Race Weekend Central

Indy 500: To Lead or Not to Lead?

Want to win the Indianapolis 500? The best strategy may be to lead as few laps as possible. While that might sound unconventional from the accepted norms of racing, staying in the draft and conserving fuel might be the key to winning The Greatest Spectacle in Racing on Sunday afternoon. Those who lead laps and …

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Open-Wheel Wednesday: Roundtable Discussion of the Goings-On at Indy

2015ims13442 3 4

Photo Credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Matt Stallknecht: Can I just say how excited I am to be going to Indy this weekend?! Huston Ladner: I hope you’re going as a paramedic, looks like you might have work. Toni Montgomery: I’d be excited though, too. Aaron Bearden: I’m happy for you! If things don’t get worked out, the race could be tragic, though. It’s been …

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Drivers Weigh-In on Safety After 2015 Indy 500 Practice Crashes

The Month of May is off to a dubious start. Now equipped with aerodynamic enhancements, the current IndyCar machine looks drastically different than any that came before it. The DW12 is also faster than it was last year and appears markedly more unstable following the first three days of practice for the Indianapolis 500. On …

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Increasing Speeds, Risk Highlight Early 2015 Indy 500 Practices

2015 Indycar Helio Castroneves Headshot Credit Indycar Media

Photo Credit: IndyCar Media

As the Indy 500 approaches, the stakes – and speeds – are increasing. Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske took turns trading fastest laps in the opening days of Verizon IndyCar practice. Juan Pablo Montoya took the quickest lap in one of 95 laps on opening day with a 226.772-mph lap. Teammate Helio Castroneves brought …

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IndyCar Preview: 2015 Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis

Pippa Mann Pink Indy 500

(Photo: Pippa Mann)

The series returns to race at its most storied home, but this weekend it races on the other circuit for just the second time.  The race was meant to add to the fun of the month of May at Indianapolis and it looks like it does just that. The one question that might arise is …

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IndyCar Preview: 2015 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

Indycar 2015 St. Pete Juan Pablo Montoya Will Power Racing Credit John Cote

(Photo: John Cote/INDYCAR)

Last weekend the drivers in IndyCar finally got out of their own way (for most of the race) and held a decent event. After the messiness of St. Pete and the less than spectacular debut of the aero kits, followed by the rain-soaked race in NOLA, it was good to have some solid competition. With …

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2014 IndyCar Driver Reviews Part 2

2014 Indycar Milwaukee Castroneves On Track

Helio Castroneves Team: Team Penske Sponsor: Hitachi/AAA/Verizon/Pennzoil/PPG Rank: 2 Wins: 1 Top 5s: 7 Top 10s: 10 Always a bridesmaid…Castroneves came up just short and finished second in the championship for the fourth time in his career, this time to teammate Will Power. It’s always consistency with Castroneves. Yes, he had one win and he …

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NASCAR To Be Represented in ‘Dancing With The Stars’

Nascar Sprint Media Tour Day 4

(Credit: Getty Images)

After 19 seasons on the air, ABC’s ultra-popular series Dancing With the Stars will feature a NASCAR star as one of their representatives. According to a report from New York Daily News, two-time Daytona 500 and current Fox Sports analyst Michael Waltrip will be a contestant, the first time NASCAR has a driver on the show. The …

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Open Wheel Wednesday: Andretti Amiss, Ganassi Strong, Power Prevails

2014 Indycar Auto Club Will Power Roger Penske Aussie Flag

Matt:  So, just to start off, can we all agree that Fontana in its current state is pretty much the perfect IndyCar track? Toni:  I certainly agree. I think it’s such a great way to end the season too. A great 500-mile event. Huston:  Interesting way to begin…but yes, the match between the cars and …

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IndyCar MAVTV 500:Will Power Clinches First Championship

2014 Indycar Auto Club Will Power Trophy Kiss Credit Huston Ladner

The MAV TV 500 from Auto Club Speedway In a Nutshell: For the ninth consecutive year, the last race of the season determined the IndyCar champion.  This time, Will Power, three times a runner-up, hoisted the Astor Cup by finishing ninth.  Tony Kanaan held strong all night, seemingly in the top five the whole event, …

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Castroneves earns Pole, Power 21st; Other Post-Qualifying Thoughts

2014 Indycar Toronto 2 Power Castroneves

The qualifying session for the IndyCar series race at Auto Club Speedway took place in the heavy heat in the middle of the day in Fontana, California.  Helio Castroneves, going out last, earned the pole position with an average of 218.640 mph.  The track temperature during the session hovered around 136 degrees. Qualifying was based …

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