In the Wild: Charter’s High-Speed Day at the Indy 500

While its car didn’t win on Sunday, Charter must still be very pleased it was the primary sponsor of the No. 66 Honda at the 109th Indianapolis 500, which was the most watched edition of the race since 2008. Fox reports 7.05 million viewers tuned into IndyCar’s premier event this year, up 40% from last year’s broadcast, so there were definitely lots of eyeballs on the blue-and-white Spectrum branding that adorned Marcus Armstrong’s car. Armstrong, who drives for Meyer Shank Racing, finished in 21st place. (Alex Palau, driving car No. 10, won the race, becoming the first driver from Spain to take home the top prize.)

MSR’s two other cars also had Spectrum ad placements: the No. 6 car driven by four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and the No. 60 vehicle driven by Felix Rosenqvist, who finished 5th, MSR’s best Indy 500 result since 2021. A good day at the track for the high-speed internet provider.

“The Indy 500 represents the pinnacle of speed and performance, and that makes it the perfect stage for our brand,” said Sharon Peters, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for Spectrum of the operator’s entrance into the motorsports world.

Local Spectrum field technicians William Haman and Edwin Saravia were also invited to check out the No. 66 car and meet Armstrong ahead of the race, joined by Josh Moore, Area Vice President, Midwest South Management Area. The technicians even got to sit in the driver’s seat to imagine what it’s like to drive an IndyCar. “As a field technician, seeing the team work in order to get the race car out and go fast, it’s inspirational to see what Spectrum is doing both on and off the track,” said Haman of the experience.

The Spectrum car actually hit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time last Tuesday for practice laps. In a video unveiling the car last week, Armstrong shared his enthusiasm about his car’s new look: “The Spectrum livery looks amazing. It looks pretty hot.”