Category: Auto Racing

Doordash, Google Join HyVee for Indycar at Iowa Iowa

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From Iowa Speedway and HyVee. Big sponsor news as the weekend gains more support.

HY-VEE AND INDYCAR ANNOUNCE PRESENTING SPONSORS FOR HY-VEE INDYCAR RACE WEEKEND

February 16, 2022 | By INDYCAR

Hy-Vee, Inc. and INDYCAR announce that Google and DoorDash will be the presenting sponsors for the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend, July 22-24, 2022. PepsiCo will be a key event sponsor, as well as the sponsor of Hy-Vee’s No. 45 car throughout the race season. Tickets for Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.hyveeindycarweekend.com or by calling the race ticket office at (641) 417-6007.

INDYCAR will return to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, for the first time since 2020, with three days of turbocharged action, July 22-24. Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend will feature the only doubleheader race event on the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. Saturday’s series race will be the
Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash, and Sunday’s action will be highlighted by the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google.

Hy-Vee will build on its support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as Hy-VeeDeals.com – the company’s website that aggregates all weekly ads, digital coupons and hot deals – will be a featured on-air sponsor during each race broadcast on the NBC family of networks during the 2022 season. A QR code will pop up on screen allowing race viewers to scan it with their phone for a chance to win $25,000. One winner will be awarded following each race broadcast.

In addition to premier on-track action with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, as well as the rising stars of racing competing in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend will include a festival-like atmosphere with three days of music, food and family-focused entertainment.

“The economic impact this race weekend is creating for the Midwest will be like none other, and we are proud to team up with these incredible partners to ensure that the fans who come to the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend truly have an amazing experience,” said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman and CEO. “We look forward to creating an exciting atmosphere leading up to and during the race – both in our stores and at the track during the event.”

“Google is proud to call Iowa home and honored to support initiatives that make it a great place to live, work and visit,” said Kirsten Kliphouse, president of North America, Google Cloud. “We recently announced Google’s investment in our Iowa data center has reached $5 billion, and we’re committed to making an impact beyond the data center walls by partnering with organizations like Hy-Vee on events that bring economic opportunity to local communities.”

“DoorDash is proud to sponsor the inaugural INDYCAR race weekend with Hy-Vee, a longstanding partner and supporting champion of our mission to empower local communities,” said Christopher Payne, president at DoorDash. “As consumer expectations for convenience, speed and selection continue to grow on and off the raceway, we’re committed to expanding access to Hy-Vee’s unparalleled assortment to even more cities across the state of Iowa and nationwide. We look forward to continuing to offer Iowa residents the best of their neighborhoods directly to their door.”

“PepsiCo is thrilled to be part of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES — this year bigger and better than before. Our beverage brands — led by Mountain Dew — will bring exciting experiences to INDYCAR fans and Hy-Vee customers at home, in store and at the track,” said Neil Pryor, president, PepsiCo Beverages North America Central Division. “There is no better way to enjoy the thrill of the race than with a cold Mountain Dew in your hand, and we’re proud to bring that joy to neighbors across Iowa, a state in which nearly 2,000 of our employees live and work.”

Known as “The Fastest Short Track on the Planet,” the 7/8 of a mile Iowa Speedway oval is a favorite with drivers and race fans alike. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden is a three-time race winner at Iowa Speedway and the most recent driver to celebrate in Victory Lane in 2020. Other Iowa winners include four-time Indianapolis 500 champ Helio Castroneves, along with NTT INDYCAR SERIES champions and Indy 500 winners Simon Pagenaud, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Dan Wheldon and Dario Franchitti.

“As we continue to build excitement for Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend and the return to Iowa, what a great opportunity to welcome premier companies in DoorDash, Google and PepsiCo as sponsors of this special event,” said Bud Denker, president of Penske Corporation, which owns INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Our partnership with Hy-Vee and the support from these industry-leading brands demonstrates the continued growth of INDYCAR and the commitment to hosting an impactful event in Iowa.”

West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee first became involved in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES when the supermarket chain was the primary sponsor for Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) Racing’s No. 15 car in Race 2 of the 2020 Iowa Speedway doubleheader. In its third year of sponsoring RLL, Hy-Vee provides primary sponsorship of RLL’s No. 45 car, which will be driven by Jack Harvey, and associate sponsorships of Graham Rahal’s No. 15 car and No. 30 car, which will be driven by newcomer Christian Lundgaard.

“It’s exciting to see the Hy-Vee races at Iowa Speedway building momentum with announcements like this. Welcoming household brands like DoorDash, Google and Pepsi as sponsors is a great indication of how big of an event this will be and how big of a splash Hy-Vee is going to make. And this is just the beginning,” said Harvey, driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee car.

For more details about weekend activities, visit www.hyveeindycarweekend.com.

