Tag: NTT Indycar Series

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.

INDYCAR, Indy 500 Champion Power To Serve as Honorary Chair for Rev 2022 May 7

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From IMS:

ww.IMS.com           
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Press Release For Immediate ReleaseINDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Feb. 7, 2022) – Popular NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Will Power will serve as the honorary chair of the Rev 2022 presented by Fifth Third Bank celebration, which will take place Saturday, May 7 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The annual Rev gala will return to high gear this year as the traditional opening event for the Month of May at IMS. The 2020 event was canceled, and the 2021 gala was moved to late July during Brickyard Weekend due to health-and-safety measures during the pandemic.
Rev 2022 will feature more than 70 chefs from some of Indianapolis’s best restaurants. Rev guests can taste food from their menu items while more than 20 artists and entertainment acts perform throughout the event.
The racetrack’s famed Yard of Bricks start-finish line serves as one of Rev’s dance floors as a DJ spins music from the flag stand.
“The Month of May in Indianapolis has something for everyone, and Rev has become one of the signature events surrounding the Indianapolis 500,” Power said. “It is an exciting way to start the month. I am honored to be the 2022 Rev chairman because it combines many things I love, namely food and music. After the last couple of years, this is an event that should not be missed, as it will be the best one yet.”
A limited number of tickets are available for Rev 2022 at https://revindy.org/attend.
Power is one of the greatest INDYCAR SERIES drivers in history. He has 40 career victories, fifth all time. He also has recorded 63 career poles, just four shy of Mario Andretti’s all-time mark. Since joining Team Penske in 2009, Power has won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in 2014 and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in 2018.
“Rev will be the perfect event to first welcome people back home again to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Month of May,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “After all of the uncertainty and change surrounding the last two Indianapolis 500s, this is sure to be a fun, memorable night for all. Will is a terrific, popular ambassador for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ and IMS, and he will do a great job as Rev chair.”
Rev is Indiana University Health Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser. Since its beginning, Rev has raised more than $5 million for trauma, injury prevention and critical care programs. Proceeds have made it possible for expansions to the IU Health Lifeline fleet, enabling the Lifeline team to provide emergency care while transporting patients statewide. Event proceeds also benefit drivers and fans at the IU Health Emergency Medical Center at IMS, which is part of the IU Health Methodist Hospital Level I Trauma Program.
“We’re thrilled for the longstanding partnership with Indianapolis Motor Speedway and honored to have Will Power as our event honorary chair, says Crystal Hinson Miller, senior vice president of IU Health and president of the IU Health Foundation. “Will is such an asset to the racing community and a champion for this important event.”
About Indiana University Health Foundation
The mission of IU Health Foundation is to increase the role of philanthropy to help IU Health achieve its goal of making Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states. IU Health Foundation improves the health of individuals, communities and the state by focusing its philanthropy on people, progress and partnerships. To learn more, visit iuhealthfoundation.org.
About INDYCAR
INDYCAR is the Indianapolis-based governing body for North America’s premier open-wheel auto racing series, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The series features an international field of the world’s most versatile drivers – including six-time series champion Scott Dixon, two-time series champion Josef Newgarden, 2021 series champion Alex Palou and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves – who compete on superspeedways, short ovals, street circuits and permanent road courses.
The 2022 season will consist of 17 races in the United States and Canada and is highlighted by the historic Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. For more information on INDYCAR and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, please visit www.indycar.com.
About Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world’s largest spectator sporting facility, has been the worldwide leader in motorsports entertainment since opening in 1909. IMS will host the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge – the world’s most prestigious auto race – on Sunday, May 29. That race is the climax of an exciting Month of May schedule for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES that also includes the GMR Grand Prix on Saturday, May 14 on the IMS road course
. Three of the biggest racing series in North America each will race on the IMS road course during Brickyard Weekend on July 29-31, featuring the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard for the NASCAR Cup Series, Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Other events in 2022 at IMS will feature the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association and the Fanatec GT World Challenge America. IMS, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit www.ims.com.

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.

From Indycar: Inaugural INDYCAR-Motorsport Games Pro Challenge Set for Feb. 9 

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  Logo
 640x320_Broadcast.png

 Esports Event To Feature NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers
INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022) – Motorsport Games Inc. (NASDAQ: MSGM) (“Motorsport Games”) and INDYCAR announced today that the INDYCAR-Motorsport Games Pro Challenge will take place Wednesday, Feb. 9, with the first official esports event between the two parties including many NTT INDYCAR SERIES stars
.Among the drivers expected to compete are reigning champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, four-time Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Helio Castroneves of Meyer Shank Racing, two-time series champion Josef Newgarden of Team Penske and more.
Fans can tune in to watch the full race day at the INDYCAR YouTube channel, starting with the pre-show at 6 p.m. (ET). The green flag for both heats and the race will drop at 6:30 p.m., with the race conclusion and interviews to take place thereafter at approximately 7:15 p.m. NBC Sports’ INDYCAR host and pit reporter Kevin Lee will be the host.
“The 2022 INDYCAR-Motorsport Games Pro Challenge is our first foray into the world of esports with our new partners, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this competition to the fans,” said George Holmquist, Motorsport Games vice president of marketing.
“Viewers can expect the same world-class experience as our other esports events, such as the highly renowned Le Mans Virtual Series, to be carried over into this new series. We cannot wait to continue producing live esports events with INDYCAR in the future, all leading up to our first game in 2023.”
This event is 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.
“INDYCAR fans are a passionate, global audience hungry for quality motorsports gaming content,” said SJ Luedtke, INDYCAR vice president of marketing.
“With our partners at Motorsport Games, we are now able to bring those same fans a premier virtual esports experience while also cultivating a new base of INDYCAR supporters and followers. We cannot wait for everyone to see the first-ever INDYCAR-Motorsport Games Pro Challenge this year, and we are thrilled to keep producing these events in the many years to follow.”
Racing will take place on the rFactor 2 PC platform. The track will be announced the day of the race, to keep drivers guessing and add a fun element of mystery to the competition. The format for each heat and the race:
Heat 110-minute duration
Random draw starting grid
Points will be awarded
Heat 210-minute duration
Starting grid order to be the reverse of Heat 1Points will be awardedRace20-minute duration. Starting grid order to be determined by points position after both heats. Double points will be awarded. The top three finishers will receive donations to a charity of their choice, with first place winning $10,000, second place $8,000, third place $5,000 and an entrant lottery of $2,500.rFactor 2 players will soon be able to participate in official INDYCAR events through the game’s competition system, which has recently undergone a UI overhaul. Further details will be announced at a later date.
In July 2021, Motorsport Games and INDYCAR entered into an exclusive partnership to create and distribute INDYCAR video games, with the first set to be released in 2023. The companies will jointly create a brand-new franchise that has been eagerly anticipated by racing and gaming fans alike. After nearly two decades without a gaming title, the premier North American open-wheel racing series will be back in people’s homes to play at any time. To watch all the action, please visit: Traxion.GG Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. To keep up with the latest Motorsport Game news visit www.motorsportgames.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Motorsport Games:Motorsport Games, a Motorsport Network company, combines innovative and engaging video games with exciting esports competitions and content for racing fans and gamers around the globe. The Company is the officially licensed video game developer and publisher for iconic motorsport racing series across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and mobile, including NASCAR, INDYCAR, 24 Hours of Le Mans and the British Touring Car Championship (“BTCC”). Motorsport Games is an award-winning esports partner of choice for 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula E, BTCC, the FIA World Rallycross Championship and the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, among others.
About INDYCAR:INDYCAR is the Indianapolis-based governing body for North America’s premier open-wheel auto racing series known as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The series features an international field of the world’s most versatile drivers – including reigning series champion Alex Palou, six-time series champion Scott Dixon, two-time series champion Josef Newgarden and four-time and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves – who compete on superspeedways, short ovals, street circuits and permanent road courses. The 2022 season consists of 17 races in the United States and Canada and is highlighted by the historic Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. For more information on INDYCAR and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, please visit www.indycar.com.

Kirkwood: One Weekend at a Time

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Kyle Kirkwood is excited to begin his first NTT Indycar Series season. The driver of car 14 for A. J. Foyt Racing shared his outlook on the 2022 campaign this morning at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg First Block event.

Kirkwood’s background and winning ways n the Road to Indy should serve him well in Indycar. He is the first driver to win the championship at each rung of the ladder system, with 31 victories in 50 races.

As far as what will make the 2022 season successful, Kirkwood isn’t setting specific goals. He is looking at each round and then will total everything up at the end. What will be a successful season?

” I’m not going to really pinpoint it. I can’t say right now. Oh, if we finish top 10 in the championship that will be successful. It’s gonna be very situational. It depends where we’re at on pace, how strategy goes how everything plays out, and we’ll just have to have to pick it off weekend by weekend and not be upset about a weekend because I feel like we should have done better than we did. Yeah, obviously I’ll be disappointed but if we do better than we think that we should have even though it might be a 15th place finish. From the outside it looks bad but from within the team, it’s a success. So yeah, so we just have to take it weekend by weekend and piece everything together throughout every single weekend and if after 17 races and we have a good season, then I’ll be satisfied.

Kirkwood talked about his experience at the Rolex 24. His GTD Pro Lexus was fighting for a podium finish, but faded near the end of the race. He talked about how driving sports cars gives him the experience that the Road to Indy doesn’t cover,.

” I learned actually a lot in sports car stuff. The consequences are massive in a sports car compared to an Indy car. If you slide the car, you lose a lot of time so you have to be very precise. Also, one thing that you don’t get in the lower categories that you do in IMSA, and IndyCar or that you have to do is pitstops and a wall and tire and fuel saving. Those are all things that you don’t get in the lower series. So by me running an IMSA. It’s a lot that I can carry over to the IndyCar season. “

Kirkwood plans to do “four or five more sports car races” this year.

Unfamiliar tracks may be a bit of a challenge, but Kirkwood is eager to learn them. His favorite tracks seem to be those run by Green-Savoree, the St. Pete promoters. He talks about his favorite tracks and which tracks he needs to learn.

“St. Pete because it’s it’s a home track for me. I get a lot of family friends to come out to it. The weather’s always great. There’s just something unique about it. Even though it’s a street course it promotes a lot of good racing, a lot of good passes. And then Mid Ohio, but that’s a bit of a bias because I’ve won probably 13 or 15 races that I’ve run there. So every time someone asked me that (my favorite tracks) it’s either here or Mid Ohio, which is ironically a Green-Savoree event as well. Yeah, but they do a handful of them. Those are two of my favorites.”

Challenging tracks?

” Most likely one of the new places. I don’t have a lot of oval experience. So learning the dynamics of Indianapolis or Iowa is going to be tough for me because I haven’t been to either one of those places or driven around it. But yeah, so those will be one of the toughest I think some of the road courses that I have been to or the street courses I’ve been to will be a bit more of a breeze but the ovals will will definitely be tough.”