Getting to Texas was stressful ordeal for rookies making IndyCar debuts

By Jun 5, 2020, 11:30 AM EDT
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Rinus VeeKay was among the first IndyCar drivers to arrive in Texas this week for Saturday night’s season opener (8 p.m. ET, NBC; schedule below).

The extra time to decompress is welcome for the Dutchman After a wild odyssey to make his NTT IndyCar Series debut, VeeKay could use the rest.

“It was very complicated,” VeeKay said Thursday during an IndyCar Zoom media availability. “I’ve had many weeks of no sleep.”

INFO, PLEASE: Details for Saturday night’s opener at Texas

VeeKay, 19, was in Europe when IndyCar confirmed last month its 2020 schedule would begin at Texas Motor Speedway.

Because he was restricted from traveling to the United States by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, VeeKay flew to Mexico and spent two weeks quarantining in Cancun (bringing along his personal trainer to stay fit) while working through the hurdles of U.S. entry.

“It took a long time to get the approval,” said VeeKay, who finished second in the 2019 Indy Lights points standings with six victories. “We tried to (be) safe, go to Mexico (and) at least be there (to) be closer to the U.S. If we don’t get an approval, I can stay in Mexico and  then travel to the U.S. That was just trying to be sure that I made it. Once I was there, I got the approval.”

Car owner Ed Carpenter said the team worked closely with Indiana Sen. Todd Young’s office to get VeeKay’s entry approved. While pro athletes have been exempted from travel bans, motorsports initially wasn’t on the list until the lobbying of IndyCar, IMSA and NASCAR, Carpenter said.

“There was a whole lot of people that helped make that happen, do it the right way,” Carpenter said. “Really thankful for everyone that played a part in getting Rinus and many other drivers back in the country.

Spaniard Alex Palou also will be making his IndyCar debut at Texas after getting cleared to travel from his native country to Texas last week. Palou has been staying at his residence in Austin, Texas, this week and planned to drive in Friday afternoon to Texas Motor Speedway and stay overnight ahead of Saturday’s full schedule of practice, qualifying and racing.

“Just to be sure I get there safe,” Palou said Thursday. “Now that I came from Spain, I don’t want to have a (tire) puncture or something because for sure that’s the typical things that happens to me, so I’m going to be there Friday night and wake up and just drive to the track.”

SATURDAY INDYCAR START TIMES AND TV SCHEDULE:

—IndyCar practice: 1 p.m., NBC Sports Gold

—IndyCar qualifying: 5 p.m., NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold

—Countdown to Green: 7:30 p.m., NBCSN

—IndyCar Genesys 300: 8 p.m., NBC

—IndyCar postrace coverage: 10 p.m., NBCSN

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).