Tag: Bommarito Automotive Group 500

Bommarito 500 Thoughts- Racing as it Should Be

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Penske Entertainment photo

What can IndyCar do for an encore? It will be difficult to top last night’s Bommarito 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Fast paced, battles for the lead, fights for position, wild accidents, and a winner in doubt until the end- not much more a race fan can ask for over two plus hours.

In the end, Kyle Kirkwood won his first career oval race and second race in a row, keeping Honda’s winning streak alive and the 2025 winners count at two.

On Saturday, all signs pointed to Chevy and Team Penske ending their season long droughts. Will Power won the pole, and teammate Scott McLaughlin joined him on the front row. Chevy powered cars occupied the first five spots.

McLaughlin’s stall as the grid rolled off pit lane was a harbinger of the woes awaiting Team Penske. Power suffered a tire failure on lap 4 and did a masterful job crab walking the car back to the pits. Josef Newgarden appeared to have full command of the race until he hit the sliding car of Louis Foster, flipping upside down and sliding down the front stretch. McLaughlin retired with 44 laps to go with a mechanical issue.

It has been that type of season for Team Penske. In eight races the team has just two podium spots, no wins, and two poles.

It Was Malukas’ Night Until…

David Malukas shot to the lead at the start and led the first 51 laps. He led two other times until a pit lane penalty cost him three spots in the restart order. He grazed the wall on lap 196, ending his strongest chance for his first victory.

Notes

There is so much to talk about.

Conor Daly once again looked to be in line for the win, but faded to 6th. Junco Hollinger has looked very solid in the first two ovals of the season.

Rinus VeeKay has raised the bar at Dale Coyne Racing. His seventh place finish is his third top 10 finish in 2025.

Christian Rasmussen overcame a fire under his car as he left the pits, fought his way through the field twice, and brought home his first career podium for ECR. Definitely Driver of the Race.

Robert Shwartzman earned his first career top 10 result for PREMA. The team has exceeded expectations in their first year in IndyCar. Callum Ilott had a chance to win the race. If the rain had come 10 minutes earlier, we may be talking about an improbable winner today.

Why did the yellow light take six seconds to come on after Foster slammed the outside wall? The late yellow may have prevented Newgarden from crashing into Foster, or at last made the impact less severe. The yellow flashed immediately when Malukas just grazed the wall and kept going. The slow response was unacceptable.

I cannot thank Dallara, the aeroscreen, the roll hoop, and the AMR safety team enough. The safety of these cars and the way they protect the drivers continues to amaze me.

Kyle Kirkwood is finally emerging as the driver I thought he would be when he entered IndyCar. He knows how to win, and I don’t think he is done winning yet this year.

If last night’s race proved anything, it’s that IndyCar needs to race on more ovals, and at night as often as possible. I’m hoping the Saturday race at Iowa can be moved to as night race, and that the finale at Nashville Superspeedway can shift its start time as well. IndyCar at night produces the best racing and it looks great in person and on television.

Penske Resurgence at WWTR

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Will Power led a team Penske awakening as the team and a partner car took four of the top five sport for tomorrow night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Will Power won his 71st career pole, and his first since September,2023.

Pato O’Ward was the only non-Penske affiliated car in the top five. O’Ward will start third.

“It’s been a while. I’ve been on the front row a few times, but it’s always nice to get a pole. It’s one (championship) point and get to lead the field to the green (flag). It’ll be nice to see nothing in front of me! Good stuff. I’m going to enjoy it for now, then get back to (night) practice,” Power said.

IndyCar will have a practice session at 8:15 pm Eastern time on FS2.

Results:

Bommarito 500 Preview

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IndyCar begins its way too limited oval portion of the schedule this weekend with an experimental time slot at World Wide Technology Raceway. Father’s Day weekend races have had mixed success in the past. The first attempt to revive Milwaukee on Father’s Day weekend didn’t go very well.

IndyCar’s first non 500 oval caps a busy motorsports weekend which begins tomorrow with the Le Mans 24 hour race and includes the F1 Canadian Grand Prix, and a NASCAR race in Mexico City. Moving the race to Sunday evening makes sense in the context of all the other motorsports events. going on.

The Madison, Illinois venue started off well, and the event has a super promotional team. The August date worked quite well here, but it remains to be seen if this earlier date will be as well received. Changing the starting time to a Sunday evening may boost television viewing, but I’m not sure what it will do for track attendance.

Let’s take a look on what the two day show may bring.

Penske Rebound?

Josef Newgarden has won five times here, including last year, when he benefitted from a controversial restart. Will Power also has a victory in this race, and Scott McLaughlin usually does well on ovals. If Team Penske is going to score a win this season, Sunday is probably their best chance.

