Alex Lloyd announced via Twitter this morning that he will be parting ways with Target Chip Ganassi Racing and entering free agency. Lloyd won the 2007 Firestone Indy Lights championship, then known as the Indy Pro Series, in dominating fashion, winning a record setting eight of the sixteen races. After the 2007 season, he was placed under contract by Target Chip Ganassi Racing as a development driver, but after one and a half years with the team, there is still no potential for a full-time ride. TCGR was able to…
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IndyCar – Lights are a bit light
This weekend’s Firestone Indy Lights race, with only 16 cars contesting the Husar’s House of Fine Diamonds 100 at the historic Milwaukee Mile, will feature the shortest grid since the Infineon race in August of 2006, when only 14 cars competed. This continues an unfortunate trend seen in the Firestone Indy Lights series this season. The first race at St. Petersburg featured 27 cars on the grid, but at Long Beach, there were only 25. At Kansas, the total number of entries had dropped to 24, and two more were…
Read MoreIndyCar – Indy Lights Freedom 100
If you have friends and family that just cannot understand why you love open-wheel racing, the 2009 Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the race you need to show them! What a spectacular race it was! Today was Carburetion Day, the last day of practice for the IndyCar Series before the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Since 2005, Carburetion Day has also been the day for the Firestone Indy Lights race. This race, as with most of the Indy Lights races, has typically featured quality racing, but this…
Read MoreIndyCar – Indy Lights Get Taste of IMS
The Indy Lights series hit the track from 8am-2pm yesterday at 16th and Georgetown for an open test. 21 cars took to the square oval in preparation for the Freedom 100 race which will take place on Carb Day, Friday, May 22nd. Since on track time is at a premium over the next two weeks, they will only have two more short practice sessions on May 21st before they tackle qualifying later that day. The Indy Lights series has seen a huge influx of talent this year. The high purses…
Read MoreIndyCar – Firestone Indy Lights at Kansas
The first oval race of the year for the Indy Racing League, as you saw in earlier articles here at Openpaddock.net, was held at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS. Oval racing with high-speed open-wheel cars is unique to IndyCar racing, and the league has two levels of competition. First is the series with which everyone is familiar, the IndyCar Series (ICS). This is the series that contests the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race every Memorial Day Weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And yes, I do get goosebumps every…
Read MoreHorrific Indy Lights Kansas Accident
IndyCars – Kansas Quali Update
The rain stayed away just long enough on Saturday for the 22 IndyCar drivers and the 24 Firestone Indy Lights drivers to have a couple rounds of practice and qualify their machines for the two races on Sunday. Getting the races in might be a challenge. Severe weather moved into the area not long after the qualification and the same front will still be in the area on race day. Expectations are for dry, but windy weather until mid to late afternoon. The Indy Lights race will likely be run,…
Read MoreOpenpaddock.net Live From Kansas City
As the IndyCar series moves to Kansas City this weekend, so does openpaddock.net. We will be reporting everyday from the track with updates and editorial as events happen! The entire staff will be in attendance and we will be in the paddock getting the low down on all of the weekends activities. We will also be covering the Indy Lights series as well as the other happenings in the world of motorsports. Keep it tuned to Openpaddock.net and join the conversation all week long for your IndyCar content as well as reports all…
Read More28 Cars for Indy Lights
The Indy Lights series is starting off this weekend at St. Petersburg with a huge field of 28 cars for their two races. The field includes 18 rookies, the brother of CCWS driver Nelson Phillepe, Justin Wilson’s brother, past champions Jay Howard and Wade Cunningham, and several standout drivers such as JR Hildebrand, Logan Gomez, Pippa Mann (who beat up on all the boys in preseason testing), Ana Beatriz and Jonathan Summerton. This monster entry list in for the feeder category is a huge vote of confidence for the value…
Read MoreIndy Lights Turnout at Barber
Barber Motorsports park has released attendance figures for their first day of open testing with the Indy Lights in their ongoing campaign for inclusion on the 2010 IndyCar calendar. 7,600 people showed up to watch the IndyLights test on Saturday. 7,600! That’s about as many people that attended last season’s opener at Homestead…. (OK at least it looked like 7,600 at Homestead) Sunday will kick off IndyCar series testing which will last through the end of the day on Monday. Attendance on Sunday is expected to top 10,000. GIVE THIS…
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