Car FYI

In addition to the headline NTT IndyCar Series, the 2025 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto on-track activities include a range of other types of racing. The CASC Miata Cup Canada cars were part of this year's festivities for the first time. Pictured above is the Operation Motorsport-supported 1999 Mazda Miata of Huw Leahy. (Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)     Summer in Canada goes by so quickly but we certainly know how to make the most of the longer daylight and warm weather. A steady summer ritual for me in July involves a visit to Toronto’s Exhibition Place where the sound of engines is like a siren song. Getting closer, sights are delighted by shapes and colours in motion being handled by a handful of speed warriors. Of course, I’m talking about the 2025 edition of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto that took place from July 18th to the 20th delighting with a weekend of racing activities.  To go back to what I had written about this season moving ...

Winner of the 2025 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Pato O'Ward celebrates (Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment) IndyCar’s only visit outside of the states, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto has been a classic attraction where some of the greatest open wheel racers tested their talents on a tricky, tight temporary street course nestled within Exhibition Place. The 2025 edition of the event headlined by the NTT IndyCar Series drew a consistently large crowd of Canadian race fans throughout the weekend who were rewarded with plenty of off-track and on-track excitement.  By virtue of a magnificent defence of pole position for a third consecutive year, Colton Herta and his Gainbridge #26 Andretti Global team earned the honours of leading the field to the green flag for Sunday’s main event. Whether or not he would be able to defend his 2024 victory would depend on the outcome of 90 laps on the 11-turn, 2.874-kilometer (1.786-miles) race track. Following time trials, ...

Kay Petre behind the wheel of one of the many race cars she drove between 1932 to 1939. (Photo Credit: Newspress) Even as motorsports have resided as a male-dominated domain since its inception in the early 20th century, the majestic scene of an automobile in motion refreshingly won the attention of some women. When it comes to the history of women in auto racing, it’s intriguing to realize how a Canadian-born driver became one of the sport’s earliest female stars.  Born in 1903 in what is now part of Toronto, Ontario, Kathleen Coad DeFries spent her young life in both Canada and England. She would be popularly recognized as Kay Petre after her 1929 marriage to her second husband Henry Petre, a decorated First World War aviator and pioneer pilot who remained an active enthusiast for airplanes and other machines throughout his life. It was Henry who introduced her to the spectacle of auto racing with Kay’s affection for the sport quickly resulting to her getting behind the wheel. Co...

Photo Credit: Pattie Petty/NASCAR When it comes to stock car racing or even auto racing in general, the name Richard Petty ranks alongside the legendary stars of any major sport. The son of early stock car racing icon Lee Petty, Richard’s accolades behind the wheel are marks drivers today struggle to beat. Amassing 200 victories in the NASCAR Grand National/Cup Series including seven championships, Petty would retire from driving in 1992 with the lofty nickname of “The King”. Although his on-track feats would be enough to earn the moniker, professionalism and business sense reflected by a long-term partnership with automotive additive company STP combined with a fan-friendly personality has made Richard Petty a figure that continues to resonate among the motorsport community. Before all the victories and championships, a 1/3-mile oval on Toronto’s Exhibition Place was the site where everything started.  Richard Petty was born the son of Lee Petty who achieved three championships ...

Photo Credit; Chris Owens/IMS   NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson will pursue a motorsport feat many now term “The Double” by competing in two major events during the United States’ Memorial Day weekend. In addition to his regular duties driving the #5 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup series’ longest distance event, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Larson will be involved in the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. He will be driving the #17 Arrow McLaren fielded entry for his first IndyCar Series outing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle Larson is set to become the fifth driver in 30 years to complete the task. Not only did Larson secure a spot inside the 33-car grid for the Indy 500 but made a spirited run for the front row and even the pole during Sunday qualifying at the 2.5-mile speedway. His effort would ultimately result in an impressive fifth place starting spot for the #17 car. Scheduled to run in NASCAR’s All-Star race at No...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada There’s a popular saying in motorsports that money buys speed. However, auto racing competition isn’t always the best source to generate money. Without sponsorships and/or other wealthy parties, the glory to capture victory is an expensive endeavour. Excluding the prestigious Indianapolis 500 where a sizable race purse can make a massive financial impact (for example 2023 race winner Josef Newgarden and his Team Penske organization took $3,666,000 US), the season-long point standings are a barometer for success. This weekend, the NTT IndyCar Series arrives at Thermal Club in Palm Springs, California for a non-points competition with where a driver and team can win a $500,000 American dollars on Sunday for 30 laps of racing.  The 2024 Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge event takes place on March 24th with two 10-lap heat races and a final 20-lap battle between 12 All-Star contenders. The first time in recent history that such a high-paying, no...

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli untitled The last Formula 1 race on the streets of Monaco started without a key member; the race’s pole sitter. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc recorded the fastest lap in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix but would be unable to take part in the Sunday main event due to damage to his #16 Ferrari SF21 race vehicle. Two weeks later, the Monegasque driver grabs the pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix endeavouring to make it translate into a stronger race day performance than his unfortunate withdraw from his home grand prix. Charles Leclerc’s 1-minute, 41.218-second lap in Q3 on the 20-turn, 6.003-kilometer (3.730-mile) Baku City Circuit netted him his second consecutive pole in the 2021 season. The one and only other time Leclerc recorded multiple consecutive pole positions was in the 2019 season when the Monaco native went on a four-race streak of starting in the prime grid spot. Photo Credit: Foto C...

  Photo Credit: James Gilbert/Getty Images untitled On Wednesday of this week (May 5 th of 2021), NASCAR will formally present the sport’s newest Cup Series chariot. Originally called the Gen 7 car before adopting the moniker of the Next Gen car, the vehicle was initially planned to be part of the 2021 racing season but was pushed to 2022 due to the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 disrupting development as well as team finances to implement the Next Gen car. From the details already leaked about the Next Gen car, the 2022 Cup season is destined to deliver the biggest learning curve ever to drivers, team and fans. Ahead of the official unveiling of the car, indications of a new spec chassis, six-speed manual transmission, independent rear suspension as well as a larger diameter, single-lug wheels are radically going to reshape the operations of NASCAR Cup Series teams on and off the track. With anticipation building towards the planned on-track...