Pre Season Testing Underway

The first test of the new season.

                             Scott Dixons new colours for 2018 revealed early this week.

The sleek and racy 2018 Indy car had its first en masse showing in the opening day of the preseason open test at ISM Raceway, and it couldn't have come quickly enough.

Twenty-three Verizon IndyCar Series entries took part in six hours of practice on the 1.022-mile oval outside Phoenix that will play host to the second race of the 2018 season in April. More than 2,600 laps were completed to the delight of the drivers involved.

"It was nice to get behind the wheel of a car on an oval after everybody has been talking about it for so long," said Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the No. 28 DHL Honda. "Got to get in there, get a feel for it myself. I liked it. It was good fun. Definitely (the car feels) lighter, a lot lighter than when we were here last year."

The lighter feeling Hunter-Reay referenced is from the universal aero kit every Verizon IndyCar Series competitor is using for the first time this year. The new design with its bold look produces significantly less downforce than the previous competitive aero kits from manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda. 

Most of the downforce is now generated from underneath the car, which can make it feel less stable, or lighter, through turns. It puts driver skill front and center in developing a fast car that handles well.

"It's different," reigning series champion Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, said of the 2018 car. "I think there's definitely adjustments that need to be made from last year, obviously. It's useful to have this time and to be able to work through everything because I think we're all going to need it."

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing set the pace in each of the day's three-hour sessions. Defending Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato, who rejoined RLL this season after five seasons away, led the afternoon practice with a lap of 187.022 mph (19.6726 seconds) in the No. 30 Honda. Teammate Graham Rahal was fastest in the evening practice and quickest overall in the No. 15 Honda, at 189.090 mph (19.4574 seconds).

"We're good and Takuma is right behind us," Rahal said. "And frankly, that lap wasn't anywhere near what the potential was. We were on a (19.30-second lap), but I caught traffic.

"The car has pace. Both cars have pace, and so that's awesome. We haven't had a lot of luck here the last few years. We're used to coming here and getting our butts kicked. To be able to come here and be competitive with this aero kit is awesome."

Sato followed up being fastest in the afternoon by running second to his teammate under the lights with a lap of 189.065 mph.

"I was happy to get back behind the wheel," Sato said. "This is our first oval test with the team. It wasn't flawless because we had some electrical issues again, but the engineers deal with it very well. Once we get going, I think we were very comfortable."

The lone incident of the day came with less than 30 minutes remaining in the evening practice. Rookie Matheus "Matt" Leist spun in the No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet exiting Turn 2, but did not make wall contact.

"I was already doing race stints, we had already done our qualifying (simulation) stint," said Leist, who was fastest in a Thursday test among five rookies and two drivers who had no previous ISM Raceway experience in an Indy car. "Tony (Kanaan, Leist's teammate) was coming out of the pits and I was behind him, and he stopped too much. I was carrying a lot of speed and I lost the rear and it just spun. Fortunately, I didn't make contact."

Team Penske's Simon Pagenaud, who won last year's Phoenix Grand Prix at ISM Raceway, was third at night and overall, at 188.430 mph in the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden clocked in fourth overall, at 188.182 mph.

Al, I can say is roll on March 11th and the first race of the new season at St Pete its going to be a great season once again and with these off season changes  its like a fresh start for everyone.

Below is the round up on how the day ended for everyone.

