Author: Mike Haag

INDIANAPOLIS – Jay Howard has been away from Indy car racing for six years, but it mattered not in the fourth practice day for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Howard, driving the No. 77 Lucas Oil/Team One Cure Honda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, posted a lap of 226.744 mph in today’s six-hour session that stands as the fastest of the week. Howard finished ahead of a trio of Andretti Autosport drivers on the speed chart: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Fernando Alonso. “This is like a dream right now,” Howard said. “I don’t know if I’m…

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 1 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): “We’re pretty happy with the Menards Chevy especially in that last run. There were a lot of cars out there and we got a good feel of what we can do in dirty air. It really was pretty good. Everyone has been working really hard. The Chevrolet guys are giving us all they have and that’s generally quite a bit. Tomorrow should be really fun with a little boost. But, overall, we’re in a good place.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 2 hum by Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “I’m fine. Tough break for us…

TOPEKA, Kan. – To exemplify the impressive parity in Pro Stock during the first portion of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, there have been six different winners at the first seven races. Having finally escaped the doldrums of a frustrating stretch, Drew Skillman would like to be the next on that list. Skillman appears back on track after things went awry in the form of three straight first-round losses, posting back-to-back solid weekends in his Ray Skillman Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro. The next step is adding yet another winner to the list in the Pro Stock…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series INDIANAPOLIS – Strong, gusting winds limited running by teams on the third day of practice for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, but a number of competitors persevered and logged important fact-finding laps. Team owner/driver Ed Carpenter posted the fastest of 408 total laps turned by 21 drivers in the six-hour session hampered by wind gusts reached 40 mph. Driving the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet, Carpenter ran a lap of 222.894 mph at the beginning of the day’s final hour that was unassisted by an aerodynamic tow from a car…

CONOR DALY (No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): “Obviously we didn’t do a lot of running today because of the weather conditions, but I would have loved to have run more if it was possible, but it was probably a smart decision to not go out there with how the wind was. When we did go out there, the car was really good. I was really happy with the changes we made overnight so hopefully we can run more tomorrow.” MAX CHILTON (No. 8 Gallagher Honda): “When you’re doing 220 plus into the corners, the wind here today…

TOPEKA, Kan. – In a class full of star competitors and breathtaking performances, NHRA Funny Car’s Ron Capps has managed to stand out in an impressive way over the past moth. Coming off his first Funny Car world championship, Capps hasn’t let down one bit, taking over the points lead in his 10,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T by winning three straight races. That gives him considerable momentum heading into this weekend’s 29th annual Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties at Heartland Park Topeka, where Capps will look to keep his remarkable run going against a class full…

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Warm and windy conditions didn’t prevent Verizon IndyCar Series drivers from logging more than 6,000 incident-free miles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the second day of practice for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. When the checkered flag waved, it was a pair of Team Penske drivers – Will Power and Helio Castroneves – atop the speed chart, followed closely by Gabby Chaves with newcomer team Harding Racing. 101st INDIANAPOLIS 500: Practice 2 results; Combined practice results Power, winner of Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, put his No.…

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 1 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): “The Menards Chevy felt really good today. We continue to get a lot of good data from not only ourselves but also my teammates. It’s such a help to have the teammates I have. Everyone brings something a little different to the table and from that we all learn a lot. Today was a little different from yesterday in terms of what we were looking to accomplish. Obviously, speed is important, but there are so many other things to factor in. I really think we’re in a good place.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No.…

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – His new teammate may be grabbing worldwide attention for his appearance in the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, but it was Marco Andretti who snatched speed honors on the opening day of practice for the 101st running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Andretti set the pace in the No. 27 United Fiber & Data Honda with a lap of 226.338 mph as 32 cars turned 1,306 laps on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in preparation for the world’s largest single-day sporting event May 28. It is the second straight year that Andretti has…

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 1 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): “It’s good to be here for May. It’s the most exciting month of the year for us. It’s great to finally be in speedway mode – so far, so good. The Menards Chevrolet feels really nice just as it did last year. There haven’t been a lot of changes. It’s just about understanding with the temperature how the car is going to be in the race. It’s great that is was hot today like it will be later in the month for the race. We have five cars this month, so there…