. Max Taylor, 92

5. Augusto Soto-Schirripa, 78

6. Jack Jeffers, 74

7. Leandro Juncos, 58

8. Ayden Ingratta, 48

9. Evan Cooley, 47

10. Joao Vergara, 47


 

Ariel Elkin (#25 Monaco Friends of Israel/Swift Garage/Mossad/IDF-InterMS Tatuus JR-23): “An absolutely great week – super amazing, super excited. We did pole positions for both races, broke the track record in qualifying and led each lap of both races from start to finish. We just swept the event. Super glad, super happy. A big thanks to InterMS and the entire Israeli nation all over the world. I am here to support everyone during these difficult times and I am willing to do it in the future and win as much as I can.”


 

Jack Jeffers (#92 Corpay Cross Border Solutions-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus JR-23) - After Race One: “We were putting the pressure on but as you know, Barber is a tough track to pass on and it is also known to bring out a lot of yellows. That’s one thing I had on my mind. After the start he had a little bit of a gap, I was trying to chip away at that and trying to run him down. It was about trying to make a move and, unfortunately, we couldn’t make the move. A lot of yellows at the end prevented me from having another shot. P2 is a good result considering our first weekend was not ideal. It’s a good way to start momentum and keep building on it. Considering we had to do a car change – P2 for how hard the team has worked and how late they had to stay last night, I am grateful and hopefully I can repay them with a win in the afternoon.”


 

Sebastian Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge Andretti-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23) – After Race Two: “Overall, I feel like the race went pretty well. I felt like I had the pace advantage over Ariel and I tried my best with the dirty air. I felt it was a good race after struggling a little bit in practice.”


 

Augusto Soto-Schirripa (#24 InterMS Tatuus JR-23): “I came into this weekend a lot more comfortable than NOLA. I think because I was more comfortable with the car and we learned a lot at NOLA. It was super important for us to score points, especially me, because I lost out in Race One at NOLA with electrical issues. In summary, it was a super positive week for the team – a super, super positive week. We scored important points and now we will carry that momentum to VIR, keep our heads down and work hard. We are always trying to find a way to be faster, in and out of the car.”


 

 

McNeilly and Wheldon Claim USF Juniors Wins in Louisiana

Gavin Baker

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Liam McNeilly and Sebastian Wheldon once again emerged as the top USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire protagonists as the opening tripleheader round of the season was concluded today at NOLA Motorsports Park. McNeilly, from Brentwood, England, turned the tables on yesterday’s winner Wheldon, from Coral Gables, Fla., this morning after a thrilling contest, while the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Louisiana wrapped up several hours later with Wheldon securing a second victory and the championship lead.


 

Israeli Ariel Elkin finished a strong third this morning for the InterMS team, while VRD Racing’s Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., edged McNeilly for second in the final 12-lap encounter which once again was run under entirely green-flag conditions.


 

Race 2 Results

Race 3 Results


 

A separate qualifying session, with the 26-car field split into two groups, was held this morning to establish the grid for today’s pair of races. Honors were split, with yesterday’s runaway winner Wheldon claiming his first Continental Tire Pole Award for the first of today’s two races, with Saturday polesitter McNeilly posting the best of every driver’s second-fastest lap to claim what could prove to be a vital championship bonus point for the third and final race of the weekend.


 

Wheldon swept into an immediate lead this morning, assisted further when third-fastest qualifier Vinicius Tessaro’s DEForce car abruptly cut out exiting Turn Four. Miraculously, the Brazilian was not collected by anyone among the huge pack of cars in his wake, and he was able to rejoin at the back of the field. Tessaro then posted an impressive fightback by climbing from 25th to 11th at the checkered flag.


 

Consequently, Wheldon completed the first lap with a massive advantage of over three seconds, although to his chagrin, that was whittled to nothing when the caution flags waved briefly due to some debris on the race track from an incident farther down the field.


 

The restart was a different story altogether. Wheldon immediately came under pressure from McNeilly, who went side-by-side with Wheldon through the first couple of corners and then moved into the lead by virtue of having the inside line for Turn Three.


 

McNeilly thereafter controlled the race from the front, and even though Wheldon mounted a stern challenge, there was no way through as the Englishman claimed the victory.


 

Taylor finished third on the road for VRD Racing, but the addition of a five-second penalty for jumping the start relegated him to sixth behind first-time podium finisher Elkin, InterMS teammate Augusto Soto-Schirripa, from Miami, Fla., who bounced back well after having been unable to start Saturday’s race due to an electrical gremlin, and Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas.


