THE CRUNCH
The money behind motorsport has changed, and so has what sponsors bring to the track. Ars Technica notes that racing's traditional backers, tobacco and alcohol firms, have largely given way to crypto, cybersecurity and AI companies, and that at this year's Petit Le Mans the amateur ranks included co-founders of GitHub, Crowdstrike and Shopify, and the creator of Ruby on Rails, among others. Chip Ganassi Racing's partnership with OpenAI in IndyCar this year goes a step further, showing a sponsor that can offer its team tangible benefits beyond a bank transfer.
That distinction matters. The publication's reporting frames AI and machine learning setups as becoming a tool in the toolbox of IndyCar champion Alex Palou, making the CGR and OpenAI relationship an instance where an AI company can contribute actual capability to a racing operation rather than just a logo on the car.