Mike Conway could star in Long Beach cameo for RLL - MotorSportsTalk

While the rest of the IZOD IndyCar Series was off last weekend, Mike Conway was busy on FIA World Endurance Championship duty in Silverstone.

The Englishman made his WEC debut in an LMP2 class Oreca 03 Nissan for the G-Drive Racing team. He finished seventh in class.

Conway hasn’t started an IndyCar race since Baltimore of last year, where he actually qualified second for A.J. Foyt Racing but lost 10 spots for an unapproved engine change.

It’s been a rocky road in IndyCar since. Conway quit Foyt’s team after a pre-race test at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., citing his discomfort racing on ovals, and was never realistically in the frame for a full-time ride this year.

But, with Rahal Letterman Lanigan ramping up to a second full-time program and third car for selected races, Conway was the pick for Long Beach. He made a smooth pass on Ryan Briscoe two years ago to score a surprise, but popular, first series victory for Andretti Autosport.

Conway had an impressive day-plus of testing for RLL in the series’ official preseason test at Barber. He’s quick on the street courses and a dark horse Firestone Fast Six contender, if not podium contender, this weekend in the No. 17 blu e-Cigs entry for RLL.

“I got a little taste of working with Graham and James at the one-day Barber test we had,” Conway said. “It seemed pretty good with what we were all feeling with the car. We all had similar comments so I think that is good. It will be good to know that if I make a change (to the car) and like it or if Graham makes a change and he likes it then we will be able to transfer that to the other cars and it will make us all quicker.”

The IndyCar Series has re-signed NTT as its title sponsor in a multiyear agreement starting in 2024.

NTT, a global information technology and communications company based in Japan, became the series’ title sponsor before the 2019 season after starting as a sponsor of the No. 10 Dallara-Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.

NTT Data (a subsidiary of parent company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.) will remain the official technology partner of IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Brickyard weekend.

With the extension, an IndyCar spokesman said NTT would become the second-longest title sponsor in series history. The longest title sponsor was PPG from 1980-97 (under the CART sanction of the Champ Car Series).

NTT replaced Verizon, which was IndyCar’s title sponsor from 2014-18 after IZOD from 2010-13.

“NTT is an excellent partner across our enterprise with strong expertise and a deep commitment to our sport,” Penske Corp. chairman and IndyCar owner Roger Penske said in a release. “From Smart Venue technology at the Racing Capital of the World to the reimagined Series mobile application, NTT is transforming the fan experience in new and innovative ways. We look forward to a bright future together.”

NTT has used artificial intelligence-enabled optical detection technology at IMS to provide information to the track’s operations and security teams, helping improve fan traffic flow and safety, the track said.

“IndyCar is a great partner for NTT Data because of our shared commitment to driving innovation, increasing sustainability and delivering amazing experiences,” NTT Data CEO Kaz Nishihata said in a release. “We also appreciate how IndyCar is so diverse, with drivers from 15 different countries, and races that range from short ovals and superspeedways to road and street courses. It’s both an incredible sport and a wonderful example for our world.”

NTT also has been instrumental in helping redesign the IndyCar app and providing more race and driver data for use in NBC Sports’ broadcasts by utilizing 140 data points from every car in the field.

“NTT is fully invested in the development and growth of our sport and has already established a terrific track record in our industry with problem-solving capabilities and access to top talent and tools,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said.

Said NTT Data Services CEO Bob Pryor: “We’re thrilled to continue our collaborations that enhance and expand the fan experience for motorsports and serve as proof points for data analytics, AI, and other innovative digital technologies. For more than a century, this racing series has pioneered innovations making driving safer for everyone, and by continuing this relationship, we will accelerate the pace of innovations and new technologies, particularly related to sustainability that ultimately can benefit organizations, communities and individuals around the world.”

Starting as a Japanese telephone company, NTT grew into a $100 billion-plus tech services giant with U.S. operations based in Plano, Texas.