Kyle Kaiser ran Tuesday's opening-day practice sessions at IMS without any sponsorsGETTY IMAGES
Ricardo Juncos, the owner of IndyCar team Juncos Racing, has yet to find a sponsor for his team's No. 32 car at the Indianapolis 500, but so long as driver Kyle Kaiser qualifies, he will race on May 26, according to Jim Ayello of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Kaiser's No. 32 car during yesterday's opening-day practice sessions was "white and devoid of sponsors." Juncos said, "We knew coming in that we may have a situation with no sponsor, so this is not going to change anything on the team side or the driver side." Juncos' team yesterday "wore firesuits decked out in sponsor decals from the team’s last race" at the Circuit of the Americas on March 24. The owner thought he "had a sponsor lined up" for the Indy 500 in recent weeks. Juncos: "We were so close two weeks ago. … But at the last minute it didn’t materialize." Still, Juncos believes that if qualifying "goes well this weekend, he could have good news to announce Monday or Tuesday" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/15). Juncos said, "The pressure of the money side is just my pressure. And I’ve got to make sure my pressure is not interfering to the sports side of the team" (RACER.com, 5/13).
HONORING THE FALLEN: The AP's Steve Reed noted Jimmie Johnson is "going camouflage" for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend to "honor those who died while serving in the military." Hendrick Motorsports yesterday "unveiled a military-themed camouflage paint scheme" for the race with the name of a fallen soldier written across the front windshield of the No. 48. Johnson will "pay tribute to Army Sgt. Richard Donlan, who died during combat in Vietnam." Johnson’s patriotic car scheme is "part of the 'NASCAR Salutes' initiative" (AP, 5/14).
