Tag: NTT Indycar Series

Ericsson Joins Andretti Autosport for 2024

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One piece of the 2024 Indycar grid is in place. The release from Andretti Autosport:

INDIANAPOLIS (August 23, 2023) – Andretti Autosport announced today that Marcus Ericsson will join the team’s 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver lineup alongside confirmed teammates Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood.  

The Indianapolis 500 Champion will take on his sixth season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2024 looking to add to his four race wins and 10 podiums. In addition to his INDYCAR success, Ericsson raced for five seasons in the FIA Formula One World Championship, has claimed Championships in both British Formula BMW and Japanese F3 and has race starts in both British F3 and Formula 2 (formerly GP2).  

The race-winning Swede heads into the final three races of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season in sixth place in the Championship standings with a win at the season opener in St. Petersburg and three podiums, including an impressive runner-up finish at the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500. 

More information on Ericsson’s 2024 entry, including car number and partners, will be provided at a later time.  

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT 

“Like everyone else, we have paid close attention to Marcus’ success in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and have been impressed with how quickly he proved that he belonged with the frontrunners in what is arguably the most competitive INDYCAR field ever. It’s no secret that we want to win races and Championships and to do that we need drivers like Marcus who have that natural talent and determined drive. We are excited for the winning mindset that Marcus brings to the table and I’m eager to see what next season has in store for us.”  

MARCUS ERICSSON, DRIVER, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT 

“I’m very happy and proud to be joining Andretti Autosport next season. Andretti is one of the mist legendary names in motorsports, so it is definitely a dream come true for me to join this team. I want to thank Michael and Dan [Towriss] for putting their trust in me and I can’t wait to get to know everyone in the organization. It’s a very exciting new chapter in my career and I’m really looking forward to getting to work achieving our goals together. Exciting times are ahead and I’m thankful for this opportunity.” 

Bill Vukovich II- End of the Line for a Legendary Name

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We have lost another legendary family. Bill Vukovich II, son of the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 winner, died last night at the age of 79. He was the last of the Vukovich family.

His father, Bill Vukovich, was my first racing hero, and I was excited when Bill Junior came to the Speedway in 1968. He had big shoes to fill, and he did well.

Bill, Junior was only 10 years old when his father died. I wonder how much better a driver he might have been if he could have learned from Bill, Senior.

Vukovich won Rookie of the Year honors in 1968 with a seventh-place finish. In 1973 and 1974 he finished second and third in the 500, and earned three top 5s and six top 10s in his Indianapolis career.

Vukovich finished second in points in the 1972 USAC season. He split his time between USAC and THE ppg series later in his career.

Vukovich endured the worst of racing. His father, Bill, died in an accident while leading the 1955 Indianapolis 500, and his son, Billy III, died in a practice accident in a midget in Bakersfield, California.

With the help of IMS next May, we can say a proper farewell to the Vukovich family. The 108th running of the 500 will be the 70th anniversary of the senior Vukovich’s second straight victory. I hope management can fit in a tribute to one of the Speedway’s legendary names.

Lundqvist Makes Oval Debut as Pagenaud Still Out

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Meyer Shank Racing announced today that Linus Lundqvist wiil return to car 60 at World Wide Technology Raceway in the Bommarito 500 next Sunday. The race will be the third for the 2022 Indy NXT champion this season.

Simon Pagenaud continues to recovery from his accident at Mid Ohio. he has not raced since. Lundqvist subbed for Pagenaud at Nashville. where he qualified for part of the race. At the Gallagher Grand Prix at IMS Lundqvist qualified and finished 12th.

Conor Daly filled in for Pagenaud at the Iowa double header.

