Category: Auto Racing

Saturday at IMS

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INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 17, 2025) – Information about Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS track activity Saturday, Oct. 18 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
SCHEDULE (All times local):
8 a.m.: Public Gate Opens
8:10-8:35 a.m.: TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School Race 1
8:50-9:35 a.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Race 1
9:50-10:50 a.m.: GT4 America Race 1
10:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pre-Race
12:20-8:20 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Race
8 p.m.: Public Gate Closes
TICKETS: $45 for General Admission seating for selected grandstands, infield viewing mounds, garage area access and Track Limits Live area in Pagoda Plaza. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
PUBLIC GATE OPEN (8 a.m.-8 p.m.): Gate 6PARKING: 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, concession 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. to 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $25, seniors (55 and over) are $23, and military (former and active) are $18. Tickets can be purchased online at https://imsmuseum.org/tickets/. Indianapolis 8 Hour gate admission must be purchased as well as Museum admission.

Tomorrow at the Track

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Friday, Oct. 17  INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025) – Information about Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS track activity Friday, Oct. 17 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
SCHEDULE (All times local):
8 a.m.: Public Gate Opens
8:05-8:35 a.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Practice 2
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
11:35 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: GT4 America Practice 2
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
2:45-3:20 p.m.: GT4 America Qualifying (two groups)
3:35-4:35 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Qualifying (three groups)
4:50-5:30 p.m.: GT America powered by AWS Race 1
5:45-6 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pole Shootout
6 p.m.: Public Gate Closes
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.
PUBLIC GATE 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, concession 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. to 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $25, seniors (55 and over) are $23, and military (former and active) are $18. Tickets can be purchased online at https://imsmuseum.org/tickets/. Indianapolis 8 Hour gate admission must be purchased as well as Museum admission. 

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers To Participate in INDYCAR Test on Oct. 21-22 at IMS

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From IMS:

 NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers, including three Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winners, will participate in an annual fall INDYCAR test Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 21-22 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.
Testing is scheduled from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET both days. On Tuesday, drivers Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren and Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing will test Firestone Racing tires and the newly repaved surface at the exit of Turn 2 of the oval. Alexander Rossi of ECR and Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will use both days to test and help evaluate the performance of brake and shock components under consideration for the coming years.
The Turn 2 Viewing Mounds will be open for public viewing.

WHO: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Teams/Drivers Scheduled To Participate (subject to change):
Arrow McLaren: Pato O’Ward
Chip Ganassi Racing: Alex Palou
ECR: Alexander Rossi
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Takuma Sato

WHAT: INDYCAR Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

WHEN: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET, Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 21-22

WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

VeeKay Signs with Juncos for 2026

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Rinus VeeKay will drive for Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2026. VeeKay drove for Juncos in Pro Mazda. Juncos is VeeKay’s third team in three years.

He began his IndyCar career in202 with Ed Carpenter Racing, where he won his only race, the 2021 Sonsio Grand prix on the iMS road course.

In 2025 VeeKay drove for Dale Coyne Racing, finishing 14th in the season standings.

The Dutch driver has finished each season between 12th and 14th in each of his sixth season in the series.

Until this past season, VeeKay has been an outstanding qualifier at the Indianapolis 500, with three consecutive front row starts, along with rolling off 4th and 7th. He has three top 10 finishes in the 500.

Juncos Hollinger team principalo Dave O’Neill said about signing VeeKay, “At Juncos Hollinger Racing, we’re fully focused on building a program capable of sustained high performance in the years ahead,” said Dave O’Neill, Juncos Hollinger Racing team principal.

“We have exciting plans across every area of the team – on and off the track – and bringing Rinus onboard is a major step in that direction.”

IMS Test Day Midday Report

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A random summary of this morning at IMS:

A cool crisp morning led to a slow first hour of testing at IMS. Action began to pick up after 10 am.

The first was mainly used by Dennis Hauger for pit stop practice.

Just before 11, the action picked up with several cars on track at the same time. The ECR cars took to the track around 10:45.

Mick Schumacher turned the fastest time in the morning session.

Schumacher had a crowd following him wherever he went. He seems genuinely interested in driving in IndyCar. As far as ovals go, Schumacher did not show the reluctance that many Europeans have toward driving in circles. In answer to a question about oval driving, he said,

“I think [I] might as well, that’s what the championship is about and I think it would be wrong to just say ‘Okay, I’m just going to do one part of it.’ If I were to commit, I would like to commit to it fully.”

James Roe may get the seat at Juncos Hollinger Racing. He said that he will talk with them next week.

