The late Hank Steinbrenner will be remembered by Andretti Autosport in Saturday’s Firestone 175 virtual race at Twin Ring Motegi. The 63-year-old Steinbrenner passed away Tuesday after a lengthy illness in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
He was co-owner and co-chairman of the famed New York Yankees of Major League Baseball.
His son, George Michael Steinbrenner, IV is one of the team principals at Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport. Colton Herta’s No. 88 Capstone Turbine car will run a special New York Yankees “Pinstripe” paint scheme in honor of honor of the late Hank Steinbrenner.
“My dad was a massive racing fan and was Steinbrenner Racing’s biggest fan,” said George Steinbrenner IV. “He was so supportive of me and the team, so it’s special to be able to honor him with a livery — even in the virtual world. A massive thanks to Capstone as well for the collaboration in honoring his memory.”
The livery, developed with Capstone Turbine and the Steinbrenner family, features the iconic blue and white pinstripes of the New York Yankees and carries a special “HS” decal in two locations.
“Obviously it’s been a tough week for the whole Andretti Harding Steinbrenner team with the passing of Hank Steinbrenner,” said Herta. “Hank wanted to carry the Yankee tradition of winning into racing. I’m really proud to be able to help honor him this weekend with our pin-striped Capstone livery as a tribute. We’ll be racing with heavy hearts and hoping for a great result to honor his name.”
In addition to Herta’s tribute livery, all six Andretti Autosport entries will carry a decal in honor of Hank for this weekend’s INDYCAR iRacing Challenge.
“Capstone is honored for the opportunity to pay tribute to Hank Steinbrenner’s legacy in the Firestone 175 INDYCAR iRacing Challenge by collaborating with Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport on the No. 88 Tribute Livery,” said Darren Jamison, President and CEO of Capstone Turbine. “Hank’s passing is a tremendous loss to the sports community. On behalf of the entire Capstone organization, we extend our deepest condolences to George and the entire Steinbrenner family.”
Steinbrenner’s father was the legendary owner of the team from 1973 until his death in 2010.
Steinbrenner and his younger brother, Hal, co-owned the Yankees until his death.
Hank Steinbrenner was an avid race fan and once co-owned Darrell Gwynn’s NHRA Drag Racing Team.
Famed New York Yankees star and Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson told the New York Post that he enjoyed his time with the colorful Hank Steinbrenner.
“Very generous, thoughtful and respectful. He was a helluva guy, a lot of personality. He would tell you jokes. Loved to talk about the game. Loved the job that Hal [Steinbrenner] was doing and the organization, what they were doing, the steps they were doing,” Jackson told The Post on Wednesday. “He was gracious and kind and a big tipper. Thoughtful of people. He was a helluva guy to be around. A good guy to be around.
“Hank will be missed. The shame of it all is that his brother [Hal] really worked at trying to get [Hank] involved. Nothing would have made Hal happier than to have his brother involved. [Hal] would always say to me, ‘Reggie, I have to call my brother on these decisions, help me get him up here.’”
Hank Steinbrenner often attended NTT IndyCar Series races to watch his son’s effort with Herta. Steinbrenner, however, parked his motorhome in very inconspicuous locations. Those included outside of Turn 2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Turn 12 at Road America.
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