Pato O'Ward snags Mid-Ohio pole as title contenders struggle
LEXINGTON, Ohio — (AP) — The IndyCar championship race faces a major shakeup at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where the top title contenders struggled and Pato O'Ward won the pole to match a series mark set in 1961. The modern-day record for different drivers winning the pole to start a season is 10 in 1952. “This is huge man, it's a track position race,” O'Ward said of the difficulty to pass on Mid-Ohio's 13- turn, 2.258-mile course. It created a huge opportunity for O'Ward and Scott Dixon to make up serious ground in the championship race. He also competed in the Star Mazda race here in 2005 and tested a sports car at Mid-Ohio in 2007.
wftv.comO'Ward shifts focus away from contract and picks up victory
LEEDS, Ala. — (AP) — Pato O'Ward made a conscious decision to stop worrying about his IndyCar contract and Formula One aspirations and focus on his current job. The effort first earned him a pending contract extension, and on Sunday, O'Ward picked up his first win of the IndyCar season. Penske drivers Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden swept the first three races of the season, all while O'Ward was pouting over his team-friendly contract with Arrow McLaren SP. O'Ward wanted more money, wanted more assurances McLaren has him in its F1 pipeline, and his frustration spilled over onto the track. His shot came after a pit stop with 28 laps remaining when VeeKay and O'Ward pitted at the same time.
wftv.comAll for the Gram: Rahal cars briefly idled after photo shoot
IndyCar Indy 500 Auto Racing Graham Rahal waits next to his car in the opening 30 minutes of practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 21, 2021. As the competition hit the track, the Rahal cars waited in their penalty box but drivers didn't worry about the lost time. RLL went first and third in last year's Indy 500 with Sato, and this season added Ferrucci to the lineup following his fourth-place finish a year ago. Winning an Indy 500 was a bucket list item for Lanigan, who was led into team ownership by his late friend Walter Payton. But to get himself into a position where he could win the Indy 500 was great to see.”___More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
wftv.comIndyCar back in St. Pete seven months later to finish season
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – IndyCar opened the second week of March giddy to finally start its season. The entire industry left St. Pete in March unsure how IndyCar could survive. Yet here IndyCar is, back on the St. Pete streets preparing to crown a champion in Sunday's season finale. Now this cruel 2020 season closes right back at St. Pete, the only street course to survive the schedule disruptions and where it all fell apart in March. Askew missed two races but returned for St. Pete, his final race in another unpopular firing by Arrow McLaren.
Newgarden's stays in championship fight with 1st Indy win
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.
An Andretti wins first Indy 500 pole for family in 33 years
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.
Newgarden gives Penske sweep of Iowa doubleheader
Josef Newgarden leads Will Power, of Australia, right, during the IndyCar Series auto race, Saturday, July 18, 2020, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)NEWTON, Iowa Josef Newgarden led nearly wire-to-wire Saturday night to win the IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway, giving team owner Roger Penske a sweep of the doubleheader and his fourth victory across three series this weekend. Team Penske has 13 drivers completing in five series across two continents this weekend. The two Penske entries in the IMSA race at Sebring struggled earlier Saturday. The veteran driver did the same thing in Race 1, leaving black marks on the wall about 30 yards apart.
Dixon, Ganassi out to continue IndyCar domination in Iowa
The IndyCar series will welcome fans for the first time of the year during the REV Group Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, at Road America in Plymouth, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)NEWTON, Iowa Few people can appreciate the level of success that Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist have had during the IndyCar team's pandemic-challenged 30th anniversary season more than Tony Kanaan. Then consider the 45-year-old Kanaan sees the 39-year-old Dixon in the gym almost every day, each pushing each other to stay fit and young. Dixon went on to win his third straight race after triumphs at Texas and on the road course at Indianapolis. All of it will take place Friday, with the first lap determining where drivers start in the opening race and the second lap where they start the second.
Dixon breaks through at Indianapolis with victory in GP
Race driver Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, celebrates with the trophy after winning the IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, July 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS Scott Dixon finally made his second trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway's victory lane. Dixon finished runner-up in each of the last three races on the track's 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. It's so good to be standing here, racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Dixon said after pumping his fist in a mostly empty and silent renovated winner's circle. Otherwise, it was a relatively easy drive for Dixon, whose 48 IndyCar wins rank third behind A.J.