Sebastian Wheldon and Rintaro Sato – sons of Indianapolis 500 winners Dan Wheldon and Takuma Sato – are elevating their open-wheel careers this weekend on one of the biggest stages in the world for junior formula racers – the 72nd Macau Grand Prix.

Takuma Rintaro Sato

Wheldon, 16, (photo, top; credit Hiro Matsumoto) qualified on the pole in the FIA Formula 4 category for the prestigious street race in Macau, an autonomous region on the south coast of China. Sato, 19, qualified eighth in the 19-car F4 field under the watchful eye of his father, the 2017 and 2020 Indy 500 winner (photo, above; credit Hiro Matsumoto).

A qualifying race is set for Saturday, with the 10-lap feature race Sunday.

Wheldon, son of late 2005 and 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, also led the final practice leading into qualifying on the 3.803-mile Guia Circuit, a street course.

CGR Signs 11-Year-Old to Development Deal

Chip Ganassi Racing has signed its first driver to its driver development program, announced in late 2024 – 11-year-old Cam Becker.

Becker, from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is the youngest champion of the Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series. He won six races and scored 11 podium finishes in 15 races in 2025. One of Becker’s rivals in the series was Danny O’Gara, son of Indianapolis 500 veteran Sarah Fisher.

“My goal is to be an INDYCAR winner, just like the INDYCAR drivers at Chip Ganassi Racing,” Becker said. “I’m thankful to be involved with one of the best teams in the world and want to learn as much as I can to be the best I can, on and off the track.”

Next year, he will continue to compete and test across multiple open-wheel disciplines. As the first driver signed to CGR’s program, Becker will have access to the team’s state-of-the-art facilities in Indianapolis, physical, mental and media training, technical education, simulator training, business development and presence at select NTT INDYCAR SERIES events.

“Cam has a naturally born skill set and a genuine work ethic that fit perfectly with what we believe at Chip Ganassi Racing, said Mike Hull, CGR managing director. “What matters now is also shaping his mindset in our training program to become a complete INDYCAR driver; learning how to think, prepare and perform at the highest level.

“Our job is to give him the tools, people, a winning understanding combined with a culture to develop into a complete racer. Stacking those blocks is where the real growth happens.”

Santino Ferrucci To Return to Midget in Chili Bowl

AJ Foyt Racing driver Santino Ferrucci once again will try his hand at midget racing in the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals on Jan. 11-16 at Tulsa, Oklahoma, driving the No. 16 Webco Engineering entry fielded by Indianapolis-based Abacus Racing.

Ferrucci suffered a heavy crash into the catch fence in an Abacus entry during a preliminary race early in the 2025 Chili Bowl race week, but the team rallied to fix the car. Ferrucci advanced through four feature races before he was eliminated in the H Feature when a car spun in front of him.

“To be honest, last year was a wild ride, for sure,” Ferrucci said. “I started my preliminary night in the catch fencing during hot laps and thought it was over before it started. But the team, with some crucial help from the paddock, got the car back together and we salvaged what ended up being a pretty good night.”

Ferrucci will prepare for the indoor race by competing in the 100-lap USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event Nov. 15 at Placerville, California. The feature race scheduled for Nov. 14 was rained out.

“I am excited to get some races and laps in at Placerville so I can be more prepared for Tulsa,” Ferrucci said. “In all these races, you are competing again the best, and what I need more than anything is to get laps.”

Ferrucci made his Chili Bowl debut in 2021.

Robert Wickens, Michael Cannon Elected to Canadian Hall of Fame

Former INDYCAR SERIES driver Robert Wickens and longtime INDYCAR SERIES team engineer Michael Cannon were elected into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025 announced last month.

Wickens came to the INDYCAR SERIES in 2018 from a distinguished career racing in Europe. He earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors and had climbed to sixth in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings when he suffered serious injuries in a series event at Pocono Raceway.

Following extensive rehabilitation, Wickens has earned global respect by continuing his career in touring cars and sports cars, assisted by hand controls.

Michael Cannon

Cannon (photo, above) as worked for many teams in the INDYCAR SERIES paddock, and his car setups are renowned for finding speed during the Month of May in Indianapolis.

The Class of 2025 will be inducted Feb. 21 at a ceremony in Toronto.

Broadcasts Featured in New IMS Museum Display

The newest rotating exhibit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum will open Saturday, Nov. 22, showing visitors how broadcasting the Indianapolis 500 helped make the race a global phenomenon.

“Now Stay Tuned,” located in the lower level of the Museum, will feature voices of generations past, including from the IMS Radio Network, ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and current coverage from FOX Sports. Among the legendary broadcasters placed into the spotlight in the display are Sid Collins, Paul Page, Jim McKay and Bob Jenkins.

The title of the exhibit pays homage to Collins’ famous phrase on the IMS Radio Network, “Now stay tuned for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’” copy originally written in 1955 by Alice Greene.

Guests also can become announcers by stepping into a broadcast booth and recording their own race call from pre-selected years.

The exhibit will be on display through June 2026. To buy Museum tickets or for more information, visit imsmuseum.org.