 

Mexican Rodrigo Gonzalez (DEForce Driver Development) took home the Tilton Hard Charger Award after working his way from 25th on the grid to 17th at the checkered flag.


 

The PFC Award to the winning car owner went to Jay Howard.


 

Race Three this afternoon began once again with McNeilly leading the way from Taylor and Wheldon, although Elkin was the man to watch at the start as he charged from fifth on the grid to challenge McNeilly for the lead as they raced into Turn Four for the first time.


 

McNeilly pushed a little too hard under braking for Turn 10 on the opening lap and briefly ran into the escape road. He emerged still with the lead but quickly ceded the position after recognizing he had gained an illegal advantage. Elkin was the initial beneficiary, although Wheldon immediately began to apply pressure and it was only a matter of time before the Israeli was forced to capitulate.


 

Once into the lead on lap 4, Wheldon put his head down and soon stretched out a comfortable lead.


 

Taylor also found a way past Elkin and chased the leader as hard as he could. The pair ran an almost identical pace but the advantage never looked likely to shift away from Wheldon.


 

McNeilly fought back from his early miscue to claim third ahead of Elkin, who finished with a slender edge over Tessaro and Soto-Schirripa.


 

Brazilian Joao Vergara earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award for Exclusive Autosport by virtue of making up six positions from 19th on the grid, while VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell claimed his second PFC Award of the weekend as the winning car owner.


 

The next event for USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire will be held in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. Practice and qualifying will take place on Thursday, April 25, with a warmup and two 20-lap races slated for Friday, April 26.


 

Provisional championship points after 3 of 16 races:

1. Sebastian Wheldon, 90

2. Liam McNeilly, 81

3. Max Taylor, 62

4. Ariel Elkin, 58

5. Vinicius Tessaro, 46

6. Jack Jeffers, 46

7. Bruno Ribeiro, 35

8. Augusto Soto-Schirripa, 34

9. Leonardo Escorpioni, 33

10. Evan Cooley, 29


 

Liam McNeilly (#9 Acclaim Contracts/Wolf International-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus JR-23): “I had a good day here at Nola. I qualified second overall and managed to convert that to a win in Race Two. I was on pole for Race Three. I had a good start and then dropped back a few places. I managed to get my way back up into third which I managed through the rest of the race. A good start to the season and hopefully we will build on that for Barber.”


 

Sebastian Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge Andretti-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “The day went really well. In the first race I was able to finish second, which is really good for the points. Heading into the last race, I just wanted to stay on track and keep it clean and was able to take the win. The car was phenomenal all day and I can’t thank VRD enough.”


 

Max Taylor (#33 PINK ETF/Susan G Komen Foundation-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “Coming into the race, I knew we had a good starting position and a good chance for a really solid result overall for the team. It was my last of six races this weekend, so I was definitely tired towards the end. But I had a solid race making it up to P2 and catching the leader but it just wasn’t enough. Still an amazing result for all at VRD and I would like to thank all of them.”


 

Ariel Elkin (#25 Monaco Friends of Israel/Swift Garage/Mossad/IDF-InterMS Tatuus JR-23): “I would like to thank all of Israel and everyone who supports me and follows me. We had a great race and did the first podium of the season. I am thankful for all of my supporters. I am thankful for my team and for the IDF, who is keeping my family safe. I am calling for bringing all of the hostages back home now and I am waiting to be back in Israel with my friend who is already half a year in Gaza. I am waiting for her to come back home with all of the hostages.”

 

Corry, Christodoulou Split NOLA USF2000 Honors

Gavin Baker

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Liam McNeilly and Sebastian Wheldon once again emerged as the top USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire protagonists as the opening tripleheader round of the season was concluded today at NOLA Motorsports Park. McNeilly, from Brentwood, England, turned the tables on yesterday’s winner Wheldon, from Coral Gables, Fla., this morning after a thrilling contest, while the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Louisiana wrapped up several hours later with Wheldon securing a second victory and the championship lead.


 

Israeli Ariel Elkin finished a strong third this morning for the InterMS team, while VRD Racing’s Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., edged McNeilly for second in the final 12-lap encounter which once again was run under entirely green-flag conditions.


 

Race 2 Results

Race 3 Results


 

A separate qualifying session, with the 26-car field split into two groups, was held this morning to establish the grid for today’s pair of races. Honors were split, with yesterday’s runaway winner Wheldon claiming his first Continental Tire Pole Award for the first of today’s two races, with Saturday polesitter McNeilly posting the best of every driver’s second-fastest lap to claim what could prove to be a vital championship bonus point for the third and final race of the weekend.


