Latest news with #Honda-powered
Fox Sports
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Special (De)Livery: Mid-Ohio
INDYCAR This new feature at will show special, one-off liveries that teams will race at NTT INDYCAR SERIES events this season. The first installment focuses on The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport on Sunday, July 6 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Kyle Kirkwood – Andretti Global Andretti Global will run a special Honda-inspired livery for Kirkwood, who has won three races this season in his Honda-powered No. 27 car. The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course holds special meaning for Honda, with the manufacturer's Marysville Auto Plant under an hour away from the track. With more than 12,000 employee tickets distributed, the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is a centerpiece in Honda's impressive motorsports calendar. The Fourth of July race weekend also marks a major milestone for the Honda organization and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES – the one-year anniversary of the debut of the hybrid unit, a movement Honda has helped lead both on and off the track. Honda has won all nine races so far this season, with Alex Palou claiming six wins and Kirkwood three. Alex Palou – Chip Ganassi Racing OpenAI, one of the world's leading artificial intelligence organizations, is expanding its partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing to become the primary partner at this event. Palou has won six races this season and leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. Felix Rosenqvist – Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Rosenqvist's livery will pay tribute to legendary hard rock front man Ozzy Osbourne and his band, Black Sabbath. The No. 60 Honda will sport a striking purple livery inspired by primary sponsor SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard (channel 38) channel, which features hard rock and heavy metal classics curated under the influence of Ozzy. The special livery also celebrates a monumental moment in music history: Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's upcoming 'Final Show at the Back to the Beginning' concert on July 5 in Birmingham, England. The concert will feature icons like Metallica, Slayer, Alice in Chains and more. recommended
Fox Sports
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
From Strategy To Cheese, Here's What You Should Know Before Road America
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Road America. America's National Park of Speed is what they like to call it. The 14-turn, 4.014-mile course presents plenty of challenges for INDYCAR drivers. It runs through a picturesque setting, including fields and a small forest situated about 90 minutes north of Milwaukee. The 27 INDYCAR drivers get practice Friday afternoon and another Saturday morning, before qualifying on Saturday afternoon. They have a brief warm-up on Sunday before the 55-lap race, which airs at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX. But there's so much to dive into before Road America. Has Nolan Siegel squashed his beef with Scott McLaughlin? Do drivers have a special strategy for this four-mile course? And since we're in Wisconsin, will cheese be on everything? Let's get you ready for the race. Here's everything you need to know. Who's the favorite? Last year, Team Penske drivers went first, second and third. Will Power won an emotional victory (snapping a 34-race winless streak), Josef Newgarden was second and Scott McLaughlin rounded out the podium. Does this mean this will be another Penske or Chevrolet race? Chevrolet desperately needs a win, as Alex Palou (five wins) and Kirkwood (three wins) have won all the events this year in Honda-powered cars. "It was [a Chevy track] last year," Kirkwood said. "Every track's been a Honda track this year. I hope that trend doesn't go away this weekend." Can Kirkwood win three in a row? Kirkwood has won the last two races. Those were at the Detroit Grand Prix and World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway). He's got three wins this season. "Momentum is a big thing in motorsports, and I think it's in all sports," Kirkwood said. "When you have that momentum, things come to you a little bit easier. That race [at Gateway] we didn't really take the bull by the horns. It kind of came to us with some penalties, and we just did everything right. "And then next thing you know, we cycle out into the lead. ... To me, that just feels like momentum." What about the Penske teams? The Penske drivers finished 24th, 26th and 27th last week at Gateway. Will Power suffered a flat tire and Josef Newgarden got involved in a scary wreck, where he flipped up upside-down. Then McLaughlin had a mechanical issue. "We just had some luck not go our way," McLaughlin said. "The head's still up. ... The best thing is, we had bad luck. But I'm not slow." Is McLaughlin mad at Nolan Siegel? Siegel was penalized