Andretti Autosport Owner Michael Andretti said that his IndyCar team "will not be switching to Chevrolet and has instead signed a two-year contract extension to stay with Honda Performance Development," according to Jim Ayello of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Andretti also said that "despite its best efforts, the team was not able to retain" Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato. Instead, he said that Sato "will race alongside Graham Rahal at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing next season." Andretti, who has "been in the spotlight since rumors of discussions with Chevrolet began swirling in June, is relieved to have nearly reached the end of a 'long and agonizing' process." He is and has been "happy with the support and development provided by Honda." The Japanese manufacturer "helped him win three of the past four" Indy 500s since he switched to it in '14. Chevrolet came to Andretti with an "enticing financial package that he felt compelled to consider." His team had "lost primary sponsors in Snapple and HHGregg over the past two seasons, so he was in no position to dismiss any offer." Andretti said that his decision "dragged into late August because losing Sato dealt a real blow to the team's future financial outlook." He said through his sponsorship with Honda, Sato brings significant funding to the team, so retaining him "would have helped make that decision easy." But once Sato "opted to sign with Rahal, it complicated the process" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 8/31).
