Still learning: Montoya tackles Phoenix oval in test session

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Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya is no stranger to Phoenix International Raceway. But for his second round of IndyCar testing with Team Penske on Tuesday, he might as well have been.

Because while it’s one thing to navigate “The Desert Jewel” with a heavy stock car, it’s quite another to do the same in an open-wheeler.

“We did some laps in the road car and said ‘In NASCAR, we brake here and here,'” Montoya said on Tuesday. “And [teammate Helio Castroneves] was like, ‘No, this is going to be wide open.’ I’m like, ‘What?'”

The point was driven home further to Montoya when he observed Castroneves zipping around the track.

“In the straight, it just goes fast, but you don’t really realize how fast he’s going until he turns and the thing just snaps into the corner,” he said. “And then you go into [Turns] Three and Four and you know – ‘Wow, your foot never moved.’

“For me, the big difference is the entry to the corner. Once you get to the middle of the corner, whatever speed you have, you are committed to. You can see the exit, too, and you’re like, ‘Ahhh…'”

Montoya later commented on the speed disparity between the IndyCars and the Cup cars around PIR on Twitter:

He was also complimentary of PIR, saying that “most of the ovals, and actually all of the tracks” should have such a driving experience like that of the one-mile oval.

On that note, PIR president Bryan Sperber continued to maintain his stance on a possible return by IndyCar to his facility, saying that “the ball is in their court.”

“Phoenix International Raceway began as an open-wheel track and we would love nothing more than to have open-wheel racing back at PIR in the future,” he said.

“I’ve been very honest with the management at IndyCar about what it would take to be able to run here…Hopefully, the interest in running at Phoenix International Raceway becomes sufficient enough that they would like to pursue that opportunity, but we don’t anticipate any immediate changes to our 2014 racing schedule.”

Photo Credit: John Hendrick/INDYCAR

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

IndyCar video game 2024
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”