1 15 Rahal, Graham D/H/F Test Session 3 00:19.4574 189.090 110

2 30 Sato, Takuma D/H/F Test Session 3 00:19.4600 189.065 163

3 22 Pagenaud, Simon D/C/F Test Session 3 00:19.5256 188.430 124

4 1 Newgarden, Josef D/C/F Test Session 3 00:19.5513 188.182 150

5 14 Kanaan, Tony D/C/F Test Session 3 00:19.5904 187.806 64

6 28 Hunter-Reay, Ryan D/H/F Test Session 3 00:19.5990 187.724 122

7 98 Andretti, Marco D/H/F Test Session 3 00:19.6393 187.339 102

8 9 Dixon, Scott D/H/F Test Session 3 00:19.6807 186.945 91

9 27 Rossi, Alexander D/H/F Test Session 3 00:19.7134 186.634 121

10 4 Leist, Matheus (R) D/C/F Test Session 3 00:19.7154 186.616 159

11 12 Power, Will D/C/F Test Session 3 00:19.7432 186.353 160

12 18 Bourdais, Sebastien D/H/F Test Session 2 00:19.8250 185.584 103

13 21 Pigot, Spencer D/C/F Test Session 3 00:19.9261 184.642 252

14 6 Wickens, Robert (R) D/H/F Test Session 3 00:19.9364 184.547 203

15 23 Kimball, Charlie D/C/F Test Session 3 00:19.9495 184.426 102

16 20 Carpenter, Ed D/C/F Test Session 3 00:20.0271 183.711 100

17 5 Hinchcliffe, James D/H/F Test Session 3 00:20.0465 183.533 109

18 10 Jones, Ed D/H/F Test Session 2 00:20.0593 183.416 95

19 59 Chilton, Max D/C/F Test Session 3 00:20.0626 183.386 129

20 19 Fittipaldi, Pietro (R) D/H/F Test Session 1 00:20.0669 183.347 242

21 26 Veach, Zach (R) D/H/F Test Session 3 00:20.1814 182.306 169

22 32 Kaiser, Kyle (R) D/C/F Test Session 2 00:20.2367 181.808 254

23 88 Chaves, Gabby D/C/F Test Session 3 00:20.3407 180.879 122

24 26 Andretti, Marco D/H/F Test Session 1 00:20.5878 178.708 18

(R) Rookie
Total Laps for Combined Sessions: 3264
(C)hassis: D=Dallara | (A)erokit: C=Chevy, H=Honda | (E)ngine: C=Chevy, H=Honda | (T)ire: F=Firestone

Information provided by Indy Racing Information System - Copyright INDYCAR 2018 

Media details from Indy Car Media.

The Windscreen arrives.

INDYCAR will take the next step in the evolution of its driver safety program by testing a windscreen on an Indy car for the first time on track, Thursday, Feb. 8, at ISM Raceway. The test will be held in conjunction with the Verizon IndyCar Series' preseason open test near Phoenix.

The windscreen, under development for nearly two years, will be affixed to a Chip Ganassi Racing Honda driven by four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon. The primary goal of the test will be to validate visual acuity for the driver in various lighting conditions - under full sun, at dusk and at night under track lighting. Seen above is my good friend and Dixon Crew Chief Blair Julian (in black at rear) assisting in the fitting of the screen for the test.

The testing will take place on the day set aside for rookie oval testing and Dixon is expected to turn his first laps in the late afternoon. 

"This has been a long process, one that's been very methodical and purposeful," INDYCAR President of Competition and Operations Jay Frye said of the windscreen project. "We have been striving to create a safety piece that aesthetically looks good and works in all conditions, and this is a test of those things. Any piece we put on an Indy car must work for multiple types of venues and different lighting conditions. It has to be versatile."

The windscreen is made of a proprietary Opticor advanced transparency material by PPG, the same material the company uses in its production of fighter jet canopies. The material has shown to be stronger, lighter and more impact-resistant than polycarbonate previously used, according to Jeff Horton, INDYCAR's director of engineering and safety, who has spearheaded windscreen development with Dr. Terry Trammell, INDYCAR medical consultant.

The prototype windscreen has been tested in a scale-model wind tunnel and racing simulator at Dallara, INDYCAR's chassis producer. Harding Racing's Gabby Chaves provided driver feedback after testing in the Dallara driving simulator last year. The on-track test at ISM Raceway is the next step in its evolution, though Frye said there is no timetable for implementation in Verizon IndyCar Series competition.

"We've tested this at Dallara's simulator, but this will be the first time it has been on a car at speed," Frye said. "So, this is just the next step in the process."

