Will Power has withdrawn from driving in the Rolex 24 next weekend due to a family health issue. His wife, Liz has had complications from a recent surgery. According to power, she will have “a long recovery time.”
Power was slated to drive the number 75 Mercedes AMG in the GTD class with his firend and fellow Ausie Kenny Habul.
The Pit Window sends good thoughts to the Powers and asks that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
As expected, 2 time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato was confirmed as for the oval portion of the number 11 car with Chip Ganassi Racing. Sato has won 6 Indycar races including the 500 in 2017 and 2020. Three of his wins have come on ovals. Marcus Armstrong will drive the 11 on road and street courses. He also has earned10 poles. Sato has driven for Andretti Autosport, A. J. Foyt Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and Dale Coyne Racing in his Indycar career.
The announcement from Chip Ganassi Racing:
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato will join Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 to pilot the No. 11 Honda in oval competition, while Marcus Armstrong will drive the road and street course races.
Sato brings more than two decades of experience racing at the highest level of the sport to the defending Indianapolis 500 winners who have won 14 INDYCAR SERIES championships, including nine across the past 15 seasons of competition.
“First of all, I would like to thank Chip and Mike for helping put this all together. I am extremely excited to join Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2023 season,” said Sato. “The organization has been at the top of our sport for decades and needless to say, extremely competitive. Focusing on the oval races is a new chapter for me but I’m thrilled to have the ability to race with team members and teammates that have won the championships and Indianapolis 500 in the past, which is a tremendous advantage. I just can’t wait to get started.”
“What a terrific opportunity to have Takuma Sato drive our No. 11 Honda INDYCAR on the ovals in 2023. He is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner who contributes with the experience of knowing how to win, by matching the strength of his three teammates, which equals four who race as one,” said Managing Director Mike Hull. “Chip Ganassi Racing looks forward to the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500.”
Sato has raced in the INDYCAR SERIES over the past 13 seasons, where he has earned six wins, 14 podiums and 10 pole positions. Sato has made 215 career INDYCAR SERIES starts, the sixth-most among active drivers and the 22nd-most in all-time history.
Sato is the most recent driver to attain multiple wins in the Indianapolis 500, capturing victories in 2020 and 2017. Sato’s first victory in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing came after re-claiming the lead with just six laps to go, etching his mark in the history books as the first Japanese driver to ever win the race. Then in 2020, he won the race for the second time after starting from the front row in P3 position.
Prior to his INDYCAR career, Sato raced in Formula 1 for seven seasons (2002-08). He earned 44 points with one podium appearance across 90 career series starts. Sato registered a top-10 finish in the Formula 1 points standings in 2004, where he achieved his podium finish at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. Sato also won the British Formula 3 championship in 2001, earning 12 wins as well as victories in the Marlboro Masters of F3 at Zandvoort, and the prestigious Macau F3 GP.
Source: Chip Ganassi Racing
Maybe the Indy NXT by Firestone prize structure changes announced last week are just baby steps toward an eventual return to the $1 million championship prize, or maybe this is the way it will be.
At any rate, I appreciate the transparency before the season begins. In 2022, the series champion was to receive $ i million dollars and a t least three Indycar races including the Indianapolis 500. Indycar bought the series from Andersen Promotions, and at the end of the year champion Linus Lundqvist got just $500,000 and no guaranteed Indycar drives. He has fallen off the radar, and his chances of driving in Indycar seem nonexistent.at the moment.
Under the new prize structure, which is based on feedback from the teams, the 2023 champion will receive $850,000 cash, an oval test at Texas Motor Speedway, a ride at the IMS open test and rookie Orientation, a ride in the Indianapolis 500, and a drive in another IndyCar race. The cash prize is an increase of 4350,000 from last year.
Second place in the championship gets $125,000, and third place receivess $65,000.
The championship team wins $35,000. This is a new award.
Cash prizes for each race- $15,000 for the winner; $5,000 for second place, and $2,500 for third.
Overall, this is a step in the right direction. It offers more team the opportunity to win some money. I think the series needs to find a way to help the champion get a full time ride for the following season.