James Roe

Dennis Hauger is very upbeat about driving in IndyCar. He seems very happy to be at the top American level, seeing a positive in his crash at Mid-Ohio last week.

Dennis Hauger

In Other News

While Will Power could not participate in today’s practice due to contractual restrictions,, he will see some track time this weekend as he drives in the Indianapolis 8 hour.

Power will drive car 75, with fellow Australians Chaz Moster and Kenny Habul. The Mercedes-AMG is entered in the Pro class of the GT 3 event.

Conor Daly will also participate with the Random Vandals team in the number 99 BMW GT World America Pro class.

It was nice to be at the track today to get one last whiff of IndyCar before winter.

IMS Testing Today; Last Chance to See IndyCars in 2025

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Photo: Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing’s new driver for 2026

It’s a short field, but it could have some long-term effects on the 2026 grid. Six teams will run seven drivers from 9-5 today, with a one-hour lunch break at noon. Turn 2 mounds are open for viewing.

Today’s lineup:

A.J. Foyt Enterprises: Caio Collet
Andretti Global: Lochie Hughes
Dale Coyne Racing: Dennis Hauger
ECR: Christian Rasmussen, Alexander Rossi
Juncos Hollinger Racing: James Roe
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Mick Schumacher

Caio Collet may be in the running for the second seat at Foyt. Is Mick Schumacher a serious candidate for the 30 car?

Andretti has no seats available, and Juncos Hollinger is still searching for drivers. Roe may have an opportunity there.

I will be on site this morning, and will have an up date after the morning session.

 NTT INDYCAR SERIES To Participate in Team Test Monday, Oct. 13 on IMS Road Course 

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 NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams will participate in a team test and driver evaluations Monday, Oct. 13 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.Testing will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit,
.WHO: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Teams/Drivers Scheduled To Participate (subject to change):
A.J. Foyt Enterprises: Caio Collet
Andretti Global: Lochie Hughes
Dale Coyne Racing: Dennis Hauger
ECR: Christian Rasmussen, Alexander Rossi
Juncos Hollinger Racing: James Roe
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Mick Schumacher
WHAT: Team Test and Driver Evaluations at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
WHEN: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET, Monday, Oct. 13
WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Turn 2 Viewing Mounds will be open for public viewing

INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series Set To Return in January 2026

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From IndyCar:

  All-new qualifying series format to feature newly released INDY NXT Dallara IL-15

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025) – iRacing, INDYCAR and Thrustmaster are pleased to announce the return of the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series for the 2025-26 season.
Once again, the world’s top virtual INDYCAR drivers will compete for a $50,000 prize pool on a mix of top INDYCAR ovals, road courses and street circuits. The return of the championship will be paired with an all-new qualifying series format that features the Dallara IL-15, used in the real-world INDY NXT by Firestone, INDYCAR’s development series.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the INDYCAR iRacing Pro Series back later this year with the help of our new series partners at Thrustmaster,” said iRacing President Tony Gardner.
“This series produced some of our most exciting eSports racing last year, and it’s an important part of our ever-expanding relationship with INDYCAR. Our new Qualifying Series format, using the Dallara IL-15 from INDY NXT by Firestone, adds another level of realism to the championship as drivers walk the same path that real-world INDYCAR stars do to reach the highest level. We’re looking forward to getting the season started!”
Said Ben Hendricks, INDYCAR senior manager of sponsorship sales and strategy: “This is an engaging and fun opportunity for some of the world’s best virtual drivers to showcase their skills against the backdrop of the most competitive and dynamic racing series on the planet. It also serves to underscore the immersive and comprehensive nature of our partnership with iRacing, as we look forward to the launch of our official game in 2026.”
The return of the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series is the latest major development in the partnership between iRacing and INDYCAR. Earlier this year, the two sides confirmed that iRacing Studios will produce a dedicated INDYCAR game in 2026 on console and PC.
INDYCAR-relevant releases on iRacing this year have included Portland International Raceway in March and the Dallara IL-15 in September, and more content will be produced in time for next year’s INDYCAR title.
The inaugural INDYCAR iRacing Pro Series ran in the fall of 2024, with many of the top tracks in the real-world NTT INDYCAR SERIES represented. Diogo Pinto claimed the championship after a consistent season that included a win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
The INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Qualifying Series will kick off later this October, while the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series will begin in January 2026. Pro Series races will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET Thursdays via iRacing social channels and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES YouTube channel and website.
More information on both series schedules will be released in the coming weeks.For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iRacing.com. 
 
