I hear this rookie Palou is pretty good.
Chris Griffis Memorial Test Entry List
Chris Griffis Memorial Test Update- Palou to Drive
Friday’s Chris Griffis Memorial Test for the IndyNXT by Firestone became a lot more interesting today when Chip Ganassi Racing announced that five-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou will test the number 11 car (pictured above). Palou has had a very busy off season, testing the IR-28 car at Ims and Sebring, and also driving, although briefly, in Petit Le Mans.
The test is expected to feature 22 drivers and run from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm Eastern time on the IMS road course. Turn 2 spectator mounds will be open. A full entry list will be out stomorrow.
News and Notes
That Didn’t Take Long– A story yesterday said that Ford was evaluating a possible return to IndyCar. I did not put much stock in it, and today Ford stated that they were not moving forward with a 2.4 liter engine which IndyCar uses. It was a fun few minutes thinking about a Ford-Chevy rivalry in American open wheel.
Josh Pierson Cleared to Move Up Josh Pierson passed his evaluation test on the IMS road course on Tuesday, clearing the way for him sign with A.J Foyt Racing’s IndyCar team. Pierson won an IndyNXT race in 2025, which was short of the licensing requirement for IndyCar.
Chevy Renewals- Chevrolet announced extended multiyear agreements with ECR, Arrow McLaren, and Team Penske. While nearly everyone thought these agreements were foregone conclusions, the announcement makes the contracts official. I’m waiting for Honda to do the same thing. If nothing else, it’s good PR.
From last night:
Rossi Hustles IR-28 Through More Development at Sebring
From IndyCar:
| SEBRING, Fla. (Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026) – The development of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ next-generation IR-28 car moved this week to the bumps and bruises of Sebring International Raceway from earlier testing on the silky-smooth surface of Indianapolis Motor Speedway .Alexander Rossi, who drives full time for Chevrolet-powered ECR, took over testing duties Tuesday at the historic Florida circuit. The 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner continued the evaluation of the car that will debut at the start of the 2028 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The Sebring test marks the first opportunity to evaluate the IR-28 away from Indianapolis, following initial sessions on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course and 2.5-mile oval in August and September. Five-time and reigning series champion Alex Palou completed 43 laps Monday on Sebring’s outer loop, putting the new car through its paces on a circuit renowned for its punishing surface and demanding mix of asphalt and concrete. Rossi completed 134 laps Tuesday.Palou, a Honda-powered driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, and Rossi also were chosen to handle testing duties at both IMS configurations.The two-day Sebring test session represents another important step in the series’ extensive development program, with the IR-28 facing the kind of conditions designed to expose weaknesses long before the car reaches competition. “It’s a new car for me at Sebring,” Rossi said. “Coming back here and being part of the next generation of INDYCAR’s future is a huge honor. It’s an exciting time in this sport. This car, in so many ways, is a pretty big upgrade from what we have.” Sebring is a regular testing destination for INDYCAR SERIES teams, in large part because of its unforgiving character. Its bumps, uneven surfaces and relentless demands on vehicle components make it an ideal proving ground for a car expected to compete on road courses, ovals and temporary street circuits. With street circuits accounting for one-third of the 2026 schedule, durability and driver confidence over challenging surfaces remain important considerations in the IR-28’s development. “What’s good about this place is it’s the poorest-quality surface that you can have in a permanent road course,” Rossi said. “It mimics a street course kind of. Because it’s a permanent road course, it gets used a lot, so it’s a higher grip level than a street course. In terms of bumps, pavement changes, difficult changes in the asphalt, that’s why everyone comes and tests here. It’s somewhat of a preview that you’re going to get in street courses.” Rossi’s test plan Tuesday focused on evaluating the car’s fundamental systems and performance, building on work completed during earlier sessions at Indianapolis. He worked alongside Dallara and INDYCAR officials.The testing emphasis has evolved as development has progressed. Initial tests focused on confirming that the car’s systems functioned as expected. At Sebring, the priority was understanding how the package performs over an extended test and identifying issues that might emerge through more extensive running, especially on rough, bumpy surfaces .“I don’t know that anyone is looking for anything (particular),” Rossi said. “The messaging we get is run the car as if it’s your race car. From there, we’ll see what issues, problems, surprises come out of that. I think all the test list items were really accomplished in the first two tests. Just making sure things worked as you would expect .“This test is more of a practical application of: ‘Does it perform over a two-day test as the current car does? Does it do what it is expected to and kind of what little things could come out of that we need to address before the series produces a bunch of these?’” Driver feedback remains central to that process, particularly when it comes to comfort and cockpit cooling. The IR-28 incorporates a more integrated cooling approach, with strategically positioned ducts designed into the initial bodywork rather than added to the existing carbon-fiber structure. Palou reported a significant improvement in cooling during Monday’s running, highlighting progress since the initial Indianapolis tests. Rossi also experienced the benefits of those improvements at Sebring. “First of all, visually, it’s an incredible race car to look at,” Rossi said. “It generates more grip in high-speed corners. It’s a very nice car to drive. It’s well-built and incredibly well-engineered. Cooling-wise, we made a pretty big step in this test, in particular. It’s night-and-day different in terms of comfort and drivability in the cockpit.” Although the car’s competition debut remains more than a year away, the development schedule allows time to address concerns and validate improvements across different types of circuits before the 2028 season begins. Every lap adds another piece to that process, helping ensure the IR-28 can withstand the demands of a race weekend while delivering the performance drivers and fans expect. “There are more things that are scheduled to come as time comes that will allow this car to race and perform even better, that will only put on a better show for the fans, which is the No. 1 priority for all of us,” Rossi said. |
INDY NXT by Firestone Drivers Featured at Chris Griffis Memorial Test Friday at IMS
From IMS:
| The Chris Griffis Memorial Test is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.Testing and driver evaluations by INDY NXT by Firestone teams will take place from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ET on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit. The annual test is named in memory of Chris Griffis, the team manager of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports who passed away suddenly in September 2011.The DEX Imaging Media Center will be open to media during the test. Live timing of the test will be available at www.indycar.com/leaderboard. WHAT: Chris Griffis Memorial Test WHO: INDY NXT by Firestone Teams and Drivers .WHEN: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 16 WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course |
From last night:
Shake It Up: Palou Puts IR-28 Through Pounding Paces at Sebring
From IndyCar:
| SEBRING, Fla. (Monday, Oct. 12, 2026) – The initial tests of the new NTT INDYCAR SERIES IR-28 chassis took place in August and September on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and oval, two circuits known for their billiard-table smooth asphalt. Now, for the rough stuff. Five-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou of Honda-powered Chip Ganassi Racing turned 43 laps Monday on the outer loop at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, the first test for the car outside of IMS. 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi of Chevrolet-powered ECR will take over testing duties Tuesday at the historic Florida circuit. Sebring is a popular testing site for NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams due to its bumpy nature and mix of asphalt and concrete surfaces, which simulate well the temporary street circuits that formed a third of the series schedule in 2026. It’s a punishing, unforgiving track that stresses the durability and strength of components perhaps better than any other testing ground for the series. “We’re trying to test it as tough as we can,” Palou said. “It’s a bumpy course. Before we produce all the new cars, we want to make sure it passes this stress test and that it’s good to go for racing. “We’re trying to get miles and miles, see what breaks so we can fix it.” Palou and Rossi are the only series drivers so far to test the car, which will be introduced at the start of the 2028 season. As in the road course and oval tests at IMS, the two drivers and Dallara and INDYCAR officials will continue to perform a long checklist of basic system and performance checks on the car. But Palou noticed Monday his feedback on driver comfort and car braking from the initial tests at IMS was adopted and made significant improvements, especially in driver cooling. The revolutionary aeroscreen was added to the current car in 2020, with ducts fit into the existing carbon fiber body to aid cooling. The new car has more ducts that are more strategically placed from initial design instead of an add-on like the ducting on the current car .“Yeah, it’s been so much better, the cooling, since we started a couple months ago,” Palou said. “Huge step, and that’s something we’ve been asking for a long time on our current car. “We have a very big one (duct) right in front of us (on the IR-28) that makes the air go from down to up and makes the airflow so much better. It’s been huge.” Palou completed a historic moment for the IR-28 during testing today when he passed a current car driven by Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global, who was testing Firestone Firehawk tires at the circuit along with Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske. It was the first on-track pass for the new car. “It wasn’t planned,” Palou said. “We went out, and I saw Kirkwood was doing the tire test. We spoke during lunch that at some point this afternoon we would go together. We wanted to see how this car does in traffic. It was cool. We were playing a little bit.” Another advantage to Sebring being a regular test spot for NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams is there’s a plethora of data with the current car that can be compared with the IR-28. All systems continue to be go with the new car .“I’m very excited,” Palou said. “I like the looks of it. It seems safer. It looks like it’s going to be much better racing because we’re going to be able to follow much closer on road, street and ovals .“I’m just excited to go racing. I wish it was already ’27. Having said that, it gives us so much time to work on the car, to make sure it’s good. If there’s something that doesn’t really work on ovals or whatever, we can go test it before we actually race it.” |
