Final-hour negotiating to fill 33-car Indy 500 field?

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | August 4, 2020 4:13 PM

With the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 set to go forward on August 23 without fans, the business of filling the 33 is among the last major items to be completed ahead of opening day on August 12.

As RACER wrote last week, 31 known driver and car combinations are in place, leaving the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to identify at least two more entries to ensure the traditional 11 rows of three will take start of the 500-mile race.

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Among the ready-to-go options, two teams stand out as the most likely entities to assist in maintaining the tradition of having a minimum of 33 cars attempting to qualify for the race. Two other entrants—Juncos Racing and Top Gun Racing—are also possible participants, but their paths to the grid require more time, or money, or both.A significant change has taken place with Carlin Racing’s new plan to focus on a single entry for Max Chilton. This comes after weeks of exploration to run its second Chevy-powered car, which tested earlier this year with Felipe Nasr and Sergio Sette Camara, but has not raced so far in 2020.

Where IndyCar had three turn-key options with the second Carlin car, third Dale Coyne Racing Honda, and DragonSpeed’s lone entry, the No. 81 Chevy (which has been sitting idle since it returned home after the postponed St. Petersburg Grand Prix), it’s down to two as the series looks to solidify the Indy 500 entry list.

After Coyne and DragonSpeed, Juncos Racing is next on the list of teams with an available car, but its Chevy-powered machine still needs an aeroscreen to be acquired and installed. The change to having no fans for the race, according to team owner Ricardo Juncos, has pushed his realistic ambitions of participating in the Indy 500 to 2021. Although the Juncos team harbors an interest in updating the car with an aeroscreen and running one or two races later in the season, the odds of being ready to run at the Speedway next week are close to zero.

Top Gun Racing, which announced its intent to become an IndyCar team in April with Florida’s RC Enerson as its driver, is also known to be working on finding a car and the necessary equipment to make its series and Indy 500 debut.

Indy 500, IndyCar

 

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Indy 500 purse halved as pandemic forces austerity

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emailBy Robin Miller | 5 hours ago

In a shocking but understandable head slap of reality, the 2020 Indianapolis 500 purse has been cut in half.

Roger Penske told the car owners earlier this week that instead of $15 million, the Aug. 23 payout would be $7.5 million in the face of the pandemic that has crippled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s ability to make any money. With no fans allowed, there are no ticket sales and that alone takes away a minimum of $20m.

Penske, who purchased IMS and the IndyCar series last January, had previously announced he was adding two million for this year’s race to increase the purse from $13 million to $15m before the COVID-19 virus started shutting down businesses and wrecking the economy. Since then, the winningest owner in IMS history has spent $15 million refurbishing IMS and several million more to put on races at Road America and Iowa, where IndyCar was co-promoter of the doubleheaders.

And, with the Speedway not getting tens of millions of dollars, the purse was a natural victim. But none of the owners blinked.

“Roger has put his heart and soul into everything and he’s making it good and making it work,” said Chip Ganassi, who has supplied R.P. with his stiffest competition for the past 25 years. “I’m not worried about the purse — sure we’d like to have more money, but this isn’t about one year and he’s doing all he can.

“This is a different Roger. He started the meeting off by saying, ‘Hey guys, I bought this place and was looking at the next pit stop and suddenly we hit the wall.’ But he’s in it for the long haul and I’m a big supporter of what he’s doing.”

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“It’s obviously not exciting news but we’re all in this together and everyone is appreciative of the job Roger is doing,” said Ed Carpenter, one of IndyCar’s little guys who is fielding three cars at the place he runs so well at every year. “I wasn’t surprised because Roger, Mark (Miles) and Jay (Frye) have shared information above and beyond what they have to share and I think we all have a sense of gratitude for what Roger has done.

“We could be in a much worse situation than we are and instead of bitching about the prize money, I think we’re thankful to have the opportunity to compete. It’s still pretty damn big money but if the only way to win was not make a penny I’d do that every day of the week. The Indy money is great but that’s not what I race there for and nobody becomes a team owner to become a billionaire.”
Ed Carpenter and his team will have to come up with innovative ways to deliver value for new sponsor U.S. Space Force in a year of unprecedented challenges. Image courtesy of ECR.

Friday was a good day for the three-time Indy polesitter as the U.S. Space Force became his primary sponsor for Indy and joins the backing of Conor Daly with the U.S. Air Force and rookie Rinus Veekay has Jumbo Foods.

“Having fans there would be great for our sponsors but it can be about awareness as much as activation and I think we can accomplish the mission we have with them,” continued Carpenter. “I’m not going to say no to a pole but that’s not why I’m there and I want to be there on Aug 23.”

The 39-year-old veteran, who led the most laps in 2017 before finishing second, couldn’t contain his admiration for how The Captain is running the ship.

“I think if I’ve learned anything in 2020 it’s that you can’t be surprised because it’s the most challenging, bizarre and difficult year any of us have experienced. He’s making the best of a bad situation and it was clear to us he doesn’t take decisions like this one (purse) lightly. He’s trying to make sure we have a future — that’s priority No. 1 right now, and there is no perfect way of dealing with this. But he’s provided a level of leadership we’re all very thankful for.”

 

IMS details Indy 500 ticket credit options

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | 9 hours ago

The business of reconciling 70,000 ticket purchases for the upcoming Indianapolis 500 is in motion.

After announcing the August 23 event will be held without fans in attendance, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway says instructions are on the way to those who are eager to secure tickets for next year’s race.

“Customers will receive an IMS account credit good for the reorder of their Indy 500 tickets in 2021,” a spokesperson told RACER. “They will retain their seniority and their original May seating. An email from the IMS ticket office will go out shortly and provide updates on accessing the credit and processing renewals for 2021.”

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With ticket credits, rather than refunds, on offer through IMS, the Speedway advises those who bought tickets from a reseller to contact the company for details on how to proceed.

“People who bought from anyone beside IMS should contact the entity they purchased from,” the spokesperson said. “Ticket brokers can implement policies separate from the venue when the circumstances surrounding an event change. We always encourage customers to buy directly from us as it provides the best way for IMS to assist them with any issues that might arise.”

The sale of bronze badges, which offers special access within the Speedway, and serves as popular keepsakes, is also subject to a future credit system by IMS. Like the Indy 500 tickets, those who bought bronze badges will receive a credit to order their 2021 badges; having been manufactured and readied for distribution, the unused 2020 badges can be retrieved by those who purchased the mementos from the Brickyard’s credential office.

Indy 500, Tickets, IndyCar