IndyCar
Chip Ganassi Racing Carrying Momentum Into Indianapolis 500 Practice
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 14, 2024) Entering the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season there was plenty of talk in the paddock and media center about how much would expanding to five full-time entries affect Chip Ganassi Racing.
“We’ve run multiple cars out of our race shop,” said team owner Chip Ganassi. “The fact that instead of three going here and two going here, all five are going one place, it’s somewhat easier from a logistics point of view. I challenge anybody to say that it’s taking anything away from anybody by going from four to five. It’s just not the case.”
Heading into practice for the Indianapolis 500 CGR is proving the doubters wrong because it doesn’t look like the 15-time series Champions have missed a beat.
This past weekend CGR opened the Month of May by winning the pole position and placing three cars in the Top 5 at the Sonsio Grand Prix on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Two-time and reigning series Champion Alex Palou grabbed the win in the No. 10 DHL Honda. Six-time series Champion Scott Dixon and the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda finished fourth and second-year driver Marcus Armstrong finished fifth in the No. 11 IU Simon Cancer Center Honda.
Team owner Chip Ganassi, as usual, gave credit to his organization.
“Unquestionably it’s about the team,” said Ganassi after the race. “I’ve got some great drivers, great guys on the engineering stand, great guys in management. I’m a lucky guy.”
In addition to Armstrong’s Top 5 in the Sonsio Grand Prix, the ‘young guns’ in the CGR stable are showing signs of improvement in the ultra-competitive series.
Armstrong was the only CGR car to make the Firestone Fast Six final round of qualifying at the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park last month, where teammate Linus Lundqvist’s third place finish in the No. 8 American Legion ‘Be The One’ Honda was his first-career podium.
“I think he’s been working very hard and he’s been knocking on that door a lot,” said Palou of Armstrong. “Still hasn’t had the perfect weekend where everything fits for him, but he’s been really fast. Barber he went into the Fast Six, was the only car of the team in the Fast Six, and it’s great that he got his first top 5.”
Rookie Kyffin Simpson, who moved up to INDYCAR after running INDY NXT last season, may be the most surprising of all of the young drivers on the CGR team. Simpson finished 12th after starting 23rd in the season opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Simpson finished 19th after starting 26th at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. At the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix Simpson finished 14th after starting in the 23rd spot and in the last race Simpson finished 15th after starting 25th. That’s 37-positions gained over the course of the four points-paying races.
Palou also won the non-points paying race at The Thermal Club and Dixon stood on the top step of the podium at Long Beach, so the Champions on the team are winning while the young drivers are taking notes.
“I think everyone can see we have two really solid, solid veterans that can win at any racetrack we go to,” said Ganassi. “So it’s nice to have this group of younger guys coming up that have the opportunity to work with Alex and Scott, learn from them. So it’s a great opportunity.”
CGR has a great opportunity to carry the early season momentum through the month of May into ‘The Greatest Spectacle In Racing’.
“We know we have a fast car,” said Palou, who sits atop the Championship standing, 12-points ahead of Team Penske’s Will Power. “Obviously we got the pole here last year. But the competition is tight. They never give you anything. The focus now is on qualifying, trying to get the pole. But we want to win the Indy 500.”
“Momentum is real in any sport,” said Ganassi. “Momentum is your friend. We know we have a big month of May.”
There will be two practice sessions on Tuesday May 14 followed by 6-hour sessions Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s schedule has a 1-hour session in the morning before Day 1 Qualifications start at 11 a.m. Sunday’s schedule also features a practice, Top 12 Qualifying, Last Chance Qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six run for the Pole Position. INDY 500 Track Schedule
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.
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