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JOSEF NEWGARDEN

Newgarden wins IndyCar finale but can't deny Dixon 6th title

Newgarden won the season finale, using a spectacular two-car pass for the lead in a valiant effort to win a second consecutive title. Dixon has won two of the last three championships, a run interrupted last year when Newgarden won his second title. Newgarden tied Dixon with his series-best fourth win of the season but Newgarden was in too large of a hole to catch his rival. It came to a close in front of a sold-out 20,000 spectators, the largest crowd of the season for IndyCar. There was nothing Newgarden could do, even on a day he did everything he had to, to deny Dixon a sixth championship.

IndyCar back in St. Pete seven months later to finish season

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – IndyCar opened the second week of March giddy to finally start its season. The entire industry left St. Pete in March unsure how IndyCar could survive. Yet here IndyCar is, back on the St. Pete streets preparing to crown a champion in Sunday's season finale. Now this cruel 2020 season closes right back at St. Pete, the only street course to survive the schedule disruptions and where it all fell apart in March. Askew missed two races but returned for St. Pete, his final race in another unpopular firing by Arrow McLaren.

Newgarden tightens championship race ahead of IndyCar finale

FILE - In this Friday, July 17, 2020, file photo, Scott Dixon gets ready for qualifying for an IndyCar Series auto race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Scott Dixon has controlled IndyCar’s title race since the start of this disrupted start-and-stop season. The American has whittled 85 points off of Dixon's lead and turned Sunday's season finale into a championship-deciding event. “It was like 20,000 scenarios -- 1% of the scenarios means we can win the championship,” Newgarden said. “Had I not spun, I think it would have been a different scenario going into the last race,” Dixon said.

McLaughlin makes long journey for overdue IndyCar debut

McLaughlin's pandemic-postponed IndyCar debut at last comes Sunday in the season finale at St. Petersburg, Florida. “I obviously never thought I’d get a chance this year due to the nature of the beast with COVID,” McLaughlin said Thursday before boarding yet another flight, this one headed to his first IndyCar race. It’s something that I’m just going to go in like a sponge, soak everything up, see what comes out of it. I’m pretty confident that I’m going to like the series, I’m going to like the cars, I’m going to like everything.”McLaughlin has accomplished all he can racing touring cars in Australia, where he's won 56 races, including last year's Bathurst 1000, and all those titles. He drives for Roger Penske in Supercars and in 2019 the boss asked McLaughlin if he was interested in driving an Indy car.

Dixon's struggles open door to Newgarden for IndyCar title

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – Scott Dixon looked invincible in the first half of this IndyCar season. Now, the Iceman needs everything he can muster to clinch his sixth IndyCar title. And Dixon hasn't just completed every lap of every race this season, he's led in points every day of this strange, abbreviated season. As always, the (IndyCar) points title comes down to the last race." If Dixon does claim the title, he and Foyt both would have won their sixth crowns at age 40.

Power claims another pole at Indy, Dixon's woes continue

INDIANAPOLIS – Will Power will start from the pole Saturday at Indianapolis after posting the fastest lap in morning qualifying. It's his fifth pole this season and the 61st career pole, which is second all-time behind Mario Andretti (67). “We made a lot of changes last night," Power said, explaining he was not satisfied with Friday's car. And when Newgarden won Friday's race , with Dixon finishing ninth, the lead was trimmed to 40 points with two races remaining. “It will take more horsepower we'll use more in these conditions, where as in July it would have been easy to do a two-stop race," Power said.

Newgarden's stays in championship fight with 1st Indy win

INDIANAPOLIS – Josef Newgarden doesn't intend to just give up on his season title defense. With the Harvest GP win, Newgarden moved within 40 points of what once was a seemingly safe 120-point lead of five-time series champ Scott Dixon with two races remaining. Both will run the final two races this season in those cars, and both are already getting started on next season, too. He's had six straight top-10 finishes including a win from the pole at Mid-Ohio and has moved up to third in points. After starting the season with three straight wins, he's finished 10th, 10th and ninth in the last three races, putting his sixth series title back in play.

Andretti puts 2 cars at the front of Indy 500 qualifying

The Pagoda is seen before a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS Andretti Autosport claimed the top of the speed chart midway through Indianapolis 500 qualifying, with former race winners Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi leading a strong Honda showing. Teammate Hunter-Reay was waiting on pit lane to make his run when Rossi radioed feedback from his four laps. Hunter-Reay made a quick adjustment then bumped Rossi with a qualifying run of 231.330 mph. We knew we had the speed, Hunter-Reay said.

Marco Andretti breaks 233 mph on 'Fast Friday' at Indy

Marco Andretti packs up his gear following practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS The horsepower boost sent speeds skyrocketing over 233 mph early on Fast Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Andretti Autosport cars quickly jumped to the top of the board with Marco Andretti logging a lap of 233.491 miles per hour (375.77 kilometres per hour). It's the fastest lap in a practice which is considered unofficial since Sebastien Bourdais went 233.116 mph in 2017. The first thing you need is speed and then you need to put the four laps together," Andretti said.

IndyCar's next wave proving kids are more than all right

Two-time and defending champ Josef Newgarden, who won the second race of the Iowa doubleheader, has yet to turn 30. Pagenaud, who like Newgarden drives for Team Penske, won the first Iowa race on Friday night. The natural ebb and flow of sports dictates there must be a wave of youngsters waiting to replace them. Not surprisingly, Ferrucci was fired by his Trident Racing team. Take the doubleheader this weekend, where Herta and VeeKay were in contention Friday night before a caution flag waved.

Dixon, Ganassi out to continue IndyCar domination in Iowa

The IndyCar series will welcome fans for the first time of the year during the REV Group Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, at Road America in Plymouth, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)NEWTON, Iowa Few people can appreciate the level of success that Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist have had during the IndyCar team's pandemic-challenged 30th anniversary season more than Tony Kanaan. Then consider the 45-year-old Kanaan sees the 39-year-old Dixon in the gym almost every day, each pushing each other to stay fit and young. Dixon went on to win his third straight race after triumphs at Texas and on the road course at Indianapolis. All of it will take place Friday, with the first lap determining where drivers start in the opening race and the second lap where they start the second.

IndyCar drivers grateful to have fans back this weekend

IndyCar Rev Group Grand Prix winner Alexander Rossi enters Victory Lane Sunday, June 23, 2019, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Road America allowed fans back in for its events starting last month. Fans this weekend will get temperature checks at gates and receive masks and hand sanitizer as they enter. The only drivers to open an IndyCar season with at least three straight victories are A.J. Drivers believe the Road America course wont be as grueling with all of its straightaways despite its 14 turns.

IndyCar gets through well-screened, delayed opener in Texas

In this photo provided by Chris Owens/INDYCAR Series, Scott Dixon, left, jumps off his car toward team owner Chip Ganassi as the two celebrate Dixon's IndyCar auto race win at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, June 6, 2020. (Chris Owens/INDYCAR Series via AP)FORT WORTH, Texas FORT WORTH, TexasThrough all of the uncertainty and unknowns after more than eight months since the last IndyCar race, Scott Dixon and another pair of former champs relied on their experience for podium finishes. NBC Sports said Sunday that the Saturday night prime-time telecast drew nearly 1.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched IndyCar race outside the Indianapolis 500 on any network since 2016. It was the biggest audience for an NBC telecast of any IndyCar race away from the Brickyard. I mean, it felt like a normal IndyCar race to me.

Back on track: IndyCar delayed debut all-in-one Texas affair

FILE - In this June 8, 2019, file photo, Josef Newgarden does a burnout after winning the IndyCar auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. IndyCar opens its pandemic-delayed season with an all-in-one-day show Saturday on the fast high-banked 1 -mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway, more than eight months after the 2019 finale. Only Indianapolis Motor Speedway has hosted IndyCar races longer than TMS, which has had races each year since opening in 1997, including the season finales from 1999-2004. Hinchcliffe put together a three-race deal with Andretti Autosport that includes the Indianapolis 500 after he abruptly lost his ride with Arrow McLaren last year. Kanaan is closing out his IndyCar career with the TK Farewell Tour," racing at oval tracks and the Indianapolis 500.

IndyCar restart at Texas before another month to race again

FILE - In this June 10, 2017, file photo, Will Power, of Australia, pumps his fist as he crosses the finish line under yellow to win an IndyCar auto race at Texas Motor Speedway, in Fort Worth, Texas. IndyCar is getting ready for an all-in-one-day season opener on the fast track in Texas, more than 2 months after drivers were set to roll on the streets of St. Pete. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)FORT WORTH, Texas Scott Dixon, Alexander Rossi and the rest of the IndyCar drivers were in sunny Florida around spring break ready to start the season. Instead of the streets of St. Pete, the pandemic-delayed season will get started at the fast 1 1/2-mile track in Texas with an all-in-one-day opener. Practice, qualifying and the 200-lap race will be held Saturday, the same day that IndyCar has chartered planes to carry teams back and forth between Indianapolis and Texas Motor Speedway.