The Pit Window by Mike Silver

Parkside Collectibles Announces 2025 INDYCAR Vol. 1 Trading Card Set

May 6, 2025 thepitwindow

From Indycar:

New Set Available Online and Through Major Retailers Starting in Month of May

LOS ANGELES (Tuesday, May 6, 2025) – Parkside Collectibles is launching the 2025 INDYCAR Vol. 1 trading card set, offering fans an immersive experience into the thrilling world of INDYCAR SERIES racing. The set features cards of top drivers like Alex Palou, Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward, highlights iconic race moments and tracks, and includes special insert cards.
“We’re thrilled to bring another season of high-octane excitement directly to INDYCAR fans with this year’s Vol.1 collection,” says Eric Christensen, CEO of Parkside Collectibles.
Each Hanger Pack (25 cards) contains base cards, foil parallels, a Marquee Moments card, a Vintage card, a random insert and a Pit Pass card. Collectors can also chase rare autograph cards (averaging one per 10 packs) from drivers like Scott McLaughlin and Sting Ray Robb, as well as unique Relic cards with race-used materials.
The 2025 INDYCAR Trading Card Set Vol. 1 is available today on shop.indycar.com and starting May 15 at Target, hobby shops and online at parksidecards.com.
Last year’s set was the No. 1 new item across INDYCAR merchandising and licensing in terms of units purchased.
“INDYCAR and Parkside Collectibles have teamed up to bring our fans an incredible and highly engaging trading card set for 2025,” said INDYCAR Chief Marketing Officer Alex Damron. “This will be a highly popular item at IMS during an epic Month of May and also throughout the rest of the season both in store and online.”
Explore the full checklist here!
About Parkside Founded with the vision to rekindle and nurture the passion for trading cards, Parkside Collectibles is a pioneer in offering affordable, captivating trading card products. With a dedication to engaging both young fans and veteran collectors, Parkside brings the excitement of various sports leagues, including NWSL, INDYCAR, US Women’s Soccer, Big 3 Basketball, Fan Controlled Football, Major League Lacrosse, and more, into the hands of enthusiasts. Embodying the nostalgic charm of discovering collectible trading cards at your local corner store, Parkside is committed to creating products that resonate with fans of traditional and new sports and entertainment brands, all while maintaining a price point reminiscent of simpler times. Our commitment lies in crafting memorable collecting experiences that connect fans with their favorite sports moments and icons, ensuring that the joy of collecting thrives across generations. For more information on Parkside Collectibles, please visit www.parksidecards.com.
About INDYCAR INDYCAR is the Indianapolis-based governing body for North America’s premier open-wheel auto racing series, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and its developmental series, INDY NXT by Firestone. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES features an international field of the world’s most versatile drivers – including championship contenders Josef Newgarden (USA), Alex Palou (Spain) and Pato O’Ward (Mexico) – who compete on superspeedways, short ovals, street circuits and permanent road courses. The 2025 season consists of 17 races in the United States and Canada and is highlighted by the historic Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES, INDY NXT by Firestone, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. For more information on INDYCAR and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, please visit www.indycar.com. For more information on INDY NXT by Firestone, please visit www.indynxt.com.

Sonsio Grand Prix Schedule- Update

May 6, 2025May 6, 2025 thepitwindow

All times Eastern

Friday, May 9

IndyCar practice 1 9:30-10:50 FS2

Indy NXT practice 11:05-11:55 FS2

1:10-2 IndyCar Practice 2 (35 minute guarantee) FS2

2:30-3 Indy NXT Qualifying FS2

4P35-6 IndyCar Qualifying FS1

7:06 IndyNXT Race 1 35 laps or 55 minutes FS!

Saturday, May 10

11:32-11:57 IndyCar Warm Up FS1

1:06 Indy NXT Race 2 35 laps or 55 minutes FS1

4:30 FOX on air FOX

4:52 Sonsio Grand Prix Green Flag 85 laps FOX

Month of May Schedule

May 5, 2025 thepitwindow

All IMS activities. All times Eastern. I will have a more specific Sonsio Grand Prix weekend schedule up tomorrow.

Quick Thoughts- Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix

May 4, 2025 thepitwindow

Lets’ start with the positives.

Alex Palou put on a clinic today. He drove a masterful race, aided by great pit strategy, and perfect pit execution. Palou has won three of the first four races and finished second in the fourth. He enters the IMS races with a 61 point lead over Christian Lundgaard.

