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F1 Alex Zinardi former World Champion

The pass they are all talking about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBthxGThBkc

Unignorable Anomaly
That was a spectacular move, although a little cheeky. He passed him and THEN went off the track after the move was done. Of course he knew he wouldn't stay within the track limits to pull it off.

He did not break any rules in place at the time, and therefore this is a perfectly legal overtake.

This was before Zanardi lost his legs in a later race.
Alex Zanardi still races and still kicks butt!
****************************************

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MRTI: Over $2.3M in prizes distributed at championship celebration

Tuesday, 13 September 2016 MRTI
Champions from all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel driver development program were honored last night in the Championship Celebration banquet at the Monterey Plaza Hotel. A total of more than $2.3M in Mazda Scholarships and other awards was distributed.

“Mazda is honored to continue with the Mazda Road to Indy," said John Doonan, director of motorsports for Mazda North American Operations. "Each year, we see a new crop of talent come through and at the end of the day there can only be one winner in each series, and we saw three terrific drivers crowned this evening. Our intention is to give drivers a clear path, and nothing like this exists anywhere else in the world. We are very proud of that and we hope to continue to see drivers go to the Verizon IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500 with the Mazda Road to Indy as their path. Just yesterday, someone asked me if Mazda would go to the Indianapolis 500 and I said – we already do.”
The major winners included Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based Englishman Ed Jones, 21, who on Sunday clinched the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires crown, along with a scholarship valued at $1M to ensure entry into at least three Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2017, including the 101st Indianapolis 500; Aaron Telitz, 24, from Birchwood, Wis., who secured the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and a scholarship worth over $600,000 to graduate to Indy Lights; and Anthony Martin, 21, from Kalgoorlie, Australia, who won the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, accompanied by a $363,000 bonus to move on to Pro Mazda in 2017.
“Every year, the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires produces exciting racing and this year we outdid ourselves with all three championships coming down to the final race," said Dan Anderson, owner and CEO of Anderson Promotions. "The racing was more intense, especially in Indy Lights, than ever before. It was a great season and I can’t thank our partners, Mazda and Cooper Tires, enough for everything they do to help these drivers move forward. We have crowned three deserving champions and I can’t wait to see what the future brings for every one of them.”
The banquet attracted almost 300 attendees and was held barely 24 hours after a drama-filled "Championship Sunday" in the Soul Red Finale at nearby Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where the outcome of all three titles was settled. The closest margin of victory came in Indy Lights, with Jones taking the crown by a scant two points over last year's Pro Mazda Champion Santiago "Santi" Urrutia, from Miguelete, Uruguay, who came agonizingly close to emulating the accomplishments of California native Spencer Pigot by snaring successive titles in Pro Mazda and Indy Lights.
“It’s still sinking in," Jones said. "Yesterday was an amazing achievement by the whole Carlin team. The realization is really just coming through that I’ll be in the Indianapolis 500 next year. I’ll enjoy this during this week but then we’ll start working on getting the deal sorted, trying to get a full ride as well. I can’t thank Mazda and Cooper enough for what they’ve done for drivers like myself, to have the opportunity to be in IndyCar – there’s no other ladder system like this in the world. I can’t wait to get back into an Indy car, to get up to speed properly. We’ve been speaking with teams so hopefully we can sort something out soon. But for now, I’ll enjoy what we’ve accomplished in 2016.”
