Rocket Pro TPO to sponsor first all-female teamโs car at Indianapolis 500
Rocket Mortgage to sponsor all female team with Detroit ties at the Indy 500DETROIT โ Rocket Mortgage will be sponsoring Simona D Silvestroโs No. Rocket Pro TPO, the division of Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage which works exclusively with independent mortgage brokers, will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. Paretta Autosport said Rocket Pro TPO will be front-and-center with dominant branding on the car, firesuit and crew suits. โHaving Rocket Pro TPO come onboard as our primary sponsor for this yearโs Indy 500 is a perfect partnership,โ said Beth Paretta, CEO/team principal of Paretta Autosport. Owner Beth Paretta lives in the Detroit area while her Paretta Autosport has a technical alliance with Team Penske.
Roger Penske bullish on large crowd for Indianapolis 500
FILE - Roger Penske looks over the track from the grandstand at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Thursday, July 2, 2020, file photo. There will be fans at this year's Indianapolis 500, Penske said Monday, March 22, 2021, but how many remains a moving target based on pandemic restrictions. (AP Photo/Jenna Fryer, File)A fully vaccinated Roger Penske is hard at work at Indianapolis Motor Speedway preparing for a full season of racing that will include spectators at his showcase event. There will be fans at this year's Indianapolis 500, Penske said Monday, but how many remains a moving target based on COVID-19 restrictions. Penske noted Monday that the positivity rate for COVID-19 for Marion County, where Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located, was 3.1%.
Women-led race team gearing up to run in Indianapolis 500
FILE - In this May 12, 2015, file photo, driver Simona de Silvestro, of Switzerland, watches during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. Beth Paretta and Simona de Silvestro will be teaming up to put another woman on the Indianapolis 500 starting grid this May. She wants to send the first female driver to victory lane at the Indianapolis 500 with the support of a predominantly female cast. โItโs that idea if you find something that you love and you work hard at, maybe the result isnโt a race team but thereโs somewhere you can fit. Now she's back with a five-time 500 starter, Simona de Silvestro, and some assistance from Team Penske, the most successful team in Indy history.
NBC poised to bring unprecedented Indy 500 to huge audience
But the Indy 500 is the Indy 500, Tirico continued, and there's never been one like this year. There will be no Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade on Saturday. I often say the most magical moment, at least for me, is the 30 minutes leading up tot he green flag at the Indianapolis 500 each year, Boles said. This is the race event that even the pandemic isn't going to stop, said Leigh Diffey, who will handle the race call once the green flag drops. For the Indy 500 to happen this year is just reward for the series and our production group, people you will never know their names or faces.
Roger Penske to Indianapolis 500 fans: 'I wanted you here'
Ryan Hunter-Reay leads a group of cars off pit lane during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS Roger Penske will not pretend he is not disappointed he can't open the gates to spectators for his first Indianapolis 500 as steward of the iconic event. Penske purchased Indianapolis Motor Speedway in January and spent an additional $15 million on capital improvements for an enhanced fan experience. Without fans roaming the property and celebrating at downtown Indianapolis establishments, the buildup to Sunday's race has lacked the energy that elevates the Indy 500 into a world-class event. Penske opened Thursday's media day for the field of 33 drivers by sending a letter to the Indianapolis fan base.
An Andretti wins first Indy 500 pole for family in 33 years
Marco Andretti sits in his pit box before the start of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS Marco Andretti has won the pole for the Indianapolis 500 in a lightning-fast first step toward snapping the infamous Andretti Curse at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mario Andretti won his third and final pole for the Indy 500 in 1987, when grandson Marco was an infant. Mario Andretti scored the only Indy 500 win for the family in 1969; Michael Andretti fell short in 16 tries and the Aug. 23 race will be Marco Andretti's 15th attempt. Andretti will sit on the front row alongside two former Indy 500 winners.
Andretti puts 2 cars at the front of Indy 500 qualifying
The Pagoda is seen before a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS Andretti Autosport claimed the top of the speed chart midway through Indianapolis 500 qualifying, with former race winners Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi leading a strong Honda showing. Teammate Hunter-Reay was waiting on pit lane to make his run when Rossi radioed feedback from his four laps. Hunter-Reay made a quick adjustment then bumped Rossi with a qualifying run of 231.330 mph. We knew we had the speed, Hunter-Reay said.
Marco Andretti breaks 233 mph on 'Fast Friday' at Indy
Marco Andretti packs up his gear following practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS The horsepower boost sent speeds skyrocketing over 233 mph early on Fast Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Andretti Autosport cars quickly jumped to the top of the board with Marco Andretti logging a lap of 233.491 miles per hour (375.77 kilometres per hour). It's the fastest lap in a practice which is considered unofficial since Sebastien Bourdais went 233.116 mph in 2017. The first thing you need is speed and then you need to put the four laps together," Andretti said.
