Nazareth Speedway swansong
Helio Castroneves began preparation for the final race at Nazareth Speedway by recording the fastest lap during Friday's practice sessions for the IRL IndyCar Series. The Firestone Indy 225 on Sunday will be the last large-scale race at the one-mile speedway, which is being closed to spectator events by its owner, International Speedway Corporation

"I'll have up and down memories," said Castroneves, who won last year's IRL race at Nazareth. "Last year was the perfect moment for winning. It's a shame. It's a great track. It's a lot of fun, especially when you have a good car. It's not a lot of fun when you don't have a good car, but that's what's so special about this place."
Castroneves turned a lap of 20.3179 seconds (165.667 mph) in the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Toyota-powered Dallara during Friday's afternoon session. Vitor Meira had the second fastest lap - 165.301mph - in the No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Honda/Panoz G Force, his first laps around the track.
"It's somewhere between a road course and a 1.5-mile oval," Meira said. "You need to have a good car for qualifying. The farther in front you are, the fewer problems you're going to have. You want to start up front, but that's not all of it."
Tony Kanaan also was among the fastest Friday as drivers prepared for Saturday's qualifying session. "It's a shame," Kanaan said. "It's a fun little racetrack. You'll see a lot of people struggling. I think they'll agree with me in saying that it's one of the most difficult tracks we race. It's just a matter of people not buying enough tickets to watch us. Unfortunately, that counts a lot.
ISC, a subsidiary of NASCAR, has planned to move sections of the Nazareth grandstand to Watkins Glen International, which will replace Nazareth on the IRL schedule in 2005. The one-mile Nazareth tri-oval has existed on the same place and mostly the same form since 1966, when the late Jerry Fried built a D-shaped 1-1/8th mile dirt track near an existing half-mile dirt track.
In 1986, Roger Penske purchased the track, paved it, christened it Pennsylvania International Raceway and re-opened it for business. The first race after Penske's purchase, on September 20, 1987, was won by Michael Andretti, who lives in Nazareth and currently is co-owner of a four-car team that includes Kanaan.
Drivers from Andretti Green Racing and Marlboro Team Penske have indicated that they want to win the final race at Nazareth for their bosses. Penske Racing headquarters are located in nearby Reading, Pa.
Just seven years ago, a modern grandstand was built. In 1999, Penske Motorsports Inc. merged with ISC, and the track came under control of ISC. The facility will remain open for club racing and other events, but is not expected to hold any more IRL, NASCAR or USAC events.
Coincidentally, Sunday's race also will be the 100th in the history of the Indy Racing League, which began in 1996.
Latest news
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
Daytona 24, Hour 15: Porsche takes lead amid trouble for MSR Acura
Porsche Penske Motorsport moved to the front of the Daytona 24 Hours in the 15th hour after the erstwhile-leading Meyer Shank Racing Acura developed an oil leak issue.
Vandoorne: Dashboard, steering wheel glitch caused Diriyah FE attack mode penalty
A blank dashboard caused Stoffel Vandoorne's 24-second Diriyah E-Prix penalty, as an electronics glitch on his DS Penske Formula E car meant he couldn't arm attack mode.
Five things we learned from Vasseur's first Ferrari F1 press call
Ferrari has undergone a winter of upheaval ever since it was announced that boss Mattia Binotto was stepping away from the Formula 1 squad.
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
It’s 30 years since Mansell won the Formula 1 world title and then headed off to do battle in America. Here are his best races – and the Briton’s memories of them
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.