for blocking McLaughlin at Gateway, as McLaughlin attempted to lap him. A week earlier, McLaughlin was penalized for avoidable contact with Siegel at Detroit. This all led to Siegel's profanity-filled outburst that went viral. "It gets heated all the time. I'm no angel," McLaughlin said. "I spoke to him after the race. We're all good. I just wanted to clear the air, make sure there was no beef between the two of us. "But I hadn't heard what he said on the radio before that. So I back him [from] what he said to me. He said it wasn't a retaliation of Detroit." Furthermore, McLaughlin said he did feel the penalty was warranted. "The way that he drove me down — regardless if it was me or if we had beef before that or whatever — it shouldn't have happened. "That's what I said to him as well, and he and I think he knows that. ... Luckily, we had room on the inside there. If there was grass, that could be bad. So you need to penalize people for that." How does Siegel feel? Siegel chose his words carefully. "No matter what, the penalty happened and the stewards made their decision, and I have a lot of respect for [them] and I've talked to both of them," Siegel said. "It was a mistake how I reacted." Siegel wasn't as careful with his words during the race last Sunday. He ultimately apologized for his expletive-laden tirade. "The fact is what we're doing is extremely high pressure, and there are moments that are extremely frustrating," Siegel said. "And I think ultimately, a big part of being a good race car driver is staying calm in those moments. ... It's not something that I can let happen again. "I will continue in the future to stay more calm and not press the radio button. It was a combination of a frustrating couple months. I need to not let that get to me." Did Siegel apologize to Pato O'Ward? It was the last restart of the Gateway race. Siegel was a lap down, and he restarted ahead of his Arrow McLaren teammate O'Ward. This potentially stalled O'Ward's ability to make a pass for the lead as Siegel was trying to get his lap back, fighting the leader Dixon. Siegel, O'Ward and Kyle Kirkwood — the eventual winner — were three-wide, with O'Ward getting the raw end of the deal. If O'Ward had been able to get the lead, the track position potentially would have led to an O'Ward win. Siegel said the team had told him to do his best to pass Dixon to unlap himself. So there wasn't much discussion on the issue during the week. He said he didn't even realize he was three-wide. "I was told to try to pass Dixon to get my lap back for me in the car," Siegel said. "I obviously got a bad jump on the restart, and at that point, the only thing I really could have done differently was lift a little early into Turn 1 and let Pato by. "In the moment for me, I was told the best thing for my race was to go try to chase Dixon down, and I took a lap to try to do that. "At that point, it was too late." What about the points leader? Alex Palou finished fourth here last year. At Road of America, he has two wins, two seconds and a third. The next two races at Road America and Mid-Ohio are probably opportunities for him to dominate. And that's before a double-header at Iowa, a potential place where Palou could struggle, giving other drivers a chance to make up ground. Palou had won five of the first six races and then crashed out of the Detroit Grand Prix. Last week at Gateway, he finished eighth. "Detroit, I had a lot of fun until I crashed," Palou said. "Gateway. I didn't have fun at all at any point. We were really good in practice, but then, for some reason in the race, I was not comfortable. Although the result was actually OK and the last stint was good. The rest of the race, I was struggling a lot. "It's great [to be here]. I love this place." Is there strategy at Road America? Kinda but less than on most weekends. With a track that is longer than four miles, there is more risk to run a lap or two longer or shorter than the other drivers. That could hurt a smaller team that wants to do something off-strategy while hoping it works out. But then again, for a driver who has pace, it is a clear-cut race. "This track in particular, I feel like you can race [everyone] straight up just because of how big it is, how long it is, and all the passing zones," said A.J. Foyt Racing driver Santino Ferrucci said. Anything else when it comes to this race? This is the first race at Road America with the hybrid, so teams will be learning that. And it will be hot. Temps will potentially be in the 90s for the race, and that could impact how much grip the tires have. Will the heat change things? "I don't know," Kirkwood said. "That's a great question. It sure will for overall grip, tire [wear]. Power-wise? I have no idea." Does everything sold at the track have cheese? We haven't been to every food truck and concession stand across the circuit, but this is the land of cheese and cheese heads. If any food (other than ice cream) sold doesn't have cheese on it, it should. If it doesn't, then it shouldn't even qualify as food here at Road America. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Japan Forward
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Forward
Takuma Sato Qualifies 2nd for the Indy 500
Reporting on Takuma Sato and the 109th Indy 500, the launch of the Asian University Basketball League, and the upcoming French Open. Takuma Sato participates in qualifying for the Indy 500 on May 18, 2025, in Indianapolis. (©AP/via KYODO) Two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato qualified for the 109th running of America's most famous auto race. He earned the second spot on the starting grid. The 33-car, 200-lap spectacle is on Sunday, May 25, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sato, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, has competed 15 times in the Indy 500. He won the race in 2017 (when he qualified second) and triumphed for a second time in 2020 (when he qualified third). In qualifying on May 18, Sato had a four-lap average speed of 232.478 mph. Tel Aviv native Robert Shwartzman of Prema Racing won pole position (232.790 mph) for his Indy 500 debut, the first driver to do so since Teo Fabi in 1983. Sato is 48. Shwartzman, 25, represents the up-and-coming generation of drivers. "We made it!" Sato exclaimed, reacting after he qualified second. "We're back on the front row. I'm very, very happy for the team and very proud of everyone." Sato added, "Unfortunately, it was this close to Robert Shwartzman. Huge congrats to him. I'm very proud of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) and Honda and proud to put them on the front row. I think we finally got the near perfect balance, got all of the pieces together, so huge credit to the team. I'm looking forward to the Indy 500." Look for Sato's No 75 Honda-powered car in the Indy 500. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Takuma Sato is seen at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 19. (Kristin Enzor/USA TODAY NETWORK via IMAGN IMAGES) On April 24, during a practice session in Indianapolis, Sato's car suffered considerable damage during a crash before Turn 2. After that, Sato's quest to compete in the Indy 500 took on an added dimension. His racing team's expertise was on full display as it built him a new car. Sato praised Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's teamwork that took place in the garage to make it possible for him to participate in qualifying. "I'm very happy for the team who put my car, the 75 car, on the front row, which is [an] amazing result because I think we were kind of [in] a rollercoaster situation," Sato said on May 18, according to "Not just today, but through yesterday and probably the last two weeks." Sato described Eddie Jones, the team's race engineer, as an invaluable resource. "Very happy for my engineer, Eddie Jones, who should [have] retired five years ago. But I keep pulling him back from Ireland," Sato told the media, Front Stretch reported. Highlighting Jones' work and the rest of the racing team's effort, Sato added, "It's amazing the people, just their dedication and meticulous job." AUTO RACING | Takuma Sato Wins Indy 500 for Second Time The inaugural 2025 Asian University Basketball League season will be held August 18-24 in Hangzhou, China, it was announced on Wednesday, May 21. Twelve universities from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will participate in the seven-day tournament. A total of 24 games are scheduled, and the league is sanctioned by the Asian University Sports Federation, the governing body of university sports on the continent. The 2025 AUBL season is the launching pad for a bigger, more ambitious plan for 2026, when a home-and-away format will be implemented and the competition will last for six months, wrapping up with a Final Four at a TBA site. For August's competition, China's participating schools are Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Taiyuan University of Technology, Tsinghua University, University of Hong Kong and Zhejiang University. Representing Japan are Hakuoh University and Nippon Sport Science University. South Korea's scheduled participants are Dongguk University, Konkuk University and Yonsei University. Taiwan's tourney entrant is National Chengchi University. The launch of the AUBL includes financial backing from Blue Pool Capital (co-founded by Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai) and Avenue Capital Group (former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry's firm). Clearly, having a current and a former NBA owner involved in this project adds financial stability and gravitas. "As a former student-athlete, I appreciate the value of college sports for both participants and their communities," said Tsai, the Alibaba Group chairman, in a statement. "In Asian society, top-tier universities are among the most recognized brands, and they easily translate into sports through the spirit of competition between schools. That's why I believe in the