MAY 24, 2023
Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 09:21PM 
Takuma Sato was the fastest driver in Miller Lite Carb Day practice Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leading the final session before the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Two-time “500” winner Sato led with a top lap of 39.4988 seconds, 227.855 mph in the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing Deloitte Honda. Sato, from Tokyo, will start eighth in the race Sunday (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network). “The 11 car is just getting to a nice feeling, which is exactly what I really wanted,” Sato said. “My boys did a fantastic job the entire week. The organization did fantastic, so I’m happy.” All 33 starters combined to turn 2,355 laps (5,887.5 miles) in just two hours of incident-free track action. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon was second at 227.285 in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda in breezy conditions under sunny skies and air temperatures in the low 70s. 2008 Indy 500 winner Dixon will start sixth Sunday, when the air temperature is expected to reach the high 70s. “It didn’t start very well, to be honest,” Dixon said of the two-hour session. “The car was definitely off on balance. We had to work on it a bit. Definitely some strong competitors out there. But it was fun to run with the 21 (Rinus VeeKay), Pato (O’Ward) a little bit and then the 10 (Alex Palou). Where we ended was a big improvement, so good on that side of things. Again, I still think we’ve got more to find.” Reigning series champion and 2018 “500” winner Will Power was third today at 226.953 in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet. Power starts 12th Sunday. Pole sitter Alex Palou ended up fourth at 226.945 in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing The American Legion Honda, giving CGR three of the top four cars before a large, sun-soaked Miller Lite Carb Day crowd. Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five at 226.872 in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport AutoNation Honda. Kirkwood will start 15th Sunday.
Graham Rahal has been named as the replacement driver for the injured Stefan Wilson in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports/CareKeepers Chevrolet for this Sunday’s (May 28) 107th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Wilson was injured Monday in Indy 500 practice when his IndyCar was struck from behind by Katherine Legge’s machine and forced into the outside safer barrier in turn one at the famed 2.5-mile oval. In the incident, Wilson suffered a fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebrae and will not be allowed to compete in this Sunday’s Indy 500. The British native qualified for Sunday’s 200-lap event in the 25th position with a four-lap average speed of 231.648 miles per hour. Rahal, son of the 1986 Indy 500 champion Bobby Rahal, will compete in his 16th Indianapolis 500 after placing third twice (2011 and 2020) and fifth (2015). The Ohio native attempted to qualify in this year’s 500 Mile Race, but he was bumped from the 33-car field late on Sunday afternoon. Rahal is a six-time NTT IndyCar Series race winner and also captured the 2011 Rolex 24 Sports Car Classic at Daytona. Graham drove for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at Iowa Speedway in 2010 to ninth place. Rahal’s partners - Fifth Third Bank and United Rentals – will also join the No. 24 car. The Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team also qualified the No. 23 DreyerReinbold.com Chevy with driver Ryan Hunter-Reay in the 18th spot last Saturday with an average speed of 232.133 m.p.h. “We are very sad that Stefan was injured Monday and now is unable to compete this Sunday in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports/CareKeepers Chevrolet,” said Dennis Reinbold, DRR team owner. “Stefan put so much effort into this race that it is just heartbreaking for this to have happened. However, we are announcing that Graham Rahal will now drive the No. 24 car this Sunday. We have known Graham for over a decade as he drove our car in 2010 at Iowa Speedway. He suffered through a tough weekend here, but we believe Graham can perform very well this Sunday. And I want to thank Bobby Rahal and his entire Rahal Letterman Lanigan team for granting us the opportunity to have Graham join us this week. We also want to thank everyone in the IndyCar Series garage area for offering their assistance after Stefan’s unfortunate incident on Monday. So many people came to us and asked if we needed anything yesterday. It shows the camaraderie within the NTT IndyCar Series. We are anxious to get Graham on the track now in the No. 24 machine.” “I’ll admit it was a very tough weekend for me and the United Rentals/Fifth Third Bank/RLL team,” said Rahal. “We tried everything, and we just didn’t have the speed. I’m very sad that Stefan was injured in practice on Monday. I wish him a quick recovery. I want to thank Dennis and Don for giving me this opportunity in the No. 24 car. I’m anxious to work with the team and prepare for the greatest race in the world, the Indianapolis 500.” The DRR/Cusick Motorsports team is currently preparing the backup Dallara chassis for Rahal and Graham is scheduled to drive the No. 24 this Friday in the two-hour practice session as part of the famed “Carb Day” activities. Editor-in-Chief's Note: One other dimension to this deal? Rahal has been a long-term Honda driver, so it took cooperation between Honda and Chevrolet for this deal to come together. Kudos to them. -PMD
Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Will Power led practice Monday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge to kick-off Race Week. 2018 “500” winner Power topped the two-hour, 10-minute session with a top lap of 39.2633 seconds, 229.222 mph in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet as the starting field of 33 drivers continued to refine race setups for next Sunday. Two-time series champion Power will start 12th in the race. “We’ve been having vibration problems,” Power said. “I think we got somewhat on top of that. Ran at the front, ran at the middle, ran at the back, and I think the car’s pretty good. I think we’re in a good spot. We have good horsepower. I think we’re in good shape." Six-time series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon was second at 229.184 in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda. Two-time “500” winner Takuma Sato ended up third at 228.382 in the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing Deloitte Honda. NTT P1 Award winner Alex Palou, who led the fastest Indy 500 field with the fastest “500” pole speed in history Sunday, was fourth on Monday at 227.392 in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing The American Legion Honda, meaning three CGR cars ran in the top four. 2013 "500" winner Tony Kanaan, making his final NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in this race, rounded out the top five at 227.094 in the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Teams wasted little time getting busy during the short day on the 2.5-mile oval, as all 33 drivers combined to turn 2,005 laps (5,012.5 miles). Action was halted 71 minutes into the session due to the first accident of the event, a two-car crash involving Katherine Legge (No. 44 Hendrickson Honda) and Stefan Wilson (No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet). Legge made contact with fellow British driver Wilson in Turn 1, with both cars making contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1. Legge’s car continued down the track and made secondary contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2. Legge climbed from the car without assistance and was evaluated and released from the IU Health Emergency Medical Center. Wilson was conscious and alert when removed from the car by the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
The next on-track session will be the final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET Friday on Miller Lite Carb Day. The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network). (Thank you to INDYCAR/IMS Media)
Alex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing The American Legion Honda) won the NTT P1 Award for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday with the fastest pole speed in the history of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou earned his first career “500” pole, becoming the first Spaniard to take the top spot, with a four-lap average speed of 234.217 mph (2 minutes, 33.7037 seconds) during the dramatic Firestone Fast Six session. He delivered Chip Ganassi Racing its third consecutive Indy 500 pole. CGR is the first team to win three straight Indy poles since Team Penske won four in a row from 1988-91. “It means the world to me now,” Palou said. “It was really tight, but the 10 car crew did an amazing job. Super proud of the work they did all month, all year to get to this point. We knew we had to go aggressive, to trim the car a lot to get a good first lap and try to be consistent. The fourth lap was really tough to keep it flat, but we did it. I knew it was one chance only." This is the fastest field in Indianapolis 500 history. The average speed for the 33-car field is 232.184, shattering the record of 231.023 set last year.
Rinus VeeKay will start second in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing after his four-lap average of 234.211. That's the second-closest margin in terms of speed between the top two qualifiers in Indy 500 history, as the .006 of a mph margin was bested only by the .003 gap between pole sitter Ryan Briscoe and James Hinchcliffe in 2012. The .0040 of a second gap between Palou and VeeKay broke the record for the closest time margin between the top qualifiers, .01 between pole sitter Al Unser and Johnny Rutherford in 1970. Felix Rosenqvist earned the outside front-row starting spot after qualifying third at 234.114 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. All three front-row starters were faster than the previous pole record of 234.046 set last year by Scott Dixon. Only Arie Luyendyk's mighty run of 236.986, set on the second day of qualifying in 1996 and not eligible for pole, is faster.
Christian Lundgaard, Sting Ray Robb and Jack Harvey earned the final three spots in the 33-car field in an incredibly dramatic Last Chance Qualifying. Harvey bumped his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate and 15-time Indianapolis 500 starter Graham Rahal by 44 10-thousandths of a second over the 10-mile qualifying run on the last attempt of the session.
Practice for the 33-car field takes place from 1-3 p.m. ET Monday (live, Peacock and INDYCAR Radio Network). Public gates open at 11 a.m. It’s the last on-track session before the final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Miller Lite Carb Day, Friday, May 26.
