JANUARY 23, 2019


Christopher Bell became just the second driver in Chili Bowl history to win the prestigious dirt Midget race in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for three consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019). Bell, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, didn’t lead the 24-car A-Main championship race until the final turn of the final lap. Bell jumped on leader Kyle Larson, who got stuck in traffic, then beat the full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver to the line in a scintillating last-lap finish. Larson was bitterly disappointed again for the second consecutive year. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was leading late in last year’s race, too, when engine issues forced him to retire with 10 laps to go.

Volkswagen will take its record-breaking fully-electric ID. R to the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, for another record attempt. “After the record on Pikes Peak, the fastest time for electric cars on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is the next big challenge for the ID. R,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. The ID. R is powered by two electric engines with a system capacity of 670HP and weighs less than 2,500 pounds, including the driver. “Above all, we will modify the aerodynamics of the ID. R, in order to cope with the conditions on the Nordschleife, which differ greatly from those on Pikes Peak,” says François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director at Volkswagen Motorsport (in other words, that massive rear wing will get trimmed considerably). Unlike Pikes Peak, which starts at an altitude of more than 9,000 feet and ends at 14,115 feet, the Nordschleife winds its way through the Eifel region at between 1,050 and 2,024 feet above sea level. The iconic German circuit has a very unique characteristic, not least thanks to the long Döttinger Höhe straight. “As part of our meticulous preparations for the record attempt, we will put the ID. R through an intense test and development program at various racetracks in the spring,” Demaison adds. The record attempt is planned for the summer. Romain Dumas will be at the wheel again for the record attempt. He won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with the ID. R Pikes Peak in June 2018 and, with a time of 7:57.148 minutes, becoming the first driver in over 100 years of the iconic race to go under eight minutes. The Frenchman also has four victories in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring to his name. “The thought of driving the ID. R on the Nordschleife is already enough to give me goosebumps. I know the track very well, but the ID. R will be a completely different challenge, with its extreme acceleration and huge cornering speeds,” says Dumas. “I can hardly wait for the first tests. Breaking the existing electric record will certainly not be a stroll in the park.” The current record for fully-electric vehicles stands at 6:45.90 minutes—at an average speed of almost 115 mph—and was set in 2017 by Britain’s Peter Dumbreck in a NIO EP9. A comparatively narrow track—13 miles long, with no fewer than 75 corners, and regularly climbing or descending through the Eifel forests—the Nordschleife, which was opened in 1927, is one of a kind and continues to serve as the ultimate test environment for the automobile industry. Former Formula 1 world champion, Jackie Stewart, once respectfully called the circuit the “Green Hell.” Despite the iconic circuit being subjected to repeated modifications, it has not hosted Formula 1 since 1978.

INDYCAR announced that global information technology and communications leader NTT has signed a multi-year agreement to become the IndyCar Series title partner. In addition, NTT becomes the official technology partner of INDYCAR, the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Brickyard 400 beginning in 2019. The announcement was made at the Detroit Auto Show. INDYCAR will partner with NTT to deliver digital innovations that enhance the fan experience. These innovations include the evolution of INDYCAR's mobile application and adoption of NTT's proprietary Smart Platform to support the sport and its venues in delivering better insights into the racing series. "NTT is proud to be associated with INDYCAR and accelerate the future of smart racing. Technological innovations have the potential to change the sport and fan experience drastically," said Jun Sawada, president and CEO of NTT. "NTT, along with our partners, aims to bring the Smart World to life as we have done for Smart City, Smart Entertainment, Smart Mobility and Smart Manufacturing. Based on our lengthy and successful experience, including work in mobile applications, analytics and user experience, we will help INDYCAR create the next generation of fans globally who aspire to enjoy racing through a more digital experience." "Having a strong technology partner is critically important to INDYCAR's continued growth, so we are thrilled to welcome NTT as our new title sponsor. INDYCAR's rise in popularity is a testament to the fact that we've made the sport as accessible as possible to our fans and we plan to continue in that mission," said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Hulman & Company, which owns INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We have a history with NTT through NTT DATA's involvement in the sport with Chip Ganassi Racing. We know this partnership will help us attract the next generation of fans to what remains the most competitive racing program on the planet." Editor-in-Chief's Note: I appreciate the fact that landing a racing sponsor these days - anysponsor - is growing more and more difficult. And landing a series sponsor is even more of a challenge, so congratulations to INDYCAR and NTT on their new partnership. I must say, however, that the series logo is one of the worst I've seen in years. Dull and uninspired, it looks like all of five minutes was spent on it. I would hope that the powers that be involved would take another look at the design and rethink the logo, because it does nothing for the series or the partnership. -PMD

Will Power and team owner Roger Penske were honored Wednesday night in Detroit for winning the 102nd Indianapolis 500 last May. Both were presented with “Baby Borg” trophies, miniature replicas of the famous Borg-Warner Trophy that boasts the sterling silver likeness of every Indianapolis 500 winner. It was Power's first win in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." For Penske it was his seventeenth, extending his dominance as the most successful team owner in Indianapolis 500 history. “In all of the world, there is nothing like the Borg-Warner Trophy,” Penske said. Power plans to put his Baby Borg next to the Astor Cup replica that he earned by winning the 2014 NTT IndyCar Series championship. He has a wealth of other trophies in his basement from 35 career Indy car wins (tied for seventh all time), 54 pole positions (second all time) and 70 podium finishes. But the Baby Borg and Astor Cup replicas will be displayed in a special area at Power’s house in North Carolina – the crown jewels of Power’s outstanding career. The 103rd Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 26 and will air live on NBC. Tickets are available at IMS.com.
(Porsche)
The Porsche Motorsport GT Team unveiled a special livery created to commemorate both Brumos Racing and IMSA’s 50th Anniversary season at the Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 26-27. The Nos. 911 and 912 will carry the blue and red stripes and “sweeps” made famous by the Jacksonville, Florida-based team in the first two rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, including here this weekend at Daytona International Speedway as well as in the 67th edition of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 16. The livery, designed in-house at Porsche, pulls directly from decades of Brumos Racing competition. The blue and red stripes running from nose-to-tail are easily spotted from a distance but, upon closer examination, reveal the familiar solid stripes are actually comprised of a closely laid grid of the number 59. The “sweeps” down the sides from headlight to taillight, draw directly from the team’s historic livery. A white windshield banner and rear wing mark the No. 911 shared by Patrick Pilet (France), Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) as does a blue line across the rocker panel on the side. The No. 912 team car of Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) will have a black windshield banner, rear wing and red stripe below the doors. The livery was a natural fit for the two endurance classics – known collectively as the “Florida 36” – to celebrate not only the Jacksonville-based race team but also the 50th Anniversary of the Daytona Beach-headquartered International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). Brumos was a founding stakeholder in IMSA, winning the first five of six races in the inaugural IMSA sports car season of 1971 with team and dealership owner Peter Gregg and a young Hurley Haywood sharing a Porsche 914/6. Since, the Brumos banner has flown over 48 IMSA victories and 15 IMSA Championships.
NBC Sports coverage from Daytona:
Thursday, January 24
- 2-3 p.m. ET: 2019 Preview Show, NBCSN
- 3-5 p.m. ET: Qualifying, NBCSN
Saturday, January 26 and Sunday, January 27
- 2-5 p.m. ET: Race, NBCSN
- 5-9 p.m. ET: Race, NBC Sports App
- 9 p.m.-3 a.m. ET: Race, NBCSN
- 3-6 a.m. ET: Race, NBC Sports App
- 6 a.m.-3 p.m. ET: Race, NBCSN
(Photo by Brian Cleary - RRDC)
Bobby Rahal and David Hobbs.
From the RRDC Press Release: Bobby Rahal, Indy 500 winner, driver, team owner, businessman and President of the Road Racing Drivers Club, was honored by the RRDC with the 2019 Phil Hill Award. The 2018 award recipient, David Hobbs (above), made the presentation at the annual RRDC members' dinner on January 23 prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
His team won the 2010 GT team and manufacturers titles in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with BMW and swept the top two spots in the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring, earning the 2011 ALMS GT drivers championships for Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller. In 2012, the team earned back-to-back Sebring wins and was second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship. In 2013 BMW Team RLL earned two wins, seven podium finishes and four poles en route to second place in the Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championships. In 2014, the team joined the United Sports Car Series (USCC), later renamed the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Since 2014, BMW Team RLL has totaled 17 wins, 23 poles and 68 podiums and second place in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017. In 2018, the team brought BMW its first victory with the all-new M8 GTE and followed up with back-to-back wins, six podiums and three poles over the two-car program. in 2018, the team also entered the world's first production-based electric vehicle race series - the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY - with a two-car effort.
Along with his leadership of Team RLL Racing, he operates Bobby Rahal Automotive Group, a string of car dealerships in Pennsylvania, is President of the RRDC, former Chairman of the International Motor Racing Research Center Governing Council at Watkins Glen and is active in the community through the Bobby Rahal Foundation. He is past Chairman of the USA Bobsled & Skeleton Foundation.
"Winning the Indy 500 changed my life personally and professionally," said Rahal. "I don't know of any other sporting events out there in the world that do that. Maybe the British Open in golf or Wimbledon or the U.S. Open in tennis.

From left: Bobby Akin, Jeff Zwart, Judy Stropus and Bobby Rahal.