Analysis: McLaren’s failed Indy 500 effort was comedy of errors
McLaren CEO Zak Brown acknowledged Monday the team was woefully unprepared to qualify a car for the Indianapolis 500, and small oversights snowballed into the final result.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown acknowledged Monday the team was woefully unprepared to qualify a car for the Indianapolis 500, and small oversights snowballed into the final result.
Kyle Kaiser, 23, in a dramatic last-gasp bid by tiny Juncos Racing, knocked Fernando Alonso off the bubble and ruined the day for McLaren, which was trying to make a comeback to the Indy 500 for the first time since the 1970s.
Some racing team owners firmly on the side of tradition, believing that 33 drivers should qualify for the Indy 500 based on pure speed. Others say too much is at stake to eliminate those who are committed to the entire IndyCar season.
Nick Turner is used to moving in the fast lane. And now the 28-year-old Indianapolis native is ready to put the pedal to the metal this month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The former IU football player and track runner this month is rolling out his company’s first app using a sponsorship with Harding Steinbrenner Racing to supercharge its marketing efforts.
The network’s ad blitz and all-in production effort are part of a strategy to capitalize on the network’s recent lock on all IndyCar broadcasts.
No longer a professional racer but still one of the sport’s best-known figures, Patrick will be a studio analyst on race day for the network’s inaugural coverage in May.
The agreement is set to commemorate Cummins Inc.’s 100th anniversary and includes a parade lap before the Indy 500 featuring five Cummins-engineered cars that previously participated in the race.
The device dubbed "Advanced Frontal Protection" will officially debut when practice begins next month and is expected to be used for the remainder of the IndyCar season.
Mike Tirico, who has built a reputation for covering some of the biggest events in sports, will take on the Indy 500 for the very first time as TV coverage switches from ABC to NBC.
Firestone said more than 26,000 Firehawk race tires will be supplied to race teams throughout the season, including more than 6,000 for Indy 500-related activities in late April and early May.
Financial services firm Gainbridge has reached a multiyear deal to become the presenting sponsor of the Indianapolis 500, race officials announced Thursday. It becomes just the second presenting sponsor in the race’s history.
The deal with NTT might surprise some fans of IndyCar, which for its past two sponsorship cycles has paired with brands widely recognized by American audiences. But NTT is well-known overseas and wants to grow its global brand.
Planning for the project is still in the early stages but it’s likely to cost tens of millions of dollars.
Ed Carpenter Racing said Indianapolis-based Fuzzy’s Spirits LLC plans to “concentrate on business initiatives outside of motorsports moving forward.”
A Google Street View team circled the 2-1/2 mile track by truck—taking 360-degree images along the way—just minutes before the green flag dropped for this year’s race.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series have signed a deal with a San Diego tech firm that allows the track and race series to get expanded information on the value they are driving for corporate partners.
The overnight rating for Sunday’s live broadcast was 3.4, which equates to 3.74 million households, according to New York-based Nielsen Media Research. That’s the lowest since Nielsen started tabulating overnight ratings in 2003.
The new version of the IndyCar that made its Indianapolis 500 debut on Sunday was hard to drive in traffic and squirrely in the corners. And that made it appealing to drivers who want to be rewarded for their talent.
The overall purse for the 33 drivers in Sunday’s running of the Indianapolis 500 was $13,063,073.
Now headed into retirement, the former NASCAR star is the only female driver to lead laps in the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500, creating a strong brand and becoming a role model for little girls everywhere.