The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network). (Thank you to INDYCAR Media/IMS)
(Photo of Rinus Veekay by Doug Matthews for Penske Entertainment)Rinus VeeKay will start second in the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Bitnile.com Chevrolet.
(Photo of Felix Rosenqvist by Joe Skibinski for Penske Entertainment)Felix Rosenqvist earned the outside front-row starting spot after qualifying third at 234.114 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
(Photo of Graham Rahal by Joe Skibinski for Penske Entertainment)It was not a good day for Graham Rahal. His Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate Jack Harvey bumped the 15-time Indianapolis 500 starter by 44 10-thousandths of a second over the 10-mile qualifying run on the last attempt of the session.
Results of qualifying Sunday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with rank, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time (four laps) and average speed in parentheses:
1. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 02:33.7037 (234.217 mph)
2. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 02:33.7077 (234.211)
3. (6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 02:33.7713 (234.114)
4. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 02:34.0695 (233.661)
5. (5) Pato O'Ward, Chevrolet, 02:34.4015 (233.158)
6. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 02:34.4066 (233.151)
7. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 02:34.4332 (233.110)
8. (11) Takuma Sato, Honda, 02:34.4416 (233.098)
9. (66) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 02:34.4558 (233.076)
10. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 02:34.5801 (232.889)
11. (55) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, 02:34.7246 (232.671)
12. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 02:34.7488 (232.635)
13. (33) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 02:34.7128 (232.689)
14. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 02:34.7206 (232.677)
15. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 02:34.7311 (232.662)
16. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 02:34.8833 (232.433)
17. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 02:34.9039 (232.402)
18. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 02:35.0837 (232.133)
19. (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 02:35.1744 (231.997)
20. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 02:35.2032 (231.954)
21. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 02:35.2055 (231.951)
22. (60) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 02:35.2539 (231.878)
23. (18) David Malukas, Honda, 02:35.3270 (231.769)
24. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, 02:35.3857 (231.682)
25. (24) Stefan Wilson, Chevrolet, 02:35.4083 (231.648)
26. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 02:35.6061 (231.353)
27. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 02:35.6287 (231.320)
28. (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 02:35.7212 (231.182)
29. (50) RC Enerson, Chevrolet, 02:35.7574 (231.129)
30. (44) Katherine Legge, Honda, 02:35.7971 (231.070)
31. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 02:36.7607 (229.649)
32. (51) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 02:36.8293 (229.549)
33. (30) Jack Harvey, Honda, 02:37.0916 (229.166)
(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Kyle Larson’s third victory in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race was a case of absolute dominance. He took the lead on lap 18 of 200 in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and never looked back. It was also a case study in strategy at a revitalized North Wilkesboro Speedway, when Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, called his driver to the pits under caution for a fresh set of tires. Even though Larson incurred a speeding penalty exiting pit road and restarted from the rear, he charged through the field on new rubber and took the lead from Daniel Suárez (No. 99 Chevrolet) on Lap 55. From that point on, it was game over. Larson crossed the finish line 4.537 seconds ahead of runner-up Bubba Wallace (No. 23 Toyota), who duplicated Larson’s Lap 18 pit stop strategy but couldn’t match Larson's speed. Tyler Reddick (No. 45 Toyota) finished third. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service)
(Honda)
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has announced plans to participate in the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1) from the 2026 season as a power unit supplier. Honda has agreed to enter into a works partnership with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team to supply power units compliant with the new F1 power unit regulations, which will take effect in the 2026 season. In pursuit of its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, starting from the 2026 season, F1 will implement new regulations with an engine/electric motor maximum power output ratio of 50/50. This will represent a significant increase in the deployment of electrical power compared to the current ratio, while use of a 100% sustainable fuel is also required. The Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), which has become responsible for both auto and motorcycle motorsports activities since 2022, will assume responsibility for the development of power units, race participation and the management for F1 racing as well.
Our dearly departed billboard at Road America. As most of you know, Peter coined the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" and gifted it to the track. -WG
The overall vision of Road America grew out of the dreams of Clif Tufte, a highway engineer, who chose 525 acres of Wisconsin farmland outside the Village of Elkhart Lake for the track. The natural topography of the glacial Kettle Moraine area was utilized for the track and for fan viewing areas, sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines. Since opening in 1955, countless facility improvements have been made over the years, but the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course itself is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out. Now in 2023, an entirely new track surface stands ready for racers and enthusiasts alike. - Road America
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG