By Steve Wittich It’s Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! Man, it’s early. Tony DiZinno and I left from the Indiana headquarters of TSO, in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis at 5:30 AM and after a stop at Starbucks, we’re ready for a full day of intriguring qualifiyng stories. Here is the current schedule...
READ MOREBy Tony DiZinno and Steve Wittich The afternoon lull was broken when some cars took to the track for solo runs. At 2:15 PM, the “Yellow Submarine” of Helio Castroneves took to the track for a mock qualifying run. The 3-time winner put together four super consistent laps of 227.590mph, 227.495mph, 227.578mph, and 227.307mph. Those...
READ MOREAt 2:43 pm James Davison was the first significant contact of the “Month of May.” The Australian was on the third lap of a qualification simulation after turning a lap of 224.405mph when the rear end of the No. 33 Jonathan Byrd’s 502 East Chevrolet stepped out in the middle of Turn 2. The Foyt...
READ MOREBy Tony DiZinno and Steve Wittich Fast Friday began under overcast skies with an air temperature of 66F and track temperature of 76F. Terrific weather for making speed. The wind-sock on the top of the pylon was being pushed almost directly west perpendicular to the two ¼ mile short chutes. The first car on track...
READ MOREChip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing has streamlined its lineup from four cars to two. Its group present at today’s usual Fast Friday press conference was also streamlined from four people down to three, although not by design. Team newcomer Ed Jones was the only one present alongside Ganassi and team managing director Mike Hull....
READ MOREBy Tony DiZinno and Steve Wittich Fast Friday is traditionally a busy day for media availability, and today is no different. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Team Penske, and Chip Ganassi Racing are all be visiting the media center before practice begins. ABC / ESPN pit reporter Dr. Jerry Punch, who will be working his 27th...
READ MOREBy Tony DiZinno and Steve Wittich Good morning from Fast Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 35 entries for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 Presented by PennGrade Motor Oil are scheduled to be on track for seven hours beginning at 7 AM. Turbo boost and speeds are scheduled to be cranked up today in preparation...
READ MOREBy Steve Wittich The third day of practice for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 Presented by PennGrade Motor Oil began under sunny skies with an ambient temperature of 74F and a track temperature of 91F. A trio of Andretti Autosport cars, Marco Andretti, Zach Veach, and Alexander Rossi were the first cars on the track, and...
READ MOREBy Tony DiZinno, Patrick Stephan, and Steve Wittich Good morning from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Tony DiZinno will be joining me (Steve) for the remainder of practice and qualifying. According to our friend @Indycar_Wxman, today would be a fantastic day to play hooky from work. [tweet https://twitter.com/Indycar_Wxman/status/997067102287777792 ] We expect the iconic 2.5-mile to...
READ MOREINDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 17, 2018) – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) co-owner Sam Schmidt, alongside retired United States Navy Admiral (ADM) and the former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, James “Sandy” Winnefeld, Jr., announced today the partnership between SPM and S.A.F.E. Project US. Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic is a national not-for-profit organization
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