Tag: NTT Indycar Series

Newgarden Paces First Practice

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Is this the weekend Josef Newgarden gets to the finish line first? The team Penske driver served notice that he is ready to grab his first win of the season, leading today’s only practice session by a bit less than 0.03 seconds over Pato O’Ward.

Jack Harvey was third, not too far behind points runner up O’Ward. Harvey hopes to reverse the team’s race day misfortunes this weekend.

Points leader Alex Palou finished ninth today with a lap he set early in the 45 minute session. Scott Dixon was seventh, putting the three top title contenders in the top ten.

Felix Rosenqvist spun and stalled exiting turn 1, causing a red flag which lasted about three minutes. Colton Herta went off track in turn 11, somehow kept the car away from the wall, and returned to the track. It was a wild ride nd quite a save. Takuma Sato went wide in the final turn in the final minute of the session and bumped the tire barrier, but he was able to drive back to the pits.

Results:

Indycar’s next practice is at 9:05 am EDT on peacock with Qualifying at Noon, also on Peacock. Qualifying will be aired on NBCSN at 8 pm tomorrow night.

Mid Ohio Fast Facts

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Via Indycar:

Race weekend: Friday, July 2 – Sunday, July 4

Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a 13-turn, a 2.258-mile road course in Lexington, Ohio

Race distance: 80 laps / 180.64 miles

Media links: Entry List | Driver Video Quotes | Trackside Book

Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.

Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. One additional set of primary tires may be used by teams fielding a rookie driver. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.

Twitter: @Mid_Ohio, @IndyCar, #Honda200, #INDYCAR

Event website: www.midohio.com/

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2020 race winners: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) and Colton Herta (No. 88 Capstone Turbine #ShiftToGreen Honda)

2020 NTT P1 Award winners: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), 1:06.3343, 122.543 mph and Colton Herta (No. 88 Capstone Turbine #ShiftToGreen Honda) 1:26.2788, 94.215 mph

Qualifying record: Simon Pagenaud, 1:03.8700, 127.271 mph, July 30, 2016

NBC Sports telecasts: Qualifying: 8 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (same-day delayed); Race: Noon ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for NBC Sports telecasts this weekend alongside analyst Townsend Bell.

Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers with Joel Sebastianelli and Alex Wollf in the pit lane. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on SiriusXM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, July 2

2:30-3:15 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, Peacock Premium (live)

Saturday, July 3

9-9:50 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2, Peacock Premium (live)

Noon-1:15 p.m.: Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium (live); TV: NBCSN (8 p.m. ET, Same-day delay)

3:30-4 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Premium (live)

Sunday, July 4

11:58 a.m.: “Drivers, start your engines”

Noon: NBC on air

12:05 p.m.: The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline (80 laps/180.64 miles), NBC (Live)

Race notes:

