Author: John Sturbin

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Stewart Haas-Racing is planning a NASCAR-style estate sale. SHR, the Kannapolis, N.C.-based organization fronted by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, shocked the motorsports community earlier this week by confirming plans to shutter its Ford-backed NASCAR operation at the end of the 2024 season. A three-time Cup Series champion, Stewart and co-owner/entrepreneur Gene Haas said in a statement the decision was neither easy nor made quickly. “Racing is a labor-intensive, humbling sport,” the partners said. “It requires unwavering commitment and vast resources, with a 365-day mindset to be better than everyone else. It’s part…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio The nearly four-hour rain delay that pushed back the start time of the 108th Indianapolis 500 apparently served to whet the appetites of viewing audiences across NBC Sports’ various platforms. Josef Newgarden’s second consecutive victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday averaged a preliminary Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 5.344-million viewers across NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports’ digital platforms. Those figures represent an increase of 8 percent vs. the 2023 race (4.927-million) and 10 percent vs. 2022 (4.837-million). Viewership figures are in the process of being finalized. Team Penske ace Newgarden,…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Penske Perfection was on full display during Sunday’s 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, as Josef Newgarden and his “backup brain trust” celebrated the team’s record-extending 20th victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Newgarden’s bold-and-brilliant, last-lap pass around Pato O’Ward through Turn 3 of the 2.5-mile oval allowed him to become the first repeat Indy 500 champion since Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002. “Yeah, hard to know if it’s going to work,” Newgarden said of the dramatic winning moment, completed in twilight conditions after a midday rainstorm delayed the scheduled start by four…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Fort Worth’s Johnny Rutherford has been scooting around the massive grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway this Race Week in a golf cart. At age 86, it’s the perfect vehicle for transporting “Lone Star J.R.” down memory lane, 50 years after winning his first Indianapolis 500. “Who keeps count?” Rutherford joked during a phone interview leading into Sunday’s scheduled 108th running of the Indy 500. “Numerically, it was 50 years ago and when you think about all the things that have happened, I’m glad that some people remember, you know? I hope so.” Rutherford…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Roger Penske hires drivers for his INDYCAR team with the unwritten understanding that victory in the Indianapolis 500 is at the very top of the to-do list. Actually, that expectation might be included in the fine print of every Team Penske contract. Josef Newgarden checked that box last May, when he delivered Penske his record-extending 19th victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Teammate Will Power won the 2018 Indy 500, thereby avoiding deportation to his native Australia. Rick Mears set the standard via his record-tying four Indy 500 victories, all with Team…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is for sending messages, and “40-somethings” Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves indicated Friday they plan to be players during the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. Dixon led the two-hour Miller Lite Carb Day final practice around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, as the field’s Honda and Chevrolet-powered drivers fine-tuned Race Day packages for Sunday’s 200-lapper. Dixon, winner of the 2008 Indy 500, topped the speed chart at 227.206 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. This marked the ninth time in…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio One Indianapolis 500 champion will pay tribute to another on Sunday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Simon Pagenaud will turn an emotional lap in honor of the late Gil de Ferran. De Ferran’s wife, Angela, recruited longtime family friend Pagenaud to drive the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Panoz G Force/Toyota that Gil wheeled to victory for Team Penske in the 2003 Indy 500. The parade lap _ a prelude to the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 _ will start from Turn 1 of the IMS Road-Course at 10.40 a.m. (EDT)…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden paced Monday’s two-hour practice for the race’s 108th edition next Sunday in a Team Penske car he says is “very raceable.” Meanwhile, Pato O’Ward is dealing with a race car he says is certainly fast _ just not fast enough. Newgarden, who qualified third during Sunday’s PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying session, turned a top lap Monday of 226.238 mph in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Monday’s practice allowed all 33 teams to stabilize Race Day setups for the scheduled 200-lapper around the 2.5-mile…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio All Team Penske, all day long. That’s been the mantra since “Fast Friday” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Scott McLaughlin punctuated the organization’s oval-track excellence with a record-setting qualifying run for next Sunday’s 108th Indianapolis 500. McLaughlin won the NTT P1 Award during Firestone Fast Six qualifying, leading only the second sweep of the three-car front row by one team in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Team Penske first achieved that feat in 1988, when pole-sitter Rick Mears was joined by No. 2 qualifier Danny Sullivan and Al Unser in third.…

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Team Penske’s Will Power will continue his pursuit of an elusive Indianapolis 500 pole when Day 2 qualifying for the 108th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” resumes Sunday afternoon. Power, winner of the 2018 Indy 500, teammate/reigning Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin finished 1-2-3 at the end of Saturday’s opening session of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Positions 13-30 in the traditional 33-car field have been locked-in via four-lap/10-mile qualifying runs, with the Penske threesome among 12 drivers who will compete for the…