Indycar drivers

Listen to this article As is traditional, let’s start with those who didn’t make our Top 10. In this IndyCar era of preposterously fine margins and compact seasons, it’s all too easy for teams to take wrong turns down development avenues and run out of time – and test days – to reverse, reset, restore their former competitiveness, and haul in good helpings of points. That’s what made Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda’s midseason 180 so impressive. Suddenly Graham Rahal was contending for top fives instead of top 10s, and rookie Christian Lundgaard was qualifying in the top six, and able to claim a runner-up finish in the IMS road course’s second race. As in the first half of the year, Lundgaard made a couple more mistakes than his veteran teammate, largely due to inexperience, so while he earned IndyCar’s Rookie of the Year award, he didn’t make the top 10 in the championship, nor does he quite make our Top 10. Interestingly, however, at the very last race of the … [Read more...] about Ranked! Top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2022

Listen to this article One of the star junior formula teams of the past decade, Juncos Racing made its IndyCar debut with a two-car effort in the 2017 Indy 500, and last year ran a single entry at 12 of the 17 rounds, driven by its team’s 2017 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kaiser, Rene Binder and Alfonso Celis Jr. However, the team’s planned expansion to two cars for 2019 – albeit run again on a part-time basis – proved overly ambitious, and thus far Juncos can’t guarantee any IndyCar outings beyond the COTA race on Sunday. “Right now it depends on what more we can add with the sponsor we currently have,” Juncos told Motorsport.com. “So I think we’re going to do the Indy 500 but I don’t know 100 percent yet. "That would be with one car… well, maybe with two, but I think one would be better because there are so many things going on with the team.” Juncos Racing currently runs two Indy Pro 2000 cars for Sting Ray Robb and Rasmus Lindh, two Indy Lights cars for Rinus VeeKay … [Read more...] about Juncos still seeking IndyCar sponsors and an IMSA driver

Listen to this article Over the off-season, Coyne tested Marcus Armstrong but he has been recruited by Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the #11 CGR-Honda on road and street courses, while Coyne’s former full-timer in the #51 entry co-owned by Rick Ware Racing, Takuma Sato, is the primary candidate for the #11 on ovals. Coyne, who sifted through six potential candidates for the #51 car, tested Sting Ray Robb on January 4 at Sebring, when Ganassi trialed 2021 Formula 2 runner-up Robert Shwartzman and Indy NXT (née Indy Lights) driver Kyffin Simpson, and Penske ran Dane Cameron. Robb finished the day second, just a few hundredths of a second off Shwartzman. “Sting Ray was really good, as fast as Shwartzman, basically,” said Coyne. “Shwartzman has a better résumé, driving with a bigger team, with an allegedly better engineer – our old one! [Ross Bunnell] – and we were just four-hundredths off. “So I’m very satisfied that Sting Ray can do a good job for us. His feedback was decent … [Read more...] about Robb set to be confirmed this week in Coyne IndyCar line-up

Listen to this article Sato, who won the Indy 500 in 2017 for Andretti Autosport and in 2020 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, will share the #11 entry with ex-Formula 2 driver and IndyCar rookie Marcus Armstrong, who will be competing in all the road and street course rounds . Sato’s contract with Dale Coyne Racing last year stated that were he to continue in IndyCar in 2023, it would have to be with DCR, but an agreement has been reached whereby Coyne has relinquished the Japanese veteran to Chip Ganassi Racing. Ganassi has amassed 14 Indy car championships – the most recent coming in 2021 with Alex Palou – and five wins in the Indy 500, in which CGR is defending winner thanks to Marcus Ericsson. With Sato joining the team, it means that despite losing Tony Kanaan to Arrow McLaren SP, Ganassi can still boast three former Indy winners in its line-up for the 500 this year. "First of all, I would like to thank Chip and Mike [Hull, CGR managing director] for helping … [Read more...] about Ganassi signs Sato for IndyCar’s oval rounds in 2023

