Latest news with #Indianapolis500
NBC Sports
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Kyle Larson states 'I don't have any desire' to do Indy 500/Coke 600 Double again
HAMPTON, Ga. — A month after becoming just the fifth driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, Kyle Larson says his mind hasn't changed about doing the Double again. 'I feel like I've made it known that I wouldn't do the Double again,' Larson said Friday at EchoPark Speedway. 'I get asked about it all the time. It's just logistically too tough.' This year's Indianapolis 500 was scheduled to start at 12:45 p.m. ET but was delayed about 45 minutes by rain. Larson crashed in the race or he might have been pulled late in the event to make it to Charlotte Motor Speedway to start the 600, which began at 6:30 p.m. ET He led 34 laps at Charlotte before crashing. Dustin Long, After exiting the infield care center, Larson said the 'window of time' between both races 'is too tight … So I don't really think it's worth it.' This year was the last year of a two-year deal between Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren. Larson admitted Friday that 'I will have FOMO from running the Indy 500. Hopefully, someday I can run that again, but I don't have any desire to do the Double again. It didn't go well the last two years.' Last year, Larson stayed in Indianapolis to compete in the 500 after a four-hour rain delay despite Hendrick Motorsports officials saying that the Coca-Cola 600 was their priority. He completed the Indy 500 and arrived well after the Coke 600 started. Larson was in his pit box ready to get into his car when rain ended that race early. NASCAR announced before this season that if a driver misses a race for anything other than injury or age restriction, the only way they can get a playoff waiver is to lose all their playoff points accumulated to that point and any playoff points they earn before the end of the regular season.
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Improving Foyt Team Closing In on Elusive Win with Steady Speed
INDYCAR The race is on for a driver other than Alex Palou or Kyle Kirkwood to win an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race this season. AJ Foyt Racing has two of the top contenders. Santino Ferrucci and David Malukas have quietly put together some of the series' best results over the past month, each scoring 111 points over the past four races. Only Kirkwood (142 points), Palou (138) and Pato O'Ward (127) have scored more in that span. Remember, that stretch includes a superspeedway, a street circuit, a short oval and a road course. Ferrucci and Malukas each have a recent second-place finish, including Malukas in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, and they have combined to post six top-seven finishes in eight opportunities. They both placed in the top five at Indy, with Ferrucci in fifth as he extended his record streak of top-10 finishes in the event to seven. It had been 25 years since two Foyt drivers finished in the top five at Indy (Eliseo Salazar and Jeff Ward finished third and fourth, respectively, in 2000). In last weekend's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR, Ferrucci also continued his season streak of top-five finishes by ending up third. He finished second in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear and delivered fifth-place finishes not only at Indy but in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway, as well. Malukas' recent surge is evident in qualifying sessions. He has started in the top seven in each of the past four races, highlighted by a front-row roll-off in the Detroit street race. Malukas qualified fourth at WWTR and started seventh in the '500' and at Road America. The two drivers have combined to lead 87 laps over the past four races. The recent surge has Ferrucci ninth in the standings – that's where he finished last season, too – and Malukas 12th. A month ago, they were 15th and 19th, respectively. 'It's obviously going very well,' team president Larry Foyt said at Road America. 'The first half of (this) race looked like nothing was going our way with David starting up close to the front but having to go all the way to the back (due to contact) and Santino having a stall in the pits. It didn't look like it was going to be our day. 