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What could prevent Josef Newgarden from racing Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600 double

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What could prevent Josef Newgarden from racing Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600 double


LEBANON – Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Nashville resident Josef Newgarden would be interested in one day running the double — the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.

However, Newgarden acknowledged there is a lot more behind the scenes to making that happen than simply saying he’d like to compete in the two races, which would account to 1,100 miles racing in one day.

“If we win enough Indy 500s, maybe they’d just have to say yes,” Newgarden said Sunday during a media availability at Nashville Superspeedway prior to the Ally 400. “That’s the strategy. We’ve got two now. How many do we need to get an automatic yes. Is it two more? I don’t know what the answer is. We’ll keep going until they say yes.”

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Newgarden, The Tennessean’s 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, has won the past two Indianapolis 500 races.

“I’d love to drive a Cup car at some point,” said Newgarden, a Pope Saint John Paul II Preparatory School graduate.

“I used to go to Bristol races when I was a kid. Bristol has always been very high on my list. This track and Bristol are probably the tracks I went to the most to see Cup races. To do the double, would be a great opportunity.

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LIVE UPDATES: NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville: Live updates, highlights, live leaderboard of Ally 400

RACING ROOTS: How growing up around Nashville shaped Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden’s IndyCar career

“I don’t know if that will ever take shape. It’s really tough nowadays to get that all lined up. There is a lot of people that have to be involved and come together on that. First and foremost, it was great to see Kyle (Larson) do that. We’d love to see more do that.”

Newgarden drives for Roger Penske, owner of Team Penske. Team Penske’s NASCAR Cup program includes 2023 NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric. Roger Penske also owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on the X platform @Kreager.

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Indianapolis Opera’s free concert spotlights influential Black composers

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Indianapolis Opera’s free concert spotlights influential Black composers


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Opera will host a free concert in honor of Black History Month Saturday night at 6 p.m. to celebrate the legacy and artistry of Black composers. The event features a range of spirituals, contemporary art songs, and operatic works performed a cappella.

Lyndsay Moy, the director of education, outreach, branding and design for Indianapolis Opera, said the event is designed to keep this specific music accessible to the public.

Resident artist Ian Williams, describes the concert as a mix of traditional repertoire and new songs. The artists will perform without microphones or instrumental accompaniment. “All of this is just straight out of our voices, so there’s no microphones,” Williams said. “We’re just creating the sound ourselves and putting it into a space, so it’s a little bit of, a little bit of breathing, a little bit of extra work there, yes.”

“So many composers tonight have been so influential in the broader vocal canon and it’s important and wonderful for us to be able to offer this kind of concert for free to our community to keep this kind of music accessible and more importantly to feature these fabulous artists like Ian so much talent,” Moy said.

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Williams noted that the concert allows the organization to celebrate classic composers who were not well known during their own time. “It’s very cool because we get to celebrate some of classic composers all the way back to William Grant Steele, who was one of the who wrote operas back in the day, even during the time of Porgy and Bess, but he wasn’t, it wasn’t well known,” Williams said.

One of the featured pieces is the traditional spiritual “Fix Me Jesus,” which was arranged for the University of Michigan choir. Williams said the arrangement by Stacey Gibbs maintains the traditional spiritual style while adding rich harmonies.

While formal tickets for the event are currently sold out, those interested in attending can email tickets@indyopera.org to be added to a waitlist.

Check out the video above to hear a sneak peak of the Indianapolis Opera!

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Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

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Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.

Watch highlights of Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter above.

Final Score: Tri-West 65 Cardinal Ritter 62

“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.

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New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

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New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections


FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian bridge over 96th Street is officially open.

It was being touted Friday as a major milestone for central Indiana’s growing trail system. The street is the Fishers-Indianapolis border.

Leaders called the project a critical connection point for the Nickel Plate Trail. The new bridge helps move the nearly 17-mile trail closer to its goal of connecting multiple counties through one continuous path.

The bridge also came with a 1.3-mile trail extension. A $4.5 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources made the bridge possible.

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Dale Brier, deputy director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, talked about the state’s Next Level Trails grant program. “Currently, we have 89 trail projects that that were funded with that money. Fifty-nine of those are complete. We’ve got 12 under construction. As of this opening, we have 167 miles of trail that have now been opened with that grant money.”

People who frequently take the trail for their daily exercises say they’re excited the bridge is finally open.

Alan Errichiello of the Fishers Running Club said, “Extending this down south into Indianapolis is a big game changer for us. It’ll add a lot of miles that we can easily get into.”

Resident Tracy Mundell said, “Trying to get to the other side was nearly impossible, so I think most people didn’t even attempt it. It’s going to be great, we can get over to the other side, and I’m anxious to see what’s over there.”

The final portion of the project, called the Clear Path project, remains under construction.

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Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, said, “We need to double-down on that investment, and we know time and time again here in the city of Fishers that trail systems, the ability to get up and get out and get active, is such an important part in our culture of health, that an investment like this is critical.”

Once complete, local leaders say the goal is to provide a more safe and connected routes between Noblesville, Fishers, Indianapolis and other surrounding cities.

Resident Steve Mundell said, “It’s lovely. It’ll be real convenient to get across too.”



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