MP RACING WINS 105TH INDIANAPOLIS 500!!!

MP RACING MSR DRIVER HELIO CASTRONEVES WINS 4TH INDY 500!!!

 

MP RACING DRIVER SCOTT DIXON WINS 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP CROWN!!!

ST. PETERSBURG,FL (October 25th, 2020) - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden won the NTT IndyCar Series season finale Sunday but came up short of winning the championship as MP Racing / Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon clinched his sixth title with a third place in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Newgarden led the final 20 laps in his No. 1 Dallara-Chevrolet to win at St. Pete for the second consecutive year, holding off a late restart charge by runner-up Pato O’Ward, who tied his career-best finish.

It was the 18th career victory and fourth this season for Newgarden, tying him for the series lead with Dixon’s No. 9 Dallara-Honda.

MP RACING SWEEPS ROAD AMERICA WEEKEND, WINNING BOTH RACE 1 AND 2 IN REV GROUP GRAND PRIX DOUBLEHEADER!!!

ELKHART LAKE, WIS - ROAD AMERICA (July 12, 2020) - The MP Racing/Chip Ganass team is still the team to beat in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, even if Scott Dixon isn’t in contention for the win. This time it was the other car who had the winning opportunity. MPR driver Felix Rosenqvist ended Dixon’s undefeated 2020 by outdueling Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward to take Race 2 of the REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR Doubleheader on Sunday at Road America. The MP Racing/Chip Ganassi team swept the weekend with Scott Dixon winning on Saturday afternoon in race 1 and Felix Rosenqvist winning race 2 on Sunday!

The weekend featured new faces on the podium in O’Ward and MP Racing's third car Alex Palou and two veterans with their best finishes of the season in Saturday's runner-up Will Power and Sunday’s third-place finisher Alexander Rossi.

MP Racing driver Felix Rosenqvist wins race 2 at Road America

MP Racing driver Scott Dixon wins third race in a row by taking race 1 at Road America on Saturday

MP RACING DRIVER SCOTT DIXON WINS GMR INDY GRAND PRIX TO START 2020 INDYCAR SEASON WITH BACK TO BACK VICTORIES!

INDIANAPOLIS (July 4, 2020) – After three straight years of near-miss disappointment, MP Racing driver Scott Dixon finally closed the deal in the GMR Grand Prix. Scott Dixon and the team benefited from a well-timed caution period near the midway point of the race and then drove away to dominate the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race Saturday on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning by an event-record 19.9469 seconds in the No. 9 PNC Bank MP Racing/Chip Ganassi Honda. It marked the first victory in this event for the five-time series champion Dixon, who had finished second in this race for the last three years.

“So good to be racing here again at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” Dixon said. “We’ve had so many runner-up spots here on the road course. We got lucky today. The strategy, the team just nailed it. We got lucky with that caution. But as soon as we got the balance right, the PNC Bank No. 9 car just checked out.”

MP Racing driver Scott Dixon wins GMR Indy Grand Prix on July 4th!

MP RACING STARTS OFF 2020 INDYCAR SEASON WITH VICTORY AS DRIVER SCOTT DIXON DOMINATES GENESYS 300 AT TEXAS!!!

FORT WORTH, Texas – All week heading into IndyCar’s delayed season-opener, drivers young and old couldn’t agree on much, but one thing was clear: Experience would pay dividends at Texas Motor Speedway. New MP Racing driver Scott Dixon used his experience and strong driving to claim victory. With practice, qualifying and the race all on Saturday — at the wildest oval on the circuit — and with untested tire compounds and a new aeroscreen some drivers expected to drastically throw off the center of gravity, veteran drivers had a leg up.

Enter the newest MP Racing driver Scott Dixon. With a new partnership between MPR and Chip Ganassi Racing for 2020, Dixon wasted no time. In the blistering June Texas heat, the Ice Man led 157 of 200 laps to claim Saturday’s Genesys 300 after thoroughly dominating all but one driver. Then, Dixon watched that highly-competitive teammate of his, Felix Rosenqvist, take an inopportune risk that sent the second-year Swede slipping straight into the wall with fewer than 10 laps to go in what could have turned into yet another final-lap duel for the Texas history books.

MP RACING - JRM DRIVER NOAH GRAGSON WINS DAYTONA XFINITY SERIES RACE FOR FIRST CAREER WIN TO OPEN NASCAR SEASON!!!

Daytona Beach, FL - Noah Gragson scored his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory on Saturday in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. Gragson, who overcame a pit road speeding penalty during Stage 2 of the race, took advantage of a late-race restart to charge into the lead on the final lap and hold off the field until a caution halfway down the backstretch secured the victory for the Bass Pro Shops/True Timber/Black Rifle Coffee MP Racing JRM team. With the win, Gragson becomes just the seventh driver to claim his first NXS victory with MPR/JR Motorsports. Gragson fired off in 12^th for the 120-lap event and quickly wheeled his way into the top five within the opening 10 laps. The first yellow flag of the day would fly on lap 19 and Gragson reported to crew chief Dave Elenz that his car was too loose. The team took four tires, fuel and adjusted the trackbar as a result during the caution period to help tighten up the No. 9 Chevy Camaro. Gragson would restart in 20^th using an alternate pit strategy but would rally in the closing laps of the stage to finish Stage One in the fourth position, earning seven stage points enroute to his victory.

MP RACING RECAPS WINNING THE 2019 GANDER OUTDOOR TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP!!! WAY TO GO MATT CRAFTON AND MP RACING/THORSPORT!!!

MP RACING THORSPORT DRIVER MATT CRAFTON WINS THE 2019 NASCAR GANDER OUTDOOR TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

MP Racing Thorsport driver Matt Crafton may not have won a race this 2019 season – in fact, he hasn’t won since Eldora in mid-2017 – but he won the biggest prize of all Friday night, capturing the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Driving the No. 88 MP Racing / ThorSport Ford F-150, Crafton finished second to race winner Austin Hill (led a race-high 56 laps), but placed higher than the other Championship 4 drivers – Ross Chastain (finished fourth in the race, second in the season standings), 2018 champ Brett Moffitt (fifth in the race and third in the season standings) and Stewart Friesen (11th in the race and fourth in the season standings) – to take home his third career Truck championship.

Wrapping up his 19th full-time season in the Truck Series, Crafton’s previous titles were in 2013 and 2014. He finishes the season with zero wins, seven top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.

Matt Crafton wins the 2019 Nascar Truck Series championship!

MATT CRAFTON POST RACE COMMENTS:

“It’s amazing, just one step closer to what Hornaday has done,” Crafton told FS1, alluding to NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr.’s record four Truck championships. Hornaday joined Crafton to celebrate in victory lane. Crafton is now tied for second on the all-time Truck Series championships list with Jack Sprague (three titles apiece).

“They called us the underdog, that I didn’t have it, but we fought harder than everyone, I guarantee you, every one of these guys worked harder,” Crafton said to FS1.  “This thing ran flawless all night, the motor was very good as well. Everything just went our way.”

MP RACING / JRM DRIVER JUSTIN ALLGAIER PUNCHES TICKET TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4 WITH VICTORY AT PHOENIX'S ISM RACEWAY ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON!!!

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Camaro for MP Racing / JR Motorsports, is heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway to battle for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship after earning the victory in Saturday’s race at ISM Raceway. This marks the third time in four seasons that Allgaier and the No. 7 team have advanced to the Championship 4. Saturday’s win was the Illinois native’s 11th in NXS competition, second at ISM Raceway and first of the 2019 season. Allgaier now has eight wins since joining the team in 2016, the most victories by a driver in the team’s history.

MP Racing / JRM driver Justin Allgaier records first win of 2019 NXS season to secure championship 4 spot

MP RACING ENDS 2019 INDYCAR SEASON ON HIGH NOTE AFTER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS SHOWS GRIT AND DETERMINATION TO FINISH 7TH IN THE FIRESTONE GP OF MONTEREY AFTER STARTING 19TH!

