Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced on Thursday, February 5 that Arrow Based Electronics will be the primary sponsor of the team’s No. 5 Honda driven by James Hinchcliffe.
“Having Arrow Electronics as a primary team sponsor is just another step in this dream come true,” co-owner Sam Schmidt said. “The company’s vision is perfectly aligned with SPM and INDYCAR’s key focal points: speed, innovation and technology. We look forward to an exciting race season and a great partnership for years to come.”
Aiden Mitchell, Vice Persident of Semiconductor Marketing for Arrow Electronics, says the partnership allows the company to showcase how their technology can help people become drivers. They showcased this technology last year when Schmidt, who suffered a spinal-cord injury in 2000 that left him a quadriplegic, got to drive a 2014 modified Corvette over 100 mph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Working with Sam and sharing the technology behind our modified Corvette C7 in our Immersions series has been a pivotal element in demonstrating the power of M2M technologies and the Internet of Things,” Mitchell added. “We look forward to taking this next turn with SPM and helping to spread the word with a wider Arrow audience.”
Hinchcliffe left Andretti Autosport at the end of the 2014 to join SPM for the upcoming season. The Canadian is a three-time race winner and won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2011.
“I’m very excited to drive the No. 5 Arrow Electronics car this season and set our sights on victory lane,” the 28-year-old said. “Although the No. 77 has been part of SPM since 2011, we have an incredible opportunity to spread the word about Arrow’s Five Years Out initiative, and coincidentally, we were lucky that the No. 5 was available to further Arrow’s brand story.
“The Five Years Out philosophy shows that Arrow sets the bar high and that’s exactly what we want to do in the Verizon IndyCar Series,” Hinchcliffe added. “Competing in the most versatile racing series in the world means we’re focused on technology, which makes this partnership a natural fit.”
SPM added that James Jakes, who also made his Verizon IndyCar Series debut in 2011, will drive the No. 7 Honda.