Lundqvist is rumored to have signed with Chip Ganassi Racing for 2024

Bommarito 500 Schedule

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All times Eastern. World Wide Technology Raceway is in the Central Time Zone

Sat
9:55a: NXT Practice
11a: IndyCar Practice Peacock
12:45p: NXT Qualifying
2p: IndyCar Qualifying Peacock
3:30p: NXT Race 75 laps Peacock
5p: 2nd lane Practice Peacock
5:45p: IndyCar Practice Peacock

Sun
9a: Silver Crown Practice
11:15a: Silver Crown Qualifying
1:15p: Silver Crown Race 100 laps
3:30p: IndyCar Race 260 laps NBC Peacock

Herta Livery Stokes the Throwback Flames Again

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Of the many attempts Indycar teams have made at throwback liveries, today’s unveiling of Colton Herta’s livery for Laguna Seca is the best I have seen. The scheme reflects the livery hat his father Bryan used in 1998 when he won one his two races at the historic track. Colton also has won twice at Laguna Seca.

As soon as the video released this morning, talk of a throwback race heated up.

Colton Herta’s livery for the season finale.
Bryan Herta on his way to victory at Laguna Seca

Why does this particular tribute livery strike such a chord with fans? I think it’s the faithfulness of the design. The chevrons in place of the Shell logo, which Andretti terams can’t use, is a nice touch which visually gives the illusion matching the original.

The A. J. Foyt livery in the Indianapolis 500 which J. R. Hildebrand drove a couple of years ago came as close to the original as I had seen before today. It is difficult to put a front engine roadster livery on a rear engine car. Now that there is a large inventory of classic rear engine cars, a throwback race is more possible.

I can think of no track better suited for this race than Milwaukee. A classic track deserves classic liveries. That is assuming the mile track returns to the schedule in 2024 or beyond. This afternoon Gateway offered their venue as host for a race with throwback liveries.

Several pieces would need to come together for such an event to happen. Current sponsors would have to be on board. What if a team used to have a competing brand as sponsor? Of course, a track would have to be willing to host the race, broadcast partners need to be okay with it, and we need 100% buy in from all teams.

I know Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Andretti Autosport would have no problem coming up with vintage liveries just from their own past.

It would be great to see a Bowes Seal fast or Noc-Out Hose Clamp car. maybe that’s going a bit too far back.

Daly Replaces Harvey at RLL for Gateway

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Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing today announced that Conor Daly will replace Jack Harvey as the driver of car 30 for the next IndyCar race at World Wide Technology Raceway. A statement from Harvey indicated that his tenure at RLL was over.

My understanding is that the team wil audition drivers in the final two races of the season at Portland and Laguna Seca.

Jack Harvey is one of the nicest drivers in the paddock. I hope he finds a ride that is a good fit for him.

From earlier:

The Last IMS Doubleheader?

The Last IMS Doubleheader?

It has been a strange year for Daly. He began 2023 as the full driver of car 20 for Ed Carpenter Racing. He was relieved of that ride after Detroit. Daly then subbed for then injured Simon Pagenaud at Mid Ohio and Iowa. He is now driving for his third team this season. Oddly, each car he has or will drive bears a number ending in zero.

Here is the statement from RLL:

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (August 15, 2023) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced a change to their 2023 driver lineup for the No. 30 entry today. Veteran Conor Daly will compete for the team at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) on August 27. The driver for the No. 30 entry for races at Portland International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will be announced at a later date.

Daly has made 107 NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts since his debut in 2013 and earned his first series pole at the Iowa Speedway short oval in 2020 for Race 1. He has competed in six of the last seven INDYCAR SERIES races held at WWTR and has earned four top-10 finishes with his best being fifth in 2017.

The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season resumes with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on August 26-27, which will be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on August 27. All on-track action can be seen on NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

QUOTEBOARD:

BOBBY RAHAL, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “First, I would like to thank Jack Harvey for all of his efforts on behalf of RLL for the last year and a half. He committed fully to the team but for whatever reason, we weren’t able to achieve the results that he or the team deserves and we wish him well in the future. We will use the final three races of the season to gauge other racing talent. I’m very pleased that Conor has agreed to join us in St. Louis. He’s been strong there and I feel that he can bring value to the team while also providing us with a strong effort. I look forward to having him with us.”

