By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio The top-10 results originally recorded by David Malukas and Santino Ferrucci of Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing in Sunday’s 109th Indianapolis 500 were upgraded to top-fives following post-race technical inspection penalties assessed to a pair of Andretti Global teammates. INDYCAR announced the No. 28 entry of second-place Marcus Ericsson and the No. 27 car driven to sixth by Kyle Kirkwood _ as well as the No. 90 PREMA Racing entry driven by Callum Ilott to 12th _ were found in violation of the rulebook. All three were dropped to the rear of the 33-car…
Author: John Sturbin
John Sturbin
John Sturbin is a Fort Worth-based journalist specializing in motorsports. During a near 30-year career with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he won the Bloys Britt Award for top motorsports story of the year (1991) as judged by The Associated Press; received the National Hot Rod Association’s Media Award (1995) and several in-house Star-Telegram honors. He also was inaugural recipient of the Texas Motor Speedway Excellence in Journalism Award (2009). Email John Sturbin at jsturbin@hotmail.com.
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio A podium finish in Sunday’s 109th Indianapolis 500 for A.J. Foyt Racing unashamedly moved David Malukas to tears over what-might-have-been at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the record, Malukas’ Indy 500 career-best third and the seventh-place result recorded by teammate Santino Ferrucci were the first top-10s for Waller, Texas-based Foyt Racing at IMS since May 28, 2000. Foyt’s drivers that day? Eliseo Salazar of Chile and Jeff Ward finished third and fourth, respectively, in a pair of G Force/Oldsmobile entries during the often-chaotic fledgling years of the Indy Racing League. Ancient history to Malukas, the…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio A pair of second-place finishes since 2022 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have only served to sharpen Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward’s approach to winning the Indianapolis 500. O’Ward finished runnerup to Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson in 2022 and to Josef Newgarden last year, when the Team Penske star completed a last-lap pass for his second consecutive victory. Ericsson, then of Chip Ganassi Racing, led 13 laps en route to his victory on a day when O’Ward led 26 laps. Last year Newgarden led 26 laps to O’Ward’s 12. O’Ward will start today’s 109th edition of…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio An all-Team Penske pairing in the Oscar Mayer $150,000 Pit Stop Challenge saw Josef Newgarden beat Will Power in a final that required all three rounds. Newgarden’s crew won the first round and Power’s prevailed in the second. In the final, Newgarden’s No. 2 crew changed four tires and completed a simulated fueling in 10.263- seconds, while Power and the No. 12 crew trailed at 10.503-seconds. The No. 2 crew earned a $50,000 prize, with the No. 12 crew collecting $25,000. This was the record-extending 20th victory in the annual contest for Team…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is for sending messages, and Joseph Newgarden made it clear Friday he is fully capable of rewriting history during the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Newgarden and Team Penske swept the two key elements of Miller Lite Carb Day, leading the two-hour final practice with a top lap of 225.687 mph in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet. Relegated to a last-row/32nd starting for Sunday’s scheduled 200-lapper due to a technical rule violation, Newgarden is aiming to become the first driver to win…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Relegated to a last-row/32nd starting spot due to a technical rule violation, INDYCAR star Josef Newgarden still believes he can win the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. “Oh, absolutely. Absolutely,” Newgarden said matter-of-factly during his Media Day appearance Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Almighty Team Penske has been operating in full-bore damage-control since last Sunday. “I’m here with my team. I’m ready to go racing. I love this race. My goodness, I’ve been enjoying being here this whole time. I look forward to it every year, as we all do. Ready to go…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio The international driver lineup for the Indianapolis 500 is always an intriguing element of the world’s greatest auto race. Led by sensational, pole-winning rookie Robert Shwartzman of Israel, Sunday’s 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge features a 33-car field consisting of 19 drivers from 13 countries, eight former event winners and five NTT IndyCar Series champions. Thirty-four entries began the Month of May seeking a grid spot on the historic, 2.5-mile oval. Consider this post your suitable-for-printing personal fan’s guide to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Team Penske ace Josef Newgarden earned his…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio INDYCAR mogul Roger S. Penske fired three prominent members of Team Penske management Wednesday morning, the aftershock of a technical rules violation that developed during qualifying for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 last weekend. Penske, 88, announced that he had dismissed longtime Team President Tim Cindric, INDYCAR Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and INDYCAR General Manager Kyle Moyer after two of the team’s entries for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” were found in violation of INDYCAR rules last Sunday. “Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams,”…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio INDYCAR superstar Alex Palou returned to his comfort zone atop the speed chart at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Monday, another methodical step in the mercurial Spaniard’s bid to win the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The three-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, Palou’s hottest lap of 226.765 mph occupied P1 at the close of a two-hour session around the famed 2.5-mile oval. Mimicking situations the 33-car starting field can expect to experience on Sunday, May 25, drivers lapped in packs of traffic following a weekend of solo, four-lap/10-mile runs during PPG Presents Armed Forces…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Penske Perfection? At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, not so fast. The Team Penske cars driven by two-time/reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden and Will Power will start Sunday’s 109th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” from the 11th and final row after INDYCAR officials confirmed each had committed a technical rules infraction. The Penske pair were involved in a weird circumstance just before the start of Sunday’s Top 12 Qualifying session on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Newgarden’s No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet and Power’s No. 12 Verizon Team Penske…