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY - Monterey, CA - MP Racing had a nice ending to it's 2019 IndyCar Season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday. In an awesome display of grit and determination by MPR driver Sebastien Bourdais. Bourdais piloted the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan machine from 19th on the starting grid to seventh in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Bourdais tweaked his neck during Friday’s afternoon practice and immediately began suffering from significant pain requiring several treatments. Despite the pain he managed to qualify on Saturday albeit in 19th place. The pain continued into race day, but Bourdais was not to be deterred. He found his groove early in the race and was often the fastest car on the track. Bourdais used the speed and his tremendous talent, as well as a solid race strategy, to pass cars picking up position after position. The 12-place improvement made him the “biggest mover” in the race and the performance, particularly under the circumstances, was lauded by everyone. Tony Kanaan would go on to drive a smart race to a 16th place finish while Jack Harvey struggled to figure out the tricky track and race conditions and would finish in 19th. Santino Ferrucci had a nice top ten drive going when he made contact with another car and damaged his car beyond repair. He would retire from the race in 24th place.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“It was a wonderful way to finish the season for the SealMaster Honda No. 18 team. It was a heck of a race for us. We started way back in 19th and about lap 11 I got in a groove. The car was clearly good and we started to show our pace. Then we gained a lot of positions on the overcut (pitting later) and we did that pretty much the whole race. The yellow also really benefitted us. It regrouped everyone and at the end we were on new red tires (Firestone alternative tire). It was a really positive note to end the season, going from 19th to seventh in a straight up fight, we’ll definitely take that and move into 2020 looking for more success.”

MP RACING DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS FINISHES NINTH IN PORTLAND GRAND PRIX! TONY KANAAN FINISHES IN 12TH WHILE SANTINO FERRUCCI SUFFERS MECHANICAL FAILURE AND ENDS UP 17TH! JACK HARVEY'S PERFECT WEEKEND ENDS WITH CONTACT WHILE RUNNING IN 3RD PLACE!!!

INDYCAR GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND - Portland, OR - MP Racing had a good weekend going but Jack Harvey's fantastic day came to an end early on in the Portland GP when Ryan Hunter Reay dove deep inside of Harvey trying to attempt a pass and hit his car sending Jack flying across the race track and damaging his car beyond repair. Late in the race while running in 12th place Santino Ferrucci came to a sudden stop out on track and suffered a mechanical problem which would end his day. Meanwhile MPR driver Sebastien Bourdais piloted the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan machine to a ninth place finish today in the Grand Prix of Portland on the 1.967-mile, 12-turn Portland International Raceway permanent road course in Portland, Oregon. Bourdais started 12th after a non-engine related fuel issue thwarted what should have been a top-six qualifying position on Saturday. On the opening lap of the race a multi-car crash in turn one forced several cars, including Bourdais, to use the emergency escape route to avoid the accident. However, when officials reordered the field prior to the restart they dropped Bourdais to 13th place. He fought his way back, passing several cars and was solidly in the top-six leading three laps at one point. However, during his second pit stop, the team had an issue with the fuel hose and when Bourdais rejoined the race he was back to 13th again. Once again, he battled and got back into the top-10 where he ran literally the entire second half of the race getting as high as eighth and recording the fastest lap of the race. Towards the end of the race he used up his tires and lost a position back to 9th where he would finish today! Tony Kanaan drove a smart race and ran in the top ten for most of the day. After his last pit stop he was 12th where he would go on to finish.

MP RACING'S TONY KANAAN EARNS FIRST PODIUM FINISH SINCE 2015 WITH SPECTACULAR 3RD PLACE DRIVE IN THE BOMMARITO AUTO GROUP 500! MP RACING'S SECOND DRIVER SANTINO FERRUCCI LEADS 97 LAPS ENROUTE TO A SOLID 4TH PLACE FINISH! SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS HAS AMAZING WEEKEND END SHORT FOLLOWING SUDDEN CRASH!!

BOMMARITO AUTO GROUP 500 - Madison, IL  – It was a perfect weekend for MP Racing in St Louis on Saturday night. MPR/Foyt driver Tony Kanaan easily was the second happiest man in St. Louis after netting his first podium in nearly two and a half seasons in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Kanaan's car was setup exactly as he wanted and he was able to move up through the field and make passes. The Brazilian caught a lucky break on Lap 192 when his teammate and fellow MP Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais spun during the final round of pitstops. That secured Kanaan, eventual race winner Takuma Sato and Ed Carpenter on a lap of their own.   

Kanaan tailed Sato for 40 laps before relinquishing the runner up spot to Carpenter, who ended up within a half car length of Sato at the checkered flag. Kanaan held onto third despite a hard charge from his other MP Racing teammate Santino Ferrucci. the MP Racing/Dale Coyne rookie Santino Ferrucci had his best NTT IndyCar Series race weekend so far this season at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Saturday night, once again matching his best finish of the season with a fourth place in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, after leading 97 laps of the 248-lap event. After starting sixth, the driver of the #19 Cly-Del Manufacturing Honda moved up to fourth at the start and gained one more position following a Lap 7 restart to take over third place.

Ferrucci remained in third for most of his first stint and entered pit lane on Lap 53 after taking over the lead one lap earlier. Once pit stops had cycled through, following another caution period, the 21-year-old was sitting second behind James Hinchcliffe when the race resumed on Lap 70. The driver from Woodbury, Connecticut then took over the lead of the race with a pass on Hinchcliffe on Lap 83. He remained in that position until his next pit stop on Lap 115. Once again, after pit stops had cycled through the 22-car field, the rookie would regain the lead on Lap 124. After falling back on the last pit stop Ferrucci moved back up into 4th where he would finish.

MP Racing's third car in Sebastien Bourdais was having a spectacular race in the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing/Dale Coyne/Vasser-Sullivan car when tragedy struck. Bourdais, who had his best qualifying effort of the season started on the outside of the front row. Never running lower than fourth, except following pit stops, Sebastien consistently ran in the top three and led one lap. Bourdais moved into second place halfway through the 248-lap contest, when while working on lap 190, without warning, he found himself in the wall at the exit of turn four. Bourdais ended up 19th in last night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway oval in Madison, Illinois.

MP RACING PLACES ALL THREE CARS IN TOP TEN IN THE ABC SUPPLY 500 AT POCONO RACEWAY! SANTINO FERRUCCI, SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS AND TONY KANAAN CAPTURE 4TH, 7TH AND 8TH PLACE SHOWINGS ON THE TRICKY TRIANGLE! 

ABC SUPPLY 500 - Long Pond, PA - For the first time all season MP Racing places it's complete trio of drivers in the top ten in the ABC Supply 500 on Sunday. MP Racing rookie Santino Ferrucci had a great ‘home’ race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, finishing fourth in the rain-shortened ABC Supply 500 after running in the top three for most of the race. With qualifying having been cancelled due to rain on Saturday, the field started on points which meant that Ferrucci would be taking the green flag in 13th place. The rookie had a solid start to what was scheduled to be a 200-lap race. Fortunately for the driver of the #19 Cly-Del Manufacturing car, he was able to avoid a five-car incident in front of him and move up to fifth place after the first lap. This was once again a strong showing in a 500 mile oval race by Ferrucci who also had a great race in the Indy 500 back in May.

Sebastien Bourdais drove the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan car to a solid seventh place finish in today’s rain shortened ABC Supply Inc. 500 on the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway tri-oval in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Bourdais started 11th after qualifying was cancelled yesterday, due to inclement weather, and drivers were gridded based on championship points. A horrific first lap crash took out five cars and Bourdais quickly found himself in sixth place. He remained there through his first pit stop and most of the second stint before taking over fifth place just prior to his second stop. By the end of the second round of stops, Bourdais lost a few spots back to 8th place and was able to pass a car and climb back into 7th where he would finish. For Tony Kanaan it was a great day for the oldest driver in the field. Kanaan pitted out of order and was able to gain several positions each time he made a pit stop. Kanaan would remain in the top ten for most of the day and ended up finishing in a solid 8th.