Dixon leads opening practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, pulls out fo the pits during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS Scott Dixon, already off to a tremendous start to the IndyCar season, quickly set the pace on the first day of practice for the Indianapolis 500. Dixon turned a lap of 224.047 mph (360.57 kph) around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the two-hour session for veterans. He has won the Indy 500 once in his career. The day was scheduled to conclude with a 150-minute open practice session.
Penske reverses course, closes Indianapolis 500 to fans
FILE - In this May 26, 2019, file photo, Simon Pagenaud, of France, leads the field through the first turn on the start of the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. Roger Penske has reversed course and decided not to allow fans at the Indianapolis 500 later this month. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)Roger Penske has reversed course and decided not to allow fans at the Indianapolis 500 later this month. Penske had initially said he wouldn't run the 500 without fans. The situation was compounded last week when IU Health, the states largest health care system and a partner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said it opposed fans attending the 500.
Indy 500 to reduce capacity to 25 percent, lift blackout
FILE - In this May 26, 2019, file photo, Simon Pagenaud, of France, leads the field through the first turn on the start of the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)INDIANAPOLIS The Indianapolis 500 will limit fan attendance to 25% of capacity and lift a local broadcast blackout for just the second time in nearly seven decades when the postponed race is run next month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Speedway officials released a detailed 88-page plan Wednesday for conducting the 104th edition of the race in the age of the coronavirus. Penske Entertainment chief executive Mark Miles acknowledged everything will be different about this year's race.Capacity will be limited to 87,500 fans at the massive speedway. Tickets will be distributed so that groups of fans are socially distanced and many ancillary events, such as Legends Day and the 500 Festival Parade, have been canceled.
NASCAR races on at Indy after Johnson contracts coronavirus
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will miss what was supposed to be his final Brickyard 400 as he quarantines following the Friday test result. Johnson said he was disappointed and worried about the emotional impact of the positive tests on his young children. Johnson also spent a day this week in Dallara's simulator as preparation for a now-postponed Indy car test. With both races on network, we do hope fans will tune in and get to see really great racing," Penske said. And then there is Keselowski, the first Team Penske driver to give the boss a Cup Series win at his favorite race track.
Hot start for IndyCar season at Texas that is usual midpoint
FORT WORTH, Texas FORT WORTH, TexasIndyCar drivers finally were able to get on the track, on a steamy day in Texas at what would usually be the midpoint of their season. It was the start of an all-in-one-day event, with the practice session and qualifying and the 200-lap race all in the same day. All of the teams were already in St. Petersburg, Florida, for what was supposed to be the season opener March 15. Texas became the season opener while keeping its originally scheduled date, which was supposed to be the ninth of 17 races. He was in Europe when IndyCar announced the start of the season.
Back on track: IndyCar delayed debut all-in-one Texas affair
FILE - In this June 8, 2019, file photo, Josef Newgarden does a burnout after winning the IndyCar auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. IndyCar opens its pandemic-delayed season with an all-in-one-day show Saturday on the fast high-banked 1 -mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway, more than eight months after the 2019 finale. Only Indianapolis Motor Speedway has hosted IndyCar races longer than TMS, which has had races each year since opening in 1997, including the season finales from 1999-2004. Hinchcliffe put together a three-race deal with Andretti Autosport that includes the Indianapolis 500 after he abruptly lost his ride with Arrow McLaren last year. Kanaan is closing out his IndyCar career with the TK Farewell Tour," racing at oval tracks and the Indianapolis 500.
Benched: Helio Castroneves on missing Detroit Grand Prix, Dancing with the Stars win
Its a race that driver Helio Castroneves has won three times -- and would have been racing for his record-tying fourth win on Sunday. Weve been going back and forth with virtual racing," Castroneves said. Its not the real thing, though.The auto racing driver says he cant wait to get back behind the wheel of an actual car. Im soon going to be wearing silver sneakers as they call me the old guy, Castroneves said. The Detroit Grand Prix is where Castroneves got his first-ever IndyCar win.
IndyCar drivers cope with strange Memorial Day weekend
FILE - This May 26, 2019, file photo shows Simon Pagenaud, of France, celebrating after winning the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis. The Indy 500 has been rescheduled for Aug. 23, 2020, and won't be run on Memorial Day weekend as scheduled for the first time since its return in 1946. On Sunday, he'd chase a second straight Indianapolis 500 victory. Instead, he is spending the Memorial Day weekend quietly at home, far away from deafening engines and roaring crowds. Fans just might park around Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend and celebrate their annual traditions anyway.