AUBL's vision. "Asia's growing basketball market, rising talent, and increasing institutional support create the right conditions for a successful collegiate league." Lasry also shared his viewpoints on the launch of the Asian University Basketball League. "Avenue Capital's experience in basketball investing tells us Asia's collegiate scene is ripe for transformation ― and the AUBL has the right model to lead it," Lasry said, according to a news release. "Basketball is a universal language, and Asia's fans are ready to embrace college basketball with the same energy that defines March Madness in the US." Kei Nishikori competes in the first round of the Geneva Open on May 19 in Geneva, Switzerland. (KYODO) Kei Nishikori was assigned to play reigning men's singles champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the first round of the French Open. The draw was released on Thursday, May 22, and the Grand Slam tournament gets underway on Sunday in Paris. Alcaraz is the No 2 men's seed. Italian Jannik Sinner is the top seed. Nishikori, who is 62nd in the latest world rankings, is an unseeded player. The 35-year-old has never faced Alcaraz in a singles match. In Nishikori's most recent match, he retired with back pain in a second-round encounter with Russia's Karen Khachanov at the Geneva Open on Wednesday. Nishikori has advanced to the French Open quarterfinals three times (2015, 2017 and 2019). His best result at a Grand Slam was a runner-up finish at the 2014 US Open. Naomi Osaka in a May 2025 file photo. (Yves Herman/REUTERS) On the women's side, former world No 1 Naomi Osaka is penciled in to face 10th-seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa in the opening round in Paris. Sadaharu Oh, global pro baseball's all-time home-run king, celebrated his 85th birthday on Tuesday, May 20. Oh played his final game for the Yomiuri Giants in 1980. He smacked 868 homers in his legendary career. Nowadays, Oh serves as chairman of NPB's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
Fox Sports
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Palou and Penske set pace in 1st stage of Indy 500 qualifying. Andretti in danger of missing race
Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three familiar faces were at the top of the Indianapolis 500 qualifying board after the first round of time trials, with two-time defending IndyCar series champion Alex Palou holding the provisional pole. Palou, winner of four of the first five races this season, qualified at 233.043 mph in a Honda-powered entry Saturday to top the Team Penske drivers of Scott McLaughlin and two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden. 'It was an amazing day for us,' Palou said. 'In practice we were not able to finish a full qualifying run. It was tough conditions. But we had a ton of speed in the car.' McLaughlin went 233.013 and Newgarden was third at 233.004 in Chevrolets. A year ago, all three Penske cars swept the front row at the Indianapolis 500 and Newgarden used a last-lap pass to put himself in position to become the first driver to win 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' three consecutive years in next Sunday's race. That trio took the rest of the day off after their initial qualifying runs. It was a far more stressful session for some other top stars, including Marco Andretti, who failed to lock himself into the field of 33 on the first day of qualifying. Andretti will now have to prepare for a Sunday shootout against Marcus Armstrong, who crashed in morning practice but got a backup on track as the minutes ticked down on Saturday's session, Rinus VeeKay and rookie Jacob Abel. One of the four will not make the field for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' on May 25. 'We just need to do four solid ones (laps Sunday) and we should be OK,' Andretti said. 'But just even running tomorrow is a bummer. We have speed problems. I've seen it across the garage with big teams. It's just how it is. I drew that straw this year." The famed Andretti family has only won the Indianapolis 500 once — a 1969 win by Mario Andretti — and the struggles his sons, nephew and grandson have gone through at the speedway are referred to as 'The Andretti Curse.' Armstrong said in addition to the car preparation Meyer Shank Racing had to do, the New Zealand native also had to go through IndyCar's concussion protocol to even be cleared to race. Their struggles ultimately benefited Graham Rahal, who was bumped from the field in 2023, but battled all day to finally grab the 30th and final guaranteed spot in Saturday's session. He had to sit inside his car and wait as Andretti and VeeKay made desperate final runs that could have knocked Rahal out of the field. Instead, they fell short and Rahal breathed a huge sigh of relief. 'Two of the guys that ran there at the end, Marco and VeeKay, are two of the guys I respect the most around here. Both guys have been extremely fast, extremely talented at this place, and so you just never know,' Rahal said. 