Patricio O'Ward
With umbrellas and ponchos, IndyCar fans walk down a rain-soaked pit area at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, in Indianapolis, as wet weather postponed practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
INDY DAY 2: Chips, dip and paper boats on washout day

By Jenna Fryer May. 18, 2022 05:59 PM EDT

Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, looks at the results from practice for the IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, May 13, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Column: Herta's profile elevated as he rolls into Indy 500

By Jenna Fryer May. 16, 2022 02:09 PM EDT

Colton Herta holds the trophy after winning an IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Herta makes all right moves to win wet, wild IndyCar GP

By Michael Marot May. 14, 2022 11:51 AM EDT

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates on the podium his third place at the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
McLaren takes Miami in bid to become North America's team

By Jenna Fryer May. 05, 2022 02:06 AM EDT

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, left, of the Netherlands, winner of the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, celebrates on the podium with second placed Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, of Mexico, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Red Bull's Sergio Pérez sees golden age of Mexican racers

By Jim Vertuno May. 04, 2022 04:20 PM EDT

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands crosses the finish line as he wins the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack in Imola, Italy, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (Guglielmo Mangiapane, Pool via AP)
Column: Miami ready to showcase F1's glitz and glamour

By Jenna Fryer May. 02, 2022 05:12 PM EDT

O'Ward shifts focus away from contract and picks up victory

By Jenna Fryer May. 01, 2022 03:32 PM EDT
LEEDS, Ala. (AP) — All it took was a change of mindset for Pato O'Ward to turn around his season. Now he's on the verge of signing a new contract and...

Pato O'Ward, of Mexico, climbs into his car during testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Thursday, April 21, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
VeeKay wins pole at Barber as Rossi rebounds from crash

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 30, 2022 10:44 AM EDT

ARCHIVO - El mexicano Pato O'Ward se prepara para la carrera de la IndyCar en Madison, Illinois, el sábado 21 de agosto de 2021 (AP Foto/Jeff Roberson, archivo)
IndyCar field goes to Barber trying to stop Team Penske

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 29, 2022 05:04 PM EDT

FILE - McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain signs autographs as he arrives at the track ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, April 7, 2022. Exhaustive fan surveys showed McLaren was voted the most popular F1 team, while Lando Norris won favorite driver among female fans and all fans aged 25 or younger. In IndyCar, a similar survey found Arrow McLaren SP the second most popular team and Pato O'Ward the most popular driver among female voters. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, File)
McLaren planning for a future that includes Pato O'Ward

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 15, 2022 04:59 PM EDT

Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden (2) of United States celebrates after winning an IndyCar auto race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Column: IndyCar rich in drama as Indianapolis 500 looms

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 11, 2022 02:02 PM EDT

Newgarden moves Team Penske to 3-0 with Long Beach victory

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 10, 2022 06:01 PM EDT
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Colton Herta is so good on the downtown streets of Long Beach, and was so strong this weekend, that a second consecutive victory seemed...

Andretti seeking 4th straight win on streets of Long Beach

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 08, 2022 07:36 PM EDT
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The best drive of Colton Herta's life, according to his boss, wasn't even a win. Herta finished fourth in the IndyCar season...

FILE - Devlin Defrancesco stands on pit road before the start of the Rolex 24-hour auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Fla. DeFrancesco made a mistake at Texas Motor Speedway, no ifs, ands or buts, he knows he caused the three-car crash that also wiped out veterans Helio Castroneves and Graham Rahal. But the rookie insists he's not a spoiled rich kid and is heavily invested in proving himself as an IndyCar driver. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
IndyCar's DeFrancesco out to change narrative after crash

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 24, 2022 03:07 PM EDT

Colton Herta rounds the fourth turn during the first practice round of the IndyCar Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, March 19, 2022. AP Photo/Larry Papke)
IndyCar and Texas try to save relationship with strong race

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 19, 2022 04:05 PM EDT

FILE - Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon chats with the media before the start of practice of the IndyCar auto race, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. IndyCar's drivers hit the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., later this week for the season opening race. (AP Photo/Dan Gelston, File)
Scott McLaughlin looks to open first IndyCar winning streak

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 18, 2022 01:48 PM EDT

FILE - Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, center, celebrates with members of his team after winning the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. After losing the Formula One title on the last lap last year, Lewis Hamilton is more motivated than ever to wrestle it back from Max Verstappen. But Hamilton’s also worried that Mercedes is not quick enough to win races and that both Verstappen’s Red Bull team and Ferrari could be the early pace-setters when the season begins Sunday, March 20, 2022 in Bahrain. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
AUTO RACING: NASCAR heads east; F1 starts in the Middle East

By The Associated Press Mar. 16, 2022 05:04 PM EDT

FILE - Pato O'Ward celebrates his victory at an IndyCar Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 2, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. IndyCar is on a high as it begins its season with young talent capable of carrying the series into the future. But Colton Herta and is again the mix of Formula One conversations and Pato O’Ward already has one foot out the door. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez, File)
O'Ward exploring free agency just 1 race into IndyCar season

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 16, 2022 04:41 PM EDT

FILE - Pato O'Ward celebrates his victory at an IndyCar Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 2, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. IndyCar is on a high as it begins its season with young talent capable of carrying the series into the future. But Colton Herta and is again the mix of Formula One conversations and Pato O’Ward already has one foot out the door. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez, File)
McLaren F1 signs American driver Herta for testing program

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 12, 2022 11:30 AM EST

FILE -NTT IndyCar Series winner Alex Palou, center, celebrates with the trophy after taking 4th place in an IndyCar auto race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Long Beach, Calif. The stars of IndyCar crowded into Indianapolis Motor Speedway to celebrate an upcoming season of opportunity for America's open-wheel racing series to reestablish its legitimacy and expand its popularity. The party was held just one week before IndyCar's drivers hit the streets of St. Petersburg for the first practice session of the season. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo, File)
Grosejean, Penske and Indy 500 top IndyCar's fan survey

By Jenna Fryer Feb. 25, 2022 12:04 PM EST