Category: Auto Racing

Rowe Joins HMD Indy NXT for 2024

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Well, that did not take long. I spoke with someone familiar with Myles Rowe’s program Sunday who hinted that he might be joining HMD next season.

The release from HMD:

September 6, 2023 – Newly crowned champion of the 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship with Cooper Tires, Myles Rowe will move up the ranks and join HMD Motorsports for the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone season as he continues his journey to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Making history during the 2023 season, Rowe was the first African American to win a race in the USF Pro 2000 Championship’s history and the first African American driver to win a North American open-wheel championship.

Rowe will drive the No. 99 Force Indy entry with continued support from Penske Entertainment’s Race for Equality & Change initiative, an ongoing effort to support, grow and sustain diverse representation in motorsports. Race for Equality & Change was launched in summer of 2020 with a focus on generating impactful programming and opportunities across both the INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway ecosystems. Next season will be Rowe’s fourth as part of the Force Indy program and the second year Force Indy has partnered with HMD Motorsports in INDY NXT by Firestone.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Force Indy and have Myles as part of the HMD Motorsports program in 2024,” said General Manager Mike Maurini. “He has been a treat to follow through the ladder programs, and we are anxious to help him continue his goals to ascend to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.”

Moving up through the ranks over the past three seasons, Rowe quickly became a standout talent in the junior series. In the 2023 season, Rowe earned an impressive five wins and four additional podium results on his way to a commanding championship win in the USF Pro 2000 Championship in his rookie season. In 2022, Rowe just missed out on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship by six points after garnering five wins and five additional podium results.

“Force Indy is really looking forward to continuing the relationship with HMD Motorsports,” said Force Indy’s Rod Reid. “We have a season working together under our belt, and our goals in and out of the pits align.”

“I’m super excited to announce my next step to HMD Motorsports with Force Indy and be part of their family,” Rowe said. “I am extremely excited to grow and progress with them as a team and fight for many more race wins.”

As a data-driven driver with the raw talent to apply it, Rowe will benefit greatly from HMD Motorsports’ expansive field of drivers and the abundance of data the team provides. With just three seasons of INDY NXT by Firestone competition since the team’s inception, HMD Motorsports has accumulated 25 wins and earned back-to-back Team Championships and the 2023 Driver Championship. This weekend, the team will look to continue its championship streak as the season concludes at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as Christian Rasmussen enters the doubleheader with a 65-point lead while teammate Nolan Siegel leads the Rookie of the Year standings.

Maurini said, “Myles is a great talent, and we have had our eye on him for quite some time and are confident that he will have success not only in 2024 but for years to come.”

Please be sure to follow HMD Motorsports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching @HMDMotorsports. For more information on HMD Motorsports visit HMDMotorsports.com or email info@hmdmotorsports.com.

Andretti Autosport Rebrands as Andretti Global

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Editor’s note-Beginning with the 2024 season, Andretti Autosport will be known as Andretti Global, as the release below explains. My thought- The new name takes away from what the company does as a racing enterprise. Andretti global could be any worldwide corporation- an investment firm, a real estate development firm, a legal office-but Andretti Autosport defines what they do. Anyway, congratulations to the Andretti group on another step forward in their many racing ventures.

Here is the announcement:

09.05.23

Andretti Autosport to Rebrand as Andretti Global

—INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 5, 2023) – Andretti Autosport, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, today announced a major rebranding initiative that will see the international organization adopt the branding of Andretti Global, the identity previously named as the parent company to the U.S.-based race team.

As a brand that is built on a foundation of racing excellence, the new Andretti Global name will unite all aspects of the organization under a single identity, more closely aligning with the team’s already-established legacy. Andretti Global currently operates in eight motorsports platforms racing across six continents with an appetite to expand its worldwide footprint into other major motorsports series.

Along with the name change, the current Andretti Autosport shield will be replaced with the Andretti Global logo. As each of the 2024 racing seasons get underway, fans can look forward to a new digital experience from the most trusted name in motorsports with the rebrand additionally bringing a new structure to the team’s social media presence.

