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Fox Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Despite Season Struggles, Power to 'Keep Pushing' in Contract Year
INDYCAR Will Power enters Sunday's Java House Grand Prix of Monterey ranked ninth in points, but the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season has been anything but smooth. Team Penske remains winless through the first 13 races of the year, its longest drought to start a season since 1973 when Gary Bettenhausen finally broke through in the 15th race of a 16-race campaign at Texas World Speedway. Team Penske has also gone winless in only four complete seasons: 1976, 1996, 1998, and 1999. Scott McLaughlin delivered the team's most recent victory -- 15 races ago -- at last year's Milwaukee Mile doubleheader. He is 13th in the standings, while teammate Josef Newgarden is 16th. At this point last season, the trio of Power, McLaughlin, and Newgarden had combined for six wins. They totaled just five finishes of 20th or worse in all of 2024. This year? They've already logged 16 with the most DNFs in a single season since 2000. Power, a Team Penske mainstay since 2009 and one of the team's most decorated drivers, finds himself in a particularly difficult spot, with no contract extension yet signed. 'Can you believe the year I'm having, in a contract year?' Power said. Power's 2025 campaign began with a crash on the opening lap of the season opener in St. Petersburg, relegating him to a 26th-place finish. In June, he crashed out of the lead at World Wide Technology Raceway and in July, consecutive race weekend engine failures at Mid-Ohio and the second Iowa race saw him finish 26th and 24th, respectively. 'Two engine failures in two race weekends,' Power said. 'Just one of those things. Not bad luck. It just happens at times.' Amid the struggles, speculation around Power's future has intensified, especially after David Malukas scored a runner-up finish in the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The 23-year-old drives the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing, which has a technical alliance with Team Penske. Malukas downplayed the rumors entering the doubleheader weekend at Iowa Speedway. "No matter the rumors or no rumors, I think everybody is trying to strive to always live in the present instead of stressing about the past and the future,' Malukas said. 'I've had a mental coach training me to always stay and live in the present, and as of right now, I'm with the AJ Foyt team, and we're focused on our successes and what we've accomplished so far this season.' Adding to the turbulence, Team Penske underwent a major midseason leadership shakeup. On July 4, Jonathan Diuguid was named president of Penske Racing, with longtime sports car program leader Travis Law appointed competition director. The promotions followed the release of three longtime executives -- Team President Tim Cindric, Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and General Manager Kyle Moyer – being released by team owner Roger Penske in May in the aftermath of penalties incurred during Indy 500 qualifying to Power and Newgarden's cars. Despite the challenges, Power remains resolute in proving he belongs behind the wheel of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Of his 44 career victories -- fourth-most in INDYCAR history -- 41 have come with Team Penske, the most of any driver in the team's storied history. That total includes the 2018 Indianapolis 500 win. He has 11 victories more than Team Penske legend Helio Castroneves. Power also leads all Team Penske drivers in road and street course wins (31), holds the all-time INDYCAR record for pole positions (71), ranks fourth in podiums (107) and is tied with Al Unser Jr. for fifth in top-five finishes (141). A two-time series champion, Power claimed the title in both 2014 and 2022. Perhaps the tide turns at this weekend's Java House Grand Prix of Monterey (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network). Team Penske has a strong recent record at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with three top-three finishes over the past three years. Power has shown consistency at the California road course, recording three top-four finishes in his last five starts. He finished seventh last year and has three top-six finishes in five natural road course starts this season. Next is Portland International Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 10, where Power claimed victory last year and finished runner-up in 2022. Following that, the series heads to Milwaukee Mile (Aug. 24), a track where Power won in 2014 and recorded three podium finishes in his last five starts on the historic oval. Nashville Superspeedway ends the season on Sunday, Aug. 31. 'Just keep pushing,' Power said. 'Still got (four) races to get great results. I've had great cars everywhere -- we're quick. (I) can only smile about it, because I've been in the sport a long time. I know these sorts of things come around. It's very typical of life that a bad year plays out when you're trying to get a contract. 'I love it here. I do. I really hope I'm back next year.' recommended Item 1 of 2
