By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Alex Palou launched his bid for a third consecutive NTT IndyCar Series championship, and fourth overall, with a cool/calm/calculated victory in Sunday’s 2025 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. In what amounted to a master class in race craft, Palou wheeled his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 2.8669-second victory over teammate and six-time series champion Scott Dixon on the temporary 1.8-mile/14-turn Florida street circuit running through downtown, and including a runway of Albert Whitted Airport. “What an amazing job by everybody,” said Palou, the 27-year-old Spaniard who has…
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 Scott McLaughlin and Team Penske rallied from a disastrous start to the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season Saturday by qualifying on-pole for today’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Call it an example, McLaughlin said, of “immaculate vibes.” McLaughlin’s No. 3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet was parked in the paddock Friday afternoon, its front end in tatters after he had crashed in Turn 3 during Practice 1 on the Streets of St. Pete. “It was a little bit of a mistake on my part, unfortunately,” McLaughlin said after the session.…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Florida native and resident Kyle Kirkwood paced Practice 1 Friday for INDYCAR’s 2025 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. A resident of Jupiter, Fla., Kirkwood topped an 80-minute session split into three groups with a best lap of 1-minute, 4409-seconds/107.212 mph in the No. 27 Andretti INDYCAR Honda _ the leader of two Andretti Global drivers in the fast five. “In the past three years, this is one of the races that I enjoy coming to the most because it’s a home state for me,” said Kirkwood, whose…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio INDYCAR icon A.J. Foyt Jr. turned 90 on Jan. 16, and rest assured the Houston native did not mark the occasion by swigging a Screwdriver…or two. More on that later. The man synonymous with the Indianapolis 500 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway as driver since 1958 and team-owner since 1965 has watched his namesake NTT IndyCar Series organization go winless since 2013. Enter Santino Ferrucci and David Malukas, a revised pairing of 20-something talents whose intramural rivalry revolves around one pressing question: Who will deliver “Super Tex” his next INDYCAR victory? Japanese ace Takuma Sato…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Recognized as a tenacious, championship-caliber driver during his INDYCAR career, Tony Kanaan’s accompanying people skills have taken him to the next corporate level. The man widely known as “TK” will lead Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team into this weekend’s 2025 season-opener as Team Principal. Kanaan has served as Deputy Team Principal since the end of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season. Kanaan’s promotion is part of two key leadership appointments at Arrow McLaren prior to the Firestone Grand Prix of St.Petersburg street race in Florida. As announced on Feb. 20, Kevin Thimjon has joined Arrow McLaren…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Team Penske’s Will Power and Josef Newgarden officially closed INDYCAR’s extended offseason in familiar territory _ atop the overall speed chart after Day 2 of an NTT IndyCar Series Group Test at Sebring International Raceway. Power and Newgarden _ both series and Indianapolis 500 champions _ placed 1-2 overall Tuesday in the test on Sebring’s historic and notoriously bumpy 1.67-mile “short-course.” The two-day test in Central Florida served as final preparation for all 27 fulltime series drivers and teams heading into the 2025 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward returned to his INDYCAR office Monday with gusto. O’Ward topped the overall time chart at 52.3470-seconds/114.849 mph Monday morning on Sebring International Raceway’s historic and notoriously bumpy 1.67-mile “short course” layout. Monday’s session in Central Florida was the first of two days of an NTT IndyCar Series Group Test heading into next month’s 2025 season-opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Twenty-six drivers turning hot laps were separated into morning and afternoon groups, with each receiving four hours of track time. O’Ward, who finished fifth in the 2024…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Chevrolet’s next NASCAR race car could be an electric SUV. Chevy will unveil its Blazer EV.R NASCAR Prototype during a media presentation scheduled for Thursday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, site of Sunday’s 2025 Cup Series season-opening 67th Daytona 500. According to a news release issued Monday morning, the prototype represents a “joint effort between NASCAR and OEM partners,” with the intent of exploring new and emerging automotive technologies. “Our Chevrolet V8 engines continue to be an important part of NASCAR,” Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President/GM Performance & Motorsports, said in the release. “Racing…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Three-time/reigning INDYCAR champion Alex Palou figures to be easy to locate during the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. In addition to typically racing in the lead pack, Palou’s No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda again will feature its familiar Postyellow and DHL Red livery during the 17-race schedule. Postyellow is a spot color used by DHL in its design and printing. Postyellow also is an element in DHL’s “Gradient Module” design, used to highlight the logo and draw attention to key messages. Developers of the DHL logo associated the yellow color with…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Native Ohioan Mike Shank, whose “small-town” work ethic shaped his successful IMSA and INDYCAR teams, is the 2024 recipient of the Phil Hill Award presented by the Road Racing Drivers Club. Shank was honored by RRDC President Bobby Rahal, the 2019 Hill Award-winner, during the organization’s annual members’ dinner in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Jan. 22. The ceremony was a prelude to the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, season-opener of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Phil Hill Award has been presented annually since 1993 to the person the…