It certainly will be very interesting to read and hear the comments after the test and the INDYCAR version is certainly way more pleasing on the eye than the currently seen versions of the F1 Halo due to be used in this years up coming F1 Season.

Photos from INDYCAR Media.

Things changing for the Indy 500 and other pre season changes

Indianapolis 500 qualifying points modified among 2018 rules updates

INDYCAR teams have received the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Official Rule Book that includes rules updates and procedural modifications for the upcoming season. Among the changes are the amount of championship points earned for Indianapolis 500 qualifying.

Qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil are set for May 19-20, a week ahead of the 102nd running of the race on May 27. This year, driver and entrant points will be awarded to the top nine qualifiers for the race. The pole winner earns nine points and the second-fastest qualifier eight points, with awarded points decreasing by one point for each position down to one point earned by the ninth-fastest qualifier.

Race points for the Indianapolis 500 and the 2018 season finale, the Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sept. 16, will still pay double the normal points for driver and entrant.

Among other changes for 2018:

• The qualifying order for all oval track events except the Indianapolis 500 will be determined by entrant points entering the event. The qualifying order will run in reverse order of entrant points, with the highest in entrant points qualifying last. A car without entrant points will be placed at the front of the qualifying line. If more than one car has no entrant points entering an event, a blind draw among those cars will determine their qualifying order at the front of the line. The qualifying order for the Indianapolis 500 will still be determined by a blind draw.
• Times have been set for the series-wide open test at ISM Raceway (formerly Phoenix Raceway), scheduled for Feb. 9-10. The track will be open to all cars from 3-6 p.m. and 8-11 p.m. ET both days. INDYCAR has also added four hours of track time on Feb. 8 (3-7 p.m. ET) for rookie drivers to complete their oval test assessments.
• The series-wide open test at Portland International Raceway will be held Aug. 30, a day prior to the beginning of the Grand Prix of Portland race weekend. Indy car racing returns to the Pacific Northwest for the first time in 11 years in 2018.
• A schedule change for the month of May will see the INDYCAR garages closed on May 13 - the day after the INDYCAR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course - to allow teams time off for Mother's Day. The track will not be open to the public on this day. The garages will be open on May 14, but there will be no on-track activity. Practice for the 2018 Indianapolis 500 begins Tuesday, May 15 on the IMS oval, with the first two hours open for rookie orientation and veteran refreshers, then to all cars. Practice continues May 16-18, ahead of qualifications weekend May 19-20.
• INDYCAR is granting teams that did not participate in fall manufacturer testing with the universal aero kit an additional half day of private testing. The testing is limited to one car per team and must take place in conjunction with the team's first on-track test of 2018. Each team is permitted five hours of track time and two sets of Firestone tires.
• Working with Firestone, INDYCAR has increased the tire allotment at five events. The race weekends at ISM Raceway, the Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Texas Motor Speedway, the streets of Toronto and Iowa Speedway will see teams receive an additional set of tires. In a related change, drivers outside the top 10 in the point standings will no longer have an extra set of tires available to them for the opening practice session of a race weekend.
• The minimum car weight for 2018 has been increased by 10 pounds - to 1,620 pounds for road and street courses and short ovals, 1,590 pounds for superspeedways (both do not include fuel, drink bottle and its contents, driver and driver equivalency weight) - to accommodate for new parts and additional on-car cameras related to the universal aero kit all competitors will run in 2018.

The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule consists of 17 races, beginning with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 11 and concluding with the Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sept. 16. Teams will gather for a series-wide open test at ISM Raceway on Feb. 9-10, with the second day of testing offering free admission for fans to attend.  

Media supplied from IndyCar Media Services and photos from the David Turner collection.

The New Year and lots of IndyCar News.

Jordan King is in a ECR in 2018.

Ed Carpenter Racing officials have announced the completed lineup of the team’s No. 20 Chevrolet with the addition of British driver Jordan King. The native of Warwickshire, England will compete in the 11 road and street course events for Ed Carpenter Racing in the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet. The only owner/driver in the Verizon INDYCAR Series, Ed Carpenter, will continue to pilot the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet at all oval races. King’s transition to Indy car racing is the next step in a young career which has seen him ascend the European motorsport ranks. 

