DRR Sets 500 Lineup of Hunter-Reay and Harvey

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Dreyer & Reinbold Racing with Cusick Motorsports announced this morning that Ryan Hunter-Reay, winner of the 2014 Indianapolis 500 and 2012 series champion, will return in one of their two entries for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. Jack Harvey will drive the second car.

Harvey is a veteran of seven Indianapolis 500s, with a best finish of ninth in 2020. His last 500, in 2023, is known for Harvey’s bumping teammate Graham Rahal out of the field on the day’s final run.

Harvey ran a partial season for Dale Coyne Racing in 2024. In 2023 he began the year with Rahal Letterman racing, but was let go midseason.

Hunter-Reay will drive for DRR for the third consecutive year. He started the race 12th last year and dropped out after 107 laps due to contact, finishing 26th.

TAG Heuer Extends Partnership with INDYCAR, IMS

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From IMS yesterday:

  INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Dec. 2, 2024) – TAG Heuer – the renowned Swiss Luxury watchmaker and motorsports sponsorship pioneer – has renewed its longstanding, multiyear partnerships with INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A whirlwind of speed and thrills, INDYCAR and the mythical Indianapolis 500-Mile Race have brought together fierce legends and adrenaline-seeking fans since 1911.Continuing as the Official Watch and Timekeeper of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, TAG Heuer also will remain a presenting sponsor of the Hulman Terrace Club hospitality suites at the Racing Capital of the World.
TAG Heuer started its partnership with INDYCAR in 2014 and with the Indianapolis 500 and IMS in 2004.
“With more than 20 years of history at IMS, TAG Heuer is a brand deeply rooted in motorsports and the traditions and values of INDYCAR and the Indy 500,” said Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles. “TAG Heuer is an ideal match for the precision and high performance on display at every INDYCAR event, most especially ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”
During 20 years of partnership, TAG Heuer has released 17 special edition watches in homage to the Indy 500. Adorned with evocative details, such as the Speedway’s iconic Wing and Wheel logo and the Brickyard motif, these unique watches tell the story of drivers’ relentless thirst for victory on the racetrack. Bold new Indy 500 timepieces regularly breathe fresh creativity into this thriving partnership.
TAG Heuer will continue to provide a special edition watch to the winning driver and chief mechanic of the Indianapolis 500 and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion driver. Fans also can own a piece of racing heritage, as special edition Indy 500 watches are available for purchase.
“TAG Heuer is a brand synonymous with racing, and there is no better proving ground to demonstrate our passion and strong heritage in motorsport than at IMS during the Indy 500 with INDYCAR,” TAG Heuer CEO Antoine Pin said. 
TAG Heuer branding also will continue to have a strong presence at IMS, including on the highly visible IMS Pagoda and on the retaining wall near the iconic Yard of Bricks start-finish line during the Month of May.
The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins Sunday, March 2 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on the Streets of St. Petersburg. The 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 25. Coverage of all 17 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races will be available on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network. 
 

A. J. Foyt: Survivor, Champion, Legend- Book Review

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It’s not easy being A. J. Foyt, nor is keeping up with him. Art Graner presents a comprehensive portrait of arguably the greatest racing driver ever in a biography released earlier this fall. A. J. Foyt: Survivor, Champion, Legend, Volume1 covers the mercurial Texan from his birth in 1935 through the 1977 season. The second volume, due out in 2026, will continue his story.

The book is arranged chronologically by years, which makes it easy to follow and to return to a chapter for reference. Many of his races are mentioned, some in detail, but many just a brief synopsis of Foyt’s performance and the race winner.

The length of the book I think is reasonable, considering the amount of time it covers. Below are some highlights, followed by some of my thoughts.

Foyt has a desire to race virtually since he was born. At age five he challenges the best midget driver at Houston’s Buff Stadium, Don Cossey, to a match race. Details of the race are sketchy, but it sounds like it was a fun couple of laps. Foyt has wanted to do nothing but race his entire life. He drops out of high school to work at his father’s garage.

Several times Foyt says that he loves racing and plans to race until he decides to quit. It is a decision that never comes in this volume, even after his triumphant fourth win in the Indianapolis 500.

Foyt spends several seasons racing as often as he can in any type of car in any part of the country. He and wife Lucy, whom he married while she was still in high school, eventually decide that A. J. will race, and Lucy will stay home with their infant son.

Foyt enters Indycar racing in 1957 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. He asks Rodger Ward for advice on which team to drive for. Ward suggested Chapman Root. Foyt thinks Ward is trying to steer him to an inferior car and goes to another choice. Foyt gloats when he makes the race and the Root car doesn’t. but the rest of the season Foyt struggles and th Root team does well. A rivalry between Ward and Foyt begins and last several years as the battle for championships.

Foyt’s first Indianapolis 500 in 1958 comes when Jimmy Bryan leaves the Dean Van Lines team and Foyt gets the ride. The relationship lasted a couple years. Foyt becomes frustrated and goes to another team midseason so he can win races but eventually returns to the Dean team when the other ride does not pan out. A pattern of ride hopping to find the car that can win begins.

His first seven years in Indycar are extremely successful, with Indianapolis 500 wins and four national championships. He is fortunate not be involved in any of the horrific crashes in those years. That situation changes in 1965 during a stock car race at Riverside, when he loses his brakes going into one of the fastest curves on the circuit. The rolls down an embankment. The first people to reach his car believe he is dead. His recovery takes several months,

Foyt also races stock cars, both USAC stocks and NASCAR. I was surprised by how much stock car racing he does. Foyt wins the Daytona 500 in 1972 after nearly winning the year before.

In addition, to his racing, Foyt takes on business ventures, including a hOuston Chevrolet dealership. He develops relationships with Goodyear and Ford, and eventually becomes the sole builder and supplier of Ford engines.

Thoughts

There is a lot of detail in this biography, but if you are as huge an A. J. Foyt fan as I am, it is not a bothersome amount.

My favorite chapter is 1967, when Foyt follows his third Indianapolis 500 win with a dramatic victory in the 24 hours of Le Mans with Dan Gurney. May be because I had been to le Mans this summer, but reading details of the 1967 race, which I did not know a lot about, and learning how different then track was sixty years ago I found fascinating.

Several things surprised me about the story-

His heavy involvement in stock car racing . He was virtually running two full time series in one season.

I was not aware that USAC held Indycar/stock car doubleheaders on a regular basis through the 70s.

I found the biography refreshing in that it presented Foyt warts and all. Many biographies tend to focus on the positive, but Garner presents all sides of Foyt.

A. J. Foyt: Survivor, Champion, Legend, Volume1 is available through Octane Press for $29.99.

Wickens Moves to IMSA

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Robert Wickens takes another step forward in his return to racing. Wickens, the 2023 champion in the Michelin Pilot Series, will drive select races in the IMSA Weather Tech Championship.

Driving a specially outfitted Corvette in the GTD class for DXDT Racing, Wickens will drive in the sprint races- Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Road America, and Virginia International Raceway. The hand controls, designed by Bosch, can be switched on or off, giving his teammate the option of using them as well.

Wickens has raced for Bryan Herta Autosport driving a Hyundai in the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series the past few years.

His announcement on X (Twitter) is below:

https://x.com/robertwickens/status/1861145208546558394?t=719frW4GNjuRIGm0TqE-4Q&s=09

F1 Accepts Cadillac; On the Grid in 2026

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It’s been a long time coming, but GM/Cadillac will have a spot on the F1 grid starting in 2026. The team is headed by TWG Global, the parent company of Andretti Global, led by Dan Towriss. No drivers have been named.

Mario Andretti will be a director on the board. The 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner and former F1 champion said, “My first love was Formula 1 and now 70 years later the F1 paddock is still my happy place. To still be involved at this stage of my life I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

It will be nice to see another American team on the grid, but I’m not happy with the disrespect the FIUA and Formula 1 showed toward Michael Andretti. Apparently, his stepping down from an ownership role with Andretti Global sped negotiations.

Having an American team on the grid makes sense for the series which has three races in the United States and is seeking a fourth event.

