Team Penske doubles up on ‘Yellow Submarine’ paint scheme for the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600

By Canadian Press on May 14, 2025.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Team Penske was fast for a second straight day in Indianapolis 500 practice but didn’t top the board as Alex Palou, the driver everyone has been chasing this season, posted the best lap Wednesday.

Will Power and two-time defending winner Josef Newgarden were second- and third-fastest for Penske, which is finally showing some speed with its Chevrolet engines. Palou has won four of five races this season powered by Honda, with Kyle Kirkwood the only other winner this season, also in a Honda.

Seven of the top eight speeds Wednesday were from either Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing, or affiliates of those teams.

Palou, winner of the last two IndyCar championships and three of the last four, was fastest at 227.546 mph. Power’s lap was 225.584 and Newgarden went 225.545 before calling it a day early and watching the end of practice from his motorhome.

Scott Dixon of Ganassi was fourth-fastest and followed by Conor Daly in a car for Juncos Hollinger Racing. David Malukas, whose A.J. Foyt Racing team is aligned with Penske, was sixth-fastest and followed by Meyer Shank Racing drivers Marcus Armstrong and Helio Castroneves. MSR has an alliance with Ganassi.

For the Penske drivers, their two days of speed were encouraging considering Honda has swept the first five races of the season.

The other double

While the Gasoline Alley chatter still focuses on Kyle Larson’s second straight quest to complete racing’s Memorial Day weekend double, Team Penske added a new twist to the conversation Wednesday — the Pennzoil Double.

Team officials announced three-time Cup champ Joey Logano and IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin would use the same “Yellow Submarine” paint schemes in their respective May 25 races — the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

“Everybody knows the ‘Yellow Submarine’ paint job and how iconic that is to the IndyCar Series, to Rick Mears,” Logano said. “To be able to transition that into stock cars, there’s not many ways you can do that in such a seamless way like we’re able to do at Penske. To be able to switch from IndyCar to NASCAR is pretty neat.”

Mears, one of four four-time Indy winners, drove the “Yellow Submarine” to victory lane in 1984 and 1988. Three-time Indy winner Johnny Rutherford also won with the same yellow-and-red paint scheme in 1980. Pennzoil brought it back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1984 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mears’ second 500 win.

Now Team Penske is giving NASCAR fans a glimpse of the famous car. At the Daytona 500, Logano’s No. 22 car also featured Josef Newgarden’s paint job from his winning Indy runs in 2023 and 2024.

He’s back, maybe

Tony Kanaan has endured some hard knocks in more than two decades of racing at Indianapolis. Now that the 2013 race winner could be back, so is the bad luck.

The seemingly ageless Kanaan has been designated as Larson’s backup driver as Larson tries to compete the double, something rain delays in Indy and Charlotte made impossible last year. He didn’t even get to turn a lap in Charlotte in 2024.

This year, NASCAR has made it clear Larson must be at the 600 or it will cost him dearly in his pursuit of a second Cup Series title.

So Kanaan is on deck. There’s just one problem: The Arrow McLaren team principal can’t get on the 2.5-mile oval long enough to complete his refresher course.

Rain postponed his first attempt Tuesday and another rain delay Wednesday postponed Kanaan’s next chance until Thursday. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Kanaan’s comebacks have become the norm.

He initially planned to retire after the 2020 Indianapolis 500, but when the seats were empty because of the COVID-19 pandemic he came back in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, he announced that 500 would be his last, too.

Schedule changes

IndyCar’s new broadcast partner, FOX, has announced new start times for five races in June and July — a move designed to increase television ratings by preventing America’s two most popular series, IndyCar and NASCAR, from running in the same time slots.

The biggest change involves the June 15 race in suburban St. Louis. It will now start at 8 p.m., five hours later than originally scheduled.

“This is a massive primetime showcase under the lights for the stars of the IndyCar Series,” league president Doug Boles said. “This is also a tremendous display of partnership from both FOX Sports and our friends at World Wide Technology Raceway, who’ve worked with us to generate this exciting opportunity for our sport.”

The Road America race June 22 will start at 1:30 p.m., two hours earlier than previously set. Races at Mid-Ohio on July 6 and Iowa on July 13 each will have start times moved up one hour to 1 p.m.

The July 20 street race in Toronto had its time start moved up two hours to noon.

Schmidt’s fundraiser

Former IndyCar driver and team owner Sam Schmidt will hold his annual Racing to Recovery Black & White Gala fundraiser for the Conquer Paralysis Now foundation on May 23 in Indianapolis.

The Grammy-nominated rock band Daughtry, which is fronted by former “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry, will perform at the event that is open to the public.

In 25 years, the event has collected more than $40 million for spinal cord injury research. Organizers are hoping to add another $2 million at this year’s gala.

Schmidt was seriously injured in a crash at practice in January 2000, which cost him the use of his arms and legs. He is the founder of the non-profit Conquer Paralysis Now.

“Since 2000, I have been on a mission to redefine what possible for those like myself living with spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions,” Schmidt said. “Conquer Paralysis Now is a promise to those living with paralysis that they are not forgotten and they deserve access to the tools and resources that will help them thrive.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Michael Marot, The Associated Press