IndyCar: Team Penske and Verizon Extend Longtime Partnership
Following a 2022 season that saw Will Power win his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES title in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet, Team Penske and Verizon (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) today announced a multi-year extension of their longtime partnership.
Verizon will continue as the primary sponsor of Power and the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet for all 17 races on the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. The Verizon colors first adorned the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet in 2009 as Power competed in select INDYCAR races during his first season with Team Penske. The technology, communications, information and entertainment leader has remained the primary sponsor of Power throughout his 15-year career with Team Penske, with this new agreement extending the relationship into the future.
“Verizon has been a great partner of Team Penske since our first season together in 2009,” said Roger Penske. “With their commitment to cutting-edge technology and performance, Verizon has been an integral part of our success in INDYCAR competition and the company continues to deliver for our team and for the INDYCAR SERIES. We are excited to build on our success together for the future.”
Power continues to rise through the ranks of the all-time greatest drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as he enters his 15th season as part of the Team Penske lineup. After winning races at a prodigious clip early in his career, the Toowoomba, Australia native captured his first series title in 2014. In 2018, he became the first Australian to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” with a spectacular victory in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet. In 2022, Power delivered a season that cemented his place in INDYCAR SERIES history. A championship year was punctuated by a record-breaking performance as he passed Mario Andretti for the most pole positions in INDYCAR history during the final weekend of the season at Laguna Seca. A podium finish on race day propelled Power to his second career title as he completed all 2,268 laps of competition in 2022. Over the course of the partnership between Verizon and Team Penske, Power has produced 41 wins and 68 pole positions, which ranks fifth and second in team history, respectively.
“Very few drivers are lucky enough to have the support of one partner for as long as I’ve had the opportunity to work with Verizon,” said Power. “They have been instrumental in my career – a career that would likely have looked much different without them. I still have things I want to accomplish, and I look forward to representing them and bringing the Verizon Chevy back to the winner’s circle.”
Verizon and Team Penske have a longstanding tradition of innovation. From using Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband to analyze the performance of cars coming in and out of the first turn at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in preparation for the Indianapolis 500 and being able to analyze performance data in near real-time, to race fans sharing, streaming and tweeting race moments via Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband under the direction of Penske Entertainment at IMS, innovation is the foundation of this partnership.
“Team Penske has been a true co-innovation partner since the very beginning of our relationship. They understand the impact that Verizon 5G can have on what they are trying to achieve each season, which is an NTT INDYCAR SERIES title, and the proof is in their performance,” said Massimo Peselli, CRO of Global Enterprise and Public Sector, Verizon Business. “We’re excited to continue this legacy and be a key part of this storied race team’s future.”