By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio With the Month of May almost completely in his rearview mirrors, Alex Palou returned to the business of chasing another NTT IndyCar Series championship Friday in Downtown Motown. Palou entered last year’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on an ethanol high after winning the Sonsio Grand Prix and 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Palou qualified on-pole for this month’s separate events on the 2.439-mile IMS Road-Course and famed 2.5-mile oval before finishing fifth and seventh, respectively. SEE: Practice Results The four-time/reigning series champion and current point-leader, Palou drove to the…
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 Felix Rosenqvist’s last-lap victory dash in the 110th Indianapolis 500 was rewarded Monday by a record $4.34-millon payday, a windfall shared by the workmanlike driver from Sweden and the “little team that could” from Pataskala, Ohio. Indeed, the only two victories in the brief INDYCAR history of Meyer Shank Racing have been scored in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Helio Castroneves earned his record-tying fourth Indy 500 victory in his debut drive at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with MSR in May 2021. The popular Brazilian’s improbable win immediately raised the profile of the organization…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Whenever Felix Rosenqvist dared to dream about winning the Indianapolis 500, this is what he imagined – a last-gasp dash across the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Yard of Bricks start/finish line and into open-wheel history. That’s exactly how Rosenqvist, a 34-year-old native of Sweden, won the 110th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” Sunday by 0.0233-seconds over a star-crossed David Malukas. “What an incredible finish,” Rosenqvist said during his post-race presser. “That’s the way I’ve always pictured it in my head for some reason. It was almost like muscle memory when it happened because…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio His second Indianapolis 500 victory in May 1976 capped a remarkable three-year run of success for Fort Worth’s Johnny Rutherford and his favorite Papaya Orange McLaren race car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fifty years later, “Lone Star J.R.” retains a prominent place in the INDYCAR history of Team McLaren, Ltd. _ and its current iteration, Arrow McLaren _ during “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” “Well, I suppose, yes,” Rutherford said during a phone interview from IMS this week with racedaySA.com. “I was the first to put McLaren on the map at Indy and they…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is for sending messages. And the word from two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden is…he’s sneaky-fast. Newgarden emerged atop the speed chart during Friday’s final practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 via a top lap of 228.342 mph in the No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet. Recall that Newgarden also paced Monday’s rain-shortened post-qualifying practice at 226.198 mph. Winner of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing” in 2023 and 2024, Newgarden led an all-Team Chevy top-four. Newgarden’s hot lap _ which took 39.4145-seconds _…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward confirmed he needs to log laps on the new/old No. 5 Chevrolet he will wheel this weekend at Indianapolis Moto Speedway, beginning with today’s traditional Carb Day practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. O’Ward’s primary Dallara chassis was damaged in the Turn 2 crash triggered by Alexander Rossi during Monday’s post-qualifying practice for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” As has been the case throughout this Month of May, today’s weather forecast is best described as “iffy” during the two-hour window scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Alexander Rossi has been medically cleared to park his crutches long enough to participate in today’s traditional Carb Day practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the final dress rehearsal for Sunday’s 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. Miller Lite Carb Day is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (EDT, FS1, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). On-track activity also includes the popular Oscar Mayer Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Rossi suffered injuries to his hand and right foot in a grinding, high-speed crash in Turn 2 during…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio A switch to Race Day chassis setups predictably flipped the qualifying script during Monday’s rain-shortened practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500. A pair of two-time Indy 500 champions _ Josef Newgarden and Takuma Sato _ topped the speed chart as they prepped for a possible third visit into Victory Circle after Sunday’s 200-lap/500-mile dash around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Newgarden _ who qualified a disappointing 23rd in the traditional 33-car field Sunday _ emerged as fastest of the day at 226.198 mph after 34 laps in the No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio FORT WORTH – North Texas’ annual rite of spring for serious “Car Guys” – the Pate Swap Meet – unpacked its 54th edition of SWAG at Texas Motor Speedway over three days in late April. For the uninitiated, SWAG is an acronym for “Stuff We Ain’t Got” – a term coined by veteran motorsports TV personality Dave Despain. It’s a perfect fit for the rows upon rows of items spread out in the main fan parking lot of “The Great American Speedway.” Pate President Robert Wheeless noted this spring’s event added to a…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio INDYCAR superstar Alex Palou will chase a second consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory on Sunday from the best seat in the wide world of motorsports at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The mercurial, 29-year-old Spaniard secured his second career pole for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” during Sunday afternoon’s Firestone Fast Six session via a four-lap/10-mile average speed of 232.248 mph. Palou’s trip around the famed 2.5-mile oval required a quick 2-minutes, 35.0066-seconds. “I have no words,” said Palou, driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “So, that was incredible. It just feels…