The Road to Indy championship rounds begin this morning with qualifying, followed by the first races this afternoon.
Today at Mid Ohio the temperature should be 78 degrees, mostly cloudy, with only a 15% chance of rain. Tomorrow, however, calls for a high of 73 degrees and a 72% chance of rain.
The forecast could make for some intense racing today since tomorrow’s conditions could be less than optimal.
Today’s schedule:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM TECH OPEN – USF2000 & INDY PRO 2000 (CLOSED FROM 12:30 PM -1:30 PM) 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM TECH OPEN – INDY LIGHTS (CLOSED FROM 11:30 AM -12:30 PM) 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM CREDENTIALS OPEN – MAIN GATE 8:00 AM – 8:25 AM SBRS PRACTICE 2 8:40 AM – 9:10 AM USF2000 PRACTICE 1 9:25 AM – 10:05 AM INDY LIGHTS QUALIFYING 1 10:20 AM – 10:50 AM INDY PRO 2000 QUALIFYING 1 (20 MIN GREEN IN 30 MIN WINDOW) 11:05 AM – 11:30 AM SBRS QUALIFYING 1 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM USF2000 QUALIFYING 1 (20 MIN GREEN IN 30 MIN WINDOW) 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM INDY LIGHTS RACE 1 2:05 PM – 2:55 PM INDY PRO 2000 RACE 1 3:10 PM – 3:35 PM SBRS RACE 1 3:50 PM – 4:30 PM USF2000 RACE 1
The action today and tomorrow will be on Road to Indy TV.
Robin Miller Celebration
The Celebration of Life for Robin Miller today will be streamed live on RACER.com at 11:45 Eastern. The live program is closed to the public. The celebration should last about 75 minutes.
Kyle Kirkwood takes a 15 point lead into the final weekend for Indy Lights
The Road to Indy goes to Mid Ohio this weekend for double headers in each series- USF 2000, Indy Pro 2000, and Indy Lights. While the USF 2000 series looks to be firmly in Kiko Porto’s grasp, there are close battles for the top spots and the scholarships that come with them in both Indy Pro and Indy Lights. Indy Lights carries the added importance of a bit of a budget to take to an Indycar team.
In Indy Pro 2000, Christian Rasmussen leads Braden Eves by 18 points. Kyle Kirkwood holds a 15 point advantage over David Malukas in Indy Lights. Both drivers are expected to be in Indycar next season.
The track is open to spectators for a $20 admission for the weekend. Tickets are only available at the gate. The paddock is open to spectators.
Skip Barber Racing School is also racing at Mid Ohio Saturday and Sunday.
The schedule:
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE (V1) SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 3, 2021 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 5:00 PM RTI TEAMS LOAD-IN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM TECH OPEN – USF2000 & INDY PRO 2000 (CLOSED FROM 12:00 PM -1:00 PM) 9:00 AM – 9:20 AM SBRS TEST SESSION 1 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM SBRS TEST SESSION 2 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM TECH OPEN – INDY LIGHTS 11:00 AM – 11:20 AM SBRS TEST SESSION 3 12:00 PM – 12:20 PM SBRS TEST SESSION 4 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM CREDENTIALS OPEN – MAIN GATE 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM TIRE SCANNING – USF2000, INDY PRO 2000, INDY LIGHTS 2:20 PM – 2:45 PM SBRS PRACTICE 1 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM INDY LIGHTS PRACTICE 1 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM INDY PRO 2000 PRACTICE 1
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM TECH OPEN – USF2000 & INDY PRO 2000 (CLOSED FROM 12:30 PM -1:30 PM) 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM TECH OPEN – INDY LIGHTS (CLOSED FROM 11:30 AM -12:30 PM) 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM CREDENTIALS OPEN – MAIN GATE 8:00 AM – 8:25 AM SBRS PRACTICE 2 8:40 AM – 9:10 AM USF2000 PRACTICE 1 9:25 AM – 10:05 AM INDY LIGHTS QUALIFYING 1 10:20 AM – 10:50 AM INDY PRO 2000 QUALIFYING 1 (20 MIN GREEN IN 30 MIN WINDOW) 11:05 AM – 11:30 AM SBRS QUALIFYING 1 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM USF2000 QUALIFYING 1 (20 MIN GREEN IN 30 MIN WINDOW) 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM INDY LIGHTS RACE 1 2:05 PM – 2:55 PM INDY PRO 2000 RACE 1 3:10 PM – 3:35 PM SBRS RACE 1 3:50 PM – 4:30 PM USF2000 RACE 1
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2021 6:30 AM – 3:00 PM TECH OPEN – USF2000 & INDY PRO 2000 (CLOSED FROM 12:00 PM -1:00 PM) 7:00 AM – 1:30 PM TECH OPEN – INDY LIGHTS 7:30 AM – 1:00 PM CREDENTIALS OPEN – MAIN GATE 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM USF2000 QUALIFYING 2 (20 MIN GREEN IN 30 MIN WINDOW) 8:45 AM – 9:15 AM INDY LIGHTS QUALIFYING 2 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM INDY PRO 2000 QUALIFYING 2 (20 MIN GREEN IN 30 MIN WINDOW) 10:15 AM – 10:40 AM SBRS QUALIFYING 2 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM USF2000 RACE 2 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM INDY LIGHTS RACE 2 1:10 PM – 2:00 PM INDY PRO 2000 RACE 2 2:15 PM – 2:40 PM SBRS RACE 2
Indy Lights Standings:
Pos.