Though the 23-year-old has not yet competed in a U.S.-based racing series, he joins the INDYCAR field with numerous accolades, including the FIA Institute’s 2015 Driver of the Year and the 2013 British Formula 3 championship. “I am beyond excited to get started in the Verizon INDYCAR Series,” stated King. “After winning at Silverstone in 2016 and being able to drive in F1 practice, 2017 was not what I was hoping for. Going into the new season, I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity with ECR to work towards our collective goals. I believe that together, both of us have the capability to do well.”

After beginning in karts in 2005, King progressed to single-seaters in 2010. After two years in Formula Renault, King claimed the 2013 British Formula 3 championship in his debut season with three wins and eight podium finishes. He has spent the last three seasons honing his craft in Formula 2, previously known as GP2. While serving as a development driver for Manor F1 in 2015 and 2016, he participated in several tests and drove in practice sessions at the 2016 United States Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Most recently, King competed for MP Motorsport in the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship, collecting Top 10 finishes in over half of the races.

“We are very excited to welcome Jordan to the ECR family and to have him in the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet for the 2018 road and street course races,” proclaimed team owner Carpenter. “I first met Jordan at Sonoma Raceway in 2016 as he was exploring opportunities in INDYCAR. He is a very motivated, intelligent and hungry driver, which is exactly what we are looking for at ECR. Jordan has had a lot of success and experience in Europe and I can’t wait to see what he is capable of with ECR in the Verizon INDYCAR series.”

Since 2014, the No. 20 has been split between Carpenter on the ovals a second driver at the remaining events. Spencer Pigot became the first driver to retain the No. 20’s road and street course seat for a second season when he drove the car in both 2016 and 2017. The 24-year-old from Orlando, Fla. was promoted to the full-time driver of ECR’s No. 21 entry for the 2018 season, providing King with the opportunity to become the road and street course driver for the No. 20. Indianapolis native Carpenter, 36, will remain the oval driver of the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet in his 16th year of Indy car competition.

King, who will be a true Indy car rookie, is excited for the opportunity to partner with Carpenter, one of the most veteran drivers in the field. “Sharing the No. 20 seat with Ed gives me a great opportunity to learn from him and the team while racing at the road and street courses will let me put into practice what I have learned,” said King. King is represented by UK-based MB Partners. CEO Mark Blundell ( former F1 and ChampCar driver) commented, “The focus for Jordan was to give him a platform to build from in Indy Car and the opportunity with Ed and ECR is the perfect fit. Ed will be a great mentor. Having a full road and street course program alongside some oval testing will allow Jordan to show his racecraft and ability in some of the most competitive open wheel racing in the world today.”

Fans will get closer than ever to INDYCAR action with 2018 TV schedule in the US and the Global Markets.

INDYCAR and its broadcast partners announced the 2018 television schedule today featuring an expanded use of in-car cameras to bring fans the thrilling action of the Verizon IndyCar Series from a variety of new angles in the upcoming 17-race season. 

ABC and NBCSN will utilize never-before-seen views of the intense racing that the Verizon IndyCar Series offers with cameras strategically placed on the universal bodywork kit that is new for all cars in 2018. In addition to the traditional in-car position above and behind the driver's head, cameras will be mounted to the nose, sidepod and rear attenuator. There also will be expanded use of the popular visor cam mounted on the driver's helmet and pioneered by INDYCAR. 

"This is a unique opportunity to bring the sport even closer to the television audience," said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., which owns INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "INDYCAR has experienced 38 percent growth in audience over the past four years and providing a firsthand look at the exhilarating action is a way to win over even more fans." 

The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season consists of 17 races in the United States and Canada. ABC will again air five races, beginning March 11 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (12:30 p.m. ET), which opens the season for the eighth consecutive year. The network rejoins the series on May 12 for the fifth annual INDYCAR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (3:30 p.m. ET). 