'I think we improved our car. This day did not start out well. But we found a lot and I man, that beer is going to taste good tonight.' The Saturday qualifying session decided the fast 12 that will run again Sunday to set the first four rows and crown the pole-winner. Drivers that qualified in spots 13 through 30 locked in their positions, but the slowest four cars go into a last-chance shootout Sunday to determine the final three spots. One driver will not make the field. The 12 drivers who will try for the pole Sunday are Palou, McLaughlin, Newgarden, Pato O'Ward, Scott Dixon, rookie Robert Shwartzman, David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, Takuma Sato, Will Power, Marcus Ericsson and Christian Lundgaard. The fast 12 fight for the pole comprises of seven former Indy 500 winners and a split of seven Chevrolet drivers and five Hondas. Track conditions were the worst of the week with heavy wind gusts that affected handling on the cars and played into two frightening crashes: Armstrong's morning wreck and an even more horrific crash for Colton Herta, who crashed in nearly the same spot as Armstrong in a much during his qualifying attempt. Herta's car actually flipped on its side and he was stuck riding the wall, cockpit side facing the concrete. His team desperately tried to reach him on the radio to check on him but the car was so mangled, Herta could not reach the button to answer Andretti Global. He got back onto the track in a totally rebuilt car. 'The only thing that transferred over was the engine, everything else was destroyed,' said Herta, who qualified 29th. 'This place doesn't scare me. I don't have a problem hitting the wall here and having big ones like today. It doesn't feel good, it sucks, but it doesn't scare me when I get back in the car.' Kyle Larson, who is attempting to run both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, locked into the Indy field but will start 21st at Indy. He planned to stay overnight in Indianapolis and travel to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina on Sunday for NASCAR's All-Star race. ___ AP auto racing: recommended
San Francisco Chronicle
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
Palou and a pair of Penskes set the pace in first stage of Indy 500 qualifying
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — It was three familiar faces at the top of the Indianapolis 500 qualifying board after the first round of time trials, with two-time defending IndyCar series champion Alex Palou holding the provisional pole. Palou, winner of four of the first five races this season, qualified at 233.043 mph in a Honda-powered entry to top the Team Penske drivers of Scott McLaughlin and two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden. McLaughlin went 233.013 and Newgarden was third at 233.004. A year ago, all three Penske cars swept the front row at Indianapolis 500 and Newgarden used a last-lap pass to put himself in position to become the first driver to win 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' three consecutive years in next Sunday's race. Qualifying on Saturday decides the fast 12 that will run again Sunday to set the first four rows and the pole. Drivers that qualify in spots 13 through 30 lock in their positions, but the slowest four cars or those unable to post a time Saturday go into a last-chance shootout Sunday to determine the final three spots on the 33-car grid. One driver will not make the field. It's a crapshoot who the bottom four will be midway through Saturday's qualifying session. While Palou, McLaughlin and Newgarden are likely done for the day, Team Penske had Will Power back in line to make another run and he approved his position into the top-12 at 10th. But the track conditions have been the worst of the week with heavy wind gusts that have affected handling on the cars and played into two frightening crashes: Marcus Armstrong wrecked in morning practice and his backup was not ready when it was his turn to make his qualifying attempt. Eventually cleared by the IndyCar medical staff to compete, he's hopeful to get a qualifying run in Saturday and not be relegated to Sunday's shootout. Same for Colton Herta, who crashed in nearly the same spot as Armstrong in a much scarier wreck during his qualifying attempt. Herta's car actually flipped on its side and he was stuck riding the wall, cockpit side facing the concrete. His team desperately tried to reach him on the radio to check on him but the car was so mangled, Herta could not reach the button to answer Andretti Global. Also struggling were Graham Rahal, who failed to qualify for the race in 2023 and can't get a handle of his car so far. Not qualified so far are Rahal, Jacob Abel, Armstrong and Herta. Kyle Larson, who is attempting to run both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, is locked into the Indy field but not in position to run the fast 12. Arrow McLaren sent him back out Saturday and he improved from 27th to 16th. ___
