Team Penske announced today that it has partnered with Avaya as a team sponsor for the 2015 season in both the Verizon IndyCar Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Simon Pagenaud will pilot the No. 22 Avaya Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet for at least four Verizon IndyCar Series events in his first season with Team Penske, including the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24. Avaya will also adorn the side of the No. 2 Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski in the Sprint Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 9.
INDYCAR announced the following post-event infractions from the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, which was held April 25-26 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Indiana racing legend and five-time Brickyard champion Jeff Gordon will drive a Corvette Z06 pace car to kick off the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500, on May 24 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Josef Newgarden wasn't nervous with three-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and a hard-charging Graham Rahal within striking distance in the closing laps of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. The 24-year-old Tennessee native held off both competitors and pulled away for his first Verizon IndyCar Series victory in his 55th start.
The 2015 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will mark the fourth IndyCar Series race for the team at Barber Motorsports Park (BMP). A recent two-day test at BMP in March went well and Rahal was the fastest Honda-powered driver at seventh fastest over two days. Last year, Rahal started 18th on a wet track, ran as high as 10th, dropped four places after being hit by two cars and ultimately finished 17th.
“What we thought was an issue with the rear end of the car this morning in warm-up, we thought would go away in the race and unfortunately it didn’t and we struggled with keeping the rear of the car underneath us. It was a major struggle to balance and maintain it which is unfortunate because I was hoping today would be a day where we could make up some points and we squandered the opportunity.”
“I thought the crowd today was great but with this weather, why wouldn’t it be? We had a mechanical issue this morning and only got to run a handful of laps. The second practice was more of what I expected. Our car was good this morning but we just didn’t get to see it through before we had the issue. We are the fastest Honda but we have a little work to do to catch the Penske’s."
The 2015 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (TGPLB) marks the first race for Steak ‘n Shake as a primary sponsor of an Indy car. The team announced in March that Steak ‘n Shake would be the primary sponsor of the No. 15 entry for Verizon IndyCar Series events in Long Beach, two events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Detroit, and Mid-Ohio. Maxim Magazine branding will also be featured on the race car.
The following is a medical update on Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires driver Michael Johnson of JDC Motorsports, who made contact with the Turn 3 wall in the opening practice session of the Allied Building Products Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 27, 2015.
