Category Archives: racing

Annals of Marketing – Hilfiger Joins Cadillac Formula 1®

Posted on 3 June 2025 by Ken Zino

“Two icons. One vision. A bold new era of American motorsport,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “We’re proud to continue our Formula 1® story alongside TWG Motorsports and Cadillac. We share a vision to honor the heritage of F1® while pushing it forward – celebrating where we come from, and re-imagining where we can go. As the sport’s presence around the globe continues to soar, there’s never been a better time to dream big, and show the world what an American team can bring to the grid.” Continue reading →

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Detroit Joins Rising List of IndyCar Cheating Events

Posted on 3 June 2025 by Ken Zino

IndyCar said late yesterday that a post-race technical inspection penalty occurred for entry No. 14 of A.J. Foyt Enterprise (Santino Ferrucci with an ahem, Chevrolet engine) following Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear after it was found to be under the required driver ballast weight following the 100 lap run through a concrete barrier race downtown. Also during inspection, IndyCar found the weight of car No. 14, itself, was 10 pounds over the minimum weight for road and street circuits of 1785 pounds and competed over the minimum weight requirement on-track. These are the latest examples of an IndyCar technical inspection process that violates the rules of integrity and fairness in AutoInformed’s view. Continue reading →

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More IndyCar Cheating Penalties Coming to Detroit

Posted on 30 May 2025 by Ken Zino

IndyCar this morning announced a six-position starting grid penalty for the entries of No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing and No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Sunday, 1 June on the Streets of Detroit. Ironically the violations are both on Honda powered cars. Continue reading →

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Palou Wins the Indy 500 Ways to Cheat

Posted on 27 May 2025 by Ken Zino

What’s sometimes billed as the greatest spectacle in racing has turned from the drama high-speed oval racing to farce as rampant cheating has emerged in the Indy500 and the IndyCar Series. On Sunday Three-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou earned the first oval victory of his career winning the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.*

“Best milk I’ve ever tasted,” Palou said on the Victory Podium after a gulp from the traditional winner’s bottle of milk. “It tastes so good. What an amazing feeling.” In AutoInformed’s view the milk is sour. Both the IndyCar series and the Indianapolis Motor Speed are owned by Roger Penske via Penske Entertainment. Penske cars have participated in the cheating for more than one year. Moreover, there is no independent review organization to deal with the inherent conflict of interest of Penske, or what has emerged as rampant cheating that is endemic in IndyCar. Both Chevy and Honda powered teams are involved in modifying the Dallara supplied race cars. Continue reading →

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Newgarden Leads Final Indy 500 Practice

Posted on 23 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Josef Newgarden led the final practice for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” with a top lap of 225.687 mph in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden is trying to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indy 500s. However, due to the Team Penske Cheating Scandal, he’ll need to do it from the 33rd starting spot. Newgarden and Team Penske teammate Will Power were moved to the rear of the field Monday due to a modified attenuator on their respective cars that violated IndyCar rules Sunday during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying. The record for the deepest starting spot of a “500” winner is 28th, by Ray Harroun in the inaugural race in 1911 and Louis Meyer in 1936. Continue reading →

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IndyCar – Penske Fires Senior Leadership Team

Posted on 21 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Team Penske announced today the departures of IndyCar Team President, Tim Cindric, IndyCar Managing Director, Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar General Manager Kyle Moyer from the organization. The move comes from the turbulence created by an aerodynamic cheating scandal during qualifying for the 119th Indianapolis 500.

“Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams. We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down,” said Roger Penske, who owns the IndyCar Series and the Speedway. Continue reading →

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Mobil 1 is Le Mans Sponsor of Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing

Posted on 20 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Cadillac Racing* said today that the Mobil 1™ brand is its primary sponsor of the No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R** for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Cadillac will contest the 93rd edition of the twice-around-the-clock race on the 8.467-mile course with a four-car factory lineup with drivers who have accumulated 21 Le Mans podiums. The livery has the Mobil 1 logo across the sides and front of the blue and white Hypercar in the top class in endurance racing. Earlier this year, the Mobil 1 team announced an extension of its technical alliance with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), now making it the Official Motor Oil of Cadillac Racing. Continue reading →

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Autonomous Racing League Season 2 Opens at Yas Marina

Posted on 19 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) via Aspire today announced the return of its flagship event, the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL). The 2025 edition will take place on 15 November at Yas Marina Circuit with a $2.25 million prize pool and the launch of a global virtual racing series. The announcement was made during the Make it in the Emirates Forum in Abu Dhabi.

