INDYCAR 2015

Grace Autosport announced today that they will compete at the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. From the team owner on through to the engineers, driver and crew, Grace will be comprised of women. This is a first in IndyCar.

As a girl who grew up mere blocks from the Speedway, I am pretty excited to see this happening. I always wondered what it would be like to race around this oval and now more girls will have the opportunity to make it there.

Katherine Legge has been announced as the inaugural driver. She is currently the STEM (science/technology/engineering/math) Ambassador for the Girl Scouts and is looking forward to what is in store. “I’m extremely proud of it… It’s going to be a new initiative from the point of view there’s been female drivers before, there’s been female engineers. I actually worked with Catherine (Crawford) in 2012 at Indy, but there’s never been a team of all women. What we’re trying to do is make it a positive thing, get rid of the stigma of being a woman in motorsport and make it something that everybody is proud of. I’s going to be very successful. So I’m very much looking forward to the challenge to seeing it from the beginning, from and idea, kind of turn out and bloom into something very special.” Legge went on to say “I think it’s important to say, also, in no way is this us being feminists. We know we’re aware we need the support of men and we’re not being exclusive. We’re just trying to be equal opportunity and in a positive way.”

Former driver Lyn St. James will be helping Grace Autosport to find and cultivate talented women drivers. Katherine said of Lyn “I think it’s important that we identify the talent, with Lyn’s help, obviously, early on and push that because Lyn has really been the only one that’s helped any of us throughout the years.”

Grace also plans to be involved in community outreach and visiting schools to speak with young girls about opportunities in motorports and STEM careers.

According to Beth Paretta, Team Principal, “Since the Indianapolis 500 began there have only been eleven different women who have competed, women like Janet Guthrie and Lyn St. James. For their hard work, for their challenging days, we say thank you. Without them, there would be no today… The Brickyard has been the site of lots of firsts, and now we are adding to that list. But we ultimately know that racing is about being competitive and winning. We will put the team together to get there. We will work hard to compete at the highest level, and our goal is that by the end of the decade a woman’s face will grace the Borg-Warner Trophy.”

I look forward to that day.

Fast Friday Indianapolis 500 Practice

TICKETS:  $15, children 12 and under free.

PUBLIC GATES OPEN: 10 a.m. (local time). Pedestrian gates open are Gates 1, 1B, 2, 3, 4, 6, Media Gate, 7 Vehicle, 7 South Pedestrian, 9, 9A, 10, 10A, 12.

STANDS OPEN:  B Stand (As needed GA – Sec. 22-25), B Penthouse (As needed GA – Sec. 2-25), E Stand (Open-GA), E Penthouse, North Vista Wheelchair (As needed GA, Sec. 21), Northwest Vista (As needed GA, Sec. 1-4), Northwest Vista Deck (Open-GA), Paddock (As needed GA, Sec. 9-18), Paddock Pressbox (Open-GA), Paddock Penthouse (As needed GA, Sec. 9-30), Pit Road Terrace (Open-GA), South Terrace (Open-GA), Tower Terrace (As needed GA, Sec. 37-42), Tower Terrace Wheelchair (Open-GA), Wheelchair Accessible (Open GA), Backstretch Mounds (Open-GA), Backstretch Family Mounds (Open-GA), Turn 2 Mounds (Open-GA), Turn 3 Mounds (Open-GA), Gasoline Alley Roof (Open-GA)

MUSEUM HOURS: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for fans 6-15 years old, with children under 5 free. Gate admission to the Indianapolis 500 is not included in Museum admission and must be purchased separately.

Simon Pagenaud has watched his teammates grab the headlines since he joined Team Penske at the beginning of this season, but the Frenchman stole the spotlight in the fifth practice session leading up to the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Driving the No. 22 Avaya Team Penske Chevrolet, Pagenaud logged the best of nearly 2,000 laps turned on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile oval, at 228.793 mph. Carlos Munoz, who eclipsed 230 mph in practice Wednesday, was second fastest today in the No. 26 AndrettiTV Cinsay Honda, at 228.126.

“Today was a really good day for the Avaya car,” Pagenaud said. “We’ve been focusing on understanding what the car does in qualifying runs. Very happy to see the preparation from Penske and how fast the 22 car is. So far, so good.”

Pagenaud is teamed with a pair of Indianapolis 500 winners – Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya – and reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Will Power in the Penske armada. Montoya and Power have each won a race this season, while Castroneves has won two Verizon P1 Awards for taking the pole position.

“We’re happy but we can be happier,” Pagenaud said. “At the end of the day we did some pack running and once again we’re very happy so far. What’s difficult is it’s really cold right now, so you get more downforce because the air is so thick. We know it’s going to be warmer in the race, that’s what makes it tricky. You’re trying to understand what the car’s going to do in the race. It’s definitely going to be warmer.”

Following Pagenaud and Munoz on the speed chart were Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Sage Karam (227.683), Scott Dixon (227.634) and Tony Kanaan (227.527). Friday marks the final day of practice prior to two days of qualifications that will set the lineup for the 500-mile race on May 24.

The lone incident of the day came in the last of the six-hour practice session. Josef Newgarden was uninjured when his No. 21 Century 21 CFH Racing Chevrolet spun and hit the SAFER Barrier exiting Turn 1 in nearly the same spot where Castroneves’ car hit a day earlier. Newgarden’s car slid on its top before coming to rest in the short chute between Turns 1 and 2.

“I got around pretty quick in Turn 1; it definitely surprised me,” Newgarden said. “I knew it happened when it did, so I’m just lucky that everything’s good. The Dallara tub held up pretty well. I just want to get back to my guys and see what the damage is. I’m sure it’s bad but we’ll see what we can do going forward. It was a hard bit, (but) I feel fine.”

Tristan Vautier will drive the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda in Indianapolis 500 qualifications this weekend in place of James Davison, who will be competing in a sports car race in Canada. Davison, who finished 16th in his first “500” start a year ago, is expected back in the car for the final two practice sessions, on Monday and May 22, before the race on May 24.

Vautier, meanwhile, is scheduled to compete in the Blancpain Endurance GT Series event on the same day as the “500.”

“It is an interesting tradeoff,” said Vautier, the 2011 Pro Mazda and 2012 Indy Lights champion who earned Verizon IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. “Obviously, we’re not going to get out there trying to break records but work toward the qualifying. It’s an interesting task to be in an Indy car and qualifying it for another driver, but I’m approaching it like I would any other race.”

Vautier completed his refresher program on the 2.5-mile oval today and logged 93 laps with a top speed of 225.406. Davison recorded the fourth-fastest lap (228.043 mph) in practice Wednesday before departing for Canada.

“It all came together last minute, but we have been talking about it for quite a while: that if James’ deal would come through I would qualify the car,” Vautier said. “So, yeah, it was not really a surprise for me but more of a long wait to see that everything was confirmed. But it’s really cool. I was happy to get back in an Indy car – it’s been a year and a half now. The first two or three laps were kind of weird, but it came back pretty quickly, so really cool. It was cool to have Simon (Pagenaud, his former teammate) on the track with me for quite a while. It reminded me of the Schmidt (Peterson Motorsports) days, so it was fun.

Source: INDYCAR • Photo: Brian Groce

Indianapolis 500 Practice

TICKETS: $15, children 12 and under free.

PUBLIC GATES OPEN: 10 a.m. (local time). Pedestrian gates open are Gates 1B, 2, 4, 6, 6A, Media Gate, 7 Vehicle, 7 South Pedestrian, 9A, 10, 10A, 12.

STANDS OPEN: B Stand (As needed GA – Sec. 22-25), B Penthouse (As needed GA – Sec. 2-25), E Stand (Open-GA), North Vista Wheelchair (As needed GA, Sec. 21), Northwest Vista (As needed GA, Sec. 1-4), Northwest Vista Deck (Open-GA), Paddock (As needed GA, Sec. 9-18), Paddock Pressbox (Open-GA), Paddock Penthouse (As needed GA, Sec. 9-30), Pit Road Terrace (Open-GA), South Terrace (Open-GA), Tower Terrace (As needed GA, Sec. 37-42), Tower Terrace Wheelchair (Open-GA), Wheelchair Accessible (Open GA), Backstretch Mounds (Open-GA), Backstretch Family Mounds (Open-GA), Turn 2 Mounds (Open-GA), Turn 3 Mounds (Open-GA), Gasoline Alley Roof (Open-GA)

MUSEUM HOURS: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for fans 6-15 years old, with children under 5 free. Gate admission to the Indianapolis 500 is not included in Museum admission and must be purchased separately.

Speeds continue to climb as Verizon IndyCar Series teams prepare for the 99th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

In a fast final 30 minutes, the fastest lap of the day exchanged hands four times among four drivers. When the checkered flag flew at 6 p.m. ET, Carlos Munoz had the fastest lap, 39.1098 seconds, 230.121 mph, in the No. 26 AndrettiTV Cinsay Honda – the first lap over 230 mph of the month.

“Really, we were not looking for a tow, we just made a change and said, ‘OK let’s go in the group and see if we can just cop a tow and feel the car in traffic a little bit,” said the Andretti Autosport driver, who has finished in the top five in each of his two previous Indianapolis 500 starts. “I went back to the pack and it’s practice, so whoever gets the best tow is the one who is going to finish first. The positive thing is that I feel really comfortable with the car, the car feels OK. In traffic and by my own, I feel fast. We have to continue working, we have still two days of testing so we have to try some stuff.”

Sage Karam, Tony Kanaan and Townsend Bell took turns holding the top spot during the Happy Hour in Chevrolets. Bell’s lap (228.969) ranked second at the end of the day followed by Kanaan (228.172), James Davison (228.043) and Karam (227.822). Speeds are up this year in great part due to the new superspeedway aero kits developed by Chevrolet and Honda

“We’re staying in a tight little box, being a single-car program, only event of the year so far with the team,” said Bell, driving the No. 24 The Robert Graham Special Chevrolet entered by Dreyer & Reinbold-Kingdom Racing. “Trying to be pragmatic and just stay focused on the fundamentals. So far, so good. We hit the track pretty reasonable, thanks to (team managing director and former Indy car driver) Davey Hamilton for shaking down the car (on opening day May 3), I was in Monterey for a (sports car) race. Davey did a nice job to just work out the bugs for us and we were able to hit the ground running when we got here.”

The day was marred by a pair of single-car incidents that saw two popular drivers walk away without injury at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves had a spectacular crash in Turn 1 that saw his Team Penske Chevrolet hit the SAFER Barrier and become airborne just 45 minutes into the start of the day. Castroneves was able to return to the track just before it closed and turned a lap of 226.670 mph in a backup car.

Pippa Mann was also uninjured after her Dale Coyne Racing Honda made contact with the inside SAFER Barrier in Turn 4 and the pit wall attenuator that separates the track from the pit lane.

“I have to (say) thanks (for) all the messages (and encouragement) from the fans, and to Team Penske to put a car together and be back out there again,” Castroneves said. “The car was impressive. You can’t be scared when you go out there. I didn’t want to wait to run until tomorrow, and now we’ll focus on Thursday and Friday.”

Practice continues through Friday at IMS, Friday’s session again expected to live up to its nickname of “Fast Friday” because engine manufacturers are allowed to increase turbocharger boost pressure from 130 kPa to 140 kPa, which will generate more horsepower and likely higher speeds.

Two days of qualifying Saturday and Sunday will set the 33-car grid for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” After that, all that’s left before the May 24 race is afternoon practice on Monday and the traditional Carb Day one-hour practice on May 22.

Source: INDYCAR • Photo: Brian Groce

Indianapolis 500 Practice

TICKETS: $15, children 12 and under free.

PUBLIC GATES OPEN: 10 a.m. (local time). Pedestrian gates open are Gates 1B, 2, 4, 6, 6A, Media Gate, 7 Vehicle, 7 South Pedestrian, 9A, 10, 10A, 12.

STANDS OPEN: B Stand (As needed GA – Sec. 22-25), B Penthouse (As needed GA – Sec. 2-25), E Stand (Open-GA), North Vista Wheelchair (As needed GA, Sec. 21), Northwest Vista (As needed GA, Sec. 1-4), Northwest Vista Deck (Open-GA), Paddock (As needed GA, Sec. 9-18), Paddock Pressbox (Open-GA), Paddock Penthouse (As needed GA, Sec. 9-30), Pit Road Terrace (Open-GA), South Terrace (Open-GA), Tower Terrace (As needed GA, Sec. 37-42), Tower Terrace Wheelchair (Open-GA), Wheelchair Accessible (Open GA), Backstretch Mounds (Open-GA), Backstretch Family Mounds (Open-GA), Turn 2 Mounds (Open-GA), Turn 3 Mounds (Open-GA), Gasoline Alley Roof (Open-GA)

MUSEUM HOURS: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for fans 6-15 years old, with children under 5 free. Gate admission to the Indianapolis 500 is not included in Museum admission and must be purchased separately.