Car FYI

  Photo Source: Matt Fraver/IMS Photo and Penske Entertainment With one week remaining before the 110 th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 33 competitors rose to what is the first major test for their worthiness to hold the prized Borg-Warner Trophy during the traditional Memorial Day motorsport classic. Assembling the fastest average speed in a four-lap run was the challenge presented to the drivers and teams qualifying for the 2026 edition of the 500-mile event. Rain on Saturday at Indianapolis caused the rescheduling of all qualifying activities for Sunday. Although every one of the 33 entries for this year’s event were effectively guaranteed a starting position for the Indy 500, the multi-layer time trial delivered some suspense for the pole. After all the drivers set a single four-lap qualifying attempt, positions 13 to 33 were locked in. The fastest 12 cars advanced into a second round of qualifying with the 6 top finishers from that con...

The original trophy awarded to the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year winner, this trophy was sponsored by Indiana meat company Stark and Wetzel. For 2025, an all-new Ray Harroun Trophy was given to this year's top rookie. (Photo Credit: JeromeG111 Link to image here )   As Spain’s Alex Palou claimed the ultimate prize at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend by winning the 2025 Indy 500, a race for a desirable secondary trophy was fought for throughout practice, qualifying as well as the race. For this year’s event, the Indianapolis 500's Rookie of the Year award was handed to Robert Shwartzman who stunned the motorsport world by taking pole position driving for Prema Racing (also an IndyCar newcomer for 2025). The honour being given to Shwartzman despite a forgettable 26th place result in the 500-mile race is the latest example for the somewhat unique criteria used in crowning the achievement. First given out in 1952, the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award as...

Photo Credit: Chris Owens/IMS The 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 was destined to provide a Memorial Day weekend worth remembering in the United States. Not even a long anticipated rain shower was enough to bring silence the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. Showers did press the green flag back from its usual early afternoon start close to 4:45 pm eastern time but the sounds of Chevrolet and Honda engines propelling Dallara race cars did fill the air.  Among the 33 competitors starting the 2024 Indianapolis 500 was NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson driving for Arrow McLaren. Larson had planned to compete for 1,100 miles during Sunday as he would have run 500 miles at Indianapolis before boarding a private jet to Charlotte, North Carolina to drive his familiar #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in the Coca-Cola 600. The temptation to run the prestigious event on the yard of bricks was just too much for Larson causing him to remain at the track.  ...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI When it comes to going fast, every flag in the world can be evenly captivated by the alluring rush of speed. However, the citizens of every nation want to see their country’s colours ride the fastest.  The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long hosted exceptional gentlemen and ladies of the world attracted to the mystique of the event known as the Indianapolis 500. Drivers, financiers, media and even fans from all over the globe are recognized for their contribution to the traditional 500-mile race on the United States’ Memorial Day weekend. For Canadians, we celebrate the success of Jacques Villeneuve’s 1995 victory at the 2.5-mile oval while some curse the outcome of the 2002 Indy 500 where so argue Paul Tracy was the rightful winner rather than Helio Castroneves. While Canada’s best land-based pilots of automobiles are noted for their attempts to be immortalized through a relationship alongside the Borg-Warner trophy, one individual born in the nat...

Photo Credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway untitled Though a privilege that has been reserved by Chevrolet’s Camaro or Corvette since 2004 , the honour for being the pace car of the Indianapolis 500 is one many vehicles were able to savour. A prime advertising platform for a production vehicle ahead of finely-tuned race machines, the role was first occupied by a 1911 Stoddard-Dayton, a vehicle brand that Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl G. Fisher sold through a dealership. Through the 104 editions of the 500-mile event on the 2.5-mile oval, some vehicles have gone on to great success including the Ford Mustang in 1964 and others have proven less popular among customers such as the Chevrolet SSR that paced the 2003 Indy 500 race. Regardless to the reception, the glory of being an Indianapolis 500 Pace Car is a cherished moment for an automobile, the team that designed and built it. In almost every case, the event’s pace car is firmly set to lead what is...

Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski/IndyCar untitled As race day for the 105 th edition of the Indianapolis 500 at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway approached, a number of favourites emerged through the practices and qualifying session. Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon topped the lists of many analysts after he captured the race’s pole position . Dixon’s #9 Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dallara-Honda posting the fastest time in Friday’s Carb Day practice only solidified the logic of picking the New Zealander to win. Other names favoured for having the best chances to drink milk in Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s victory lane included Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKay, Alex Palou and Alexander Rossi. Besides Scott Dixon, it is surprising to conceive after the 2021 running of the 500-mile greatest spectacle in racing that another more veteran name wasn’t immediately entered into top contention prior to the green flag. Unlike the COVID-19 delayed 202...

Photo Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar untitled The 33-car starting grid for the 2021 Indianapolis 500 is now set ahead of the May 30 th event with drivers representing 17 countries. Perhaps the most coveted single pole position in auto racing, the prime starting spot for the Indianapolis 500 is something a driver has a week to bask in the honour. For what will be the 105 th running of the greatest spectacle in racing, New Zealander superstar Scott Dixon claimed the prestigious pole at the 2.5-mile speedway. His fourth time taking the first place spot, Scott Dixon and his #9 PNC Bank-sponsored Chip Ganassi Racing car succeeded in topping competitors in the contentious Fast Nine Qualifying session. In his four-lap/ten-mile time trial run, Dixon sailed around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with an average lap speed of 21.685 miles per hour or total time of 2 minutes and 35.3837 seconds. Dixon’s 19 th showing in the Indianapolis 500 has the 40-year-old, six-time Ind...