'But everybody (on the crew) just stayed in it, and the drivers did a great job. This was such a crazy (race). Everybody was trying to figure out what the (best) strategy was, and our guys nailed it.' Ferrucci has the same number of points as Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian, and they are within striking distance of Team Penske's top two performers. Scott McLaughlin leads them by six points, Will Power by 13. Ferrucci joked it's his qualifying efforts that are slowing him down this season. His average starting position is 17.4, a stark contrast to his average finishing position (10.2). That's 7.2 positions gained per race . 'We're performing,' Ferrucci said on the FOX broadcast. 'We're back to where we were at the end of last year. I feel lit. I've just got to get my qualifying performance up. Until then, I like padding my passing stats.' Ferrucci ranks second to Christian Rasmussen in total passes for position this season. They also were the only drivers to accumulate 50-plus total passes in the past two races combined. 'Obviously, starting 18th (at Road America) is not ideal,' he said. While Malukas is 12th in the standings, he only trails Ferrucci and Herta by 10 points, which is remarkable given the slow start he had in his first season with this organization. His average finish in the first five races was 17.4. At Road America, Malukas' race became more challenging when he ran deep into Turn 3 and hit the Arrow McLaren car of Christian Lundgaard. The contact resulted in Malukas spinning off track, requiring the restart assistance of the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team. The combination of the quick service and long track distance kept him on the lead lap, and he rallied to finish seventh, his second-best result of the season. '(It was) a lot of fun, a lot of passing, and we finished right where we started,' the driver of the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet said. 'So, good recovery (and) really good job from the team.' Larry Foyt said the competitiveness of the series makes it difficult to make gains, but there is plenty of evidence to show the team is doing just that. In the second half of the season, its goal is to earn the team's first victory since 2013, when Takuma Sato won at Long Beach. 'It's so tough right now, which makes even a (top-three finish) feel like a win,' Foyt said. 'It's still not (a win), and we still want to break through and get back in victory lane. That's still the goal, but what this team is doing right now, I couldn't be happier.'
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Test Patterns: Conor Daly on Point in Prep for Vital Iowa Weekend
INDYCAR There's no question the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is the race that every NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver circles on their calendar for its magnitude. But the Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend on July 11-13 at Iowa Speedway isn't that far behind on that list of important events for one reason -- it's the only doubleheader on the 2025 schedule, so drivers can climb or fall in the standings on this .894-mile oval more quickly than any other race weekend. 'It feels like a double-points race because we have two races here,' Andretti Global driver Colton Herta said. That points reality placed even more importance on a team test June 25 at Iowa, with 21 of the 27 full-time drivers in the series turning laps to prepare for the Synk 275 on Saturday, July 12 and the Farm to Finish 275 on Sunday, July 13 (both races live on FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). This wasn't an Open Test, so no times and speeds were released, but it's still time for some itemized deductions: Daly Set for Breakthrough Win? Conor Daly's name appears near the top of any list of most likely first-time winners in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and that dream may be closer to reality after this test. Daly was the fastest overall in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet. There are more signs pointing upward for Daly at Iowa. One, his only career pole came at this track, in 2020. Two, his best races this season have come on ovals, finishing eighth in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and sixth earlier this month at World Wide Technology Raceway. He led 13 laps at Indy and 36 at WWTR. While Daly is beyond eager to break his 124-race winless drought, he hopes part of practice is reserved for getting rubber down on the higher line of the asphalt racing surface, allowing for more car setup and passing options. 