MARCH 13, 2024

(James Black/Penske Entertainment)

Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, driving the No. 2 Team Penske PPG Chevrolet to a 7.9121-second victory over the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of runner-up Pato O’Ward. Newgarden led 92 of 100 laps after capturing the NTT P1 Award on Saturday, earning his 30th career INDYCAR SERIES victory, breaking a tie with Team Penske legend Rick Mears for 13th on the all-time win list. Nashville native Newgarden also turned the quickest lap of the race. “I had a lot of fun today,” Newgarden said. “I think it’s so deserving for the work they (Team Penske) put in. We’ve worked really hard to close the gap. We didn’t have the speed we needed on road and street courses last year, at least on a consistency basis, and today we brought that speed. We had the execution, as always.” The victory Sunday was the pinnacle of an outstanding opening weekend for Team Penske on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit. Scott McLaughlin finished third in the No. 3 Team Penske DEX Imaging Chevrolet, while two-time series champion Will Power placed fourth in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Business Chevrolet to give the legendary team three of the top four finishing spots. Colton Herta rounded out the top five in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Two-time and reigning series champion Alex Palou climbed from 13th at the start to finish sixth in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Paul Kelly/INDYCAR)

(James Black/Penske Entertainment)

Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) finished second on Sunday.

(Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)

Scott McLaughlin finished third in the No. 3 Team Penske DEX Imaging Chevrolet.

(MotoGP)

MotoGP™ is finally back in action, with Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) dominating the opening Grand Prix of the season and taking the title lead. The Italian came across the line ahead of South African, Brad Binder (No. 33 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who finished one second behind. Joining them on the podium was last year’s runner-up, Jorge Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Ducati) in a solid result for the Spaniard. Watch race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP)

(Formula1.com)

Max Verstappen No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) continued his humbling of the opposition by taking a dominant victory in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while an action-packed event unfolded behind him. The Dutchman started from pole as the 50-lap race got underway and, from there, held an assured lead, despite an early Safety Car sparking a flurry of action in the pit lane where Red Bull were amongst the teams to risk a double-stack strategy. Sergio Perez (No. 11 Oracle Red Bull Racing) came home in P2 to mark a second consecutive one-two result for the team. The Mexican was handed a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release into the path of Fernando Alonso (No. 14 Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team) during that busy visit to the pits, but held enough of a gap to third-placed Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) to keep his position. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

(Formula1.com)

Oliver Bearman (No. 55 Scuderia Ferrari) admitted he was left feeling physically “destroyed” after his debut F1 race at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, in which the rookie scored points by crossing the line in seventh place. The 18-year-old put in a confident performance at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, having stepped in at Ferrari with limited notice on Friday morning following Carlos Sainz’s diagnosis of appendicitis. Bearman started from P11 on the grid but soon pulled off a series of overtakes, including moves on Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg. As the race wore on, the talented teenager faced pressure from the threat of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton behind on fresher tires, but he ultimately held on to claim P7, handing him six points in his first Formula 1 race. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG