Indianapolis, IN
IndyCar, track officials work to fix pit problems
INDIANAPOLIS — IndyCar drivers waited out a four-hour rain delay and labored by way of their issues over a slippery warm-up lane Thursday.
It did not take lengthy for the 31 drivers to begin turning laps topping 225 mph.
Thirty-one of the 32 drivers entered in subsequent month’s Indianapolis 500 participated within the second and ultimate day of testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a whole bunch of followers lining the mounds close to the speedway’s museum.
The largest query coming into the check session was whether or not observe officers discovered an answer for the warm-up lane issues that induced three race winners to spin Wednesday, which led to 2 crashes.
“I felt it a pair months in the past and I believed it was slippery however I did not suppose something of it,” stated Tony Kanaan, who spent a lot of Wednesday night time speaking to speedway president Doug Boles. “I feel now we have to go sluggish. Yesterday, I used to be actually sluggish. It’ll be completely different for race week so why are you going to attempt one thing completely different now? If all of us use widespread sense, I feel we’ll be OK.”
Kanaan stated observe officers promised to grind the observe, if vital, earlier than the Could 29 race day.
Boles stated observe staff spent 5 hours dragging tires by way of the problematic a part of the observe’s apron, an effort to supply drivers with extra grip after the measurements confirmed the historic 2.5-mile oval had 25% extra grip.
The reason being believed to be that the oval has had extra visitors than pit street for the reason that Fast Penetrating Emulsion was put in final fall. The substance helps the observe dry faster, one thing that helped drivers lastly make it onto the observe Thursday.
By way of the primary 90 minutes, not many automobiles pitted and none spun, in contrast to Wednesday.
Will Energy, the 2018 Indy winner, stated it felt like water when he ran by way of the world that compelled him right into a harmful 360-degree spin close to the primary flip. Energy’s automotive compelled promising 22-year-old Colton Herta to take the next line, which despatched his automotive into the wall.
That crash, the second in lower than an hour, prompted collection officers to finish testing early so a extra thorough inspection might be performed by collection and observe officers in addition to representatives of the collection’ longtime tire producer, Firestone.
“We did some tire dragging until about 1 o’clock final night time,” Boles stated Thursday morning. “The attention check tells you the grip stage will likely be again up, the tennis shoe check tells you will probably be.”
It is not the primary time the 113-year-old speedway has observe hassle.
Solely six System One automobiles began the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix due to issues about Michelin’s tires lasting not than 10 laps. Three years later, NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 was marred by an analogous scenario with Goodyear tires. Each races have been held on the oval.
However final 12 months, Cup drivers used Indy’s street course for the primary time and the race was marred by deteriorating curbing that despatched some automobiles airborne and broken others. NASCAR officers red-flagged the race so observe staff might take away the curbing and the 200-mile race was accomplished.
Then got here Wednesday.
Earlier than a single lap was turned Wednesday, Alexander Rossi, the 2016 Indy winner, spun on the warmup lane. Then with about 80 minutes left within the third and ultimate two-hour check session, Brazil’s Helio Castroneves spun, slid by way of the grass and slammed the second flip wall.
Castroneves and Herta have been each examined on the observe’s infield medical middle and launched shortly after they hit the wall. Each have been cleared to drive for Thursday’s check session.
However the injury to Castroneves’ automotive was too extreme to return to the observe Thursday.
“Very unusual,” stated Castroneves, who was driving the identical automotive he gained with final 12 months and plans to make use of once more subsequent month. “I wasn’t pushing, I wasn’t even attempting. It was very uncommon. I do not know in case you guys noticed however I used to be like ‘I can not imagine what simply occurred.’”
Boles stated he referred to as Castroneves to apologize.
“To begin with, I take this so personally since you need this to be probably the most particular racetrack on the earth,” Boles stated. “We weren’t fully fearful when Rossi spun as a result of it was early within the morning and also you suppose it is chilly however when you’ve gotten three skilled drivers spin, that is a priority.
Boles added: “What I would like and, I am positive we will resolve by race day, is you wish to get in and our of the pits as quick as you may go.”
Indianapolis, IN
Colts’ Betting Odds vs. Giants Revealed
The Indianapolis Colts took care of business against the Tennessee Titans with a 38-30 home win on Sunday. The victory means the Colts are still alive in the playoff race, but they’ll need some help.