'I love this track,' Daly said. 'P1 today is nice. A really good learning experience for us. Not really sure what to say when it comes to race trim. I think a lot of people were trying to run in packs. 'I think we can follow close, but I think we need our high-line session. We love our good high-line session, so when we come back here, let's run our high-line session the whole time. That would be sweet.' Palou Right in the Mix Three-time series champion Alex Palou finally broke through with his first career oval victory in May at the Indianapolis 500 but followed with a challenging next oval race June 15 at WWTR, battling back from going nearly a lap down to place eighth, 14.1018 seconds behind winner Kyle Kirkwood. So, was the Indy win an exception to the rule, or was the WWTR race an anomaly? Probably the latter, at least when looking at Palou's results at this test. The Spaniard was second fastest behind Daly in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Newgarden, Penske Searching for Speed Six-time Iowa winner Josef Newgarden said before yesterday's test that he and the No. 2 Team Penske crew had a dual focus on this test, splitting their minds on qualifying setup and long runs to simulate the race. That focus on qualifying may seem odd, considering a Team Penske driver has won the pole for 11 of the last 13 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Iowa. But Newgarden had a point: He started 22nd and 14th for the two races of the Iowa doubleheader last year, and it's tough to climb to the top amid all the traffic and chaos of this bullring starting that far back. Newgarden ended up finishing third and seventh, respectively. Pace has been an issue for Team Penske all season, as the team has no victories and two poles. That worrying trend continued at Iowa, as Newgarden ended up 11th and teammates Will Power and Scott McLaughlin 14th and 15th, respectively. All three Team Penske drivers have victories at Iowa, so they know how to find victory lane here. But the spoils go to the speedy, and Team Penske needs to find pace. Hopeful Test for Ericsson It's an understatement to say Marcus Ericsson's move to Andretti Global from Chip Ganassi Racing after the 2023 season hasn't gone as planned. He was 15th in points last season and is 21st at the halfway point of this season after three consecutive sixth-place championship finishes for CGR from 2021-23. This test provides hope for Ericsson, who has just one top-10 result this season. He ended up fourth on the speed charts and was the fastest of the three Andretti Global drivers, clocking in just ahead of teammate Herta. Ericsson has become a skilled oval racer since joining the INDYCAR SERIES in 2019 despite his road-racing pedigree, and top-five results – or even a victory – could turn his fortunes in a hurry at this event weekend. But he was 15th in points after his first season with Andretti last year, and he's 21st this season. MSR Keeps Rolling It's no longer just a nice story from a race weekend or two: Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian continues to step up this season into the pantheon of elite teams in the series, and this test did nothing to dispel that. Felix Rosenqvist was third and teammate Marcus Armstrong eighth on the speed charts in the team's Honda-powered cars. Rosenqvist is fourth in the series standings and Armstrong 11th, as MSR has joined the 'Big Four' of Chip Ganassi Racing, Arrow McLaren, Andretti Global and Team Penske as a team with two drivers in the top 11 of the standings. Combining the total points of each of those team's two drivers in the top 11 sees CGR first at 617, Arrow McLaren second at 503, Andretti Global third at 477, MSR fourth at 415 and Team Penske fifth at 387. It's been a breakthrough season for Mike Shank and Jim Meyer's team, and that shows no signs of stopping at Iowa. Solid Showing for PREMA First-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES team PREMA Racing shocked the racing world in May when its rookie driver, Robert Shwartzman, became the first rookie to win the pole for the Indianapolis 500 since 1983. It was the first oval race for the driver and team. PREMA's background is decades of success in global junior open-wheel series, all taking place on road courses. But its rapid assimilation to the subtlety and unique nature of finding speed on ovals continued at this test. Shwartzman ended up 12th, and veteran teammate Callum Ilott was 13th in the team's Chevrolet-powered cars.