Pagenaud Leads Meyer Shank Sweep of Sebring Day 2

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Photo: Mike Levitt -Lumen

Meyer Shank Racing seems to have taken it upon themselves to uphold then honor of the older drivers,. 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud had the fastest time Tuesday in the second day of testing at Sebring International Raceway.

Four time and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves had the second fastest time, giving Meyer Shank Racing the top two spots on the chart.

Last year’s wave of young drivers may still grab most of the attention in season, but Pagenaud and Castroneves may have something for them.

Defending NTT Indycar Series champion Alex Palou was sixth fastest Tuesday.

2021 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood was the fastest rookie Tuesday with the fifth quickest lap.

Marco Andretti Enters 500; Seeks 250th Career Start

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Editor’s note: It is hard for me to imagine an Indianapolis 500 without an Andretti in it. This is good news.

From Indycar:

Marco Andretti will attempt to make his 250th career INDYCAR SERIES start Sunday, May 29 in the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, driving the No. 98 Honda fielded by Andretti Herta Autosport with Marco Andretti and Curb-Agajanian with primary sponsorship from KULR Technology Group.

Third-generation driver Andretti is looking to make his 17th career start and earn his first victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” He has eight top-10 finishes, including four in the top three, and won the pole in 2020.

KULR Technology Group (NYSE American: KULR) first joined Andretti Technologies (“ATEC”), the advanced technology arm of Andretti Autosport, and sister team, Andretti United Extreme E, in 2021 as the official thermal management and battery safety technical partner.

The goal of the ATEC partnership focuses on transferring aerospace knowledge onto the racetrack. KULR’s expertise with lightweight, high-performance thermal management solutions through space exploration provides the opportunity to implement new cooling technology, battery cell architecture and testing methodologies within the high-performance and high-power applications across the motorsport landscapes.

“We’ve worked with KULR through Andretti Technologies for over a year now, including last year’s Indy 500 with Marco, and we are thrilled to now welcome them as a primary sponsor to our INDYCAR program,” said Andretti Autosport chairman and CEO Michael Andretti. “The development potential of KULR’s technology is exciting given their expertise in high-performance thermal management solutions and understanding of battery safety. We look forward to this special event in May as Marco celebrates 250 career INDYCAR starts.”

Said KULR President and CEO Keith Cochran: “We are humbled and honored to have the legendary Andretti Autosport racing team represent the KULR brand in the upcoming Indianapolis 500. As the primary sponsor for the No. 98 car driven by Marco Andretti, we are extending our partnership with Andretti Autosport and further demonstrating the breadth of applications for KULR’s technologies.”

Live coverage of the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will start at 11 a.m. (ET) May 29 on NBC, Telemundo and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Herta Leads Sebring Test

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Colton Herta had the fastest time yesterday in the first day of testing at Sebring for the NTT Indycar Series. Seventeen drivers ran laps in preparation for the February 27 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by RP Funding.

Chip Ganassi Racing used Monday as an evaluation Day for IMSA driver Kevin Magnussen. All four Ganassi drivers- Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Marcus Ericsson, and Jimmie Johnson- will test today.

A. J. Foyt Racing used Monday as a rookie test day. Dalton Kellettt will be on track today along with teammates Kyle Kirkwood and Tatiana Calderon. Kirkwood was 12th fastest Monday.

Kyle Kirkwood. Image from AJ Foyt Racing Twitter

Ed Carpenter Racing and Meyer Shank Racing will test today.

The top times:

I enjoyed seeing some of the new liveries in my brief time at Sebring yesterday. The AMSP cars look fantastic. The light blue with the orange recalls the iconic Gulf liveries of Mclarens of the past.

Felix Rosenqvist. Image from Indycar Twitter

Sebring Test Final Warm Up Before St. Pete Season Opener

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Image: Colton Herta at an earlier Sebring test. Indycar photo

The entire full time grid will test at Sebring Monday and Tuesday in a final prep session for the season opener, The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, February 25-27.

Four rookie drivers, Tatiana Calderon and Kyle Kirkwood from A. J. Foyt racing; Callum Ilott of Juncos Hollinger Racing, and David Malukas with Dale Coyne Racing, will test both days.

Monday is the busier day, with eight teams and 20 drivers on track. Ed Carpenter Racing and Meyer Shank Racing will test Tuesday.

