PALMETTO, Fla. – Road to Indy TV, the broadcast production and social media arm of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, will kick off its eighth season of exclusive content with a familiar face in the paddock holding a leading role. A race winner on the first two steps of the Road to Indy, Parker Thompson will bring his outgoing personality to a new position as host.
A multiple race winner in both the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, Thompson is currently tied with NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Rinus VeeKay in third for the most podiums across the three ladder series at 36, and is tied in 10th for most wins at 12. He also leads the record books with the most top-five finishes at 67 and ranks second in most top-10s at 79.
While Thompson will be juggling his hosting duties with a season in the new Porsche Carrera Cup North America series, he will rely on his vast public speaking experience to set the stage for another step in his off-track career with a hosting role. Since founding his Drive to Stay Alive program, a texting and driving campaign to educate teenagers about the dangers of distracted driving, Thompson has spoken to well over 100,000 high school students and is an award-winning road safety advocate.
“I am ecstatic to be the new host of Road to Indy TV and to remain relevant on the Road to Indy and INDYCAR,” said Thompson, 23, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. “With the support I have received from Porsche Canada this year, it made sense for my career to focus on sportscars and tackling the IMSA sanctioned Porsche Carrera Cup North America. But I will be using the background that I learned on the Road to Indy for my championship campaign as a Porsche Junior Driver for Carrera Cup North America.
“When the opportunity arose for me to remain on the Road to Indy as the host of RTI TV, it was a no-brainer! Those who know me, know that I love to talk! If I couldn’t drive this year, this position was easily the next best option. I can’t wait to get things kicked off this weekend and get the season underway!”
Thompson will see plenty of time in front of the camera as Road to Indy TV will produce over three hours of streaming content daily on race weekends which includes a dedicated pre-race show and race and post-race coverage of each series highlighted by special segments.
The shows will be available on demand as well as live on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. They will also be live streamed on the Road to Indy TV App (which launched in 2015), on RoadToIndy.TV and its social media platforms and on the respective series websites – indylights.com, indypro2000.com and usf2000.com – and social media outlets. [Note: Indy Lights races will not be live streamed in the United States due to live coverage by Peacock Premium.]
“There is a reason why Parker is a two-time winner of our Spirit Award, which recognizes a driver that embodies the heart of a champion as they aspire to reach their goals,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Parker is a class act on and off the track, and his passion for racing and making it to the top of the sport is always on display. He works hard and I know he will do a great job as the new host of Road to Indy TV.”
Thompson will kick off his new role this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park during Spring Training for all three series.