After Long Beach win, Mike Conway endures long day at Barber - MotorSportsTalk

It was definitely not the way Ed Carpenter Racing and its road-racing ace, Mike Conway, wanted to follow up their triumph at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Conway and ECR slogged through the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, and while he managed to move up seven positions to finish 14th in the rain-shortened main event, he said the outing was a “frustrating” one.

“I guess we’ll have to take 14th after starting 21st,” Conway said. “We struggled in the wet with overall grip. I tried to make a few moves in the early portion of the race and they just didn’t work out.

“We felt quicker on the [red] slicks, especially on the earlier segments of the runs. But once everyone had their tires up to temperature, we couldn’t get up to make a move. It’s frustrating. I hope we can improve on the road circuits.”

As the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis now looms on the horizon, Conway says he’s looking forward to Wednesday’s test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

But he also believes that the Barber weekend showed that there’s serious work to be done.

“I’m excited to go to Indy for the test this week on the new road circuit,” said Conway. “The race in the upcoming Grand Prix of Indianapolis will be huge for all of the drivers.

“I think everyone would love to win the first IndyCar road race at Indy. But we need to work on the setup some more to fight for a win that weekend.”

Tough weekend, thought we could do something in the wet but struggled. Some things to progress with the car yet but on to indygp now

— Michael conway (@Mikeconway26) April 28, 2014

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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.