ABC will celebrate its 54th year at the Indianapolis 500 with qualifying May 19-20 (4 p.m. ET) and the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 27 (11 a.m. ET). 

"The Indianapolis 500 is one of the world's iconic sporting events and it's always an honor for ESPN and ABC to bring the pageantry and excitement to our viewers as we have for the past 53 years," said Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president, programming and scheduling. "And with the other big events of the month of May at Indy as well as the season opener at St. Petersburg and the doubleheader in Detroit on our calendar, IndyCar Series fans will have the opportunity to enjoy a robust schedule of racing events from a diverse selection of venues." 

The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, the only doubleheader weekend on the 2018 schedule, will conclude ABC's coverage for the season (June 2-3, each broadcast starting at 3:30 p.m. ET). 

Twelve 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series races will be telecast by NBCSN, which in 2017 saw a 3 percent increase in viewership over the previous year. The network kicks off its season under the lights at ISM Raceway (formerly Phoenix Raceway) on April 7 (9 p.m. ET), followed by the historic Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (April 15, 4 p.m. ET) and Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (April 22, 3 p.m. ET). 

Two NBCSN races will have earlier time slots than last year. The Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway on July 8 will air at 2 p.m. ET, while the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park will air at 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 25. 

NBCSN will also air Miller Lite Carb Day activities on May 25 (11 a.m. ET), which includes final practice for the Indianapolis 500 and the marquee race of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires schedule, the Freedom 100. NBCSN will track the hunt for the Verizon IndyCar Series championship throughout its coverage of the final nine races of the season, including the previously announced new race at Portland International Raceway on Sept. 2 (2:30 p.m. ET) and culminating in the championship finale at Sonoma Raceway on Sept. 16 (6:30 p.m. ET). 

"As the cable home of the Verizon IndyCar Series, NBCSN is proud to once again showcase the exciting racing that INDYCAR delivers at each event," said Jon Miller, president, programming, NBC Sports Group. "Our schedule features iconic circuits like Long Beach and Road America and the final nine races of the season, including INDYCAR's return to Portland, as we crown another INDYCAR champion on NBCSN in 2018." 

         For U.S. readers this is the broadcast breakdown of the 2018 Season

INDYCAR names Novak as Verizon IndyCar Series race director

INDYCAR has named veteran race official Kyle Novak as race director for the Verizon IndyCar Series. Jay Frye, INDYCAR president of competition and operations, made the announcement today.

As race director, Novak will lead operations in Race Control at all Verizon IndyCar Series events. Race Control utilizes a variety of video, audio and data communications to oversee all aspects of competition and assure a safe, timely and competitive event. Novak will also work in conjunction with INDYCAR's race stewards to initiate reviews of on-track incidents, though it will remain with the panel of stewards to decide whether a penalty should be levied against a driver or team.

"Throughout our extensive search for a race director, one name was mentioned repeatedly - and that was Kyle Novak," Frye said. "We have been aware of Kyle's work for the past couple of years. He's clearly impressed those he's worked with and, after meeting with him, we knew he would be a great fit for our Race Control team. Kyle has a great future and we couldn't be more excited to have him as part of INDYCAR."

Novak has spent the past three years as a race director or steward for various sports car series sanctioned by IMSA, but the 36-year-old attorney by trade has a lengthy motorsports resume. It began in drag racing, where for years he has joined his father and brother in amateur bracket racing competition near their home in Dexter, Michigan, outside Ann Arbor. They own two cars.

"Always been a gearhead," Novak said. "Always working on cars; muscle cars, mostly. That's how I got my feet wet, and then one thing led to another. And here I am."

Novak's introduction to Indy car racing came as the operations manager and director of operations for the group promoting Champ Car races in Cleveland, Denver and Houston from 2004-08. His jobs in the years that followed were as a program manager for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series with the Sports Car Club of America; a team manager for the Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup Series now sanctioned by INDYCAR; and then IMSA, where he has been race director for the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge, while also serving as a race steward for IMSA's top series, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Novak said the chance to work with Frye and other staff members he already knows simplified the decision to join INDYCAR.