MP RACING'S SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS AND TONY KANAAN CAPTURE TOP TEN FINISHES IN IOWA INDY 300!!! MPR'S THIRD CAR OF SANTINO FERRUCCI ALSO HAS SOLID RACE WITH 12TH PLACE RESULT!

IOWA INDY 300 - Newton, Iowa - Following a lengthy delay due to rain, MP Racing's trio of drivers made the most of a difficult race. With water washing away all of the rubber that had been laid down during the weekend, each driver has no idea what the track would give them in the race. MP Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais made a success day out of his 200th career IndyCar start by going from 21st on the starting grid to a ninth place finish last night in the Iowa 300 on the 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway oval in Newton, Iowa. Bourdais, in the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan entry, had his lowest qualifying position of the season, but drove a smart and deliberate race. He slowly, but methodically worked his way through the field to earn his sixth top-10 finish of the season. Bourdais earned 23 points for his effort and moved back into the top-10 in the championship standings, at No. 10, with 255 points. Tony Kanaan also drove a smart race and took his time moving through the field and was able to grab a solid top ten finish for himself with a 10th place showing. Santino Ferrucci did a great job driving a clean race to a nice 12th place finish of the 22 car field.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“I found a couple of options on the track that seemed to be working really good for the No. 18 SealMaster Honda. I started to pick people off and get good runs out of turn two. That was really the key to passing a bunch of guys. Before I just didn’t have enough front to be able to do that. Then all of a sudden I had it and we gained a bunch of positions.  I’m really proud of the SealMaster crew. They did a great job in the pits.  It was a good result from where we started.”

MP RACING HAS DIFFICULT DAY IN REV GROUP GRAND PRIX OF ROAD AMERICA! TIRE ISSUES AND AN ON TRACK INCIDENT CAUSE FOR TOUGH DAY ON THE FOUR MILE CIRCUIT!!!

REV GROUP GRAND PRIX OF ROAD AMERICA - Elkhart Lake, Wis - For the whole MP Racing team it was an overall difficult weekend at Road America. All four cars were able to finish the 55 lap race however due to different circumstances all four drivers were unable to make the most of the opportunities on track today. From tires going away to lacking speed and on track contact it was a race filled with hard times and adversity for MP Racing. An early race incident damaged Sebastien Bourdais’ No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan car, however he was still able to salvage a 12th place finish and was best among the MPR cars today in the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.. Bourdais qualified a team best seventh place on the scenic 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course and had a good start to the race going. Shortly after the drop of the green flag Takuma Sato made contact with Bourdais. From that point on, Bourdais struggled with the car and the handling was off, but continued to battle and despite the damaged car he finished the 55-lap contest to score valuable championship points. Bourdais earned 18 points today and is now 11th in the championship standings with 208 points. Jack Harvey was able to score a 15th place finish even with badly blistered tires from the intense track conditions. Santino Ferrucci also had a tough day with his tires and really couldn't move up and held on for a 19th place finish. Tony Kanaan lacked pure speed all weekend long and ended up in 21st position today.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“We had a pretty good start. Then I was side-by-side with Takuma and coming off turn three, maybe he got his wheels in the curb or something. He wiggled and his car turned hard right and his side pod made contact with my left front. After that the wheel was off and the car felt weird. I don’t know if our race was dictated by that initial contact or by something else, but it was a very average day, starting seventh and finishing 12th. I feel bad for the SealMaster No. 18 guys. They really worked hard all weekend.

MP RACING DRIVER JACK HARVEY SCORES FIRST EVER PODIUM FINISH WITH EXCELLENT RACE IN SATURDAY'S INDYCAR GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS!!! SANTINO FERRUCCI & SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS BATTLE TOUCH RACE CONDITIONS TO FINISH 10TH & 11TH! 

INDYCAR GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis, IN – MP Racing and team partner Michael Shank had every reason for the ear-to-ear grin after their NTT IndyCar Series driver, Jack Harvey, scored a career best third-place finish in Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. For MP Racing it was another milestone for the team as it finally gets a strong result from one of it's young rising star drivers. With help from MP Racing and SPM, Meyer Shank Racing is a part-time entrant running only 10 races out of the 17 races this season. That plan of growth follows one race in 2017 and six last year. With limited running for the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda in partnership with MP Racing and Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, results like Saturday are appreciated even more by the team and its determined co-owner.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Michael Shank said. “Because I’ve literally worked for 30 years in racing to try to come to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway podium. I give it all to Jack, the engineers and the crew, and I think the integration with Honda really worked today. Let it rain now but what a start to the month!” I would also like to thank SPM and MPR for all the work and support they give us."

MP Racing's Santino Ferrucci also had a great race on the Indianapolis road course and picked up his second NTT IndyCar Series top ten finish on Saturday at the INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in what was a mix of dry and wet weather.

The race started out in dry conditions under cloudy skies with Ferrucci climbing up to 12th from his 14th place on the starting grid. With cars pitting ahead of him, the rookie climbed as high as fifth before making his first trip to pit lane on Lap 28. Both he and MPR driver Sebastien Bourdais drove solid races to a 10th and 11th place finish.

MPR DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS DRIVES SOLID RACE TO STRONG 11TH PLACE FINISH IN THE ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH!

ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH - Long Beach, CA - Sebastien Bourdais drove a solid race and finished 11th today in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Bourdais, in the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MPR/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan car, started 14th on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit in downtown Long beach, He passed three cars in the first 13 laps to move into 11th place and battled throughout the rest of the contest as he fought to finish in the top-10. Bourdais earned 19 points today and is now sitting in eighth in the championship standings with 91 points. MPR drivers Santino Ferrucci and Jack Harvey suffered spins during the race and would end up finishing 21st and 22nd and one lap down to the leader. Tony Kanaan's fuel strategy did not work out and a late pit stop dropped him to 19th place.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:


“The No. 18 SealMaster Honda car seemed pretty solid early in the race and I was able to make a couple of moves. As the race went on the balance got away from us and I picked up more and more understeer as I went on. I tried and tried to pass Rosenqvist (Felix), but he defended and I could never get by. At the end, I just tried to save the car and made sure I didn’t make any mistakes. We’ll just take our 11th place finish along with the points we earned today and move on.”

PHENOMENAL DRIVE AND RACE STRATEGY RESULTS IN PODIUM FINISH FOR MPR DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS IN HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA! 

HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA  - Birmingham, AL - In what can truly be called a team effort today, highlighted by the race craft of superstar driver Sebastien Bourdais, a strategy that worked and an outstanding job by the pit crew, the MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan team finished third Sunday in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park for the team's first podium finish of the 2019 NTT IndyCar season.

Sebastien Bourdais, driving the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan entry, qualified fifth on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn permanent road course. He essentially ran in the top three for the entire 90-lap contest including leading the race for a handful of early laps. Utilizing a two pit-stop strategy that most teams had abandoned early in the race, Bourdais demonstrated the skill and “racecraft” that has been the signature of his career to manage his tires and fuel consumption. He made it work earning his first podium finish this season and second top-five showing in the first three races of the season. Bourdais earned 36 points today and with his fifth-place finish at COTA is now sixth in the championship standings. The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was Round 3 of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season.

Sebastien Bourdais race quote:
“I am really proud and happy for the entire No. 18 SealMaster Honda team. A podium from fifth here at Barber after a solid race, I’ll take it all day. Craig (Race Engineer Craig Hampson) gave me a great car. We were one of the very few to stick to the two-stop strategy. Dale (Coyne) has a lot more faith in me than I have in myself, that’s for sure because on lap 18 I said to myself ‘I don’t think I can hang onto the car for another ten laps’. Dale let me know we were committed. I wasn’t quite sure about it, but the strategy worked out and that’s all that matters. I owe a big thanks to Dale. Mark, Jimmy an Sulli for having faith that I could pull it off today. It looked like we had to put a bit more fuel in the car on the last stop compared to the other guys and that’s what lost us a position. The pit stop was clean and the guys did a great job. Hats off to the entire crew. We finished third.”

MP Racing driver Jack Harvey drove a smart clean race to a solid 13th place finish today. Santino Ferrucci driving the #19 car was on an alternate fuel strategy and ended up finishing 15th after needing a last minute stop for fuel. Tony Kanaan in the #14 ABC Supply entry finished in 18th today in Alabama.

SOLID RACE STRATEGY, SMART, PATIENT DRIVE PROPEL MPR DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS TO FIFTH PLACE FINISH IN INDYCAR CLASSIC GP WHILE JACK HARVEY PRODUCES ANOTHER TOP TEN RESULT IN BACK TO BACK RACES WITH 10TH PLACE AT COTA! TONY KANAAN CLIMBS UP TO 12TH WHILE SANTINO FERRUCCI ENDS UP 20TH!

INDYCAR CLASSIC - Austin, Texas - Circuit of the Americas - MP Racing/Dale Coyne driver ebastien Bourdais drove a smart, patient race and benefitted from a solid race strategy and a timely yellow flag that came just at the right moment and allowed Sebastien to finish fifth in the INDYCAR Classic on the 3.41-mile 20-turn Circuit of the Americas permanent road circuit in Austin, TX. Bourdais, in the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MPR/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan machine, qualified 17th. He essentially held station, getting as high as ninth when other cars pitted, but sat in 14-16th place for most of the race as he managed his tires and stayed out of the trouble that plagued several other competitors. With 17 laps remaining Bourdais pitted for the final time. While on pit lane a yellow flag came out catching multiple drivers, including two of the leaders, out with the pits closed. When the race resumed, Bourdais was in sixth place. On the restart, Bourdais passed Patricio O’Ward for fifth place where he remained over final ten laps of the 60 lap contest. Jack Harvey driving the #60 Auto Nation Sirius XM car drove a smart race from starting 23rd and turned that into a solid top ten finish for the second race in a row. Tony Kanaan had to start last (24th) and did a nice job of managing his race and climbed up to finish in 12th place.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“It’s great to get a top-five finish after the weekend we were having. Great job by the No. 18 SealMaster Honda team. A solid strategy and a good job in the pits. It was a very static race, not much going on. I didn’t really go anywhere. Then toward the end some guys decided to gamble, but I had to stop and then try and run fast. The guys ahead of me didn’t go anywhere. So we weren’t really very far from them. Then the yellow came out as we were in pit lane. That’s about as lucky as you are going to get. I feel bad for the leaders because they really didn’t deserve that, but we didn’t deserve the problem we had in St. Pete, so I guess things even out.”

SANTINO FERRUCCI AND JACK HARVEY SCORE BEST INDYCAR SERIES FINISHES WITH NINTH & TENTH PLACES IN ST. PETERSBURG, SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS SUFFERS ENGINE FAILUE EARLY AND FINISHES 24TH! 

St. Petersburg, FL (March 10, 2019) – MP Racing Dale Coyne driver Santino Ferrucci registered his best NTT IndyCar Series finish on Sunday at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg by moving up 14 positions, the most of anyone in the field, to place ninth in the opening round of the season. MPR's second car of Jack Harvey passes 11 cars to post a solid top ten finish of his own for another personal best. Tony Kanaan driving the #14 ABC Supply car for MPR/Foyt was running an alternate fuel strategy and needed a yellow flag in order to secure a solid finish which did not happen. Kanaan would finish in 15th. MP Racing's fourth car of defending race winner Sebastien Bourdais in the #18 Sealmaster car suffered a sudden engine failue on lap 11 of the race which ended his day and any chance at a third straight victory on the streets of St. Pete.

After a disappointing qualifying session on Saturday, which placed both Sebastien Bourdais and Santino Ferrucci at the back of the field in 23rd and 19th, the rookie came back strong during the race to constantly move up the field thanks to a strategy call by the team, but also thanks to some excellent driving and fuel saving from the 20-year-old from Woodbury, CT.

About a third of the way into the 110-lap race, Ferrucci had made his way into 13th and by the time he headed to pit lane for his last scheduled stop on Lap 75, he had moved into 11th. After making his way into the top 10 on Lap 81, Ferrucci gained one more position with 19 laps remaining to take over ninth, where he stayed until the checkered flag fell.

“I can’t thank the #19 David Yurman, Cly-Del Manufacturing MPR/Dale Coyne team enough,” expressed Ferrucci. “We found something in morning warm-up that was unexpected, and we made it work in the race. Our engineer, Michael Cannon called a brilliant strategy and I had to do a lot of fuel saving, to say the least. We kept it clean and in the top 10 and that was the goal. I’m really happy with today’s result, especially considering where we started.”

MP RACING DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS DRIVES SMART RACE TO SOLID 6TH PLACE FINISH IN SONOMA TO END THE 2018 INDYCAR SEASON 7TH IN THE FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS! TONY KANAAN DRIVES HARD TO EARN 12TH PLACE FINISH WHILE JACK HARVEY RUNS CLEAN RACE TO A 17TH PLACE RESULT!  

IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma - Sonoma Raceway - Sonoma, CA - September 16th, 2018 - MP Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais piloted the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan car to a sixth place finish today in the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season ending Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway. Bourdais started 11th, on the first lap picked up three positions and essentially stayed in eighth until his first pit stop. He moved into seventh shortly after the pit stop and remained there until his second stop. Bourdais rejoined the race in sixth place, but dropped to seventh following his final stop on lap 63. He ran in seventh until the final lap of the race when he dramatically passed Alexander Rossi to finish in sixth. Bourdais drove a very smart race, taking advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves. He earned 56 points today (double points were awarded for the season finale) to finish the season seventh in the championship standings with 425 points. Tony Kanaan driving the ABC Supply chevrolet had to battle from the back of the field and drove a hard fought race under intense heat to finish in 12th place today. MPR driver Jack Harvey gained alot of track experience and finished the race in 17th.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“We had to play the long game. It was a day where the tire degradation was really high and the stints were long. We pitted early when everybody freaked out with some apparent oil on the track, which I didn’t see. After that it was going to be long stints the rest of the way and the tires were struggling. We just did what we had to do. At the end of the day, it worked out and we finished seventh in the championship, which was the goal today. So I’m really happy with the result. Thanks to Mark, Dale, Jimmy and Sulli and all the SealMaster guys, thanks to all our sponsors and let’s all do it again next year.”

MP RACING DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS EARNS PODIUM FINISH IN WILD GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND. TONY KANAAN 11TH AFTER SURVIVING CARNAGE FILLED RACE! 

IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland - Portland International Raceway - Portland, OR - September 2nd, 2018 - MP Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais drove the No. 18 Gorilla Automotive Products – MPR Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan car to a third-place finish today in the Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway. Bourdais, who overcame a huge crash in practice Saturday morning, qualified the car, nicknamed “Frankenstein” because it was rebuilt from spare parts, in fourth place. Starting from the outside of Row 2, Bourdais was collected in a first lap incident in Turn 3. The contact resulted in damage to his front wing forcing Bourdais to pit for repairs. When he rejoined the race, he was in 21st position, last of the cars still running. The team altered their fuel strategy and finally got some luck with a couple of timely yellow flags allowing Bourdais to cycle to the front of the grid with enough fuel to race to a podium position, an amazing end to what had been a roller-coaster weekend. The same could be said for MPR's second car Tony Kanaan. Tony was collected in the first lap accident and had to cycle to the back of the field after making several pit stops for repairs to his ABC Supply car. He would battle back and recover to finish in 11th place today.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“It’s been a roller-coaster ride all weekend for the No. 18 Gorilla Automotive Products – MP Racing Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan team. We qualified really well after recovering from probably one of the biggest hits I have ever had on a road course. Three hours after the crash the car is back together and I put it near the top in qualifying. So I start fourth, get swallowed up in the incident on the first lap, cycle to the back, cycle to the front and finish third. These races are never over, I can’t thank my crew enough for what they have done this weekend.

