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n behalf of the entire Green Savoree Racing Promotions team, we’d like to welcome you to the 2023 BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland!
First and foremost, please join us in giving thanks to BITNILE. COM as the new title sponsor of this year’s event. BITNILE.COM has been a big supporter of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with primary livery on the Ed Carpenter Racing entries over the last couple years. It’s great to also have them on board here at Portland!
The U.S. Touring Car Championship has been added as part of the event schedule for the first time! These sports cars will add to the excitement of a jampacked weekend schedule consisting of 10 total races from five different series. The next generation of NTT INDYCAR SERIES stars will also compete in an INDY NXT race, and champions will be crowned in USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires as both series’ seasons conclude with tripleheader races.
On Sunday, the green flag drops at 12:30 p.m. on the penultimate NTT INDYCAR SERIES race of the season. Series points leader and 2021 Portland race winner Alex Palou will aim to clinch a championship as the field battles for 110 laps on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile circuit.
It takes over 200 volunteers to showcase this world-class event here in Portland, Ore. We thank every single one of them for their hard work, dedication and invaluable contributions. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all of our dedicated partners and sponsors for their support in helping make this spectacular weekend possible. Special thanks go to the City of Portland, Portland Parks and Recreation, Friends of PIR and the Portland International Raceway team for helping us put on a great show.
Have a fantastic weekend! We hope that you’ll consider joining Green Savoree Racing Promotions again for an event next season, whether it’s back here at PIR, or at our races elsewhere like Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course or on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. and Toronto, Canada.
See you at the green flag!
KEVIN SAVOREE President and COO Green Savoree Racing Promotions
elcome to the Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland, a fan-favorite race on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar. INDYCAR is committed to delivering a comprehensive fan experience through outstanding entertainment and thrilling competition as our drivers take on all obstacles presented by Portland International Raceway’s challenging, 1,964-mile road course.
Whether this is your first INDYCAR SERIES race weekend or you have been attending races here for years, we are excited for you to witness the spectacle of the sport here in the Pacific Northwest. This weekend has an atmosphere like few others, so we urge you to take in as much as possible and enjoy it all.
You’ll see close competition on the track from our elite driver lineup as they compete for the most challenging championship in motorsports, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. It’s unpredictable and you won’t know the winner until the checkered flag falls.
But the series is on the path to being one of the most sustainable racing series in the world. Our partners at Shell have created a 100% Renewable Race Fuel – which debuted earlier this season – and Firestone has a tire made from rubble produced by the sustainable desert shrub guayule that was used as the alternate tire this season on street circuits.
You should find that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES offers some of the most daring stars in the sport, including reigning series champion Will Power and Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, young stars like Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay and Colton Herta and record-chasing legends in the making such as Scott Dixon and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.
You’ll also see a future INDYCAR star as our development series, INDY NXT by Firestone, will also be on track this weekend as it concludes a thrilling, competitive season.
While at the racetrack, we invite you to download the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA on your smartphone to get behind-the-scenes driver features, live timing and scoring, in-car cameras and more information to help you follow the action. Also, follow the NTT INDYCAR SERIES online at INDYCAR.com, on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok (@INDYCAR), and keep track of future INDYCAR SERIES stars racing in INDY NXT by Firestone at indynxt. com or on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok (@indynxt)
Thank you for your continued support. INDYCAR appreciates your attendance this weekend. We are glad you can experience the speed, action and excitement that defines the series.
Enjoy the weekend!
MARK MILES President and CEO, Penske Entertainment Parent company of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway
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Excellence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you must earn every day. Honda put this philosophy to the test in March 2023, with Marcus Ericsson commanding a Honda-powered Indy car at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. A grueling 1.8-mile, 14-turn circuit composed of long straights, heavy braking zones, and tight corners, it was a true test of endurance in the face of adversity. Many drivers had fallen victim to the challenges the track posed in seasons past, but Ericsson had been preparing for this moment from the start.
Ericsson’s journey started with a burning passion—ignited at age 9, as his father watched him race karts. As the fire grew, Ericsson graduated to Formula 3,™ known by many as an important step in the development of racing greatness . By 20, he was competing in the GP2 Series, where each team is mandated to use the same engine, chassis, and tire supplier to reflect true driver ability. His hunger to push the limits then pushed him even further, leading to his entry in Formula 1® to participate in some of the world’s biggest races, like Monaco and Suzuka. Finally, at age 24, he took his skills to the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, which would prove to be a turning point.
The Honda engineers who built the HI8TT Series engine powering Ericsson’s charge were equally prepared. This 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 is largely defined by its power output, reaching up to 12,000 rpm and 700 bhp. Specifically designed for a track like St. Petersburg and its long frontstretch, the engine is optimized by high-octane E85 fuel, and also offers twin EFS turbos for a boost in speed before quick esses leading back to the runway. Years of research, development, and innovative thinking went into the machine, a testament to the unwavering drive that existed even beyond the driver of it.