Driver
Points
1
Kyle Kirkwood – R
488
2
David Malukas
473
3
Linus Lundqvist – R
403
4
Benjamin Pedersen – R
322
5
Danial Frost – R
304
6
Devlin DeFrancesco – R
294
7
Robert Megennis
285
8
Toby Sowery
Indy Pro 2000 Standings:
Pos.
Driver
Points
1
Christian Rasmussen – R
392
2
Braden Eves
374
3
Hunter McElrea
347
4
Reece Gold – R
337
5
Artem Petrov
329
6
Jacob Abel
259
7
Kyffin Simpson – R
231
8
Manuel Sulaiman
214
USF2000 Standings:
Pos.
Driver
Points
1
Kiko Porto
368
2
Michael d’Orlando
319
3
Yuven Sundaramoorthy
295
4
Josh Pierson
266
5
Christian Brooks
257
6
Josh Green
229
7
Spike Kohlbecker – R
210
8
Jace Denmark – R
203
Your favorite blogger will be heading to Mid Ohio early Saturday morning. I will be going, too.
Andersen Adds USF Juniors
Dan Andersen has added another entry level series, USF Juniors, to the Road to Indy. Andersen believes USF 2000 is attracting drivers above the true entry level and wants to provide a lower starting point for young drivers. The series will be sanctioned by USAC and will have 16-18 races, all on road courses.
Indy Lights Moves to Penske Entertainment
Sunday will be the last Indy Lights race under the auspices of Andersen’s road to Indy. Starting in2022, Indy Lights will become part of Indycar. The move is to create a greater connection between Indycar teams and the step just below it. More Indycar teams are expected to field teams in the series, which has struggled in recent years to have respectable car count.
Dan Andersen saved Indy Lights a couple of years by putting a lot of his own money into the series. The car counts have improved. I wish to thank Andersen for his hard work on the Road to Indy and for keeping Indy Lights running.
Discussions began today in Detroit to possibly move the Detroit Grand prix to a downtown street race. Formula 1 first raced on the downtown streets in 1982, and Indycar also raced in the heart of the city until 1991.
Ayrton Senna on his way to victory in the 1986 Detroit Grand Prix. Image from the Detroit Free Press
The proposed circuit doesn’t look that thrilling. It looks more like a gloriifed oval, something Formula E would run on.
A statement from the Detroit Grand Prix:
As the plans for this proposed new circuit come more into focus, I will discuss some of the pros and cons of the move to downtown.
One of the best seasons I remember is over. The 2021 NTT Indycar Series concluded Sunday at Long Beach in a race that mirrored the entire season. The young drivers fought the veterans for the race win and the overall series title. The Rookies, all older than the second year drivers, enter d the race with Rookie of the Year still in doubt. We saw great driving and poor decisions. Let’s take a look at three groups of drivers- the kids, those with three years or less experience; the veterans, and the rookies.
The front row of many races symbolized the generational conflict in Indycar this year. Some examples- Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi at Detroit; Josef Newgarden and Colton Herta at three races; and Herta and Rossi at Portland.
