INDYCAR News for the Month of January 2020

John Andretti passes away at the age of 56 – “It with the heaviest of hearts we share that John Andretti has today lost his battle with cancer. John was a loving husband and father, a devoted son and a trusted cousin. He was a philanthropist, an advocate for the sport, a dedicated teammate, a driven competitor and most importantly a dear friend.” Full release at the link. – Andretti Autosport – (1/30/2020)

Kanaan announces 2020 season with Foyt on ovals will be his last – “(Tony) Kanaan, an Indy 500 winner and 2004 series champion, announced that the upcoming 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will be his final as a primary driver. Kanaan is set to compete in the five oval races of the NTT INDYCAR Series season driving the No. 14 Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing. He is scheduled to begin his final campaign which will be called the “TK Last Lap,” with the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 24. Kanaan will then run Saturday night races at Texas Motor Speedway (June 6), Richmond Raceway (June 27), Iowa Speedway (July 18) and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Aug. 22) to close out his final season. He did leave open the possibility of returning for a future Indianapolis 500, but not for another partial or full NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.” Full release at the link. – AJ Foyt Racing – (1/30/2020)

IMS unveils ticket for 104th Indy 500 – “When Simon Pagenaud unveiled the ticket for the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, he savored a snapshot of the pinnacle of his racing career and one of the greatest memories of his life. The ticket features a profile photograph of Pagenaud drinking the traditional winner’s bottle of milk in triumph after earning his first victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last May 26. That image also signaled the start of a personal transformation for Pagenaud. He’s a different guy than the one who strapped into the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet three hours earlier for his eighth start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”” Full release at the link. – IMS – (1/30/2020)

Miller’s Mailbag 1/29/20 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (1/29/2020)

Trackside podcast 1/28/20 – 107.5 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 1/28/20 is a great listen as always. Ryan Briscoe is a guest on the show. – 107.5 The Fan – (1/29/2020)

Dixon headlines INDYCAR drivers’ efforts with overall win at Rolex 24 – INDYCAR.com has a nice recap of the INDYCAR drivers’ results from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Rolex 24 at Daytona over the weekend. Scott Dixon was a part of the overall winning team while Ben Hanley won in LMP2. Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (1/26/2020)

Andretti announces Kirkwood as driver of Lights No. 28 – “The 2019 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires champion, Kyle Kirkwood, will join the Andretti Autosport Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires team for the 2020 season. The rookie stand-out will drive the No. 28 car for the reigning championship team.” Full release at the link. – Andretti Autosport – (1/24/2020)

INDYCAR drivers to race at Rolex 24 – INDYCAR.com has a nice preview of the INDYCAR drivers to race in this weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Rolex 24 at Daytona. Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (1/24/2020)

Hinch describes path to Genesys partnership – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has posted an excellent story on how James Hinchcliffe landed the Genesys partnership leading to his eventual part-time deal to drive in the NTT IndyCar Series this year. Full story at the link. – RACER – (1/24/2020)

Coyne w/Vasser-Sullivan confirms Ferrucci in No. 18 car – “Dale Coyne, Jimmy Vasser, and James “Sulli” Sullivan announced today that rising American star and Indianapolis 500 “Rookie of the Year,” Santino Ferrucci, will drive the No.18 Team SealMaster car, co-entered by Dale Coyne Racing and Vasser-Sullivan Racing for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season. The car will carry primary sponsorship support from SealMaster Pavement Products and be entered as the No. 18 Team SealMaster – Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser-Sullivan Honda.” Full release at the link. – Dale Coyne Racing – (1/23/2020)

RLL announces FVP livery for No. 15 at Gateway – “Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Factory Motor Parts (FMP), a multi-generational, family-owned company that provides premium, original equipment and name brand automotive parts, has joined the team as a sponsor of the No. 15 NTT INDYCAR SERIES entry for Graham Rahal in 2020. FVP will be the primary sponsor of Rahal’s Honda-powered entry at World Wide Technology Raceway on August 22 and the company will also be an associate sponsor for the 2020 season.” See the livery on our No. 15 livery page here. Full release at the link. – RLL – (1/23/2020)

Trackside podcast 1/22/20 – 107.5 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 1/22/20 is a great listen as always. Charlie Kimball is a guest on the show. – 107.5 The Fan – (1/23/2020)

Hamilton returns as driver analyst for IndyCar Radio – Davey Hamilton will return to IndyCar Radio for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season as driver analyst. – IndyCar Radio – (1/22/2020)

