Media Day Introduction To Made For TV Event - $1 Million Dollar Challenge @ThermalClub
Media Day Introduction To Made For TV Event - $1 Million Dollar Challenge @ThermalClub
In anticipation to The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge, members of the
invited media were treated to a lap of the track configured for the NTT
INDYCAR Heat Race Challenge. This made for TV event will be the first
non-championship NTT INDYCAR SERIES race since 2008. With a total payout of
over $1.7 million, it is the largest non-Indy 500 purse for an INDYCAR SERIES
event in over two decades.
The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge Fast Facts
Race weekend: Friday, March 22 - Sunday, March 24
Track: The Thermal Club, 3.067-mile, 17-turn road course (counterclockwise)
in Thermal, California
Race distances: (Two Qualifying Heats) 10 laps / 20 minutes) | (Sprint for
the Purse) Two Segments (10 laps/ 30.67 miles each) with 10-minute halftime
after Lap 10
Push-to-pass parameters: 40 seconds of total time for each qualifying
grioup, heat race and both segments of the final.
NBC Sports telecast: Races, 12:30 ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the
play-by-play announcer for NBC's coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,
alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe.
Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test sessions,
qualifying session, heat races and the final Sprint for the Purse will
stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside turn
announcers Ryan Myrehn and Jake Query. Michael Young is the pit reporter.
The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge, Saturday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open
Test sessions and qualifying session air live on SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218
and SiriusXM NBC Sports Audio 85, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR
App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (All Times Local Pacific Time Zone):
Friday, March 22
9-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test, Peacock
2-5 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test, Peacock
Saturday, March 23
9-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test, Peacock
1-3 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test, Peacock
5 p.m. – $1 Million Challenge heat race qualifying (two groups / 12 minutes
each), Peacock
Sunday, March 24
9:24 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Heat Race 1 “Drivers Start Your Engines”
9:30 a.m. – NBC on air
9:31 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Heat Race 1 (10 laps / 30.67 miles / 20
minutes / Top 6 advance to Sprint for the Purse), NBC
9:58 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Heat Race 2 “Drivers Start Your Engines”
10:05 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Heat Race 2 (10 laps / 30.67 miles / 20
minutes/ Top 6 advance to Sprint for the Purse), NBC
10:52 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Sprint for the Purse “Drivers, start your
engines”
10:59 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Sprint for the Purse (Two 10-lap segments
with 10-minute halftime after Lap 10), NBC (Live)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:
· The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge will be the first non-championship
NTT INDYCAR SERIES race since 2008. With a total payout of over $1.7
million, it is the largest non-Indy 500 purse for an INDYCAR SERIES event in
over two decades. More information on the weekend format can be found HERE.
There have been 10 INDYCAR SERIES exhibition races held since 1946,
including the Marlboro Challenge All-Star race, which was held by CART from
1987-1992.
NON-CHAMPIONSHIP INDYCAR RACES 1946-PRESENT
YEAR RACE
TRACK
WINNER
1957 Race of Two Worlds
Monza
Jimmy Bryan
1958 Race of Two Worlds
Monza
Jim Rathmann
1966 Fuji 200
Fuji
Speedway Jackie Stewart
1987 Marlboro Challenge
Tamiami Park
Bobby Rahal
1988 Marlboro Challenge
Tamiami Park
Michael Andretti
1989 Marlboro Challenge
Laguna Seca Al
Unser Jr.
1990 Marlboro Challenge
Nazareth
Rick Mears
1991 Marlboro Challenge
Laguna Seca
Michael Andretti
* Note: The 1981 and 1982 Indianapolis 500 only counted for the USAC INDYCAR
SERIES championship and was considered a non-championship event for CART
teams.
· Qualifying heat races will return to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for the first
time since the series conducted heat races at Iowa Speedway for the 2012 and
2013 events at the track. Two drivers entered have won heat races in their
career: Graham Rahal won heat races in both 2012 and 2013 at Iowa while
Scott Dixon won a heat race at Iowa in 2013.
NTT INDYCAR SERIES QUALIFYING HEAT RACES
YEAR TRACK
LENGTH WINNERS
2012 Iowa Speedway 30 Laps
Graham Rahal (1st), Tony Kanaan (2nd), Dario Franchitti (Dash)
2013 Iowa Speedway 50 Laps
Scott Dixon (1st), Graham Rahal (2nd), Helio Castroneves (Dash)