Indianapolis Star
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
IndyCar Synk, Farm to Finish 275 at Iowa Speedway qualifying, starting lineup, time
NEWTON, Iowa — In the wake of three consecutive DNFs, including four of his last five (two on ovals), Josef Newgarden snatched pole for IndyCar's first race of a doubleheader weekend at Iowa Speedway on Saturday afternoon, at a track where he's won six times in his career and where Team Penske has won eight of the series' last nine visits. Newgarden's 19th career IndyCar pole award — his first since Race No. 1 at the Milwaukee Mile last season — made him the ninth different polesitter this season in IndyCar. Alex Palou, who nabbed pole for Sunday's Race No. 2, is the only driver in the series to have claimed more than one pole in 2025, Sunday's being his fourth of the year and the 10th of his IndyCar career. The 27-car field completed qualifying for both the weekend's races at one time Saturday, making two-lap runs with Lap 1 slotting the field for Race 1 and Lap 2 for Race 2. The session's biggest moment came as Newgarden's Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin crashed just moments after taking the green flag for the first lap of his run, sliding through Turns 1 and 2 and eventually backing it into the outside wall. By virtue of not completing a lap and being the only car to crash in the session, McLaughlin, who won in Race 1 of IndyCar's doubleheader at Iowa Speedway last year, will start last (27th) for both races. Newgarden and Palou will swap spots for the weekend's race's, as both will start on the outside of Row 2 (fourth) for the race in which they don't start on pole. Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist will also start on the first two rows for both races (third for Race 1, second for Race 2), having sat on provisional pole for Race 2 until the closing moments of qualifying when Palou laid down the top lap of the session to take the top spot. Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly, who sat on pole at Iowa Speedway in 2020 while racing for Carlin, joins Newgarden on the front row for Race 1 as he continues to search for his first career IndyCar win, having registered his second career IndyCar podium e a year ago on a the Milwaukee short oval and run up near the front in both IndyCar oval races in 2025. He'll start Race 2 seventh. Other drivers starting in the top 10 for both races this weekend at Iowa Speedway include Pato O'Ward (fifth for Race 1, ninth for Race 2), Scott Dixon (sixth for Race 1, eighth for Race 2), Will Power (seventh for Race 1, sixth for Race 2), Nolan Siegel (eighth for Race 1, fifth for Race 2) and David Malukas (10th for Race 1, third for Race 2). Follow live: IndyCar Synk 275 at Iowa Speedway Race 1 live results, crashes: Josef Newgarden on pole Outside McLaughlin's crash and Newgarden's resurgent pole, perhaps the most surprising storyline from qualifying on Saturday came with the relatively lackluster pace across the board from Andretti Global, who won two of IndyCar's last three oval races with Colton Herta (last year's race at Nashville Superspeedway) and Kyle Kirkwood (World Wide Technology Raceway last month). Marcus Ericsson (15th for Race 1, 14th for Race 2) will pace the team for both races, with Kirkwood (18th for Race 1, 21st for Race 2) and Herta (23rd for Race 2, 19th for Race 2) both starting outside the top 20 once this weekend. Here are the starting grids for each race. 'You feel that intensity.' Will IndyCar return to Iowa Speedway? Pivotal weekend may decide future Race 1 at Iowa begins at 5 p.m. ET. 1. Josef Newgarden, 183.999 mph 2. Conor Daly, 183.714 mph 3. Felix Rosenqvist, 183.635 mph 4. Alex Palou, 183.596 mph 5. Pato O'Ward, 183.096 mph 6. Scott Dixon, 182.924 mph 7. Will Power, 182.824 mph 8. Nolan Siegel, 182.807 mph 9. Santino Ferrucci, 182.756 mph 10. David Malukas, 182.596 mph 11. Marcus Armstrong, 182.483 mph 12. Louis Foster, 182.381 mph 13. Alexander Rossi, 181.939 mph 14. Graham Rahal, 181.478 mph 15. Marcus Ericsson, 181.463 mph 16. Robert Shwartzman, 181.319 mph 17. Callum Ilott, 181.257 mph 18. Kyle Kirkwood, 181.13 mph 19. Christian Rasmussen, 181.107 mph 20. Devlin DeFrancesco, 181.097 mph 21. Christian Lundgaard, 179.975 mph 22. Kyffin Simpson, 179.966 mph 23. Colton Herta, 179.27 mph 24. Sting Ray Robb, 178.885 mph 25. Rinus VeeKay, 177.157 mph 26. Jacob Abel, 175.255 mph 27. Scott McLaughlin, no time Race 2 at Iowa begins at 1 p.m. ET. 1. Alex Palou, 184.014 mph 2. Felix Rosenqvist, 183.975 mph 3. David Malukas, 183.369 mph 4. Josef Newgarden, 183.316 mph 5. Nolan Siegel, 183.194 mph 6. Will Power, 183.072 mph 7. Conor Daly, 182.943 mph 8. Scott Dixon, 182.664 mph 9. Pato O'Ward, 182.645 mph 10. Graham Rahal, 182.489 mph 11. Robert Shwartzman, 182.489 mph 12. Marcus Armstrong, 182.409 mph 13. Callum Ilott, 182.214 mph 14. Marcus Ericsson, 182.154 mph 15. Alexander Rossi, 181.846 mph 16. Louis Foster, 181.805 mph 17. Christian Rasmussen, 181.681 mph 18. Kyffin Simpson, 181.589 mph 19. Colton Herta, 181.472 mph 20. Santino Ferrucci, 181.205 mph 21. Kyle Kirkwood, 181.181 mph 22. Christian Lundgaard, 180.920 mph 23. Devlin DeFrancesco, 180.664 mph 24. Sting Ray Robb, 177.683 mph 25. Jacob Abel, 177.145 mph 26. Rinus VeeKay, 170.822 mph 27. Scott McLaughlin, no time
Fox Sports
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Gearing Up: Time for Team Penske To Step Up at Iowa Playground
INDYCAR It's Team Penske time, or so it would seem. Iowa Speedway is the next venue on tap for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and this weekend's short oval is where Roger Penske's organization has won eight of the past nine races, sweeping the doubleheaders each of the past two years with three different drivers. Scott McLaughlin and Will Power won last year's races; Josef Newgarden captured the two in 2023 as part of his five wins for Penske at Iowa since 2017. This track couldn't arrive on the schedule soon enough for Team Penske, which is riding its longest winless drought since the one Ryan Briscoe ended at Milwaukee in 2008. The team and the aforementioned drivers have not been to victory lane this season and have gone 11 races since McLaughlin won the second race of last year's September visit to The Milwaukee Mile. Team Penske failed to win in the last 10 races of the 2007 season and the first five of 2008 to produce a 15-race drought. This year's troubles run deep, too. Power is the highest-ranked Team Penske driver in the standings in ninth place. McLaughlin is 11th, Newgarden is 19th. Their seasons can be summed up by Sunday's The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the All-New 2026 Passport when they finished 23rd (McLaughlin), 26th (Power) and 27th (Newgarden) in the 27-car field. For the first time in Newgarden's career dating to 2012, his car has been involved in an accident in three consecutive races. The most recent occurred Sunday just past the starting line when the rear brakes locked on his No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, leading to a spin that collected Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Graham Rahal. Both cars ended up in the gravel pit at Turn 4. Minutes later, Power's No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet was on pit road with a mechanical issue that led to his exit after just 11 laps. McLaughlin also failed to complete all 90 laps. Newgarden was leading last month's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway and was about to lap NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing when the car of RLL rookie Louis Foster spun in front of him, collecting Newgarden. The impact was one of the fiercest of Newgarden's career. He also spun into a barrier last month in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has staged 21 races at Iowa Speedway since 2007, but only four drivers in this field have gone to victory lane: Newgarden (six times, including once in 2016 with CFH Racing), Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward (2022), McLaughlin and Power. If ever Team Penske was going to get back to its winning ways, it feels like now. In last year's second race, Palou had the best short-oval performance of his career, finishing second to Power. He crashed out of the weekend's first race with an uncharacteristic spin on the front straightaway. He enters this race, the 11th of the season, with a 113-point lead over Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood, the winner of the only short-oval race held so far this season (at WWTR). The first practice of the Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend is set for Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The lineups for both races will be set in qualifying Saturday at noon (FS1). The Synk 275 powered by Sukup is at 5 p.m. ET Saturday, the Farm to Finish 275 powered by Sukup is at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both races will air live on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. recommended
Fox Sports
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Rowe Leads Rain-Interrupted Open Test at Milwaukee Mile
INDYCAR Series veteran Myles Rowe led the INDY NXT by Firestone Open Test on June 24 at the Milwaukee Mile, edging rookie and championship leader Dennis Hauger. Rowe was fastest among the 20 drivers in the rain-interrupted test with a lap of 151.751 mph in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car. 2023 USF Pro 2000 champion Rowe is seeking his first INDY NXT victory in his second season in the INDYCAR development series. SEE: Test Results 'Happy with the day,' Rowe said. 'It's looking good for Milwaukee, and we had a pretty good Iowa test. Very clearly looking forward to the ovals. Hopefully we can just carry the momentum and the execution toward those events. This is good momentum to continue the season.' Drivers tested on the historic 1-mile oval at Wisconsin State Fair Park to prepare for the series race Sunday, Aug. 24, the penultimate event of the season. Late morning rain forced a delay of four hours, 12 minutes today before drivers returned to the track midway through the afternoon. Formula 2 veteran Hauger, who never turned a lap on an oval before this season, continued to build his experience and circle-track speed by ending up second at 150.618 in the No. 28 Nammo car of Andretti Global. Andretti Global-affiliated drivers took the next four spots in the order. Rookie Lochie Hughes was third at 150.415 in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine. Hughes is second in the standings, 28 points behind Hauger. Salvador de Alba continued the power play by Andretti Global, ending up fourth at 149.753 in the No. 27 Grupo Indi entry. Ricardo Escotto rounded out the top five at 149.469 in the No. 3 Frank's Red Hot machine of Andretti – Cape Motorsport. The next event for the series is the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 6 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Columbus, Ohio. recommended
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
5 questions for Wisconsin racing in 2025: How much sprint car racing is too much?
Before the calendar flipped, we looked ahead to five questions to be answered – or at least addressed – during the 2025 Wisconsin racing season. One involves an incredible and ambituous stretch of sprint car racing at its highest levels with Kyle Larson's High Limit series June 3-4 and the World of Outlaws June 6-7-8. Advertisement Other questions involved the Milwaukee Mile, the ASA STARS National Tour, what the future might look like for NASCAR in the state, and the short-track juggernaut that is Ty Majeski. But here's the second: Rico Abreu, right, and Brad Sweet, seen at a World of Outlaws race at Beaver Dam Raceway in 2022, are now regulars on the High Limit Racing sprint car series. More: Key Wisconsin auto racing events for the 2025 season How will an unofficial Wisconsin sprint week play out? Not only did the World of Outlaws grace Wisconsin with eight races in 2025, it dropped three of them alongside the previously announced two-night Badger State debut for Kyle Larson's High Limit Racing. Five events in six nights are an abundance for sprint car fans. High Limit is set to race June 3 at 141 Speedway in Maribel and June 4 at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie to start this unofficial Wisconsin sprint week. The Outlaws events fall on June 6 at the Plymouth Dirt Track, June 7 at Beaver Dam Raceway (the traditional $20,000-to-win Jim 'JB' Boyd Memorial) and June 8 at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie. Advertisement There's one conflict across the timespan, Red Cedar on the night of an Outlaws' stop in Jackson, Minnesota. Will any High Limit teams use their proximity and free weekend to cross over and give fans a bigger treat? How many Wisconsin drivers might partake? What's the chance the weather holds for all five nights? And, ultimately, will ticket buyers be able to support it all? Then the Outlaws will be back in the state for doubleheaders June 27-28 at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond and July 11-12 at Wilmot Raceway as well as a single night Aug. 19 at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Big week for High Limit, Outlaws sprint car racing in Wisconsin