The Kids Did Alright
Five drivers in this group, with an average age of 23, won 11 of the 16 races this season and had an average points finish of 5.4. Alex Palou is the seventh youngest champion in Indycar. Pato O’Ward and Palou exchanged the points lead twice during the season. Marcus Ericsson, Rinus VeeKay, Palou, and O’Ward each won their first Indycar race.
Pato O’Ward celebrates his first Indycar victory. Indycar photo by Chris Jones
This is not a group of one year wonders. They are the future of Indycar. look for their names near the top of the standings for years to come.
Colton Herta and Palou each won a series high three races. Herta’s season season was reality a bit disappointing. He sat on the pole three times, started second five times, yet Herta had difficulty finishing up front several times. He only finished fifth in the standings. If he had converted his eight front row starts into podiums and top five finishes, Herta might be holding the Astor Cup today.
2022 could be even more competitive than 2021. This 25 and under crowd is going to be near the top of the standings for a long time to come.
The Veterans
Has the Old Guard lost a step? Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon were close in pursuit of Palou and O’Ward, but never had enough to mount a serious challenge. Dixon won just one race, Texas, early in the season. he is still one win behind Mario Andretti for second place in career victories with 51. I haven’t seen a year when Dixon won just once before. he seemed to be just a bit off pace.
Newgarden’s two wins were also a low total for him. he twice lost the lead late to O’Ward and had a mechanical issue take a sure victory away at Mid Ohio. Newgarden was still in position to have a chance to take the title by winning the pole at Long Beach.
If this was not the worst year of Will Power’s career, it is awfully close. One pole and one win is a very abnormal season for Power. At the beginning of 21, I thought he would pass Mario Andretti for career poles, but he sits 4 behind Andretti heading into 2022. A failed ECU cost him a win at Detroit, and his Laguna Seca race didn’t last long after starting third.
I don’t think this group is done winning titles yet. Three of the veteran drivers who won races in 2021 were aged 40 or older.
The Rookies
It was hard to call the trio making up the 2021 Rookis class rookies. A seven time NASCAR champion, a three time Australian supercar champion, and an experienced Formula 1 driver all chose to try a completely different formula. Indycar is the better for their efforts. Jimmie Johnson took most of the year to acclimate nhimself after spending so much time in stock dars. He showed imnprovemnent the last half of the year, finishing in the top 20 and actually racing other people.
Scott McLaughlin
Scott McLaughlin had one podium early and had a steady, unspectacular season, winning Rookie of the year by 33 points. he was the onle one of the rookies to compete in all 16 races. Johnson did not drive any of the ovals, and Romain Grosjean only entered one oval race, at Gateway.
Romain Grosjean became am instant fan favorite. He adapted quickly to the car and the tracks. Grosjean won a pole and scored two podiums. In the races where he and McLaughlin both competed, Grosjean scored 51 more points than McLaughlin. Grosjean made some legendary passes at Laguna Seca.
The 2022 rookie class will be a more typical group of youngsters, many of whom will add to the already deep talent level in the series.
Some Odds and Ends
One indication of how competitive a season we witnessed is Palou’s winning points total. 549 points is the lowest total in a few years. Even compensating for one less race than a normal season, If you add Palou’s points per race average of 34.3 to his total, he would still have fewer than 600 points.
In 202, Dixon won with 537 points in two fewer races. Based on his points per race average, Dixon would have scored 613 points in 16 races.
In 2019 Newgarden won with 641 points in 17 races. Subtracting his per race, he would have had 604 points in 16 races.
Average age of the nine drivers who won races this year – 30 years old. The average was skewed with wins by 46 year old Helio Castroneves, and 40 year olds Dixon and Power. Take the old guys out of the mix and the winners’ average is 23 years.
Is there now a BIG 4? Arrow McLaren SP challenged the typical Big 3 this year, and held their own with two victories and two poles, finishing second in the championship. They have the same problem as Andretti Autosport right now- one solid car that can win and not much behind it. Will Felix Rosenqvist have a better 2022 for AMSP? Will Romain Grosjean help Andretti have a more formidable team?
Alex Palou hoists the Astor Cup. Indycar photo by Chris Owens
I was watching Saturday practice at Barber Motorsports Park April 17 from the turn 2-3 area. Something about the way Alex Palou drove the corners struck a chord in me. He was very smooth, smoother, I thought than anyone else on track. He qualified third, and I changed my original pick to win the race to Palou. After he won the next day, I kept thinking, “This guy is going to be good this year.”
Alex Palou may just now be realizing what he accomplished in the NTT Indycar Series this year, winning the championship in only his second season. Team Owner Chip Ganassi says Palou reminds him of Scott Dixon, who has pretty well in his career.
Palou spoke to the media after the race ended in Long Beach yesterday. He was still in awe of his achievement. Here are some quotes from Palou, interspersed with statistics of his incredible season.
On what it took to win the championship:
“Preparation. Preparation. Hard work. I think everybody does that. It was working for us. We didn’t leave anything on the table from my side or the team’s side. We did everything we could to be as prepared as we could possibly be.”
Some season statistics for Palou:
12 top 7s; 8 podiums
Palou hit a big bump late in the season with two straight DNFs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway
Asked whether he thought he had lost his chance at the title, Palou said,
“Never. I guess like Josef before coming here, he was close. He did the job he had to do yesterday. He got one point. He never said that it was over. You can never say it’s over until it’s over. Yeah, I knew that doing a good job at Portland, Laguna, like we luckily did, I could have a shot here.”
Celebrating with his father. Indycar photo by Chris Owens
More statistics:
3 wins; 10 Top 5s
On finishing second in the Indianapolis 500:
“For me Indy 500 obviously it hurt this year a little bit. At the same time I learned a lot. That’s one thing that, yeah, obviously I want to win so bad. If we keep on performing like we do, it will come. I don’t know if it’s going to be next year or two years or five years. Who knows. It’s only one race, 200 laps. There’s so much stuff going on. You have to have the best car, the best crew, the best mental attitude. You have to have everything perfect for that race. If it’s not next year, I’m not going to worry too much. I think we have lots of years to come.”
One more statistic:
Palou improved his starting position in 12 of the 16 races.
Indycar photo by Chris Owens
After Palou was told he is the youngest champion since Scott Dixon in 2003. What does it mean to him?
“A lot. It means a lot. He’s a reference. He’s one of the best, if not the best. To be able to be the youngest behind Scott, it just feels amazing. Now the difficult part comes, right? To be able to do it for 15 more years on the same level.”
Pataskala, Ohio (27 September 2021) – INDYCAR SERIES Champion and winner of the 2019 Indianapolis 500 Simon Pagenaud will join Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) for the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship driving the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda. Pagenaud will team with four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves in the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda.
Pagenaud will be joining MSR which has grown its presence in the series continuously since it’s series debut in 2017 with a one-off entry in the 2017 Indianapolis 500. In five short years, MSR won the prestigious 2021 Indianapolis 500 with Castroneves. The 2022 season will mark the first two-car full-time campaign for MSR as it will field two Indianapolis 500 winners in the team’s hunt for the 2022 INDYCAR championship.
“Next year will be a big year for MSR and I think we have a very strong lineup of drivers between Simon and Helio,” said Mike Shank. “We have built this program every year, growing with our partners and working to have all the ingredients we need to be competitive. Our Indianapolis 500 win was a big breakthrough, and we are looking forward to having a consistently competitive program that will have the chance to fight for wins and podiums no matter where we go and I think this lineup will help us do that.”
“This is such an exciting time in my career,” said Pagenaud. “MSR has proven it is a high-quality organization when they won the Indianapolis 500 and pairing Helio and me together will help our team in 2022 and beyond. I’m really looking forward to this new challenge.”
Pagenaud claimed the 2019 Indianapolis 500 victory with a convincing run out front after starting from the pole. He was the first polesitter to win the Indianapolis 500 since Helio Castroneves in 2009. Pagenaud also scored a strong third-place podium finish in the 2021 edition of the race.
Pagenaud also won the 2016 INDYCAR Championship and has 15 wins, 14 poles and 37 podium finishes since making his series debut in 2011.
Beyond his success in INDYCAR, Pagenaud has also shown strength in sports car competition, collecting podium finishes in the most iconic IMSA SportsCar Championship races. Pagenaud finished second in the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona and collected a third place finish in the 2017 and 2020 Petit Le Mans. He also participated in some prestigious European endurance races, the most iconic being the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans where he missed victory by a very close margin.
Before becoming a champion in America, Pagenaud competed in Europe for several years, winning the ‘Volant Elf’, a young drivers’ competition, in 2001, which marked the start of his career. Until 2006 he moved through the ranks of some of the most renowned young drivers’ formulae in Europe before deciding to pursue his career in the United States.
Meyer Shank Racing will head into the 2022 race season equipped with two-full season INDYCAR entries with the returning support from primary sponsors AutoNation and SiriusXM as well as continued partnerships with CAP fixtures, Rocky Fork Co. and Roberts Service Group.
As races at Long Beach go, today was one of the better ones. Yellows forced pit strategy, the winning pass came on the track, and there was early doubts as to who would win the championship. Hometown driver Colton Herta won the race after starting 14th. He should have won pole yesterday, but a mistake in qualifying pushed him back on the grid.
Herta led every session except for qualifying. He held off Josef Newgarden on the last restart to win by 0.5883 seconds. The sad thing about eing the winner of the last race of the year is that no one cares. It is a shame in this instance. Herta grew up in Southern California and first went to this race when he was 2 years old to watch his father Bryan race. Winning here is very special for him, but everyone focused on seris champion Alex Palou.
Herta will have to win here next April when the 2022 edition of the Long Beach Grand Prix runs. Don’t bet against him. He won California this year.
9/26/2021 Photo by Chris Owens, Indycar
A Deserving Champion
Alex Palou won the NTT Indycar series championship with consistent driving and an unflappable focus. he reminds me of Scott Dixon in his approach to a race. I don’t think this will be the last of his titles. I will have more on him tomorrow.
Random Thoughts
Ed Jones had been racing well the last few weeks, but today we the Jones of old. I was concerned after qualifying yesterday when I saw that he would line up between title contenders Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou. Unfortunately, he ended O’Ward’s race and the chain reaction nearly took Palou out of the race. Jones seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time more often than not.
I have never seen so much tension and anger in the paddock as I did this weekend. I loved it. Indycar felt alive. I hope the tension continues all season in 2022.
Three drivers I felt for today- Pato O’Ward, who didn’t get a fair shot to fight for the championship. This team will be even stronegr next year and O’Ward will be in the title mix as long as he drives in the series.
Romain Grosjean, an instant fan favorite from the moment he started his Indycar career this spring, felled by wall contact and dropped out of the race with 10 laps left. He had some amazing races this year, and while not officially the Rookie of the Year, he was the first timer that was the most fun to watch.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, whose last drive for Andretti Autosport ended as the last car running at the end. Hunter-Reay was involved in the Ed Jones incident on lap1 and struggled with a poor handling car the rest of the day.
Sebastien Bourdais recovered from an early spin to finish eighth in what may have been his last drive for A. J. Foyt Racing.
Photo by Chris Owens, Indycar
Congratulations to Scott McLaughlin, the Rookie of the Year. McLaughlin had a steady, if unspectacular year. Like the other rookies in the series, he had to learn a completely different type of car. I think we will hear his name a lot more in 2022.
I hope the new deal with NBC doesn’t include Rutledge Wood. His pieces are insipid and interrupt the race broadcast unnecessarily.
Josef Newgarden’s last three seasons- Champion in 2019, second in 2020, and second in 2021. Newgarden was also champion in 2017.
Thanks for following along this weekend. I will have a story about Alex Palou’s season and a season wrap up this coming week.
