For the last race weekend of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America season, a wide array of talents from all across the globe are preparing for the final round showdown. However, a handful of drivers in particular are coming to Indianapolis Motor Speedway with some extra experience.
A mix of past and present NTT IndyCar Series drivers will be returning to the Brickyard, swapping out open-wheel cars for GT3 and GT4 machinery.
Notably, defending champion Alex Palou, Conor Daly and Zach Veach will all be featured in the list of competitors for the illustrious Indy 8-Hour, all representing different manufacturers, while Matheus Leist is looking to close out his season in the Pirelli GT4 America championship.
The event broadcasts LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1.
Palou’s racing pedigree speaks for itself, with three IndyCar championships to his name with Chip Ganassi Racing, 11 wins, 31 podiums and six pole positions – he is in a league of his own at the moment. After taking his most recent championship crown at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, he became only the seventh driver in series history to secure three titles within a span of four years, with Dario Franchitti being the last to accomplish this feat back in 2011.
With two prior back-to-back victories on the road course layout, it goes without saying that he has extensive first-hand knowledge of what it takes to succeed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he is glad to be able to carry that experience over into another discipline as he learns the details of his No. 4 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
“Since we already race here a couple of times a year in IndyCar, on both the road course and the oval, I don’t have to worry at all about my track knowledge,” Palou stated. “It’s obviously completely different perspectives behind the wheel, but it allows me to focus instead on getting to know the team, the car, the series, the tires, and so on. A lot of elements will be new for me, so at least being so familiar with the circuit itself will make things a little easier.”
Conor Daly
Daly has been a part of the IndyCar scene for over a decade, with over 100 career starts. The Indiana native has been attached to many of the series’ teams, including A. J. Foyt Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing and most recently Juncos Hollinger Racing, with whom he achieved a podium finish earlier this year in race No. 1 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.
An element that he is particularly looking forward to is the duration of the Indy 8-Hour itself, and the night portion that comes with it. Serving as the longest race hosted at IMS, the event begins during the daytime before progressing into darkness, with the track illuminated by the floodlights in the final hours.
“I’ve never driven there at night, so that will be fantastic,” Daly exclaimed. “I know the track like the back of my hand, so thankfully that will help me, but I’m just happy to be able to compete in such a cool event. I’m glad that IMS and the series are able to put this on because it’s such a great facility to be driving at. I’m sure all the teams will have a lot of fun.”
Zach Veach
Veach is also greatly looking forward to his return to Indianapolis. After competing in IndyCar with Ed Carpenter Racing, A. J. Foyt Racing and Andretti Global, which also saw him run in the Indy 500 on four separate occasions, he is eager to take his newer love of GT racing to new heights.
“I’m just excited to go there and see what it’s like,” Veach explained. “I’ve only ever driven at Indy in an open-wheel car, and I’m sure I’ll be blown away by how drastically different it feels, and it may even be a little more enjoyable to drive. With these high downforce open-wheel cars at places like IMS, you’re so close to the edge most of the time that you’re always catching the car. You never have a chance to really take a breath. The GT car is just so much more enjoyable because it’s a completely different challenge that requires the same level of attention and commitment, but you’re not wrestling it all the time.”
“It allows you to think more about what you can do as a driver,” he continued. “You’re actively evaluating what you can do to get the car through the corner as quickly as you can, as opposed to balancing how far you can really push it before it comes back to bite you.”
Matheus Leist
When touching on the transition from open-wheel racing to sportscars, Leist, who previously competed for A.J. Foyt Racing in 2018 and 2019, explained that “the main difference is the weight of the car and the speeds. IMS is a very fast track with long straights, but you’re able to brake very deep in a GT car. The handling is different, since the cars are a lot heavier, but in my opinion it makes for more interesting racing because there are more passing opportunities.”
“IMS is very special for racing,” Leist recalled. “I raced in the Indy 500 twice, I had my best IndyCar career finish there, and I’m excited to be back. I haven’t been there in a few years now, so I’m looking forward to driving the GT4 car around the track and seeing how it goes.”