RACE PREVIEW: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
TRACK: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
LOCATION: Monterey, California, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 11-turn, 2.238-mile natural road course
RACE LENGTH: 95 laps/212.61 miles
PRACTICE: Friday – 2:30-3:45 p.m. PT (Peacock Premium), Saturday – 10:15-11:15 a.m. PT (Peacock Premium), Sunday – 9-9:30 a.m. PT (Peacock Premium)
QUALIFYING: Saturday – 2:05-3:20 p.m. PT (Peacock Premium)
RACE: Sunday – 12:30 p.m. PT (NBC, 12 p.m.)
ED CARPENTER RACING
The 2022 season has come down to the final 95 laps of the year, the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Ed Carpenter Racing drivers Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay are eager to conclude their campaigns on a high note at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This weekend’s event is also part of a four-race technical partnership between ECR and Paretta Autosport. ECR provides support and personnel for Paretta Autosport’s No. 16, driven by Simona De Silvestro. The 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale will take place this Sunday, September 11 – VeeKay’s 22nd birthday.
CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET
CONOR DALY, No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet: “WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is a beautiful track, a great track for drivers. We obviously want to finish the season strong there after a tough go the past couple of races. Everyone at Ed Carpenter Racing wants to finish on a high note and hopefully we can get the job done for BitNile and all of the supporters we have had all year long!”
Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR
OF NOTE:
• Highlights of Conor Daly’s third season with ECR and first as full-time driver of No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet include the most successful Month of May of his career. He advanced through all rounds of qualifying and started 4th in the GMR Grand Prix, held on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Daly managed a 5th place finish in the race with some of the trickiest conditions of the year, with rain on and off for the duration of the event. Two weeks later, he paced the Indianapolis 500 field for several laps before finishing 6th – a career-best. Throughout the summer, Daly proved his versatility as a driver with strong finishes on both road courses and street courses. At the oval of Iowa Speedway, Daly qualified 3rd for both races of the doubleheader event.
• Daly has competed in two NTT INDYCAR SERIES events at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Last year, he ran a clean race and fought hard throughout the duration to bring home a 16th place finish. Daly is no stranger to success at Laguna Seca as he won both races of a Super Trofeo doubleheader at the course in 2019, one week before the INDYCAR race.
• BitNile Holdings, Inc. is the primary partner of the No. 20 Chevrolet as part of a multi-year deal. BitNile is a diversified holding company that specializes in disruptive technologies, including cryptocurrency and innovations in the field of Decentralized Finance (“DeFi”). They focus on large-scale crypto mining with energy efficient, powerful operations located in North America and operate their own high-density data center. BitNile invests in technology platforms that provide crypto holders a vehicle to earn interest on their crypto assets.
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN RACING TEAM POWERED BY BITNILE CHEVROLET
RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team Powered By BitNile Chevrolet: “I am so excited to head back to Laguna Seca. I had two wins there in Indy Lights, I just love the track. It’s low grip and very fun. I also love the area and the whale watching! It will take a lot of work to be fast this weekend, but we are ready for it and ready to improve. It will be the last race of the year and also my birthday! It will be a happy day, but also sad day because the season will be over!”
OF NOTE:
• Rinus VeeKay’s third season as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver was off to a strong start immediately as he led three of the first four races and recored three Top 10 finishes. He captured his second career pole position at Barber Motorsports Park, led the most laps of all drivers and earned his first podium of the year. Heading into the Indianapolis 500, he qualified on the front row for a second consecutive year and was the fastest Chevrolet-powered driver for the third year in a row. During the grueling mid-summer stretch, VeeKay recorded two 4th place finishes and one 6th place.
• As the 2020 edition of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey was cancelled, VeeKay has one previous NTT INDYCAR SERIES start at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Last year, he struggled with grip on his opening set of tires and had to switch from a three-stop strategy to a four-stop. In the closing laps, he made up four positions to finish 18th. Prior to joining the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, VeeKay competed in the 2019 Indy Lights doubleheader at the road course and won both races.
• Through the generosity of BitNile Holdings, Inc. (BitNile), ECR’s Bitcoin Racing Team continued to grow in 2022. Beginning with the Indianapolis 500, VeeKay has driven the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team Powered by BitNile Chevrolet. BitNile provided VeeKay the unique opportunity to design the car, allowing him pay homage to his native country of the Netherlands and his Dutch family, friends and supporters. Additionally, any individual who scans the unique QR code on the side of the No. 21 car and completes the registration receives free Bitcoin from Earnity, a community-based crypto platform of which BitNile is a significant investor.
Tags Bitcoin Racing TeamBitNileChevroletConor DalyFirestone Grand Prix of MontereyNTT IndyCar SeriesRinus VeeKayWeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca