INDYCAR News and Notes – July 21, 2015
1. INDYCAR Personalities Commit to Dan Wheldon Pro-Am Karting Event: Scott Dixon, Sarah Fisher, Ed Carpenter and Sebastian Saavedra are among the drivers who have committed to participating in the third Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Karting Challenge at New Castle (Ind.) Motorsports Park on Sept. 19.
The race features Verizon IndyCar Series and Mazda Road to Indy drivers representing teams backed by corporate partners such as Firestone, Comfort Revolution, Target, Machine of Awesome and Performance Tire Service Company.
It serves as a fundraiser for The Dan Wheldon Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association — a cause close to Wheldon’s heart after his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2008 and passed away in April 2014. Wheldon sustained fatal injuries in a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011, the same year he won his second Indianapolis 500.
The event has raised over $165,000 to establish The Sue Wheldon Fund, which has supported a New Investigator Research Grant and early-stage programs of the Greater Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association as well as the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter’s care and support programs.
The event features 20 corporate-sponsored teams consisting of one professional driver and three amateur drivers in a timed two-hour race. Karts for the final stint will be driven by the professional racers. Fans are invited, with a driver autograph session a part of the day’s activities.
“When we started this event in 2013, we did it to honor Dan’s legacy with support for charities that were near to his heart,” said his widow, Susie Wheldon. “I’m amazed and humbled at what we’ve accomplished in just two short years and it is exciting to see the event grow and for everyone to have such a good time raising money for the foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association. I really hope we can fill all 20 (sponsorship) spots this year in order to raise the bar for 2016 and continue to touch lives through Dan’s legacy.”
2. Viewership Up for NBCSN’s Iowa Telecast: NBCSN’s prime-time telecast of the Iowa Corn 300 on July 18 drew an average viewership of 541,000, making it the network’s most-watched Verizon IndyCar Series race since 2011 at Baltimore.
It is the third consecutive NBCSN telecast of a Verizon IndyCar Series race this season that has attracted more than 500,000 viewers and shown dramatic growth in ratings and viewership compared to 2014.
Viewership of the action-packed race at the 0.894-mile Iowa Speedway was 22 percent higher than the 2014 race telecast and peaked at 650,000 viewers during the late-race duel between Ryan Hunter-Reay and Josef Newgarden for the victory. Hunter-Reay became the ninth different winner in 13 races this season and led a 1-4 finish by American drivers.
The July 12 telecast of the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest (64 percent increase) and the June 27 telecast of the MAVTV 500 (82 percent increase) also recorded substantial viewership gains over 2014.
Average viewership and ratings for all Verizon IndyCar Series telecasts this season are up nearly 10 percent and a continuation of the growth in 2014, when INDYCAR experienced a 25 percent viewership gain over the previous year.
With three races left, the Verizon IndyCar Series championship remains up for grabs. Front-runner Juan Pablo Montoya of Team Penske holds a 42-point advantage over the surging Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Three-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon is 48 points out of first, while Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves and reigning series champion Will Power also are in striking range.
The championship has been decided in the final race for the past nine years, and the season-ending GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 30 carries double points.
Sources: Verizon IndyCar Series PR