Mazda has been the sponsor of IndyCar's three-level developmental ladder system for the last nine yearsMAZDA MOTORSPORTS
Mazda will not renew its title sponsorship deal of IndyCar’s multi-tier, lower-rung developmental series. The Mazda Road To Indy is comprised of three levels, including the Indy Lights series, the first level below the Verizon IndyCar Series. Mazda has been the sponsor of the ladder system for the last nine years. While teams in those series run Mazda engines, Mazda also has been giving scholarships to winners of each series, highlighted by an annual $1M award to the winner of Indy Lights that can be applied to the following season’s Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. While the ladder system is part of IndyCar, it is run mainly by Andersen Promotions as opposed to IndyCar’s main executive team. The ladder system has produced several current top-level IndyCar drivers, including ’17 IndyCar champ Josef Newgarden and James Hinchcliffe. The move raises some questions about the financial situation of the series heading into ’19, but Andersen Promotions hinted that it has a yet-unnamed replacement lined up. Mazda, which also competes in IMSA, said in a statement the "time has come for Mazda to focus our resources into other areas of our motorsports footprint."
