Tag: Colton Herta

It’s Been a Week

thepitwindow

The IndyCar series is not going quietly into its winter hibernation quietly. Five major stories broke between Tuesday and Wednesday. Here is a recap of all that happened.

Rinus VeeKay announced that he had declined an renewal offer from Dale Coyne Racing. VeeKay had a solid year in car 18, finishing 14th in points. He had two top fives and seven top 10s for an entry that in 2024 finished 25th in the standings with several different drivers and missed the Indianapolis 500.

I don’t think VeeKay would have left if there was not something better awaiting him. Speculation is that he will replace David malukas in car4 at A. j. Foyt Racing. But firs twe need to hear that Malukas will be somewhere else next year.

The VeeKay news served as Tuesday’s appetizer. Shortly thereafter, Will Power announced he was leaving Team Penske after 17 years. There will likely never be another driver spending 17 years with the same team, let alone the same sponsor. The outpouring of love and respect from fans and the paddock for Power was great to see. It took me several years to warm up to him, but I came to respect him as a person and admire him as a driver.

Power is a generational talent along with the likes of Scott Dixon. Dixon grabbed more of the spotlight because of his numerous wins and championships, but Power belongs in the same conversation. It is hard to argue against 45 race wins and 71 poles.

Colton Herta grabbed the spotlight next when Cadillac F1 named him as their test driver beginning in 2026. Herta will also drive full time in F2 in order to gain the Superlicense points he needs to drive in F1. I always enjoyed watching Herta in IndyCar, and his absence leaves a huge talent void on the grid. Herta is pursuing his dream to drive in F1,and I hope he gets the opportunity in a coupleof years.

Andretti Global wasted little time replacing Herta, signing Will Power to a multi year deal. Power gives the team a second Indianapolis 500 winner, and Power’s addition actually makes the team stronger. Power wiull push Kyle Kirkwood to new heights.

Yesterday morning IndyCar and Green Savoree Promotions held a news conference to introduce the new home of the former Toronto race in Markham, Ontario, Markham is a suburb of Toronto, scheduled for August 14-16, 2026. Exhibition Place is not available because of the World Cup taking place in June and July. The track had been getting squeezed by development, and I wasn’t sure how much longer IndyCar would be able to race there.

The venue has a five year deal with the series. It will feature another two sided pit lane, the third one for street courses. Detroit and the new race at Arlington, Texas also use that set up.

The track layout of the 2.12 mile, 12 turn circuit is more expansive than the two other relatively new circuits at Detroit and Texas.

The schedule as of today:

3/1: St. Petersburg

3/15: Arlington

4/19: Long Beach

5/9: Sonsio Grand Prix

5/24: Indy 500

5/31: Detroit

8/16: Markham

Ten more dates need to be determined. I expect at least two more venues new to the recent era schedule.

Herta Named Cadillac F1 Test Driver

thepitwindow

Andretti Global Photo

Andretti Global IndyCar driver Colton Herta has been named the test driver for Cadillac F1 as they make their Formula 1 debut in 2026.Herta will also drive in full time in F2 on a team yet to be named.

Herta drove seven seasons in IndyCar starting in 2018 with Harding-Steinbrenner and then Andretti. He is the youngest driver to win an IndyCar race, winning the race at COTA in 2019. His last win came at Nashville in 2024.

Herta told IndyCar.com, “I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Cadillac Formula 1 Team as a test driver,” Herta said. “This is a dream opportunity, and one I’ve been working toward for a long time. To be part of Cadillac F1’s entry at such a pivotal time is something I couldn’t pass up.

“My dream has always been to race in Formula 1, and I see this move as a huge step toward that goal. For now, my focus is on giving everything I can to Cadillac F1, helping build a competitive team.”

Herta finished the 2025 IndyCar season seventh in points. He won pols at Detroit and Toronto.

For his career, Herta won nine times, earned 16 poles, and led more than 1,000 laps.

It hurts for the series to lose a 25 year old driver, especially one I am a fan of. It is hard to believe he has driven for seven years.