  • There have been seven different winners in nine NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Alex Palou (Barber Motorsports Park, Road America), Colton Herta (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Texas Motor Speedway-1), Pato O’Ward (Texas Motor Speedway-2, Raceway at Belle Isle Park-2), Rinus VeeKay (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Helio Castroneves (Indianapolis 500) and Marcus Ericsson (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1) have all won in 2021. The modern record (1946-present) for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
  • There have been eight different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Helio Castroneves and Marcus Ericsson) The only repeat winners in that stretch are O’Ward (Texas-2, 2021 and Belle Isle-2, 2021) and Palou (Barber 2021 and Road America 2021)
  • The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by HPD Ridgeline will be the 38th INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Will Power and Colton Herta split the doubleheader races in 2020. Johnny Rutherford won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio in 1980.
  • Scott Dixon is the winningest INDYCAR SERIES driver at Mid-Ohio with six victories (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2019). Emerson Fittipaldi won at Mid-Ohio three times, while Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Teo Fabi, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser and Alex Zanardi all won at Mid-Ohio twice. Past winners Dixon, Graham Rahal (2015), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2017), Alexander Rossi (2018) Will Power (2020-Race 1) and Colton Herta (2020-Race 2) are entered this year.
  • Will Power has won five poles at Mid-Ohio, the most of any driver. Power won the pole in 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019 and 2020-Race 1. Mid-Ohio pole winners entered in this year’s race are Power, Scott Dixon (2011, 2015), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2013), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Alexander Rossi (2018) and Colton Herta (2020-Race 2).
  • Fourteen drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984), Bobby Rahal (1985), Roberto Guerrero (1987), Teo Fabi (1989), Michael Andretti (1990, 1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Patrick Carpentier (2002), Paul Tracy (2003), Scott Dixon (2011), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Alexander Rossi (2018), Will Power (2020-Race 1) and Colton Herta (2020-Race 2)
  • Twenty-two drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Mid-Ohio. Scott Dixon (17) has made the most starts at Mid-Ohio among the entered drivers. Ryan Norman, one of four rookies who will make their first start at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut. Thirteen drivers have led laps at the track (Dixon 261, Will Power 205, Josef Newgarden 89, Alexander Rossi 71, Colton Herta 61, Sebastien Bourdais 38, Simon Pagenaud 37, Ryan Hunter-Reay 33, James Hinchcliffe 30, Graham Rahal 27, Takuma Sato 16, Felix Rosenqvist 15 and Marcus Ericsson 1).
  • Chip Ganassi Racing has won 11 times at Mid-Ohio, including eight of the 15 races sanctioned by INDYCAR at the track. Ganassi’s winning drivers are Alex Zanardi (1996, 1997), Juan Pablo Montoya (1999), Scott Dixon (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019), Dario Franchitti (2010) and Charlie Kimball (2013).
  • Team Penske has 10 wins at the track with Emerson Fittipaldi (1992, 1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994, 1995), Helio Castroneves (2000, 2001), Ryan Briscoe (2008), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2017) and Will Power (2020-Race 1)
  • Scott Dixon has finished in the top five in 11 of his 17 starts at Mid-Ohio, including six wins between 2007 and 2020 … Will Power has finished in the top five in nine of his 13 starts at Mid-Ohio … Simon Pagenaud has finished on the podium four times in his previous 11 starts.

Rosenqvist Cleared to Drive, Will Race at Mid Ohio

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From Arrow McLaren SP Twitter account:

Felix Rosenqvist has been cleared to drive by the INDYCAR Medical Team and will return to pilot the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet this weekend for the Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. https://t.co/3R6p88evvQ

The team and driver expressed appreciation to Dr. Billows and the Indycar medical team for their help in Felix’s recovery.

The Honda Indy 200 is it n NBC Sunday at noon Eastern time.

Harvey Looks for More Success at Mid Ohio

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Photo by Chris Owens, Indycar

Jack Harvey returns to the scene of his best weekend of his Road to Indy career, where he swept both races. Mid Ohio is also the home track of his car owner, Michael Shank. No pressure there. Still Harvey is excited to return to Mid Ohio and the Honda indy 200, were he started fifth and finished seventh in race 1 last year.

In talking to the media yesterday, Harvey discussed what mid Ohio means to him and the team, and how his 2021 season is going.

“It’s massive, mate. It’s such a special place for the team, obviously it being Michael’s home race, the track that he grew up at, so everyone at Meyer Shank Racing is obviously very excited. Mid-Ohio was a place that I got my first win in North America back in Indy Lights, and just a track that has flowed pretty well for me the whole time I’ve been there.”

Mid Ohio is known to have rain on race weekends. The rain during qualifying for Race 2 last year cost Harvey several positions on the grid., Harvey doesn’t mind rain at this track.

“Honestly I even like it when it’s raining. We had the wrong setting in the car. We still had our dry pedal map in, so just a bit of an oversight on my side but also maybe on the team’s side, as well. Man, it just flows. It’s a super great track. There’s a nice bit of elevation change there, a lot of the corners kind of link together, so you might have three corners that actually all directly feed into the next one, so your car placement, your precision. I feel like I have gone well on tracks like that, been able to like give a little to try and get a little in a certain part of the corner.”

Harvey summed 2021 for him so far as having a competitive pace, but finding misfortune, especially in the last six races. He told the media:

“… we’ve been quick everywhere. Certainly we have momentum. Just things that together as a team we’re learning. I would say we don’t often repeat mistakes. We have an uncanny ability at the minute to find new ones, which I’m hoping that we kind of stop doing that, but just from a sheer pace perspective, we’ve got that at the minute. But like you said, you look at the people around the championship, and it’s an unusual year because there’s a lot of really great drivers who have been on the receiving end of not necessarily bad luck but just unfortunate events, and like I was talking to Michael this week, we started the season well, we’ve had great pace everywhere, but the last six races for us, I mean, have been pretty not awesome.”

