Race Weekend Central

2021 Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Live Report

Scott Dixon in Saturday Morning Indianapolis 500 Pre-Qualifying Practice

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)

Welcome! This will serve as a live update hub for qualifying for the 105th Indianapolis 500 on May 30th. All 35 cars drew their spot in the qualifying order Friday evening and will go out one at a time for their four lap qualifying run. The updates will come as cars complete their runs with …

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Tony Kanaan Fastest, Santino Ferrucci Crashes in Thursday Indianapolis 500 Practice

Tony Kanaan practicing for the Indianapolis 500

(Photo by Walter Kuhn/INDYCAR)

Thursday’s (May 20) practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway got off to a strange start and also had the first major bit of wall contact for any of the 35 drivers aiming to become part of the 33 car field for the May 30th classic. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing staged a photo opportunity in …

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IndyCar Techbench Tuesday: Texas Motor Speedway

Scott Dixon pitting at the 2020 Genesys 300 at Texas

(Photo by Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR)

The NTT IndyCar Series’s first oval visit of the 2021 season is a doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) with the Genesys 300 on Saturday (May 1) and the XPEL 375 on Sunday (May 2). This is the first doubleheader Texas has hosted since the twin races in 2011 and since then, a lot has …

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Santino Ferrucci Running Indy 500 for Rahal, Hy-Vee Added as Sponsor

Santino Ferrucci in the pits at Homestead, 2/27/2021 (Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Santino Ferrucci will return to the NTT IndyCar Series at the 2021 Indianapolis 500. Ferrucci will pilot the No. 45 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, RLL announced April 5. The No. 45 will carry sponsorship from Hy-Vee. “I am excited to be competing in the Indianapolis 500 with Hy-Vee and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing,” Ferrucci …

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Brandon Gdovic Subbing for Santino Ferrucci at Martinsville

2021 Daytona I Nxs Brandon Gdovic Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Brandon Gdovic will race in place of Santino Ferrucci in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway, Sam Hunt Racing announced Wednesday, March 30. Ferrucci, who was originally planned to compete at the short track, had a schedule conflict for this event. Gdovic last drove for Sam Hunt in the season opener at Daytona …

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The Underdog House: Late Slip Overshadows Eye-Opening Day for Daniel Suarez

Daniel Suarez before the 2021 Daytona 500 Cup NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top Dog Following last week’s race at Phoenix Raceway, Trackhouse Racing received the news that teams dread to hear. During post-race inspection, Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Chevrolet was found with two loose lug nuts. That resulted in a one-race suspension for crew chief Travis Mack, along with a $20,000 fine. In his place, the team …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch Work Well Together for FOX Sports at Homestead

NASCAR Cup Series action in the 2021 Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Homestead is a very interesting place. For many years, it served as NASCAR’s season finale weekend. It’s an intriguing venue with many different lines for drivers. However, NASCAR decided to go in a different direction and move the season finale to Phoenix. For 2021, Homestead was supposed to be the second week of the season, …

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4 Burning Questions: Should Commentators Own Teams in the Series They Cover?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Steve Letarte and Rick Allen

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Should commentators be involved with racing teams in the series they cover? We just can’t have nice things, apparently. Steve Letarte, a former race-winning crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports, took a job this offseason as a consultant for Spire Motorsports. This might be just a little bit of a problem, because Letarte is also a …

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Santino Ferrucci Moving to NASCAR, Plans Part-Time Xfinity Run

2019 Long Beach Indycar Santino Ferrucci Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

Santino Ferrucci is moving to NASCAR. The now-former NTT IndyCar Series will race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in a part-time schedule in 2021, he announced Jan. 8. Ferrucci will drive for Sam Hunt Racing, which fields the No. 26. “I’m incredibly proud to join Sam Hunt racing and TRD,” Ferrucci said in a release. …

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2020 IndyCar Team Reviews: Dale Coyne Racing

Honda Indy 200

(Photo by: Matt Fraver, courtesy of IndyCar Media)

Dale Coyne Racing operated under three different awnings in 2020 in the NTT IndyCar Series, holding down a trio of partnerships for two full-time cars and a one-off for the Indianapolis 500. The team continued its trend of spreading its resources across multiple partnerships, but after two years of doing so did not have a …

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Backmarker Blues: IndyCar Drivers Who Struggled at the Harvest Grand Prix

Harvest Grand Prix

(Scott Dixon - Harvest Grand Prix Race 2 - Saturday, Oct 3, 2020 -- Photo by: Joe Skibinski, courtesy of IndyCar Media)

The 2020 Harvest Grand Prix doubleheader at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (Oct. 2-3) was one of the cleanest events the NTT IndyCar Series has seen so far this year. Both events avoided yellow flags, and very few drivers had the kind of disastrous weekend that has haunted the series this year. So in …

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2020 Harvest Grand Prix Race 1 Recap: Josef Newgarden Wins, Shrinks Championship Gap

IndyCar

The IndyCar aeroscreen on the car of Josef Newgarden. (Photo Credit: Chris Owens/Courtesy of IndyCar.)

Josef Newgarden, Team Penske’s best hope for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series championship, took a major step forward Friday (Oct. 2) in the first race of the Harvest Grand Prix doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. While Newgarden didn’t always look dominant, he had a clean, calm race that ultimately led to victory. It’s …

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