"Jay and I hit it off immediately - it's the fresh outlook he brings that is a huge part of it (for me)," Novak said. "Ironically enough, three people who work in INDYCAR Race Control are some of the first people I met in the industry, and that goes all the way back to 2004. Those are among the key people I'll be working with on a day-to-day basis. There's a great deal of familiarity with them.

"Motorsports is such a small industry that many of the people who have helped me over the years have stayed with me as industry colleagues. But INDYCAR has always been at the forefront of professional motorsports in North America, and I had the opportunity on several occasions to witness that first hand, since many IMSA races are run in conjunction with INDYCAR events. I can't thank the people at IMSA enough for the opportunities I was given and for their assistance in making this a smooth transition to INDYCAR. "I can't wait to get started."

The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season consists of 17 races, beginning with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 11, concluding with the Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sept. 16 and anchored by the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 27. The season will feature the highly anticipated introduction of the sleek new universal aero kit on every competing car.

Only one week into the New year and lots of announcements already and plenty more to come as well in whats shaping up to be a massive 2018 racing season.

Photos and Media Quotes provided by IndyCar Media

More news on the 2018 Season

Michael Shank Racing and driver Jack Harvey will embark on a six-race Verizon INDYCAR Series program next season. The announcement, made last Friday at the PRI Trade Show in the Indiana Convention Center, is the latest step for Shank as he continues to build towards a full-time Verizon INDYCAR Series program. “It’s a big step for my team. We’ve been trying to do it for a long, long time,” said team owner Michael Shank. “We felt it was the right time, the right situation, everything was kind of lining up to do it the right way. We’ve been in business for 23 years racing cars solely for a living and we’ve taken conservative steps every step of the way. We saw this as a shot to be competitive, not over reach our budget and try to build something over the next two years.”

The car, which will carry sponsorship from SiriusXM and AutoNation, will also have technical support from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Shank said Friday the team recently acquired a new chassis, which will be assembled at the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports before being handed off to MSR.“I’m good with taking small steps. It’s that conservative side that has served us well,” Shank said. “It has gotten us a lot of wins and poles and things in sports cars. We have a lot to prove in IndyCar though. We have the right people in place already, equipment is ordered and the technical alliance has started to work, so we’ll see.”

Shank said the team will kick off the season at in St. Petersburg, Fla., before heading to Long Beach, Calif., and then Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500. Three additional races will be announced at a later date. Curb Records, CAP and Associates, Rocky Fork Co. and Roberts Service Group will also serve as sponsors for the Verizon INDYCAR Series program.

Harvey returns to Michael Shank Racing after joining the team to compete in the Indianapolis 500 last season. He started 27th and finished 30th after a crash on lap 65. He also made two additional starts with Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports, scoring a best finish of 14th at Watkins Glen Int’l.“I’m extremely lucky with AutoNation and SiriusXM that they have stuck with me this year and this relationship is growing and building,” Harvey said. “It’s a multi-year agreement with the two teams I raced with last year. I like Michael a lot as person,” Harvey continued. “He’s been extremely successful in everything that he has done. I know Sam so well because he brought me from Europe to North America in the first place. This is a great collaboration of people.”

Photo and Media from IndyCar Media

25 Years on.

The 2018 Verizon INDYCAR Series race at Phoenix Raceway will commemorate the 25th anniversary of legendary driver Mario Andretti’s final Indy car victory, nearly 25 years to the day it happened.

Andretti, whose 52 career wins rank second only to A.J. Foyt’s 67 in Indy car annals, drove to the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway on April 4, 1993. A full schedule of events surrounding the Phoenix Grand Prix on April 6-7, 2018, will honor Andretti’s achievement and the track’s deep Indy Car history. The weekend culminates with the April 7 race under the lights featuring the current stars of the Verizon INDYCAR Series and the cars with the highly anticipated new universal aero kit.

“There’s no more important name in motorsports than Mario Andretti,” said Bryan Sperber,president of Phoenix Raceway, the 1.022-mile oval that has hosted 63 previous Indy Car races dating to 1964. “He is also a cultural icon and his name resonates around the world with fans and non-fans alike. To be in a position to host the anniversary celebration of his final open-wheel victory at Phoenix Raceway is truly special. I can’t wait to welcome back the drivers and race cars that created history here 25 years ago.”  

Driving the No. 6 Kmart/Texaco Havoline Lola/Ford (shown above), Andretti led 39 of 200 laps in the 1993 Valvoline 200 at Phoenix. He won by a lap over Raul Boesel in a race that featured eight eventual Indianapolis 500 winners – Andretti, Eddie Cheever, Emerson Fittipaldi, Buddy Lazier, Arie Luyendyk, Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser Jr. – as well as the likes of Jimmy Vasser, Lyn St. James, Robby Gordon and Teo Fabi. Nigel Mansell, the reigning Formula One champion who had become Andretti’s teammate that season at Newman/Haas Racing, was injured in a practice crash and did not race.

The win made Andretti the oldest Indy car winner on a traditional race course, at 53 years, 1 month, 7 days. The oldest winner on any type circuit was Louis Unser in the 1953 Pikes Peak Hill Climb when it was part of the AAA-sanctioned national championship. Unser was 57 years, 5 months, 22 days old at the time.

Andretti’s hall of fame career in Indy cars spanned 31 years (1964-94). He holds the record for most races (407), laps led (7,595), podium finishes (144) and pole positions (67). He is the first driver to win an Indy Car race in four consecutive decades and collected four season championships. The legendary driver excelled in all forms of motorsports, winning the Formula One world championship in 1978, collecting sports car wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring, the USAC Dirt Champ car circuit, as well as winning Nascar’s pinnacle event, the Daytona 500, in 1967. Phoenix Raceway will celebrate Andretti’s remarkable accomplishments on race weekend through special merchandise, trading cards, a tribute panel and special commemorative items for fans. Among the plans is a reunion of drivers who participated in the 1993 Indy car race. Fans attending will be able interact with legends of the sport such as Bobby Rahal, Lyn St. James and Arie Luyendyk in a panel discussion and autograph session. In addition, cars from the 1993 Indy Car field will be on display at the track for fans to enjoy.

The Phoenix Grand Prix is the second race on the 2018 Verizon INDYCAR Series schedule. For ticket information, visit PhoenixRaceway.com .

Media Supplied.

The Borg Warner on the Road

For the first time in its 82-year history, the Borg-Warner Trophy has left the United States. The iconic prize, which features the faces of every Indianapolis 500 winner -- along with former Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman -- is currently in Japan for a 15-day celebration of Takuma Sato's victory this past May in the 101st running of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."the Indy 500.

The Borg Warner trophy left its home at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum on late November and is flying to Tokyo for festivities to honor Sato as the first Japanese winner of 500 and to celebrate Honda's 12th 500 victory. According to the itinerary, stops on the Japanese tour include a variety of events in Tokyo, the Twin Ring Motegi race circuit and the Japanese cities of Nabari and Fukuroi.

"I think it is very special that the Borg-Warner Trophy is traveling to Japan," Sato said in a news release. "The trophy represents winning the greatest race in the world, and I am very proud to have won the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and have my image on the trophy. For nearly two weeks, the trophy will be seen throughout Japan by fans and media. I am honored to be the first Japanese driver to win the Indy 500 and extremely grateful the Borg-Warner Trophy will be traveling outside United States for the first time ever to celebrate my team's and Honda's accomplishments. Let's do it again next year, too!"

According to the release from the Speedway, the trophy will travel around 12,780 miles during its journey, which will end back at the IMS Museum on Dec. 12. 

Photo supplied from the IndyStar photographer Michelle Pemberton.