 

Wheldon swept into an immediate lead this morning, assisted further when third-fastest qualifier Vinicius Tessaro’s DEForce car abruptly cut out exiting Turn Four. Miraculously, the Brazilian was not collected by anyone among the huge pack of cars in his wake, and he was able to rejoin at the back of the field. Tessaro then posted an impressive fightback by climbing from 25th to 11th at the checkered flag.


 

Consequently, Wheldon completed the first lap with a massive advantage of over three seconds, although to his chagrin, that was whittled to nothing when the caution flags waved briefly due to some debris on the race track from an incident farther down the field.


 

The restart was a different story altogether. Wheldon immediately came under pressure from McNeilly, who went side-by-side with Wheldon through the first couple of corners and then moved into the lead by virtue of having the inside line for Turn Three.


 

McNeilly thereafter controlled the race from the front, and even though Wheldon mounted a stern challenge, there was no way through as the Englishman claimed the victory.


 

Taylor finished third on the road for VRD Racing, but the addition of a five-second penalty for jumping the start relegated him to sixth behind first-time podium finisher Elkin, InterMS teammate Augusto Soto-Schirripa, from Miami, Fla., who bounced back well after having been unable to start Saturday’s race due to an electrical gremlin, and Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas.


 

Mexican Rodrigo Gonzalez (DEForce Driver Development) took home the Tilton Hard Charger Award after working his way from 25th on the grid to 17th at the checkered flag.


 

The PFC Award to the winning car owner went to Jay Howard.


 

Race Three this afternoon began once again with McNeilly leading the way from Taylor and Wheldon, although Elkin was the man to watch at the start as he charged from fifth on the grid to challenge McNeilly for the lead as they raced into Turn Four for the first time.


 

McNeilly pushed a little too hard under braking for Turn 10 on the opening lap and briefly ran into the escape road. He emerged still with the lead but quickly ceded the position after recognizing he had gained an illegal advantage. Elkin was the initial beneficiary, although Wheldon immediately began to apply pressure and it was only a matter of time before the Israeli was forced to capitulate.


 

Once into the lead on lap 4, Wheldon put his head down and soon stretched out a comfortable lead.


 

Taylor also found a way past Elkin and chased the leader as hard as he could. The pair ran an almost identical pace but the advantage never looked likely to shift away from Wheldon.


 

McNeilly fought back from his early miscue to claim third ahead of Elkin, who finished with a slender edge over Tessaro and Soto-Schirripa.


 

Brazilian Joao Vergara earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award for Exclusive Autosport by virtue of making up six positions from 19th on the grid, while VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell claimed his second PFC Award of the weekend as the winning car owner.


 

The next event for USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire will be held in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. Practice and qualifying will take place on Thursday, April 25, with a warmup and two 20-lap races slated for Friday, April 26.


 

Provisional championship points after 3 of 16 races:

1. Sebastian Wheldon, 90

2. Liam McNeilly, 81

3. Max Taylor, 62

4. Ariel Elkin, 58

5. Vinicius Tessaro, 46

6. Jack Jeffers, 46

7. Bruno Ribeiro, 35

8. Augusto Soto-Schirripa, 34

9. Leonardo Escorpioni, 33

10. Evan Cooley, 29


 

Liam McNeilly (#9 Acclaim Contracts/Wolf International-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus JR-23): “I had a good day here at Nola. I qualified second overall and managed to convert that to a win in Race Two. I was on pole for Race Three. I had a good start and then dropped back a few places. I managed to get my way back up into third which I managed through the rest of the race. A good start to the season and hopefully we will build on that for Barber.”


 

Sebastian Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge Andretti-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “The day went really well. In the first race I was able to finish second, which is really good for the points. Heading into the last race, I just wanted to stay on track and keep it clean and was able to take the win. The car was phenomenal all day and I can’t thank VRD enough.”


 

Max Taylor (#33 PINK ETF/Susan G Komen Foundation-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “Coming into the race, I knew we had a good starting position and a good chance for a really solid result overall for the team. It was my last of six races this weekend, so I was definitely tired towards the end. But I had a solid race making it up to P2 and catching the leader but it just wasn’t enough. Still an amazing result for all at VRD and I would like to thank all of them.”


 

Ariel Elkin (#25 Monaco Friends of Israel/Swift Garage/Mossad/IDF-InterMS Tatuus JR-23): “I would like to thank all of Israel and everyone who supports me and follows me. We had a great race and did the first podium of the season. I am thankful for all of my supporters. I am thankful for my team and for the IDF, who is keeping my family safe. I am calling for bringing all of the hostages back home now and I am waiting to be back in Israel with my friend who is already half a year in Gaza. I am waiting for her to come back home with all of the hostages.”

