Jack Hawksworth, driving the No. 41 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda, will be seeking to duplicate this week the strong start he had in the inaugural race on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Hawksworth qualified on the front row and led a field-high 31 laps in a Bryan Herta Autosport entry. He finished seventh – the first of five top-five finishes of his Verizon IndyCar Series rookie season. The Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis is May 9.
“This has always been a great circuit for me,” said Hawksworth, who co-drove to victory in a sports car race on the road course in July. “It's certainly been a happy hunting ground for me. I don't particularly think there is any specific reason why I have been strong here other than I seem to have had some pretty good cars. It's certainly an interesting circuit though and being good on the brakes and carrying good minimum speed is pretty important.”
You’re as young as you feel
Helio Castroneves, who will mark his 300th career Indy car start May 9 and celebrate his 40th birthday May 10, is aiming for a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory and his first series championship.
Castroneves enters the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis – the fifth of 16 races on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule -- three points behind championship front-runner and Team Penske teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.
About competing at age 40, Castroneves said: “As long as you’re competitive, as long as you’re giving your heart effort, the results shouldn’t change.”
Andretti crew quickest on pit lane
The No. 27 Snapple Andretti Autosport Honda crew of Marco Andretti won the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award during the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 26 with a total pit lane time of 84.023 seconds.
The Snapple Andretti Autosport crew will receive its $10,000 award during pre-race festivities at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Of note
Iowa Speedway announced that Grammy Award-winning Blues Traveler will be in concert the evening of July 17 after Verizon IndyCar Series qualifications for the Iowa Corn 300. … Five drivers have the opportunity to become the first to win on both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the 2.5-mile oval: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Castroneves and Montoya have all won the Indianapolis 500…. Workers on May 5 began construction of the circuit for the June 12-14 Honda Indy Toronto. … The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Fuzzy's Award Winning Vodka announced a multi-year extension of their partnership as the official vodka of the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500.