Category: INDYCAR

The latest news from the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, and USF2000!

IndyCar – Series Lands Mega Sponsor Verizon

Shaun

One of the worst kept secrets in the paddock over the off season has finally been announced this morning. The folks at Verizon have signed a multi-year deal to bring fans the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2014 and beyond. This is a fantastic signing for the series and adds some off track good news that the series just has not had as of late. There is no doubt that IndyCar has presented some of the best North American racing over the last couple of seasons, but lacked a lot of…

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From the Pocono Pulpit: Forget Snow, Let’s Talk Racing!

Mike Shaw

The off season has been a rather long one—with an even longer off season to follow. Now we have finally found the month of March. For many sports fans it is all about “brackets” they will never get right, and college hoops. But for those of us, who crave ethanol fumes, rubber dust in our hair, and ringing ear drums on Mondays—it’s all about the streets of St. Petersburg. The season we have all waited for, whilst snowed in like Eskimos is almost upon us.   It means I will…

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INDYCAR – The Core Audience: YouTube is King

Mike Shaw

(Note: Numbers used in this article were retrieved on the afternoon of February18, 2014) A conversation between Matt Archuleta (@Indy44 get on twitter… follow him now), Steve Jarzombek (@sejarzo) and myself about YouTube, subscribers, the NASCAR behemoth and IndyCar uncovered something interesting. We all know that NASCAR far and away exceeds INDYCAR in popularity in all aspects of the word. But a curious little tidbit came to light when looking through social media numbers. The oft quoted social media count to determine who is watching is twitter. The official IndyCar…

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INDYCAR – A Trophy and a Concert

Mike Shaw

I must commend IMS and INDYCAR for the bold design of the trophy for the new Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The trophy, although not a physical creation as of yet, looks to be another polished silver beauty that has come to define Indycar championship hardware. The futuristic look for the trophy dazzles me; high-tech and aspirational were the two words that come to mind as soon as I saw the hardware. Plus, the trophy has absolutely no historical connections, and I feel that was the correct decision, and important to…

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Pro Mazda – Juncos Completes Its 2014 Quartet with Spencer Pigot and Kyle Kaiser

Doug Patterson

Juncos Racing returns to a four-car outfit for the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires after signing Spencer Pigot and Kyle Kaiser. This will be both Spencer’s and Kyle’s 2nd year in the Pro Mazda Championship. Spencer spent 2013 with Team Pelfrey after battling for the 2012 USF2000 Championship to the last race with his then Cape Motorsports teammate and eventual 2012 champion Matthew Brabham. In 2013, Spencer, and Team Pelfrey as a whole, failed to achieve the pace and success they had showed in previous seasons finishing…

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Pro Mazda – Jose Gutierrez Joins Juncos Racing

Doug Patterson

Juncos Racing continues it’s tradition of recruiting and developing young South and Central American talent, bringing them to the US open-wheel racing scene. The team continues to build it’s 2014 Pro Mazda Championship roster with their signing of Jose Gutierrez from Monterrey, Mexico will be joining the team for the full 2014 season. Like his new teammate Julia Ballario, Jose had raced for the team at Mid-Ohio in 2013. This will be his first full season in the Mazda Road to Indy. Last season, in addition to his occasional outings…

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Pro Mazda – Juncos Racing Signs Argentina’s Julia Ballario

Doug Patterson

As we approach the Mazda Road to Indy Winterfest, the driver announcements are starting to come in! Juncos Racing, a stalwart in the Pro Mazda Championship, has announced the first member their 2014 team. Julia Ballario will join the team beginning in March on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Ms. Ballario is be the first Argentinian woman to race in the US, and comes to the Pro Mazda Championship with a significant amount of experience in both open-wheel formula cars and in touring cars, and competed with Juncos in Pro…

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INDYCAR – How Did We Get Here? Pt. 3 The Indy Effect

Mike Shaw

(Note: Part one here. Part two here.) After years of instability, the championship had finally become recognized and repeatable. Historical mistakes were made, but the sport is well on its way to greatness and The Indianapolis Motor Speedway finally takes the helm of championship racing for the first time. Board track racing was at its height in the early 1920’s. Millions of trees were felled to accommodate the hundreds of miles of the highly banked wooden autodromes that popped up all around the nation. These facilities led to a decline…

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