Listen to this article Dale Coyne stated that his contract with Sato last year was one-year with a one-year option, that included a clause that precluded him from racing for any other team in 2023. Sato’s manager Steve Fusek confirmed in the summer and the off-season that, yes, that was the deal. However, there was some wriggle room – a matter on which Coyne doesn’t wish to comment, even as late as yesterday – and with Sato’s financial support from Honda Japan and Panasonic being reduced, Coyne adjusted his intentions. He would, he told Motorsport.com, prefer to add a third car for Sato to run an oval-only program. While most admire Coyne, delight in his occasional successes, revel in his David-beating-Goliath achievements, one can understand why a driver in his career twilight would want his numerically reduced opportunities to be enhanced by placement at one of the greatest IndyCar teams. And lo it has come to pass: Sato will share the #11 Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda with … [Read more...] about Why Sato at Ganassi is a dream scenario for team and driver

Listen to this article From 2015-’17 the heavy downforce levels of the manufacturer aerokits have demanded a harder tire, as Honda’s 2018 car tester Oriol Servia highlighted earlier this week . With next year’s universal aerokit introducing reduced downforce overall and a more forward weight distribution, Adams says there will be changes necessary on some (but not all) tracks on the IndyCar schedule. “There is a lot of crossover between what we’ve been using this year and what we’ll use next year,” Adams told Motorsport.com. “The feedback from Juan Pablo Montoya and Oriol Servia during the 2018 aerokit tests suggests that as far as they’ve been pushed so far, the current tire specs seem to react well on the new car. “At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the cars were very good on this year’s tires, but we’ll still make small changes in reaction to the weight distribution changes. With more forward weight, you see more of a load on the right front and less on the right rear … [Read more...] about 2018 IndyCar will require a tire rethink on some tracks

Listen to this article Presently at all ovals aside from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the running order in one-by-one qualifying is decided by names picked out of a hat. With the early runners encountering the least favorable track conditions, this can mean championship contenders randomly ending up at different ends of the grid with very little control over their own destiny. Reigning champion Newgarden told Motorsport.com that is far too random, and an unlucky pick could even swing the title battle. “We often run with the [Cooper Tires-equipped] Mazda Road To Indy guys, or the [Goodyear-equipped] NASCAR Truck guys, and their tires don’t necessarily work well with our Firestones. So that means the first 10 IndyCar guys out there in qualifying are just cleaning the track for the next 10 or 12, and the track just gets better and better. “I mean, you see that even in road and street course qualifying, right? We all sit there and let others clear the track surface and … [Read more...] about Newgarden, Power call for IndyCar to improve oval qualifying system

Listen to this article Norman, currently fifth in the championship in his third Lights season with Michael Andretti’s team, heads to Road America’s double-header this weekend seeking his second career win, and will then head to his home track. The 21-year-old from Aurora, Ohio, said: “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. I can’t thank Andretti Autosport enough for this opportunity. “This is a step in the right direction in my career and we will use this test and the rest of the Indy Lights season to prove I belong in an Indy car seat next year. Time to go to work!” Said Andretti: “We’re very happy to be able to give Ryan this opportunity. The Road to Indy prides itself on developing young drivers into the talented, experienced drivers that succeed in the next level of their career – and helping that driver growth is an important goal of our team’s program. “Ryan has been a contender at many races and has shown his ability and excitement to take the next … [Read more...] about Indy Lights winner Norman to test Andretti Autosport IndyCar

Listen to this article Following Takuma Sato’s departure to Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda for an oval-only program, and Formula 2 driver Marcus Armstrong – who tested for Coyne last October – being snapped up by CGR to drive the same #11 entry on road and street courses, team owners Coyne and #51 car co-owner Rick Ware were left with good quality albeit lower-profile names available. Following a test on Jan. 4 th at Sebring, signing Robb became a priority for Coyne who was left highly impressed by the 21-year-old Idahoan , and eager to pair him with incumbent young star David Malukas, who will again race the #18 DCR with HMD Motorsports-Honda. “We’re very excited to have Sting Ray join our team,” said Coyne. “He is coming off a very strong Indy NXT (Indy Lights’ new nomenclature) season and he impressed us and performed very well earlier this month at our test. “I think he and David will make a great pairing. With David continuing where he left off last year, and Sting … [Read more...] about Sting Ray Robb confirmed in #51 Coyne-RWR IndyCar for 2023