Today is turning out to be a big day for cars numbered 48. Earlier Tony Kanaan announced his full time ride in the Brazilian Stock car series. Now, Kanaan’s other 48, the Chip Ganassi racing Indycar, revealed its new livery for the 2021 season. This is actually the livery for Jimmie Johnson, who will drive the car on the road and street courses.
It’s a nice livery, although it looks like a derivative of AMSP’s cars. In some light the trim looks orange. I think it is really a yellow. It might take a race to get used to the distinction between Johnson. O’Ward, and Rosenqvist. The blue deflector in front of the rear wheel should help fans to distinguish this car from the AMSP cars.
The car debuts at the NTT Indycar Series opener March 18 at Barber Motorsports Park.
Tony Kanaan will not be sitting around waiting for the Indycar oval races. On Sunday, he announced a full time ride in the Brazilian stock car series. According to a schedule I found, the season has 10 races beginning March 28. There is one race a month through december. none of the dates conflict with Indycar’s oval schedule, where Kanaan will drive for Chip Ganassi Racing. He is driving the oval part of the schedule in the 48 car Jimmie Joh nson will pilot on the road and street courses.
Kanaan will also participate in Tony Stewart’s new SRX series.
Kanaan’s stock car also carries the number 48 with Texaco sponsorship.. Former Formula 1 and Indycar driver rubens Barrichello is involved in the project.
In an online show on IMS.com, 2020 Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato got his first look at his second likeness on the Borg-Warner trophy. Sato is a two time winner of the race. He first won in 2017 and finished third in 2019.The race is 100 days from today.
The 30 minute program featured segments with Doug Boles and Rahal Letterman team owners Mike lanigan and Bobby Rahal. Last year was Rahal’s second win as a car owner. He also won the 2004 race with Buddy Rice driving. The third team owner, David Letterman, appeared in a prerecorded video.
The full program is available for viewing on YouTube.
A Good Sign for 500 Fans?
The NCAA this morning announced that the NCCA men’s basketball tournament games will allow 25% capacity at the games, which be played entirely in Indianapolis. The tournament will take place at several venues in Indianapolis as well as at Purdue and Indiana University. The 25% includes the teams and game personnel, which narrows the actual number of fans at each arena. As I am writing this, Purdue just announced 12-13% capacity for the tournament games.
The positive part is that this may signal some good news for fan attendance at the Indianapolis 500. Marion County has been the most restrictive county in Indiana at times, but this allowance may be a great sign for May.
Andretti Autosport completed the sponsor package for James Hinchcliffe today. Their news release:
02.18.21
Andretti Autosport has announced today that the team will again join forces with Steinbrenner Racing to field the NTT INDYCAR SERIES entry piloted by James Hinchcliffe. Recognizable partner Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.capstoneturbine.com) (NASDAQ: CPST), the world’s leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, will return with their #ShiftToGreen campaign as the primary partner on the No. 29 Honda for six races in the upcoming 2021 NTT INDYCAR® SERIES season. Paired with Genesys, who was previously announced to primary 10 races with Hinchcliffe, today’s sponsorship confirmation further rounds out the season for the fan-favorite driver.
“We are looking forward to continuing to expand the winning relationship with Capstone Turbine and helping them grow green energy brand awareness by assisting them with new B2B introductions and expanding current relationships with other sponsors that are Capstone end users,” stated Michael Andretti, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Andretti Autosport. “We’re also pleased to welcome George and the Steinbrenner Racing team back into the Andretti fold. We’ll be working together on this entry for Hinchcliffe this year, as well as the Indy Lights car for Devlin DeFrancesco.”
The 2021 season will be Hinchcliffe’s 11th year competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and his fifth in the Andretti Autosport stable. In his 145 starts, he has recorded six wins, one pole, 32 top-five finishes and has led a total of 781 laps. “I’m really excited to be joined up with Capstone for a handful of races in 2021,” said Hinchcliffe. “Working with a company that is essentially trying to save the world is such a cool experience. I think the need for green energy is very apparent and it’s something that affects and helps everyone. Being a part of educating people on what we can do better and how we can be better is something that’s really exciting. Obviously, the goal is to win and the best way to raise awareness is to get the #ShiftToGreen Honda into victory lane and tell people about what we’re trying to do. It’s also great to be working with George and Steinbrenner Racing. They’ve only been together a short while, but the results have come already and that speaks to the people in that organization, so I’m really happy to be in the Andretti Steinbrenner program”
“The Mayor of Hinchtown will now add Grand Marshal to the Capstone World to his resume. When he is not driving at 240 miles per hour on an INDYCAR circuit, James will be helping Capstone educate fans on the types of alternative energy sources that are accelerating the global shift to green energy,” stated Darren Jamison, Capstone’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The energy landscape is changing, and we are excited to have James both behind the wheel and as our brand ambassador. The valuable business relationships we have developed with the support of George Steinbrenner IV and Michael Andretti offers Capstone a platform to reach the racing community and help more companies save money and lower their carbon footprint.”
The Capstone green and white livery made its NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in 2019 on the streets of Toronto with Colton Herta and Harding Steinbrenner Racing and continued through the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca where Herta scored a victory from pole position. In 2020, the Herta sponsorship extended the relationship between Andretti Autosport and Capstone Turbine, which began at Texas Motor Speedway during the month of May in 2019 with driver Alexander Rossi who was the first INDYCAR driver to put Capstone Turbine on the podium with a second-place finish.
“We are very happy to continue our partnership with Capstone,” said George Michael Steinbrenner IV, owner, Steinbrenner Racing. “It has been a great journey taking this partnership from a single race sponsorship in 2019 to a strong and sustainable pact. Working with Capstone has opened our team to a world of green energy initiatives that we continue to seek to bring to the INDYCAR paddock.”
“Being able to continue into our fifth season partnered with Andretti Autosport feels like we’re keeping the family together,” added Steinbrenner. “It looks a bit different this year, but we are greatly looking forward to working with a great driver and human in James Hinchcliffe as well as continuing to maintain our success on and off the track.”
Capstone Turbine will serve as the primary partner on the No. 29 Honda at Texas Motor Speedway (Race 2), the INDYCAR Grand Prix, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the streets of Nashville, Portland International Raceway, and the season finale race on streets of Long Beach.
Correction: In my post about the entry list for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, I left out the Paretta team with Simona DeSilvestro driving. I have updated the post. Thanks to reader Matthew for bringing this to my attention. If yoyu missed the story, here is the link:
The Music City Grand Prix begins ticket sales next Tuesday, February 23. there is a lot of buzz about this new race on the Indycar schedule. Their website does not list prices as of yet. there several choices of three day packages. Follow them on Twitter if you haven’t done so.
Andretti Empire Expands and Looks for More
Andretti Autosport has partnered with Michel Jourdain in a touring car entry in the Mexican Super Copa Series. The partnership makes Andretti a part of seven different racing platforms. The organization has cars in Indycar, Indy Lights, Formule E, IMSA Prototype Challenge, Australian Supercars, Extreme E, and Super Copa.
Michael Andretti said they are also exploring the new LMDh formula which begins in 2023. The prototype formula is a car that can race in both IMSA and WEC. This class is wide open for right now with at least three manufactyurers committed to the new spec.
Alonso Released, Should Be Ready to Start Season
Fernando Alonso has been released from the hospital following surgery for a fractured jaw. Alonso sustained the injury in a bicycle accident while training for his return to Formula 1 this year. He will finish recuperating at home and expects to be ready for the first formula 1 race in Bahrain. The delayed start to the season has helped him have time to recover.
US Grand Prix Returning to IMS?
Formula 1 continues to seek expansion to a a second race in the United States. Except for 2020 the series has raced at Circuit of the Americas every year since 2012. Formula 1 held the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 2000-2007. It was widely assumed that Miami would host a second race, but according to Stefano Domeicali, F!’s CEO, they are ;looking at other venues. He said that “Indianapolis is in the equation.”
When Roger Penske bought IMS, he expressed the desire to host Formula 1 again.
I am taking a wait and see approach. Formula1 and its teams are notorious for mentioning possibilities just to play different entities against each other. The one advantage IMS has going for it is Penske. Stay tuned.
Bob Jenkins, longtime broadcaster at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, shared on Doug Boles’ new show “by the Bricks’ that he has brain cancer. The video is linked below. He begins talking about how he discovered the cancer around the 19:45 mark. The entire video is worth watching.
I have seen two very important people in my fight cancer, and I have a friend who is fighting it now. I know what Bob has ahead of him and I wish him the best.
I have copied two Tweets. The first has an address where you can send a card to Bob. The second has the link to the video. Please keep Bob in your thoughts.
Many of you have asked how you can send a note or card of encouragement to Bob Jenkins. I have checked with him, and if you would like to mail them to @IMS – we will send them on to Bob. 4790 W 16th St, Indianapolis, IN 46222. Thanks Fans!
Sending thoughts and prayers to one of our biggest #Indy500 fans, Bob Jenkins, who will reduce his role this year as he begins a personal battle with brain cancer.
The #IMS family is here for you. We can’t wait to see you back at the track!