Andretti Formula E will be the first of the Andretti Global teams to take on the new branding as the reigning Drivers’ World Championship team kicks off Season 10 with testing in October.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, ANDRETTI GLOBAL

“I’m proud of what Andretti Autosport has accomplished over the years, and all the memories that have come with so many special moments. Just as proud as I am of our past, I’m equally excited about our future. As we continue to expand and build a global racing institution, our goal is to be engrained in the culture of our fans, teams and partners. This rebrand is a major milestone in our team’s journey, but we are only getting started. We are determined to achieve success and confident that there are big things in store for Andretti Global.”

DAN TOWRISS, PARTNER, ANDRETTI GLOBAL

“The words Andretti and motorsports are synonymous, and I’m impressed and excited by the worldwide fanbase and reach of the Andretti name. I’m proud to be working with Michael and his team to build that name and legacy into an even stronger brand that reflects our ambitions and values. We are committed to excellence, and I believe our work will benefit our fans and partners around the globe.”

Meyer Shank Signs Rosenqvist

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The team needed to get younger, but I don’t think they envisioned it happening quite so fast.

From earlier:

Pagenaud, MSR Part Ways

Pagenaud, MSR Part Ways

The announcement from Meyer Shank this morning:

Meyer Shank Racing Signs Felix Rosenqvist

Race-winning veteran joins expanded INDYCAR effort in multi-year program

Pataskala, Ohio (5 September 2023) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will expand its NTT INDYCAR SERIES program in 2024, and has signed Felix Rosenqvist to a multi-year agreement with the team. Rosenqvist will bring his pace and experience as he teams up with Tom Blomqvist for MSR’s full-season two-car campaign. MSR is also growing its program to support a third entry for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 for Helio Castroneves.

In addition to Castroneves’ Indianapolis 500-only effort, the team recently announced that the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner has joined the MSR ownership group as a minority partner, serving as driver coach and team ambassador. 

Since joining the INDYCAR SERIES in 2019, Rosenqvist has established himself as a proven race winner who will look to continue to build his racing resume with MSR starting in 2024.

“I’m super excited to start the next chapter of my INDYCAR career together with MSR,” said Rosenqvist. “This will be a great opportunity for myself and MSR to elevate and get to the next level together. I’m also pretty excited to get to work with my old friend Tom (Blomqvist) again. I’m ready to start working together and getting the next season started.”

Next year’s INDYCAR season will see MSR have a complete reset with an all-new driver lineup as the Ohio-based team sets its sights on a successful 2024 season and beyond.

“We’re very excited to have our 2024 INDYCAR plans finalized and to welcome Felix (Rosenqvist) to the team,” said Mike Shank. “Felix has been someone that has been on our radar for quite some time now and everything lined up this year to work something out with him. It’s no secret that we’ve had a difficult season, with some things out of our control and some things in our control. I think we are all looking forward to resetting completely, starting over and getting to work.  I think Tom and Felix will work great together and really feed off of each other. We will also have Helio with us at every race to provide his feedback and advice which will be an added bonus, so I think we’re in for a solid year ahead.”

Meyer Shank Racing will close out its NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign this coming weekend with the series finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Blomqvist will make his third INDYCAR start this weekend on board the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda in place of Simon Pagenaud at Laguna with Castroneves finishing out his final full-season INDYCAR race in the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda.

Co

Pagenaud, MSR Part Ways

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Simon Pagenaud released this message on Twitter 9(now known as X)

As Simon continues his recovery, it appears his best chance for 2024 in Indycar may be a 500 one off.

Pagenaud won the Indianapolis 500 in 2019. He also won the Indy Grand Prix that year in a great drive to overtake Scott Dixon on a wet track.

The 2016 series champion ran 207 races combined with Champ cCar and Indycar. He won 15 times in Indycar, with his first win coming at Belle Isle in 2013.

Pagenaud had success while driving for Schmidt Peterson Racing, winning the inaugural May Grand Prix on the IMS road course in 2014.

I hope we haven’t seen the last of Pagenaud in Indycar, and I wish him a full recovery.

Some Quick Thoughts on Portland

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Alex Palou didn’t need to win today’s race to clinch the championship, but in reality it was the easiest way to do it. His fifth win in 2023 sealed his second championship in three years.

Palou has nine career wins, and has finished no worse than eight this season.

