Monday
Jul152019
JULY 17, 2019
Monday, July 15, 2019 at 09:59AM 
(Photo by Shawn Gritzmacher/INDYCAR)
French driver Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske DXC Technology Chevrolet Turbo V6) celebrated Bastille Day by dominating the NTT IndyCar Series Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday. It was Pagenaud's third victory of the season and 14th of his IndyCar career. Pagenaud started from the pole and led 80 of the 85 laps at Exhibition Place, holding off five-time series champion Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda Turbo V6) to score his first victory on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street circuit. "I'm very proud to fly the French flag here in a cousin country, which is Canada," said Pagenaud. "I guess (countryman Julian Alaphilippe) is leading the Tour de France today on the bike. I felt like I had to do the same." "We took off and the car handled really well," Pagenaud continued. "We definitely had an advantage on the tire wear. I knew we had a really good race car. We were able to match the Honda power (of Dixon) pretty well; (it) helped us to perform even better, so thanks to Chevy." Said Dixon: "(Pagenaud's) straight-line speed was ridiculous today, to be honest." Dixon's Honda was hampered by wall contact early in the race. He drove the rest of the way with the steering wheel misaligned. "I made a mistake, a pretty big mistake, probably around Lap 12 or 15 where I hit the inside wall on (Turn) 9," he said. "Bent the suspension pretty bad. I thought I had a (tire) puncture." Alexander Rossi (No. 27 Andretti Autosport NAPA Auto Parts Honda Turbo V6) finished third, one position ahead of series points leader Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet Turbo V6). The first four finishers are the top four drivers in the standings heading to Saturday night's Iowa 300 at Iowa Speedway. With Rossi, Dixon and Rossi finishing ahead of Newgarden, the championship race tightened. Rossi drew to four points with six races remaining. Pagenaud, who scored the maximum number of points in this race, is 39 points off the lead, with Dixon 86 back. (Thanks to INDYCAR Media.)
French driver Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske DXC Technology Chevrolet Turbo V6) celebrated Bastille Day by dominating the NTT IndyCar Series Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday. It was Pagenaud's third victory of the season and 14th of his IndyCar career. Pagenaud started from the pole and led 80 of the 85 laps at Exhibition Place, holding off five-time series champion Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda Turbo V6) to score his first victory on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street circuit. "I'm very proud to fly the French flag here in a cousin country, which is Canada," said Pagenaud. "I guess (countryman Julian Alaphilippe) is leading the Tour de France today on the bike. I felt like I had to do the same." "We took off and the car handled really well," Pagenaud continued. "We definitely had an advantage on the tire wear. I knew we had a really good race car. We were able to match the Honda power (of Dixon) pretty well; (it) helped us to perform even better, so thanks to Chevy." Said Dixon: "(Pagenaud's) straight-line speed was ridiculous today, to be honest." Dixon's Honda was hampered by wall contact early in the race. He drove the rest of the way with the steering wheel misaligned. "I made a mistake, a pretty big mistake, probably around Lap 12 or 15 where I hit the inside wall on (Turn) 9," he said. "Bent the suspension pretty bad. I thought I had a (tire) puncture." Alexander Rossi (No. 27 Andretti Autosport NAPA Auto Parts Honda Turbo V6) finished third, one position ahead of series points leader Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet Turbo V6). The first four finishers are the top four drivers in the standings heading to Saturday night's Iowa 300 at Iowa Speedway. With Rossi, Dixon and Rossi finishing ahead of Newgarden, the championship race tightened. Rossi drew to four points with six races remaining. Pagenaud, who scored the maximum number of points in this race, is 39 points off the lead, with Dixon 86 back. (Thanks to INDYCAR Media.)