Most importantly, the Colts must win against the New York Giants in Week 17. The Giants are coming off a 27-point loss to the Atlanta Falcons and have lost their last 10 games.
The Colts opened as -8 point favorites against the Giants on DraftKings Sportsbook. This is the largest spread in a Colts game all season. Indy is coming off a win where they covered the -3.5 point spread against the Titans.
In the money line, the Colts are -455 favorites ($100 to win $21.98). The Giants are listed at +350 ($100 to win $350), despite being the home team.
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The Giants have had a few hardships this season and eventually made the decision to cut starting quarterback Daniel Jones. Drew Lock has started three of the last four games for the Giants but has struggled tremendously.
Looking at the two rosters, the Colts have more firepower. Running back Jonathan Taylor and quarterback Anthony Richardson helped set the franchise record for most rushing yards in a game and will look to repeat their performances at MetLife Stadium.
If you’re looking to bet on a points total, Colts @ Giants is listed at O/U 40.5. Colts games have hit that over in six of the last eight while Giants games have exceeded that amount in five of the previous eight.
Colts @ Giants will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 29th at MetLife Stadium. It’s a must-win game for Indianapolis if they want a shot at the postseason.
Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!
Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X, and subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis’ most-read news stories of 2024: From the court and courtroom to the cosmos
Totality welcomed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to loud cheers
Watch as thousands of spectators bring in totality during the total solar eclipse viewing event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
IndyStar
As many as 7 million people a month visited the IndyStar online this year and it’s my job to help reporters and editors understand what they’re reading.
These journalists give me plenty of data to work with, too, because no one covers Indianapolis like IndyStar. Through mid-December, IndyStar published more than 10,000 articles, 1,000 photo galleries and nearly 2,000 videos. That’s nearly 30 articles, three photo galleries and five videos each day (you get a lot with a subscription) and that’s not even counting the statewide and national news produced by other USA TODAY Network newsrooms across Indiana.
As we prepare to put a very newsy 2024 behind us, let’s take a look back at some of the most widely followed storylines and coverage topics of the year, in no particular order:
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever
By the time Clark made her Fever debut, she was already a household name for many college basketball fans. But her WNBA Rookie of the Year performance took her star power to another level with fans around the country.
Clark’s skills on the court drew a lot of attention (and fouls) from her opponents, too, and her work helped the Fever reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson put on a rookie of the year campaign of her own in 2024, covering Clark at Iowa as student and landing in Indianapolis before the WNBA Draft, just in time to cover arguably the biggest story in women’s sports this year.
Clark put on an incredible show and Peterson and IndyStar were there for it all, publishing nearly 300 articles since April and making the Fever beat IndyStar’s most-read of the year.
While Clark isn’t playing overseas or in 3-on-3 leagues this summer, Fever fans will likely have good reason to read every word again during the 2025 season. And IndyStar makes it easy, too: subscribe to the Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
Richard Goodall on “America’s Got Talent”
Richard Goodall says community support was ‘immeasurable’ in AGT win
“I left it all on the stage,” Goodall told reporters Friday. “And not only did I try to pull through for you guys, you guys pulled through for me.”
If seeing someone live out a dream brings a smile to your face, you’ll remember Richard Goodall’s going from middle school janitor to Journey frontman for a day.
The Vigo County, Indiana, native won over judges and IndyStar readers while winning Season 19 of “America’s Got Talent” by performing Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” and Journey’s “Faithfully,” among others.
The most memorable moment was seeing Goodall bring back his audition song, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” this time with the legendary rock band on the season finale where he won the $1 million prize.
The Indianapolis 500
It would be hard to make this list any year and say the Indy 500 didn’t belong on it, even if the results looked familiar with Josef Newgarden repeating as champion and Team Penske earning its record-extending 20th Indy 500 victory.
The didn’t mean the race was completely predictable, though. Pato O’Ward gave a challenge that Newgarden held off by a mere 0.3417 seconds and an hours-long rain delay emptied out the grandstands and pushed the race back to nearly 5 p.m.
The race was also notable for anyone following the money. Newgarden’s repeat victory earned him more than $4 million in prize money as he became the first back-to-back winner since Helio Castroneves did so in 2001-02.
The Delphi murders trial
One of America’s most haunting cases finally saw some closure in November when Richard Allen was found guilty of all four counts against him in the deaths of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German.
The coverage of this case also highlighted the importance of local journalists. IndyStar’s staff spent months preparing to cover this high-profile case fraught with misinformation and got assists from around the USA TODAY Network, including the expertise of Lafayette Journal & Courier reporter Ron Wilkins, who has been reporting on the case since it began.
The team of reporters and visual journalists worked through plenty of logistical hurdles to bring close-to-live updates to readers each day, detailing everything from the heartwrenching witness testimony to details about Allen’s prison confessions.
And while Allen was found guilty, he’s likely to appeal and you can count on IndyStar to follow any updates to the case.
The solar eclipse
IndyStar published plenty of words about this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event for many Hoosiers but the photo staff’s images told the story best. Bonus: This video of fans viewing totality at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Honorable mention
A few pieces of standalone coverage that resounded with readers in 2024:
Indianapolis, IN
Colts’ Taylor repents for gaffe with 218-yard day
INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor made a lightning-quick jump cut through the hole and saw nothing but daylight ahead.
Once the Indianapolis Colts running back reached the goal line, some 65 yards later, his run was still not complete. Taylor kept going, running into the tunnel that leads to the Colts’ locker room in the southwest corner of Lucas Oil Stadium. It was Taylor’s way of sending a message: This time, he would hold on to the football after arriving at the end zone — something he did not do a week ago.
Taylor reached the end zone two more times Sunday, including a 70-yard scoring run, during his 218-yard performance in the Colts’ historic 38-30 win over the Tennessee Titans. Indianapolis’ offense dominated the line of scrimmage, rushing for a franchise-record 335 yards in a victory that kept the team’s faint playoff hopes alive. The Colts surpassed the previous high established in 1956, nearly three decades before the franchise left Baltimore for the Midwest in 1984.
It was Taylor’s second career 200-yard performance behind only his career-high 253-yard game in the final week of the 2020 season. His most recent performance came on the heels of last Sunday’s game in which Taylor committed a costly miscue, dropping the ball prematurely as he crossed the goal line on a would-be 41-yard run that could’ve given Indianapolis a two-touchdown lead.
The Colts went on to lose the critical matchup, dealing a severe blow to their playoff hopes. Taylor didn’t make the mistake again this week.
“I had already predetermined in my mind that next time, I’m going all the way in the tunnel,” Taylor said Sunday.
In fact, Taylor approached the whole situation with levity. He and backup running back Tyler Goodson planned a bit ahead of the game. After Taylor emerged from the tunnel, Goodson ran up to him and playfully tried to strip the ball, with Taylor keeping a tight grip.
“Just trolling, making the crowd laugh a little bit,” Goodson said.
In reality, there was nothing funny about the way the Colts pushed around the Titans. Tennessee allowed the most rushing yards of any team this season and the second most in Titans/Oilers franchise history. The Colts made no pretense about their intentions, either, at one point running on 12 consecutive plays during three possessions in the second quarter.
“That’s kind of the exciting part,” Taylor said “It’s kind of when you start imposing your will, establishing that line of scrimmage. Those are the types of football games as a running back … you love.”
Tight end Mo Alie-Cox added: “By the end of the game … we were still getting 5 yards a pop. They still couldn’t really stop it. They were calling it, but they couldn’t do nothing about it.”
Then, Alie-Cox relayed a story that unfolded before a particular play.
“It’s hilarious,” he said. “One time, they were like, ‘It’s a screen. Boom.’ And then one of their [defensive] ends was like, ‘Man, they’re about to give it to Jonathan Taylor. He’s about to run for 300 [yards] on us.’ Once he said that, I was like, ‘Yeah, we got him.’”
In light of the rushing success, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson wasn’t asked to do much from the pocket. He completed just 7 of 11 passes for 131 yards. But Richardson was a part of the rushing bonanza, running for a career-high 70 yards.
Now, the Colts hope to finish with wins over the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars in their remaining two games, along with hoping numerous other dominoes fall their way in their bid to make the postseason.
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