IndyCar has signed a multi-year deal with Japanese technology company NTT to become its new title sponsor, following the end of a partnership with Verizon.
The 17-race series will be renamed the NTT IndyCar Series while the company will also be designated “the Official Technology Partner of IndyCar”. Financial terms were not disclosed.
As part of the agreement – which was made at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit – IndyCar and NTT will partner on digital innovations, including an “evolution” of the IndyCar mobile app.
“Having a strong technology partner is critically important to IndyCar’s continued growth,” said Mark Miles, president and chief executiveof Hulman & Company, which owns IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Subsidiary NTT Data has been a sponsor for Chip Ganassi Racing since 2013.
“This is a huge chance for us to let people know who NTT is,” said Tsunehisa Okuno, executive vice-president and head of global business for NTT.
“There’s been an IndyCar race in Japan and we would love more IndyCar racing in Japan,” Okuno added. “If we could make it happen, it is a very good showcase to let Japanese clients know what we are doing in bigger markets.”