SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2023

RACE: Bommarito Automotive Group 500
TRACK: World Wide Technology Raceway
LOCATION: Madison, Illinois, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.25-mile oval
RACE LENGTH: 260 Laps/325 Miles

PRACTICE: Saturday – 10-11 a.m. CT (Peacock Premium), 4-5:45 p.m. CT (Peacock Premium)
QUALIFYING: Saturday – 1-2 p.m. CT (Peacock Premium)
RACE: Sunday – 2:30 p.m. CT (NBC)

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO. 20 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet: “World Wide Technology Raceway presents us with another opportunity to test some experimental short oval setups. This track is quite different than Iowa Speedway, our last oval. WWT Raceway is relatively smooth versus Iowa’s bumpiness, so hopefully that will allow us to find some positive setup changes.” Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR Photo

OF NOTE: 

• Ryan Hunter-Reay is an NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion (2012) with 18 career wins, including a victory in the 2014 Indianapolis 500. He also has multiple overall IMSA sportscar wins, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans among them, has been invited to the Race of Champions five times and has won two ESPY ‘Driver of the Year’ awards (2013 and 2014). 

• The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based driver is recognized as one of the most successful American open wheel racing drivers and has brought a wealth of experience to Ed Carpenter Racing with an INDYCAR career that spans two decades. He joined the team as driver of the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet in June, prior to the Road America race weekend.

• Hunter-Reay was in the field for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES return to WWT Raceway in 2017 and competed in each race through 2021. In five of his seven starts, he qualified inside the Top 10. Most recently at WWT Raceway, he finished 7th which is tied for his best finish at the 1.25-mile oval. Sunday’s race will be Hunter-Reay’s third oval event with ECR, including the Iowa doubleheader last month.

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet: “After a pretty good last race at IMS, I am super excited to get to WWT Raceway. The first year I raced there in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, I finished P4 so that was pretty cool! It’s a great track and I’ve had some great passes and moments there. It’s such an interesting oval, it’s a lot different from the rest of the calendar so it should be a really interesting race. It will be fun! I am excited to get there and hopefully myself and the team to do well!” Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR Photo

OF NOTE: 

• Born in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, Rinus van Kalmthout began karting in 2009 at the age of 8. With sights set firmly on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, he transitioned to the Road to Indy in 2017 and launched his U.S. career driving as Rinus VeeKay. Just four years into his time in the United States, he not only reached the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, but earned 2020 Rookie of the Year honors. He joined the ranks of NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners in May of 2021 with a victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

• VeeKay reached 60 career starts with the most recent event, all of which have been with Ed Carpenter Racing. The 22-year-old is ECR’s longest-tenured full-time driver, now in his fourth season behind the wheel the No. 21 Chevrolet. Earlier this year, he qualified on the front row of the Indianapolis 500 for the third consecutive time and was the fastest Chevrolet-powered driver in the field for the fourth year in row.

• When VeeKay competed in his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at WWT Raceway in 2020, the weekend was the best of his career to that point. He drove up to 6th in Race 1, which was his highest finish on an oval until the next day. At the start of Race 2, VeeKay went four-wide down the backstretch and gained seven positions in the first lap. He continued a spirited charge through the field for the duration of the event, eventually climbing to 4th place. In last year’s event, an electrical issue ended VeeKay’s night just 53 laps into the 260-lap event. 

ED CARPENTER, NO. 33 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET

ED CARPENTER, No. 33 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet: “I am always excited for WWT Raceway! It has been such a great event since it came back on the schedule. I have had highs and lows at this track, just as this season as been one of highs and lows. I am extremely motivated to end my season on a high note for myself and for the team! We have been working harder than ever to get our trajectory back on the upswing, so I am ready to get to work.” Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR Photo

OF NOTE: 

• As Ed Carpenter competes exclusively in the oval events, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 will be his final race of 2023. He has led his own team since ECR was formed prior to the 2012 season and is the only active owner/driver in the field. In 2014, he began to focus exclusively on driving in the oval races and split the No. 20 with a second driver for the road and street course events. Last year, Carpenter transitioned to the No. 33 and ECR expanded to a three-car program for the ovals.

• Carpenter’s 2023 campaign has included Texas Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a doubleheader at Iowa Speedway. Last month at Iowa, he reached a career milestone as he competed in his 200th NTT INDYCAR SERIES race. He made his debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003 and will conclude his 21st season of competition this weekend at WWT Raceway. Earlier this year, he also raced in his 20th Indianapolis 500.

• Carpenter has competed in each NTT INDYCAR SERIES event since the it returned to WWT Raceway in 2017. The short oval is home to his most recent podium finish. In 2019, Carpenter worked his way through the entire field to earn a runner-up finish, missing the top step of the podium by a mere .0399 of a second. While his 2022 season finale was challenging, Carpenter persevered through the difficult conditions to the checkered flag.