Author: John Sturbin

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Mercurial Alex Palou updated his place in INDYCAR history by clinching his fourth NTT IndyCar Series championship Sunday at Portland International Raceway, where the Chip Ganassi Racing ace shared an emotional spotlight with veteran Will Power of Team Penske. Power staked his claim for another contract with team-owner Roger Penske by winning the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI. And Palou hoisted his third consecutive Astor Challenge Cup trophy after a third-place finish in Race No. 15 of a season quickly running out of superlatives. “It’s the best. The way I’ve…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio INDYCAR ace Pato O’Ward will attempt to keep his championship pursuit of Alex Palou mathematically alive Sunday at Portland International Raceway from a “gifted” pole position. Arrow McLaren teammates Christian Lundgaard and O’Ward produced Saturday’s two quickest laps, respectively, during Firestone Fast Six qualifying for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI. Driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, O’Ward was awarded P1 after Lundgaard incurred a six-place grid penalty (to seventh) for an unapproved engine change after Friday’s practice. Both drivers improved considerably lapping on Firestone’s Firehawk alternate tires…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard momentarily upstaged championship leader Alex Palou during Friday’s opening practice for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI. With Palou poised to clinch his fourth NTT IndyCar Series title, Lundgaard toured the 1.964-mile/12-turn Portland (Ore.) International Raceway in 58.5320-seconds/119.627 mph in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Palou placed second in the 80-minute session divided into groups with a best lap of 58.5381- seconds/119.614 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda _ a gap of just 0.0061-seconds. SEE: Practice Results INDYCAR is racing in the…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio FORT WORTH – Next spring’s inaugural INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington could emerge as a template for future NTT IndyCar Series schedules under the new investment partnership between Penske Entertainment and Fox Corporation, parent company of FOX Sports. Those two mega-entities announced an investment in the future of North America’s premier open-wheel racing series last week with FOX’s acquisition of one-third interest in Penske Entertainment, inclusive of INDYCAR and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The investment is expected to initiate a new era of growth for the NTT IndyCar Series, featuring innovative and…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio With his fourth INDYCAR championship a fait accompli _ that’s French for it’s a done-deal, race fans _ Alex Palou is free to chase open-wheel history. Palou crushed the slim championship hopes of closest-pursuer Pato O’Ward and the rest of his NTT IndyCar Series peers with a ridiculously dominant victory in Sunday’s Java Grand Prix of Monterey. Pole-winner Palou led a massive 84 of 95 laps around WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s 2.238-mile/11-turn natural-terrain layout in Northern California en route to his second consecutive event victory, and third win in the past four years.…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Row 1 will be center stage for the start of INDYCAR’s Java House Grand Prix of Monterey this afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Championship contenders Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward qualified 1-2 for Round 14 of the NTT IndyCar Series schedule Saturday in Northern California. The pair has combined to win the past three races, and four of the last five dating to late June. So, whomever wheels first into Turn 1 when the green flag drops shortly after 3 p.m. (EDT) likely will dictate pace and strategy over the course of…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Pato O’Ward’s relentless, late-season pursuit of Alex Palou for the NTT IndyCar Series championship continued Friday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Winner of two of the last three INDYCAR races, O’Ward turned the fastest lap of the opening day of practice for Sunday’s Java House Grand Prix of Monterey at 1-minute, 9.20269-seconds/116.416 mph around the 2.248-mile/11-turn natural-terrain layout. “We rolled off really strong,” O’Ward said after logging 18 laps in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “I’m definitely happy with where we’re at in terms of speed. Obviously, we still…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Elbows out, Pato O’Ward and Arrow McLaren are recalibrating Alex Palou’s “inevitable” drive to the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series championship. O’Ward’s strategic victory in Sunday’s Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto _ Pato’s second INDYCAR win in eight days _ chopped 30 points off Palou’s massive 129-point advantage as the day began. For the record, Palou’s pre-race advantage was the largest under the current point system this deep into a season. Palou, the three-time/reigning series champion from Chip Ganassi Racing, still boasts a 99-point pad with four races remaining. But a race win can…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Second-generation INDYCAR driver Colton Herta remained “wicked-quick” during qualifying Saturday for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. Herta claimed the NTT P1 Award for the second consecutive summer and third time in four years at Exhibition Place. Only Scotsman Dario Franchitti (five) and Sebastien Bourdais of France (four) have won more poles for the lone NTT IndyCar Series event staged north of the border. “I think it’s kind of just what this team is capable of around here for the street-courses,” said Herta, driver of the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Extensive planning and collaborative design work continues on the new race car chassis and updated twin-turbocharged V-6 engine INDYCAR will introduce for the 2028 NTT IndyCar Series season, with thorough on-track testing scheduled for early 2026. Dallara will produce the chassis, featuring a look designed to appeal to a new generation of open-wheel fans while maintaining current styling cues. Dallara has produced chassis for the series since 1997 and has been INDYCAR’s exclusive chassis supplier since 2008. “The time has come for a new NTT IndyCar Series chassis,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said…