Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis’ best-kept secret will make-or-break the Colts’ season
In recent years, the Indianapolis Colts have taken pride in their offensive line. It only took derailing Andrew Luck’s career for general manager Chris Ballard to realize that he needed to bolster the trenches to protect the quarterback.
Despite some minor turnaround between seasons, the Colts’ line has held its ground for the most part. That has helped Jonathan Taylor establish himself as one of the most underrated players in the game.
Considering that, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski chose center Tanor Bartolini as the Colts’ best-kept secret. In his latest column, he gushed about how he was a seamless replacement for Ryan Kelly and how crucial he’ll be for Shane Steichen’s team.
The Indianapolis Colts need Tanor Bartolini to take another step in 2026
“After one full season as a starter, the Indianapolis Colts’ Tanor Bortolini has established himself as one of the game’s best centers already,” Sobleski wrote. “The Colts eased Bortolini into the lineup as a rookie, because Ryan Kelly was still on the team. With Kelly leaving last offseason, Bortolini was asked to take over the spot and excelled.”
Standing at 6’4″ and 310 pounds, Bartolini has the prototypical body of an NFL center. However, he’s light on his feet and much more athletic than the average center, though his shorter arms limited as a pass-blocker. He has a strong technique and has the potential to be one of the best run zone-blockers in the game.
Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave him an 82.6 overall grade, which ranked 3rd among 40 eligible players at the position; not so bad for a 23-year-old in his first full season as a starter. He was slightly above average in pass protection (66.2, 16th), but he was absolutely elite for the running game (88.2, 3rd).
Bartolini allowed just 17 pressures, including five hits, in 937 total snaps played. He didn’t allow a single sack, though he was called for four penalties, which is something he’ll clean up with more reps under his belt.
The Colts enter this season with more questions than answers on offense. They have fewer weapons for the passing game now that Michael Pittman Jr. is gone, and with Daniel Jones coming off a major injury, keeping a clean pocket will be paramount for Shane Steichen’s team.
Likewise, this team will have a better shot at success the more they get Jonathan Taylor involved. Bartolini’s ability to climb and move in open space will come in handy in 2026, and having him play at the same level — if not better — than he did last season could be the difference between a playoff spot and watching the postseason from home again.
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has experienced what it’s like to ride in an IndyCar two-seater.
He took a ride in the Fastest Seat in Sports ahead of the 2025 Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
This past Sunday, he rode in the Fastest Seat in Sports again. But this time, the two-seater reached higher speeds as it screamed around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval ahead of the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
“Incredible experience,” Pierce said. “I’ll never forget that. So cool… At the end there, with the helicopters, that was pretty cool.”
Pierce added that when he was in the car going around the track, he was able to truly realize just how many people were inside IMS. Keep in mind, Sunday’s race was a grandstand sellout and more than 350,000 fans were thought to have been inside the facility.
“You really can see how many… hundreds of thousands of people of people out here,” Pierce said.
Andrew Chernoff, WISH-TV and WRTV 6 weekend sports anchor/reporter, asked Pierce how the Indy 500 ride in the two-seater compared to the once Pierce took ahead of the Sonsio Grand Prix.
“The Grand Prix I didn’t know what I was signing up for,” Pierce said. “That was a little bit more like the racing itself. The driving in the car was crazy because it was all those turns and this was cool. This was we were just going super fast. This was more just cool to see everybody out there and just be on the track and be a part of such a special event.”
Pierce just wrapped up his fourth season in the NFL.
This past year was arguably the best year of his career. He finished with 47 receptions for 1,003 yards. Pierce also hauled in six touchdowns.
He signed a new, four-year contract with the Colts back in March.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2022 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Jimmie Johnson drove the two-seater that Pierce experienced this weekend.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hundreds of fitness enthusiasts started Memorial Day with a climb.
The Hill 317 kicked off its 16-week season Monday morning after a last-minute venue change to Paul Ruster Park. The event was initially set for Lawrence but moved due to safety issues, organizers said.
“Once police officers realized this was a health event, and no weapons, alcohol, or drugs were involved, they didn’t see a reason to stop people from working out together.”
Brandon Beasley, who founded The Hill 317 in 2019, said the turnout shows how the group has grown from a small running club into a citywide movement.
“I created this health event in 2019, and it’s been going ever since,” Beasley said. “I decided to run the hill, asked people to run with me, and the next thing you know, we have 3-4-500 people.”
‘It’s really your level’
The two-hour sessions include running, walking, or pacing up the hill, followed by a halftime break for calisthenics like squats, push-ups, and jumping jacks. Refreshments and a DJ round out the workout.
“It’s really your level,” Beasley said. “If you can walk up the hill, you can walk up the hill. If you can push yourself to run up the hill, flip up the hill, crawl up the hill, go backwards — whatever you need to do to push yourself to exercise — then we take a halftime break to do calisthenics.”
People of all ages joined Monday’s session. Organizers said even a baby in a stroller made it to the top.
‘No competition. We’re pushing each other’
Mollie Lindeman, softball coach at Cardinal Ritter and a longtime participant, said the community focus keeps her coming back.
“This is amazing,” Lindeman said. “There are so many people here for our first hill of the season. I love to see everyone out here getting up and running today, after or before they eat some Memorial Day food. This is really a great turnout. It’s awesome.”
Lindeman said the group’s supportive environment stands out.
“I am the softball coach at Cardinal Ritter, but I love the community aspect of this,” she said. “Everybody here is together. There’s no competition. We’re pushing each other. You can meet people here and connect with people.”
Free workouts run through summer
The Hill 317 will meet every Monday and Thursday for the next 16 weeks. Sessions are free and open to all fitness levels.
Organizers said the program focuses on building healthier lifestyles through group accountability and encouragement.
Registration and location updates are available online.
If anyone wants to help sponsor the community event, contact info@thehill317.com.
INDIANAPOLIS – Josef Newgarden exited Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 76 laps early after spinning into the outside wall in Turn 4 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; and a day later, Newgarden was in a walking boot.
Newgarden was seen and released from the IMS infield medical unit after the crash, although he didn’t do IndyCar’s procedural media interviews afterward. At Monday evening’s Indy 500 Victory Celebration, the two-time Indy 500 champion had a boot on his left foot on the red carpet. Newgarden claimed he will race in this weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix, and he said the boot will stay on “until the cosmetics are complete.”
“It’s just a big hit — big whip, I think was the big thing about it,” Newgarden said. “So, just the nature of the angle of it, more than anything.”
Newgarden finished 28th in the race after appearing to have race pace worthy of competing for the win. He was fourth heading into the restart before losing control of his No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet.
“It’s a tough mistake,” Newgarden said. “You touch that curbing and it happens quick. I mean, I didn’t even realize I made a mistake until I was sideways, and the next thing you know, you’re in the wall. Some mistakes you can see them coming and you can counteract them. That one, unfortunately, I didn’t know until it was too late.
“It was my fault. I lost my sight line, and you can’t be touching that curb.”
After winning back-to-back Indy 500s in 2023 and 2024, Newgarden has exited the last two races early. Last year, it was a fuel pressure problem that ended Newgarden’s day. Newgarden, who made last-lap passes to win both of his Indy 500s, had to watch from outside the cockpit as Felix Rosenqvist passed Marcus Armstrong and David Malukas for the win in the closest finish the race has ever seen.
“I just wish I was in the fight at the end. It looked fun,” he said. “They had a great race going, and it would’ve been amazing to be a part of that.”
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
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