Potential funding issues put Calderon’s No. 11 in doubt

Photo by James Black – Penske Entertainment

Issues with sponsor Rokit put the future of Tatiana Calderon’s No. 11 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet entry in limbo.

The entry is on the docket for this weekend’s Honda 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, but anything beyond that is undetermined.

Larry Foyt, team president, confirmed the rumors in the team’s pre-race release this week.

“We are trying to work through a difficult situation as I know ROKiT wishes to continue the program but there are some issues which may prevent that,” said Foyt. “We will continue to either resolve it with ROKiT or try to find alternate funding which is difficult at best at this point in the season.”

The team added the No. 11 entry in addition to it’s full time efforts sported by 2021 Indy Lights Champion Kyle Kirkwood and Dalton Kellett. The car is split between former Alfa Romeo F1 test driver Tatiana Calderon and IndyCar veteran JR Hildebrand.

Hildebrand scored the team’s best result of the season of 12th at the Indianapolis 500. Calderon’s highest finish came at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course where she ended up 15th.

The team’s entries of Kirkwood and Kellett are scheduled to compete as scheduled. Kirkwood’s No. 14 has previously donned Rokit insignia, but Foyt added that the entry it not dependent on the phone company’s sponsorship.

“The No. 14 entry will run the entire season as it is not solely dependent on the ROKiT funding,” Foyt added.

Rokit’s previous sponsorship venture with Williams F1 ended sour with similar nonpayment issues. The matter eventually was settled in court and were forced to pay $35.7 million in arbitration.

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