American Pro-Am Team GMG Racing Wins Indianapolis 8 Hour at IMS
| INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026) – GMG Racing led a one-two finish by Pro-Am teams in the Indianapolis 8 Hour endurance sports car race Saturday, the final event of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway season. Ayhancan Güven of Turkey drove to victory by 56.209 seconds in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO that he shared with Kyle Washington of the United States and Riccardo Pera of Italy. It was the first time a Pro-Am and a Porsche team won this Intercontinental GT Challenge sports car endurance race at The Racing Capital of the World, and Washington clinched the GT World Challenge America Pro-Am class championship. “This year we came for the title (in Pro-Am class),” Guven said. “But then during the race, after Kyle did a really good stint, the strategy paid off, and in the middle of the race we said, ‘Maybe we can go for overall.’ And then from that moment, we started to push with Riccardo, and at the end, it worked pretty well.” The No. 69 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 EVO – another Pro-Am entry – shared by Todd Coleman and Aaron Telitz of the United States and Thomas Fleming of Great Britain finished second. Pole sitter Robby Foley drove the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO that he shared with fellow American drivers Connor De Phillippi and Justin Rothberg to third after climbing to that position with a daring outside pass with one hour remaining. That was enough for the Turner team to clinch the GT World Challenge America Pro season championship, as that series and the Intercontinental GT Challenge teams ran simultaneously on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. The No. 12 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO placed fourth, the only other car on the lead lap as the eight-hour race ended in darkness with headlights on at IMS .Maxime Martin of Belgium rounded out the top five in the No. 34 Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO he shared with American Michai Stephens and Canadian Mikael Grenier. That finish clinched the Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers’ title for Martin .“We understood today that we really didn’t have the pace to try to win it, so we showed the IGTC was quite important to me,” Martin said. “I’m really happy to win it.” The road to victory was a bit longer for GMG Racing than expected. Güven qualified second Friday, just two-thousandths of a second behind Foley, but the No. 32 Porsche was moved to the ninth starting spot due to ground clearance violations found in post-qualifying inspection, one of four cars penalized for infractions after qualifying. At the halfway point, AF Corse USA’s No. 12 Ferrari led the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG by 12 seconds. GMG’s Porsche was a lap down in 10th, but that deceived. Just before the halfway point of the race, GMG switched to an alternate strategy after a strong double stint by Washington to open the race. Pro drivers Güven and Pera drove the rest of the way, with Pera climbing back on the lead lap with three hours remaining. Güven was fourth with two hours left, but the alternate strategy had the team on a path to the lead when other teams made their final driver changes during pit stops. Güven was out front with 90 minutes remaining and cruised to the victory by a record margin for this event. GMG’s strategic ploy was helped by the last five hours and 39 minutes of the race running caution-free. That was quite the contrast from this race in 2025, when just two laps of green flag racing took place in the final four hours of the race due to waves of lightning and heavy thunderstorms that rolled through Central Indiana. Five-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou never turned a lap in the race today. His teammate Lin Hodenius couldn’t avoid the spinning No. 13 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO driven by Todd Parriott just nine minutes into the race, hitting the car and inflicting terminal damage on the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG Team Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO in which Palou qualified seventh Friday. Fellow Indianapolis 500 winner and NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winner Marcus Ericsson finished 13th in the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO that he shared with his brother, Hampus Ericsson, and Derek DeBoer of the United States. |
Race Day at IMS
From IMS:
| INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 9, 2026) – Information about Indianapolis 8 Hour track activity Saturday, Oct. 10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: SCHEDULE (All times local): 7 a.m.: Outside Parking Lots Open 8 a.m.: Public Gates Open 8:05-8:45 a.m.: GT America powered by AWS Race 9-9:45 a.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Race 10-11 a.m.: Pirelli GT4 America Race 12:30-8:30 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Race 8 p.m.: Public Gates Close TICKETS: $45 for General Admission seating for selected grandstands, infield viewing mounds and garage area access. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. PUBLIC GATES OPEN (8 a.m.-8 p.m.): Gate 6 PARKING: Paid parking is available in Lot 2 for $10. ADA parking is also available in Lot 2 for $10. CASHLESS OPERATIONS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concessions and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card. Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions. MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. General Admission tickets are available $25 for adults, $23 for seniors 55 and over, $16 for youth ages 6-16, and children under 5 are free. Guests must also have or purchase an IMS gate admission ticket to visit the Museum. From last night: |
American Foley Wins Pole for Indianapolis 8 Hour at IMS; Palou Seventh
| INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 9, 2026) – American Robby Foley won the pole Friday for the Indianapolis 8 Hour by just two-thousandths of a second, setting the stage for an exciting final race of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway season in 2026. Foley, from Randolph, New Jersey, was the quickest driver in the final Superpole qualifying session with his top lap of 1 minute, 22.805 seconds in the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Foley, who also was quickest in the preliminary qualifying rounds, will share that car with fellow American drivers Connor De Phillippi and Justin Rothberg in the Intercontinental GT Challenge endurance sports car race that starts at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS road course. Veteran sports car driver Foley edged Ayhancan Guven of Turkey, whose best lap of 1:22.807 in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO was just two-thousandths of a second shy of Foley’s quickest effort. “The guys and girls at Turner gave me a great car,” Foley said. “We made a couple of small changes from Q3 to Superpole. The track changed there a little bit with the sun going down. It’s a great place to start. “It’s always great to drive around this storied track. A good track for our BMW. So, looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what we can do.” Christopher Mies qualified third at 1:22.868 in the No. 6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO, as just 63-thousandths of a second separated the top three cars on the starting grid. Alessio Picariello qualified fourth and will start on the outside of the front row after his best lap of 1:23.146 in the No. 8 McCann Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO. Five-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou (photo, top) qualified seventh at 1:23.309 in the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG Team Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. Palou was the quickest of the three Mercedes drivers among the 10 competitors who earned a spot in the final Superpole session.2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson qualified 17th in the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO he will share with his brother, Hampus Ericsson, and Derek DeBoer on Saturday. Teams of three drivers sharing cars will race from 12:30-8:30 p.m. ET Saturday, with 28 cars expected to compete. A wide variety of evocative manufacturers will provide a thrilling array of sights and engine sounds, including Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Click here to buy tickets for the Indianapolis 8 Hour. |
Today at IMS
From IMS:
| INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026) – Information about Indianapolis 8 Hour track activity Friday, Oct. 9 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: SCHEDULE (All times local): 7 a.m.: Outside Parking Lots Open 8 a.m.: Public Gates Open 8-8:35 a.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Practice 8:50-9:05 a.m.: TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School Qualifying 9:20-9:35 a.m.: GT America powered by AWS Qualifying 9:50-11:20 a.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pre-Qualifying Practice 11:35 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Pirelli GT4 America Practice 12:35-12:50 p.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Qualifying 1:40-2:30 p.m.: McLaren Trophy America Race 2:45-3 p.m.: Pirelli GT4 America Driver 1 Qualifying 3:05-3:20 p.m.: Pirelli GT4 America Driver 2 Qualifying 3:35-3:50 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Driver 1 Qualifying 3:57-4:12 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Driver 2 Qualifying 4:20-4:35 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Driver 3 Qualifying 4:50-5:25 p.m.: TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School Race 5:35-5:50 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pole Shootout Qualifying 6 p.m.: Public Gates Close TICKETS: $20 for General Admission seating for selected grandstands, infield viewing mounds and garage area access. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Three-day General Admission tickets are $85 and include garage area access. PUBLIC GATES OPEN (8 a.m.-6 p.m.): Gate 6 PARKING: Paid parking is available in Lot 2 for $10. ADA parking is also available in Lot 2 for $10. CASHLESS OPERATIONS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concessions and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card. Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions. MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. General Admission tickets are available $25 for adults, $23 for seniors 55 and over, $16 for youth ages 6-16, and children under 5 are free. Guests must also have or purchase an IMS gate admission ticket to visit the Museum. |
