Paretta Autosport is returning to the grid for a three races for the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season.
Team Principal Beth Paretta announced on Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a new technical alliance with Ed Carpenter Racing, with a majority of the women that are part of its “women forward” that debuted in the 2021 Indianapolis 500 returning. Simona De Silvestro will also return to the cockpit of the No. 16 Chevrolet entry, beginning at Road America in June, followed by rounds at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the Streets of Nashville. According to the press release, “additional races may be added as schedules permit.”
ECR currently has two full-time entries in the series, with team owner Carpenter competing in a third entry as part of an oval-only program. Due to that, the resources are in place to provide Paretta with a car and additional team members.
“I am thrilled to announce that we will be back competing in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2022,” Paretta said. “We had a great first year working with Roger Penske and Team Penske in 2021 as part of the Race for Equality and Change initiative and since then I have been working on building the right structure and opportunity to continue to grow our team. This new technical alliance with Ed Carpenter Racing is exciting for us and will allow us to continue to grow and compete in multiple races this season.
“Additionally, I am proud to continue our association with Chevrolet who has valued, supported, and championed our efforts for diversity and inclusion from the beginning. This alignment has helped us amplify our message in a meaningful way and we can’t wait to get back on track with them. Finally, we are pleased to welcome KiwiCo to our team and the NTT IndyCar Series. This partnership will allow us to connect our effort on track to kids and parents at home which is a critical ingredient of our mission. We invite our fans to visit us at the track to see the KiwiCo crates up-close and see how we will continue to make learning fun!”
Paretta also announced a new team sponsor, KiwiCo, as the official STEAM-based (science, technology, engineering, art, math) learning company that develops engaging hands-on projects and activities “to spark children’s curiosity and creativity.”
KiwiCo’s mission is to inspire the next generation of innovators with “the skills and confidence to become creative problem solvers and critical thinkers – traits necessary for motorsport careers.” Both KiwiCo and Paretta Autosport will collaborate to showcase STEAM learning and connect activities with teachings on and off the race track.
“We’re excited to partner with Paretta Autosport in the NTT IndyCar Series. There are so many exciting career opportunities within a race team,” said Katie Soo, Chief Marketing Officer of KiwiCo. “We want to open kids’ eyes to those possibilities and get them excited about the science and technology that goes into engineering every single IndyCar – everything from learning how wheels grip the track, the physics of aerodynamics and so much more.”
Carpenter, a three-time pole-sitter in the Indy 500, added, “”ECR is very excited to be a part of the growth of Paretta Autosport. We watched closely what they accomplished at last year’s Indy 500 and look forward to helping their progression toward the goal of being a full season entrant. I have a lot of respect for Beth and Simona, and look forward to success with them later this season.”
For De Silvestro, who has one podium (Houston, 2013) in 69 IndyCar starts, is also among those excited for the upcoming opportunity.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Beth that she keeps having the trust in me and to be able to get one step more into our journey that we’ve started together last year at the Indy 500,” De Silvestro said. “I’m excited to get this opportunity and am really looking forward to going to the places we’re going to. These are tracks that, in the past, I’ve been quite strong at, so for me it really gives me a lot of confidence. To be able to get back into an IndyCar at those places … I have a huge smile on my face and I’m really looking forward to it. Associating with Ed Carpenter Racing is going to be great.
“I think in them we have a great team as well and it’s an association that is really important for us to grow into the future and hopefully a lot more things will happen together. I think it’s going to be amazing and I can’t wait. I’ve been training hard again to get back behind the wheel of an IndyCar, so I’m really looking forward to it. I want to thank Beth for making it happen. She can be so proud of what she’s doing with the team and the program is going in the right direction and growing. For me to be able to be part of it and us doing it together, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m super excited!”
The University of South Carolina also returns as an associate sponsor for their second season with Paretta Autosport.