The evening also included the induction of several new members to the Mazda Road to Indy Hall of Fame, recognizing two of the founding fathers of Indy Lights, U.E. "Pat" Patrick and Roger Bailey, 30 years after they launched what was originally known as the American Racing Series in 1986; former Pro (Star) Mazda champion-turned-team owner and driving coach Chuck West and multiple race winner Peter Dempsey, who in 2013 won the Freedom 100 Indy Lights race by just 0.0026 of a second in what was then the closest-ever finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and now serves as Juncos Racing's team manager/race engineer; and USF2000 stalwart Tonis Kasemets, now the driver coach for Pabst Racing, and Spencer Pigot, twice runner-up in the USF2000 championship, four times a Mazda scholarship winner and now a driver for Ed Carpenter Racing in the Verizon IndyCar Series.
Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Award Winners:
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Champion ($1 million scholarship) – Ed Jones, Carlin
Second place ($75,000) - Santi Urrutia, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports w/Curb-Agajanian
Third place ($50,000) – Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing
Fourth place ($25,000) – Zach Veach, Belardi Auto Racing
Fifth place ($10,000) – Dean Stoneman, Andretti Autosport
Indy Lights Rookie of the Year Award ($15,000) – Santi Urrutia, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports w/Curb-Agajanian
Tilton Hard Charger Award ($1,000) – Zachary Claman De Melo, Juncos Racing
Indy Lights Team Championship ($15,000, plus $5,000 from SSTube) – Carlin
Indy Lights INDYCAR Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Tom Edwards, Carlin
Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Kids On Track Spirit Award ($5,000) – Zach Veach, Belardi Auto Racing
Royal Purple "Slickest Pass" Award ($5,000) – Felix Serralles, Carlin
Dallara Bent Pushrod Award ($2,000) – Carlin
Jostens Indy Lights Champion's Ring – Ed Jones, Carlin
Freedom 100 Champion's Ring – Dean Stoneman, Andretti Autosport
Mazda Road to Indy Rings (drivers contesting all three levels) – Neil Alberico, Garett Grist, Dalton Kellett
American Racing Winning Driver Team Owner Trophy (set of street wheels) – Trevor Carlin
Cosworth Champion's Cash Award ($25,000) – Ed Jones, Carlin
Dallara Champion's Parts Credit ($25,000) – Ed Jones, Carlin
Original artwork by Jim Swintal – Ed Jones, Carlin
Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires
Pro Mazda Champion ($601,700 scholarship) - Aaron Telitz, Team Pelfrey
Second place ($25,000) – Pato O'Ward, Team Pelfrey
Third place ($12,500) – Nico Jamin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
Fourth place ($7,500) – Will Owen, Juncos Racing
Fifth place ($5,000) – Nicolas Dapero, Juncos Racing
BBS Rookie of the Year ($7,500) – Aaron Telitz, Team Pelfrey
Pro Mazda National Class Champion – Bobby Eberle, JDC MotorSports
Pro Mazda Team Championship ($7,500) – Team Pelfrey
Pro Mazda INDYCAR Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Joe Haynes, Team Pelfrey
Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Kids On Track Spirit Award ($5,000) – Nico Jamin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
Royal Purple "Slickest Pass" Award ($5,000) – Will Owen, Juncos Racing
Carl Haas Auto Golden Wishbone Award – Team Pelfrey
Quarter Master Hard Charger Award ($1,000) – Will Owen, Juncos Racing
Jostens Pro Mazda Champion's Ring - Aaron Telitz, Team Pelfrey
PFC Pro Mazda Team Award ($1,000 product certificate) – Team Pelfrey
Original artwork by Jim Swintal – Aaron Telitz, Team Pelfrey
Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda
USF2000 Champion ($363,850 scholarship) – Anthony Martin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
Second place ($10,000) – Parker Thompson, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
Third place ($5,000) – Victor Franzoni, ArmsUp Motorsports
Fourth place ($3,000) – Jordan Lloyd, Pabst Racing
Fifth place ($2,000) – Luke Gabin, JAY Motorsports
Rookie of the Year ($1,500) – Robert Megennis, Team Pelfrey
USF2000 National Class Champion – Eric Filgueiras, Spencer Racing
USF2000 Team Championship ($4,000) – Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
USF2000 INDYCAR Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Jake Strack, ArmsUp Motorsports
Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Kids On Track Spirit Award ($5,000) – Victor Franzoni, ArmsUp Motorsports
Royal Purple "Slickest Pass" Award ($5,000) – Parker Thompson, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
Carl Haas Auto Golden Wishbone Award – Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
Tilton Hard Charger Award ($1,000 product certificate) – Robert Megennis, Team Pelfrey
Jostens USF2000 Champion's Ring – Anthony Martin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
PFC USF2000 Team Award ($1,000 product certificate) – Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
Original artwork by Jim Swintal – Anthony Martin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing

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50 Years with the Mini Cooper.....
Congratulations to Ward Barber......
pulls out his own race car motor and delivers it from Oregon to Ohio
for the SCCA Runoffs




If the Austin-Healey Sprite and the MGB were the bread and peanut butter that kept the SCCA going from the 1960s until the advent of the Mazda Miata, then the Mini Cooper was the jelly in that classic sports car sandwich.

The Mini was an unlikely racecar. As one of the first front-wheel-drive cars on the market, the Mini carried a series of economical, small-displacement engines. The car didn't even have a proper suspension. There are no springs in an original Mini – just a set of rubber cones that compress.
Yet for all that, the Mini was a real giant-killer. The little car offered true go-kart handling and its little engines were quick-revving and reliable. Many drivers in supposedly faster cars found themselves wondering what just happened when the Minis went by in the corners.
Ward Barbour has been racing Minis almost since the beginning of the line.
"I've been in it since 1964," Barbour says. "I joined SCCA in 1965. I raced for about 10 years and then I raised a family. So I was out of it for a while, but back in 2001 my friend Brian was racing, so I got back into it."
Barbour is known nationwide as an expert on the diminutive racecars, now most commonly found in SCCA's GT-Lite class, or in Vintage racing. Barbour participates at both levels. This week at the Runoffs, Barbour was working as pit crew for Ted Phenix of Hawkesbury, Ontario.
"I had an airplane ticket back here," Barbour relates, "and I was just going to come back and help out, but he had a bit of a problem with the cylinder head. I was supposed to bring a new head in my luggage, but then they ran the engine on the dyno and ended up with copper in the oil. We had a bearing issue, so I took the motor out of my own race car and drove from Oregon to Ohio with it."
Most mechanics would charge a fortune for service like that, but Barbour does it for the love of the cars and of racing.
"I told him, just pay for the gas and hotels and such," Barbour admits. "I thought it sounded like fun. I'm not in this to make money."

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Since 2013, one of the Lake Mirror Classic’s missions has been to help fund the preservation and restoration of historic Lake Mirror Park so that our community and it’s guests are able to enjoy this nationally registered landmark for many generations to come. Today, Lake Mirror Park is again in its glory; structurally strong and gracefully landscaped. Her shimmering waters make it a magnificent place to enjoy a festival, evening stroll or concert. It is the intent of The Friends of Lake Mirror to help preserve this jewel of Downtown Lakeland for her many visitors to enjoy.
In addition to the Friends of Lake Mirror Fund, the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival also supports local non-profit groups by helping them raise needed funds through the sale of food and beverage at the event. Over $250,000 has been raised or donated to local charities because of the Lake Mirror Classic. The event has helped Junior Achievement, Pied Piper Players, Boy Scouts, The First Tee, Historic Lakeland, and Lakeland Regional Cancer Center.

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Kyle Busch, 18 team feted at White House Wednesday, 28 September 2016


Matt Weaver / Images by Getty Images for NASCAR

Kyle Busch and the defending Sprint Cup Series champions were honored by President Barack Obama on Wednesday at the White House in a ceremony marked by several pointed jokes.



