Carlin Announce Karam to Race in Toronto

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer

Just over a month removed from running the 103rd Indianapolis 500, Sage Karam will make his second NTT IndyCar Series start of the season with Carlin in the Honda Indy Toronto July 14.

The latest deal for Karam will mark the first time he’ll run multiple races since his rookie season in 2015 and his first road race of any kind since Mid-Ohio in 2015.

Despite not having recent Indy car experience on road or street courses on his resume, he’s thankful of having an opportunity to race in the sport once again.

“I want to thank everyone at Carlin for giving me the opportunity to compete in an Indy car again in the NTT IndyCar series. I’m extremely excited and grateful to get back behind the wheel on a road course again for the first time since 2015 and I’m thrilled to carry a great sponsor like SmartStop Self Storage on the side of the No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet,” said Karam. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and working closely with everyone on the team to achieve a successful result and take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”

Tuesday’s announcement took place a few days after Patricio O’Ward, the regular driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet, announced he’ll be competing Super Formula in Japan going forward. O’Ward will drive for Team Mugen, replacing the recently released Dan Ticktum.

Karam’s sponsorship will be SmartStop Self Storage, a company that operates 131 self storage facilities throughout Toronto and the United States. It’s a deal Trevor Carlin, Team Principal of Carlin, is excited about as the company are making their debut into the series.

“We are extremely excited to partner with SmartStop Self Storage and to be a part of their debut into the NTT IndyCar Series. The Honda Indy Toronto is such a great event and will be the perfect introduction for them into the series,” said Carlin. “We’ve obviously been following Sage’s career closely since he won the Indy Lights Championship in 2013 and he’s done a really great job. I think he’ll be a great addition to the team and a good teammate for Max (Chilton) this weekend.”

In his last race, Karam drove for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, where he finished a lap down in 19th at Indianapolis. It marked his best result at the 2.5-mile circuit since finishing ninth in 2014.