Townsend Bell has known the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as a driver and most recently as a television broadcaster, and he was one of the first Californians to learn about the development of The Thermal Club, a private motorsports country club near Palm Springs. The last time the INDYCAR SERIES did an event like this was the Marlboro Challenge, a big-money event held from 1987 through 1992, the last time at Nazareth Speedway. This will be the first time since 2013 at Iowa Speedway that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has held heat races during an event. This will be the second NTT INDYCAR SERIES event staged at The Thermal Club. Last year, a two-day Open Test was held, but seven of the current drivers were not in the series. “The teams have all tested there, but not every driver has tested there,” he said. Don Cusick, a co-entrant at the “500” and a member of The Thermal Club that was established in 2012, said the club members are learning the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, too, and many of them will be embedded with the teams this weekend.

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