MARCO ANDRETTI

Michael Andretti has acknowledged that the meltdown of his IndyCar team at Mid-Ohio was unacceptable and says his four drivers will be expected to work together as teammates the remainder of the season.

Alexander Rossi salvaged one solid result for Andretti Autosport. Four finished 19th or worse, but Rossi drove from 20th to an Andretti-best fifth. Not good enough for the team owner, who conceded the IndyCar title with 11 races remaining this season.

Dalton Kellett became the first driver to crash while preparing for the Indianapolis 500, ending a streak of six days without major incident.

IndyCar Indy 500 Auto Racing Jimmie Johnson prepares to climb into his car during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, May 20, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — The rain held off long enough for a full round of Indianapolis 500 qualifying on a soupy day that saw blistering speeds — some of the fastest in race history, and fastest in 26 years — and controversy at Andretti Autosport. Arie Luyendyk set the four-lap qualifying record in 1996 at 236.986, and VeeKay's average was third fastest of all time behind Luyendyk and Scott Brayton's mark of 233.718. In an early Saturday morning practice, Johnson turned a lap at 233.961 mph — 14th fastest in track history. The schedule adjustment created a seven-hour window for 33 drivers to complete a four-lap qualifying run.

The rain held off long enough for a full round of Indianapolis 500 qualifying on a soupy day that saw blistering speeds.

IndyCar Indy 500 Auto Racing Marco Andretti climbs into his car during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Thursday, May 19, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — Marco Andretti doesn't want to be at the track if he's not racing. Andretti walked away from his full-time ride after the 2020 season and only returned for last year's Indianapolis 500. “I think I’m more like my grandfather, I just enjoy driving,” Marco Andretti said. Marco finished an unremarkable 19th last season, and this year's Indy 500 will be his first IndyCar event in a year.

Marco Andretti eased into semi-retirement after the 2020 season and now races only the Indianapolis 500 for his family-owned team.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato shot to the top of the speed chart Tuesday on the first day of preparations for the May 29 race.

Jimmie Johnson looked like a natural at the first of this week's two Indianapolis 500 test sessions.

Roger Penske picked up a third Daytona 500 win last weekend on his 85th birthday.

It pushed Power past Bobby Unser and Helio Castroneves. “It was very important to me to get a pole,” said Power, who isn't convinced he can catch Andretti's mark. Pato O'Ward, who trails championship leader Alex Palou headed into Saturday's night race outside of St. Louis, qualified fifth. Palou qualified 12th but will actually start 21st because of a nine-spot penalty for an unapproved engine change. It's the third unapproved engine change this season for Palou and second this month.

The IndyCar championship flipped leaders Saturday night when Alex Palou was collected in an early three-car accident that moved Pato O’Ward to the point following O’Ward’s runner-up finish to winner Josef Newgarden at World Wide Technology Raceway.

IndyCar Indy 500 Auto Racing Fans yell from the stands as rain delayed the start of the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 28, 2021. He has just one Indy 500 victory, in 2008, and three runner-up finishes. I feel like there’s a lot of emphasis on IndyCar championships but the Indy 500 is the Indy 500.”Dixon and the four Chip Ganassi Racing entries are the most consistent at Indianapolis leading into the 500. Newgarden is now a two-time IndyCar champion but still seeking his first Indy 500 victory. And that's a very different question.”ODDS AND ENDS: Scott Dixon is the 13-4 favorite to win the Indy 500.

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

IndyCar Indy 500 Auto Racing Fans yell from the stands as rain delayed the start of the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 28, 2021. He has just one Indy 500 victory, in 2008, and three runner-up finishes. “Our cars are good every Sunday,” said an unconcerned Penske, winner of a record 18 Indy 500s. Newgarden is now a two-time IndyCar champion but still seeking his first Indy 500 victory. And that's a very different question.”ODDS AND ENDS: Scott Dixon is the 13-4 favorite to win the Indy 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.

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.

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.

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.

But the Indy 500 is the Indy 500, Tirico continued, and there's never been one like this year. There will be no Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade on Saturday. I often say the most magical moment, at least for me, is the 30 minutes leading up tot he green flag at the Indianapolis 500 each year, Boles said. This is the race event that even the pandemic isn't going to stop, said Leigh Diffey, who will handle the race call once the green flag drops. For the Indy 500 to happen this year is just reward for the series and our production group, people you will never know their names or faces.

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.

Marco Andretti packs up his gear following practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS The horsepower boost sent speeds skyrocketing over 233 mph early on Fast Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Andretti Autosport cars quickly jumped to the top of the board with Marco Andretti logging a lap of 233.491 miles per hour (375.77 kilometres per hour). It's the fastest lap in a practice which is considered unofficial since Sebastien Bourdais went 233.116 mph in 2017. The first thing you need is speed and then you need to put the four laps together," Andretti said.

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.