NTT DATA Extends Partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing
NTT DATA Services, a global digital business and IT services leader, announced a multi-year extension of its partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing that will expand to ranging sponsorship levels across the NTT INDYCAR Series entries of Scott Dixon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Kanaan and Alex Palou beginning in 2021.
Building on its longstanding partnership with one of INDYCAR’s iconic organizations, NTT DATA will have a range of engagements that incorporate: two of the most heralded drivers in all of motorsports, a fan favorite who has won a series championship and Indianapolis 500, and an upcoming talent in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
NTT DATA returns as the primary sponsor on the No. 10 NTT DATA Honda at multiple events for the 17-race season in 2021. Alex Palou, a 23-year-old Spaniard who replaces Felix Rosenqvist in this entry, will run the NTT DATA livery for the season opener at St. Petersburg, Fla. (March 7), Texas Motor Speedway (Race 1 on May 1), 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 (May 30), and the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. (Sept. 19), along with several other races over the course of the season.
Palou finished runner-up for rookie-of-the-year honors this past season driving for Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh. His season was highlighted by three-top 10 finishes, including a podium at Road America in June, and qualifying seventh for the Indianapolis 500. Next season with Palou on board will mark the eighth consecutive year that NTT DATA has served as the primary sponsor of the No. 10.
NTT DATA also returns as the season-long associate sponsor on the No. 9 car of six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon. He posted four wins en route to this season’s championship, leaving him one shy of the all-time record of seven series titles held by A.J. Foyt. The four victories pushed Dixon’s career total to 50, which trails only Foyt (67) and Mario Andretti (52) and includes the Indy 500 in 2008. NTT DATA has been an associate sponsor on Dixon’s car since 2017.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s new, highly anticipated No. 48 entry signals the arrival of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson to North America’s premier open-wheel series and the return of the 2013 Indy 500 winner and ’04 series champ Tony Kanaan to the organization. Johnson, who amassed 83 wins in his 20-year NASCAR Cup career, is scheduled to compete in only road and street course events for the upcoming NTT INDYCAR SERIES season while Kanaan will handle the No. 48 driving duties for the four oval events.
NTT DATA will be the primary sponsor for Johnson when he competes in the Honda Indy Toronto street circuit race on July 11. The event will mark the only race outside of the United States on the 2021 schedule and will be held in Canada’s largest city.
Kanaan, who spent the past three seasons with A.J. Foyt Racing, is quite familiar with NTT DATA Racing fans, having the company as the primary on his No. 10 Ganassi entry from 2015-17. He will have NTT DATA as a primary for the Aug. 21 race at St. Louis’ World Wide Technology Raceway and as an associate sponsor for the other three oval events, including the Indianapolis 500.
In addition to the association on three of the organization’s four entries, NTT DATA returns as the Official IT Services Partner to Chip Ganassi Racing’s INDYCAR program.
“This has been a tremendous partnership from a sponsorship perspective and from a technological standpoint over the years,” NTT DATA Services Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Croxville said. “Building and cultivating relationships with our clients is the foundation of our business. The partnership with a championship-winning organization that features unparalleled access to an incredibly talented group of drivers allows us to create unforgettable experiences with and for our clients and partners.”
The renewal extends a partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing that began in 2013 when NTT DATA sponsored the No. 8 entry of Ryan Briscoe in the Indianapolis 500. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, NTT DATA continued to expand that partnership with an INDYCAR organization that has amassed 13 series championships and 113 victories, including four prestigious Indy 500 crowns, in its 30-year history.
“NTT DATA has been and will continue to be a big part of who our company is, and what we represent as an organization,” team owner Chip Ganassi said. “Their involvement with our racing programs, from both a technology and business standpoint, has enabled us to deliver results on the track with multiple championships and race wins over the past eight years. Key relationships like this give us the ability to continue to push forward and achieve our goals.”
NTT DATA’s involvement in the sport also includes the return of its parent company, NTT, as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES entitlement partner for a third season in 2021. For more information on NTT DATA Racing, please visit www.us.nttdata.com/en/about-us/content/ntt-data-racing.