During the weather delay at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, Paretta Autosport hit social media to announce an additional date to its original three-race roster for 2022.
Although the team is not yet prepared to reveal the next title sponsor for the #16 Paretta Autosport-Chevrolet, Beth Paretta was able to confirm the team and Simona De Silvestro’s presence on the grid in the finale.
Following its initial entry in partnership with Team Penske in the 2021 Indianapolis 500, Paretta felt spreading funding for her “woman-forward” squad over three races in 2022 would better serve her personnel and De Silvestro. The team is now partnered with Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet.
Until the Road America round in June, De Silvestro hadn’t raced an IndyCar on a road course for seven years. However, she showed notable progress in terms of pace at Mid-Ohio, as well as in a test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
For today’s race, De Silvestro will start 21st. Her best ever finish in IndyCar came on a street course, at Houston in 2013.
Paretta’s specific plans for her team in 2023 are as yet unclear, but in April she declared that eventually she hopes the squad will be able to run all NTT IndyCar Series rounds.