AVONADALE, La. – “Chip” Marshall has seen two sides of NOLA Motorsports Park. One was considerably closer to the asphalt in February.
Marshall, president of Louisiana-based Variable Bore Rams, turned 16 laps on the 2.74-mile, 13-turn road course in the Aussie Vineyards car that Will Power drove to victory at Long Beach, Calif., in the 2008 Champ Car World Series finale. KVSH Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais and team co-owner Jimmy Vasser also sampled the companion Panoz that Vasser drove in his final Indy car race at Long Beach.
Marshall, who watched the initial Verizon IndyCar Series practice on the track April 10, owns both race cars.
“It was a real hoot; it was one of the most exciting days of my life,” said Marshall, who has been involved commercially with KV Racing Technology since 2012.
For the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park, Variable Bore Rams is the primary sponsor on the No. 4 Chevrolet driven by Stefano Coletti.
“I started my company on June 30, 1980, and the people of Louisiana have been so supportive of my company, and I thought this would be a great way to show my appreciation to the people of Louisiana and do something fun,” Marshall said.
Fans can join Clauson as he attempts 'Indiana Double'
Bryan Clauson will compete in the “Indiana Double” on May 24. After driving in the 99th Indianapolis 500 in the KVSH-Jonathan Byrd’s Racing Chevrolet, he will drive the Jonathan Byrd’s Racing-sponsored Bryan Clauson Inc./Priority Aviation Services sprint car in the “Kokomo Classic” at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway.
Clauson is the reigning track champion.
Fans will be able to join Clauson through a package that includes tickets to both the Indy 500 and Kokomo Speedway, parking, escorted bus transportation to Indy and Kokomo, breakfast, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, beverages, and a commemorative hat or T-shirt. Visit www.bryanclauson.com.
Big surprise at the end of exciting ride
One could say that Andretti Sports Marketing senior account manager Liz Smith was taken for a ride at NOLA Motorsports Park by colleagues and even track president Kristen Engeron.
“Kristen had surprised me with a two-seater ride,” said Smith, the project lead for the company’s promotion of the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana. “I requested to ride with Zach Veach because he was with Andretti (Autosport in Indy Lights) last year. I did the lap and came in and my adrenaline was going crazy and I said, ‘Can I go again?’ I looked over and saw that there were cameras filming and noticed all of my colleagues holding signs.”
Scott Roeger approached Smith and proposed.
“I started crying. I had absolutely no idea,” Smith said. “I found out later that my now fiancée and Kristen had been in contact for over a month planning it. It was perfect.”
The couple met last year while both were associated with Global Rally Cross.
Of note
Boyd Gaming Corporation has partnered with CFH Racing for the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana. Boyd Gaming, one of the nation’s largest casino entertainment companies, will have two of its local properties represented on the No. 67 Chevrolet driven by Josef Newgarden. … The Verizon P1 Award winner for the pole position in qualifying at all 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series races receives $10,000 again this season. … The race winner will receive an engraved TAG Heuer timepiece. … The entrant of the car in pit lane the shortest amount of accumulated time during each race will earn the $10,000 “Firestone Pit Stop Performance” award. … The entrant of the highest-finishing car in each race displaying an Xtrac emblem on each side of the attenuator will be awarded $2,000. ... An Air Titan track drying system was borrowed from Texas Motor Speedway and used at NOLA Motorsports Park before the second practice April 10.