Chip Ganassi Racing has won the season title three of the last four years.

The race was a decent one for Portland. There were many battles throughout the day, and the field didn’t really get strung out until after the halfway mark.

Odd Occurrences

Race control’s pattern of holding the yellow until drivers have a chance to pit has got to stop. When an incident happens and a car is in a dangerous spot, a yellow flag needs to come out immediately. If someone needs to pit so be it. It’s called the breaks of a game.

How was Palou’s move on Ericsson not a block?

It seems as if Indycar has to get tougher on lapped cars moving out of the way. Maybe a rewording of the rue is in order.

Good Drives

David Malukas improved 15 spots to eighth, and led two laps.

Josef Newgarden, fifth, and Rinus VeeKay, sixth, each improved seven positions form the start. Both escaped the first lap scramble in turn 1.

Will Power can’t seem to catch a break this season. After a consistent 2022, Power has had several difficult outings, most of which not of his own doing.

Juri Vips was the top finishing rookie in 18th.

The 29 car jumped into 21st in the Leaders’ Circle. The entrant has a 4 point blead over car 60 with one race to go.

That will do it for me this weekend. Thanks for following along. I have a very flight tomorrow morning . I will have a full weekend warp up late mday or early Tuesday.

Race Day at Portland

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It’s Race Day! Cooler temperatures and cloudy skies are on tap with only a slight chance of rain. The weather may help the cars that were fast on Friday and hurt yesterday’s fast qualifiers.

First, congratulations to Myles Rowe, who clinched the USF Pro Championship yesterday afternoon. Rowe is the first black driver to win a championship. He was the first driver in Roger Penske’ Race for Equality and Change Program. Rowe began in USF 2000 two years ago with Force Indy. He won his title driving for Pabst Racing.

I will have a more in depth piece on Rowe and IndyCar history next week.

Today’s schedule: All Times Pacific

9:30 AMBITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Gates Open
10:20 AM – 11:15 AM INDY NXTRace Peacock
11:40 AMNTT INDYCAR SERIESDriver Introductions
12:30 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIES BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps) NBC, Peacock.
3:15 PM – 4:05 PMUSF Pro 2000Race 3
4:20 PM – 5:00 PMUSF2000 Race 3

Here is the official starting lineup with penalties assessed and starting tire selections:

Final Practice Results

Does Graham Rahal break his victory drought today? Now that he has smashed the six year pole drought, I think it is time to erase the last remaining hole on his record.

Pit strategy is key to the race. The new early start zone implemented in 2022 made the race less interesting. iIhope for a more inriguing race today.

Alex Palou can clinch his second Indycar championship today by finishing the race with a lead of 49 points or more. If Scott Dixon wins and lead the most laps, Palou needs to finish fourth. Should the two Ganassi drivers end the day in the same spots they start the race, Palou is champion. He essentially gained a point when Dixon di not win the pole.

I will be back later tonight with a race warp up.

Black Magic- Rahal Takes Portland Pole on Primary Tires

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The month of May is now a distant memory in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan camp. Graham Rahal took his second pole of the season today at Portland International Raceway. After six years without a pole, Rahal now has earned two in three races.. The team’s 2023 season resume now reads 4 poles and one win. Christian Lundgaard won at toronrto and also has two p[ole positions. Except for the Indianapolis 500, the team has had a solid year.

The decision to stay on primary tires stemmed from the team having an extra set of sticker black tires. The team did not feel the red tires were much faster.

The resurgence of this team since May has been amazing to watch. Turning a team around mid-season is a Herculean task Just one goal remains for Rahal- to win tomorrow’s 110 lap race. It’s nice to have five truly competitive teams in the series.

Rahal elected to stay on primary tires for the entire Fast Six round.. His best lap of 58.3185 beat pole favorite Scott McLaughlin by 0.0340 seconds.

The expected Team Penske dominance of qualifying never occurred. Josef Newgarden crashed into the tire barrier in turn 12 less than three minutes into Round 2. Will Power missed the cut to the final round by 0.0531 seconds. Rahal grabbed the final spot in the Fast Six.

Newgarden starts 12th and Power rolls off seventh tomorrow.

Unofficial Lineup