IndyCar
Racing Notebook – Thursday, February 13
PITTSBURGH, PA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Thursday’s Racing Notebook recaps the NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona, The DIRTcar Nationals continue in Florida and Alexander Rossi’s No. 27 Andretti Autosport will have a couple of different looks this season plus much more.
Joey Logano Wins Bluegreen Vacations Duel #1:
- Team Penske’s Joey Logano took home the checkered flag in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway. The win means Logano will start third in Sunday’s Daytona 500 behind pole sitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Aric Almirola of Stewart Haas Racing finished second follow by Roush Fenway Racings Ryan Newman in third.
William Byron Wins Bluegreen Vacations Duel #2:
- Hendrick Motorsports William Byron picked up the victory in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway. The win means Byron will start fourth in Sunday’s Daytona 500 behind teammate Alex Bowman, who will start on the outside of the front row. Hendrick’s Jimmie Johnson finished second followed by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson in third. Larson’s teammate Kurt Busch finished 8th.
Wright and Owens Take Wins At DIRTcar Nationals:
- Larry Wright picked up the Modified win Thursday night at the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. Stewart Friesen finished second and Erick Rudolph finished third.
- Jimmy Owens was victorious in the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models DIRTcar Nationals feature at Volusia Speedway Park. The win was Owens 16th career victory. Dale McDowell finished second and Josh Richards finished third.
Two Looks For Alexander Rossi’s INDYCAR in 2020:
- Andretti Autosports Alexander Rossi will be sporting two different looks during the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Rossi’s familiar Blue & Yellow NAPA Auto Parts will grace the No. 27 Honda for races at Barber Motorsports Park, Long Beach, the Indy 500, Texas Motor Speedway and Toronto. NAPA will then finish the season in Mid-Ohio, St. Louis, Portland and Laguna Seca. AutoNation will kick off the season as Rossi’s primary sponsor on the Streets of St. Pete, at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) for the AutoNation INDYCAR Challenge, the Grand Prix of Indy, the Streets of Detroit, Road America, Richmond and Iowa. Launched in 2015, AutoNation’s Drive Pink initiative, which has raised over $22 million, is committed to drive out cancer, create awareness, and support critical research.
WASHINGTON D.C. (August 22, 2026) – Alex Palou’s blistering lap of 56.8993 seconds in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda puts the four-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion on the pole position for Sunday’s Freedom 250 on the streets of Washington D.C.
“Incredible,” said Palou. “My car was on rails. Super-fun lap, super-fun car to drive. Couldn’t be happier. Looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, man, 250 miles.”
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood lines up second after a lap of 57.4661 in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda.
“P1 both first and second group, and the last one Alex Palou is just a legend and goes faster on his one-lap dash than he did the whole rest of the run, I think,” Kirkwood said. “He made us look silly out there.”
Scott McLaughlin spoiled the Honda party up front, putting the No. 3 PPG Chevrolet third on the grid after a fast lap of 57.4200.
Palou’s CGR teammates Scott Dixon and Kyffin Simpson did not fare as well as their teammate.
Dixon was on a lap that would have allowed him to transfer into the next round of qualifying, when Simpson hit the wall, triggering a red flag which cancelled Dixon’s lap. The No. 9 PNC Bank Honda will start 14th.
Bringing out the red flag penalized Simpson of his two fastest laps so the No. 8 Sunoco Honda will start last in 25th.
Coverage of the Freedom 250 starts at 11:30 a.m. on Fox and IndyCar Radio with the green flag waving in our nation’s capital at 1 p.m.
MARKHAM, ONTARIO (August 15, 2026) – The NTT IndyCar Series is making it’s first visit to a new street circuit in Markham, Ontario but a familiar face topped the speed charts after the first practice.
Four-time Series Champion Alex Palou turned the fastest lap around the 12-turn, 2.19-mile temporary street course, a 1-minute, 14.9915-seconds (100.811 mph) lap in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
A.J. Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collett was second quick with a 1-minute, 15.0454-seconds (100.739) in the No. 4 Chevrolet.
Louis Foster was third quick in the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda at 1:15.0278 (100.702) followed by Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin 1:15.2981 (100.401). Will Power rounded out the Top 5 at 1:15.3152 (100.378).
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammates were not as strong. Six-time Series Champion Scott Dixon was 20th at 1:16.4583 (98.877) in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda. Kyffin Simpson was 24th at 1.17.3893 (97.688) in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda. Simpson made contact with the wall at Turn 6, causing damage to the rear suspension. Simpson limped to pits for repair and returned to action later in the session.
Practice 2 is set for 2:30 p.m. as delayed track construction forced officials to cancel Friday’s activities and condense Saturday’s schedule. NTT P1 Pole Qualifying is set for 6:30 p.m. ET
MARKHAM, ONTARIO (August 14, 2026) – Issues with the completion of the temporary street circuit in Markham Ontario has forced the NTT INDYCAR SERIES first practice to be moved to Saturday as all of Friday’s on-track activity had to be scrubbed from the schedule.
“INDYCAR is incredibly disappointed that our promoter was not able to complete the track build on time, despite significant support from our team on site,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Ontario has always been a magnificent market for our sport and the number of spectators that attended today is a shining example of that. New events can always pose logistical challenges and we join in the frustration of our loyal fans and apologize.”
Green Savoree Promotions also issued a statement.
“Ensuring the safety of the drivers and the completion of the certification process of competing on a brand-new racetrack delayed all on-track activities today. Today’s sessions have been rescheduled to Saturday, August 15, to allow for further track preparations.”
“We greatly appreciate all the fans who made it out to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham today and chose to spend the day with us. The attendance and support were overwhelming.”
The revamped schedule calls for the first practice to take place at 10:00 a.m. followed by a second practice at 2:30 p.m. and P1 Pole Qualifying at 6:30 p.m.
Riggs rules New Hampshire, Ankrum survives to claim final Chase berth
Alex Palou powers to IndyCar Freedom 250 Pole Position in D.C.
Spithaler Sprints to Mercer Win
Newlywed Reft Wins At PPMS
Logano Wins at Richmond as Chase Picture Takes Shape
Michael Norris wins his 5th Jook George Steel City Classic
Kvapil Hangs On To Win Pennzoil 250 in Top-Four Sweep by JR Motorsports
Marks Magnificent in Hodnett Classic at Port Royal
Newlywed Reft Wins At PPMS