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
53 routes, 10 million passengers: How the IND airport hits records, captures the hearts of travelers
When Mario Rodriguez stepped in as executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority in 2014, he asked his employees who they thought of as owning the Indianapolis International Airport. The airport authority? The government? The airlines?None of these answers was right. 'It's the people who own the airport because they are the ones who use it,' Rodriguez said. And use the airport they do. Air travel in the United States hit record highs earlier this year, and Indiana is no exception even as some airlines face economic uncertainty. Hoosiers have more nonstop options than ever before out of IND, and although airlines are decreasing the number of daily flights, they are increasing the number of seats on the planes that do fly. A record 10.5 million people traveled through the airport in 2024, and more routes are on the way. At least 15 new flights are launching out of Indianapolis in 2025, traveling to cities such as Austin, Chicago-Midway and New Orleans, and airport officials say there is plenty of room for more. The airport offers nonstop service to 53 destinations – its most ever – headlined by three new international flights and more nonstop service to in-demand West Coast cities such as Portland, Oregon, a long unserved market for Indianapolis travelers. What's made the airport so successful? Airport officials chalk it up to a strong employee base, local business partnerships and an industry that sees Indianapolis as a city ripe with opportunity. 'Ultimately, the Indianapolis airport is an economic engine and economic force,' said IAA senior director of finance Robert Thomson. The airport broke its single day outbound passenger record on May 26, when the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 coincided with Game 3 of the Indiana Pacers matchup against the New York Knicks at home. The approximately 23,400 people who flew the Monday after beat the 13-year record set the day after the 2012 Super Bowl. And if you talk to frequent Indianapolis air travelers, the airport's appeal goes beyond its flights. The Indianapolis International Airport was named the best mid-sized airport in North America this year for the 13th year in a row — a recognition airport officials and Hoosiers both boast proudly – and J.D. Power ranked Indianapolis highest among medium airports in its customer service survey for the third year in a row. "People opt to fly out of Indy compared to driving to Chicago or Cincinnati, and it's a huge reflection of the ease and the options to go places," said Katie Benner, 31, an Indianapolis resident who flies two to three times a year. The airport experience also plays a vital role in welcoming those who have never stepped foot in Indianapolis before, given that the airport is often their first and last impression. 'An airport is a major function of how people perceive a destination,' said Chris Gahl, executive vice president of Visit Indy. 'Airports that have caused you pain in your travels stick out, and research shows consumers are less likely to come back to those airports.' As passenger numbers grow, the airport is pouring money into capital investments — with projects like a $350 million runway improvement and a $205 million on-site hotel that's been in talks for nearly 20 years — to prepare the airport to serve passengers for years to come. Marsha Wurster likes to geek out about data in her role as senior director of commercial enterprise at the Indianapolis airport. Every day she studies how many people must connect when flying, hoping to use the data to convince an airline to come to Indianapolis. For some pitches, she works with local businesses to gain precise travel data. For instance, when she pitched the return of nonstop service from Indy to Raleigh-Durham in 2022, she tapped Eli Lilly for data since the Indianapolis drugmaker invests millions of dollars in a manufacturing site in North Carolina's Research Triangle. Indianapolis also recently regained transatlantic service with a nonstop flight to Dublin, a hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing with strong cultural and economic ties to Indiana. In a statement, Lilly chief people officer Eric Dozier said the airport is 'crucial to our global operations,' and the new Dublin flight eases travel to Ireland where Lilly has a large presence. Similarly, Salesforce, with 2,000 Indianapolis employees, played a role in bringing back a nonstop United flight to San Francisco in 2014. A campaign in 2017 to get Seattle on the departure board succeeded in part because Gen Con has headquarters there and its annual conference here. But the airport is not just for business travelers. It thrives on a healthy mix of leisure and business travel in addition to being the eighth busiest cargo airport in the country. The number of passengers traveling through the airport has increased 40% since 2010. Nonstop destinations are up 37% since 2010, and Indianapolis has recorded a higher return in seats and flights than comparable markets in recent years. In total, 11 airlines operate out of Indianapolis, including the major American flagship carriers and nearly all of the low-cost airlines, making it a competitive market for flight prices, Rodriguez said. 