With a first-place finish at stake, Ericsson dodged collisions and conquered corners to close the gap between him and first place. This was everything he had been working toward. Before he knew it, he was leading the pack for the first time in 97 laps, and never looked back. Now a winner in the first INDYCAR® race of 2023, he embraced thunderous applause from his team and fans in the grandstands. In a day overflowing with drama, Ericsson had put everything on the line —just as he always had—and his dedication had been rewarded.
Josef Newgarden’s text to his wife Wednesday evening was light on words but heavy on emotion. “I just love IMS,” he wrote.
Words by Curt Cavin and Images by INDYCAR Media
Newgarden crafted the message moments after entering Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since May when he won his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. He admitted to being a bit surprised by how the return impacted him.
“It was very cool,” he said. “I always loved it, always looked forward to coming here, and any time I’ve spent here has been great. But it now has an elevated feel to it. How can it not?
“(Being here) was hard to top before, but it’s definitely elevated now.”
And with that, Newgarden’s stern, competitive face reappeared. Those who know him understand how focused he is when it comes to his profession, and thus it’s not surprising that he isn’t interested this weekend in examining the Borg-Warner Trophy, which will soon include his likeness. There are still NTT INDYCAR SERIES races to attack and a championship to win.
Newgarden said there were some around him – he didn’t specify if they were members of his Team Penske crew – that were high-stepping a bit too much for his liking in the weeks after the “500.” Their perspective was, he said, that everything else accomplished this season would be gravy, but he was soured by that.
“No, no, we’ve got work to do,” he insisted. “We can sit back and enjoy what we did at Indy after the season’s done, in
the fall, when there’s nothing more we can do to win this championship.”
Even as Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou holds a commanding 105-point lead with three races to go, Newgarden is unwilling to concede. He has won 29 series races in a career that has produced two season championships. But what eats at him is three consecutive season runner-up finishes, and that’s his current position. Thus, he’s focused.
“We’re pretty far back, but there’s a window, a window of opportunity,” the driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet said. “Whenever there’s a chance, you’ve got to be ready to capitalize on it. So, that’s where we’re at.”
Obviously, Newgarden needs to start stacking exceptional results, and Palou needs to incur some bad luck and likely a lot of it.
So far, Palou’s worst finish of the season is an eighth in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. His average finish is 3.25, which is on pace to match Tony Kanaan’s modern-day record of 3.0, set in Kanaan’s championship-winning season in 2004.
With the road course victory in May, Palou’s confidence is based on having won at three of the final four venues on the schedule (IMS, Portland International Raceway and
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where last year he won by more than 30 seconds). Newgarden has won at two of the remaining tracks – IMS and World Wide Technology Raceway, where he has won the past three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races and four overall.
Newgarden said he will keep pedaling to put some pressure on Palou, but he also is realistic.
“It’s hard to say,” he said of his title chances. “A lot of the season is baked in right now.
“There was a lot that got away from us opportunity-wise this year that would have been helpful at this point. But you know, we are where we are and there’s a sliver of a chance, enough of a chance that we absolutely can still make something happen, so that’s where my focus is.”
The United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) is a professional road racing series comprising of late model sport compact sedans such as BMW 3 series, Mazdaspeed 3, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911, Audi R8, Ford Mustang, Volkswagen Jetta, Honda Civic and others. The cars use slightly modified engines and highly modified suspensions with aerodynamic ground effects and sticky Hankook slick race tires. Most of the cars are very close to what you would be driving on the street.
There are four classes in USTCC depending on the power of the car. GT is the fastest class with cars in the 500-600 hp level. Super Touring class is the next class with around 350 hp. The next class is Touring Car and the typical Touring Car class car has about 275-300 hp. Finally, Sportsman is the slowest class with cars around 200-250 hp.
“There are four classes in USTCC depending on the power of the car.”
Joining USTCC is a local group of drivers from Pro3, all driving BMW E30 models that are similarly equipped.
In USTCC, there are two big battles going on for the championship. In the Touring Car class, Gary Sheehan has joined forces with Tom Lepper and they are currently leading the points in the #31 Hyundai Genesis. Sheehan has won a record 7 championships while Lepper is a 5 time champion. The two will be hard to beat.
In the Sportsman class, Chris Evertsen/ Charlie Frank team are currently leading the battle in their #37 BMW 328i while the team of Michael McColligan/Tom Lepper is chasing them and keeping the pressure on.
The races can be seen exclusively on Final Drive TV available on NBC Sports on Xfinity cable, Dish Network, DirecTV and AT&T U-verse. For more information on USTCC, visit www.ustcc.com.
It was widely anticipated prior to the new USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires season that it would be hard to match the level of excitement that unfolded in 2022. An intense three-way battle waged throughout the 18-race campaign and was decided only at the last gasp, when preseason favorite Michael d’Orlando edged out Myles Rowe in a dramatic series finale here at Portland International Raceway. Rowe’s Pabst Racing teammate Jace Denmark also had been in the thick of the contest until faltering at the final hurdle.