"There were some people who thought we were going to see a Bush back here in the White House this year," Obama joked, referencing former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush. "But they didn't know it was going to be Kyle –especially after he broke his leg and his foot at Daytona and missed the first three months of the season."
The President of the United States traditionally honors each of the major sporting champions and NASCAR is no exception. Bush was joined by crew chief Adam Stevens, wife Samantha and Joe Gibbs Racing team president Dave Alpern.
Busch presented Obama with a replica race helmet, and the Commander in Chief responded by asking what the 31-year-old really pumped through the air hose.
"Some really good stuff," Busch quickly quipped.
Obama also wanted to take the championship-winning Toyota Camry for a drive but said both the Secret Service and First Lady Michelle Obama would forbid it – the latter because M&M's were not a healthy snack option like a carrot.

For his part, Busch was also in an upbeat mood, making a joke of his own in a Twitter video.

Lastly, Obama also recognized the off-track work the Busch family does off the track with their various charitable foundations.


"For Kyle, it's not what he does on the track, it's what he does off the track," Obama said. "Kyle and Samantha are working hard to make a difference for folks all across the country. They donate wedding gowns to military brides, help couples afford fertility treatment and covering expenses for those battling breast cancer."


Busch captured his first Sprint Cup championship with five wins last season, including one in November at Homestead Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Championship Race. Busch missed the first 11 races of the season due to injuries sustained in February 2015 in the Xfinity Series opener at Daytona.
He is again one of the 16 Sprint Cup playoff drivers still eligible for the 2016 championship.

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NASCAR: Team Jack founder wins Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Wednesday, 28 September 2016

RACER Staff Above: NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton, Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner Andy Hoffman and Glenn Ritchey, president and CEO of Jon Hall Automotive Group.

The NASCAR Foundation's inaugural Honors Gala, hosted Tuesday night in New York at the Marriott Marquis, raised $1.6 million to benefit hospitalized children across the country through the Speediatrics Children's Fund. This marks further national expansion for the Foundation, which has donated more than $25 million and reached one million children in need since 2006.
At the event, the sixth annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide was awarded to Andy Hoffman, Founder of Team Jack Foundation. Hoffman, who will receive a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation, started the Team Jack Foundation after his son developed pediatric brain cancer, and has raised $3 million to help eradicate the disease since 2011.


Hoffman won the award following an online fan vote on NASCAR.com. Jack earned national attention when he ran for a 69-yard touchdown during the University of Nebraska's spring game in 2013:
This year's other finalists included Jim Giaccone of Bayville, New York, representing Tuesday's Children; Logan Houptley of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a founding member of Mikayla's Voice; and Parker White of Greensboro, North Carolina, founder of BackPack Beginnings. Each of these finalists' charities will receive a $25,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation.
"Tuesday night's Honors Gala was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the work that all four finalists have been doing in their communities – work that will have a lasting impact on the thousands of people their foundations have helped," said Brad Barnett, associate vice president of Media & Sports Marketing for Nationwide, the presenting sponsor of the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. "Nationwide congratulates Andy Hoffman on winning the award. Thank you to all of our finalists for making a difference and being an inspiration to us all."
The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, named after its late Chairwoman Emeritus, is given to a NASCAR fan who has made a profound impact on children in their local community. Since its inception, the foundation has granted more than $1 million to charities represented by the award finalists and more than 200,000 children have been positively impacted.
The Gala paid tribute to Betty Jane France, who unexpectedly passed away on Aug. 29 and was hosted by the France family including NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France (son) and his wife Amy France, International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy (daughter) and NASCAR Vice Chairman Jim France (brother-in-law).
Additional honorees at the gala, recognized for their commitment to child-focused philanthropy, included Dr. Howard B. Ginsburg, Division Chief, Pediatric Surgery at NYU Langone and Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Broadcasting and Sports.
The NASCAR Foundation commemorated a multiyear partnership with NYU Langone at the Gala and will donate $1 million to enhance the Child Life Program at the Hassenfeld Children's Hospital of New York at NYU Langone.
The Honors Gala was hosted by Krista Voda of NBC Sports and featured a special appearance by NBC's Hoda Kotb. The evening also featured performances by Grammy and Tony-nominated singer Sara Bareilles.
The following NASCAR champions and stars in attendance were: six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, two-time NASCAR XFINITY Series Champions Martin Truex Jr., two-time NASCAR XFINITY Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., NASCAR Camping World Truck and XFINITY Series Champion Austin Dillon and Ray Black Jr., Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Ty Dillon, Kasey Kahne, Ben Kennedy, Julia Landauer, Kyle Larson, Danica Patrick, Eddie Wood and Len Wood.
Other VIP attendees included: Director of International Speedway Corporation, Larry Aiello Jr., The NASCAR Foundation Board Vice Chairperson Jennifer Bates, actors Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Eddie Ramos, NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton, and Director of International Speedway Corporation, Larry Woodard.