Foyt announces Kimball as full-time driver of No. 4 for ’20 – “Veteran IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball joins AJ Foyt Racing as the full-time driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet with backing from his long-time sponsor Novo Nordisk. The 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season marks Kimball’s 10th consecutive season in IndyCar and his 12th season of partnership with the global healthcare company.” Full release at the link. – AJ Foyt Racing – (1/22/2020)

Miller’s Mailbag 1/22/20 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (1/22/2020)

Three current INDYCAR drivers compete at the Chili Bowl – INDYCAR.com has a nice recap on the results of the three INDYCAR drivers who participated in the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma over the weekend. Conor Daly, James Davison, and Santino Ferrucci each raced in the event. Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (1/20/2020)

Hinchcliffe lands sponsorship for Month of May – James Hinchcliffe and his new sponsor Genesys have announced a partnership to allow the Canadian to drive in both races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Month of May. Further details will come at a later date. Full story at the link. – NBC Sports – (1/17/2020)

Coyne adds Cowdin adds race engineer for Palou – Motorsport.com’s David Malsher reports Dale Coyne Racing has added veteran race engineer Eric Cowdin to engineer the team’s entry designated for rookie Alex Palou. Full story at the link. – Motorsport.com – (1/17/2020)

NASCAR Xfinity IMS race moves to road course for ’20 – “Racing fans can “Go 4th” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the exciting, revamped annual NASCAR event weekend on July 3-5 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The action-packed holiday celebration will feature a first-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series road course race at IMS, sponsored by Pennzoil…NASCAR competition at IMS will enter a new era during the NASCAR Xfinity Series event Saturday, July 4, as drivers race for the first time on the road course that includes portions of the famed oval.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (1/15/2020)

Team Penske confirms interest in running McLaughlin in ’20 race – Motorsport.com’s David Malsher reports Team Penske testing their Australian V-8 Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin at Sebring on Monday was more than just a novelty one-off. “We haven’t finalized whether we’re going to be able to run Scott at COTA or not, so we’re still working on that,” Team Penske president Tim Cindric told Motorsport.com. “IndyCar won’t let just anyone show up to an open test without a commitment to running somewhere else. So that depends on if we can put something together in time for that test or whether there’ll be something else, another opportunity.” Full story at the link. – Motorsport.com – (1/15/2020)

Miller’s Mailbag 1/15/20 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (1/15/2020)

Trackside podcast 1/14/20 – 107.5 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 1/14/20 is a great listen as always. – 107.5 The Fan – (1/15/2020)

Ganassi announces Huski Chocolate as primary sponsor for Ericsson’s No. 8 – “Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today that Huski Chocolate will be joining the team as a primary partner on the recently announced No. 8 Honda in the NTT IndyCar Series for 29-year-old Swede Marcus Ericsson beginning in 2020. Huski Chocolate completes the 2020 lineup of primary partners for the team, which also features PNC Bank and NTT DATA on the No. 9 and No. 10 cars driven by five-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion, Indianapolis 500 and 46-time winner Scott Dixon, and 2019 Rookie of the Year Felix Rosenqvist, respectively.” See the livery on our No. 8 livery page here. Full release at the link. – Chip Ganassi Racing – (1/14/2020)

Arrow McLaren SP sets February 7th date for livery unveil – Arrow McLaren SP has announced the unveiling of their 2020 NTT IndyCar Series machines for February 7th, 2020. More details at the link. – Arrow McLaren SP – (1/14/2020)

DragonSpeed confirms Hanley for St. Pete and testing – “The 10Star DragonSpeed team announced plans Monday to compete in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first race of the upcoming NTT IndyCar Series season. DragonSpeed is a race-winning sports car team, and it made its NTT IndyCar Series debut last year, competing in three races with Ben Hanley driving the No. 81 Chevrolet-powered Dallara. Hanley, an Englishman, will again drive the car in St. Petersburg.” Full release at the link. – INDYCAR – (1/13/2020)

Report: DRR entry for Karam to expand to four races in ’20 – RACER’s Robin Miller reports Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s entry for Sage Karam will expand to four NTT IndyCar Series events in 2020. Full story at the link. – RACER – (1/8/2020)

Miller’s Mailbag 1/8/20 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (1/8/2020)

Trackside podcast 1/7/20 – 107.5 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 1/7/20 is a great listen as always. – 107.5 The Fan – (1/8/2020)

Penske Corp completes purchase of IMS, INDYCAR, and IMS Productions – “Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), the NTT IndyCar Series and IMS Productions.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (1/6/2020)

