Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have unveiled their liveries for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series at an event in Indianapolis. The team took the covers off of their two Hondas, as well as their additional third car for the Indianapolis 500 in conjunction with Michael Shank Racing, at the Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.
All three of the 2018 SPM drivers were in attendance at the event. Full-time drivers James Hinchcliffe and rookie Robert Wickens were joined by Jack Harvey, who will race a partial schedule with Michael Shank Racing in a technical alliance with SPM. Team owners Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson were also on hand at the unveiling, as well as representatives from the various sponsors of the cars.
“It’s a really exciting time for our team,” said team co-owner Schmidt, “We have obviously made a lot of changes during the off-season, and I hope that our commitment to this series, our partners and the fans, is really showing. To be able to announce multi-year deals ahead of the season, and host a great event like today, is a testament to the people we have in our organization.”
Peterson echoed the excitement of his fellow co-owner, adding: “With all of the different changes we’ve made the past few months, and seeing how involved and excited all of our partners are with those changes and where we’re taking the organization, I think 2018 is going to be a great year for SPM.”
Credit: Chris Owens
All three cars feature the now signature chrome effect that SPM’s cars have been adorned with over the last few seasons. All of the liveries were on display at the Lucas Oil Stadium, however, the cars themselves were the older body style from last year, as the 2018 SPM cars were most likely unavailable due to on-going pre-season testing and tweaking.
Hinchcliffe’s gold and black #5 Honda once again features Arrow Electronics as it’s primary sponsor, continuing a long-standing sponsorship deal. Wickens will carry Lucas Oil as the sponsor on his red #6 Honda for his debut season. Finally, Harvey will carry both AutoNation and SiriusXM in the six races that British driver takes part in with the pink #60 car.
“We are super excited to have AutoNation and SiriusXM onboard – it’s the cornerstone of our program,” said Michael Shank, owner of Michael Shank Racing who will oversee Harvey’s efforts in the #60 car. “They are great partners with tremendous business backing. Our goal is to try and produce as many great results for them as possible, on and off the track, and bring them to the front of IndyCar racing this year. I am really excited to get to do this with them and everyone at SPM, and can’t wait to get started at St. Pete.”
All three of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ cars and drivers will continue to get mileage under their belts as pre-season testing continues in earnest. The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series will get underway with the season-opening Grand Prix of St Petersburg on March 11, where all three of SPM’s drivers will be in action.