 

Wheldon Dominates Clean and Green NOLA USF Juniors Opener

Gavin Baker

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Second-generation racer Sebastian Wheldon this afternoon romped to an emphatic USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire debut victory to kick off this weekend’s busy Continental Tire Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park. Wheldon, 15, from Coral Gables, Fla., claimed the lead shortly after the start from polesitting Englishman Liam McNeilly (Jay Howard Driver Development), and quickly pulled away to an unassailable lead for VRD Racing.


 

McNeilly eventually secured second position after a thrilling battle with Wheldon’s teammate, Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., as an impressive 25-car field provided some superb action during an all-green flag 12-lap race on the 2.74-mile road course just a few miles from downtown New Orleans, La.


 

Results


 

After regularly topping the timing charts during the pre-season Spring Training test at NOLA last month, McNeilly, 17, from Brentwood, England, continued his fine form by claiming the first Continental Tire Pole Award of the new season. McNeilly maintained his edge at the start, but Wheldon, who started second, remained alongside his rival on the outside line as the two leaders negotiated Turn One, which in turn gave him the advantage – and the lead – at Turn Two.


 

Taylor, who lined up fifth on the grid, also muscled his way past McNeilly on the opening lap, which allowed Wheldon to consolidate his lead. He never looked back. Wheldon turned a series of fast, consistent laps to extend his advantage to almost eight seconds before finally heeding the instructions from race engineer/driver coach Jacob Loomis and eventually taking the checkered flag some 7.6285 seconds to the good.


 

Taylor for many laps managed to resist the pressure from McNeilly and hold onto second place, despite the JHDD Tatuus JR-23 exhibiting considerably more straight line speed. Finally, with three laps remaining, McNeilly executed a fine outside-line pass under braking for Turn One, then edged clear to cement his runner-up finish.


 

Taylor next came under attack from Brazilian Vinicius Tessaro (DEForce Racing), Jack Jeffers (Exclusive Autosport), from San Antonio, Texas, and Israeli Ariel Elken (InterMS), who rampaged through the field following a qualifying that left him a distant 14th on the grid. Taylor barely managed to hold off Tessaro for third on the dash to the line, with Elkin capping a fine performance by usurping Jeffers with three laps remaining.


 

Brazilian Bruno Ribeiro (DEForce Racing) narrowly edged G3 Argyros (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Newport Beach, Calif., for seventh after a race-long battle as another Brazilian, Leonardo Escorpioni (Zanella Racing) and Canadian Ayden Ingratta (Jay Howard Driver Development) completed the top 10. However, Ribeiro later was assessed a five-place penalty for being out of position at the start which relegated him to 11th in the final results behind fellow Brazilian Joao Vergara (Exclusive Autosport).


 

The Tilton Hard Charger Award was earned by Exclusive Autosport’s Evan Cooley, from Frankfort, Ill., who worked his way to 14th place after having started last following some problems in qualifying, while the PFC Award for the winning car owner went to VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell.


 

The opening weekend of the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire season will conclude with two more races tomorrow. The starting lineups will be set following another split qualifying session, starting at 8:00 a.m., with the races due to start at 11:45 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. CDT. Live coverage of all sessions will be available on the USF Pro Championships App and on the series’ website, www.usfjuniors.com.


 

Provisional championship points after 1 of 16 races:

1. Sebastian Wheldon, 32

2. Liam McNeilly, 26

3. Max Taylor, 22

4. Vinicius Tessaro, 19

5. Ariel Elkin, 17

6. Jack Jeffers, 15

7. G3 Argyros, 14

8. Leonardo Escorpioni, 13

9. Ayden Ingratta, 12

10. Joao Vergara, 11


 

Sebastian Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge Andretti-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “The race went really well. I was able to lead early on at the start and just create a big gap on the field. The car felt really good. We’ve had a fast car since practice, and it felt amazing. It feels good to start the season like this and I gained a lot of confidence and should be good for the next round.”


 

Liam McNeilly (#9 Acclaim Contracts/Wolf International-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus JR-23): “I didn’t get the best of starts. I didn’t realize how strong the slipstream was going down into Turn 1 and got passed. I managed to get back by [Max] after a bit of contact – a bit questionable from his side – but it was a good first race and I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”


 

Max Taylor (#33 PINK ETF/Susan G Komen Foundation-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “I had a really good start. I knew the VRD car was going to be very fast coming into this race. I capitalized on a good start and got around a few guys and got up to second. I was able to fend off Liam McNeilly and allow my teammate to get a good lead. Unfortunately, I dropped off a bit and let him go, but still held onto third in the end.”

