Several teams in the Verizon IndyCar Series made the trip to Sonoma on Monday for some preseason testing.
AJ Foyt Racing (Tony Kanaan, Matheus Leist), Dale Coyne Racing (Sebastien Bourdais, Pietro Fittipaldi), Ed Carpenter Racing (Spencer Pigot, Jordan King), Harding Racing (Gabby Chaves), Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (James Hinchcliffe, Robert Wickens), and Team Penske (Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud) all participated in today’s session at Sonoma, where the season-finale is set to take place on September 16.
Before the testing began though, there were some new liveries to show off for the upcoming season. ECR is going with a different look this year, as Pigot will sport a bright green Chevrolet, while Carpenter and King will have a black and white look in the No. 20 car. Both of these machines looked amazing in the press release, and even better on the track today.
Newgarden will be running the No. 1 with Team Penske as the reigning series champion, and his car was on display today in the familiar Hitachi colors that Helio Castroneves ran. Pagenaud is returning to his customary No. 22 with the bright Menards livery, and Power is in his usual silver Verizon machine.
The biggest surprise of the day however, came from Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan. It was announced earlier in the day that Coyne’s team would collaborate with Jimmy Vasser and James “Sulli” Sullivan with Bourdais in the No. 18 Honda. The car will carry SealMaster as the primary sponsor in nine races this year, including the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. The car, decked out in black, red, and yellow, was simply stunning. Coyne will still run the No. 19 car this year, likely with Zachary Claman De Melo and Pietro Fittipaldi sharing the seat.
Up next is a two-day open test on Friday and Saturday at Phoenix where 23 cars will get a chance to run the new aero kit. All four sessions (3-6 PM, 8-11 PM ET) will be streamed live and include live commentary and pit-lane interviews with drivers and team officials. The stream will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com and includes live timing and scoring.
Below are some photos from today’s test at Sonoma, courtesy of IndyCar.
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