Andretti Global has not named a replacement for 26 yet, but I expect an announcement soon. The new driver will expected to join the

team will make the organization more powerful.

Herta Leads Practice; Newgarden Loses Engine; Qualifying Groups

thepitwindow

Colton Herta had the fastest lap in this morning’s practice session ahead of qualifying for the Bitnile Grand Prix of Portland. Josef Newgarden lost an engine during practice and will receive a six place grid penalty. With qualifying just 90 minutes after practice, the team is scrambling to replace his powerplant.

New engine waiting installation.

Results

Times continue to be tight with only 0.27 seconds between forst and tenth. Any small mistake in qualifying could cost a driver several spots.

Qualifying Groups

The Streets Belong to Andretti

thepitwindow

Colton Herta took pole at Toronto for the second straight year and the third time in his career as Andretti Global completed an amazing qualifying record across all four street races for the IndyCar season.

The team has had a presence on the front row at every street course event. Herta started second at St. Pete, Kyle Kirkwood and Herta locked out the front row at Long Beach, Herta won pole at Detroit and starts first again tomorrow for the Ontario Honda dealers Toronto Indy.

Qualifying began as a battle between Kirkwood and Will Power for the pole as they traded the top spot in round 1. Herta, Marcus armstrong, and Alex Palou then became the main contenders as the fast 12 came to a close. In the Fast Six, Herta and Palou were left to slug it out as Kirkwood had a wild slide on his hot lap and Power could not improve on his first lap. Just 27 hu8ndredths of a second was the difference between Herta and Palou. The Fast Six had a separation of just seven tenths of a second.

Notes

Louis Foster is becoming a Fast Six and Fast 12 regular in the second half of the season.

Five different teams made the Fast Six, and eight different teams advanced to round 2.

Marcus Armstrong backed up his podium last Sunday at Iowa with a third place result in today’s qualifying.

Nolan Siegel qualified 13th, a respectable return after sitting out last Sunday’s race.

The cars of Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard will undergo engine changes this afternoon. Both new powerplants are approved, and no penalties will be assessed for the changes.

Scott Dixon will start 17th due to an engine penalty.

Results

Redemption-Detroit Qualifying

thepitwindow

After two long weeks, Colton Herta finally has something to smile about. On May 17th he crashed hard as he began his Indianapolis 500 qualifying lap and started the race in 27th. He finished 17th, but was moved to 14th after two of his teammates and another car were disqualified.

Today Herta won the pole for tomorrow’s Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit, edging David Malukas by two tenths of a second.

Kyle Kirkwood, started the 500 23rd and drove to a 6th place finish on track before being disqualified, will start third tomorrow.

Overall, it was a day of redemption for Andretti Global.

Notes

David Malukas qualified second, a nice follow up to his second place last Sunday. He held the provisional pole for quite a while, then pulled into the pits with time left, allowing Herta to post a faster time.

Where are IndyCar’s priorities? No action was taken against Will Power for his dangerous pushing of Kyle Kirkwood in yesterday’s practice session, but Alexander Rossi was held out for 10 minutes of practice time this morning because he missed a required weigh in. This a bit skewed in the wrong direction.

Team Penske looked strong for a while. Will Power led his first round group without a tow. Josef Newgarden brushed the wall while on a lap that would have put him in round 2 and he will start 24th. Scott McLaughlin and Power got to the second round, and they will star on the fourth row.

Results

Note– Graham Rahal and Scott Dixon will serve 6 place grid penalties for engine changes. Rahal will start 11th and Dixon starts 16th.

The official starting lineup with starting tire choices will be published after tomorrow’s warm up.

Qualifying Line Complete; Herta Crash

thepitwindow

All cars in the qualifying line have completed their runs, and 29 cars have posted times. Conr Daly’s car failed post qualifying tech inspection and his time has been deleted. Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden pulled their cars from the line and no longer have a guaranteed chance to qualify.