The Indy NXT Series by Firestone should have 19 cars on the grid in 2023, its largest field since 2009. Are two races and three tests enough of an incentive to maintain interest in the future?
Juncos Hollinger Racing completed its quest to add a second full time car to Indycar grid with yesterday’s announcement of Agustin Canapino as driver of car 78. Canapiono,32, has won multiple championships in Argentina in the touring car series. He tested with the team and drove in a series of demonstration runs n Argentina last fall.
Callum Ilott returns to JHR in car 77 for his second Indycar season. Ilott finished 20th in points in 2022, but he had several strong performances, including a front row start at the season finale at Laguna Seca.
I’m happy to see Ricardo Juncos expand to two full time cars. Juncos and his team work hard, and they do not get discouraged by setbacks.
The fulltime grid for 2023 now stands at 26. The only open full time spot is the second car at Dale Coyne Racing.
When you sit down to write a news story and a bigger one pops up- that’s what just happened. The driver fans have clamored for will finallyt get his shot at the Indianapolis 5009. I will have more to sya on this later, but for now here is the press release from Arrow McLaren.
Partnership between McLaren and Rick Hendrick to field the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion
Champion driver Kyle Larson will join McLaren Racing for the 2024 Indianapolis 500, adding to Arrow McLaren’s star-studded lineup for the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Kyle’s Chevrolet will be co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick and carry title partnership from HendrickCars.com. Rick is the chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group and the owner of 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports, which Kyle has driven for since 2021.
Additional details, including car number and livery for the HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, will be announced at a later date.
Kyle, 30, has proven success at the elite NASCAR Cup Series level where he won the 2021 series title, 19 points-paying races, the 2019 and 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race, and the 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. In his 2021 championship campaign, the Elk Grove, California, native won 10 points races and led more laps in a single season (2,581) than any driver since 1995.
In partnership with McLaren Racing, the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will mark the first event as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES owner for Rick, whose stock-car teams have won an all-time record 291 points-paying Cup Series races. He is also NASCAR’s winningest owner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 10 Cup victories on the storied 2.5-mile oval.
Entering his 12th season in the NASCAR Cup Series and third with Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Kyle has consistently expressed interest to race the Indy 500 with Team Chevy. Arrow McLaren, with an opening in its 2024 lineup, seeks to have him at the front of the grid.
Pending additional 2023 entries, Kyle would become just the fifth driver to run “The Double” on Memorial Day weekend by racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. His double would be the first since Kurt Busch raced in both events in 2014.
Widely regarded as a world-class talent, Kyle has a broad resume of auto racing success with more than 400 career wins in a variety of disciplines and types of vehicles on dirt and pavement. His versatility and experience complements McLaren Racing’s investment, strategy and competition in different racing series.
Kyle joins a list of other notable names to run for Arrow McLaren in the Indy 500, including two-time race winner Juan Pablo Montoya, two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso and 2013 race winner Tony Kanaan, who joins the team of Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi (2016 winner) for the Indy 500 for the 2023 season.
“I’m super excited. Competing at the Indianapolis 500 is a dream of mine and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time – since I was a child before I ever began competing in sprint cars. To do it with McLaren Racing and Mr. Hendrick especially is a dream come true. I’m grateful for the opportunity and am really looking forward to it even though it’s still about a year-and-a-half away. I’m really looking forward to competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 and maybe even get a win or two that day.”
“Adding Kyle Larson with a HendrickCars.com partnership to the Indy 500 lineup in 2024 is exciting for our Arrow McLaren team as well as for race fans. He’s a complete driver, known for racing anything on wheels, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Kyle can do in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car. It’s been great working with Rick Hendrick and (Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman) Jeff Gordon to pull this together, so a big thank you to them for what’s to come in May 2024.”
“Having the opportunity to support Kyle, partner with an elite team like Arrow McLaren and promote HendrickCars.com in one of the world’s great auto racing events is truly unique. All of us are competitors. Putting Kyle in top-level equipment and allowing ample time for him to prepare for such a difficult challenge was important. It’s going to be very, very special to field a Chevrolet in the Indy 500 as a car owner. A collaboration like this was what we needed to make it happen, and fortunately the stars aligned. We’re 100% committed to doing it right and look forward to working with Zak and his organization.”