'Hoosiers like to travel, and what actually plays very well is Hoosiers like to feel like they got value for their money,' Rodriguez said. The competitive market often lures new airlines rather than detracting them. For instance, Irish carrier Aer Lingus saw an opportunity to attract non-loyal flyers on a transatlantic service that no other airline offers. "Indy's been on the radar, because Indy is a big city but its proximity to other big cities really results in it being underserved," Bill Byrne, senior vice president of global sales for Aer Lingus, told IndyStar. "And the market is so divided which also makes it good for us because here at Indy, everybody's sort of an independent consumer." More: Indianapolis airport gains nonstop service to Europe with new Aer Lingus flight to Dublin The airport's layout with its two concourses and a central atrium appeals to airlines because it takes less time to taxi to the runway, saving them money, Rodriguez said. The three-runway layout with two parallel runways allows double the number of planes to land and take off at the same time. 'Airplanes make money when they're up in the air,' Rodriguez said. 'They're burning money when they're down on the ground.' Overnight, all 40 gates are full, as airlines capitalize on early morning flights out of the city. To further increase early morning service, the IAA has begun selling 'remote parking spots' for planes to park overnight while awaiting an open terminal gate. Having an airport with wide connectivity also may be a plus for local businesses when it comes to recruiting new employees, Wurster said. She has heard of employers mentioning the airport when recruiting professionals like physicians or engineers. 'They really want to understand, are they going to be able to travel back to see their families or go to the leisure destinations they want to?' Wurster said. Looking ahead, Wurster said she'd like to see the airport lure a number of new nonstop flights. San Antonio sits near the top of her list with some 80 people traveling daily to the rapidly growing Texas city. At least six of Indy's top 10 underserved markets are on the West Coast. Then there's always more flights for sunny vacations to the Sunshine State. 'Hoosiers seem to like Florida and will fill flights in Florida markets,' Wurster said. 'A really special year': Q&A with top city planner as Indy looks ahead after record 2024 For nearly 20 years, opening a terminal hotel has been at the top of the airport authority's wish list, director of finance Robert Thomson said. About a third of the airport's traffic takes off or lands before 9 a.m., making the airport an in-demand location for a hotel. After three efforts spread across nearly two decades, the Indianapolis airport board in February finally approved plans for a 253-room Westin hotel that will put the airport in line with larger airports, like Chicago O'Hare and Orlando International. The hotel will bring another 150 jobs to the airport campus when it opens in late 2027. A long-awaited public transit line from the airport to downtown will begin construction soon as IndyGo revs up its three-year upgrade of the Route 8 bus to create the Blue Line, the city's third rapid transit line. By 2028, IndyGo will connect the Indianapolis airport to Cumberland on the far east side of the city. Not just travelers will benefit: Many airport employees use the current bus route to get to work every day, and some of the new workers at the hotel are likely to do so as well. 2025 tourism: A look at the biggest events coming to Indianapolis in 2025 Once completed, the Blue Line will operate between 250 and 300 daily trips, up from the 75 to 100 currently offered, said IndyGo chief development officer Brooke Thomas. Buses will run every 15 minutes instead of every 30, Thomas said. 'You're not bound by that schedule anymore. That kind of 15-minute frequency mark is what sort of unlocks that for people,' Thomas said. IndyGo will also upgrade its existing airport bus stop, which Thomas admits can be difficult to find at present, especially for travelers new to Indianapolis. Upgrades will include a real-time sign of the next arriving bus, a station near the ground level transportation area and signs throughout the airport directing people to the station. 'So the second you get off your plane and walk into the terminal, you can find your way to the ground transportation area but not just that, but also to IndyGo,' Thomas said. Even before a rapid transit connection or a hotel steps away, the Indianapolis airport is known to offer a plethora of physical attractions directly tied to the spirit of the city. When Olivia Theobald disembarks a plane in Indianapolis, she immediately encounters reminders that she has arrived home, such as a display of racing cars during the month of May and local restaurants like Harry and Izzy's and Tinker Coffee. Once, a full-size basketball court in the middle of the main concourse to celebrate the 2024 NBA All-Star game greeted her. The 27-year-old said she loves how the airport showcases the city she has long called home. 