Chad Smith

IT Engineer @Pacers | Motorsports Photographer

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Three Key Stats: @roadamerica

🔑 Rahal: 2 podiums, has finished 11th or better in 10 of his 12 career starts here.

🔑 Palou: won three of last five races here, best average finish (6.3) among all drivers.

🔑 Newgarden: 2 wins, 3 poles, 6 podiums, 159 laps led (no other driver has more than 76). Has not won a non-oval race since his win here in 2022, but finished runner-up two of the last three years.

#INDYCAR #XPELGP

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

This was Dennis Reinbold. 💔

Heading back to @roadamerica this week, where I'm sure we will share some great stories about this lovely man.

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

During one of my trips to Elkhart Lake I had a quick chat with a team owner, who said something I will never forget…

“If one of the Racing Gods and Mother Nature had a baby, it would be @roadamerica.”

It truly is, in my humble opinion, the greatest road course on planet earth.

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

The last 11 wins for Newgarden have come on an oval. There have been 45 non-oval races since his last win on a track that wasn't round. #IndyCar

▪️5 podiums (2 runner-ups @roadamerica)
▪️11 top-fives (1 since 2025 season opener)
▪️23 top-tens
▪️1 pole
▪️190 laps led
▪️10.9 avg start
▪️12.5 avg finish

Below is his average finish at each track.

[Eric Smith @Eric_INDYCAR]

Random factoid: Palou has won 12 of the last 26 #IndyCar races

Newgarden has won 12 of the last 26 short oval INDYCAR races

As dominant as we discuss Palou's reign is, Josef's has been equally as impressive on short ovals

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Six wins in 11 starts @WWTRaceway for Josef Newgarden. He has led 677 laps (most all-time) and has finished 1st or 25th in the last seven races here.

#IndyCar #Bommarito500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Today @AlexPalou became the 17th driver in history with four straight poles. The most consecutive poles in American open-wheel history is eight.

🐐 Bobby Unser: 8 in 1971-72 (Trenton, Phoenix, Phoenix, Trenton, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Michigan, Pocono)
🐐 Mario Andretti: 7 in 1965-66 (Phoenix, Phoenix, Trenton, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Langhorne, Atlanta)

Both of those streaks were all on oval tracks.

Palou's four straight poles this season have come on every type of track; road course, superspeedway, street course, and short oval. He has never qualified on pole at Road America, but has four top-three starts and three wins there.

If he qualifies on pole at Road America, he will tie Mario's streak of five. In 1984 @MarioAndretti did it at Portland (road course), Meadowlands (street course), Cleveland (Airport), Michigan, and Road America. #IndyCar #Bommarito500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Three Key Stats: @WWTRaceway

🔑 Newgarden: 5 wins in 10 starts, 2 poles, led 624 laps (most all-time) and has finished either 1st or 25th in the last six races here.

🔑 O'Ward: 4 runner-up finishes, 167 laps led, has finished top-four in six of his seven starts but has never won.

🔑 McLaughlin: 1 pole and 130 laps led, has finished 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd, but never 1st.

#IndyCar @BommaritoAuto 500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

@wbuxtonofficial @IndyCarOnFOX @detroitgp @CGRTeams @IndyMHull @Hinchtown Yes, and it was correct. I wanted to just point out how many consecutive times he has advanced to the FF6 but NOT gotten pole.

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Scott Dixon's last pole outside of Indianapolis came in 2016 at Watkins Glen.

Since then, he's made the Firestone Fast Six 47 times without earning pole (13 front row starts).

#IndyCar #DetroitGP @IndyCarOnFOX

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Today someone asked how I decide where I shoot. Told him I just follow @ChristianR_DK after the 2024 snake and both Turn 2 spins last year. 🐍

Christian had a hell of a save on Lap 2 this year but @AlexanderRossi had brutal luck all month. Hope @edcarpenter20 doesn’t file a restraining order… 😬

#INDYCAR #INDY500 @CanonUSA 📸

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Quiet Track, Indianapolis

#INDYCAR #INDY500 @jeff_gluck 🧱

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Closest Indy 500 finish ever!
This race never fails to deliver.

✔️ Rosenqvist
✖️ Palou
✔️ Newgarden
✔️ Newgarden
✔️ Ericsson
✔️ Castroneves

One of the drivers for my client has won the race five out of the last six years. Honestly, it couldn't have happened to a better person. What a couple of weeks for Felix and his family!

#INDYCAR #INDY500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Good morning, it’s race day at Indianapolis.

#INDYCAR #INDY500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Glad Rossi is okay, that sound always makes me cringe. I believe @ConorDaly22 had a front row seat too, great avoidance there. Wish I didn't have my shutter speed so low (1/50). #IndyCar #Indy500

[Bob Pockrass @bobpockrass]

Update from INDYCAR medical: : Alexander Rossi is awake and alert, in good spirits and still undergoing evaluation. @IndyCarOnFOX

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Qualifying at Indianapolis will never be boring.

These drivers are equally brave and talented.

#INDYCAR #INDY500 @IMS 🧱

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Scott Dixon is the all-time laps leader in the history of the Indianapolis 500. Today he can tie Rick Mears for the most (6) poles @IMS.

But Did You Know?

He has led 198 of the 200 laps in this race, but he has never led laps 157 and 162.

#INDYCAR #INDY500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Today I went to @IMS and saw a rainbow, lightning, monster trucks, and a goat on a golf cart.

Mother Nature wins this time. 🌧️

Qualifying begins at Noon tomorrow. All 33 drivers get one attempt to advance into Top 12 round.

#INDYCAR #INDY500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

It is wet here @IMS but Did You Know?

Since 1980, the driver starting 31st has only finished inside the top-ten on three occasions.

@SageKaram & @DreyerReinbold did it twice.

▪️1989 — Davy Jones (7th)
▪️2014 — Sage Karam (9th)
▪️2021 — Sage Karam (7th)

#INDYCAR #INDY500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

If you didn’t already know, now you do.

If @edcarpenter20 completes 10 laps next Sunday, he will become the 5th driver ever to reach 10,000 miles of racing in Indy 500 history.

If @GrahamRahal completes 184 laps, he’ll be the 9th driver to reach 8,000 miles of racing.

#INDYCAR #INDY500

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Did You Know?

There have been 14 instances where a driver won the 500 the year after finishing runner-up.

Dario Resta
Fred Frame
Wilbur Shaw
Bill Holland
Johnnie Parsons
Sam Hanks
Jim Rathman
Bobby Unser
Johnny Rutherford
AJ Foyt
Emerson Fittipaldi
Jacques Villeneuve
Scott Dixon
Dan Wheldon

#INDYCAR #INDY500 👀 @malukasdavid

[Chad Smith @Chad200]

Did You Know?

Only 14 drivers have won the 500 and Long Beach. Only two did it in the same year.

▪️Al Unser Jr, 1994
▪️Helio Castroneves, 2001

Buckle up, Fast Friday is up next. 💨

#INDYCAR #INDY500 👀 @AlexPalou