IndyCar
Carb Day Notebook: Wienie 500 winners; Pit Stop Challenge and more
SPEEDWAY, IN (May 23, 2025) – A busy day of action during Carb Day activities Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway sees Slaw Dog take home the Wienie 500, the battle of the Wienermobiles; Josef Newgarden win the Oscar Meyer Pit Stop Competition; Pat Caporali named the Jim Chapman Award winner.
Slaw Dog Wins the Wienie 500
- All six Oscar Meyer Weinermobiles took to the iconic 2.5-miles Indianapolis oval in the Wienie 500 prior to the annual pit-stop challenge. Slaw Dog (representing the Southwest), relished the victory by beating Chi Dog (Midwest) to the yard of bricks by half a bun. New York Dog got off to the early lead but was passed by Chicago Dog and Sonoran Dog (Southwest) on the backstretch as the Weiners went 3-wide coming off Turn 2. Chi Dog held the lead off Turn 4 but Sonoran Dog made a move at the yard of bricks and took the lead going into Turn 1 on the last lap. Sonoran Dog’s day however ended when it started smoking down the backstretch on the final lap allowing Chi Dog to ketchup and take the lead. Chi Dog however couldn’t cut the mustard coming to the checkered flag as Slaw Dog kept cooking down the straightaway to take the victory.
No. 2 Team Penske Crew Wins Pit-Stop Competition
- Josef Newgarden posted the fastest speed of Miller Lite Carb Day practice and his No. 2 Shell V-Power crew proved to be the fastest on pit road, winning the Oscar Meyer Pit Stop Challenge, beating teammate Will Power’s No. 12 Verizon crew. Newgarden’s crew got the best of Power’s crew in the two-out-of-three battle, grabbing the victory and the $150,000 prize.
Pat Caporali Wins the Jim Chapman Award
- Pat Caporali is the 2025 winner of the annual Jim Chapman Award for excellence in motorsports public relations. Caporali, the lead communications representative for Firestone in INDYCAR and INDYNXT, started her career as a Radio and TV reporter in Montreal. Caporali transitioned into motorsports communications for several INDYCAR teams, including Chip Ganassi Racing. Caporali also worked for INDYCAR Communications for a number of years as well as in NHRA Drag Racing.
WEST ALLIS, WI (August 28, 2026) – Josef Newgarden is atop the speed charts after the first NTT IndyCar Series practice in preparation for the Milwaukee doubleheader.
Newgarden’s fast lap of 159.430 mph (0:22.9191) in the No. 2 Snap-On Team Penske Chevrolet was 0.0075-seconds quicker than rookie Dennis Hauger in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou is third fastest after blasting around the historic Milwaukee Mile at 158.890 mph in the No. 10 DHL Honda.
Palou could clinch his fourth consecutive Championship this weekend and fifth overall if he leads by 108-points after Saturday’s Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 (2:30 p.m. ET on Fox and IndyCar Radio). Palou leads Kyle Kirkwood by 91-points going into Saturday.
Palou will have to overcome a 9-grid starting spot penalty for an unapproved engine change.
Palou is not the only victim of this rule as the Nos. 3 and 12 Team Penske Chevy’s, and the Nos. 76 and 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevy’s will also lose 9-starting spots.
Palou’s CGR teammates Kyffin Simpson and Scott Dixon both were in the Top 15 on Friday. Simpson is continuing to improve posting the 11th quickest speed (157.431) in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda and Dixon placed 15th (156.371) in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda.
Friday’s session was slowed by two on-track incidents.
Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel backed the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet into the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 about 16 minutes into the session. Siegel was not hurt but the car suffered significant damage.
Late in the session Kirkwood and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen were running side-by-side through Turn 2 and down the backstretch and got together in Turn 3, sending both cars into the outside wall.
Neither driver was hurt but both cars suffered extensive damage.
Kyle Kirkwood’s No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda and Christian Rasmussen’s No. 21 Stevia Splenda Chevrolet crash at the end of the first NTT IndyCar Series Practice at The Milwaukee Mile (Photo: James Black/Penske Entertainment)
“It felt like he kind of never turned in,” said Rasmussen. “I was on the outside, and it didn’t feel like I turned in early. But I think his rear tire probably touched mine. I didn’t feel like I could have been much higher than I was. It’s really unfortunate because we have a really fast race car.”
“I was just giving him some space there,” explained Kirkwood. “I don’t know if his spotter didn’t tell him I was still there on the inside or he expected me to turn down early or what, but he just started his turn-in too early. That’s not the way you want to end practice.”
Unfortunately for both drivers there is no Saturday morning practice due to the doubleheader format. The next on-track activity is Qualifying at 11 a.m. ET.
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
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Palou quickest in first Markham practice