We are just 104 days from the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, and the entry list for the race stands 29 confirmed cars and drivers. This is a great number for this time, and while bumping is not guaranteed yet, it seems more possible then it ever did in 2021. Here is a rundown of who has committed:
Chevrolet
Team Penske (4)-Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Scott McLaughlin
A. J. Foyt Racing (3)- Sebastien Bourdais, Dalton Kellett, Charlie Kimball
Carlin Racing (1)- Max Chilton
Arrow McLaren SP (3)- Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Juan Pablo Montoya
Ed Carpenter Racing (3) – Ed Carpenter, Rinus VeeKay, Conor Daly
Paretta (1)- Simona De Silcvestro
Honda
Andretti Autosport (5)-Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Marco Andretti
Chip Ganassi Racing(4)- Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Alex Palou, Tony Kanaan
Dale Coyne Racing (1)- Ed Jones, 2 TBA
Meyer Shank Racing (2)- Jack Harvey, Helio Castroneves
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (2)- Takuma Sato, Graham Rahal
Other entries may come from a third Rahal entry,
Other entries may come from a third Rahal entry, Dreyer and Reinbold with one or two cars, and possibly a sixth Andretti entry. These possible additions would get the field to 33 or 34.
It would be great to have at least 35 cars and have a bit of a battle for the final two spots. How qualifying is set up this year remains to be seen. I will discuss my ideas in a later post.
Three time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves has changed his six race schedule with Meyer Shank Racing. Castroneves will now race at the Music City Grand Prix August 8. He will not drive in the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama. The other races on his slate this year remain- the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, the IMS road course race August 14, Portland, Laguna Seca, and Long Beach.
Castroneves’s number 06 car will carry sponsorship from Transcard at Nashville.
Alonso Fractures Jaw
Fernando Alonso fractured his jaw in a cycling accident Thursday. The two time world F1 champion was hit by a car. He suffered a broken jaw and underwent surgery. Alonso expects to be ready to drive in the F1 season opener. he is driving for Alpine, the former Renault team in 2021. Formula 1 begins with the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix March 28.
Note: The Pit Window offers condolences to James Hinchcliffe and his family on the loss of James’ father. Please keep the hinchcliffe’s in your thoughts.
Looking for a bargain at a memorabilia show is fun. Finding one is even better. The show at the Dallara factory last month. turned up a couple of beauties. I purchased programs from the 1930 and 1932 Indianapolis 500 Mile Races for $5 each. These programs are the first ones in my collection outside the Hulman era of Speedway history. Eddie Rickenbacker had bought the track in 1927 from the Carl Fisher and his group. I expected the contents to be completely different from the programs in my lifetime. To my surprise, the format was very similar to what we see today and throughout the Hulman ownership. While there were some tweaks to the content, it seemed like a very familiar program.
Still, there were a few things missing which I found odd. There is no recap of the 1929 race, nor does Ray Keech, the 1929 winner, appear anywhere except in an advertisement. He is even omitted from one of three pages of cameos of previous winners. Keech was killed in a racing accident June 15, just two weeks after the 500.
There is an interesting essay by C. F. Kettering talking about a coming fossil fuel shortage. It warns that fossil fuel supplies will be exhausted in 15 years at the current rat of consumption. I didn’t realize energy consumption was such a concern at that time. It is a very prescient and still relevant article.
The memorial page, which thankfully we don’t see very often any more, only has a tribute to Gaston Chevrolet, who died 10 years earlier in a racing accident. The page seems to have come from the 1921 program.
The rest of the usual pages are there- Order of the Day, a timing chart, a page with the Speedway principals, and a race day scoring chart.
1930 Speedway administration. Notice the banner. The wing and wheel was still a few years away.
The track had a different look in 1930. The first and second turns look more like one curve than they do today. The photo reminded me a bit of Gateway’s track, although the curve is not as severe.
The race began at 10 am. The prerace ceremonies consisted largely of bands, three marches and the national anthem, and bombs-lots of bombs. Between 9:45 and the start of the race at 10, nine bombs went off, one every few minutes. The winning driver would receive the princely sum of $20,000. Thqat was actually not too bad for a depression era race.
Two ads that won’t be in the 2021 program, or any program in the near future were for Goodyear tires and bricks.
What i like about this ad is the photo of the grid beginning the pace lap.
What would a 500 program be without an order form for the following year’s race?
No prices are listed.
Driver cameo pages appear at random places throughout.
Thirty eight cars started the race. Billy Arnold took the lead on lap 3 and kept it for the rest of the day. The 198 laps led is a record unlikely to be broken. Harry Butcher started 38th and finished 14th, although he was 72 laps behind.
The 1930 program seems as if it was slapped together in a hurry. It was still fun to get a glimpse of how the speedway operated before the Hulman era began.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 