Marcus Armstrong’s car is still being rebuilt. He has been cleared to drive. Colton Herta endured a very frightening crash going into turn 1 on his first qualification lap. The car spun, hit the wall and flipped over, then slid along the wall to the exit of turn 2, about a quarter of a mile. Herta was treated and released at the infield care center. (Ed. note- I’m tired of writing this sentence today.)

Alex Palou currently leads with a 233.04 mph average, followed by Scott McLaughlin and Pato O’Ward. Kyle Kirkwood had a very disappointing run and is currently 15th.

Qualifying is about to resume with Newgarden and Castroneves.

The current standings

Andretti Liveries- Something, Something New

thepitwindow

Andretti Global revealed their 2025 liveries yesterday. Colton Herta’s number 26 remains pretty much the same, while Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson will sport combinations of red, white, and black. on the 27 and 28.

Auto Nation dropped its sponsorship of the 27, so Kirkwood will drive with Chili’s sponsorship. Ericsson now carries primary sponsorship from Bryant heating and Cooling, which has been an associate sponsor.

I’m glad that the cars of Kirkwood and Ericsson have different combinations of the red,white, and black. There are plenty of red and white cars on the grid already with paint schemes that are very similar.

Not So Quick Toronto Thoughts

thepitwindow

Toronto was arguably the most entertaining race since the Indianapolis 500. We had a driver out front all day while chaos reigned behind him. Neither numerous cautions nr a late red flag deterred Herta from a long overdue victory.

Total dominance by a driver and his team. Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood were the class of the field at Toronto today. While Herta won, Kirkwood did an equally fine job running interference for his teammate.

We have seen drivers lead several sessions during a race weekend, but they did not win the race. I don’t recall a driver leading every session plus winning the pole and the race. What dominance by Colton Herta and Andretti Global.

Herta ended his 41 race winless streak. He has been so close all year. Today the breaks fell his way.

Herta has won two of the last three poles.

Why Palou Won’t be Caught for the Title

The opportunity for Alex Palou’s three closest pursuers was ripe for the taking. Palou started 18th due to a questionable qualifying penalty. Will Power started ninth, Scott Dixon rolled off 15th, and Pato O’Ward lined up 14th. All looked to make big gains on the points leader.

We have seen this movie before. Power had the best opportunity to slice into Palou’s lead, but a penalty for avoidable contact on lap 81 dropped him to 12th.

Palou finished fourth and increased his lead to 49 points. Days like this strengthen my belief that Palou will win the title, but it will be close and may come down the final pit stop at Nashville.

Bad Day for Team Penske

In addition to Power’s troubles, Josef Newgarden started seventh and had worked his way up to third. An issue on his second stop put him deep in the field. Newgarden had worked back into the top 10, but overshoot a corner. He rejoined the race, but could only get back to 11th.

Scott Mclaughlin had the fastest Chevy all weekend, and he aqppeared to be the one car that could challenge Herta. Going side by side with Will power on lap 77, Power moved into his teammate, putting the New Zealander into the wall.

Safety

For the second week in a row, praise must go to the aeroscreen and the AMR Safety Crew.

Santino Ferrucci got airborne and into the fence, and he landed upside down like his teammate Sting Ray Robb did at Iowa. Ferrucci was unhurt. Nolan Siegel also got airborne but landed on all fours.

The safety fencing held up during Ferrucci;’s contact. It bent but flexed right back into position.

Notes

Recognition needs to go to Theo Pourchaire and Toby Sowery. Pourchaire started 26th after flying from France yesterday and driving on a track he had never seen. He finished 14th.

Sowery drove in just his second Indycar race. He started 21st, avoided the carnage, and finished 15th.

Rinus VeeKay has three consecutive top 10s. he was eighth today, fifth in race 1 at Iowa, and ninth race 2.

Juncos Hollinger racing has improved their qualifying results and are starting to show some good race results. Bothe Romain Grosjean and Agustin Canapino made the second round in qualifying. Grosjean finished ninth today.

Indycar is on an NBC imposed break for the Olympics. Then series returns August 16 and 17 at World Wide Technology Raceway.