Lundgaard has suddenly become the leader at Arrow McLaren. His second place today is his third straight podium finish. I would not count him out of standing on the top step of the platform one time before June. Lundgaard is the only driver with a shot at possibly catching Palou.

If Rinus VeeKay isn’t a unanimous pick for Driver of the Day, there just wasn’t a winner today. The Netherlands driver backed up his Fast Six from Saturday with a fourth place finish, one spot higher than where he started the race. He has done well at Barber, but to drive a Dale Coyne Racing machine to such heights is an accomplishment.

VeeKay finished just 0.33 of a second behind third place Scott McLaughlin.

Today’s race saw some of the best racing of the year with some battles in the top 10.

The best news of the weekend- I heard that Barber will be run in April in 2026, where it rightly belongs.

Now for the rest of the day:

FOX showed more improvement during the broadcast, but some key items are still lacking. I don’t know why there is still no pit timer. There were several bad pit stops, which they covered, but how much time was lost? I would like to know. This information will be essential during the Indianapolis 500 in three weeks.

Once again there was no pass for the lead, or even a fight for the top spot. While there were some great battles, it was evident that passing is very difficult. Is the hybrid really holding back the racing that much? I would hate to see a processional 500 like we had in the late 2000s.

All four races in 2025 have had a sameness to them. They have been mostly processional with pit strategies being the one intriguing thing about them. That is great for the hard core fan, but it isn’t going to lure new fans in. Perhaps it’s the lack of yellows, 339 consecutive laps of green flag, which is another thing altogether, or perhaps it is the drag of the hybrid.

Thanks for following along this weekend. Tomorrow I start covering the month of May. It’s hard to believe there is another race in just six days.

Results

Tire Selections for Barber

May 4, 2025 thepitwindow

Barber Qualifymg Wrap Up

May 3, 2025 thepitwindow

New blood in the Top 12, but the Gast Six ended with the same old faces at the top.

Louis Foster, Nolan Siegel, Kyffin Simpson, and Marcus Armstrong made it into Round 2, but the Fast Six looked pretty much the same. Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, Colton Herta, and Alex Palou battled for the pole. In the end, Palou won his first pole of the year, edging McLaughlin and Herta. For Power, it was his first trip out of round 1 this season. Siegel earned his first career Fast Six, and Rinus VeeKay gave Dale Coyne a rare appearance in the final round.

FOX improved their qualifying coverage by adding the deltas to sixth and first to the scoring chart. Fans have been clamoring for this all season. It added to the drama, especially in the last two minutes of each session.

Results

INDYCAR Announces Race Tire Rule Update for Sonsio Grand Prix

May 3, 2025 thepitwindow

From IndyCar. An interesting rule change for next weekend.

INDYCAR has announced an update to the race tire usage requirements for the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Saturday, May 10.

For the race, teams will be required to use:

Two sets of alternate compound tires (one more than previously required)
Two sets of primary compound tires (one more than previously required)

There are no requirements in terms of new (sticker) sets of tires used in the race. The two completed laps needed to satisfy the tire requirement rule, where one (1) lap must begin once the Green Flag has been displayed to the Race Leader (Rule 15.3.3.2.3.) for each of the four sets (Rule 15.3.3.2.) remains in effect.

The update strives to ensure an all-out, driving on the limit, thrilling and entertaining product for fans and generate even more strategic challenges for North America’s premier open-wheel racing series. Additionally – working with Firestone – the current, standard event weekend road and street circuit tire allocation that began this season (five sets of primaries and five sets of alternates) was contemplated with this tire requirement format option in mind. The tire allocation for the IMS road course, the only two-day road and street circuit event on the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, remains unchanged at five sets of primaries and four sets of alternates.

“INDYCAR is continually looking into ways to improve an already extraordinary on-track product,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Firestone is a terrific partner, and their higher degradation alternate tire has given strategists plenty to think about on road and street circuits this year. We expect this update will challenge teams and drivers even more.”

In an additional move to ensure more robust on-track activity during the Sonsio Grand Prix event, Practice 2 on the IMS road course will be adjusted from a limited green flag guarantee of 45 minutes to 35.

Following the event on the IMS road course, INDYCAR will review both updated procedures and evaluate its use for future races.

Coverage of the Sonsio Grand Prix, round five of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, begins at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 10 on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. The first practice of the weekend is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET Friday, May 9 and can be seen on FS2.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES event is the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on Sunday, May 4. Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.