The lineups:

MONDAY, Feb. 14

AJ Foyt Racing: Tatiana Calderon, Kyle Kirkwood

Andretti Autosport: Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi

Arrow McLaren SP: Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist

Chip Ganassi Racing: Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Jimmie Johnson, Alex Palou

Dale Coyne Racing: David Malukas

Juncos Hollinger Racing: Callum Ilott

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Jack Harvey, Christian Lundgaard, Graham Rahal

Team Penske: Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Will Power

TUESDAY, Feb. 15

AJ Foyt Racing: Calderon, Dalton Kellett, Kirkwood

Dale Coyne Racing: Malukas, Takuma Sato

Ed Carpenter Racing: Conor Daly, Rinus VeeKay

Juncos Hollinger Racing: Ilott

Meyer Shank Racing: Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud

Indy 500 Green Flag Begins Epic Journey Across Globe  

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News from IMS. Interesting idea.

 IMS.com  LogoFor Immediate Release  02-11-GreenFlagSweden.jpg  INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Feb. 11, 2022) – The green flag for the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will take an epic global journey in 2022, visiting unique settings and events as part of the Green Flag Relay leading into “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 29.
The flag made its first stop thousands of miles away from Indianapolis Motor Speeday when it travelled to Pite Havsbad, Sweden, with NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Jimmie Johnson for motorsports’ all-star Race of Champions on Feb. 6-7. Team USA, comprised of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Johnson and Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta, took second place Feb. 6 in the prestigious Race of Champions Nations Cup.
“The green flag is one of the most iconic symbols in all of motorsports, and nothing is more exciting or meaningful to our fans than seeing it wave at the beginning of the world’s greatest race,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said.
“This year, it will be even more special knowing how many renowned global events and landmarks the flag will have journeyed to leading up to such an important moment.”
Fans can follow the flag’s adventures via www.IMS.com/GreenFlagRelay, which will feature an interactive map with photographs, video and more. On social media, the campaign can be tracked using the hashtag #GreenFlagRelay.
The flag will visit an exciting location this weekend, so fans are encouraged to be on the lookout for additional content soon.
The 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge takes place Sunday, May 29 with live coverage beginning on NBC at 11 a.m. (ET). Visit IMS.com to buy tickets and for more information. 
 

Rosenqvist Jump-Starts 2022 Season with Virtual Victory at IMS 

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  LogoFor Immediate Release 
 02-09-Esports-Challenge-Art.jpg  
 INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022) – If the virtual world is a mirror of the real thing, Felix Rosenqvist may be poised for a big rebound in the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
Rosenqvist, who was winless in the 2021 season with Arrow McLaren SP, won the inaugural INDYCAR-Motorsport Games Pro Challenge esports event Wednesday, Feb. 9 on Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He beat series rookie David Malukas of Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports to the finish by 3.010 seconds in the 20-minute feature race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit. Sage Karam of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing finished third.
The top three finishers received donations to a charity of their choice, with Rosenqvist winning $10,000 for Conquer Paralysis Now, Malukas $8,000 and Karam $5,000. Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing earned $2,500 for charity in an entrant lottery among the remaining finishers in the 20-car field.
“It’s always that vibe between the drivers when we have these (virtual races),” Rosenqvist said. “We all say that we don’t take it seriously, but I definitely did. Today I think I spent the last five or six hours in the simulator. You want to do well.
“It was fun. It’s always nice in this part of the season to get a little action going between the same names you’ll be fighting in the real season and take the rust away a little bit from the months of the offseason.”
The race was the first official esports event between Motorsport Games and INDYCAR, with racing taking place on the rFactor 2 PC platform. The event was streamed live on INDYCAR’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Rosenqvist started second in the feature after combined points scored in two 10-minute heats set the starting grid. Karam, who won the second heat, took the lead from the pole at the start and extended his lead to two seconds while Rosenqvist and Malukas had a fierce side-by-side duel for second with about 16 minutes remaining.
With 11 minutes left, Rosenqvist dove under Malukas in Turn 1 to take second place and set his sights on Karam, whose tires were losing grip due to his torrid early pace. Rosenqvist cut the gap to Karam to just three-tenths of a second with about nine minutes, 30 seconds to go, trimming huge swaths of time from Karam in every corner.
It didn’t take long for Rosenqvist to dispose of Karam and take the lead for good. He passed Karam on the outside of Turn 7 at the end of the back straightaway with nine minutes, 17 seconds to go.
Rosenqvist extended his lead to two seconds with six minutes remaining and cruised to the victory. Malukas snagged second by passing Karam entering Turn 1 with four minutes, 40 seconds remaining.
Romain Grosjean of Andretti Autosport, who won the first heat, finished fourth. Rookie Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rounded out the top five.
The event was part of an exclusive agreement reached in July 2021 between INDYCAR and Motorsport Games, a leading racing game developer, publisher and esports ecosystem provider of official motorsport racing series throughout the world. The partnership will produce a virtual series and an INDYCAR video game expected to launch in 2023 on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
Real-world NTT INDYCAR SERIES action starts with the 2022 season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, Feb. 27 at St. Petersburg, Florida. Live coverage starts at noon (ET) on NBC, Telemundo, Peacock and INDYCAR Radio.