An ambitious strategy call at Road America cost Harvey at least 10 spots in the final results. Harvey related, “Looking back at Road America, our strategy call was aggressive, probably more aggressive than what I would have done if they’d have radioed me and asked, but at the end of the day I think it also shows the desire and aspirations of the team that we’re here to try and get really great results. Honestly I really believe that we’re on the brink of it, we just need them pieces to come together on a smooth weekend, and I think we can do it.”

Jack Harvey at Road America. Photo by James Black, Indycar

As for having Helio Castroneves as a teammate, Harvey enjoys him, and is looking forward to Indycar’s Nashville debut.

“I just like having Helio around, really. He has enthusiasm. He’s an incredibly nice guy. I don’t think there was one person at the Indy 500 who wasn’t happy to see him win. That’s just the kind of guy he is. You know, one of the things that gets a bit of a challenge, for as great as it is having another car there, attention is all getting pulled a little bit away, but Andretti Autosport have five full-time guys if you include us in their stable, so there’s plenty of data to be looking at. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. I just hope that as a team we have to be ready to put people in place to be able to deal and handle with all the extra work that comes along with that car, but I know we’re talking about Mid-Ohio, but if you look just forward to Nashville just for a moment, I think everyone is so incredibly excited for that race. It would be great to have a great weekend this weekend and take that positive energy, momentum into hopefully a great Nashville because August and September are about as busy as what you can be, I think, in an INDYCAR season.”

Jack Harvey is still seeking his first Indycar victory. This weekend at Mid Ohio might be the track where he sees Victory Circle. A win would be huge for him and Michael Shank. While Mid Ohio is still mainly a tack that roots for the Rahals, Mike Shank and crew may give them a new hometown hero to cheer for.

Ferrucci Returns with RLL at Mid Ohio

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The release from RLL this afternoon:

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (June 28, 2021) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Santino Ferrucci will return to the team to compete in the No. 45 Hy-Vee entry at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, July 2-4. Hy-Vee, Inc. – an employee-owned supermarket chain that operates more than 280 retail stores across eight Midwestern states – is the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s entry for two races this season as well as a full season associate and was the primary sponsor of Ferrucci’s car at the Indy 500 and doubleheader races in Detroit.

At the Indy 500, Ferrucci piloted the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda to his third straight top-seven finish with a sixth-place result and finished sixth in Race 1 in Detroit and tenth in Race 2.

“I’m super excited to return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to race the Hy-Vee entry at Mid-Ohio,” said Santino Ferrucci, whose highest career INDYCAR qualifying position is second place in Race 2 at Mid-Ohio in 2020. “It’s been a great track for me in the past and last year I started on the front row. I’ve always enjoyed the track and its fans. I cannot wait to be working with the team again and continuing our relationship and our growth as the season moves forward. Hopefully we can get the Hy-Vee car into the top five and on the podium!”

“We look forward to having Santino Ferrucci drive the No. 45 Hy-Vee entry in this weekend’s race,” said Randy Edeker, Chairman, CEO and President of Hy-Vee. “Santino and the entire Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team care about their fans just like we care about our customers at Hy-Vee. Plus, the excitement Santino brings to the course keeps us on the edge of our seats and we can’t wait to see how he performs at the Honda Indy 200.”

Hy-Vee first joined the team as the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s entry for Race 2 at the Iowa Speedway in 2020 where he finished third. The company was also the primary sponsor of the team’s entry for Spencer Pigot at the Indy 500 and an associate sponsor of Rahal’s entry for the legendary race. In 2021, they have been a primary sponsor at four races: the Indy 500 and Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader with Ferrucci and at Road America with Rahal.

After two full INDYCAR SERIES seasons in 2019-2020 and a partial one in 2018, Ferrucci joined RLL for the Indy 500 and the Detroit Grand Prix races. To date, his best Indy car start is second place at Mid-Ohio (Race 2) in 2020 and he has finished in fourth place four times. In 2021, Ferrucci competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving for Sam Hunt Racing.

