Vickers: On-track cooldown laps “most dangerous thing I’ve ever done”

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Last week at Phoenix, multiple drivers such as Jamie McMurray and Joey Logano lobbied NASCAR to allow teams to use cool-down units for their cars on pit road during qualifying instead of having to run slow laps on the track to cool the engines.

NASCAR has maintained that the cool-down units are not allowed in the pits because they didn’t want teams to make illegal adjustments after they popped the hoods of their cars.

Brian Vickers, who was the fastest in today’s first round of qualifying before going on to a ninth-place starting position for Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was particularly worried after having to run slow laps in Round 1 to cool the motor on his No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.

“Riding around the bottom – and we have to do it, it’s the only way we can keep the engine cool without a cool-down unit – but that has got to be the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done in racing,” Vickers told Fox Sports leading into Round 2.

“The 36 [Reed Sorenson] went by me at 170 miles per hour faster that I was going. Had he slipped or hit me – I mean, I’d be done. It’d be so bad.

“I know we’re working on it together. I think it’s a really exciting qualifying for the fans and I’m pumped about that, but we really shouldn’t be riding around at 20 miles per hour with [other] cars going 190.”

After claiming the pole for Sunday’s main event, Logano again talked about the situation with an added emphasis on next week’s race on the high-banked half-mile of Bristol Motor Speedway.

“Next weekend is going to be crazy,” Logano said. “This weekend, at least we have the apron so we can run the apron all the way around to cool off so that’s good. But next weekend, we really don’t.

“You have a half-mile race track and you’re gonna have all these cars out there at the same time. You’re gonna have 50 cars out there next week. On a half-mile race track, that’s going to be tight.”

He then made another push for teams to use the cool-down units.

“…What we’ve suggested is maybe running the cool-down hookups to the hood flap so we can plug it in right there,” he said. “They don’t want us to lift up the hood obviously, so if we can just cool them down like that, then everyone could make more runs.

“That would obviously give the fans more time to watch cars making their speed laps and not cooldown laps trying to cool your motor down.”

NTT re-signs as IndyCar title sponsor in multiyear deal starting with the 2024 season

James Black/Penske Entertainment
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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.