Guardian of the Glass

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Editor’s note: The name of the reader in this story is not her real name. The donor requested to remain anonymous.

It’s a humbling thing, discovering what people think of you. A few days before I left for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona last weekend, I received a message from a regular reader of my blog.

“Are you going to Daytona? I have something for you.”

I replied that I would be there, and we arranged a time and place to meet Friday morning. Readers have given or sent me things in the past- old tickets, programs, pins- small mementos which had some historic significance in racing. I value them all. I wondered what this reader had for me that could not be mailed.

On a windy, cool Friday morning I parked my car in the infield and headed toward the Fan Zone for our meeting. Two thoughts swirled in my head. I wonder what she has, and I hope I recognize her. I had met Sally Pickering here a few years ago. We have a mutual friend who used to come to this race from New Jersey, and she was part of the group he was with when I saw him.

Sally resolved the second question in a message.

“I’m wearing a tan coat and a grey Rolex 24 hat. I just parked.”

I found a table near the historic cars and sat own. One of my favorite things about this event is the historic cars that the track has on display. I love their style and their diversity of design. I find it sad that today’s race cars all look almost exactly alike. That I saw most of these cars race makes me even sadder.

Sally appeared. Once I saw her, I remembered who she was. Sally may be an even bigger race fan than I am. She has been to Le Mans and Monaco several times, a resume I envy. I remembered one other thing she told me the last time we met.

“Didn’t you say you were at Fontana the day Greg Moore was killed?’”

“Yes, I was.” she said.

I also have a story of witnessing death at a track. We quickly changed the subject and talked about the glories of the past. Then it was time.

Sally pulled a plastic bag from her tote bag. I could tell something bulky was in it, but I still had no idea. She reached into the bag and extracted a small item encased in bubble wrap. It was a small item, obviously fragile, but I still had no clue.

A rocks glass emerged from its protective cocoon. I saw the Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo on the front and a list of names on the back. I knew what it was- but I really didn’t. My dad sold sets of these glasses during May at his package liquor store. A brewing company produced them.

“Thank you!” I said. “My dad used to sell these!”

She placed her finger just below the logo.

“I don’t think so,” she said.

I had missed Tony Hulman’s signature below the wing and wheel. I now knew exactly what it was. Hulman bought the Speedway in 1945 and his family owned it until 2019. Every year at Christmas, Hulman gave gift sets of the glasses to patrons and the staff of the Speedway. The back of each glass had a list of the race winners through the current year.

Sally, explained, “My dad was a wholesale grocer in Detroit, and he supplied food to the Speedway every May. He got a set of these glasses every year.”

I looked at the last year on the glass. It was 1962, my first race. I knew Sally didn’t know that.

“I have heard about these glasses, but I had never seen one. Thank you so much. I’m overwhelmed.”

Sally reached back into the plastic sack and withdrew two more protective cocoons. Three glasses with Tony Hulman’s signature sat on the wrought iron table.

“I want you to have these. I’m trying to downsize and I wanted these glasses to go to a good home. From reading your blog I felt you would respect them and take good care of them. You understand the history so well.”

Several moments passed before I could speak. She was giving me a part of her family’s heritage and a memory of her father for safekeeping.

“I’m honored that you chose me. Of course, they will be taken care of. I can’t thank you enough, Sally.”

We both had other people to meet, and we said goodbye. Several minutes after she left my breathing returned to normal.

Sally charged me with a sacred trust, which I vow to keep. I need to begin a quest for the next guardian of this treasure and of all the other precious artifacts I possess.

Chilton Ends Indycar Career, Looks to WEC

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Max Chilton has ended his brief Indycar career and will be looking to join the World Endurance Championship next season. He hopes to run Le Mans in 2023.The announcement is not a surprise since the team he drove for the last three years, Carlin, is not competing in the NTT Indycar Series this coming season.

Carlin has entered into a technical alliance with the new Juncos Hollinger Indycar team. The team will run one car with rookie Callum Ilott. Chilton came to Indy lights in 2015 in mid season with Carlin. He won the race at Iowa and finished fifth int he standings.

The next two years Chilton drove for Chip Ganassi Racing, placing 19th and 11th in points. He led the 2017 Indianapolis 500 late in the race, losing the lead with five laps to go and finished fourth. He led 50 laps, the most by anyone in the race.

In 2018 Chilton returned to Carlin. After failing to qualify for the 2019 500, Chilton decided he would not run any more ovals except for the 500 mile race.

I’m sad to see Carlin stop competing in Indycar. When they entered the series I expected great things from a team that had a successful record in European junior Formulas. I hope their technical alliance leads to the team getting a car back on track in 2023.

I never got the feeling Chilton was comfortable in Indycar. I’m not sure if it was Max or the equipment which produced the results they showed.