The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season continues with the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio which will be broadcast live on NBC on July 4 at 12 p.m. EDT. All future on-track action can be seen on NBC, NBCSN or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

About Hy-Vee, Inc.
Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 280 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $11 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 85,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.

About Santino Ferrucci
Ferrucci began his karting career at age five and was a multi-time champion by age 11 and was featured in an article in GQ magazine on being a karting prodigy. He also competed in six Formula 2000 races, never finishing worse than fourth in any race. In 2013 he competed in the Skip Barber Racing Series, winning his debut race at Homestead and collecting five wins, two poles and three fastest laps. His career took him to England in 2014 where he competed in British Formula 3, winning two races – both at Brands Hatch, which made him the youngest winner in British Formula 3 history at 16 years, 2 months and 30 days. In 2015, he finished third in the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand with a win and five podium finishes and also competed in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. In 2016, he competed in the GP3 Series as a rookie with DAMS with a best finish of third place at Spa-Francorchamps and joined Haas F1 as a test driver for a July test at Silverstone and became the first American driver to test an American F1 car since 1977. He also made his sports car debut that year, winning his first race in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America event at Circuit of The Americas. In 2017, he continued his role as a development driver with Haas F1, testing at Hungaroring in August. He also made six GP3 starts with DAMS before moving to FIA Formula 2 with Trident. In 2018, he competed in FIA Formula 2 with Team Trident, scoring a best finish of sixth at Baku and served as a Haas F1 development driver for a third consecutive season. He also made his debut in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for Dale Coyne Racing in 2018 with a best finish of 11th at the season-finale at Sonoma and competed in a total of four events (Detroit doubleheader, Portland). In 2019, he competed in the full INDYCAR SERIES season and finished 13th in series standings for Dale Coyne Racing with a best finish of fourth at Texas, Pocono and World Wide Technology Raceway. He was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after an impressive performance en route to a seventh-place finish. Ferrucci returned for his second full season in the series in 2020 with Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan with a best finish of fourth place in the Indy 500 and 13th place, season-ending rank. Always open to new challenges, Ferrucci currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving for Sam Hunt Racing. 

About Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and Brownsburg, Ind., is co-owned by three-time
IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, former CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan. In 2021, the team begins its 30th year of competition and will attempt to add to its 29 Indy car wins – including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice and the 2020 Indy 500 with Takuma Sato — their 33 poles, 107 podium finishes and 1992 series championship.  The team also competed in the American Le Mans Series from 2009-2013 as BMW Team RLL where they won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category in 2010 and swept all three GT titles in 2011 – Manufacturer, Team and Driver. In 2012, the team finished second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championship. Since 2014, BMW Team RLL has competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two-car program and has brought their total to 22 wins – including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races, 28 poles and 91 podium finishes as well as a second-place finish in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017. The team was also the 2020 Michelin Endurance Champions. For 2021, the team will compete for back-to-back Michelin Endurance Championships.

Mid Ohio Schedule with Broadcast Times

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Update on Marti- She is improving and may return home today. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

All times EDT

 FRIDAY, JULY 2

11:25 AM – 12:10 PM ET INDY LIGHTS – Practice

2:30 PM – 3:15 PM ET NTT INDYCAR SERIES – Practice 1

  3:35 PM – 4:05 PM ET INDY LIGHTS – Qual – Race 1

SATURDAY, JUL 3

9:05 AM – 9:50 AM ET NTT INDYCAR SERIES – Practice 2

  10:05 AM – 10:35 AM ET INDY LIGHTS – Qual – Race 2

12:00 PM – 1:15 PM ETNTT INDYCAR SERIES – Qualifications (Live)

  \ 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM ETNTT INDYCAR SERIES – Final Practice

 \4:20 PM – 5:20 PM ETINDY LIGHTS – Race 1

11:00 PM – 11:59 PM ETNTT INDYCAR SERIES – Qualifications (Delay)

SUNDAY, JUL 4

9:50 AM – 11:00 AM ETINDY LIGHTS – Race 2

11:30 AM – 2:30 PM ETHonda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (Radio Broadcast)

 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM ETHonda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