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Paul Walker Tribute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOD8u4fOdlw
by Kanishk Rathore

Reach out World Wide starts around 3:30

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Congratulations to IMSA winners






The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) recognized its 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship post-season award winners and champions at Monday’s WeatherTech Night of Champions, held before a capacity audience in Chateau Elan’s new Paris Ballroom.


“Tonight we honored the drivers, teams and manufacturers who have all earned the right to call themselves champions, through their extraordinary on-track performances throughout the 2016 season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said IMSA President Scott Atherton. “Congratulations to everyone for their hard work and sacrifice in making this the most competitive, and we believe the most prestigious form of sports car racing in North America. The competition throughout all four classes was nothing short of outstanding.”
Eric Curran and Dane Cameron were crowned as Prototype champions, while Action Express Racing was awarded the team title for the third consecutive year. Sonny Whelen accepted the award on behalf of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette Daytona Prototype team.
“It’s a tremendous honor to win the final championship of the Daytona Prototype era,” Cameron said. “I would like to thank Sonny Whelen and Action Express for the opportunity. It’s been a dream come true to join a top-ranked Prototype team and have a shot every weekend, knowing you can win a race and win a championship. It’s hard enough to win one – to win three in a row is pretty amazing.”
Other series champions crowned at the event were Corvette Racing’s Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin in GT Le Mans (GTLM), Starworks Motorsport drivers Alex Popow and Renger van der Zande in Prototype Challenge (PC) and Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan in GT Daytona (GTD), giving Scuderia Corsa its second consecutive team title in the class. Nielsen made motorsports history by becoming the first female driver to win a major full-season professional sports car racing championship in North America.
Each champion received the Bishop-France Award, replicas of the series’ perpetual trophy, as well as a TUDOR Heritage Chrono timepiece from TUDOR Watch USA.
The championship-winning Action Express Racing (P), Starworks Motorsport (PC) and Scuderia Corsa (GTD) teams also received paintings by motorsport artist Bill Patterson of their race cars commissioned by Continental Tire.
Chevrolet was recognized as winner of the manufacturers’ championship in both the Prototype and GTLM classes, while Audi won the GTD manufacturer title. Michelin was the winning GTLM tire manufacturer.
Also recognized were the winners of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, comprising the four iconic endurance races on the schedule. Honda was the Prototype manufacturer winner, while Action Express Racing’s No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP with co-driven by Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi won the team and driver honors for the third consecutive year.
Chevrolet won the GTLM Patrón Endurance Cup, with Corvette Racing taking the award for the second straight year with drivers Milner and Gavin. PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports repeated in PC with drivers Tom Kimber-Smith, Robert Alon and Jose Gutierrez. In GTD, Audi was the Patrón Endurance Cup manufacturer champion, with Magnus Racing capturing team honors and Scuderia Corsa’s Nielsen and Balzan the driver champions.
Atherton gave special recognition to John Pew, who won in his 119th – and final – Prototype race for Michael Shank Racing in Saturday’s Petit Le Mans presented by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. He was presented with a lifetime IMSA hard card credential and a special painting by Patterson featuring his career highlights.
“Saturday, we all witnessed a storybook ending for John’s career,” Atherton said in making the presentation. “John, Ozz [Negri) and Olivier Pla delivered a dominant performance in their No. 60 Honda Ligier to close out the season atop the victory podium. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it.”
Among the other awards:

• TOTAL Pole Awards went to Fittipaldi (P), Alon (PC) and Riberas (GTD).
• Continental Tire presented its new Extreme Spirit Award. Car owner Mike Shank won in the Prototype class, with Performance Tech Motorsports team principal Brent O’Neill winning in PC and Paul Miller Racing Audi driver Bryan Sellers was recognized in GTD.
• The VP Fuels Front Runner Award, presented to the team leading the most laps during the second half of the season, went to the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport ORECA FLM09 team in PC/GTD and Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 67 Ford GT in P/GTLM.
• The DEKRA Green Award went to the Risi Competizione Ferrari team for having the cleanest, fastest and most efficient car. The Green Racing Award for GTLM manufacturers and supported by the Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Society of Engineers, went to Ford Performance.

The next scheduled activity in preparation for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be a two-day test at Daytona International Speedway on Nov. 15-16. The 2017 WeatherTech Championship season begins with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29.

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INDYCAR: Pagenaud awarded $1m and Astor Cup

IndyCar / Image by IMS Photo
Simon Pagenaud was officially honored this evening at the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Championship Celebration.

Pagenaud, 32, was saluted at Hilbert Circle Theatre on Indianapolis' Monument Circle for capturing the season championship on the strength of a series-best five race wins and seven Verizon P1 Award pole positions over the course of the 16-race campaign.
The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet was awarded the $1 million champion's prize and the Astor Challenge Cup, the trophy presented annually to the series champion since 2011, by Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, before a capacity crowd.
Pagenaud clinched his first career title with a dominant win in the Sept. 18 season finale, the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. With two weeks to take in the significance of his accomplishment, the Frenchman is savoring the moment.

"It's obviously a milestone in my career, my lifetime dream come true," said Pagenaud, who just completed his sixth fulltime season and seventh overall racing Indy cars. "There's obviously more in the future, other goals to reach, but I've reached one of the biggest ones I wanted."
The celebration of Pagenaud as the champion climaxed an evening of recognizing superlative performances throughout the Verizon IndyCar Series season that included the 100th Indianapolis 500, won in most memorable fashion by rookie Alexander Rossi, who coasted across the finish line after his Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda ran out of fuel on the final lap.
"This has been a phenomenal season," said Miles. "Historic in a very real sense with the epic 100th Running of the Indy 500 – which I think exceeded everybody's expectations as a monumental event. But then the whole year was great. I think back to all the races, every one of them was a dynamite event - great racing, great crowds.
"All of our fan metrics are up meaningfully this year," Miles added. "In fact, we're at like a 55 percent increase in our television audience over the last three years, which very few sports can claim, and all of our other metrics are great. IndyCar is on a roll, we've got the schedule out for next year and people are looking forward to 2017."
In addition to the championship bonus, Pagenaud was awarded the Jostens Champions Award, a ring to commemorate his championship. He also won the Sunoco Diamond Performance Award for winning the most races this season and the Verizon P1 Award for scoring the most points among pole winners.
Billy Vincent, chief mechanic for Pagenaud's No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet, accepted the Verizon IndyCar Series Chief Mechanic of the Year Award. Jon Bouslog was honored as the Team Manager of the Year as Team Penske collected its record 14th Indy car championship in the same year that owner Roger Penske's organization is celebrating 50 years in racing.
"Obviously Team Penske is one of the most historic race teams in the world," Pagenaud said. "I'm so proud to be part of this team, so proud that I could bring this championship to Roger. The 50-year anniversary is huge and this is going to go into history. I'm very glad that I could leave a little bit of my legacy, but I'm a very small part in a very big thing."
Rossi earned the Verizon IndyCar Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award after also being named in May as the Sunoco Rookie of the Year for the Indianapolis 500. Another Verizon IndyCar Series rookie, Conor Daly, claimed the TAG Heuer "Don't Crack Under Pressure" Award for advancing the most cumulative places from the start of races to their finish during the season.
Mike Hull, managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing accepted the Firestone "Drive to the Finish" Award on behalf of Charlie Kimball, who completed the most laps of any driver this season (2,066 of a possible 2,070, 99.8 percent). The family of Bryan Clauson, who was voted INDYCAR Nation Fan Favorite Driver, accepted the award for the three-time Indianapolis 500 starter fatally injured in a midget racing accident in August.
Jim Campbell, Chevrolet's vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports, accepted the manufacturers award on behalf of Chevrolet, which won 14 of the 16 races, 13 pole positions and led 71 percent of the race laps (1,467 of 2,070). Chevrolet has won the manufacturers award every year since Verizon IndyCar Series engine competition resumed in 2012.
Will Power of Team Penske was honored as the second-place finisher in the championship while teammate Helio Castroneves was recognized for finishing third. It gave Team Penske a sweep of the top three positions in the point standings.
"Tonight is really a tour de force for Team Penske," Miles said. "You can't finish 1-2-3 if you don't beat 4-5-6 through 21 or 22. It was a great year of racing for Simon and for Roger Penske in his 50th year in racing. It's just an amazing accomplishment."