RINUS VEEKAY TO REMAIN WITH ED CARPENTER RACING FOR 2022 INDYCAR SEASON
Young Dutch Talent Will Continue as Driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet for Third Year
(LONG BEACH, Calif.) September 26, 2021 – Ed Carpenter Racing announced today that Rinus VeeKay will officially remain with the team for the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The 21-year-old will continue as full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet, a role he will now hold for a third season. When the 2021 season concludes today in the streets of Long Beach, VeeKay’s focus will immediately shift to 2022’s 17-race schedule. “I am very excited to have another season with Ed Carpenter Racing! We made so much progress this year, I had my first win in IndyCar and made many great memories. Next year, we can be better than we’ve ever been!” stated VeeKay. “We want to be championship contenders, to go for even better results, more frequent wins and podium finishes. The atmosphere at ECR is perfect for that, it feels like a group of friends who are eager to work hard for strong results. I am excited to continue that in 2022 and not having anything change!” Raised in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, Rinus van Kalmthout began karting in 2009 at the age of 8. With sights set firmly on the pinnacle of North American open wheel racing, he transitioned to the Road to Indy in 2017 and launched his U.S. career driving as Rinus VeeKay. His rapid ascent through the RTI ranks included 16 wins and 36 podiums in 48 races. Those statistics propelled him to second place in the 2017 USF2000 standings, the 2018 Indy Pro 2000 title and a runner-up finish in the 2019 Indy Lights championship. Just four years into his career in the United States, VeeKay not only reached the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, but earned 2020 Rookie of the Year honors. ECR team owner Ed Carpenter watched VeeKay’s progression through in the Road to Indy and selected the Dutch driver for his team in late 2019. VeeKay has been with ECR ever since and will make his 29th career start this afternoon. “I am very happy that Rinus will be back behind the wheel for ECR in 2022,” said Carpenter. “Rinus has continued to show that he has the talent and work ethic to be a champion and that’s the goal of our team. We look forward to more success next season!” Though VeeKay is only two years into his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career, he has already built an impressive resume. In addition to his Rookie of the Year title, his debut season included his first pole position and first podium finish. In 2020, he recorded the best qualifying result by a teenager in Indianapolis 500 history by starting 4th; in 2021, he qualified 3rd and became the youngest front row starter in “500” history. In May of this year, VeeKay joined the ranks of NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners. He earned his first career victory in the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. VeeKay is grateful for the support he has received. “I want to thank Ed Carpenter for giving me the opportunity to drive for another season! Ed was the one that gave me the chance to be able to prove myself in IndyCar and I am very grateful to him.” He continued, “Thank you to Tony George, Stuart Reed and the entire team, every single person who makes this possible. I am the one driving, but there is a whole team behind me working day a night to give me a good, reliable car. I also really appreciate the support of ECR’s partners, including SONAX and Direct Supply, for allowing us to work hard, improve and take a big step forward this offseason.” A third year with the Indianapolis-based team will make VeeKay the longest-tenured full-time driver in Ed Carpenter Racing’s 10-year history. Since its inception in 2012, ECR has raced exclusively in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The team has shown versatility by earning eight wins on each style of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. ECR boasts 36 Top 5s to date, 23 of which have been podium finishes. For nine of their 10 Indianapolis 500s, ECR has had at least one car qualify in the first three rows. An ECR Chevrolet has sat on the front row seven of those years, including three pole positions by Carpenter (2013, 2014 and 2018). The 2021 season concludes this afternoon with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, broadcast live on NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. ET. ECR’s 2022 campaign will the team continue to compete with two full-time entries, the No. 20 and No. 21. While the No. 21 will feature VeeKay for the full season, Carpenter will continue as oval driver of the No. 20 in his 20th season of Indy car competition. VeeKay’s third NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON will begin February 27, 2022 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Rinus VeeKay will remain with Ed Carpenter Racing for the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The 21-year-old will continue as full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet, a role he will now hold for a third season. A third year with the Indianapolis-based team will make VeeKay the longest-tenured full-time driver in ECR’s 10-year history. (INDYCAR Photo)
In May of 2021, Rinus VeeKay joined the ranks of NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners. He earned his first career victory in the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. One week later, he became the youngest front row starter in Indianapolis 500 history by qualifying 3rd. (DREAM Digital)
About Ed Carpenter RacingEd Carpenter Racing (ECR) has entered its 10th season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2021. The Indianapolis-based race team has proven its versatility by collecting eight wins across each type of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. ECR is led by IndyCar’s only team owner/driver, Ed Carpenter, three-time pole winner for the Indianapolis 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). In 2021, Indiana natives Carpenter and Conor Daly share the No. 20 Chevrolet as Carpenter drives the oval races and Daly takes over for the road and street course events. Both were entered in the Indianapolis 500 alongside 2020 Rookie of the Year Rinus VeeKay, full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet. ECR is active in the eSports arena as part of the iRX World Championship. More information may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 