IndyCar News: Five IndyCar drivers to appear at Detroit Auto Show
The much-anticipated return of Racing Day at the Detroit Auto Show on Friday, January 17 will feature some of the top stars of motorsports, along with world-class race cars and one of the most historic trophies in sports history.
Racing Day presented by the Detroit Grand Prix will rev up the Detroit Auto Show at Huntington Place in Downtown Detroit on January 17. Motorsports will take center stage at the show on that Friday, highlighting the new collaboration in 2025 between two of Detroit’s most popular and iconic events.
Auto Show attendees will have an opportunity to engage with some of top drivers competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone, two of the series that annually compete at the Detroit Grand Prix, on Racing Day. Drivers in attendance will include:
- Josef Newgarden of Team Penske – Back-to-back and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner, two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet Indy Car
- David Malukas of AJ Foyt Racing – NTT INDYCAR SERIES podium finisher entering his fourth season in the series and first year racing for the team owned by INDYCAR legend AJ Foyt; driver of the No. 41 Chevrolet Indy Car
- Kyffin Simpson of Ganassi Racing – Entering his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES season competing for one of the top teams in the series and driver of the No. 8 Honda Indy Car
- Nolan Allaer of HMD Motorsports – Detroit native who will compete in his second INDY NXT season in 2025 and driver of the No. 11 car
- Callum Hedge of Abel Motorsports – Earned his first career INDY NXT podium finish with a third-place result at the 2024 Detroit Grand Prix and driver of the No. 17 car
In addition to the high-powered stars, some of racing’s unique cars will also be featured on Racing Day at the Detroit Auto Show. The Atrium area at Huntington Place, adjacent to the Detroit River, will be open and accessible to fans for free and this area will feature Racing Day activities throughout the day on January 17. The No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Chevrolet INDYCAR that Josef Newgarden drove to victory in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 – Team Penske’s record 20th Indy 500 win – will be on display throughout the day alongside the world-renowned Borg Warner Trophy that features the likeness of every Indy 500 champion throughout history, one of the most iconic and historic trophies in all of sports.
A Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, representing the race cars that compete in the GTD Pro Class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the Detroit Grand Prix, will also be on display in the Atrium area on Racing Day.
At 11:00 am and again at 12:30 pm on Racing Day, the drivers will provide rides to lucky fans on the Detroit Grand Prix-inspired indoor track on the show floor in production vehicles, including two Chevrolet Corvette E-Rays that were featured as pace cars for both the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and the 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
The Huntington Place Atrium will also provide an opportunity for fans to engage with the stars of Racing Day at the Detroit Auto Show. At 1:00 pm ET on January 17, all of the drivers in attendance for Racing Day will host a free autograph session with fans, alongside some of the on-air personalities from FOX 2 Detroit – the new television partner of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. Following the autograph session, fans are invited to witness a panel discussion on racing and the Detroit Grand Prix on the Atrium stage beginning at 2:00 pm.
In addition to all of the turbocharged activities on Racing Day, the Detroit Grand Prix display areas will drive excitement throughout the 2025 Detroit Auto Show. As the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear gears up for a return to the Streets of Downtown Detroit this summer, May 30-June 1, the event’s two Indy Cars will be on display for fans to enjoy at this year’s Auto Show. Featuring a cool new design for 2025, one of the Detroit GP cars will be featured in the event display on the concourse at Huntington Place, while the other Indy Car will be included in the new Grand Prix interactive area on the show floor.
Located next to the Detroit Grand Prix track on the Auto Show floor, featuring some of the unique elements of the event’s actual downtown street circuit, the Detroit GP interactive area will showcase two of the distinctive race cars that will compete in the Motor City this summer. The No. 3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet Indy Car, driven by Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, will be included in the Grand Prix show floor display. Representing the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship that competes at the Grand Prix, the Porsche Penske Motorsport No. 7 Porsche 963 that captured the 2024 series GTP championship will also be featured in the Detroit GP display. One of INDYCAR’s world-class race transporters will serve as the backdrop in the Grand Prix display area throughout the Auto Show.
Show attendees will feel the need for speed in the Detroit Grand Prix show floor display throughout the show. Beyond the high-tech race cars on display, visitors will have a chance to experience being in the “Winner’s Circle,” complete with trophies, hats and champagne bottles for photo opportunities, as well as an impressive tire wall display courtesy of Firestone. Fans can also learn about the evolution of the Detroit Grand Prix while reliving some of the event’s greatest moments through historical photography featured on the big legacy cubes within the display.
The green flag waves on the Detroit Auto Show this weekend and the show runs through Monday, January 20 at Huntington Place. For tickets and for more information, visit detroitautoshow.com.