CONOR DALY, driver of the No. 30 Honda at WWTR: “It means a lot to have a chance to drive for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team. I’ve known Bobby ever since I was a child, our families are very close. Mike Lanigan is someone that has known my dad for a long time, and I’ve known him well too. And David Letterman is a friend of our family as well so it’s very special to have the chance to drive for this organization. I will obviously do the best job that I can for them to make them proud and make their partners proud and I hope to be able to deliver everything they are looking for. I’m excited for the chance to get back behind the wheel at one of my favorite tracks at World Wide Technology Raceway.”

Related posts

The Last IMS Doubleheader?

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This past weekend IMS in all likelihood hosted the last NASCAR/Indycar doubleheader. Most signs point to NASCAR returning to the oval for the traditional 400 mile race. While it is a nice treat to see another home Indycar race, i am glad this event is going away.

Indycar does not need to have two, or in this case, actually three, events at the same venue. I never liked the concept of the extra race, especially when Indycar played second- I mean third- fiddle to the stock car series. Three races of the same series at a track lead to fan fatigue, especially when two of the events are the same distance.

The doubleheader weekend, born out of necessity during the pandemic accomplished some positive things. It boosted the sagging attendance that the Brickyard 400 weekend had suffered since the 2008 tire debacle, it might have brought more fans to Indycar, and possibly NASCAR as well, and the weekend gave drivers of both series a chance to see what their counterparts in the other series do.

Graham Rahal leads Christian Lundgaard early in the Gallagher Grand Prix

I have always thought pairing Indycar with IMSA is a better idea than a NASCAR/Indycar weekend. The sportscars are closer in speed to the Indycars. I got to the track Saturday as Cup qualifying was ending. The pole speed for the NASCAR race was 17 seconds slower than the Indycar pole. When IMSA tested at IMS a couple of weeks ago, the GTP cars were just five seconds off Graham Rahal’s pole speed.

If the buzz is correct, Indycar might replace this second road course event with the mile oval at Milwaukee, I would be all for that. The series needs more ovals more than they need another street course. Iowa and Nashville have shown that ovals can draw people if marketed correctly.

As far as this past weekend is concerned, it’s been a fun three years, but now is the time for Indycar to expand to other venues.

Some Very Quick Notes on the Gallagher Grand Prix

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Today’s race was arguably one of the three best races on the IMS road course. The first turn move by Devlin DeFrancesco to take the lead from fifth was a thing of beauty. The crash six turns later set strategy in play that eventually decided the result. The last 30 laps were as exciting as any I’ve seen in the 500. Graham Rahal cut Scott Dixon’s lead from seven seconds to 0.04 seconds at the finish.

Overall, it was a great weekend for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Rahal won pole and finished second. Christian Lundgaard finished fourth. Rahal led the most laps. It is nice to see this team competitive again. I hope RLLR stays strong through the end of the season.

Linus Lundqvist had a solid day today for MSR, staring and finishing 12th. He ran in the top 10 quite a bit.

Alex Palou’s seventh place finish, his second worst of the year, actually increased his point lead as Dixon jumped ahead of Josef Newgarden. Palou takes a 101 point lead into the final three races of the year.

Newgarden had what was likely the worst Indycar weekend of his career. He was slow in practice, qualified 19th, missed the weigh in and lost 10 minutes in final practice; an unapproved engine change placed him six spots further back on the grid. Newgarden suffered the most damage in the turn seven pileup on lap1. He languished at the rea alld day, finishing 25th.

I don’t know what else to say about Scott Dixon. He was won at least one race every season for 19 straight years, added his 54th career win, moved into second place in the points, and again turned misfortune into a positive outcome. I firmly believe Dixon is an alchemist.

I will have a wrap up of the race up here in a day or two after I watch the replay. Thanks for following along the last two days.