EVENT DETAIL

Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

PURCHASE TICKETSOFFICIAL WEBSITETRACK MAP

80 LAPS | 180.64 MILES

The 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural-terrain road course offers a little of everything — elevation changes, high-speed corners, flowing corners, tight corners, a narrow (40 feet) racing ribbon and a challenging entry to pit lane.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Official Hashtag: #Honda200

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Ryan Norman Set for Indycar Debut at Mid Ohio

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Photo form Dale Coyne Racing Twitter Account

The release from Dale Coyne Racing:

Plainfield, IL (June 24, 2021) – Indy Lights Series graduate and Cleveland, Ohio native, Ryan Norman will be making his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut next weekend at the Honda Indy 200 aboard the No. 52 Koinu Inu / EVO entry of Dale Coyne Racing with RWR at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Norman, who will be representing partners Koinu Inu, EVO and Three Chord Bourbon on his No. 52 Honda, had the opportunity earlier this week to test with the team at his home track alongside Romain Grosjean ahead of his first official appearance as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver next week.

“My goal throughout my whole racing career has been to become an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver,” said Norman. “So many years of hard work and sacrifices have finally paid off and I want to thank Dale Coyne for giving me a shot to show what I can do in the series. It’s an honor to be able to drive for DCR. They have shown over the years that they have created a great competitive program and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together. I’m more prepared than ever before to show that I belong in IndyCar and can fight for podiums and wins. It’s time to get to work!”

The 23-year-old driver started his racing career on two wheels in his native Cleveland, Ohio and was a successful motocross racer. He transitioned to cars in 2015 and found immediate success, winning in multiple classes and winning the SCCA Formula Atlantic Championship.

Norman then moved to the competitive Indy Lights Series in 2017 where he drove for Andretti Autosport and scored podiums and victories over three seasons finishing fourth in the Championship.

Recently, he joined Bryan Herta Autosport in 2020 to compete full-time in the #33 Hyundai Veloster N TCR and won the drivers’ championship alongside co-driver Gabby Chaves. For 2021, Norman joined Parker Chase in the #98 Elantra N TCR.

The former Indy Lights driver will get a first chance to measure himself to the rest of the field on Friday, July 2 from 2:30pm ET during the first practice session. The Honda Indy 200 goes green on Sunday, July 4 at 12:05pm ET and will be broadcast live on NBC.

About Koinu Inu
What is Koinu Inu?
Koinu Inu ($KOINU) is a team-built, community driven ERC-20 token project that combines three of the most popular & rapidly growing industries in the world – DeFi (Cryptocurrency), Video Games + Gambling. The team’s goal is simple and attractive – to become the world’s most popular and profitable eSports Casino & Token Marketplace.

What can it do?
The $KOINU platform will allow holders to wager tokens against others in popular eSports titles like Call of Duty, Overwatch, League of Legends, Valorant, Rocket League & many more. Token holders will also be able to wager tokens on Professional eSports matches to win a portion of a shared prize pool.

About EVO
EVO is a revolutionary athlete-development company which plans to eliminate the financial burdens of tomorrow’s champions and change the way fans experience sports through the power of investment. EVO aims to take skilled professional athletes in individual sports and provide them with world-class development and support, in exchange for a share of future earnings. A portion of those earnings will be shared with EVO investors, and this model will allow athletes to focus on winning, without the burdens of financial constraints.

About Three Chord Bourbon
WHO WE ARE
Founded by music legend, Neil Giraldo, Three Chord celebrates creativity, community, and tradition by bringing together the award-winning musician and producer’s love of whiskey and music with his passion for conversations with family and friends.

Inspired by the simplicity yet infinite expressions of the three chord progression — the foundation of the blues — Neil collaborated with master blender and distiller, Ari Sussman, to bring together notes from a variety of whiskies to create products with distinctive flavor profiles that balances simplicity and complexity in perfect harmony.

WHAT WE DO
Three Chord sources high quality and rare whiskies from the top distilleries in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Indiana for use in blends, single-source bottlings, and special releases. By using carefully selected barrels and combining unique flavor profiles, Three Chord creates an expression that is greater than the sum of its parts. Three Chord whiskies are aged in heavy toast 4 char #1 barrels, French and American oak “hybrid” char #3 barrels, barrels imported from Cognac (not charred), and barrels from Spain, (not charred). After blending, they are returned to the barrels a second time, then bottled in Chelsea, Michigan.