Sebastien Bourdais 3rd in Portland GP

MP RACING DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS HAS CAREER BEST FINISH IN THE ABC SUPPLY 500 AT POCONO WITH A 4TH PLACE SHOWING! TONY KANAAN SUFFERS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM AND FINISHES 17TH!

ABC Supply 500 - (Pocono ) Long Pond, PA - August 19th, 2018 - In a race that was delayed by almost two hours due to a harrowing crash on the seventh lap, MP Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais piloted the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan car to a fourth place finish in the ABC Supply Co. Inc. 500 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA. This was an unbelievably strong effort by the entire team. They rode the emotional rollercoaster waiting to hear the fate of the drivers involved in the crash, then waited for almost two hours while the track was repaired. Through all of this they performed their tasks flawlessly and professionally. Especially Bourdais, who drove with patience and skill while also recording the fastest lap of the race. Bourdais qualified eighth and held that position through the first six laps, which were all run under a caution flag as a result of a first lap incident. On lap seven, a five car accident in Turn 2 caused a red flag. All five drivers were sent to the medical center and one was eventually sent to the hospital for evaluation. The crash also severely damaged the catch fence and part of the wall, resulting in the long delay as safety workers cleaned up the debris from the crash and repaired the damage to the track. When the race resumed, Bourdais ran in sixth for most of the first stint. He moved into fifth and got as high as third during the second stint before slotting back into sixth after his second stop on lap 70. Bourdais would move up into 4th place and was chasing 3rd place Scott Dixon but could not get around him. This was the best overall finish by Sebastien Bourdais at the Pocono track. Tony Kanaan was having a solid race running inside the top ten when an electrical issue ended his day with a 17th place result. MPR's third entry of Conor Daly struck the wall late in the contest and would finish in 15th place.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“I am just happy that Robbie’s injuries are not life threatening and the other guys are ok too. That is the main thing. As for the race, it was a good day for the SealMaster Honda No. 18 MPR car. It was a solid finish, fourth place. There were obviously some weird circumstances. It’s tough to get your head back in the game, but we pulled through as we usually do. It was a solid effort by the whole team. I am really proud of the guys. It was a good day for us.”

MP RACING'S TONY KANAAN HAS FANTASTIC RACE IN HONDA GRAND PRIX OF TORONTO WITH 6TH PLACE FINISH. CONOR DALY HANGS IN THERE FOR 13TH! BOURDAIS HAS ROUGH DAY AFTER SPIN RUINS GOOD RUN! 

Honda Indy Toronto Grand Prix - Toronto - Ontario, Canada - July 15th, 2018 - MP Racing/AJ Foyt driver Tony Kanaan drove a near perfect race today in the Honda Indy GP of Toronto. Kanaan pitted early on lap 16 as part of a strategy move since he was running in the back of the field. That strategy worked out well with Tony also being able to avoid several on track accidents en route to a solid 6th place today. Several yellow flags helped Tony gain track position for an excellent result for the #14 boys. Conor Daly who is back driving after the Indy 500 was behind the wheel of the #88 car this weekend and was able to drive home to a quality 13th place finish as he was replacing Gabby Chaves in the car. MPR's lead driver Sebastien Bourdais had a strong race going today in the No. 18 Team Mouser Electronics/Molex – MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan car finishing 19th in the Honda Indy Toronto on the temporary street circuit in Toronto, Canada. Bourdais started 17th, however worked his way up to 11th during the first stint of the race. After pitting the team made some changes and put on black tires. Shortly thereafter, Bourdais spun out in Turn 1 and the back end of the car hit the wall damaging the rear wing. Bourdais pitted for a new wing, but lost two laps in the process as the repairs were made essentially ending his race, Bourdais would finish the race but ended up 19th overall.

 

MP RACING HAS DIFFICULT DAY IN THE KOHLER GRAND PRIX AT ROAD AMERICA DUE TO ELECTRICAL ISSUES. SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS DRIVES BRILLIANT RACE TO SOLID 13TH WHILE TONY KANAAN HANGS TOUGH IN 14TH. GABBY CHAVES FINISHES THE DAY IN 19TH!

Kohler Grand Prix at Road America - Elkhart Lake, Wis  - June 24th, 2018 - MPR/Dale Coyne driver Sebastien Bourdais had a fantastic race going for himself today in the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America. However a software glitch in the electrical system robbed Sebastien Bourdais of a possible podium finish in the Kohler Grand Prix on the scenic Road America permanent road circuit in Elkhart Lake, WI. Bourdais, who started sixth in the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan entry, was running with, and in fact challenging the lead group, when suddenly he lost the ability to shift his IndyCar and was forced to pit. The team rebooted the car's onboard software system, but the damage was already done. Bourdais and the team continued to fight hard in hopes of a yellow flag that would have put them back in the hunt. Unfortunately, the yellow never came. Bourdais then took it upon himself to put on an amazing performance. Despite having to massively save fuel due to the early pit stop, he not only kept up his pace, but passed cars thus allowing him to come from the back of the field and salvage a solid 13th place finish. Tony Kanaan actually had a similar problem to Bourdais. Kanaan was running in 8th place when his car suddenly lost all front mechanical grip and the car began sliding around on the track which forced Kanaan to pit early. He would lose several spots on track and fell back to 20th place. Kanaan would fight back to finish in 14th. Gabby Chaves, who started last (23rd) was able to move up a few spots and salvage a 19th place finish today.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“The SealMaster Honda was so strong again. We were holding with the lead group and I felt like the guys in front of us were starting to lose their tires faster than we were. The prospects were looking good, then I lost all shifting for about 30 seconds. It started to work again when I got on pit lane. We rebooted, but at that point the race was basically over, as there was never a yellow to reset the field. Because we pitted early we had to save a massive amount of fuel, so that was pretty much a double penalty, the time lost and the amount of fuel I had to save the rest of the way. As usual, when you need a yellow it never comes. It’s a shame. A really solid run that turned into no result. It is what it is. We will just keep at it and hopefully catch a break every now and again the rest of the season.”

MP RACING'S SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS HAS CAREER BEST FINISH AT TEXAS WITH SOLID 8TH PLACE FINISH! GABBY CHAVES CONTINUED HIS STEADY HAND WITH A 15TH PLACE SHOWING. TONY KANAAN BRUSHES THE WALL AND FINISHED 21ST IN THE DXC TECHNOLOGY 600!

DXC Technology 600 - Forth Worth, Texas  - June 9th, 2018 - MPR/Dale Coyne driver Sebastien Bourdais battled his way to an eighth-place finish in the DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, TX. The 39-year-old driver qualified the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing/Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan entry a career best fifth at TMS. The race began at 7:45 p.m., however despite the night time start, it was extremely hot with an ambient temperature of around 94 degrees and a track temp high of 132. This made for a challenging race as downforce and therefore grip were way down, and tire degradation was way up due to the cars constantly sliding on the track. This caused both the right front and rear tires to blister. All three of MP Racing's cars were fighting blistered tires all race long. Bourdais dropped to ninth early in the race and pitted for the first time on lap 52, earlier than the leaders. By the time he stopped for the third time on lap 166, he had fought back to fourth place. He rejoined the race in 12th place two laps down as a result of pitting under the green flag. However with a yellow coming out after he already pitted, that kept Bourdais out of the running to win or gain a top result in the race. He battled back to finish in 8th. Gabby Chaves drove mostly in the rear of the field but tried to gain spots on track when he could. His patience would pay off with a nice 15th place finish. Tony Kanaan was running in the top ten when he went up high and just kissed the wall with the right rear tire and that bent his suspension which put him out of the race early and he'd finish 21st.

Sebastien Bourdais Race Quote:
“Obviously it was a disappointing result for a pretty solid race overall. The SealMaster Honda No. 18 car was as good as anything else out there. I just didn’t gage the tire degradation well enough on the first stint. We ended up pitting early and that settled the issue because there wasn’t a yellow until much later in the race. When one did finally come out it went against us because we had just come in the pits. The guys did a great job, the car was competitive, it was fast, like it was all weekend. In the end we just took what we could. It’s a real shame. The car and the team deserved better than eighth.”