“The Emirates Autonomous Vehicle (EAV 24), A2RL’s upgraded autonomous racecar, represents a significant leap in performance and engineering. Assembled and autonomized in the UAE, the vehicle reflects the nation’s growing capabilities in AI, robotics, and high-performance mobility. Built on the proven Super Formula SF23 platform, the EAV-24 has been reengineered to incorporate enhanced sensor arrays, upgraded compute systems, and refined control logic, optimized for the demanding conditions of autonomous racing,” said Aspire. Continue reading →

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Rookie Robert Shwartzman in a Chevy on Indy 500 Pole

Posted on 19 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Robert Shwartzman posted  a four-lap average speed of 232.790 mph in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet during the Firestone Fast Six yesterday at the Indianapolis brickyard in Speedway Indiana. PREMA  joined the NTT IndyCar Series this season after years of success in European racing, became the first team to claim the 500 pole in its first attempt since Mayer Motor Racing with driver Tom Sneva took  the pole in 1984. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato (Honda) and Pato O’Ward (Chevrolet) will join Shwartzman on the front row for the 109th running of the race this Sunday 25 May.* Continue reading →

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Indy 500 Broadcast Local Delay Lifted for Fox

Posted on 16 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Penske Entertainment said today that the upcoming broadcast of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will not have the usual broadcast delay for the first ever airing of the race on Fox Sports. Right now it appears that all reserved seating for Race Day will be sold out for the first time since the 100th edition of the race in 2016. Right now, a few tickets remain in the IMS grandstands, with a full reserved seating sellout likely to occur by the checkered flag for Monday’s practice and possibly before the end of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying Weekend, which starts tomorrow. Expanded coverage of the inaugural  Indy 500 on FOX starts on Sunday 25 May at 10 a.m. ET across the country, with the green flag drop  at ~12:45 p.m. ET.

“This year, the greatest race on Earth will host one of its biggest and most memorable crowds in many decades,” said Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles. “This is a terrific showcase for the NTT IndyCar Series and a great milestone to supercharge our relationship with FOX Sports. It is also absolutely a fitting tribute to the continued leadership and investment of Roger Penske.” Continue reading →

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Indianapolis 500 Practice Starts Today!

Posted on 13 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Practice for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge starts today May 13 with a field consisting of eight former winners of what is promoted as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and five NTT IndyCar Series champions. There are 34 entries set to contest for the 33 starting spots for this year’s 500. That will be determined at the PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying runs May 17-18.

All track activity on the 2.5-mile oval leads into Race Day, Sunday 25 May at the “Brickyard.” Live Race Day coverage begins on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app and the IndyCar Radio Network at 10 a.m. (ET). The green flag is set to drop for 12:45 p.m. That’s when the B.S. stops so to speak, barring a weather delay. Continue reading →

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WEC Spa – Ferrari One-Two. Alpine Third in Hypercar

Posted on 12 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Ferrari at Spa finished first and second as the #51 passed under the chequered flag just four seconds ahead of the sister #50 Ferrari  prototype. This was ironic or exciting as Antonio Giovinazzi crashed at the crest of Eau Rouge on his first lap out of the pits during Thursday’s FP2 session. The World Endurance Cup said a record crowd of ~ 100,000 showed up in the 14th  running of the Belgium endurance race. (read AutoInformed.com on Spa-Francorchamps – LeMans Dress Rehearsal this Weekend)* James Calado drove the opening Ferrari stint, which he dubbed as conservative in order to take care of the tires. Giovinazzi drive the second stint without inducing serious damage. Pier Guidi drove remainder of the race. Continue reading →

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Spa-Francorchamps – LeMans Dress Rehearsal this Weekend

Posted on 9 May 2025 by Ken Zino

The third race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) will see a multi-brand battle at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. In what is the dress rehearsal for the 24 hours of LeMans in June at Circuit de la Sarthe. Aston Martin, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Lexus, Porsche and Toyota, among others will take to the 4.352 mile, 19 turn track with fast sweeping corners.*

Ferrari AF Corse took its third successive pole position in 2025. Antonio Fuoco drove a 1:59.617s lap take  the top spot in the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. Fuoco took the pole by a mere 0.347s. The #83 AF Corse Ferrari joined the #50 car on the front row of the grid, as Robert Kubica was the only other driver to dip below the two-minute mark with a 1:59.964s best run. Making it a 1-2-3 for Ferrari was Antonio Giovinazzi in the Imola-winning #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. He set a 2:00.201s best in the car that had been repaired after the Italian crashed in the FP2 session on Thursday afternoon. Giovinazzi survived a late scare with a gravelly slide on the exit of Les Combes. Continue reading →

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NASCAR, TelevisaUnivision Announce Mexican Broadcast Deal

Posted on 9 May 2025 by Ken Zino

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (“NASCAR”) and TelevisaUnivision,* Mexico’s leading media company, have reached an exclusive broadcast agreement for free-to-air coverage of the sanctioning body’s Mexico City race.  Under this new agreement, TelevisaUnivision will serve as the exclusive free-to-air (FTA) broadcaster in Mexico for the highly anticipated 2025 NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City, scheduled for Sunday, June 15 at 3 pm ET or 1 pm. local time. The race will be broadcast live on TelevisaUnivision’s ‘Canal 5’ with full Spanish-language commentary. Continue reading →

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WillScot Holdings to Provide Hospitality Spaces for IndyCar

Posted on 7 May 2025 by Ken Zino

Penske Entertainment* today announced a partnership with WillScot Holdings Corp., a provider of temporary spaces, that will see the company become an Official Partner of IndyCar** and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Through the multiyear partnership, WillScot will provide turnkey space solutions, including mobile offices, storage containers, climate-controlled storage, clear-span structures, restrooms, fencing and other hospitality spaces for use at race events throughout NTT IndyCar Series and IMS seasons. Continue reading →

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