NTT Data to takeover IndyCar title sponsorship (3rd Update)

NTT Data sponsored a Ganassi IndyCar for many years

UPDATE This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' today. INDYCAR announced today during the North American International Auto Show that global information technology and communications leader NTT has signed a multiyear agreement to become the IndyCar Series title partner.

In addition, NTT becomes the official technology partner of INDYCAR, the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Brickyard 400 beginning in 2019.

01/14/19 This morning the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) kicked off in Detroit with two weeks’ worth of car reveals, announcements and displays on-hand for fans and professionals to take in.

Among those announcements scheduled for this year’s show is tomorrow’s “major announcement" made public by INDYCAR last week. The press conference will take place at 12:15 PM ET on Tuesday, to be held at the Atrium Stage in the Cobo Center.

With the most important executives in INDYCAR on hand – including Hulman & company president and CEO Mark Miles as well as Jay Frye, the president of INDYCAR – it is widely expected that the sanctioning body will announce the next title sponsor for the IndyCar Series. This comes after Verizon ended its five-year partnership in December.

The expected title sponsor announcement on Tuesday marks just another step in the right direction for North America’s premier open-wheel racing discipline. Rumor are that INDYCAR has been in advanced talks with NTT Data, the same Japanese telecommunications company that has backed Chip Ganassi Racing since 2013

On Tuesday a live stream of the festivities will be available via IndyCar.com courtesy of the NAIAS webpage. Along with Frye and Miles, additional INDYCAR drivers and team representatives will be on hand to ring in the announcement.

01/06/19 NBC ran this Ad during the Bears/Eagles NFL playoff game Sunday evening. Lots of NTT Data promotion.

Is the deal done or is IndyCar or NBC doing this to persuade them? We're sure IndyCar would have input if indeed NBC ran this for free.

01/06/19 IndyCar has been in advanced talks with NTT Corp., the Japanese parent company of NTT Data, about taking over as title sponsor, according to sources. IndyCar has been in the market searching for a replacement for Verizon for more than a year, and the hunt is coming down to the wire with pre-season testing set to kick off at Circuit of the Americas next month. NTT has emerged as one of the few companies that IndyCar has been seriously talking to in recent months, according to more than half a dozen people informed of the matter, though it could not be confirmed whether the deal was finalized or still being negotiated.

IndyCar CEO Mark Miles has said to expect an announcement this month. One of NTT’s main subsidiaries, NTT Data, is a longtime sponsor of Chip Ganassi Racing’s IndyCar program and it is one of the largest IT services companies in the world with more than $16B in annual revenue. Adam Stern/Sports Business Daily