MP RACING'S TONY KANAAN HAS SOLID DAY AT BELLE ISLE WITH 7TH PLACE FINISH. SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS SUFFERS BROKEN SUSPENSION PIECE AND FINISHES 21ST! GABBY CHAVES HAS CLEAN RACE AND FINISHES 19TH.

Belle Isle Raceway Park - Detroit, MI - June 3rd, 2018 - MP Racing had another strong race going today in the Chevrolet GP of Detroit with both Tony Kanaan and Sebastien Bourdais running up in the top ten. Tony Kanaan would use an alternate fuel strategy to gain track position and was running up in 4th place when after his final pit stop he would go on to finish in 7th place.

Meanwhile for Sebastien Bourdais it ended up being a different story. Sebastien Bourdais finished 21st in today's Detroit Grand Prix street circuit…however, that is hardly the story of his race. In one of the most brilliant exhibitions of driving, Bourdais came from the back of the field to fourth place and was on track for a solid top-five finish when a specular spin ended his day. Bourdais, in the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MPR/Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan car, qualified 16th this morning on a rain-soaked track. He was passing cars left and right and moving towards the front. Over the next 31 laps, Bourdais gained a total of 16 positions, often the result of daring and skillful passes, taking over fourth place on lap 35. He was running in fifth and on schedule with the fuel strategy when he slightly touched the wall in Turn 7 on lap 38. The contact bent his left rear toe link, which eventually fully collapsed in Turn 1 sending him into a 360-degree spin. After coming to the pits for a long pit stop to repair the damage, He rejoined the race three laps down (-3) and would go on to finish in 21st place. For Gabby Chaves he used an alternate strategy in order to gain track position which worked and placed him up into 8th place early on. Towards the end of the race he needed a yellow in order to make his fuel strategy work which did not happen. After pitting on lap 54, he was dropped back to 19th where he would finish today.

MP RACING'S SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS AND TONY KANAAN SUFFER RACE ENDING ACCIDENTS AFTER RUNNING STRONG ALL DAY LONG IN THE 102ND INDIANAPOLIS 500!

Indianapolis, IN - May 27th, 2018- Indy 500 - MP Racing had two amazing runs going with it's two top drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Tony Kanaan in the 102nd Indy500 on Sunday but both drivers ended up in the wall which ruined what could have been a picture perfect Indy 500 for the entire MPR team. Driver Sebastien Bourdais was looking at a possible top-five finish in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 when an incident while working lap 138 of the 200-lap race ended his day. Bourdais started an Indy 500 career best fifth in the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MPR/Dale Coyne Racing Vasser-Sullivan entry. Utilizing a slightly different strategy than most of the field, he was running in seventh place when he made his fourth and what should have been his penultimate pit stop. Rejoining the contest, Bourdais was again on the move. However, while attempting to pass Alexander Rossi, he spun in the short chute between turn three and turn four and made contact with the turn four wall ending his day. Bourdais led four laps today making him the only driver to have led laps in the first six races of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

Tony Kanaan was trying hard to battle back to the front when he lost control of his car and hit the wall in similar fashion to that of Bourdais. "We had a great day going and then we had a puncture that put us behind all day long, so I was playing catch up,” Kanaan continued. “It was not for lack of trying, we came back from all the way from the back of the pack to the inside of the top 10. Great restarts and…oh my God. So, it wasn’t our day. I mean we have a great thing going, this team is very promising so we will leave here with our heads up. We had great pit stops, and I mean it wasn’t our day and to finish ninth or last for me it doesn’t matter. I’m not trying to make an excuse, I made a mistake trying and that for me, in my book, it’s totally fine. I’m looking forward to the future on this team.”

Team co-owners Mark Plourde and AJ Foyt both agreed with their driver who stopped to apologize for the single car accident. Foyt and Mark both told him, “You don’t have to apologize for that. We understand it when you’re trying to get to the front. If you didn’t get that flat [tire] you wouldn’t have been in that situation. It’s racing but you gave them a show. They knew we were here today.”

MP RACING-FOYT DRIVER TONY KANAAN TOPS FINAL INDY 500 PRACTICE ON CARB DAY!

Indianapolis, IN - May 25th, 2018 - Tony Kanaan claimed the final bragging rights ahead of Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, topping the Carb Day final practice times at 227.791mph. The MP Racing-AJ Foyt driver was comfortably quicker than nearest rival Scott Dixon, who posted a best speed of 225.684mph in the No.9 Ganassi car, leaving Marco Andretti to round out the top three at 225.220mph. MP Racing qualified all six of it's cars for the Indy 500 last weekend on bump day and landed two cars in the top ten of the 33 car field. MP Racing's other driver Sebastien Bourdais qualified a career best 5th while Tony Kanaan will start 10th on Sunday.

“We’re trying different things,” Kanaan said. “I think this is the closest that we’re gonna get as far as weather for Sunday so we tried to optimize that and run in the heat conditions and see what we’re gonna do. If you haven’t figured it out by today, you’re in trouble. We went through some exercise, gave the boys some pit stops, refueling, trying to gauge fuel mileage and everything. Mark and AJ's team is top notch so we'll have something to showcase on Sunday for sure.

“I remember back in the days when we had to save the engine and you couldn’t do more than 10 laps to save it for the race. Nowadays the engines are so good, Chevy does such a great job, that you can run full power all the way through. … We ran three sets of tires, I did almost 50 laps today. So it’s always busy.”

MP RACING'S SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS QUALIFIES CAREER BEST 5TH FOR INDY 500

Sebastien Bourdais, behind the wheel of the No. 18 Team SealMaster – MP Racing Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan car, qualified an Indianapolis 500 career best fifth for the 102nd running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing on Sunday.” Bourdais was fifth after last Saturday's first round of qualifying putting him in the Fast-Nine with a chance to run for the pole. He was fifth of the nine drivers to make an attempt in the Fast-Nine Shootout and recorded a four-lap average speed at 228.142 mph, making him the fastest of the Honda powered cars. Bourdais’ starting position surpasses his previous high of seventh in 2015. In races this year, Bourdais has three top-five finishes in the first five races of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season including a victory at St. Petersburg, a fourth place performance in the INDYCAR Grand Prix and a fifth place finish at Barber. Currently third in the championship standings, Bourdais heads into the Indy 500 as a favorite to win.

MP RACING'S SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS SCORES ANOTHER TOP FIVE FINISH AT INDY GP. TONY KANAAN AND GABBY CHAVES DRIVE HOME TO 14TH AND 17TH PLACE FINISHES.  

MP RACING'S SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS NEARLY WINS GP OF ALABAMA BUT WEATHER FORCES LATE PIT STOP AND 5TH PLACE FINISH. GABBY CHAVES AVOIDS MULTIPLE ISSUES AND PLACES 17TH WHILE TONY KANAAN HAS ROUGH DAY IN WET CONDITIONS AND FINISHES 18TH! 

MP RACING'S TONY KANAAN PUTS IN ANOTHER SOLID RACE FOR AN 8TH PLACE FINISH IN THE 44TH ANNUAL TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH! SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS GETS CAUGHT OUT BY YELLOW FLAG AND ENDS UP 13TH! GABBY CHAVES AVOIDS TROUBLE AND COMES HOME 19TH 

MP RACING'S TONY KANAAN EARNS TOP TEN FINISH IN PHOENIX GRAND PRIX WHILE POLESITTER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS SUFFERS MISHAP ON PIT LANE AND FINISHES 13TH!  

Phoenix, Arizona - April 7th, 2018 -  Race Summary: In a wild race in the desert on Saturday night under the lights which saw plenty of drama unfold for the MP Racing team. Tony Kanaan was tossed around from the front to the back and then found his way back to the front once again late in the race to finish a solid 8th.

Meanwhile MPR's second car, Sebastien Bourdais qualified the No. 18 Team SealMaster – Dale Coyne Racing MPR Honda/Dallara/Firestone car on the pole and then dominated the first 43 laps (led a total of 60 laps in all) of the 250 lap race as well as recording the fastest lap of the race on lap 2. While working lap 40 the first yellow of the race came out and when the pits opened, Bourdais, along with the rest of the field pitted on lap 43. During the stop, Bourdais skated on the pit lane concrete forcing a crew member to fall out of the way. IndyCar officials ruled that Bourdais had hit a crew member and accessed a drive through penalty dropping him to 22nd and a lap down off the lead. The talented Frenchman, fought back using his tremendous skill to pass several other competitors, but could not get the timely yellow flag he needed to un-lap himself and ended up finishing in 13th place.

MPR's third car of Gabby Chaves finished in 15th and drove a mistake free race. All three cars from MP Racing completed the race and scored valuable points towards the driver's championship.

MP RACING'S SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS PUTS HIS #18 SEALMASTER HONDA ON POLE POSITION FOR PHOENIX INDY GRAND PRIX!!!

Sebastien Bourdais qualified the No. 18 Team SealMaster – Dale Coyne Racing MPR Honda/Dallara/Firestone car on the pole for Saturday night's Desert Diamond Grand Prix of Phoenix. Bourdais beat out the two Team Penske cars to score his first pole of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

Due to IndyCar’s oval qualifying order this year being decided by entrant points, rather than blind draw, St. Petersburg winner Bourdais ran 23^rd and last and that helped him to narrowly eclipse Pagenaud’s superb early 11^th run. The MPR Dale Coyne SealMaster car ran a brilliantly consistent 188.644 and 188.434 to average 188.539mph and secure the pole position.

MP RACING STARTS 2018 INDYCAR SEASON OFF WITH A VICTORY IN THE FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

St. Petersburg, FL - March 11th, 2018 -  Race Summary:
In one of the most dramatic victories in his illustrious career Sebastien Bourdais drove the No. 18 Team SealMaster - MPR-Dale Coyne Racing car to victory today in the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. 

The hometown hero not only defended his title, having won the race last year (2017), but did it in front of friends, family and a throng of guests from his primary sponsor SealMaster. Bourdais began his defense from the 14th starting position on the grid, but it didn't take long for things to go wrong. On the very first lap of the race he suffered a flat tire from being hit from behind and had to pit dropping him to 22nd. He pitted again four laps later during the first yellow flag of the crash filled event for a splash of fuel to top off. This proved to be one of the key decisions the team made in a slew of strategic moves. The extra stop did not materially affect his track position, but allowed Bourdais to stay out longer than most of the lead cars. When the leaders began to pit starting around lap 17, Bourdais steadily moved up the field eventually assuming the lead on lap 25.  He held the lead until lap 38 despite the opportunity to pit several times during a series of yellow flags. Bourdais finally pitted on lap 42, setting up the possibility he would only have to pit one more time while the majority of the teams would have to pit twice to finish the race. Bourdais returned to competition in 17th place, but steadily, again, began to move through the field once again assuming the race lead on lap 63. Bourdais remained in the lead until pitting on lap 77 and rejoined the race in fifth place. He battled his way into third on lap 86, but was 14 seconds behind the leaders and had little hope of catching pole sitter and race leader rookie Robert Wickens and Alexander Rossi, who was in second, but pressing Wickens. Then it happened. Another yellow flag compressed the field and it was game on.  Wickens held Rossi off on the restart with Bourdais a close third. Then another yellow flag. With just two laps remaining another restart and this time Wickens and Rossi tangled sending Wickens out of the race and creating an opening for Bourdais. He slipped past, took the lead and coasted to a season opening win for the second year in a row. The victory also proved to everyone that this team can really compete for a championship this year in 2018.

MP RACING COMPLETES 2017 INDYCAR SEASON WITH 9TH PLACE FINISH AT SONOMA RACEWAY. DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS RETURNED FROM INJURY FOR FINAL THREE RACES OF 2017 INDYCAR SEASON!

Sonoma, CA (September 17, 2017) – It wasn’t the way the MP Racing-Dale Coyne team wanted to end the season on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, but the team still came home with a top 10 finish with full time driver Sebastien Bourdais placing ninth. For Bourdais, after going through everything he has this year to jump back into a race car after a horrifying crash back in May, it was a good ending to a very difficult season.

For most of the race Sebastien Bourdais continued to run in ninth with no one challenging him from behind.  With cars pitting ahead of him, the Frenchman made his way as high fifth before his final stop, but he would end up back in ninth place where he would take the checkered flag.

Bourdais’ ninth place finish today was his fifth top 10 of the season in eight races. He finishes the season 21st in the championship with 214 points despite missing nine total races.

Sebastien Bourdais - #18 Sonny's BBQ Honda
“We started off pretty strong this week and felt really good the first couple of days but then we lost it on Friday afternoon. I don’t know what we did wrong, or what I did wrong but we couldn’t find the pace we had earlier in the week. Today’s race was a pretty miserable day with nothing really to fight for. It’s never the kind of race you want to have. It’s disappointing but it was a bit a reflection of our year with highs and lows. We’ll forget about 2017 and look forward and hope to have a better stretch next year.”

MP RACING FULL TIME DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS RETURNS FOR FINAL THREE RACES OF 2017 INDYCAR SEASON!

MADISON, IL (August 27, 2017) – Less than 14 weeks after being sidelined following his scary qualifying incident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, MPR driver Sebastien Bourdais is returning behind the wheel of the #18 MP Racing-Dale Coyne entry at this weekend’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Bourdais, who suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and right hip in the incident, made an incredible recovery from his injuries and is returning sooner than anticipated to take part in the final three races of the IndyCar season.
 

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS COMMENTS:
“You have no idea how excited I am to be getting back in the car this weekend and for the remainder of the season,” expressed Bourdais, who won the season opening race in his hometown of St. Petersburg earlier this year. “It’s been a long 14 weeks and I’ve worked very hard to get to this point. Following the crash, I had one goal in mind and that was to be back for Sonoma, and here I am getting back in the car with three races to go. It’s a bit unbelievable but I can’t wait to try out that new surface at Gateway this weekend!”

MP RACING HAS GOOD DAY AT THE 101ST RUNNING OF THE INDY 500 AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY!

MPR DRIVERS JUAN PABLO MONTOYA AND GABBY CHAVES SCORE TOP TEN FINISHES WHILE SAGE KARAM AND JAMES DAVISON SUFFER TROUBLE AND FINISH 20TH AND 28TH! 

Indianapolis, IN (May 28, 2017) – MP Racing had a solid showing in today's 101st Indy 500. Juan Pablo Montoya driving the Fitzgerald/Penske MPR Chevy cruised home 6th after starting back in 18th position. MP Racing driver Gabby Chaves drove a solid race from 25th all the way up to finish 9th in the MPR/Harding Group Chevy car. MP Racing-Dale Coyne driver James Davison who was racing in place of the injured Sebastien Bourdais was running 4th when he was caught up in a late race accident and finished 20th. Meanwhile MP Racing's fourth car driven by Sage Karam was the victim of gearbox failure and would finish the day in 28th place. Overall a decent day for MP Racing with two of it's four entries finishing in the top ten in the greatest spectacle in racing. 

MP RACING INDY 500 RESULTS

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA  -  6TH

GABBY CHAVES  -  9TH

JAMES DAVISON  -  20TH

SAGE KARAM  -  28TH

MP RACING-DALE COYNE DRIVER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS REMAINS IN CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD AFTER BARBER RACE! 

Leeds, AL - Barber Motorsports Park (April 23, 2017) – The MP Racing #18 team didn't cross the finish line in the position they were hoping for today entering the race weekend with Sebastien Bourdais placing eighth, but the team did achieve one of its goals with Bourdais remaining in the Championship lead after the third round of the Verizon IndyCar Series season. Sebastien was fighting balancing issues for most of the weekend and found it difficult to turn the car into each corner.

Sebastien Bourdais ended up starting 12th. While Bourdais was able to remain in his position during the opening laps, he was caught up behind Takuma Sato for several laps and later was locked into a battle for 9th place with Tony Kanaan. With passing being very difficult at this tight track, it made moving up in track position very tough.

