The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is in the midst of a three-week break before the season resumes on Saturday, August 17 with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The drivers and teams tried to use the Olympic break for some rest, but the series has remained active since the last race, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto on July 21.

Here are some of the events from the world of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES over the past two weeks:

Testing, testing

Testing took place at two locations on August 1, with nine drivers from Andretti Global, Arrow McLaren, Chip Ganassi Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing testing at WWTR.

The day served as a rookie test for Kyffin Simpson and Linus Lundqvist representing CGR, Christian Rasmussen with ECR and Nolan Siegel, the only Arrow McLaren on site.

The three fastest speeds for Andretti Global were set by Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson. The trio was joined by Juncos Hollinger Racing with drivers Romain Grosjean and Conor Daly.

Both Andretti Global and JHR received an additional day of testing as they are the only NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams participating in the INDY NXT by Firestone.

Also on August 1, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing looked to the future with a single-car test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Formula 2 veteran Zane Maloney completed 88 laps of the 14-turn, 2.439-mile track in a private test.

On August 7, four drivers participated in a Firestone tire test at the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway. Will Power (Team Penske), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) and Herta (Andretti Global) took part in the session. These are the top four drivers chasing championship leader Alex Palou. Power is second, 49 points behind, Dixon is third (-53), Herta fourth (-57) and O’Ward fifth (-71).

Palou was not present because both manufacturers, Honda and Chevrolet, had two cars each available. Ganassi provided a car to Dixon, a three-time winner of Nashville Superspeedway (2006-08), while Palou has never raced there. For data reasons, Dixon is a smart choice.

O’Ward conducted testing in Nashville in June and was therefore able to provide extensive feedback on both days of testing to continue the development of the Firestone Firehawk race tire for the season finale on September 15.

Power plays drums in Milwaukee

Ahead of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ return to the Milwaukee Mile with the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend August 30-September 1, Team Penske driver Power visited the Wisconsin State Fair on August 2.

In addition to visiting with local media to build excitement for the first INDYCAR event at the historic Wisconsin State Fair Park racetrack since 2015, Power also took full advantage of his first visit to the Wisconsin State Fair, one of the most popular and well-attended annual state fairs in the country.

On the second day of the 2024 State Fair, which runs through Aug. 11, Power waved the checkered flag for the wildly popular hog races before joining local band – the Myles Wangerin Trio – on drums for a few songs on the Camp Barr stage.

Power also signed autographs for fans in the busy Central Park area of ​​the fair, alongside the INDYCAR exhibit. He also found time to sample some of the fair’s culinary specialties, including a smoked turkey leg and Wisconsin State Fair Park’s legendary Original Cream Puffs, which will celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2024.

“Man, it was a great day at the Wisconsin State Fair and it was great to see so many fans here in Milwaukee,” Power said. “Everyone seems really excited to have INDYCAR racing in Milwaukee again and we can’t wait to put on a great show for the fans on Labor Day weekend.”

“It was fun to get behind the drums and play a few songs with the band, and I even got the chance to try a turkey leg and one of the fair’s famous cream puffs. With the races being held on consecutive days, the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s will be a really important weekend in the championship, so we’re looking forward to coming back in a few weeks and getting some good results on the track to keep our momentum going.”

Power, who has won twice this season, is second in the championship standings, 49 points behind Palou. Power won at Milwaukee in 2014 and was the fastest driver at the June test.

Robb throws first pitch in Indianapolis

AJ Foyt Racing driver Sting Ray Robb was the guest of honor at Faith Night on Friday, August 2, at the Indianapolis Indians’ baseball game against the Toledo Mud Hens at Victory Field in Indianapolis. Robb greeted fans, led a prayer service and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

“It’s pretty cool, and to do this in the city where I want to make a difference means a lot to me,” Robb said.

For him, the opportunity was a full-circle moment where all three of his interests came together in one place.

Robb was a religious person from a young age and also played baseball. As a teenager in Idaho, he traded in his baseball glove for racing gloves.

Ganassi drivers visit Colts camp

Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Marcus Armstrong and Lundqvist visited the Indianapolis Colts training camp this week. Armstrong stopped by on August 5th and Lundqvist on August 7th.

Armstrong, a New Zealand native and an NFL fan, was greeted by wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., both wearing No. 11. Indianapolis native JuJu Brents, a second-year cornerback, also stopped by to chat with Armstrong.

Fellow cornerback and avid NTT INDYCAR SERIES fan Kenny Moore snuck in and attempted a playful tackle on Armstrong. Moore attended several races, including the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

Lundqvist was greeted at practice by Colts starting center Ryan Kelly. The Swedish rider said this was his first NFL experience and he had a great day seeing training camp up close.

Rosenqvist and Boles enjoy the Indiana State Fair

Meyer Shank Racing driver Felix Rosenqvist and AJ Foyt Racing’s Robb both celebrated bachelor parties during the offseason. Both are marrying long-time girlfriends during the offseason. And like Robb, Rosenqvist participated in local attractions in Indianapolis.

Rosenqvist visited the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis on August 9th along with Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles.

IMS partnered with the Indiana Dairy Association for a racing-themed day at the Dairy Bar at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Boles and Rosenqvist were both featured waiters.

Remarkable

• Ericsson, Christian Lundgaard and Scott McLaughlin were among the drivers who left the United States during the break. Ericsson’s wife, Iris, has family in Greece, so the couple visited the European country before the WWTR test. Lundgaard and McLaughlin returned to their home countries of Denmark (Lundgaard) and New Zealand (McLaughlin) to visit family and play golf.