Indy Lights, the final rung of the Road to Indy before the premier NTT IndyCar Series, will have its promotional responsibilities taken in-house. During the Penske Entertainment Corporation’s Year in Review News Conference on Friday, company CEO Mark Miles announced Indy Lights will come under full IndyCar control beginning in 2022.
“For many years, Dan Andersen has been integral to the success of Indy Lights,” said Miles. “His leadership since his group took over promotion in 2014 was crucial. However, with the Penske acquisition of IndyCar, we have an opportunity to bring the series in-house, which we think can provide greater opportunity for the growth of the top level of the ladder series. […]
“It is about strengthening the pipeline to the NTT IndyCar Series. We want to grow Indy Lights into an even stronger link and final step for drivers, teams and sponsor partners leading to the most audacious and competitive open-wheel series on the planet.”
Andersen Promotions was tasked with operational duties for Indy Lights in 2014. The company also operates the Indy Pro and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championships, the latter of which was founded by Andersen in 2010 after a three-year dormancy. Both series will remain under Andersen sanction.
Until 2011 to focus on running the divisions, Andersen also fielded his own team in the lower series. Active IndyCar drivers who have competed for Andersen Racing include Graham Rahal and Conor Daly in Indy Pro.
“It has been our pleasure and honor to oversee the promotion and organisation of Indy Lights for these past eight seasons,” commented Andersen. “We are proud of the results demonstrated by the quick success of our many recent graduates. The Road to Indy works as a training programme, and we will continue to develop young drivers and move them up to Indy Lights and, ultimately, the NTT IndyCar Series.”
The 2022 schedule will be revealed at a later time. However, the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a longtime staple of the Indy Lights schedule, is not expected to return after being axed as part of the cancelled 2020 season.
