The Brazilian joined A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears, his former mentor at Team Penske, as the only four-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Mears was the last driver to join the club in 1991.
Much like NASCAR dealt with its own racial reckoning last year, IndyCar is moving to create a more diverse workforce throughout all levels of a series that has had just two Black drivers race in the Indy 500, its showcase annual event that dates to 1911.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to determine that 40% of venue capacity will be allowed.
The track said on Twitter it has sold 135,000 tickets, which is its capacity limit under COVID-19 restrictions.
IndyCar’s current deal with NBC Sports is in its final season and contract negotiations are unclear. There have been reports Penske will take a higher rights fee from a new partner and that NBC has fallen out of the running on a renewal.
There has been a seismic shift in IndyCar this season with an authoritative arrival of a brand new wave of drivers. They are kids in this series alongside six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, considered the greatest driver of his generation.
Scott Dixon slammed the brakes on IndyCar’s current youth movement by winning his fourth Indianapolis 500 pole by a mere 0.03 seconds on Sunday.
Will Power, one of the greatest qualifiers in IndyCar history, failed to seal his spot in the 33-car field on Saturday’s first day of qualifications at the Indianapolis 500. Power’s misfortune was the worst of Team Penske’s struggles.
IndyCar at the end of the session announced Takuma Sato, Graham Rahal and Santino Ferrucci will all be parked for the first 30 minutes of Friday’s critical practice, when the engine power is boosted and teams get their first true look at their speeds ahead of qualifying.
Conor Daly and Ed Carpenter were among the fastest drivers Wednesday at Indianapolis 500 practice. Both are from Indianapolis with deep ties to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The collaboration with Undefeated, a popular L.A.-based designer in sneaker and streetwear culture, aims for a younger, hotter demographic.
The new, higher cap won’t change the attendance limits at the Indianapolis 500 on May 30, according to Marion County Public Health Department Director Dr. Virginia Caine.
Unser was one of just 10 drivers to win the 500 at least three times, and he and Rick Mears were the only drivers to win the 500 in three different decades.
A new IndyCar racing team dedicated to giving women opportunities to work in motorsports has submitted an entry for this year’s Indianapolis 500. Simona de Silvestro, the 2010 Indy 500 rookie of the year, will drive the No. 16 car.
Donald Davidson, a native Brit whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500 earned him the distinction of the track’s preeminent historian, plans to retire at the end of the year.
The broadcast of Sunday’s race delivered a huge rating in Indianapolis, but overall viewership was likely hurt by a tougher a slate of competition from other sports, including NASCAR.
Takuma Sato cruised to victory after Spencer Pigot crashed exiting Turn 4, bringing out the caution with a handful of laps remaining and forcing what had been a thrilling race to end under caution.
Its importance to the survival of IndyCar teams meant the race had to be staged, even if fans weren’t allowed inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In 2020, Carb Day was little more than a two-hour Friday practice session three months after the usual Memorial Day holiday weekend so familiar to the race.
The 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 is Sunday. For the surrounding community of Speedway, which bills itself as the racing capital of the world, many residents will be watching from home, and they are filled with sadness.