Sebastien Bourdais - Driver #18 MP Racing-Dale Coyne Sonny’s BBQ Honda
“I’m really happy for the whole crew. Everybody did a really good job, we had solid pit stops. We didn’t have a great weekend at all. Performance wise we were average the whole time and I was very unhappy with the car so to salvage a top 10 and P8 like that in circumstances where there really wasn’t much going on, you have to feel pretty good about it. I think we learned a few things this weekend for the road course which we haven’t had many opportunities this year with the testing restrictions and it’s going to help us to get the car better for the rest of the season, so that was key to understanding what was doing what. I’m not sure we understand everything yet but today was a pretty big step in validating some of the things we understood. Now on to the next one.”

MP RACING'S SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS RETAINS CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD WITH 2ND PLACE SHOWING IN LONG BEACH GRAND PRIX SUNDAY AFTERNOON!!!

Long Beach, CA (April 9, 2017) – The #18 MP Racing-Dale Coyne team followed up its season opening victory with another great team performance today at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with Sebastien Bourdais finishing second in the historic race on Sunday afternoon. 

The podium finish by Bourdais keeps him atop the Championship standings with a 19-point lead over Long Beach race winner James Hinchcliffe. MP Racing is very pleased to open the 2017 season with two strong performances. 

While the team has had its best start to the season, it didn’t look like it was going to go that way early in the race. 

Bourdais, who was starting 12th, had to dodge a flying piece of debris on the opening lap. The Frenchman managed to avoid getting hit in the head but the piece hit and ripped the whole left side of the car’s rear wing, forcing the driver of the #18 MPR Honda to pit lane for a new one which in turn relegated him to the back of the field. Fortunately for Bourdais, the repairs were done under a full course caution. When the race resumed on Lap 5, Bourdais was 20th but had a full load of fuel which allowed him to move forward when the leaders made their pit stops. Bourdais would go onto lead six laps and was in the top five with 20 laps to go. From there he made up positions and was up into 2nd with the final 4 laps to go. On the last restart of the race, Bourdais was unable to catch James Hinchcliffe for the win but is very happy with the 2nd place finish.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS WINS INDYCAR SEASON OPENING FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG FOR MP RACING!!!

St. Petersburg, FL (March 12th, 2017) - It was the perfect storm today for MP Racing. One of the best street racers ever starts last because of a problem in qualifying, but he gets a good start and then catches a lucky caution flag that cycles him into the lead during everyone’s first pit sequence. The rest of the race goes green, and Sebastien Bourdais sees black and white. For the MP Racing-Dale Coyne owned car driven by Sebastien Bourdais it was a real sweet day.

That’s how the Verizon IndyCar season opener played out Sunday afternoon as Bourdais went from last to first in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, giving the MP Racing / Dale Coyne formed team another improbable victory to celebrate.

“Boys, I can’t thank you enough,” an emotional Bourdais said on the radio after taking the checkered flag. “Mark Plourde and Dale Coyne, I’ll be forever in debt to you both, man. Thanks for bringing my crew back. Thanks for giving me that opportunity.”

Bourdais has been reunited with engineer Craig Hampson and chief mechanic Todd Phillips – two of the key people during his Champ Car domination from 2004-2007 when he drove for Newman/Haas and captured four consecutive titles. Mark and Dale also brought Bourdais’ KV race engineer from last season Olivier Boisson on board in the offseason. Both moves has paid off for the newly formed MP Racing and Dale Coyne alliance.

MP Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais celebrates his victory Sunday in the Firestone GP of St. Petersburg

MP RACING WELCOMES SONNY'S BBQ ONBOARD AS PRIMARY SPONSOR FOR 2017 SEASON AND BEYOND!!!

March 6th, 2017 - Indianapolis, IN - MP Racing is pleased to announce that Sonny's BBQ has joined the team on a multi year contract that will see the popular BBQ brand become the primary sponsor on the #18 IndyCar driven by Sebastien Bourdais. Sonny's BBQ has recently been a sponsor in the Champ Car World Series in 2007 and 2008 but has been away from motorsports since that time. MP Racing team owner Mark Plourde was extremely pleased to welcome Sonny's not only back to the motorsports family but especially to his team. "To have a brand like Sonny's return to racing and to choose us as it's team of choice, I could not be happier." says Mark Plourde

Sonny's BBQ first joined IndyCar racing in 2003 in the Champ Car World Series and is excited to be back in 2017!

2017 INDYCAR PHOENIX OPEN TEST - PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY - FEBRUARY 11TH-12TH, 2017!  MP Racing completes successful test at Phoenix International Raceway as 2017 IndyCar season draws near. MP Racing's drivers have had a productive test thus far at Phoenix Raceway. Following initial testing last month at Sebring, both 21-year-old MPR Indy 500 driver Sage Karam and 37-year-old four-time series champion Sebastien Bourdais topped the speed charts for a time on Friday before settling in on Saturday and Sunday. After three practice sessions, Sebastien Bourdais is ninth fastest overall, with Sage Karam a respectable 14th.

"I think everybody has been working pretty well together," Bourdais said. "We're still looking for a bit of extra speed, but so is everybody else. We obviously looked pretty settled straight away because Sage had that extra day of practice on Wednesday. We're both pretty comfortable, had the opportunity to shake his car down and do 10 laps like you can when there is an extra practice / prep day like that, so that gives you a little bit of extra confidence and we could run a fairly trim car straight away, so we could look good for the first half hour, but really that didn't last very long.

"Overall, it's pretty much the same between yesterday and today ... we're pretty close to the best we can do here. I think we got everything we could have gotten out of the car today. So that's what we're going to be working on mostly tonight. Sage has done a good job, and it's just staying a couple of steps behind just not to make a mistake and rush through. But he's pretty quick right now, and yeah, I think everything is going to plan." Mark runs a very tight ship so I think we will be fine once we sort through all the data."

PORTLAND, OR MAY 8TH, 2016 - BRUNO JUNQUEIRA WINS PORTLAND GP!!!  - MP Racing driver Bruno Junqueira wins the Mazda Grand Prix of Portland! After winning the pole on Saturday afternoon, Bruno drove the best he has driven by far this season, taking full advantage of how fast and smooth his #18 car was today on the 2 mile Portland International Raceway circuit. Today was also MPR's first 1,2,3 finish on the season. Fellow drivers Mario Dominguez and Mark Plourde finished 2nd and 3rd today. MPR's fourth driver Sheri Plourde also earned a top five finish today after suffering a penalty on lap 21 for speeding on pit road. Sheri battled back from 17th to grab a 5th place finish. 

MP Racing's Bruno Junqueira drives to victory in Portland

POST RACE COMMENTS: PORTLAND RACE WINNER BRUNO JUNQUEIRA

"I'm absolutely speechless, this has been a long time coming. We had really good pace from the moment we unloaded the car on Friday. I want to thank Mark Plourde and this whole MPR team. The guys gave me a perfect car and I just focused on driving. I am thrilled for the whole team, its about time we win one and today was that day." Bruno Junqueira

MONTERREY, MEXICO APRIL 10TH, 2016 - MP Racing has another successful outing during the Tecate/Telmex Grand Prix of Mexico on Sunday afternoon, the second race of the 2016 season. MP Racing placed all four cars of it's cars in the top ten and also led 36 laps of the 80 lap contest today. With fuel saving being the focus point of this race, MP Racing positioned all four drivers to have a shot at a top finish today. Sheri Plourde was running 3rd when she pitted with 15 laps to go, she would drop to 7th but still score valuable championship points. Mark Plourde was leading the contest and gave up the lead to make a splash and go pit stop for fuel. Mark would fall to 5th but battle back to finish 4th. Bruno Junqueira had an ill handling race car for most of the day but salvaged a top ten finish anyway with a 9th place finish. Hometown hero Mario Dominguez drove a great race to a solid 5th place finish in the Tecate machine. 

MP Racing driver Mark Plourde