'I appreciate that and not everywhere you get that,' Theobald said. The growth of local touches at the airport is no accident, but rather, the result of a yearslong effort on airport officials' part to put more than 90% of the airport's profits back into the Indiana economy. 'That is our North Star. We want to make our community better,' Rodriguez said. During the pandemic, airport officials started hiring only local artists for creative work on campus. The airport also paid local creatives to create art for construction walls. When one comes down, another local artist's work replaces it. Even the tables scattered throughout the terminal are built by Indiana furniture makers, including Jasper Group and Purposeful Design, an Indianapolis company where homeless and incarcerated men build wood furniture, including tables shaped like the state of Indiana. And to Rodriguez, the people working out front and behind the scenes at the airport are why it gets the accolades. The airport authority employs more than 550 people, more than half of whom work in customer-facing roles. In total, around 12,000 people work on the campus daily, including airline employees and federal workers. On a recent Thursday morning, Rodriguez strolled through the terminal, stopping to say hello to each employee he encountered, from security personnel to guest services employees. When he saw Hafedh Khemir, a 15-year bus driver, he greeted him in Arabic, Khemir's native language. Khemir could make more in the private sector with his college degree, he says, but he takes pride in being the first face guests encounter when they park in the economy lot. 'When they come, the very first thing they see is the bus driver,' Khemir said, 'and I take that responsibility, and I make them feel that they are very welcome… Our business is to take care of them." The extra effort by employees like Khemir doesn't go unnoticed by those traveling through the airport. Earlier this month, Suzie Crews, 53, flew to Indianapolis on a two-day work trip that marked her second time at the airport. Coming from Charlotte, North Carolina, she remarked how easy it was to navigate the Indianapolis airport, from parking a rental car to going through security. Charlotte may have idyllic white rockers, while New York's JFK has a hotel with a pool overlooking the airfield, but Crews and her coworker agreed that the Indianapolis airport has its own asset: How easy and pleasant it is to navigate it. 'We love going through TSA here because they are not grumpy workers,' Crews said. 'It's like they understand that it is stressful to travel.'
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Bobby Rahal Named Grand Marshal of Mid-Ohio Event
INDYCAR Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and American Honda Motor Co., Inc. announced June 25 that Bobby Rahal, the 1985 and 1986 INDYCAR SERIES race winner at the Ohio road course, will serve as the honorary grand marshal of The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport on Sunday, July 6. As grand marshal, Rahal will announce the most famous words in racing, 'Drivers, start your engines!' and participate in pre-race ceremonies for the 90-lap NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Ohio native Rahal's connection to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course runs deep. In addition to his two INDYCAR SERIES wins at the track, three-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Rahal finished on the podium a remarkable eight of his 16 career starts on his home circuit, including in his last two races in 1997 and 1998. 'It's a great honor to be the grand marshal for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio,' Rahal said. 'Mid-Ohio played an important role in my personal and professional life. I went to the first-ever race there with my father in 1962 and made annual trips there after that, sometimes twice a year. I got my first win at Mid-Ohio in my SCCA class in 1974, won both IROC races I competed in there, won the Lumberman's race and, of course, the two INDYCAR races in 1985 and 1986.' Rahal also has won at Mid-Ohio as a team owner in 2015 with his son, Graham Rahal, taking the checkered flag at The Honda Indy 200 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing shop was once located in nearby Hilliard, Ohio, in the same building which formerly housed Truesports Racing. Rahal drove for Truesports when entering the INDYCAR SERIES in 1982 and won the Indianapolis 500 with the Jim Trueman-owned team in 1986. Rahal is in a very select group of individuals who have won the Indianapolis 500 both as a driver and as an owner/entrant (2004 and 2020 as an owner). 'Being by (Jim) Trueman's side when he bought the track in 1980 and winning the IMSA race with him in 1983, as well as winning the INDYCAR races there and seeing Graham win there in 2015, are some of my greatest memories at one of my favorite tracks,' Bobby Rahal said. 'It was a privilege to drive on such a great circuit all those years.' Visit for ticket information for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport on July 4-6, the 42nd running of Ohio's biggest racing event. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES headlines the weekend of nine races across five different racing series, including INDY NXT by Firestone. Children 12 and under receive free general admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. recommended
