Ryan Hunter-Reay resurgent at INDYCAR Grand Prix - MotorSportsTalk

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay has endured a difficult 2017 season in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Though he rebounded from a tough weekend at St. Petersburg to finish fourth, the next three races left a lot to be desired.

An electrical issue knocked him out of a sure second-place at Long Beach. A broken wing on the opening lap at Barber Motorsports Park immediately put him behind the eight ball and he could do no better than 11th. And he and the Andretti Autosport team struggled to find speed at Phoenix Raceway, where he finished 13th.

However, the INDYCAR Grand Prix saw an uptick in fortune for the former champion and Indy 500 winner. After starting eighth, Hunter-Reay methodically worked his way forward and was in the top five by the time the first pit stops started. He was able to pass Helio Castroneves for third in the final stint to take his first podium of the season.

“Nice to bank a result finally,” Hunter-Reay quipped in the post-race press conference. “It was nice to have a good solid result. We’re headed in the right direction.”

While he admitted an error entering his pit stall may have cost him a shot at battling for more, he acknowledged that Will Power and Scott Dixon may have had the measure on him regardless. “It was a great race. We had some excellent racing in the beginning. Scott and I went back and forth. In the end, I smoked it too hot in the pits and delayed my stop. But Will and Scott were just checking out,” he said of the competition.

The result moves Hunter-Reay to eighth in the championship as the Verizon IndyCar Series turns its attention to practice for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, which begins on Monday.

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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.