MRTI: Jack Harvey confirms second year with SPM in Indy Lights - MotorSportsTalk

After losing the 2014 Indy Lights championship on a tie-breaker, Jack Harvey has confirmed that he’ll go after it again in 2015 as a member of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Harvey will continue to receive support from the Racing Steps Foundation, a group that helps finance the careers of British racers such as himself.

Boom 😀 all signed and sorted, I'll be staying in @IndyLights with @SPMIndyCar for a second season! Now let's go get that championship!

— Jack Harvey (@jack_harvey42) January 12, 2015

Thank you as always to the Racing Steps Foundation! This deal couldn't have happened without them! Going into our 7th year together!

— Jack Harvey (@jack_harvey42) January 12, 2015

The 21-year-old from Lincolnshire, England made his American racing debut last season in Indy Lights after competing in GP3 and various other European ladder series.

Harvey mounted a serious charge for the 2014 Lights title in the second half of the season, winning four of the final five races – including the season finale at Sonoma.

Unfortunately for the Brit, Gabby Chaves’ second-place finish in the same race allowed him to take home the big trophy on the second tiebreaker – Chaves’ five runner-up finishes to Harvey’s one (the two had four wins apiece, which was the first tiebreaker).

Now, as the Lights series prepares to roll out a new car for 2015, Harvey will look to bring SPM its eighth series title and continue the team’s championship legacy in IndyCar’s top developmental league.

“I’m delighted to be heading back to Indy Lights for a second season with SPM, which wouldn’t be possible without the continued backing of the Racing Steps Foundation,” Harvey said in a release. “[Indy Lights promotions group] Andersen Promotions has done a fantastic job raising the profile of the series with the new car, new teams and a growing grid.

“So for me, it’s definitely the right place to be racing. It’ll be tougher this year but rest assured, I’m up for the challenge.”

His boss, team co-owner Sam Schmidt, believes that with one year of experience under his belt, Harvey will deliver even more in 2015.

“The 2014 championship was as close as it gets, and I don’t know if we’ll ever see a tie again like we did with Jack and Gabby,” Schmidt said in his own thoughts. “Jack did an excellent job from the time he arrived from the U.K. He was always very consistent in testing and had a great work ethic on and off the track.

“In 2015 he’ll be returning to circuits for the second time and can build upon the oval racing experience he gained in 2014.”

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The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the Motor City for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix but with start times in a new location for 2023.

After a 30-year run on Belle Isle, the Detroit GP has moved a few miles south to the streets of downtown on a new nine-turn, 1.645-mile circuit that runs along the Detroit River.

It’s the first time single-seater open-cockpit cars have raced on the streets of Detroit since a CART event on a 2.5-mile downtown layout from 1989-91. Formula One also raced in Detroit from 1982-88.

The reimagined Detroit Grand Prix also will play host to nightly concerts and bring in venders from across the region. Roger Penske predicts the new downtown locale will be bigger for Detroit than when the city played host to the 2006 Super Bowl.

Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend (all times are ET):

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX INDYCAR START TIMES

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying.

POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after Sunday’s race ends.

COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 3:23 p.m. ET

GREEN FLAG: 3:30 p.m. ET

PRACTICE: Friday, 3 p.m. (Peacock Premium); Saturday, 9:05 a.m. (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 10 a.m. (Peacock Premium)

PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II l Combined

QUALIFYING: Saturday, 1:20 p.m. (Peacock Premium)

STARTING LINEUP: Alex Palou captured the first street course pole of his IndyCar career; click here for where everyone will begin Sunday’s race

RACE DISTANCE: The race is 100 laps (170 miles) on a nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street course in downtown Detroit.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for the first practice.

PUSH TO PASS: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation (Indy NXT: 150 seconds total, 15 seconds per). The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 80 degrees with a 0% chance of rain.

ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 27 drivers racing Sunday at Detroit

INDY NXT RACES: Saturday, 12:05 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 12:50 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium)

INDY NXT ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 19 drivers racing at Detroit