All three protagonists have now graduated onto the next level of the USF Pro Championships ladder, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires. In fact, the top 11 finishers from last year have moved on to new pastures, opening the door for a fresh crop of youngsters aiming to scoop the champion’s Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship prize, valued at $433,200, to continue their
career progression in 2024. And the level of intensity has remained undiminished.
For the majority of this season Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing), from Athens, Ga., and Australian Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development) had been locked together at the top of the points table. Both drivers had won one race during all but one of the opening four race weekends of the season.
They were separated by just three points with 10 races in the books.
But a dramatic incident at Mid-Ohio on July 1 changed the picture entirely. In the second race of the weekend, Sikes had seemingly taken control until his commanding lead was negated by a full-course caution. Hughes, running second, glimpsed an opportunity soon after the restart, but a late-braking at-
tempt to make a pass ended in disaster as his car cartwheeled into a gravel trap and out of the race. Jay Howard’s team worked miracles to repair the badly damaged Tatuus USF-22 in time for the final race of the weekend, only for it to grind to a halt on the pace lap. Sikes took full advantage by driving away to a clear victory. It was no more than he deserved after displaying prodigious pace all weekend.
Sikes now holds a comfortable 69-point advantage as they head to the Pacific Northwest for the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Portland tripleheader finale.
Hughes’ recent woes have ensured that even his position of championship runner-up is now severely under threat. Nikita Johnson, 15, from Gulfport Fla., has won only once this season for VRD Racing but his tally of seven podium finishes has brought him within 10 points of Hughes. Canadian Mac Clark, meanwhile, last year’s inaugural USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires champion and a surprise winner on his toe-in-the-water USF2000 debut at Portland in 2022, lies only 15 points further back for DEForce Racing. And Jay Howard Driver Development’s Evagoras Papasavvas, another 15-year-old, from Loveland, Ohio, also has catapulted himself into contention following his maiden win at Mid-Ohio.
Myles Rowe doesn’t hold especially fond memories of Portland International Raceway. One year ago, the talented American arrived in the Pacific Northwest with his sights set firmly on winning the USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Championship. He held a relatively comfortable 23-point advantage heading into the season finale. Rowe needed only a trio of solid finishes to achieve his goal and clinch a scholarship valued at almost $407,000 to ensure graduation onto the next step of what has since been rebranded as the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel development ladder.
Instead, Rowe was involved in a series of skirmishes which ultimately scuppered his hopes of becoming the first Black driver to win one of the coveted titles which lead toward the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis 500.
Fortunately, Rowe’s main benefactors, Roger Penske and Penske Entertainment,
Words by Jeremy Shaw and Images by Gavin Baker Photography
maintained their faith in his ability and afforded him an opportunity to remain with the Pabst Racing with Force Indy team and move on to the next level, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires. Rowe has more than lived up to expectations. With 13 of 18 races in the books, he had scored more wins (five), pole positions (four), fastest race laps (three) and podium finishes (seven) than anyone else.
Our press deadline means that this story was written prior to last weekend’s pair of races at Circuit of The Americas, but with a commanding 81-point advantage as he headed for Texas, Rowe will return to Portland and the VP Racing Fuels Grand Prix with the crown well within his grasp. He has no intention of falling short this time around.
Rowe’s performance aside, this has been one of the most compelling seasons in the series’ storied history dating back to 1999. The opening seven races, at four venues, established a new record of seven different pole position starters. The record for the longest streak of different race winners also has been broken: It now stands at six.
Barring a disaster of epic proportions, Rowe this weekend should clinch the Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship valued at $664,500 to move on to INDY NXT by Firestone in 2024. But there are plenty of other youngsters who have impressed this
year and seem well placed to carve extensive careers in the sport.
The battle for second place in the championship remains intense. Drivers representing seven different nationalities (and six teams) remain in contention. Prior to the visit to Circuit of The Americas, Turn 3 Motorsport’s Michael d’Orlando, from Hartsdale, N.Y., was the only other driver to have multiple wins and poles (three apiece). It was d’Orlando who ultimately snatched the USF2000 championship from Rowe’s grasp last year, although an astonishing sequence of misfortune in the early part of this season severely
hampered his hopes of securing a second straight championship.
Others to have shone this year include Brazil’s Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing); Mexican Salvador de Alba and Swedish Exclusive Autosport teammate Joel Granfors; TJ Speed Motorsports stablemates Lirim Zendeli, from Germany of Albanian descent, and Italian Francesco Pizzi; plus Rowe’s Pabst Racing cohort Jace Denmark, from Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jonathan Browne (Turn 3 Motorsport) from Ireland. All are looking to complete their season with a flourish.
In contrast, all Rowe seeks is redemption.
SEPTEMBER 1-3, 2023
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