Max Garcia Maintains a Perfect Start to his USF2000 Season

Gavin Baker

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Second-generation racer Sebastian Wheldon this afternoon romped to an emphatic USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire debut victory to kick off this weekend’s busy Continental Tire Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park. Wheldon, 15, from Coral Gables, Fla., claimed the lead shortly after the start from polesitting Englishman Liam McNeilly (Jay Howard Driver Development), and quickly pulled away to an unassailable lead for VRD Racing.


 

McNeilly eventually secured second position after a thrilling battle with Wheldon’s teammate, Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., as an impressive 25-car field provided some superb action during an all-green flag 12-lap race on the 2.74-mile road course just a few miles from downtown New Orleans, La.


 

Results


 

After regularly topping the timing charts during the pre-season Spring Training test at NOLA last month, McNeilly, 17, from Brentwood, England, continued his fine form by claiming the first Continental Tire Pole Award of the new season. McNeilly maintained his edge at the start, but Wheldon, who started second, remained alongside his rival on the outside line as the two leaders negotiated Turn One, which in turn gave him the advantage – and the lead – at Turn Two.


 

Taylor, who lined up fifth on the grid, also muscled his way past McNeilly on the opening lap, which allowed Wheldon to consolidate his lead. He never looked back. Wheldon turned a series of fast, consistent laps to extend his advantage to almost eight seconds before finally heeding the instructions from race engineer/driver coach Jacob Loomis and eventually taking the checkered flag some 7.6285 seconds to the good.


 

Taylor for many laps managed to resist the pressure from McNeilly and hold onto second place, despite the JHDD Tatuus JR-23 exhibiting considerably more straight line speed. Finally, with three laps remaining, McNeilly executed a fine outside-line pass under braking for Turn One, then edged clear to cement his runner-up finish.


 

Taylor next came under attack from Brazilian Vinicius Tessaro (DEForce Racing), Jack Jeffers (Exclusive Autosport), from San Antonio, Texas, and Israeli Ariel Elken (InterMS), who rampaged through the field following a qualifying that left him a distant 14th on the grid. Taylor barely managed to hold off Tessaro for third on the dash to the line, with Elkin capping a fine performance by usurping Jeffers with three laps remaining.


 

Brazilian Bruno Ribeiro (DEForce Racing) narrowly edged G3 Argyros (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Newport Beach, Calif., for seventh after a race-long battle as another Brazilian, Leonardo Escorpioni (Zanella Racing) and Canadian Ayden Ingratta (Jay Howard Driver Development) completed the top 10. However, Ribeiro later was assessed a five-place penalty for being out of position at the start which relegated him to 11th in the final results behind fellow Brazilian Joao Vergara (Exclusive Autosport).


 

The Tilton Hard Charger Award was earned by Exclusive Autosport’s Evan Cooley, from Frankfort, Ill., who worked his way to 14th place after having started last following some problems in qualifying, while the PFC Award for the winning car owner went to VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell.


 

The opening weekend of the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire season will conclude with two more races tomorrow. The starting lineups will be set following another split qualifying session, starting at 8:00 a.m., with the races due to start at 11:45 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. CDT. Live coverage of all sessions will be available on the USF Pro Championships App and on the series’ website, www.usfjuniors.com.


 

Provisional championship points after 1 of 16 races:

1. Sebastian Wheldon, 32

2. Liam McNeilly, 26

3. Max Taylor, 22

4. Vinicius Tessaro, 19

5. Ariel Elkin, 17

6. Jack Jeffers, 15

7. G3 Argyros, 14

8. Leonardo Escorpioni, 13

9. Ayden Ingratta, 12

10. Joao Vergara, 11


 

Sebastian Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge Andretti-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “The race went really well. I was able to lead early on at the start and just create a big gap on the field. The car felt really good. We’ve had a fast car since practice, and it felt amazing. It feels good to start the season like this and I gained a lot of confidence and should be good for the next round.”


 

Liam McNeilly (#9 Acclaim Contracts/Wolf International-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus JR-23): “I didn’t get the best of starts. I didn’t realize how strong the slipstream was going down into Turn 1 and got passed. I managed to get back by [Max] after a bit of contact – a bit questionable from his side – but it was a good first race and I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”


 

Max Taylor (#33 PINK ETF/Susan G Komen Foundation-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “I had a really good start. I knew the VRD car was going to be very fast coming into this race. I capitalized on a good start and got around a few guys and got up to second. I was able to fend off Liam McNeilly and allow my teammate to get a good lead. Unfortunately, I dropped off a bit and let him go, but still held onto third in the end.”

 

 

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