Verizon IndyCar Series preseason testing kicks into high gear this week, beginning Monday with a team session at Sonoma Raceway that will be open to the public.
A dozen drivers from six teams are expected to participate in the test on the 12-turn, 2.385-mile permanent road course that will play host to the series’ season finale, the Grand Prix of Sonoma, for the fourth straight year from Sept. 14-16.
Among those testing will Team Penske’s three drivers – including reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden – in their first team test of the new year. Also expected to make their testing debuts are Jordan King and Gabby Chaves. King is driving the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet at road- and street-course events this season, while Chaves and Harding Racing are taking the step to full-time entry in the No. 88 Chevy after competing in three races last year.
Other teams expected at the test in Northern California are AJ Foyt Racing, Dale Coyne Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Testing runs from noon-8 p.m. ET (9 a.m.-5 p.m. local). Admission is free and the track’s Raceway Café will be open to serve lunch.
For tickets to the Grand Prix of Sonoma, call (800) 870-7223 SonomaRaceway.com/indycar. Tickets may also be purchased on site at the test session.
Final day of ISM Raceway open test open free to public
Twenty-three cars are anticipated to participate in a series-wide open test at ISM Raceway (the former Phoenix Raceway) on Feb. 9-10, with the final test day open free to the public.
The third annual Verizon IndyCar Series “Prix View” test session on Feb. 10 will allow fans the opportunity to see the new-look Indy cars with the universal aero kit up close before the series returns for the Phoenix Grand Prix weekend on April 6-7. Fans will also have the opportunity at the Prix View to interact with their favorite drivers at a late-afternoon autograph session.
Gates open at 2 p.m. ET (noon local) with free admission and parking. On-track test sessions run from 3-6 p.m. ET (1-4 p.m. local) and 8-11 p.m. ET (6-9 p.m. local). In between sessions, an all-driver autograph session will occur from 6:45-7:30 p.m. ET at the track’s DC Solar Power Pavilion. Fans may obtain a wristband to participate in the autograph session from the ISM Raceway display booth beginning at 2 p.m. ET (noon local), while supplies last.
Concessions will be open at the Allison Grandstands. Tickets for the Phoenix Grand Prix can be purchased near the track’s Canyon 1 that day, by calling (866) 408-7223 or visiting ISMraceway.com. Ticket prices range from $35-70 for adults and are $10 for children. Active-duty military members and veterans receive discounted pricing as well. Fans can get the ultimate experience with ISM Raceway’s paddock and pit pass, which includes an all-access view of the INDYCAR garages and pits for $50.
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg single-day tickets on sale
Single-day tickets to the 2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which opens the Verizon IndyCar Series season for the eighth straight year, are now on sale at gpstpete.com. Four additional racing series will also be on hand for March 9-11 event held on the 1.8-mile, temporary waterfront circuit in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, that runs along city streets and a runway of Albert Whitted Airport.
The main event, the Verizon IndyCar Series race on March 11 (12:30 p.m. ET, ABC and Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network), will mark the competition debut of the new-look Indy cars with the sleeker and highly regarded universal aerodynamic bodywork kits.
Single-day tickets start as low as $20 for Friday, March 9, $35 for Saturday, March 10 and $50 for Sunday, March 11. A weekend general admission ticket offers the best value at $55. A single-day reserved seat is available for $100 in upper rows and $75 in lower rows. Children’s pricing is available for ages 12 and under. For more information and to buy tickets, visit gpstpete.com or call (877) 725-8849.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway commercial to air regionally during Super Bowl LII
The pageantry, excitement and tradition of the month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be featured in a regional advertisement airing on NBC’s telecast of Super Bowl LII tonight.
The 30-second spot will air on selected NBC affiliates in Indiana at the end of the first half and leading into the highly anticipated halftime show of the National Football League championship game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl annually is the highest-rated television program in America.
This is the third consecutive year that the INDYCAR Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil will be featured in a regional TV ad during the Super Bowl telecast. The commercial, created in collaboration with Indianapolis advertising and marketing agency Mortenson Kim, is an important component of the “This Is May” campaign to promote the fifth annual INDYCAR Grand Prix on May 12 and the 102nd Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 27.
“All of the action and excitement of May is approaching as quickly as one of the sleek new Indy cars that will be on track during the month at the Racing Capital of the World,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “This ad will remind the biggest television audience of the year that there’s nothing in sports like the month of May at IMS, boosting the anticipation for new and existing fans alike as the countdown to the 102nd Indianapolis 500 continues.”
Check out a 15-second teaser video of the ad here: