When NTT came on board as entitlement sponsor of the IndyCar Series in January 2019, the announcement was met with the endorsement of those who had worked with the company.

One of those was Tony Kanaan, who wore the NTT logo and colors while driving a car sponsored by one of the company's holdings in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Kanaan was vocal in his approval of the decision to rename the series the NTT IndyCar Series.

“It's a lot of familiar faces,” he said. “I have good friends at NTT, so I'm really excited for INDYCAR. It shows how strong the series is and how good a job Mark Miles (president and CEO of Hulman & Company, which owns INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and his team with (INDYCAR president) Jay Frye turned it around.

"In four months, they turned this around.”

NTT quickly became a suitable fit in its multiyear role as sponsor for IndyCar Series and the official technology partner of INDYCAR, the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Brickyard 400. NTT is a huge global corporation, ranking 20th in the BrandFinance Global 500 and 55th in the Fortune Global 500.

“They do business globally with a lot of major, major corporations around the world,” said Chip Ganassi, whose team has partnered with NTT DATA, a subsidiary of NTT, for eight years. “They entertain these people at the track, and they have good relationships. But after a day at the track, I can see a good relationship turn into a great relationship.”

Based in Tokyo, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone has a total annual revenue of more than $100 billion. Much of its research and development is directly related to the automotive industry, and it has been involved with INDYCAR and the Indianapolis 500 since 2012.

“This relationship is perfect,” Miles said. “We are a global brand, and when I think about racing, I think we're international. … I'm sure that was part of how NTT saw us, but we see them as a giant technology and communications company. When I think about the future growth of IndyCar, what's more important than developing technology? It drives our racing, our teams. Everybody in the paddock needs data in usable form to improve. … So I just think we have a great fit.”

In its first year as title sponsor, NTT enhanced INDYCAR’s popular mobile application, which helps fans find information, keep track of action, and follow their favorite drivers from anywhere.

“They're going to help turbocharge our sport,” Jim Campbell, vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports for Chevrolet, said when the partnership was announced. “They're going to start with the app. They're going to make that app really accessible, lots of ways for the fans all over the world to connect with our sport that we love so much. I think it's a great relationship.”