IndyCar
Racing Notebook: INDYCAR and St. Petersburg gearing up for season opener; No NASCAR infractions….yet; and more!
(Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Tuesday’s racing notebook includes news surrounding this weekend’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding plus no infraction report, yet, from NASCAR after this weekend’s Daytona 500.
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Ready For The Weekend:
- The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding returns for its 18th annual running, February 25-27, 2022. This event also serves as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ season-opening event for the 12th time in its history. This will be the 19th race event to take place on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit running on Bay Shore Dr. and circling Pioneer Park, the Mahaffey Theater, the Salvador Dali Museum and extending onto the runways at Albert Whitted Airport (pictured above), which overlook the Tampa Bay and picturesque St. Petersburg Harbor and Marina.
INDYCAR’S INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST REACH GROWING:
- The stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will be available to international audiences in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe during the 17-race 2022 season. An impressive roster of partners from ESPN, Sky Group, STAN Sport, Canal+, Movistar+, Gaora, Ziggo Sport, Viaplay and V Sport, and Sportsnet are set to broadcast and stream North America’s premier open-wheel racing series to audiences in Europe, Latin America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
NASCAR POST-DAYTONA 500 REVIEW CONTINUES:
- NASCAR is still investigating wheels confiscated from Team Penske and RFK Racing according to Senior Vice President of Competition, Scott Miller. Miller told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio the sanctioning body is also looking into how the wheel came of the No. 50 of Kaz Grala and how the No. 21 of Harrison Burton got airborne in a multi-car accident. “You’ll be hearing some more about that later in the week I’m sure. And honestly, it’s just one of those things that is really another one of the learning processes of what needs to be.”
INDIANAPOLIS 500 VETERAN RAGER DIES AT 73:
- Nebraska native Roger Rager, who raced in the 1980 Indianapolis 500 with an engine block found in a junkyard, died Feb. 16. He was 73. Rager’s 3-year-old Wildcat chassis was powered by a stock-block Chevrolet engine that originally powered a School Bus! Rager qualified an impressive 10th in 1980 and moved up to 9th early on. He led laps 16-17 as pit stops cycled. Unfortunately on Lap 55, Jim McElreath spun in front of Rager, who spun and wrecked trying to miss McElreath. Rager was credited with a 23rd place finish.
MADISON, IL (June 6, 2026) – Alex Palou and the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing team are continuing to lay down fast laps when it counts with Palou earning the pole position for Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The pole position is Palou’s fourth straight NTT P1 Pole award.
“It was incredible and so much fun, especially that first lap,” said Palou, who turned a two-lap average speed of 174.353 mph in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “The #10 Honda Honda had so much speed. The team I have around me is incredible. My car was on rails today; it was incredible.”
David Malukas starts second in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet after a two-lap average of 173.244 mph. Malukas could only look on in disbelief as Palou knocked him off the pole.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood starts third in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda following a two-lap average of 173.206 mph.
“ It was a good run for us,” said Kirkwood, the 2025 WWWT Raceway winner. “P3 is a really good starting spot and we can definitely do some great things from there. Last year we won from 10th, so it’s nice to be able to be at the front.”
2026 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Felix Rosenqvist starts fourth in the No. 60 SiriusXM Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin will start 5th in the No. 3 Dex Imaging Chevrolet.
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon starts 7th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda and CGR’s Kyffin Simpson will start 14th in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda.
Television coverage of Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 begins at 8 PM CT / 9 PM ET on Fox. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).
DETROIT, MI (May 31, 2026) – Alex Palou is back in victory lane after winning Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, his fourth win of 2026 and 12th win in his past 25-races.
“It was a tough one,” said Palou. “The team did an incredible job one again with the strategy. Pit stops were incredible. The number 10 Honda Honda looked really good and I think every time it has been on track it’s had a win.”
Palou and the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda fought off Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood on two late-race restarts as Palou was on the harder Firestone Primary tire and Kirkwood was on the softer Firestone alternate tire.
“It was very tough with the temperature on the tires,” explained Palou. “On the restarts I couldn’t really be at the level of Kirkwood, Power and some of the guys who were able to get a little more tire temp than I Wass able to.”
“The Sam’s Club Honda was really fast,” said Kirkwood, who is second to Palou in the Championship. “We took a little bit of a gamble on tires there being the only guy on reds (alternate) at the end. It nearly paid off. It was so, so, close. They’re a great team and he’s a great driver.”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Graham Rahal finished third in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda, tying Rahal’s best finish of the year.
“We had a lot of pace when we needed it,” explained Rahal. “We go lucky a little bit with the yellow.”
IndyCar
Alex Palou wins Detroit IndyCar Pole; Scott Dixon earns 4th starting spot; Honda sweeps front row
DETROIT, MI (May 30, 2026) – Alex Palou is starting on the pole position for the third consecutive NTT IndyCar Series Race, winning the number 1 starting spot for Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
Palou’s fast lap of 1-minute, 1.9017-seconds (95.668 mph) in the No. 10 Honda Racing Corporation Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was 0.005542-seconds ahead Will Power, who will start second in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda of Andretti Global. This is Power’s best starting position since switching to Andretti in the offseason.
“I’m super happy that we got the pole position,” said Palou. “The Fast Six was very exciting, especially with only getting one lap. The tires were not up to temperature, but this #10 Honda Honda car was on rails.”
“It was really nice to get into the Fast Six,” said Power, IndyCar’s all-time pole winner. “It’s my second time in the one lap shootout this year. It’s very difficult to beat Alex, so heading into the race I think we just have to put our heads down and see what we can do. The Honda is very good and I’ve been really enjoying running with Honda power all year.”
The front row Honda sweep on Chevrolet’s doorstep may bode well for the manufacturer as Honda has won every race at Detroit since the series switched to the downtown street circuit beginning in 2023.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin spoiled the Honda party, locking down the third starting spot with a lap of 1:02.4559 in the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet.
Six-time series Champion Scott Dixon qualified a season-best fourth at 1:02.6085 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda to give Chip Ganassi Racing two of the top 4 starting spots.
“I was just a little too aggressive going for it,” said Dixon. “The No. 9 PNC Bank Honda has speed and it’s good to be starting up front.”
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard will line up fifth after a fast lap of 1:02.7870 in the No. 7 Chevrolet, despite losing an engine in the morning practice.
Kyle Kirkwood continued the Firestone Fast Six Honda party qualifying sixth in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda despite locking his tires up at one point and two power slides during his quick lap.
David Malukas will start last in the field after bringing out a red flag during his qualifying run. Malukas smacked the wall in turn 7 causing heavy damage to the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet.
Sunday starts with a 30-minute morning warmup at 9:30 a.m. followed by the 100-lap race at 12:30 p.m. on Fox and the IndyCar Radio Network.
Alex Palou wins fourth straight pole position at World Wide Technology Raceway
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Opportunistic Wagaman Wins at Williams Grove
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Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing win the pole position for the 110th Indianapolis 500
Alexander Rossi, Pato O’Ward and Romain Grosjean involved in multi vehicle crash during Indy 500 practice
New York Dog wins the Wienie 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NASCAR community mourns the loss of champion driver Kyle Busch