“Kyle’s ability and desire to compete across so many disciplines of motor racing is as rare today as it is refreshing. He’s one of the best dirt track racers on the planet. He’s a NASCAR Cup champion. He’s won a Rolex 24 at Daytona. He’s an incredibly talented driver and has shown his ability to win no matter what he’s racing. I can’t think of a more exciting addition to Arrow McLaren’s 2024 Indy 500 lineup. We’re all racers on this team, and we’re going to give it everything to make sure this endeavour is as successful as possible.” Previous
Will Power ill participate in the 2023 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona at the end of January. Power will co-drive the number 75 Mercedes AMG in the GTD class. The car owner, Kenny Habul, used to race against Power in Australian supercars.
Power will be making his debut in the Rolex. He joins Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin in the 24 hours. Newgarden and McLaughlin will be teammates in the Tower Motorsports LMP2 entry.
I think sports cars is where Power’s future lies. He has expressed interest in running at Bathurst in his native Australia.
He joins 10 fellow full time Indycar drivers in the first major race of the season in North America. In addition, Indy NXT drivers Kyffin Simpson and Christian Rasmussen, and Josh Pierson will also take part in the race.
Pierson will be part time in NXT as his main focus will be in sports cars. he has signed as a development driver with Ed Carpenter Racing. Keep in mind the kid is not yet 16 years old.
The previous year’s Indycar champion should be in the Rolex 24, which has become somewhat ofa racing season All-Star race. Likewise, I would like to see the IMSA season champion in the Indianapolis 500.
Indycar drivers entered in the Rolex 24 as of now:
GTP-
Colton Herta BMW Team RLL
Scott Dixon – Cadillac racing
Helio Castroneves- Meyer Shank racing
Simon Pagenaud-Meyer Shank Racing
LMP 2
Josef Newgarden-Tower Motorsports
Scott McLaughlin- Tower Motorsports
Kyffin Simpson-Tower Motorsports
Christian rasmussen-ERA Motorsport
Devlin DeFrancesco-Rick ware Racing
Rinus veekay- TDS Racing
GTD Pro
Romain Grosjean- Iron Lynx
GTD
Kyle Kirkwood- Vasser Sullivan
Will Power- Sun Energy1
Greetings from The pit Window’s winter headquarters in sunny Florida. As I predicted in my last blog, big news broke while I was traveling. It never fails.
Andretti Global, Michael Andretti’s F1 organization, has entered into an agreement with GM with the Cadillac brand. The partnership is an attempt to bolster the Andretti F1 bid. GM is trying to grow their brand world wide. Andretti also has an agreement with Renault to use their power plants. A Cadillac branded engine may not appear until 2026, assuming Andretti gets an entry in the world championship series.
While it appears the FIA and President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has opened a period of interest for future entries. He seems ready to welcom the Andretti/Cadillac team to Formula 1.
The FOM, the association of team owners, however, is not as enthusiastic about a new team. They talked about a new entry meeting a standard of competitiveness. Have they noticed Williams or Haas the last few years? Do they remember Minardi? I’m pretty sure Michael Andretti will come in with a first class operation. Like most new teams, there will be growing pains the first few years, but I see the Andretti team scoring points by its second year.
If Formula 1 wants to run three races a year in the United States, they are going to need a team from the United States before the novelty wears off. Drive to survive won’t last forever. Haas is hard to relate to as an American team.
How can Andretti’s entry into F1 help Indycar? It is a longshot, but if Colton Herta drives for the F1 team, but still runs the Indianapolis 500, there could be a boost. The better chance for exposure is having the F1 broadcasters mention that Andretti’s Indycar team will be racing later the same day.
I hope tat F1 allows Andretti to enter their world. think it is
The site of Spring Training
I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is looking forward to a good new year. At the end of January Indycar will be on track at the Thermal, California, track, which could nbe the site of an Indycar race in a couple of years.
