| August 2021 News |
08/29 - F1 has Race with Zero Laps
08/15 - Verizon 200 At The Brickyard
08/14 - Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard
08/08 - Arrow McLaren SP Announcement
08/04 - Juncos Racing Back to IndyCar
08/15 - Verizon 200 At The Brickyard
08/14 - Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard
08/08 - Arrow McLaren SP Announcement
08/04 - Juncos Racing Back to IndyCar
| RACE NEWS & VIEWS |
| News Index |
Copyright © 2021 IndySpeedway.com All Rights Reserved
Juncos Racing Back to IndyCar
Aug 4 - Ricardo Juncos, owner of Juncos Racing, has
partnered with Brad Hollinger to form Juncos Hollinger
Racing. Headquartered in Speedway Indiana, they plan to
race in the NTT IndyCar series full-time in 2022.
Juncos Racing has competed in the Road To Indy for over
ten years. They have claimed two Indy Lights driver
championships, five Indy Pro 2000 driver championships,
and five Indy Pro 2000 team championships during that
time. Their participation in those series will continue.
The team also competed in the Indy 500 from 2017-2019
and ran in some other IndyCar events in 2018.
Aug 4 - Ricardo Juncos, owner of Juncos Racing, has
partnered with Brad Hollinger to form Juncos Hollinger
Racing. Headquartered in Speedway Indiana, they plan to
race in the NTT IndyCar series full-time in 2022.
Juncos Racing has competed in the Road To Indy for over
ten years. They have claimed two Indy Lights driver
championships, five Indy Pro 2000 driver championships,
and five Indy Pro 2000 team championships during that
time. Their participation in those series will continue.
The team also competed in the Indy 500 from 2017-2019
and ran in some other IndyCar events in 2018.
Hollinger brings multiple years of experience and resources
in motorsports after being the second-largest shareholder
and board member in the Williams Grand Prix Holdings
Formula One team.
Juncos Hollinger Racing also plan to get a jump start on next
year by competing in the final three races of the IndyCar
2021 season - Portland, Laguna Seca and Long Beach.
Chevrolet engines will be used.
A driver will be announced soon.
in motorsports after being the second-largest shareholder
and board member in the Williams Grand Prix Holdings
Formula One team.
Juncos Hollinger Racing also plan to get a jump start on next
year by competing in the final three races of the IndyCar
2021 season - Portland, Laguna Seca and Long Beach.
Chevrolet engines will be used.
A driver will be announced soon.
Arrow McLaren SP Announcement
Aug 8 - McLaren issued this statement today -
McLaren Racing has taken the next step in its full-time return
to IndyCar by announcing today that it has entered into an
agreement to acquire a majority share in the Arrow McLaren
SP IndyCar team. The transaction will close by the end of
the year and will see McLaren Racing take a 75% share of
the team. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
The agreement comes at the inaugural NTT INDYCAR
Series race in Nashville, Tennessee, midway through the
second season of the McLaren Racing partnership with
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
The team was originally founded by Sam Schmidt in 2001,
with Ric Peterson joining in 2013 to form Schmidt Peterson
Motorsports (SPM). The team ran one of the most
successful Indy Lights programs in recent times, securing
seven drivers’ championships, while in the INDYCAR series
it has claimed 13 pole positions and 27 podiums including
nine race victories, two as Arrow McLaren SP.
The team will be governed by a new five-person board,
comprising three McLaren Racing appointees together with
Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson, chaired by Zak Brown,
CEO of McLaren Racing. Taylor Kiel, President of Arrow
McLaren SP, will continue to lead and oversee the
operations of the team, reporting directly to the board.
McLaren returned to full-time IndyCar competition in 2020
after a 40-year absence to create Arrow McLaren SP,
forming a strategic partnership with title sponsor Arrow
Electronics and SPM, bringing technical and engineering
expertise to the existing operation. In addition, McLaren has
helped strengthen the team’s commercial portfolio with the
addition of sponsors Vuse, Mission Foods, Darktrace, Tezos
and QNTMPAY while supporting the team’s
communications, social and content activities to help build its
growing fanbase.
The announcement underlines the continued growth of the
McLaren Racing organisation, with four fully-fledged teams,
headed by McLaren F1 and complemented by the McLaren
IndyCar, McLaren Extreme E and McLaren Shadow esports
and gaming teams.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing commented:
“Today’s announcement is a strong signal of our long-term
commitment to IndyCar as both a racing series and a
marketing platform for McLaren Racing and our sponsor
partners.
“I want to pay tribute to Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson
who, together with the commitment and support of Arrow
Electronics, have built a formidable team for us to keep
growing and fulfil our common ambition of consistently
challenging for wins, Indy 500s and series titles. Key to this
is the continued leadership of Taylor Kiel as president of the
team, who has been instrumental to the progress of the
partnership so far.
“McLaren Racing believes IndyCar will continue to build our
brand in North America, serve our expanding US fan and
partner base across our racing portfolio and drive long-term
value. The racing is second-to-none, with world-class
competitors in both drivers and teams and a passionate,
highly engaged fanbase.
Aug 8 - McLaren issued this statement today -
McLaren Racing has taken the next step in its full-time return
to IndyCar by announcing today that it has entered into an
agreement to acquire a majority share in the Arrow McLaren
SP IndyCar team. The transaction will close by the end of
the year and will see McLaren Racing take a 75% share of
the team. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
The agreement comes at the inaugural NTT INDYCAR
Series race in Nashville, Tennessee, midway through the
second season of the McLaren Racing partnership with
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
The team was originally founded by Sam Schmidt in 2001,
with Ric Peterson joining in 2013 to form Schmidt Peterson
Motorsports (SPM). The team ran one of the most
successful Indy Lights programs in recent times, securing
seven drivers’ championships, while in the INDYCAR series
it has claimed 13 pole positions and 27 podiums including
nine race victories, two as Arrow McLaren SP.
The team will be governed by a new five-person board,
comprising three McLaren Racing appointees together with
Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson, chaired by Zak Brown,
CEO of McLaren Racing. Taylor Kiel, President of Arrow
McLaren SP, will continue to lead and oversee the
operations of the team, reporting directly to the board.
McLaren returned to full-time IndyCar competition in 2020
after a 40-year absence to create Arrow McLaren SP,
forming a strategic partnership with title sponsor Arrow
Electronics and SPM, bringing technical and engineering
expertise to the existing operation. In addition, McLaren has
helped strengthen the team’s commercial portfolio with the
addition of sponsors Vuse, Mission Foods, Darktrace, Tezos
and QNTMPAY while supporting the team’s
communications, social and content activities to help build its
growing fanbase.
The announcement underlines the continued growth of the
McLaren Racing organisation, with four fully-fledged teams,
headed by McLaren F1 and complemented by the McLaren
IndyCar, McLaren Extreme E and McLaren Shadow esports
and gaming teams.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing commented:
“Today’s announcement is a strong signal of our long-term
commitment to IndyCar as both a racing series and a
marketing platform for McLaren Racing and our sponsor
partners.
“I want to pay tribute to Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson
who, together with the commitment and support of Arrow
Electronics, have built a formidable team for us to keep
growing and fulfil our common ambition of consistently
challenging for wins, Indy 500s and series titles. Key to this
is the continued leadership of Taylor Kiel as president of the
team, who has been instrumental to the progress of the
partnership so far.
“McLaren Racing believes IndyCar will continue to build our
brand in North America, serve our expanding US fan and
partner base across our racing portfolio and drive long-term
value. The racing is second-to-none, with world-class
competitors in both drivers and teams and a passionate,
highly engaged fanbase.
“We see real potential for the series’s continued growth
under the stewardship of Penske Entertainment and will
continue to play an active role supporting the sport’s
success, growing the global fan base and implementing our
sustainability agenda to deliver on environmental and social
commitments, including progressing diversity and inclusion
in the industry.”
Sam Schmidt, Co-owner, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports,
commented:
“I’ve known Zak for 25 years. He’s a racer and this is a
group of hardcore racers. We started our partnership two
years ago and it’s gone extremely well, both technically and
commercially. Ric came in 2013 and moved the bar of the
team up. Arrow came in a couple of years later and again
we moved the bar up.
“With McLaren we’re moving forward again. As we’ve seen
we’re now a regular contender and ultimately for Ric and I,
we are here to win races, win 500s and win championships.
This next step ensures the resources to do that for a long
time ahead.
“I want to say that we couldn’t have done this without
Arrow and Lucas Oil. They really were the foundational
sponsors this team was built on and we wouldn’t be here
without them. McLaren is an iconic brand and we’re proud
to be with them. We’re doing this to make the team better
and ensure long-term success.”
Ric Peterson, Co-owner, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports,
commented:
“We always believed that to accelerate our progress in
IndyCar, partnering with a team of McLaren’s capability
and F1 experience was a key strategy to propel us forward,
and so it has proved. McLaren Racing now takes the baton
and will combine the best of what they do with the best of
what this team does to create something truly special.
“Sam and I are immensely proud of what we have built
together through our partnership over the past nine years,
and look forward to continue being part of this team as a
partner with McLaren Racing to see Arrow McLaren SP
go from strength to strength.”
Mike Long, CEO and President, Arrow Electronics,
commented:
“As title sponsor to Arrow McLaren SP since the team’s
very early days and a strategic partner to McLaren Racing,
we couldn’t be more pleased to see these two world-class
organizations come together as one going forward.
“Our partnership with Sam, Ric and Zak is built on a shared
passion for innovation, winning, and the belief in the power
of technology to make life better, as evidenced by our work
on the Sam Car, Sam Suit, and the UK Ventilator program.
“We are very happy with both teams in Indy and F1 and
believe we have some of the hardest-working and fastest
drivers and crew in the sport, and we are only getting started.
Arrow stands proudly behind the teams. We look forward to
many more wins to come.”
under the stewardship of Penske Entertainment and will
continue to play an active role supporting the sport’s
success, growing the global fan base and implementing our
sustainability agenda to deliver on environmental and social
commitments, including progressing diversity and inclusion
in the industry.”
Sam Schmidt, Co-owner, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports,
commented:
“I’ve known Zak for 25 years. He’s a racer and this is a
group of hardcore racers. We started our partnership two
years ago and it’s gone extremely well, both technically and
commercially. Ric came in 2013 and moved the bar of the
team up. Arrow came in a couple of years later and again
we moved the bar up.
“With McLaren we’re moving forward again. As we’ve seen
we’re now a regular contender and ultimately for Ric and I,
we are here to win races, win 500s and win championships.
This next step ensures the resources to do that for a long
time ahead.
“I want to say that we couldn’t have done this without
Arrow and Lucas Oil. They really were the foundational
sponsors this team was built on and we wouldn’t be here
without them. McLaren is an iconic brand and we’re proud
to be with them. We’re doing this to make the team better
and ensure long-term success.”
Ric Peterson, Co-owner, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports,
commented:
“We always believed that to accelerate our progress in
IndyCar, partnering with a team of McLaren’s capability
and F1 experience was a key strategy to propel us forward,
and so it has proved. McLaren Racing now takes the baton
and will combine the best of what they do with the best of
what this team does to create something truly special.
“Sam and I are immensely proud of what we have built
together through our partnership over the past nine years,
and look forward to continue being part of this team as a
partner with McLaren Racing to see Arrow McLaren SP
go from strength to strength.”
Mike Long, CEO and President, Arrow Electronics,
commented:
“As title sponsor to Arrow McLaren SP since the team’s
very early days and a strategic partner to McLaren Racing,
we couldn’t be more pleased to see these two world-class
organizations come together as one going forward.
“Our partnership with Sam, Ric and Zak is built on a shared
passion for innovation, winning, and the belief in the power
of technology to make life better, as evidenced by our work
on the Sam Car, Sam Suit, and the UK Ventilator program.
“We are very happy with both teams in Indy and F1 and
believe we have some of the hardest-working and fastest
drivers and crew in the sport, and we are only getting started.
Arrow stands proudly behind the teams. We look forward to
many more wins to come.”
Xfinity Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard
Aug 14 - After the IndyCar race on the road course at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, won by Team Penske's Will
Power, Nascar's Xfinity Series took to the course for the
Pennzoil 150.
22-year old Austin Cindric easily out-paced the field in a
race marred by accidents, many of which can be attributed
to the curbs and speed bump NASCAR installed in the
chicane at turns 5 and 6. Damaged front-splitters and spins
resulted as the cars entered the back straight.
By the end of the race, only 24 cars were left out of the
original 36. NASCAR moved to have the curb on the
outside of Turn 6 removed for tomorrow's Cup race.
Cindric, whos father is the president of Team Penske, led
29 laps to give Team Penske their 2nd win of the day.
Polesitter and Stage 2 winner A.J. Allmendinger finished
runner-up for the second consecutive week at a road course
track.
Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammate Justin Haley
finished third and won Stage 1.
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott
rallied to a fourth-place finish despite finding out only hours
earlier that he would substitute for Michael Annett, in the
JR Motorsports No. 1 Chevrolet.
IndyCar driver Sage Karam made his debut in the Xfinity
Series today, finishing 26th after a mechanical issue.
Aug 14 - After the IndyCar race on the road course at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, won by Team Penske's Will
Power, Nascar's Xfinity Series took to the course for the
Pennzoil 150.
22-year old Austin Cindric easily out-paced the field in a
race marred by accidents, many of which can be attributed
to the curbs and speed bump NASCAR installed in the
chicane at turns 5 and 6. Damaged front-splitters and spins
resulted as the cars entered the back straight.
By the end of the race, only 24 cars were left out of the
original 36. NASCAR moved to have the curb on the
outside of Turn 6 removed for tomorrow's Cup race.
Cindric, whos father is the president of Team Penske, led
29 laps to give Team Penske their 2nd win of the day.
Polesitter and Stage 2 winner A.J. Allmendinger finished
runner-up for the second consecutive week at a road course
track.
Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammate Justin Haley
finished third and won Stage 1.
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott
rallied to a fourth-place finish despite finding out only hours
earlier that he would substitute for Michael Annett, in the
JR Motorsports No. 1 Chevrolet.
IndyCar driver Sage Karam made his debut in the Xfinity
Series today, finishing 26th after a mechanical issue.
Verizon 200 At The Brickyard
Aug 15 - A.J. Allmendinger emerged victorious in a race
few will soon forget.
After a series of late-race accidents spawned by track issues
and a run-in between the two leaders, Allmendinger was able
to take the lead on a double-overtime restart and drive away
to score the victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Road Course, winning the first Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
Allmendinger inherited the lead after Chase Briscoe was
penalized for cutting the course on the final restart before
spinning Denny Hamlin out of the top spot.
Allmendinger, who is racing part-time in Cup while running a
full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earned the second
win of his Cup career and his first since winning at Watkins
Glen in 2014. The victory is also the first in Cup competition
for Kaulig Racing.
After most of the race was a tame affair ruled by strategy,
large pieces of curbing in Turn 6 ended up creating a bizarre
sequence of events that featured several massive accidents.
After the Turn 6 curbing took a large piece of debris off
Garrett Smithley's car to bring out a late caution, a restart
with six laps to go saw cars have pieces of sheet metal ripped
from their cars as they drove over it before William Byron
destroyed his nose driving over the curb the next lap.
Byron's car began spewing oil as other cars drove into the
curb, sparking a massive accident that took out a number of
frontrunners and caused an extensive delay for track repairs.
While the curbing was removed for the first overtime restart,
another curb, or more correctly - a speed bump, served as a
launching pad for cars and sparked another major crash after
Michael McDowell drove into it and up into the air.
After the cleanup from McDowell's crash, the fight for the
win between Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe went awry
from the first corner onward. Going for his first Cup win,
Briscoe tried to outbrake Hamlin from the outside on the
entry to Turn 1, but ended up going off-course and cutting
through the Turn 1 infield back onto the track. Briscoe
remained side-by-side and on the bumper of Hamlin, but was
black-flagged by NASCAR for cutting the course.
Not knowing he had been penalized and thinking he was
racing for the win, Briscoe made contact with Hamlin and
spun him out coming back into the oval portion of the
racetrack with two laps to go. While Briscoe served his
penalty shortly afterward, the contact took Hamlin out of a
chance to win his first race of the season, leading to a tense
conversation between the two on pit road afterwards.
Aug 15 - A.J. Allmendinger emerged victorious in a race
few will soon forget.
After a series of late-race accidents spawned by track issues
and a run-in between the two leaders, Allmendinger was able
to take the lead on a double-overtime restart and drive away
to score the victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Road Course, winning the first Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
Allmendinger inherited the lead after Chase Briscoe was
penalized for cutting the course on the final restart before
spinning Denny Hamlin out of the top spot.
Allmendinger, who is racing part-time in Cup while running a
full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earned the second
win of his Cup career and his first since winning at Watkins
Glen in 2014. The victory is also the first in Cup competition
for Kaulig Racing.
After most of the race was a tame affair ruled by strategy,
large pieces of curbing in Turn 6 ended up creating a bizarre
sequence of events that featured several massive accidents.
After the Turn 6 curbing took a large piece of debris off
Garrett Smithley's car to bring out a late caution, a restart
with six laps to go saw cars have pieces of sheet metal ripped
from their cars as they drove over it before William Byron
destroyed his nose driving over the curb the next lap.
Byron's car began spewing oil as other cars drove into the
curb, sparking a massive accident that took out a number of
frontrunners and caused an extensive delay for track repairs.
While the curbing was removed for the first overtime restart,
another curb, or more correctly - a speed bump, served as a
launching pad for cars and sparked another major crash after
Michael McDowell drove into it and up into the air.
After the cleanup from McDowell's crash, the fight for the
win between Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe went awry
from the first corner onward. Going for his first Cup win,
Briscoe tried to outbrake Hamlin from the outside on the
entry to Turn 1, but ended up going off-course and cutting
through the Turn 1 infield back onto the track. Briscoe
remained side-by-side and on the bumper of Hamlin, but was
black-flagged by NASCAR for cutting the course.
Not knowing he had been penalized and thinking he was
racing for the win, Briscoe made contact with Hamlin and
spun him out coming back into the oval portion of the
racetrack with two laps to go. While Briscoe served his
penalty shortly afterward, the contact took Hamlin out of a
chance to win his first race of the season, leading to a tense
conversation between the two on pit road afterwards.
| AJ Almendinger |
Nascar installed new curbing in the Turn 5-6 chicane, which
bizarrely included a speed bump. After the Xfinity series
trouble in the turn the day before, Nascar removed the
outside curb. They should have removed them all.
Toward the end of the Cup race on Sunday, the lip of the
curb came up and began wrecking cars, resulting in long red
flag conditions. When the cars went wide around the curb,
they would hit the speed bump and go airborn!
bizarrely included a speed bump. After the Xfinity series
trouble in the turn the day before, Nascar removed the
outside curb. They should have removed them all.
Toward the end of the Cup race on Sunday, the lip of the
curb came up and began wrecking cars, resulting in long red
flag conditions. When the cars went wide around the curb,
they would hit the speed bump and go airborn!
| Austin Cindric |
F1 has Race with Zero Laps
Aug 29 - It was a rainy weekend in Belgium as Formula 1
attempted to run a race at Spa.
Before the race could start today, it was red-flagged due to
heavy rain. That did not stop Sergio Perez from crashing
his Red Bull car while the series made a few warmup laps.
After 3 hours of sitting around watching it rain, F1 brought
the cars back out to "start" the race. The cars followed a
safety car around the course for two laps, then the race was
red-flagged once more, and F1 called it quits.
They also called it a race!
They had a trophy presentation on the podium, and awarded
points.
Per F1 rules for races that did not surpass the 3/4-distance
mark, only half points were given. These points went to
the top ten qualifiers from yesterday of course.
Calling it an official race was silly. Many wonder why they
didn't postpone it until the next day or just cancel it.
F1 sometimes do strange things due to their internal politics,
and this may be another example. I imagine a new rule will
be forthcoming to avoid this situation in the future.
Aug 29 - It was a rainy weekend in Belgium as Formula 1
attempted to run a race at Spa.
Before the race could start today, it was red-flagged due to
heavy rain. That did not stop Sergio Perez from crashing
his Red Bull car while the series made a few warmup laps.
After 3 hours of sitting around watching it rain, F1 brought
the cars back out to "start" the race. The cars followed a
safety car around the course for two laps, then the race was
red-flagged once more, and F1 called it quits.
They also called it a race!
They had a trophy presentation on the podium, and awarded
points.
Per F1 rules for races that did not surpass the 3/4-distance
mark, only half points were given. These points went to
the top ten qualifiers from yesterday of course.
Calling it an official race was silly. Many wonder why they
didn't postpone it until the next day or just cancel it.
F1 sometimes do strange things due to their internal politics,
and this may be another example. I imagine a new rule will
be forthcoming to avoid this situation in the future.
| Lewis Hamilton Pampered While Awaiting Restart |
One good thing did happen over the weekend - George
Russell qualified 2nd for the Williams F1 team! Williams
has been at the bottom of the grid for several years and
this was a surprising result. It was an especially happy one
considering they got race points for 2nd place, a very
unlikely resut had the race actually been ran. Max
Verstappen was first and Lewis Hamilton was third.
Russell qualified 2nd for the Williams F1 team! Williams
has been at the bottom of the grid for several years and
this was a surprising result. It was an especially happy one
considering they got race points for 2nd place, a very
unlikely resut had the race actually been ran. Max
Verstappen was first and Lewis Hamilton was third.
| George Russel gets a hug from Williams CEO Jost Capito after securing 2nd in qualifying |