ED CARPENTER

The IndyCar Series is feeling rather bullish as it heads into its final two races of the season.

Alex Palou recovered from first-lap trouble at Portland International Raceway to win for the third time this season and reclaim the IndyCar points lead.

Carpenter didn't lose his cool when Rinus VeeKay called to tell the boss he'd fallen off his bicycle on a training ride and broken his collarbone. “He’s like ‘Are you OK?’ and I said ‘Well, I think I broke my collarbone,’” VeeKay said. The training ride seems risky in hindsight and VeeKay said he's now considering investing in an indoor training bike. “It's something different for everybody and I won't put any restrictions on him that aren't already there.”But what about the championship? Carpenter said there's a chance Mid-Ohio could become a doubleheader, which would give VeeKay an additional opportunity to make up points.

Ed Carpenter isn’t comfortable as a team owner putting too many restrictions on his drivers — not even a breakout young star thick in the championship race.

Rinus VeeKay was on a 75-mile training ride when he lost control of his bicycle, flew over the handlebars and landed so hard on his left shoulder that the impact also cracked his helmet.

Rinus VeeKay has been injured in a cycling accident and his status for IndyCar’s race at Road America this weekend is uncertain.

Scott Dixon was again atop the leaderboard for the final practice before the Indianapolis 500.

The Indianapolis 500 will open its gates to 135,000 spectators on Sunday for the largest sports event since the start of the pandemic.

Scott Dixon slammed the brakes on IndyCar’s current youth movement by winning his fourth Indianapolis 500 pole by a mere 0.03 seconds in qualifying.

Will Power saved Roger Penske from embarrassment at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by locking his car into the Indianapolis 500 field.

Team Penske had an uncharacteristically slow first day of Indianapolis 500 qualifying and Will Power will have to avoid being bumped from the 33-car field when the lineup is finalized.

IndyCar Indy 500 Auto Racing Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, looks at his practice speeds during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Indianapolis. Six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon was fastest Wednesday on the second day of Indianapolis 500 practice, but he was followed closely by the American combo of Conor Daly and Ed Carpenter. Both are from Indianapolis with deep ties to the speedway and ECR has been known to raise its game for the Indy 500. Team owner Carpenter, the stepson of former track owner Tony George, is a three-time Indy 500 pole-winner. Former Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan was fifth fastest and Alex Palou, another one of IndyCar's first-time winners this season, was eighth.

Ed Carpenter Racing rolled into Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the momentum of its first victory since 2016.

Rinus VeeKay continued IndyCar’s youth movement Saturday by scoring his first career victory with a win on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

FILE - Ed Jones sits in his car during practice for an IndyCar Series auto race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, in this Saturday, July 7, 2018, file photo. Ed Jones will return to IndyCar after a one-year absence for a second stint driving for Dale Coyne Racing. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)Ed Jones will return to IndyCar after a one-year absence for a second stint driving for Dale Coyne Racing. “We’re very happy to have Ed Jones back with us. "Ed had a great rookie season at DCR in 2017, which included our best finish of third at the Indianapolis 500.

Newgarden won the season finale, using a spectacular two-car pass for the lead in a valiant effort to win a second consecutive title. Dixon has won two of the last three championships, a run interrupted last year when Newgarden won his second title. Newgarden tied Dixon with his series-best fourth win of the season but Newgarden was in too large of a hole to catch his rival. It came to a close in front of a sold-out 20,000 spectators, the largest crowd of the season for IndyCar. There was nothing Newgarden could do, even on a day he did everything he had to, to deny Dixon a sixth championship.

INDIANAPOLIS – Josef Newgarden doesn't intend to just give up on his season title defense. With the Harvest GP win, Newgarden moved within 40 points of what once was a seemingly safe 120-point lead of five-time series champ Scott Dixon with two races remaining. Both will run the final two races this season in those cars, and both are already getting started on next season, too. He's had six straight top-10 finishes including a win from the pole at Mid-Ohio and has moved up to third in points. After starting the season with three straight wins, he's finished 10th, 10th and ninth in the last three races, putting his sixth series title back in play.

Sato held off Dixon last Sunday for his second Indy 500 victory in four years. Dixon had 20 laps to chase Sato down, but a late caution ended the race under yellow. Sato returned to the track in third, passed O'Ward with a bold outside move then set his sights on Dixon. Dixon beat Sato by 0.1404 seconds for his fourth win of the season and 50th overall and praised his Chip Ganassi Racing team. That was a textbook Scott Dixon race.

Marco Andretti sits in his pit box before the start of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS Marco Andretti has won the pole for the Indianapolis 500 in a lightning-fast first step toward snapping the infamous Andretti Curse at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mario Andretti won his third and final pole for the Indy 500 in 1987, when grandson Marco was an infant. Mario Andretti scored the only Indy 500 win for the family in 1969; Michael Andretti fell short in 16 tries and the Aug. 23 race will be Marco Andretti's 15th attempt. Andretti will sit on the front row alongside two former Indy 500 winners.

The Pagoda is seen before a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS Andretti Autosport claimed the top of the speed chart midway through Indianapolis 500 qualifying, with former race winners Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi leading a strong Honda showing. Teammate Hunter-Reay was waiting on pit lane to make his run when Rossi radioed feedback from his four laps. Hunter-Reay made a quick adjustment then bumped Rossi with a qualifying run of 231.330 mph. We knew we had the speed, Hunter-Reay said.

Racing has also been scrambled, and when the Indianapolis 500 was moved from May to Aug. 23, one of the Ed Carpenter Racing engineers had a conflict. One of Carpenter's crew members had worked with Pearn before and the connection was made: Pearn, the crew chief of Martin Truex Jr.'s 2017 NASCAR championship season, would work the Indianapolis 500. It was like, Yeah, why not?" said Pearn, who called the Indy 500 a bucket list event. Daly, making his seventh Indy 500 start, finished a career-best 10th in his hometown race last season while running for Andretti Autosport. You throw a green and checkered.To prepare for Indy, Pearn took a very literal approach I had to read the rule book, he said.

IndyCar Rev Group Grand Prix winner Alexander Rossi enters Victory Lane Sunday, June 23, 2019, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Road America allowed fans back in for its events starting last month. Fans this weekend will get temperature checks at gates and receive masks and hand sanitizer as they enter. The only drivers to open an IndyCar season with at least three straight victories are A.J. Drivers believe the Road America course wont be as grueling with all of its straightaways despite its 14 turns.

FORT WORTH, Texas FORT WORTH, TexasIndyCar drivers finally were able to get on the track, on a steamy day in Texas at what would usually be the midpoint of their season. It was the start of an all-in-one-day event, with the practice session and qualifying and the 200-lap race all in the same day. All of the teams were already in St. Petersburg, Florida, for what was supposed to be the season opener March 15. Texas became the season opener while keeping its originally scheduled date, which was supposed to be the ninth of 17 races. He was in Europe when IndyCar announced the start of the season.

FILE - In this June 8, 2019, file photo, Josef Newgarden does a burnout after winning the IndyCar auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. IndyCar opens its pandemic-delayed season with an all-in-one-day show Saturday on the fast high-banked 1 -mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway, more than eight months after the 2019 finale. Only Indianapolis Motor Speedway has hosted IndyCar races longer than TMS, which has had races each year since opening in 1997, including the season finales from 1999-2004. Hinchcliffe put together a three-race deal with Andretti Autosport that includes the Indianapolis 500 after he abruptly lost his ride with Arrow McLaren last year. Kanaan is closing out his IndyCar career with the TK Farewell Tour," racing at oval tracks and the Indianapolis 500.