Palou Rebound

I can’t believe we are even talking about this, but after Palou’s crash at Detroit, he will be looking to return to form. Now that the three time series champion has notched his first oval win, I think he may begin a run of oval wins.

Others to Watch

David Malukas finished second in this race in 2022, and WWTR has been one of the better tracks for A. J. Foyt Racing. This is a combination that could be a factor in the race.

Alexander Rossi has run well here and has contended at times, but misfortune seems to find him every year. Could this be the year he has a good result?

Pato O’Ward won at Milwaukee last year and is overdue for a victory in 2025. I look for a strong run from the MclAREN TEAM.

Andretti Oval Resurgence

Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta were strong on ovals late last year, and they were strong in the Indianapolis 500. Teammate Marcus Ericsson finished second on track before he and Kirkwood were disqualified.

With so many drivers to choose, I’m going with a Team Penske resurgence, and a Will Power victory this weekend.

Coverage here tomorrow will be a wrap-up at the end of the day of all sessions. I’m not on site this weekend. I will have a quick race summary Sunday evening, and my thoughts on the race on Monday.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Moves to Sunday Primetime on FOX

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Editor’s Note: This is big news. I am glad to see FOXZ having some flexibility aqnd trying to boost ratings.

From IndyCar:

INDYCAR, FOX Sports Announce Several Broadcast Time Updates for 2025 Season
INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 14, 2025) – FOX Sports and INDYCAR have announced updates to several broadcast start times for the 2025 INDYCAR season, including a move to a night race for the annual NTT INDYCAR SERIES event at World Wide Technology Raceway. The tune-in time for the Father’s Day Sunday, June 15 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 is now scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on FOX. It is the first-ever scheduled primetime network NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on a Sunday night.
Since its first race in 1997, WWT Raceway has been a fan favorite that has produced intense and thrilling wheel-to-wheel short-track racing, including an event record for most on-track passes in 2024. This year’s edition on the 1.25-mile oval is the first scheduled night race at the track since 2019 and the first to air on primetime broadcast television.
“This is a massive primetime showcase under the lights for the stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “This is also a tremendous display of partnership from both FOX Sports and our friends at World Wide Technology Raceway, who’ve worked with us to generate this exciting opportunity for our sport. Race weekend in St. Louis is just a month away, and fans in venue and around the country are in for a real treat when INDYCAR arrives in town.”
Adjustments to broadcast times have also been announced at four other venues.
In collaboration with FOX Sports and INDYCAR promoters, the tune-in time adjustments capitalize on opportunities to further build an audience for North America’s premier open-wheel series. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the only premier motorsports series in North America with all races broadcasting live on network television. So far in 2025, the average race audience has grown 15 percent across the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, significantly higher than comparable trendlines across professional sports.
Updated 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (All Times EASTERN):

Sunday, June 15
World Wide Technology Raceway
FOX
Previous Time 3 p.m.
New Time 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 22
Road America
FOX
Previous Time 3:30 p.m.
New Time 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 6
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
FOX
Previous Time 2 p.m.
New Time 1 p.m.

Sunday, July 13
Iowa Speedway Race 2
FOX
Previous Time 2 p.m.
New Time 1 p.m.

Sunday, July 20
Streets of Toronto
FOX
Previous Time 2 p.m.
New Time Noon
The full 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule can be found here.


INDY NXT by Firestone Updates
With broadcast times adjusted for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, times for FOX Sports’ coverage of INDY NXT by Firestone at three venues also have been updated. As part of the new media rights deal between FOX Sports and INDYCAR announced last June, the entire INDY NXT season is available live on television for the first time.
In addition to the new times, the adjusted 2025 schedule moves the race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from FS2 to FS1 resulting in 13 of the 14 races of the INDY NXT championship to be featured on that network.
INDYCAR NXT by Firestone is also gaining significant momentum through exposure via FS1 and FS2, reaching more than five times its comparable audience from the previous season.

Updated 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone Races (All Times EASTERN):

Sunday, June 15 World Wide Technology Raceway FS1 Previous Time Noon New Time 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 22 Road America FS1 Previous Time1 p.m. New Time 11 a.m.
Sunday, July 6 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course FS1 Previous Time11:30 a.m. New Time 10:30 a.m.

The full 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone schedule can be found here.
The next race in the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship is the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Sunday, May 25. Coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app. The award-winning INDYCAR Radio Network is available on SiriusXM channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

Final Thoughts – Bommarito 500 Edition

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

It took three events, but Indycar found a way to create an entertaining show after the introduction of the hybrid. Cars could pass and race closely, several pit strategies were tried, and the distance between the mid race cautions were far enough apart to not interfere with scheduled pit stops.

Another metric by which last night’s race was great was the number of drivers upset with each other, and the discussions among fans theat the race created.

