GM enjoys banner weekend on home soil of Detroit - MotorSportsTalk

The third year of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, run by Roger Penske and his entire organization and set in the backdrop of General Motors headquarters, really couldn’t have gone much better to plan for the host team and manufacturer.

Chevrolet swept the pair of Verizon IndyCar Series races, the aptly named Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans. After going 0-for-3 in the first three IndyCar races on site in Detroit in 2012 and 2013, this was a needed bounce back.

In 2012 and 2013, Honda took eight of the nine podium positions. The 2012 and second 2013 races saw a Honda podium sweep, and the only Chevrolet podium was Ryan Hunter-Reay finishing second in-between Dale Coyne Racing teammates Mike Conway and Justin Wilson in 2013 Dual 1.

But five of six podium positions this weekend went to Chevy drivers. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) and Tony Kanaan (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) were first and third on Saturday with Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet), Power and Charlie Kimball (No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) completing the first podium sweep by any manufacturer in the first seven races of the season.

Chevrolet also took a win with the Dallara-chassied and Corvette-bodied Daytona Prototype, driven by brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor (No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing) in Saturday’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Sports Car Classic. A second Corvette DP, the Coyote-chassied entry of Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante (No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing), finished second.

Cadillac swept the pair of Pirelli World Challenge races, the Cadillac V-Series Challenge presented by the Metro Detroit Cadillac Dealers, with Johnny O’Connell scoring both GT and overall race wins in his No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R. Teammate Andy Pilgrim finished second on Sunday to make it three podium finishes out of a possible four attempts; O’Connell has now won five of the six GT races at Detroit since the event came on board in 2012.

The best person to sum up the banner weekend from GM’s side was Jim Campbell, vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, after GM products completed a sweep of five wins in five total races spread over the three series, at the only race where GM sponsors the event.

“Racing and performance are important parts of our heritage,” he said. “For Chevrolet and Cadillac to combine to win five races this weekend, right here in our own backyard, demonstrates the preparation, teamwork, determination and never-give-up attitude by our Chevrolet and Cadillac teams.”

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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.