Tag: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Kucharczyk Tops INDY NXT Regulars at Griffis Test

thepitwindowLeave a comment

From IndyCar:


NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champ Palou Quickest with Helping Hand for CGR

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 16, 2026) – Alex Palou didn’t expect to be the quickest driver in Friday’s Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The five-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion had never driven INDY NXT by Firestone machinery before climbing into the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing entry on an overcast, chilly day in Central Indiana. He arrived with minimal expectations. His lap time, however, told a different story.

Palou topped the 22-car test, named in memory of Chris Griffis, the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team manager who died suddenly in September 2011. Palou turned a lap of 1 minute, 14.5050 seconds on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.

SEE: Overall Test Results

“Feels strange, but it feels good,” Palou said. “Feels kind of strange to be a rookie, but I’m a rookie. I’ve never been in this car before, so I’m a rookie in this series. I think a lot of people think that it’s like other sports where you go down and it’s like you’re so much higher level. Here it’s tough. I didn’t expect to be first.”

Tymek Kucharczyk finished second on the day with a lap of 1:14.8209 in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports entry. The Polish driver finished third as a rookie in the standings this past season with two victories. The last time he was on this road course, he won on May 9. The last time he was in this car, he won the Sept. 6 season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Max Taylor was third Friday at 1:14.8453 in the No. 28 Andretti Global entry. Kucharczyk and Taylor were the highest-finishing drivers from the 2026 championship standings to participate in Friday’s test. Taylor finished fourth last season in the same ride.

Max Garcia, who became the second-youngest winner in INDY NXT by Firestone history with his Aug. 30 victory at Milwaukee Mile, finished fourth at 1:14.9443 while testing for HMD Motorsports. The Miami high school senior competed for Abel Motorsports during his rookie season.

Jack Beeton rounded out the top five with a lap of 1:14.9577. He competed for HMD Motorsports this past season but tested the No. 29 Andretti Global entry.

Friday’s test offered an opportunity to experience a different car for Palou and learn from the next generation of open-wheel drivers. The opportunity first arose during the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, when Chip Ganassi Racing asked him to participate. His answer was an easy yes.

“I love driving cars, any kind of car,” Palou said. “Obviously, it’s a bit different to what I’m used to. But you learn so much. These kids are really, really fast in these cars, but any track day is good. Obviously, I wouldn’t do a race, but test day, 100 percent.”

One of Palou’s key points of reference was teammate Alessandro de Tullio, whose progress he had followed throughout the 2026 season. De Tullio recorded two wins and eight poles during his rookie season with AJ Foyt Racing. Friday marked his first day testing with Chip Ganassi Racing, and he finished sixth quickest with a lap of 1:15.0009.

“I think we have an incredible reference in our team with de Tullio,” Palou said. “He’s been so fast all year, and I’ve been following him a lot.”

The 22 cars combined to complete 1,573 laps during the test.

The 2027 INDY NXT by Firestone season begins the first weekend of March on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
 
 

Chris Griffis Memorial Test Update- Palou to Drive

thepitwindowLeave a comment

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 

INDY NXT by Firestone Drivers Featured at Chris Griffis Memorial Test Friday at IMS 

thepitwindowLeave a comment

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 

American Pro-Am Team GMG Racing Wins Indianapolis 8 Hour at IMS 

thepitwindowLeave a comment
 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

thepitwindowLeave a comment

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

American Foley Wins Pole for Indianapolis 8 Hour at IMS; Palou Seventh

thepitwindowLeave a comment
  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. 
 

Palou, Ericsson Lead GT Sports Car Racers Into Indianapolis 8 Hour at IMS

thepitwindowLeave a comment

From IMS. It’s the last major event of 2026 at IMS.

  INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026) – Some of the best GT sports car drivers in the world – along with two Indianapolis 500 winners – will compete on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course Oct. 8-11 during the Indianapolis 8 Hour event weekend.
The featured race is the Indianapolis 8 Hour on Saturday, Oct. 10, the longest event of the season at The Racing Capital of the World. Drivers will race through the afternoon, past sunset and into the evening with headlights on in the season finale for the headlining Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course

.SEE: Indianapolis 8 Hour Entry List

Teams of three drivers sharing cars will race from 12:30-8:30 p.m. ET Saturday, with 28 cars expected to compete. Both headlining series race simultaneously, with overall winners in each series crowned.
A wide variety of evocative manufacturers will provide a thrilling array of sights and engine sounds during eight hours of action, including Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche
.Two drivers with winning lineage at IMS will race in the marquee event Saturday – five-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou, who won the Indy 500 in 2025, and 2022 “500” winner Marcus Ericsson.

Palou joins title hopeful Luca Stolz and AMG Junior Lin Hodenius in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG in the IGTC event. Palou drove in the event with Lone Star in 2024, finishing 13th after his co-drivers’ stints were plagued by electrical problems

.“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a special place for me, and I am excited to be returning for another shot at the Indianapolis 8 Hour with Mercedes-AMG Team Lone Star Racing,” Palou said.

“I have some unfinished business from my 2024 GT3 outing, so I am really happy to reunite with the team to have another opportunity to aim for the race win.

“I always love the atmosphere and the fans there, and I look forward to having an exciting race to finish the 2026 season with hopefully another memorable trophy.”

Ericsson will join his younger brother, Hampus Ericsson, and Derek DeBoer in the Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO. The team will compete in the Pro-Am class entry for the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS.

Marcus Ericsson has previous GT3 experience, including driving in this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona in a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 fielded by Wayne Taylor Racing. The Ericsson brothers teamed up for the first time in a Leiper Motorsport Lamborghini in the Michelin 12 Hour Malaysia race last December at Sepang International Circuit

.“I’m incredibly excited to join Derek and my younger brother Hampus in the Random Vandals Racing No. 99 BMW,” Ericsson said.

“Racing alongside Hampus and sharing a car with him is something I cherish deeply, so I’m very grateful to Random Vandals for giving us the opportunity to do this together.”
Porsche is on the cusp of earning a record-tying fourth manufacturers’ title in the 11th season of the IGTC, and Kerong Li already has won the IGTC Independent Cup drivers’ championship in the No. 86 High Class Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO. So, the attention will be focused on a unique race for the IGTC overall drivers’ championship.

Maro Engel of Germany leads the standings by seven points over fellow Mercedes-AMG driver and fellow German Stolz, with Belgian Maxime Martin just eight points back of the leader, also in a Mercedes-AMG.
But there’s a catch: Engel is not competing this weekend at IMS due to prior commitments in the German DTM touring car series.

So, all eyes will be on Stolz in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO and Martin in the No. 34 Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO to see if they can overhaul the absent Engel.
Palou could play a role in a title charge for Stolz, as they are sharing the No. 80 with Hodenius.
Regardless of the winner of the title, it’s a certainty the IGTC will crown an 11th different drivers’ champion in as many seasons. Mercedes-AMG drivers have won three of those titles, including INDYCAR SERIES veteran Tristan Vautier in 2018.Intercontinental

GT Challenge practice sessions will take place at 7 p.m. ET Thursday, Oct. 8 and 9:50 a.m. ET Friday, Oct. 9. Qualifying starts at 3:35 p.m. Friday

.Other sports car series racing from Thursday through Sunday at IMS include GT America powered by AWS, McLaren Trophy America, Pirelli GT4 America, TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School and Toyota GR Cup North America.

Among the notable drivers competing in the support series are automotive and racing television personality Rutledge Wood and Keelan Harvick, the 14-year-old son of three-time Brickyard 400 winner Kevin Harvick, in Toyota GR Cup North America and “Malcolm in the Middle” actor Frankie Muniz and INDY NXT by Firestone veteran Nolan Allaer in Pirelli GT4 America.

Gates are open to the public Friday, Oct. 9, Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11 for this event. Click these links to buy tickets and parking, to see the event schedule or to plan ahead for the Indianapolis 8 Hour. 
 

Gordon Johncock-Champion of Life

thepitwindow

To live life like Gordon Johncock is to be content. He raced and excelled at it. He retired and put all things racing aside, then focused on his lumber business, shunning the spotlight. Johncock, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and 1976 national champion, died last night at the age of 90.

Johncock had a stellar racing career in an era of auto racing superstars, competing with A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, and Johnny Rutherford. He competed on an equal footing and won his fair share of races. While he may bot have grabbed the headlines that Foyt or Andretti commanded, drivers knew Johncock was someone they would have to fight for a victory.

The first word that came to my mind to describe him was gritty. Johncock was a hard charging, no nonsense racer. A look at his results from his 1976 championship show one of the most consistent seasons in IndyCar history. Johncock won just two races, but he 12 podiums, 13 top fives, and just one DNF.

His career stats – 25 wins, 20 poles, and 2 Indianapolis 500 wins- stand among the best all time Johncock was one of the most consistent drivers in history. In addition to his 1976 championship, he had nine season finishes in the top five. Johncock was third int he standings three times. fourth twice, and fifth four times.

Indianapolis 500

Johncock had great success at Indianapolis with 11top 10 results, including eight top five finishes. He could have won more than twice. In 1966 he completed the 500 miles in less time on track than winner Graham Hill, but extended time in the pits cost him track position. In 1977 Johncock was leading when the crankshaft on his car broke on lap 184, handing Foyt his fourth Indianapolis win.

His two victories ironically stand out for very different reasons. The rain-delayed, rain shortened, tragedy filled race in 1973 was one of the most forgettable days in Speedway history, but his thrilling win over Rick Mears by 0.16 seconds. At the time that finish was the closest in 500 history. It still stands as the seventh closest finish.

Johncock has two other distinctions in his Speedway career. His fifth-place finish in 1965 was the last top five finish for a front engine roadster. Johncock’s win in 1982 made him the last winner of the Indianapolis 500 to have driven both a front engine and a rear engine car in their career.

There are now only three winners who driven front and rear engine cars- Foyt, Andretti, and Johnny Rutherford. Only Foyt had riven each type to victory at Indianapolis.

Fans were puzzled when Johncock retired briefly in 1985, but he returned in 1987 and competed through the 1992 race. He then reti4red quietly and returned to Michigan to run his lumber business. He described racing as “A job I once had.” Johncock seemed content to be away from racing. He was always direct, knew what he wanted, and knew when he had had enough. That’s a lesson some pro athletes today should learn from.

I saw on social media this morning that there are only nine drivers from the 1960s still living. Time catches up with all of us, and as I have said before, if you see one of these heroes at a track, stop, say hello and thanks. The opportunities to do so are quickly dwinding.