I am excited about several things this upcoming season. For one the off track driver drama should be much less. Alex Palou knows where he will be the next two years. Pato O’Ward has the contract he wanted. The drama should stay on the racetrack. This is not a season preview, just a list of what I’m looking forward to.
Before I talk about Indycar, a couple of IMSA items.
I am excited to go to the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona to see the new GTP cars. The former top prototype class has some new manufacturers with more coming in 2024. The cars have some style differences, which is refreshing. I’m not sure that the body work is distinct enough to recognize different cars while they are on track, but it is a step in the right direction.
I don’t like the new group name GTP. It makes the top class sound as if they are GT cars. IMSA should have stuck with the prototype label. That is what this class is- concepts. But they again failed to ask my opinion.
I am very excited for the IMSA race at IMS in September. It’s about time this series ran at the speedway.
This may be the year Arrow McLaren may finally join the Big Three of Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti as Indycar elite. The team has been nipping at the heels of the top tier, and 2023 could be their breakthrough season.
The addition of Alexander Rossi should give Pato O’Ward some extra help in his championship hunt. Felix Rosenqvist is essentially auditioning for a job on another team for 2024, and last year he did a great job fighting to keep his ride at McLaren.
Meanwhile a reconfigured Andretti Team looks to improve from a mediocre 2022 season which saw just two wins. Colton Herta should geta couple victories. I look for improvement from Kyle Kirkwood on his new team. Romain Grosjean may be driving to keep his ride. Will Devlin DeFrancesco be better with a year of experience?
David Malukas had a strong run at the end of the year. Will he carry that momentum into 2023? I felt he matured a lot as the season progressed.
Kyle Kirkwood has a fresh start after a difficult year. I hopoe his new team with more resources gives him a better chance at good results.
Scott Mclaughlin won three times in his second year in 2022. I think we have a third Penske driver to watch. McLaughlin could win the championship this year. I would not be surprised to see his win total increase in 2023.
The Pit Window will be moving to winter headquarters tomorrow. That means there will be major news breaking while I’m driving through the wilds of Kentucky or Tennessee.
Nest week I will share some thoughts abought the Damar Hamlin situation. There are some parallels to racing.
Yesterday’s announcement of the new partnership between Andretti Autosport and Wayne Taylor Racing is huge for both IMSA and Indycar. While in 2023 we might not see any big changes, the next two years have a lot potential for some big moves.
My first thought was that the new group will head to Le Mans in 2024 or 2025. Taylor’s son Ricky has driven at le mans for other teams, but now Taylor has a chance to bring his own car to France. It would be great to see the Andretti name return to Le Mans.
The groups no have increased depth in engineering and crew personnel. I can see a possibility of trading people back and forth for the sports car and Indycar programs as necessary.
I’m not sure how much each program can learn from Acura/Honda that translates from Sports cars to Indycars,but with Indycar moving to a hybrid system in 2024, perhaps there are things Andretti can learn from a year with the GTP car.
Will Acura grant WTR/Andretti a second GTP car for 2024? If they do, will Meyer Shank still be an Acura program?
The prospect of Ricky Taylor driving an Indycar really excites me. He is a talented driver. Driving for a team affiliated with Andretti gives him his best opportunity. I doubt if he would ever be a full time Indycar pilot, but I could see Taylor running a couple of road course races and possibly the Indianapolis 500.someday.
I am not sure if there will be an increase in exposure for Indycar with this joint venture. Andretti joins Chip Ganassi, Mike Shank, Roger Penske, Bobby Rahal as Indycar team owners who will have entries in the GTP class in IMSA. With both series on NBC/Peacock, maybe the network can work opn some cross promotion. Some driver crossover would help.
For 2023 I believe all the Andretti indycar drivers have endurance commitments with other teams in various classes. Colton Herta with Rahal, Kyle Kirkwood with Vasser./Sullivan, and Romain Grosjean with Lamborghini. Devlin DeFrancesco has an LMP2 ride I believe.
I am excited to see how this partnership evolves. I see a potentially big super team on the horizon.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 