(IMS)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: We lost another all-time great this week as 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones passed away Tuesday in Torrance, California, at the age of 90. Look for next week's Fumes to cover the career of Parnelli Jones. - PMD
A statement from Roger Penske:
"The racing world has lost a great competitor and a true champion. Parnelli Jones was one of the most accomplished racers in history, and his determination and will to win made him one of the toughest competitors I have ever seen. From racing against him on track to competing against him as a fellow team owner, I always respected Parnelli's passion and commitment to the sport he loved. I was proud to call Parnelli a good friend for many years, and our thoughts are with his family as we remember one of the true legends of motorsports."
– Roger Penske
(INDYCAR)
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda) provided another master class in devising tactics on the fly with strategist Mike Hull by saving fuel to win an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race. Dixon prevailed in a caution-strewn Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday on the streets of Detroit. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon beat Marcus Ericsson by .8567 of a second in Ericsson’s best result of the season in the No. 28 Andretti Global Delaware Life Honda. Marcus Armstrong finished third in the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing Root Insurance Honda for his first career podium finish. “The team called it perfectly,” Dixon said. “We were on the right strategy. We won, man. How cool is that? “It’s just always the variables. Trying to stay out of trouble, trying to keep your car on track. We had rain. It was all over the shop out there. You had no idea how the transitions were going to fall or even the strategy. So stoked for everyone on the team. That was cool.” Dixon took the championship lead by 18 points from teammate Alex Palou with his second victory of the season, joining his win in April at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Dixon earned his 58th career victory, pulling him within nine wins of tying A.J. Foyt’s record of 67 career wins. “For sure; I think it always is,” Dixon said when asked if he’s focusing on tying Foyt’s record of seven series championships. “Until you’re out of it, you’re going to keep chasing it. It’s a team effort.” Watch the Race Highlights from NBC here. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)
(Honda)
(IMSA)
The drought ended in Detroit. Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 found their way to Victory Lane for the first time in 15 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races, a streak dating to August 2022. WTRAndretti was victorious earlier this year with its new-for-2024 IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class No. 40 entry at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac. But the organization’s flagship No. 10 team had endured almost 22 winless months despite leading the GTP class standings into the 2023 WeatherTech Championship finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Saturday at Detroit, it appeared not even a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility on the tight, 1.645-mile street course could deny victory to the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 driven Friday to the Motul Pole Award by Nick Tandy. But Taylor drafted Tandy’s co-driver Mathieu Jaminet down the long Jefferson Avenue straight, and he executed a clean pass into the Turn 3 hairpin with 25 minutes remaining in the 100-minute sprint race. Taylor held on through two additional restarts after short late-race cautions, and the No. 10 Acura prevailed by 1.132 seconds after 75 laps of rough-and-tumble street course racing. The No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R shared by Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande claimed third place, followed by the outside front row starting No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche and drivers Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron. The IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship (and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup) resumes June 20-23 at Watkins Glen International, when all four classes will be in action at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service) Watch the Extended Race Highlights from NBC here.
(IMSA)
The concrete canyons of the new 1.645-mile, nine-turn street course were enough to cause loose fillings for drivers and cars alike in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. Ultimately, the car with teeth on its grille and a new “gold tooth” for this race survived a tough bite of action Saturday on the way to its second successive Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class victory. AO Racing, with drivers Laurin Heinrich and Seb Priaulx wheeling “Rexy” the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R – featuring the T-Rex-inspired dinosaur livery – emerged from seeming hibernation to snatch an unlikely resurrection act after Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports appeared poised to dominate against the backdrop of General Motors’ corporate headquarters. The GTD PRO class resumes as part of an all-class WeatherTech Championship race, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, June 20-23. That race will be Round 5 of the GTD PRO season and Round 3 of the five-round IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. (Thank you to Tony DiZinno/IMSA Wire Service)
(MotoGP)
After a brilliant performance on Saturday, Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) stormed to a triumphant victory at Mugello – completing a perfect weekend. The #1 took the maximum points available at every opportunity this weekend – adding 37 points to his tally. Straight off the line, Bagnaia charged from fifth to first by turn two, while Jorge Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing) spent the race trying to match Bagnaia’s brilliant pace before an epic last lap move from Enea Bastianini (No. 23 Ducati Lenovo Team) demoted the Spaniard to third. With Martin rounding out the podium it drops his Championship advantage to 18 points leaving Italy. Meanwhile, behind the #89 at the line, and not by much was Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who narrowly missed out on a podium finish after starting in third - spending the majority of the Italian Grand Prix in the podium places. Watch the Best MotoGP Moments from the Italian GP here. (Thank you to MotoGP.com)
(Photo of Francesco Bagnaia by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)
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