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‘It’s gonna be high pressure’: Ericsson, Rahal, Coyne compete for final spots in Indy 500

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‘It’s gonna be high pressure’: Ericsson, Rahal, Coyne compete for final spots in Indy 500


INDIANAPOLIS – After six hours of qualifying time and three qualifying attempts, Graham Rahal shot out of the priority lane at pit row as time expired. As soon as Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing shocked the field by moving into the Fast 12 with just seconds to spare, Rahal was on the oval track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He was in the bottom four, staring the last chance qualifying round set for Sunday — the four slowest cars competing for three spots in the Indy 500 — in the face for the second year in a row. After the first lap of Rahal’s dramatic final attempt, he knew it wasn’t enough, expressing his frustration to his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing crew over his headset.

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“When the car just doesn’t want to pull, there’s nothing you can do,” Rahal told NBC Sports moments later.

Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 is a game of inches – or milliseconds. 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson stared blankly at the table in front of him in the DEX Imaging Media Center just moments after his fate was sealed. His frustration wasn’t with his No. 28 Honda, it was with himself.

Ericsson’s crash Thursday during practice destroyed his primary car, sending him into qualifying with a backup car.

“I can only blame myself,” Ericsson said. “… Our car, for some reason, it’s not really got the speed or the grip at the moment. We just kept trying things, I thought we made some progress, but not enough.”

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Yet Ericsson, now representing Andretti Global, felt that he took a step back in improving his backup car after his first round of qualifying. Feeling good going into qualifying given the circumstances, Ericsson was confused about his first-round finish in the bottom of the pack.

“We went out today and we were a lot slower than yesterday,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to us. … It’s really hard to go from a car they worked on for 12 months to a car they had to build over 24 hours.”

Ericsson posted a 230.342 mile-per-hour average lap speed on his second qualifying attempt, slotting in 30th of 34 drivers before being bumped into the bottom four soon after, a hole he couldn’t escape despite multiple attempts after.

Nolan Siegel and Katherine Legge of Dale Coyne Racing finished with two of the bottom four qualifying times after the first round. The 19-year-old rookie was in the same situation as Ericsson, driving a backup car after his crash on Turn 2 during Fast Friday. Siegel’s average lap speed of 226.621 mph was the worst of the first round, and his 228.276 speed on his second was still the slowest of the group.

“(The car is) really difficult to drive right now,” Siegel said. “It’s partly my fault, but we’ll figure it out. … At 230 mph, every bit of friction and drag matters.”

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Legge “kissed” the outside wall on Turn 4 during her final lap of the first round of qualifying, almost suffering the same fate as her teammate did the day before, however, she finished the lap and posted an average speed of 230.244 mph.

“When you get in the (inside curbing) it just sucks you in, but it was corner four so I did what any sensible person would do,” Legge said. “I was staying flat come hell or high water.”

The No. 51 Honda driver said her strategy did not need to change going into the second attempt later in the day but she was concerned about her car. She said she certainly didn’t help the Dale Coyne engineers any by causing some light damage during her Turn 4 bump, but Legge also said some of the issues under the hood are more than could be fixed in a day.

“We’re quite a bit off right now. If we knew why, we’d be two mph faster,” Legge said.

An average lap speed of 230.830 mph was Legge’s second qualifying attempt, but it was less than a fifth of a second behind Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Pietro Fittipaldi, who posted a 231.100 mph average lap speed in round one. She went out to try twice more to no avail.

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It was Rahal who posted the third-lowest average speed of the first round. After being bumped out of qualification for the Indianapolis 500 last season, Rahal said his frustration from 2023 continued to build after a poor finish during round one. He knew he would have to return to the track for a second try at qualifying after finishing with a 230.233 mph average lap speed, but his second attempt wasn’t good enough either, posting a 230.388 mph average to stay in the bottom four.

“For me, it’s disappointing,” Rahal said. “We shouldn’t be in this situation.”

Rahal’s biggest source of frustration from his first attempt boiled down to an unexpected mechanical issue. Shaking his head while in the car on the track, Rahal didn’t hide his exasperation; a feeling that stuck with him the rest of the day.

“It should have pulled fifth gear without any issue and it just simply didn’t,” Rahal said. “… It certainly seems like we’re just slow.”

Ericsson, Rahal, Legge and Siegel make up the official bottom four heading into the final day of qualifying, where the final three positions in the upcoming 108th Indianapolis 500 will be determined during a last chance qualifying round from 4:15-5:15 p.m. Sunday, May 19.

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“This place is tough, I think everyone can say that,” Ericsson said. “… It’s hard, but if it was easy anyone could do it. It’s gonna be high pressure tomorrow, but I’ve done this long enough to know how to deal with that.”

Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or on X @KyleSmedley_.



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Indianapolis, IN

Colts: A Historical Season Predicted for Anthony Richardson

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Colts: A Historical Season Predicted for Anthony Richardson


Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has a big sophomore year ahead of him. After suffering a shoulder injury in Week 5 of 2023, Richardson has made a full recovery and expects to start under center when the 2024 NFL season kicks off.

In a shortened rookie season, Richardson posted seven total touchdowns (3 passing, 4 rushing) and 713 total yards. Colts fans caught only a glimpse of the 22-year-old’s potential, but the bright spots certainly shined for Richardson.

What happens next for the Colts? Don’t miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Bleacher Report‘s Gary Davenport wrote his predictions for every starting quarterback. Richardson’s predicted stats pay homage to his dual-threat ability at quarterback.

If these numbers come true, Richardson would be only the fourth-ever quarterback to record 1,000 rushing yards in a single season (Michael Vick 2006, Lamar Jackson 2019 & 2020, Justin Fields 2022). With a 4.43 40-yard dash, the open-field speed is something to watch out for this season. Combining that speed with one of the league’s most creative play-callers in Shane Steichen and Indy will have a serious threat in the run game.

The predicted passing stats are eerily similar to Richardson’s final year at the University of Florida, where he posted 17 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 12 games. At Florida, Richardson didn’t have the kind of weapons he has in Indianapolis. Players like Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and AD Mitchell provide a lethal combination of good hands and elite speed that can tear apart defenses.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Richardson clear these numbers, especially if he plays to his full potential. “I like where he’s at right now big time,” said head coach Shane Steichen. “He’s been on it fundamentally wise. He’s a compact guy type, really good feet, quick feet, which is really good to see. But the arm motion looks good, looks real good out there. So, no concerns there.”

Kickoff is officially under 100 days away as the clock continues to tick until that September 8th game against the Houston Texans. Richardson & Co. have the opportunity to break a Week 1 loss streak that stretches back to the 2013 season.

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X; subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.

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Indy 500 Winner Josef Newgarden Signs Contract Extension At Team Penske

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Indy 500 Winner Josef Newgarden Signs Contract Extension At Team Penske


With back-to-back Indianapolis 500 victories, two NTT IndyCar Series Championships and 30 career IndyCar wins including 27 with Team Penske, it made tremendous sense that Josef Newgarden and Team Penske stay together for the future.

It became official Saturday afternoon at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix as the team announced a contract extension with the IndyCar Series star.

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“This very much feels like home here to me,” Newgarden said. “This is my eighth year with the team. They’ve provided me with every opportunity that I could have ever dreamed of. I’ve enjoyed my time here immensely, immensely. There’s nothing that’s ever been missing. Very thankful to our partnerships across the board.

“Chevrolet has powered every single one of my IndyCar victories that I’ve ever had, whether that was pre-Penske or during the entire time. Not somewhere else I want to go. I have loved working with Chevrolet, having them support me my entire career.”

Earlier on Saturday, Hitachi Astemo extended the company’s partnership with Team Penske in another multi-year agreement.

“Certainly, the Hitachi relationship was a very good one to receive when I got to Team Penske,” Newgarden said. “I used to watch Helio Castroneves drive the Hitachi car. I thought if one day I had an opportunity to drive for this team, I would love to drive that car. Helio passed the torch in 2018. We were able to follow that up with a championship in 2019.

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“I don’t think it’s farfetched to say we nearly could have had four championships together in that time span. We finished second, runner-up, three years in a row. A couple were very close.

“I think for me what I look at, which is most gratifying, is the potential still has not been reached. There’s a higher ceiling here that we haven’t maxed out yet. That makes me excited for the future.”

Newgarden’s victory was team owner Roger Penske’s record-extending 20th Indianapolis 500 victory.

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“Josef Newgarden is a true winner, and we are excited that he will continue as a part of Team Penske for years to come,” said team owner Roger Penske. “What he did Sunday in the Indianapolis 500 shows how Josef consistently delivers for our team and our partners on the track, and he is just as impressive off the track as well. We are proud to have Josef continue with our organization as his skill and passion embody what it means to be a Team Penske driver.”

Newgarden is one of the biggest stars in the IndyCar Series and has called Team Penske home since the 2017 season. In his seven-plus seasons with the organization, Newgarden has totaled 27 wins, 16 NTT P1 Award pole positions, and two IndyCar Series championships in 2017 and 2019.

A well-rounded driver that can win on any circuit, Newgarden has established himself as the top oval racer in the series and his 30 career victories place him alone in the 13th position on the all-time series wins list.

Most-notably, the Nashville, Tenn. native took the checkered flag in the Indianapolis 500 in 2023 and 2024, becoming the first driver since 2002 to win the race in consecutive seasons. His 2024 Indianapolis 500 victory on Sunday afternoon gave Team Penske 20 wins in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” This extension will allow Newgarden to chase immortality as the first driver to win three-consecutive Indianapolis 500s with the most-successful team in the race’s 108-year history.

In addition, this year Newgarden became the first driver in Team Penske history to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the same season when he helped the team to the overall win in the endurance classic for the first time since 1969.

“Driving for Roger Penske and this iconic team is a dream that I never thought I would realize,” Newgarden said. “I’m thankful for the opportunities that I’ve been given during my time at Team Penske. I have a great amount of respect for the individuals that comprise our group, including the partners who support us.

“Our time together has been filled with hard work, teamwork and dedication; and I’m so excited that we will continue on for many more years to come. I’m sure that we can achieve much more in the future. I still believe we haven’t reached our full potential together just yet.”

Newgarden is seventh in the 2024 IndyCar Series standings with one win and two top-five finishes in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. He is a 2019 winner of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, site of this weekend’s sixth round of the 2024 IndyCar Series championship that can be seen live on the USA Network at 12:00 pm ET on Sunday, June 2.

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Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 625 major race wins, over 685 pole positions and 44 championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition.

Entering its 58th season in 2024, Team Penske has also earned 20 Indianapolis 500 victories, three Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win, victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, along with a win in Australia’s legendary Bathurst 1000 race.

In 2024, Team Penske will compete in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

“The timing was kind of perfect,” Newgarden said. “You never know when you’re going to win the Indianapolis 500. The fact that we did, we have this great extension with Hitachi Astemo, we’re here in GM’s backyard, literally in their house, Penske Corporation is up the road, seemed like a good time to put this together.

“This has been coming for a little while now, so not surprised.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis killings in June 2024

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Indianapolis killings in June 2024


IndyStar is tracking each killing to better understand violence in the city. This list is preliminary, and the number of homicides can change as authorities investigate each case, determining whether the slaying was criminal, justified, accidental or suicide. IndyStar has excluded cases ruled accidents, suicides, fatal overdoses or hit-and-run deaths unless they were deemed intentional. This information is compiled using data from Indianapolis police, court records and interviews with family and friends of those killed. Anyone with information that could help a homicide investigation is asked to call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 to remain anonymous.

Woman killed in shooting on Skylar Lane

June 1: Indianapolis police responded about 7:20 a.m. to reports of a shooting on the north side of the city.

Officers responded to the 3000 block of Armory Lane and found a woman, who has not been identified, with gunshot wounds inside a residence. She died at the scene.

Police have detained a person of interest in the case.

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