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Team USA Scholarship: Thank you Bell Racing.

For 26 years, competitors, media and fans alike have become accustomed to witnessing each new crop of Team USA Scholarship drivers as they exhibit their skills on an international stage – usually for the first time during their fledgling careers.


The Team USA cars always have been instantly recognizable by their eye-catching stars-and-stripes livery. Equally, the drivers have stood out from the crowd with safety equipment and other apparel provided by Sparco USA and Styled Aesthetic. This year, for the first time, Bell Racing, LLC has joined the program to provide top-quality helmets for each of the drivers.
"I am very excited to be able to start this relationship with the Team USA Scholarship," said Chris Wheeler, director of motorsports for Bell Racing USA, LLC. "If you look back at all of the success that has come from this program and the drivers who have been involved, it shows that this program works. Our industry has changed over the past few years with new ways to market our brands and athletes, and as it continues to evolve, programs like this will only continue to grow and produce great results for the athletes and brands that are associated with it."


Oliver Askew, 19, and Kyle Kirkwood, 17, both from Jupiter, Fla., were confirmed last week as the latest Team USA Scholarship recipients following a hotly contested shootout, and next week will travel to England to begin testing for the upcoming 45th Annual Formula Ford Festival, which will take place at Brands Hatch on October 22/23, and the Walter Hayes Trophy, named after one of the founding fathers of Formula Ford, at Silverstone on November 5/6.
The pair will be following in the footsteps of many others who were selected at an equally early stage in their careers and used the opportunity to develop into some of the nation's most accomplished professionals, including Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Tony Renna, Tony Ave, Jerry Nadeau, Buddy Rice, Phil Giebler, Joey Hand, Andy Lally, Bryan Sellers, A.J. Allmendinger, Charlie Kimball, J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron, Joel Miller, Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly, Connor De Phillippi, Spencer Pigot and Matthew Brabham, to name but a few.
"Sparco USA is excited to continue its support of the Team USA Scholarship for 2017," said Chris Neuer, director of open-wheel and sports cars for Sparco USA. "Sparco has supported the program with complete kits including custom suits for as long as I can remember. It's amazing to look back and see how this program has been a stepping stone for so many young, great drivers and I really hope it does the same for Kyle and Oliver this year. Sparco congratulates both drivers on being chosen for the scholarship."


"We are thrilled to be supporting the Team USA Scholarship for our seventh straight season," added Steve Welk, one of the founding partners at Styled Aesthetic. "The program has been great for us. Not only do we help support some of the best American racing talent, we get to highlight our company's capabilities to a large interested audience. We look forward each year to sending these drivers their new kit and this year is no different for Oliver and Kyle."