Pro Football Hall of Famer, FOX NFL Analyst Michael Strahan To Drive Pace Carat 109th Indianapolis 500

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From IMS:

  INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024) – Michael Strahan, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member, two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner, longtime “FOX NFL Sunday” analyst and “Good Morning America” co-host, has been named honorary Pace Car driver for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, live on FOX. The announcement was made during today’s “FOX NFL Sunday.”
Strahan, who was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame alongside the entire “FOX NFL Sunday” cast, will drive the 1,064-horsepower 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 coupe – capable of 233 mph, the highest top speed of any car ever made in America by an auto manufacturer – and lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Exact Pace Car details, including the livery, will be announced at a later date.
“Michael is an impressive addition to the lineup of all-star athletes and celebrities to serve as honorary Pace Car driver for the Indianapolis 500,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.
“From the gridiron to the broadcast studio, Michael is no stranger to leading a fast-paced field. As we kick off a new era of INDYCAR and the Indy 500 on FOX, Michael will have one of the best seats in the house for the start of the world’s greatest race.”
Previous recent Pace Car drivers include Morgan Freeman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Robin Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Griffey Jr., Tyrese Haliburton and many others.
FOX Sports is the new exclusive home of all INDYCAR action, with all 17 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races set to broadcast on network television via FOX in 2025. This includes the world-famous Indianapolis 500, annually the largest single-day spectator sporting event on the globe.
Coverage of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will be extensive for fans across the country, with a five-hour Race Day window on FOX.
The Pace Car driver announcement continues FOX’s promotional kickoff for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and the Indianapolis 500.
The announcement of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Grand Prix of Arlington, coming in March 2026, was featured during FOX’s “America’s Game of the Week.”
In addition, FOX College Football analyst and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram arrived for FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” in Bloomington, Indiana, in an INDYCAR SERIES car, continuing to deliver the message that INDYCAR’s home in 2025 will be FOX.
Visit ims.com to submit a ticket application for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25 and for more information on the complete Month of May schedule at IMS. 
 

IMS Museum Begins to Take Shape

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In a Behind the Bricks episode released today, IMS President Doug Boles takes us inside the renovations of the museum reconstruction. I was excited to see the display areas start to have a tangible form. It looks like fans will have a bit of an immersive experience in parts of the new museum.

I’m still not sure I am going to like the area with the winning cars. Many of them appear to be in display windows where fans cannot walk all the way around them, while just a few will in full view on platforms. I hope they plan to rotate these cars in and out the wall windows.

I am glad to have a better idea of what the place will look like. To watch the video, right click and open it in a new tab or window.

JHR Signs Robb for 2025

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Juncos Hollinger Racing has hired Sting Ray Robb as one of their drivers for the 2025 IndyCar season. Robb has completed two seasons in IndyCar. He began in 2023 driving for Dale Coyne and in 2024 Robb drove for A. J. Foyt Racing.

Robb had a best finish of 10th at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2024, and he led 23 laps in the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2024.

Robb won the 2020 Indy Pro Championship driving for Juncos.

Robb’s signing leaves open one seat at JHR, one seat at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and two seats at Dale Coyne Racing.

Several prospective drivers tested at Thermal Club earlier this week, including Logan Sargeant and Hunter McElrea.

Should IndyCar Buy More Events?

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Fans felt relief last week when Penske Entertainment purchased the Acura Grand Prix of long Beach, ensuring that the most popular event on the schedule outside of the Indianapolis 500 will remain an IndyCar event.

I have been concerned for a couple of years now as both F1 and NASCAR made bids to put one of their races on the streets of Long Beach. The event is only allowed one rave event per year by agreement with the city. Now we know that IndyCar will have exclusive rights to the spring race. The agreement with the city runs through 2028.

As with any acquisition in racing, there are caveats. Chief among them is Roger Penske’s age. I am aware of a succession plan, with Greg Penske assuming leadership. I have met Greg, and I was impressed by him, nut what if he decides the event no longer makes business sense for Penske Entertainment?

The IndyCar series now owns Long Beach and the Grand Prix of Detroit. Penske also helps promote Iowa, Nashville, and lent a hand with Milwaukee in 2024. My question is, should the series buy more street races? Is that really the function of the racing series? I don’t think it is.

NASCAR has a separate company that owns and acquires tracks, but IndyCar is not in a position to do that. Purchasing street events is more economical, as there are no costs for track maintenance and much smaller staffing requirements.

A racing series should focus on setting rules for equipment, racing, and scheduling. Buying property should not be on their plate. I realize that the Long Beach acquisition was a necessary move, and I hope this where the track/event buying stops.