For a full list of states of distribution and availability please visit http://www.ThreeChordBourbon.com

Indycar’s Second Half- More of the Same Would be Fine

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Update- Marti is improving as the medical team works out a treatment plan. Thank you all again for your kind wishes and concerns. We will get through this.

Photo: Alex Palou leads Colton Herta at Road America. Joe Skibinski, Indycar

Indycar had itself one heck of a first half- seven different winners, including four first time winners; only two winners over the age of 30; dramatic finishes, and really good racing. Only two drivers have won more than once, and four of the top seven in points are under the age of 25.

Alex Palou holds the trophy for the REV Group Grand Prix. Photo by Joe Skibinski, Indycar

Road America traditionally marks the end of the first half of the season, but with the cancellation of Toronto, which will not be made up, last Sunday was the first race of the season’s second half. The loss of the race, which is not a shock, narrows the field for the championship to three drivers-Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward, and Scott Dixon.

I think the title fight comes down to a battle between Palou, the current points leader, and O’Ward. Only O’Ward and Palou have won more than one race. Palou has led seven of the nine races. Palou has been on the podium five times, O’Ward finished in the top three four times. The 28 point lead Palou enjoys is essentially the difference in points between the two drivers at the Indianapolis 500.

I think Palou will prevail this season. Here’s why.

O’Ward Oddities

Both of Pato’s wins came in the second race of the two double headers. He finished third in the first race of each double header, and he was on pole for the first race in Detroit. In both of his victories, O’Ward overtook Josef Newgarden late in the race.

There are no more double headers this season It seems the Arrow McLaren SP team needs a bit of a longer window to figure things out. I’m not sure O’Ward wins another race in 2021, and he may have trouble holding on to second place in the standings.

The Iceman Lurketh

Six time champion Scott Dixon sits on the verge of history on two fronts. His next win, which is very likely this season, will tie him with Mario Andretti for second place on the career win list with 52. Winning the title will tie him with A. J. Foyt with seven championships.

Dixon has been competitive, as always, but the car looks to be just a step behind the front runners. The Indianapolis 500, despite Dixon winning the pole, did not turn out well. Dixon is 53 points behind, and 49 points of that gap are from the 500. He has come from larger deficits to win take a couple of his titles, but I don’t see it happening this year. Still, dixon will continue an amazing string of finsihes in the top five in points.

More Winners

There will be more drivers winning a race this season. It is inveitable that Josef Newgarden and/or Will Power will win a race before the season ends. Newgarden has won the last two poles and has had victory in his grasp the last two races. He has lost the lead with three laps remaining in Detroit and with two laps left at Road America. Mechanical gremlins and tire strategy have kept Team Penske out of the winner’s circle so far in 2021, but I think we see that situation change in the next three months. It is hard yo believe we are nine races into the season and wondering when a Penske will win a race.

Look for another win by an Andretti Autosport driver as well. Either Colton Herta wins another time, or Alexander Rossi will finally break through. This team has been just as puzzling as Team Penske. Herta has been the only bright spot for the team.

Nice Surprises

The biggest surprise this year is the overall performance of Romain Grosjean. The former F1 driver has won a pole, took a podium spot, and has been overall competitive in his 6 races in 2021. Grosjean is an outstanding qualifier, starting in the top six three times and seventh twice. Missing the Indianapolis 500 and the two Texas races will probably cost him Rookie of the Year since the award is based solely on points. He would win it if the trophy were awarded based on his performance on track.

No Toronto Replacement; Schedule Stays at 16 Races

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The signs were there, and today it is official. The Toronto Honda Indy, originally scheduled for July 11, but cancelled in May due to COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario, will not be replaced on the 2021 schedule.

Mid Ohio and World Wide Technology raceway were two tracks considered to host a second race to make up for the loss of the Toronto race. Each venue had some advantages, but a combination of factors probably led to the decision to stick with the original schedule.

The series decided that a double header would not offer the promoter a good return on their investment. Finding a suitable television slot may also have played a role in the decision.

I think it was a good decision. While I would have liked to see another oval added to the schedule, adding a race that late in the season is a big ask for teams, especially those fighting for the championship. Drivers more than 50 points behind leader Alex Palou have an even tougher task trying to catch him now.

The remaining schedule: