Category: Auto Racing

Season One of ‘100 Days To Indy’ To Be Available on Paramount+

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From Indycar

Docuseries Premiers Globally Friday, Feb. 16

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024) – Paramount+ announced Feb. 7 that all six episodes of the first season of the docuseries “100 Days To Indy” will be made available on the service globally for the first time Friday, Feb. 16, with the exception of Japan, which will follow Tuesday, April 19.
Produced by Penske Entertainment and VICE Media Group, “100 Days To Indy” charts the adrenaline-fueled journeys of NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ best drivers in their pursuit of victory at the iconic Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, the world’s largest single-day sporting event.
Following bold, brash personalities in their on-and off-track lives, the 100-day buildup to the final showdown begins on the starting grid of the 2023 season’s first race at St. Petersburg, Florida. From there comes high-octane drama, fearless driving and fiery competition stretching from St. Petersburg across the country until the winner crosses the finish line at the Indy 500, securing their position in motorsport’s history books in front of more than 300,000 fans.
The global field of 33 drivers racing toward the prestigious Borg-Warner Trophy hails from 15 nations and includes four-time winner Helio Castroneves, who is chasing a record-breaking fifth win, and 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson. But earning racing’s most coveted prize means they’ll first have to see off two-time series champion Josef Newgarden, plus a whole new generation of young drivers vying for their slice of the multimillion-dollar purse, including Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and Christian Lundgaard.
“100 Days To Indy” is directed by Emmy Award-winner Patrick Dimon, and the executive producer is Bryan Terry for VICE. Adam Marinelli and Dimon are co-executive producers.
Paramount+ is a global digital subscription video streaming service from Paramount that features a mountain of premium entertainment for audiences of all ages. Internationally, the streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel, in addition to a robust offering of premier local content. The service is currently live in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Japan and South Korea.
For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms. 
 

Return of Indy’s Loch Ness Monster

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It’s back. The guaranteed Indianapolis 500 starting spot monster has arisen from the depths of what I thought was a deep, deep grave. In a story by Nathan Brown of the IndyStar this morning, the idea is included with talk of a franchise system for Indycar.

In 2019, I wrote a piece called “The Soul of the Race,” in which I argued against the concept of guaranteed spots. Indulge me as I quote my own brilliant statement from that article-

“…guaranteed spots in my opinion does not fall in the category of tradition. It’s called qualifying. It means you have to meet a standard which in this case means being one of the fastest 33 drivers. That is one tradition that must stay. A chance to win the greatest race in the world should not just be handed to someone.”

I still stand by this statement.

Guaranteed spots would reduce qualifying days to a rather dull affair. If you don’t have speed for the pole, why go all out? Just post a time. How many one-offs will want to enter knowing there are only so many spots for them?

Brown’s article quotes team owners talking about how devastating missing the race has been for their teams sponsor wise. Brown points out that just six teams of the 16 that have been bumped in the last 15 years are still in Indycar.

Near the end of the article, Mark Miles said that there will still be bumping.

“I do believe that whatever happens in that regard, we’ll want to make sure there’s bumping. I think there’s a number of considerations on how that might end up, but at the end of the day, the tradition of bumping is important (at the 500), and we need to find a way to continue it,” Miles said.

I have a suggestion. If one of the teams that has a membership gets bumped, pay them what 33rd place finishing full time team would earn, and have a team in the race add the sponsor of the bumped car.

As far the franchise or membership concept, i have mixed feelings about it, which I will talk about later this week.

Second Season of ‘100 Days to Indy’ Coming to The CW Network

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 Six-Episode Unscripted Series from Penske Entertainment Chronicles 
This Year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES Road to the Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Feb. 5, 2024) – The CW Network announced Feb. 5 the motorsports documentary series “100 Days To Indy” will return for a second season this spring.
The six-part unscripted series from Penske Entertainment takes viewers behind the scenes and onto the track with NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers as they prepare to compete for racing’s greatest prize: the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“We are thrilled to bring another season of ‘100 Days To Indy’ to The CW and continue to grow our portfolio of quality sports programming,” said Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment, The CW Network. “Last season gave fans an unprecedented look into the lives and preparation of these incredible drivers, which made it even more exciting when one of the series’ stars, Josef Newgarden, crossed the finish line first to become last year’s Indy 500 winner. We look forward to another season of intense competition between these talented drivers and plenty of high-speed racing action.”
This season, reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden returns to defend his epic Race Day triumph, with an abundance of generational talent hot on his heels. This includes rising star Pato O’Ward, whose dynamic and energetic personality continues to earn him a legion of enthusiastic supporters across the globe. Former Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson, who placed second after a dramatic last-lap pass by Newgarden in 2023, and two-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou, who led for 36 laps in last year’s “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” also return with unfinished business to settle. The 2024 edition of the famed competition will also see one of racing’s greatest champions, Kyle Larson, make a special bid for motorsports glory in his first attempt at the Indy 500
.“Nothing matches the show-stopping, high-octane intensity of the Indy 500,” Penske Entertainment President & CEO Mark Miles said. “The CW will once again give viewers a front row seat as the charismatic stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES chase racing glory. It should be a thrilling ride and an extremely compelling watch for viewers around the country.”
The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season kicks off Sunday, March 10 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, before arriving in the Southern California desert for the series’ brand-new $1 Million Challenge on Sunday, March 24 at the scenic The Thermal Club. “100 Days to Indy” will chronicle every step of the journey to the Indy 500, totaling six NTT INDYCAR SERIES races and the entire epic Month of May at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“100 Days To Indy” is produced by Penske Entertainment. Emmy Award-winning Patrick Dimon and Adam Marinelli serve as co-executive producers.
The CW Network, LLC is one of America’s major broadcast networks and reaches 100% of US television households. The CW delivers 15 hours of primetime entertainment programming per week in addition to over 300 hours of sports per year as the broadcast home to LIV Golf, ACC football and basketball games, “Inside the NFL,” WWE NXT beginning in 2024 and NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning in 2025. The fully ad-supported CW App, with more than 96 million downloads to date, is available for free to consumers on all major platforms and is home to the latest episodes and seasons of The CW’s primetime programming, live streaming of LIV Golf tournaments and a library of entertaining film and television content for on-demand viewing. The CW is 75%-owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), a leading diversified media company and largest CW affiliate group with 42 CW and CW Plus affiliates, covering 39% of the population. For more information about The CW, please visit www.cwtv.com.

DRR/Cusick Sign Hunter-Reay and Daly for 500

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Dreyer and Reinbold will again team with Don Cusick for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. Conor Daly will team with 2014 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay in the two car effort.

In 2023 Stefan Wilson qualified one of the cars which was entered by Cusick. In the Monday practice after qualifying, Wilson broke his back in a crash. Many were expecting Wilson to return for 2024.

Cusick decided to distribute his money to both DRR cars, which I believe led to Wilson not having enough funding. \About Wilson, Cusick said in a video call yesterday:

“As far as Stefan goes, unfortunately he had the injury, I
think it set him back a little bit. I’m not sure that he’s done
trying to be a part of the Indy 500. Look, we’ll always
support him. He’s a good guy and a good friend. He is the
reason that we ended up in the Indy 500.
That said, he’s given us his full support and blessing.
Depending on what happens this year, hopefully he’s
around in May and able to say hi to everybody.”

Hunter=Reay and Daly are both eager to work together, and they appear to be on the same page about race strategy. Hunter_r reay talked about the craziness which occurred near the end of last year’s race, which ended in a red flag fiasco.

“There needs to be a higher level of respect amongst the
drivers in superspeedway racing. We are out there doing
230, 240, whatever you want to call it,” Hunter-Reay said.
“There was a lot of moves last year that were very road
course like, street course like. Especially on restarts,
things like that.
I think as a group, it needs to be brought up and we need
to be conscious of it. Yeah, then you have the unknowns,
some new drivers coming in again. We’ve always had that.
We’ve always had an influx of some new drivers to the
Speedway, the 500. You kind of deal with that as it goes.
Definitely there were some questionable points in the race
that we need to address that as a group.”

Daly believes that there will be changes coming based on a drivers’ meeting in December.

“After attending the drivers meeting in
December, there’s definitely going to be some, I think,
adjustments to how things are called, right? Josef
Newgarden snaking down the straight below the pit lane
entry, I think that’s probably going to go away. I think the
drivers are always pretty unified in what we want to see on
how many moves you can make down the back straight if
you’re trying to snake down the back straight, stuff like that.”

I have heard that the dreaded dragon move will be pretty much banned.

The DRR/Cusick situation reflects the best and the worst of the racing business. Three capable drivers, all good guys, and only two seats available. I feel for Stefan Wilson. On the other hand, DRR has its strongest driver lineup in several years, and the team always has competitive cars at the 500.

F1’s Greed and Tone Deafness Foils Andretti Bid

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In a move that may cost F1 some of the popularity they have built in the USA, Formula 1 yesterday rejected Andretti/Cadillac’s bid to join the globetrotting circuit. The outrage among fans worldwide spread through the social media world.

The reason, couched in PR speak, is nothing but pure greed. The current teams don’t want to split their revenue another way. F1 doesn’t think the Andretti name will help them as a series. What?

From their statement:

“While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around,”

Arguably one of the most recognizable names in racing around the world won’t add to the prestige of their series? 

The announcement also mentioned concerns about how competitive the team would be. Obviously, they don’t remember Minardi or Caterham or currently Haas and Williams.

It was so kind of F1 to invite Andretti to try again in four years.

Andretti’s response:

“Andretti Cadillac has reviewed the information Formula One Management Limited has shared and strongly disagree with its contents,” the statement read.

Andretti and Cadillac are two successful global motorsports organizations committed to placing a genuine American works team in F1, competing alongside the world’s best. We are proud of the significant progress we have already made on developing a highly competitive car and power unit with an experienced team behind it, and our work continues at pace.

“Andretti Cadillac would also like to acknowledge and thank the fans who have expressed their support.”

Meanwhile, the FIA, who wants Andretti in the series, implies that this is not over,

I see a lot of turmoil this F1 season. I probably will not go out of my way to watch a race this season. F1 is tone deaf, but they are not completely clueless.

I think this morning’s announcement of Lewis Hamilton going to Ferrari in 2025 was intentionally done as a distraction to the Andretti decision.

Busy Week for Indycar Drivers- Testing, Rolex24

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More than half of the full time Indycar will complete a busy week Sunday aer the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The drivers began the week in Homestead testing a team car in the spec for the first part of the Indycar Series season without the hybrid component. The car is lighter and should produce quicker times. +

Andretti Global was the quickest at the 10-car test with Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood leading sessions. Felix Rosenquist of MSR, a team allied with AG, also lead a half day round.

Jack Harvey returned to the series, driving for Dale Coyne Racing for two of the three days. Indy NXT Rookie of the Year Nan Seigel also got some time in a Coyne car.

Rolex 24 Features Indycar Drivers Throughout the Field

Fourteen drivers from the Indycar Series will participate in tomorrow’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. James Hinchcliffe will also drive in the GTD Pro class.

The GTP Cadillacs have been strong in practice. Can they put it together for 24 hours?

Full Race on Peacock; Start/Finish on NBC; USA Segments

The Pit Window News

The Pit Window will begin the move to Winter Headquarters on Monday. I hate not being at Daytona this weekend, but I will be on site for St. Pete and Sebring. The good news, I will be attending a 24 hour race this summer.

December and the first part of January has been brutal health wise for us, but we will finally get to Florida by mid week.

Here’s hoping for a safe, fun Rolex 24, and at least one Indycar driver in Victory Lane.

Kanaan, Montoya Elected to IMS Hall of Fame

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From IMS:

Tony Kanaan and Juan Pablo Montoya Voted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame
Indianapolis 500 Winners to be Inducted at Ceremony on May 23
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum announced today the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Indianapolis 500 winning drivers Tony Kanaan and Juan Pablo Montoya. The inductees will be formally celebrated at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner supported by The National Bank of Indianapolis, held on Thursday, May 23, at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. The two were chosen from a ballot of 14 nominees by a national panel of more than 150 journalists, participants, and historians. This was the first year Kanaan was eligible for the Hall of Fame. 
Tony Kanaan amassed an impressive career in open-wheel racing. In 2004, driving for Andretti Green Racing, Kanaan impressively completed all 3,305 possible laps, becoming the first IndyCar driver in modern history to complete every lap of every race in a season. This led Kanaan to secure the 2004 season championship. However, the Indianapolis 500 was a race that had eluded him until 2013. On Lap 197, Kanaan passed Hunter-Reay for the lead on a restart. The race finished under caution, but Kanaan won at an average speed of 187.433 miles per hour, breaking the record set by Arie Luyendyk in the 1990 race.
 Juan Pablo Montoya found success in open-wheel, sports car, and stock car racing, but made a name for himself at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he became the first rookie winner of the 2000 Indianapolis 500 since Graham Hill in 1966. Montoya led 167 of the 200 laps to take the checkered flag and earned the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. In 2015, Montoya claimed his second Indianapolis 500 victory after battling Will Power and Scott Dixon in the final laps. Montoya competed in Formula 1 racing, including the United States Grand Prix, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He competed in the Brickyard 400 from 2007-2014, with his highest finish being second in 2007. 
In addition to honoring the inductees, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum will celebrate Mark Miles, CEO and President of Penske Entertainment, for his contributions to the racing industry, support of the Museum, and as a leader in the community. Veteran IndyCar driver and current NBC Sports analyst James Hinchcliffe will return as emcee for the event, with special guests scheduled throughout the evening.
All proceeds benefit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, a 501c3 non-profit organization that aims to celebrate the cultural and historical significance of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway through storytelling and educational programs. Pricing is $2,000 for a table of eight and $250 for individual tickets.
Museum members will receive a discount on individual and table tickets. A separate email with discount information will be sent directly to Museum members.
Sponsorship opportunities are available; contact Andrew Weller at aweller@brickyard.com.
Image Credits: Images courtesy of IMS Photo 

Pagenaud Making Progress- Return in 2025?

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Simon Pagenaud after winning the pole for the Indianapolis 500, 2019

Simon Pagenaud posted a letter to fans today with a brief video. He is making progress but is still not ready to return to racing. he stated that he has not retired.

Here is his letter, via X:

2023 wasn’t an easy year for me as most of you will know. My racing was cut short on July 1 when I had a big accident during practice at Mid-Ohio. My car suffered a manufacturer brake failure resulting in my leaving the track with several high-speed rolls at 180mph. The IndyCar safety team did an amazing job to get me out of the car and to look after me in the first hours after the impact, and I will be forever thankful to them.

Due to the accident, I couldn’t continue my season which meant that I only did eight races in 2023. Ever since, I have been concentrating on getting my health back to 100%. For that, I have been working closely with a great team of doctors and I have been progressing every day.

I don’t know yet if I will be back behind a wheel in 2024 nor if I am ready for it. I want to take things slowly to make sure that when I come back, I am at my very best again.

For now, I want to thank all of you who have sent messages of support, and of course a big thanks to my family, friends, and team who have been there for me 24/7.

While I am working out my next steps, I also want to take the opportunity to look back at my career and reminisce with you about past success and special moments. But don’t get me wrong: This is not the end as better times are ahead!

Have a great 2024 everyone!

ED CARPENTER RACING ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH GUYCARE FOR THE 2024 INDYCAR SEASON

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From Ed Carpenter Racing:

Series of Men’s High Performance Health Clinics To Be Featured On No. 20 Chevrolet Throughout the Upcoming Season
(INDIANAPOLIS) January 19, 2024 – Ed Carpenter Racing announced today a new partnership with GuyCare, a series of men’s high performance health clinics. The No. 20 Chevrolet, which will be driven by both team owner Ed Carpenter and 2023 INDY NXT champion Christian Rasmussen, will compete in the colors of GuyCare. GuyCare clinics provide discreet and confidential care, ensuring men’s health and well-being through proven therapeutic interventions and wellness programs.
“I am thrilled to witness the synergies unfolding between GuyCare and Ed Carpenter Racing. The demographics of GuyCare and the dynamic world of INDYCAR align seamlessly and the positive momentum coursing through the NTT INDYCAR SERIES mirrors the trajectory of our venture,” stated Kurt Flygare, Chief Executive Officer of GuyCare.
“With the exceptional talents of Christian Rasmussen and Ed Carpenter, this promises to be a breakout year filled with excitement, speed, and success. Together, we are geared up for a thrilling journey, both on and off the track.”
The company’s flagship location opened in the Salt Lake City area last week and will also serve as a training center. Clinics specialize in a range of men’s health treatments and ensure customized care through personalized strategy crafted around individual needs and goals.
Additional clinics will open in select NTT INDYCAR SERIES race markets throughout the 2024 season. In the coming months, GuyCare will also offer men’s health products nationwide.
ECR team owner Carpenter stated, “We are excited to welcome GuyCare to ECR! It is a fantastic opportunity to use our Chevrolet-powered NTT INDYCAR SERIES car to help launch GuyCare clinics across the country. Our team continues to grow and improve each season and we expect Christian Rasmussen will have an outstanding rookie year. We are ready for a competitive and exciting 2024!”

Since its inception in 2012, ECR has raced exclusively in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The team has shown its versatility by earning multiple wins across each style of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and super speedways. The Indianapolis-based team is transitioning back to a model it utilized for many years, splitting the No. 20 between the talents of two drivers. While rookie Rasmussen will compete in the 12 road and street course events, Carpenter will take over the No. 20 for the six oval races in his 22nd season. Both will be entered in the Indianapolis 500 alongside Rinus VeeKay in the No. 21 Chevrolet. VeeKay will be competing in his 5th NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and step into a veteran role as ECR’s senior full-time driver.
The team will participate in its first test of the year next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Rasmussen and VeeKay will both be behind the wheel of the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet. Partnership announcements for VeeKay’s No. 21 Chevrolet will be released in the coming weeks. The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins March 10 in the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

About GuyCare

GuyCare, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RiskOn International. GuyCare has a strategy to transform the male healthcare industry, which extends beyond healthcare to addressing a comprehensive range of men’s issues, including wellness, education, and overall well-being. GuyCare has set a goal to open an estimated 200 specialized men’s health clinics across the United States over the next five years. GuyCare’s flagship clinic and training center opened in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 8th, 2024. https://guycare.com/

About Ed Carpenter Racing

Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) first entered the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2012. 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). The 2024 season will see Carpenter compete in the oval events in the No. 20 Chevrolet while rookie Christian Rasmussen will take over for the road and street courses. Both will be entered in the Indianapolis 500 alongside Rinus VeeKay, full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet. More information on Ed Carpenter Racing may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.