MAY 18, 2016

(Photo by Mike Finnegan/INDYCAR)
Gabby Chaves (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda Turbo V6) was fastest in Thursday's fourth day of practice for the Indianapolis 500, with a tow-assisted lap of 227.961 mph. "It's only practice but it feels pretty good," said Chaves, the 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year for both the Indianapolis 500 and Verizon IndyCar Series who had been without a ride this season before Dale Coyne Racing brought him on this month. "It's my first time at the top of the charts here at IMS in an Indy car." Chaves was followed by Townsend Bell (No. 29 Andretti Autosport Honda Turbo V6), 227.593 mph; Carlos Munoz (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda Turbo V6), 227.589 mph; Conor Daly (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing ShirtsForAmerica.com Honda Turbo V6), 227.524 mph; and Charlie Kimball (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Tresiba Chevrolet Turbo V6), 227.477 mph. Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet Turbo V6) had the quickest non-tow lap speed of 225.381 mph.

(Photo by Walter Kuhn/INDYCAR)
Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 Andretti Autosport DHL Honda Turbo V6) was quickest in Wednesday's practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a speed of 228.202 mph. He was followed by teammate Carlos Munoz (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda Turbo V6) who had a best lap of 228.066 mph, and Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet Turbo V6) with a speed of 227.733 mph. Rookie Spencer Pigot (No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Mi-Jack/Manitowoc Honda Turbo V6) crashed heavily (below) in Turn 1 but was okay after the big hit.

(Photo by Mike Young/INDYCAR)

(Photo by Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR)
Monday (May 16th) was the opening day of practice for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Thirty-three cars - the total number of entries - ran on the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, totaling 1,972 laps. Although speeds were hard to decipher given the difference between aerodynamic "tow" laps and clear air laps, Andretti Autosport had five drivers in the top six. Marco Andretti (above) topped the leaderboard with a lap of 228.978 mph in the No. 27 Snapple Honda Turbo V6. "It was a definitely a good start for the team," said Andretti, the Verizon IndyCar Series driver in his eleventh year. Andretti has finished in the top four at the Indy 500 five times but has yet to win the race. "I think our team in particular looks pretty stout because we looked at the weather and moved things forward on the test plan from later in the week. I think we're really going to see how things will shake out in the next few days. I know how this month goes. It's definitely a roller coaster, so we're prepared for that, but it's a good opening day." Carlos Munoz (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda Turbo V6) was next quick at 228.945 mph, followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 Andretti Autosport DHL Honda Turbo V6) at 228.033 mph; rookie Alexander Rossi (No. 98 Andretti Autosport Curb/Castrol Edge Honda Turbo V6) at 226.865 mph; Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Target Chevrolet Turbo V6) at 226.835 mph and Townsend Bell (No. 29 Andretti Autosport Honda Turbo V6) was sixth at 226.724 mph. Rossi, the 24-year-old Californian and ex-F1 driver said that "It felt fast. It was definitely eye-opening in terms of not having any kind of prior comparison to a place like this. I was glad we got through (rookie orientation) without any issues, and this afternoon we got to work and it was a very good day for the team in general." Practice for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 continues Wednesday through Friday (Tuesday's practice session was rained out), from noon to 6 p.m. ET each day. Qualifying to set the 33-car field will be held Saturday and Sunday. The race airs on May 29th at 11 a.m. ET on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.

(Photo by Shawn Gritzmacher/INDYCAR)
Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske Menards Chevrolet Turbo V6) started from pole and then dominated the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday. Pagenaud took advantage of a key pit stop toward the end of the race by his Team Penske crew to seal the deal on what was an unseasonably chilly day at The Speedway. Pagenaud led a race-high 57 of the 82 laps. It was also the third win in a row for Pagenaud in the Verizon IndyCar Series. “The car was fantastic once again. The balance was perfect all race. When we were in the lead, we were cruising … obviously we had a great last pit stop, too,” said the 31-year-old Frenchman, who also won the inaugural Angie's List Grand Prix in 2014. “It’s incredible to win three in a row like this, and here in Indy for me, it’s very special. I lived here for nine years, so this place is very special in my heart.”

(Photo by Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR)
Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske Hum by Verizon Chevrolet Turbo V6) finished second on Saturday, 4.4748 behind Pagenaud, making it a 1-2 for Team Penske.

(Photo by Mike Harding/INDYCAR)
James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Arrow Electronics Honda Turbo V6) rolls by Charlie Kimball (No. 83 Chip Ganassi Racing Tresiba Chevrolet Turbo V6) in pit lane on Saturday during the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. After almost losing his life one year ago at The Speedway it was a triumphant return for Hinchcliffe, who started and finished third. Kimball finished fifth, the highest placing Ganassi entry.

(Photo by Mike Harding/INDYCAR)
Graham Rahal (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Steak 'n Shake Honda Turbo V6) gets service in pit lane during the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Rahal qualified third but was dropped to 24th after failing post-qualifying inspection. He charged back to finish a superb fourth on Saturday.

(Photo by Walter Kuhn/INDYCAR)
Conor Daly (No. 18 Jonathon Byrd's Hospitality & Restaurant Group Honda Turbo V6) finished sixth after leading 14 laps midway through the race. An impressive run for Daly.

(motorsport.com)
Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing/Renault) became the youngest winner in Formula 1 history - at eighteen years and 227 days - when he won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday in his debut for Red Bull Racing. Kimi Raikkonen (No. 7 Scuderia Ferrari) was second and Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) finished third. The big news, of course, was the major contretemps between Nico Rosberg (No. 6 AMG Petronas Mercedes) and Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 AMG Petronas Mercedes) on the very first lap. Rosberg had a better start than Hamilton, who was on pole, and passed him on the outside of Turn 1 to take the lead. But Hamilton had the better charge out of Turn 3 and moved to pass Rosberg on the right headed into Turn 4. Rosberg aggressively moved over on Hamilton, who had managed to get his front wing aligned with the German's right-rear tire. In trying to avoid contact with Rosberg, Hamilton took to the grass but immediately lost it, careening into Rosberg with both ending up in the gravel in Turn 4. Racing 101 suggests that whatever teammates do, just make sure that you don't take each other out. The result? A disastrous day for Mercedes. Niki Lauda, who has been vocal about everything in F1, immediately blamed Hamilton, but others don't agree. Editor-In-Chief's Note: I, for one, don't agree with Lauda, who has become a real crank of late. Rosberg's chop move was stupidly aggressive and unnecessary on the first lap. But, I'm sure Hamilton will be blamed because that's just the way the media is spinning things these days in the F1 circus. At any rate, a momentous day for Verstappen, who is going to have a big-time career. -PMD

(FIA World Rallycross Championship)
Mattias Ekstrom (No. 5 Team EKS Audi S1 RX Quattro) won the the Kapaza Rallycross of Belgium on Sunday to make it back-to-back victories and move into the lead of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy for the first time. Ekstrom beat Sebastien Loeb (No. 9 Team Peugeot-Hansen Peugeot 208 WRX) while defending two-time Champion Petter Solberg (No. 1 Citroen DS3) finished third. “I think that was probably one of the best weeks of my rallycross career!” reflected the Swede, who is now five points clear of Petter Solberg at the top of the World RX drivers’ standings. Team EKS RX also continues to lead the overall teams’ standings. The runner-up finish was Loeb’s best finish to date, as the Frenchman seems to be getting the hang of rallycross racing. “The level of competition in this championship is incredibly high,” nine-time WRC Champion Loeb commented. “There are really tight battles between a lot of drivers, meaning we have to push to the limit at all times and even the smallest of mistakes is heavily punished. It was hard work getting to the final, but I’m really happy to finish on the podium for the first time in World Rallycross and now the goal has to be to keep this positive momentum going.” See video highlights here.

(Matthew T. Thacker LAT Photo USA ©2016, courtesy of Toyota Racing)
Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Dollar General Toyota) held off a couple of hard-charging young guns to win the AAA Drive for Autism 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday. It was Kenseth's 37th win in NASCAR's top division. Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Target Chevrolet SS) gave Kenseth all he could handle, finishing second, while Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet SS) was a strong third. Get more NASCAR info here.

(Photo by Eric Meyer for GM/Chevrolet Racing)
Chevrolet and 16-time NHRA champion John Force unveiled the all-new 2016 Camaro SS Funny Car on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 in Brownsburg, Indiana. The new Funny Car body is the first based on the sixth-generation Camaro SS. Force will race the new Funny Car this weekend at the NHRA Kansas Nationals in Topeka, Kansas. Force’s teammates Courtney Force and Robert Hight will get their new Camaro SS Funny Cars later this season.

(VW)
Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross enters the 2016 Red Bull Global Rallycross championship this weekend, May 21-22, in Phoenix, with drivers Tanner Foust and Scott Speed back in the saddle of its 560HP Volkswagen Beetle GRC machines. The 2015 campaign was ultra-successful for Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross, including a series-high six race wins, the driver’s championship for Scott Speed, and overall team accolades for the season. The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team is a collaboration between Indianapolis-based Andretti Autosport and Volkswagen Motorsport in Hannover, Germany. The first two rounds of the 2016 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship will air on NBC Sports this Sunday, May 22 at 2:00PM (ET).

Editor's Note: Ford has just released "Let's Race" - the third of five chapters in “The Return,” which is a long-form documentary that follows the development of both the street car and race car versions of the Ford GT from the decision to build the cars to the return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Watch chapter one, "The Decision," here and chapter two, "The Cutting Edge," here. (FYI: The Autoextremist makes a cameo appearance in chapter one.) -WG