Juncos Racing breaks ground on new home in Speedway, Indiana

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One of the hottest teams in the Mazda Road to Indy has broken ground on its new headquarters on a rather cold day.

Juncos Racing’s new era officially launched January 21, 2016, with today’s groundbreaking following on from last May’s announcement it would be building a new facility in Speedway, Indiana.

The team has confirmed all its drivers for 2016: Garett Grist, Will Owen, Nicholas Dapero and Jake Parsons in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires series, with Kyle Kaiser and Zachary Claman Demelo in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series.

A portion of the release is below, followed by social media posts from today’s announcement:

Argentinean racing team Juncos Racing is today breaking ground on a new facility and headquarters in downtown Speedway. Joined by the Speedway Redevelopment Commission (SRC), Speedway Town Manager Ian Nicolini and President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Doug Boles, Juncos dug the first shovels into its new $3 million, 41,000-square-foot facility situated at the corner of Gilman Street and Allison Way in Speedway.

The facility will house a body shop and office space for its six drivers and 25 employees. An additional 30,000 square feet will be available for future expansion, and Juncos has future plans to do machining, painting and other work in-house, limiting the need for outsourcing. Completion is projected for summer or early fall 2016.

“It is a complete privilege to welcome yet another outstanding motorsports team to our thriving Main Street area,” said Vince Noblet, president of the SRC. “The team’s vision for its new facility is directly in line with our goals for the town and will benefit largely from its neighboring location to the world’s greatest racetrack.”

The returning champions of the 2015 Pro Mazda Team Championship and first-time winners, in their first full season, of the 2015 Indy Lights Driver Championship, Juncos Racing (pronounced June-kohs) is coming off a highly successful 2015 campaign.

“The creation of the Juncos Technical Center (JTC) marks a historical turning point for the team,” said Ricardo Juncos, team principal and founder of Juncos Racing. “Less than 10 years ago, we were a small karting team in Florida, and I continue to be amazed by the amount of growth and success we have seen in such a short period of time.”

“The team has grown larger and stronger each year, which created the need for a facility like the JTC,” he continued. “This new facility will allow Juncos to continue to expand into new series. It wouldn’t be possible without the incredible passion and desire of every member of Juncos Racing, and I am truly grateful for all of the hard work they put in to make this dream a reality.”

The full release can be found here.

Twitter posts of note:

IndyCar Power Rankings: Alex Palou still first as Newgarden, Ferrucci make Indy 500 jumps

NBC IndyCar power rankings
Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar/USA TODAY Sports Images Network
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The biggest race of the NTT IndyCar Series season (and in the world) is over, and NBC Sports’ power rankings look very similar to the finishing results in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Pole-sitter Alex Palou entered the Indy 500 at the top and remains there after his impressive rebound to a fourth after a midway crash in the pits. Top two Indianapolis 500 finishers Josef Newgarden and Marcus Ericsson also improved multiple spots in the power rankings just as they gained ground during the course of the 500-mile race on the 2.5-mile oval. Though Alexander Rossi dropped a position, he still shined at the Brickyard with a fifth place finish.

Santino Ferrucci, the other driver in the top five at Indy, made his first appearance in the 2023 power rankings this year and now will be tasked with keeping his A.J. Foyt Racing team toward the front as the IndyCar circuit makes its debut on a new layout..

Heading into the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of downtown, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through six of 17 races this year (with previous ranking in parenthesis):

  1. Alex Palou (1): Three consecutive top 10 finishes at the Indy 500, and yet the 2021 IndyCar champion still seems slightly snake-bitten at the Brickyard. A few different circumstances and a dash of experience, and Palou could have three Indy 500 wins. But he at least has the points lead.
  2. Marcus Ericsson (4): Some want to say the Indy 500 runner-up’s unhappiness with IndyCar race control was sour grapes, but the Swede had a legitimate gripe about the consistency of red flag protocols. Still a magnificent May for Ericsson, especially while the questions swirl about his future.
  3. Josef Newgarden (7): Strategist Tim Cindric and team did a fantastic job catapulting Newgarden from 17th into contention, and the two-time series champion did the rest. Particularly on a late three-wide pass for the lead, it can’t be overstated how brilliant the Team Penske driver was in his finest hour.
  4. Alexander Rossi (3): He winds up being the best Arrow McLaren finisher in a mostly disappointing Indy 500 for a team that seemed poised to become dominant. With a third in the GMR GP and a fifth in the Indy 500, this easily was Rossi’s best May since his second place in 2019.
  5. Pato O’Ward (2): Unlike last year, the Arrow McLaren star sent it this time against Ericsson and came out on the wrong side (and with lingering bitterness toward his Chip Ganassi Racing rival). The lead mostly was the wrong place to be at Indy, but O’Ward managed to be in first for a race-high 39 laps.
  6. Scott Dixon (5): He overcame brutal handling issues from a wicked set of tires during his first stint, and then the team struggled with a clutch problem while posting a typical Dixon-esque finish on “a very tough day.” The six-time champion hopes things are cleaner the rest of the season after the first three months.
  7. Santino Ferrucci (NR): Pound for pound, he and A.J. Foyt Racing had the best two weeks at Indianapolis. Ferrucci said Wednesday he still believes he had “by far the best car at the end” and if not for the timing of the final yellow and red, he would have won the Indy 500. Now the goal is maintaining into Detroit.
  8. Colton Herta (NR): He was the best in a mostly forgettable month for Andretti Autosport and now is facing a pivotal weekend. Andretti has reigned on street courses so far this season, and few have been better on new circuits than Herta. A major chance for his first victory since last year’s big-money extension.
  9. Scott McLaughlin (6): Ran in the top 10 at Indy after a strong opening stint but then lost positions while getting caught out on several restarts. A penalty for unintentionally rear-ending Simon Pagenaud in O’Ward’s crash then sent him to the rear, but McLaughlin still rallied for 14th. Detroit will be a fresh start.
  10. Rinus VeeKay (10): Crashing into Palou in the pits was less than ideal. But a front row start and 10th-place finish in the Indy 500 still were 2023 highlights for VeeKay in what’s been the toughest season of his career. The Ed Carpenter Racing cars have been slow on road and street courses, so Detroit is another test.

Falling out: Will Power (8), Felix Rosenqvist (9), Romain Grosjean (10)


PAST NBC SPORTS INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS

PRESEASON: Josef Newgarden is a favorite to win third championship

RACE 1: Pato O’Ward to first; Newgarden drops out after St. Pete

RACE 2: O’Ward stays firmly on top of standings after Texas

RACE 3: Marcus Ericsson leads powerhouses at the top

RACE 4: Grosjean, Palou flex in bids for first victory

RACE 5: Alex Palou carrying all the momentum into Indy 500