(PA Media/BBC)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) took a record sixth British Grand Prix victory, with a drive that included a brief but intense tussle with Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas), and then a masterful strategic decision made by Hamilton to only do one pit stop, which won him the race. Hamilton's sixth British GP win, surpassing the previous record he shared with Jim Clark and Alain Prost, meant a lot to him. Winning his home race, he said, is "the greatest single moment of any athlete in the world - to raise their flag as the number one or with the gold or whatever it may be in their home country. "It's one of the single most incredible feelings and special moments an athlete can have. I come here and I've got this incredible support. They always talk about how much it lifts you up and it's a huge amount of energy but a lot of weight comes with that, a lot of responsibility. So I just really, really wanted to deliver." On the slowing down lap, he pulled over and picked up a Union flag from a marshal. "When you achieve something like that and you see all those British flags, I was looking the whole time for a flag - 'someone give me a flag' - because one day I'm going to be able to look back and I'll have that picture of me in the car with that flag and I'll always be able to smile until my dying day." Battles throughout the field created a dramatic race - the best of the year so far - as Hamilton benefited from a safety-car period to take a lead he never lost. Behind Hamilton and Bottas, Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) and Max Verstappen (No. 33 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing) staged a duel for the ages in disputing third place for the first third of the race. Their superb driving would have been the talk of the day had it not been for the collision between the Verstappen and Sebatian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari), for which the German four-time champion was given 10-second time penalty and two penalty points on his super license. Hamilton's victory extends his championship lead to 39 points at the effective halfway point of the championship. (Thank you to BBC Sports.)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) took a record sixth British Grand Prix victory, with a drive that included a brief but intense tussle with Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas), and then a masterful strategic decision made by Hamilton to only do one pit stop, which won him the race. Hamilton's sixth British GP win, surpassing the previous record he shared with Jim Clark and Alain Prost, meant a lot to him. Winning his home race, he said, is "the greatest single moment of any athlete in the world - to raise their flag as the number one or with the gold or whatever it may be in their home country. "It's one of the single most incredible feelings and special moments an athlete can have. I come here and I've got this incredible support. They always talk about how much it lifts you up and it's a huge amount of energy but a lot of weight comes with that, a lot of responsibility. So I just really, really wanted to deliver." On the slowing down lap, he pulled over and picked up a Union flag from a marshal. "When you achieve something like that and you see all those British flags, I was looking the whole time for a flag - 'someone give me a flag' - because one day I'm going to be able to look back and I'll have that picture of me in the car with that flag and I'll always be able to smile until my dying day." Battles throughout the field created a dramatic race - the best of the year so far - as Hamilton benefited from a safety-car period to take a lead he never lost. Behind Hamilton and Bottas, Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) and Max Verstappen (No. 33 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing) staged a duel for the ages in disputing third place for the first third of the race. Their superb driving would have been the talk of the day had it not been for the collision between the Verstappen and Sebatian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari), for which the German four-time champion was given 10-second time penalty and two penalty points on his super license. Hamilton's victory extends his championship lead to 39 points at the effective halfway point of the championship. (Thank you to BBC Sports.)
(Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Kurt Busch (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) beat younger brother Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) in a two-lap overtime dash to the finish to win Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Kurt traded sheet metal with brother Kyle as they battled for the victory throughout the overtime, with Kurt celebrating his first victory of the season. It was the 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion's first win at Kentucky and the 31st win of his career. Kurt beat his brother to the finish line by .076 seconds, the closest margin of victory at a 1.5-mile intermediate speedway this season. “Hell yeah! Hell yeah!” Busch shouted after climbing from his car on the front stretch. “I’m proud he (Kyle) gave me a little room on the outside. He could have clobbered us against the wall, and he probably would have got it.” It was the first time that Kurt beat his younger brother in a 1-2 finish. Erik Jones finished third in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota).
Kurt Busch (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) beat younger brother Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) in a two-lap overtime dash to the finish to win Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Kurt traded sheet metal with brother Kyle as they battled for the victory throughout the overtime, with Kurt celebrating his first victory of the season. It was the 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion's first win at Kentucky and the 31st win of his career. Kurt beat his brother to the finish line by .076 seconds, the closest margin of victory at a 1.5-mile intermediate speedway this season. “Hell yeah! Hell yeah!” Busch shouted after climbing from his car on the front stretch. “I’m proud he (Kyle) gave me a little room on the outside. He could have clobbered us against the wall, and he probably would have got it.” It was the first time that Kurt beat his younger brother in a 1-2 finish. Erik Jones finished third in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota).