HMD Motorsports unveils ’20 liveries for 3 Indy Lights cars – HMD Motorsports released 2020 liveries for three entries in the 2020 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship on Monday. See the liveries at the link. – HMD Motorsports – (1/6/2020)

Helio confirms return for Indy – The Indianapolis Star’s Nathan Brown reports Helio Castroneves has confirmed he will drive for Team Penske in the 2020 GMR Grand Prix and 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Full story at the link. – Indianapolis Star – (1/3/2020)

Report: Changes coming to INDYCAR red flag rules – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports INDYCAR will no longer allow any repairs under red flag conditions in the NTT IndyCar Series where the penalty will no longer be lap penalites, but “immediate exclusion if the regulation is violated.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (1/3/2020)

RHR named to ’20 Mazda DPi lineup for endurance events – “Partnering for the third straight season in the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P will be Jonathan Bomarito (USA) and Harry Tincknell (GBR). Bomarito, Tincknell and Olivier Pla delivered Mazda’s first victory in the Daytona Prototype international class in June at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen while Bomarito and Tincknell scored another victory at Road America. For Bomarito, this will be his ninth season racing with Mazda. For 2020, they will be joined in the Michelin Endurance Cup by Ryan Hunter-Reay (USA). Hunter-Reay, the 2012 NTT Indycar Series champion and the winner of the 2014 Indianapolis 500, drove the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P at Mid-Ohio alongside Bomarito, finishing in third position. Hunter-Reay has competed extensively in sports cars, with an overall victory at Petit Le Mans and a class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring on his resume.” Full release at the link. – Mazda Motorsports – (1/2/2020)

Miller’s Mailbag 1/1/20 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (1/2/2020)

Daly, Davidson, and Ferrucci to be teammates at Chili Bowl – “Conor Daly will return to the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., for the second year in a row, and this time NTT IndyCar Series regular Santino Ferrucci and five-time Indianapolis 500 starter James Davison (pictured at the bottom) will join him in getting their first taste of the famed event to be held Jan. 13-18 at the Tulsa Expo Raceway. The three NTT IndyCar Series drivers will be part of team owner David Byrd’s attack. Byrd’s partner in the team is Scott Petry, whose company built the dirt track in Turn 3 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This will be the 34th time the Chili Bowl Nationals have been held.” Full story at the link. – INDYCAR – (12/31/2019)

Report: Track limits to be enforced at COTA Turn 19 – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports INDYCAR will enforce track limits in Turn 19 at Circuit of the Americas next year with an electronic timing line. Full story at the link. – RACER – (12/30/2019)

Report: Changes coming to P2P – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports changes are coming to the push-to-pass system in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2020. INDYCAR plans on removing the abilities for teams to track push-to-pass usage of other cars in real time. Full story at the link. – RACER – (12/27/2019)

Miller’s Mailbag 12/25/2019 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (12/25/2019)

DragonSpeed announces six race schedule for ’20 – DragonSpeed announced its current schedule for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series on Tuesday. The team plans to enter events on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Streets of Long Beach, the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, Texas Motor Speedway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “Driver & Sponsor announcement after the new year.” – DragonSpeed LLC – (12/24/2019)

Exclusive Autosport names Lastochkin as Lights driver for ’20 – “Exclusive Autosport is happy to announce the return of Nikita Lastochkin to the team, making his debut in the 2020 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire season. The Russian-born, Los Angeles, CA resident will pilot the team’s #90 Dallara IL-15 featuring the Exclusive Autosport’s red and white livery with branding from his sponsor Russkaya Mekhanika. This will be the team’s first season in Indy Lights, but they have already shown in the series’ official winter test that they have serious pace, topping the speed charts in one of the five sessions earlier this month in Sebring.” Full release at the link. – Exclusive Autosport – (12/23/2019)

Arrow McLaren SP confirms car numbers for ’20 – Arrow McLaren SP has confirmed their car numbers and assignments for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series. Patricio O’Ward will drive the No. 5 entry and Oliver Askew will drive the No. 7 entry. – Arrow McLaren SP – (12/23/2019)

Coyne announces deal with Palou and Team Goh for full ’20 season – “Super Formula race winner and Rookie of the Year, Spaniard Alex Palou will be coming to America to compete full-time in the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series driving for Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh. Palou will be vying for Rookie of the Year honors as he takes on the 17-race schedule. The driver from Sant Antoni de Vilamajor is hot off an impressive season in the Japanese Super Formula Series with TCS Nakajima Racing.” Full release at the link. – Dale Coyne Racing – (12/19/2019)

INDYCAR News From Last Month