Tag: NTT Indycar Series

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.

What the F1?

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Formula 1 released its 2026 schedule yesterday. The most glaring item is the placement of the Canadian Grand Prix on May 24 in direct conflict with the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. If you’re shocked by this move, you don’t know F1 very well.

F1 has continually shown themselves to be arrogant and prideful, believing they can do whatever they want, no matter the consequences. They have established a base in North America with three races in the United States in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas, and now they are getting greedy with their scheduling.

To have a race in North America on the same day as the 500 which overlaps the iconic event, is pure arrogance and insensitivity. F1 is justifying the date by saying it fits their new sustainability model having two races in May on the same continent. I would agree- if the races were on consecutive weekends. The Maimi Grand Prix is the first weekend of May, three weeks before Canada. You’re telling me all the crews and drivers are going to stay in the U.S. for three weeks? I find that doubtful.

Someone who is familiar with “F1’s thinking” told Adam Stern the decision was made in part in conjunction with the wishes of the promoters. I can’t believe a Canadian promoter is thinking, “Yeah, let’s go against the Indianapolis 500.”

I don’t think the F1 race will have much effect on the 500. I’m not sure how many people attend both events on a regular basis, but with the price of F1 tickets I’m assuming there aren’t that many. There are two distinct fan bases as well as many crossover fans. I never watched Monaco live on Race Day any way, but I recorded it to watch later in the week. I’ll do the same next year with the Canadian GP. F1 races usually start around 2 pm local time. which should be around the 75-lap mark of the 500.

My issue is the infringement, no matter how small, on the 500. The last Sunday in May belongs to Indy, and there should be no conflicts. Begin the GP later if you must, around 4 pm Eastern.

I think IndyCar and FOX should conduct a massive Indy 500 advertising assault on the Miamai Grand Prix with billboards, track signage, and television ads during that race. Distraction is a two-way street.

My hope is that 2026 is a one year thing with the Canadian Grand Prix., and that if F1 wants to race on Memorial Day weekend, they have a European race that ends by 11 am Eastern time. The triple header Sunday is one of the greatest days in motorsports.

INDYCAR Announces Detroit Grand Prix Post-Race Technical Violation, Penalty

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From IndyCar:

  No. 14 Failed To Meet Required Driver Ballast Weight
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, June 2, 2025) – INDYCAR has announced a post-race technical inspection penalty for the entry No. 14 of A.J. Foyt Enterprises following Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear after it was found to be under the required driver ballast weight following the event.
During post-race inspection of car No. 14, INDYCAR discovered the driver ballast needed to bring the combined weight of the driver and driver ballast to 185 pounds was underweight and not within the driver ballast weight tolerance of 0.00 to + 1.00 pounds.However, also during inspection, the series found the weight of car No. 14, itself, was 10 pounds over the minimum weight for road and street circuits of 1,785 pounds and competed over the minimum weight requirement on-track.A.J. Foyt Enterprises was in violation of:
Rule 14.4.2. Driver Equivalency Weight Rule 14.4.2.2. Driver Equivalency Weight must bring the combined weight of the Driver and Driver ballast to 185 pounds.
Rule 14.4.2.5. The Driver ballast weight tolerance is 0.00 to + 1.00 pounds. The Driver Equivalency Weight must be installed and secured in the designed location forward of the seatback. This location may only be used for Driver ballast.
This rule is in place to equalize the weight of varying-sized drivers so there is no advantage based on the weight of the driver. Post-race weight determination, as implemented by INDYCAR, is a common practice after every event and in nearly all forms of motorsports to ensure an equal playing field.
The No. 14 will be allowed to keep the second-place finish; however, the entry has been fined $25,000 and will forfeit 25 championship driver and entrant points. The bonus point for leading a lap also is not awarded.
The No. 14 also is ineligible for engine points and prize money associated with the race.
Updated results of the 2025 Detroit Grand Prix can be found here.
Members may contest the imposition of the penalties detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES rulebook. 

Quick Thoughts- Detroit GP

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Andretti Redemption Week continues as Kyle Kirkwood wins the Grand Prix of Detroit. The win, coupled with Colton Herta’s pole on Saturday, eases some of the pain from their disqualifications at last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

Kirkwood said that this entire week had all the emotions a driver feels through a season.

“The lows make the highs that much better,” Kirkwood said.

Alex Palou is human after all. After spending much of the race in the bottom half of the top 10, the points leader and winner of the 500 had his ay end early when David Malukas bumped Palou from behind, sending him into the tire barrier on lap 72. Malukas was penalized for the contact.

The Grand Prix of Detroit was arguably the best race so far this year. The start was clean, and all =cars got through the hairpin. Cars were able to pass, cautions were spread out, and there were alternate pit strategies. The race saw a pass for the win on lap 79 as well as other passes for the lead. Today was the first time I actually enjoyed watching a race at this track.

A. J. Foyt Racing appears to have become competitive again. David Malukas finished second in the 5400 and started on the front row today. Santino Ferrucci has a shot at victory today and finished second. It is nice to see this team mixing it up with the big four again. I think they could get a win this year.

Meanwhile woes at Rahal letterman Lanigan continue. Graham Rahal made the Fast Six, although an engine penalty caused him to start 11th. Rahal and teammates Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster all had wheel issues. Rahal was running at the finish, but DeFrancesco and Foster retired, Foster in a horrific crash when his right front suspension broke.

FOX

I thought the broadcast was decent, but I still don’t know why the network can’t have a pit stop timer. I felt the post-race coverage was skimpy- just three brief interviews and no podium celebration.

I do not recall a season other than 1964, which had fewer, where there have been just two different winners after seven races.

Thanks for following along this wee3kend. I am going to lay low for a couple of days and have something up around midweek.

Detroit Race Day-Starting Tire Choices, Warm Up Results

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First- Congratulations to the Indian Pacers on reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years. I’m sure there are going to be some tired IndyCar officials in Detroit today.

Felix Rosenqvist led the morning warmup which featured some contact between cars. Colton Herta had contact late in the session, and Alexander Rossi was involved in another incident. Both cars were able to to continue with minor damage.

I will be back this afternoon with some quick thoughts on the race. I’m still picking Kirkwood to win, but I think David Malukas and Marcus Ericsson may also have a shot.

Tire selections- Includes official line up

Results