The high line practice appears to have worked, as cars could pass on the outside. Indycar recorded 676 passes, 254 for position, a nice recovery from the dearth of overtaking we saw at Mid Ohio and Iowa.

Hard Luck Drivers

Three drivers in particular had great races going for them, only to have them snuffed out by on track incidents or penalties.

Let’s start with David Malukas.

Malukas started second, and he had the only180 mph lap in qualifying. He fell back at the start, regained his spot, and passed Scott McLaughlin for the lead on lap 16. Malukas was in line for his third straight Gateway podium, when he hit the wall on lap 240 after being hit by Will Power. How Power wasn’t penalized for that move is beyond me, but Malukas’ night was over. I enjoyed watching a driver from one of the smaller teams going toe to toe with the Team Penske trio.

Nolan Siegel was in contention for a career best finish, possibly a podium or top five, with the pit strategy he was following, but a pit lkane speeding violation ended that hope. He recovered to finish seventh.

Conor Daly started ninth and moved up a couple of spots early. He looked like a sure bet for a top 10 finish, but on lap 17, contact with Kyle Kirkwood in an incident which also involved Daly’s teammate Romain Grosjean, dashed his hopes. Daly ended the night in 13th, but he showed the promise that Juncos Hollinger Racing was looking for in their quest to make the Leaders’ Circle. With three ovals remaining, I think they will get there.

More Alchemy from Alex Palou

In a race in which points runner up Will Power appeared to earn the maximum amount of points available to him, and in which points leader Palou seemed to be going virtually nowhere, Palou finishes fourth after a Colton Herta received a last lap blocking penalty, adding 10 points to his lead, while Power drops to fourth place after his 18th place finish.

We had the same scenario at Toronto, wher Palou looked to be vulnerable to seeing his lead shrink within shouting distance. Now, He leads by more than one race.

Scott Dixon is a master fuel saver. Palou is a master point saver..

Restarts and Penalties

Indycar assessed eight penalties during the race, but I think two more were warranted. I felt Power should have had an avoidable contact penalty for the Malukas incident, and Newgarden should have had some consequence for the slow restart which resulted in the chaos which caused a red flag.

Restarts- From my view near turn 1, It looked like most of the restarts and the start of the race were ay a slower than normal pace. The restart on lap 252 was the slowest of the night. While Indycar telemetry showed Newgarden maintained the proper speed throughout the restart, something was not right. That restart should have been waved off.

Overall, this was a really good race. It had great racing, multiple strategies, controversy, and lots of drama and controversy, which is still being discussed today.

Thanks for following along this weekend. I’m going to the Cardinals game this afternoon before heading home. They extended their winning streak to one in a row last night.

Bommarito 500- Another Oval, Another Penske Win

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Photo by Kyle McInnesa

One streak continues, and another restarts. Josef Newgarden broke his two race oval losing streak with a come from behind win at World Wide Technolgy Raceway, his fifth win at this track.

Newgarden beat Scott McLaughlin out of the pits on a late stop and held the lead the rest of the way.

The race had many dimensions, cautions, questionable moves, and a red flag which resulted in a seven lap shootout in which newgarden ran away from the field.

Tonight’s race was the best race since the introduction of the hybrid. There was a lot of overtaking, multiple pit strategies, and the winner was in doubt until near the end. There were also heartbreaking stories- David Malukas, Nolan Siegel, and Conor Daly, to name a few.

Alex Palou looked as if he would take a huge hit on his points lead, but thanks to Will Power’s mishap near the end, he once again extends his lead.

In the post race press conference Newgarden said that the second lane worked tonight, and he is hopeful that Indycar can get other tracks to put on a good show. He felt relieved that he didn’t hit the wall when he spun.

I will have more thoughts on the race tomorrow morning.

World Wide Technology Raceway Dresses Up

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When I arrived at the track yesterday, things looked different yet the same. In my walks around yesterday, I noticed several improvements. The track has changed a lot since Indycar’s return in 2017.

Paddock

The paddock area is much improved with more signage and a change to the spaces. The work areas are all on the east side. The west side is now a spectator area under cover. Drivers’ names and car numbers tell fans who is where. In addition, a video screen presents each driver’s profile.

Fan Comfort

At the north end of the infield behind the pits, there are numerous picnic tables shaded by umbrellas. Just past the tables are three covered lounge area with video screens. While they don’t provide much relief from the heat, the pergola does give some relief from the sun, which helps a bit.

The track management has stationed several cooling buses around the unfield and the outer grandstands., and there are misting stations to provide a short respite from the heat.

The media center and the medical building have a fresh coat of paint, which helps the appearance a lot.

The grandstand seats have been repainted as well.

This year is the best the track has looked since Indycar’s return. I hope the track continues to improve the appearance and fan comfort, and can work with Indycar to put on a good show on the track.