- NTT IndyCar Series teams were on-track Tuesday for the opening day of practice for the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500. There were two official sessions, one from 9 - 11:15 a.m. for veterans only, and one from 3 - 6 p.m. ET after rookie refresher sessions for everyone.
In the morning session, Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon was fastest with a lap at 227.119 mph. The lap was less than three-hundredths of a second faster than teammate Marcus Ericsson. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Sage Karam was third fastest, then Conor Daly and Marco Andretti.
The afternoon session saw Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing's Takuma Sato go fastest on his final lap at speed with a lap at 228.939 mph. Sato was two-tenths of a second faster than Dixon. Jimmie Johnson was a strong third quickest, followed by Ericsson and Rinus VeeKay.
Of those who were able to get on track Tuesday without a tow, VeeKay was fastest with a lap at 221.551 mph. There were no incidents reported in more than five hours of track activity.
- World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series had to deal with heavy tire wear last night at New Jersey's Bridgeport Motorsports Park. This race ended up being nothing short of a duel between Sheldon Haudenschild and the visiting Kyle Larson. The two traded the lead over a dozen times, but Haudenschild was able to hold off Larson to take his
third win of the year. Donny Schatz was third, then Logan Schuchart and Anthony Macri.
Points-wise, Brad Sweet finished 12th and saw his points lead cut to 20 over David Gravel. Carson Macedo, Haudenschild and Schuchart are still third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
- Super DIRTcar Series regular Matt Sheppard also races regularly at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, N.Y. The Short Track Super Series showed up at Outlaw Tuesday night with designs on the $5000 winner's check. He drove up from sixth on the grid, passed Stewart Friesen for the lead, and held on to take the victory.
Friesen ended up second, followed by Billy Decker. Pittsfield, Mass.'s Brett Haas finished a career-best fourth, while Alex Payne rounded out the top five.