 

Schumacher Will Test with Rahal at IMS in October

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From RLL:

Formula One And Sports Car Veteran Mick Schumacher To Participate In An IndyCar Test With Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing At IMS

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (September 26, 2025) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Mick Schumacher, 26, who currently competes in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) for Alpine, will participate in an INDYCAR test with the team on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on October 13. Schumacher, the son of legendary seven-time Formula One champion, Michael Schumacher, has made 44 starts in Formula One with a best finish of sixth place and earned four podiums in WEC to date.

Schumacher, who was born in Switzerland, most recently drove an open-wheel race car as the Mercedes F1 reserve driver while competing in WEC in 2024 and participated in tests at Silverstone, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Circuit Paul Ricard. The test at IMS will enable Schumacher to familiarize himself with the technical specifications of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with an eye toward possible participation in the future.

During the 2025 Sonsio Grand Prix on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 8-9, RLL drivers Graham Rahal, Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco qualified second, third and fifth, respectively with Rahal leading a race high 49 of 85 laps before earning the team’s best finish of sixth place. This baseline should provide Schumacher with a good starting point.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is North America’s premier open-wheel racing competition, featuring stars from across the globe competing at speeds faster than 370 kph (230 mph). Along with hosting the world-famous Indianapolis 500, the series boasts a mix of oval, temporary street circuit and permanent road course races across North America. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is sanctioned by INDYCAR, the governing body for North America’s premier open-wheel racing series and part of the Penske Entertainment family.

The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 1. The 17-race schedule includes new venues in Arlington, Texas and Markham, Ontario, Canada. For more information about the series or team, visit www.indycar.com and www.rahal.com.

QUOTEBOARD:

MICK SCHUMACHER: “I am very much looking forward to driving my first IndyCar test. A big thank you to the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team for giving me this opportunity. The same goes for driving this car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time, a race track with a big history and that my dad has driven on before. I am excited to see which special features it holds.

“I am very curious to understand the special features and characteristics of this race car, which is different from the cars I am used to driving, yet similar, and I remain very interested in gaining experience in the diverse world of motorsport. Great to be able to see what it is all about and how difficult it is, since I hear a lot about how tough it is physically. It is not a secret that I am big fan of single seater racing after all, so this first IndyCar test will be an experience to treasure, and I am very much looking forward to driving a car where I can see my wheels.”

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “I have followed Mick’s career from afar as well as that of his father so the thought of seeing him in one of our race cars is very exciting. I think it’s going to be a great day for RLL and also for Mick, as he gets his first experience in an Indy car. Obviously, he’s got a great deal of talent and knowing that we’ve had pretty good setups for the IMS road course, it should give him a good baseline to start from.”

JAY FRYE, President of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “This is an amazing opportunity for RLL to test an elite talent like Mick and bring two legendary motorsports families together.”

About Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher, 26, was born and raised in Switzerland and is the son of seven-time Formula One World Drivers’ Champion Michael Schumacher and his equestrian wife Corinna, as well as the nephew of former Formula One driver Ralf. He is currently competing in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine.

Initially competing under the pseudonyms Mick Betsch and Mick Junior, Schumacher finished runner-up to Enaam Ahmed at the junior direct-drive Karting World Championship and Karting European Championship in 2014. Graduating to junior formula in 2015, Schumacher finished runner-up in both ADAC F4 and Italian F4 in 2016. After finishing third in the MRF Challenge Championship in 2016-2017, Schumacher moved to FIA European Formula 3, winning the championship with Prema in 2018. Progressing to FIA Formula 2 for 2019, Schumacher won the title in 2020 with Prema.

He became a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2019, and went on to participate in rookie testing for Alfa Romeo and Haas in F1 in 2020, before he signed with the latter as a full-time driver in 2021. He made his Formula One debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix alongside Nikita Mazepin, but Haas failed to score points during the season with the VF-21, with Schumacher earning a season-best finish of 12th in Hungary.

In 2022, Schumacher teamed with Kevin Magnussen and scored his maiden points finish at the British Grand Prix with eighth place, followed by a career-best sixth at the Austrian Grand Prix. He was also the official reserve driver for Ferrari in 2022. For 2023 and 2024, he served as a reserve driver for Mercedes, which included serving in the same capacity for McLaren and Williams. In 2024, he moved to the FIA World Endurance with Alpine and achieved his first podium finish at the 6 Hours of Fuji. To date in 2025, he has earned podium finishes at the 6 Hours of Imola and Spa-Francorchamps with two rounds remaining in the season in Fuji (September 28) and Bahrain (November 8).