Global Entertainer Lele Pons to Ride in Honda’s Fastest Seat in Sports at Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
MONTEREY, Calif. (September 21, 2019) – Lele Pons, a multi-talented global entertainer, digital creator, and three-time Platinum recording artist, will be the celebrity passenger in Honda’s Fastest Seat in Sports for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey NTT IndyCar Series race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Pons will lead the parade lap, ahead of the field of IndyCar Series competitors, in a custom-built, Honda-powered, two-seat Indy car driven by racing legend Mario Andretti. Andretti is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his 1969 Indianapolis 500 win this year.
“I’m so excited to attend my first INDYCAR event alongside legend, Mario Andretti. It’s an honor to be here on the 50th anniversary of his Indy 500 win!” Pons said.
Pons was named one of 2016’s “30 Most Influential People on the Internet” by TIME Magazine; a member of Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Class of 2017”; Instagram’s most-watched stories producer in 2017; and a three-time Platinum singer with her first single “Celoso” in 2018. Pons is leading an industry revolution as the world’s top digital creator.
The race will be televised live on NBC, with the pre-race show starting at 2:30 p.m. ET. The green flag is scheduled for 3:25 p.m.
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will be the setting for Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series season-closing Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey that will determine the series champion among the remaining contenders. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet) leads Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda) by 41 points, teammate Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Menards Chevrolet) by 42 and five-time series champion Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Honda) of Chip Ganassi Racing by 85. Tickets for Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey can be found at https://www.
Now in its 10th consecutive year, Honda’s Fastest Seat in Sports helps to kick off each NTT IndyCar Series® race throughout the season, giving athletes, celebrities and notable influencers an opportunity to experience the thrill of the Honda-powered two-seat Indy car. Recent participants include Lady Gaga, Channing Tatum, Kawhi Leonard and Julian Edelman. Honda also continues its commitment to IndyCar® this year as the automaker celebrates its 26th consecutive year as a manufacturer to the NTT IndyCar Series®. For more information about Honda’s racing programming, please visit HondaRacing.com.
About IndyCar
INDYCAR is the sanctioning body of the NTT IndyCar Series, the premier open-wheel racing series in North America. INDYCAR events are available to a worldwide audience through a variety of multimedia platforms, highlighted by a broad-reaching partnership with NBC Sports Group. INDYCAR is continually at the forefront of motorsports innovation with drivers, teams and tracks benefiting from safety and technological improvements such as the SAFER Barrier, SWEMS wheel and chassis component tethers, chassis enhancements, advanced aerodynamic bodywork kits, high-definition in-car cameras and E85 ethanol fuel.
About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold through over 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Pilot sport/utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan.
Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2018, more than 90 percent of all Honda brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.
About NTT
NTT is a fully integrated technology, networking and innovation services leader that helps enterprises exceed their digital transformation goals. More than 80 percent of Fortune 100 companies trust NTT for security expertise and world-class services including consulting, cloud, networking and systems integration. Significant ongoing investments in R&D reinforce our foundation in digital and cutting-edge technologies including AI, IoT, and quantum computing.
NTT companies, including NTT DATA, NTT Communications, Dimension Data and NTT Security, generate over $106 billion in annual revenue worldwide by providing new and highly valued ways of serving our clients and society as one NTT.
Sources: Mike Zizzo/NTT IndyCar Series PR