Veach, 23, could emerge as a cornerstone for the next generation of IndyCar starsGETTY IMAGES
Veterans in IndyCar believe the current young group of drivers has a "better chance of making an impact together than previously-hyped classes," according to Michael Marot of the AP. Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Dir Mike Hull said, "We've got good, quality guys under 25 and now they're driving for owners who hopefully will stick with them because that's how I think that's what develops them. I think the crop you're talking about is the crop we've needed for a long, long time but we didn't have the stability to do that. Now, we do." IndyCar President of Competition & Operations Jay Frye called this young group "'advanced' in terms of their experience and business savvy." But Marot wrote in a sport where "winning matters, big names rule, and sponsorship money is increasingly more difficult to find and keep, the biggest challenge might be finding teams and companies that are patient enough to stick with a young guy long enough to reap the rewards." Andretti Autosport driver Zach Veach, 23, "looks like the perfect guy for IndyCar's youth movement." He has a "full-time ride with one of the series' top teams, stable sponsorship and what appears to be a bright future." If Veach succeeds, he could "emerge as a cornerstone for the next generation of stars." It is possible more than 20% of this year's Indianapolis 500 starters could be "younger than 25," including Gabby Chaves (24), Ed Jones (23), Kyle Kaiser (22) and Sage Karam (23). The driver with the "most at stake this month" may be Karam, whose "only scheduled race this season" is the Indy 500. Karam: "The hardest part is when you're not a full-time driver and you don't have a resume to show sponsors you can do well. ... If I win, it would be a game-changer" (AP, 5/16).
ONE MANN OPERATION: In Indianapolis, Gregg Doyel in a front-page piece notes driver Pippa Mann is "representing Donate Life Indiana" in this year's Indy 500, which has "outfitted her No. 63 car, once so famously pink, in blue and greens." Mann said, "It was a really big honor for me. It does come with a lot of weight, it comes with a lot of responsibility." The last four years, Mann's car was all "decked out in the pink of Susan G. Komen, pink being the color of breast cancer awareness." Her Dale Coyne Racing team "offered up the car’s livery as an in-kind donation to Susan G. Komen," and Mann took care of the rest, "raising more than $200,000." Mann, who is only looking to do the Indy 500 this season, does her "own marketing, branding and public relations." She finds sponsors, "signs them up, makes sure they’re happy, and does whatever it takes to fulfill their agreement." Most drivers "slap a decal on their car" and "that’s where it ends." Mann gets her sponsors their "garage pass, speaks at their banquets, poses for their pictures." She "entertains sponsors in a suite at IMS, then invites them down to the track for a tour of the garage" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/17).
