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Indy 500 champ Takuma Sato powered by Cup Noodles

By Wesley Coburn

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MAY 01: Takuma Sato of Japan, driver of the #30 Panasonic/Mi-Jack Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, prepares to drive during practice for the NTT IndyCar Series Genesys 300 and XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on May 01, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MAY 01: Takuma Sato of Japan, driver of the #30 Panasonic/Mi-Jack Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, prepares to drive during practice for the NTT IndyCar Series Genesys 300 and XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on May 01, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato will have Cup Noodles riding onboard his No. 30 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL Racing) in the 2021 Indy 500 this Sunday.

Sato is the defending Indy 500 winner, claiming the checkered flag last August under caution to empty grandstands in a race very markedly different than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Heading into the Indy 500, we want to put ourselves in the best position to defend our 2020 win and our confidence to achieve a successful race is a testament to the team’s dedication and hard work,” Takuma Sato said in a press release.

“It is an honor to represent Nissin Cup Noodles, whose continued partnership in this year’s season allows us to better prepare and train. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Cup Noodles is a staple for me and the team on race day – bringing a bit of home to the race track.”

Takuma Sato is powered by Cup Noodles as he tries to repeat as Indy 500 champion.

As is appropriate for an Indy 500 champion, Sato drives for a team co-owned by luminaries in TV personality David Letterman and IndyCar legend Bobby Rahal.

Takuma Sato is not only the first Japanese driver to win the most tradition-rich American motorsports event (in piloting the No. 26 for Andretti Autosport), he’s also the first Japanese driver to win an NTT IndyCar Series event, getting his first series win for AJ Foyt Racing in 2013 in Long Beach.

A Honda driver for his entire career, Takuma Sato has also driven for KV Racing Technology in addition to RLL, Andretti and Foyt; and during his Formula One career from 2002-08 he drove for Jordan, BAR Honda and Super Aguri. He has also dabbled in Super Formula open wheel and Formula E electric cars.

Known for his aggressive driving style, Sato has six wins, 10 poles and 14 podium finishes in 187 career IndyCar starts, leading 844 laps and completing over 20,000. His best finish of the 2021 season so far is a sixth at St Petersburg.

Along with its sister brand Top Ramen, Cup Noodles has become known as a go-to fast and convenient form of comfort food with its savory flavors and spiral-shaped noodles.

Other IndyCar drivers with food and beverage ties include Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing, who has a Yoohoo-like drink called Huski Chocolate as his primary sponsor, and Mexican driver Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren SP, who has Mission tortillas as an associate sponsor.

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For more news, analysis and opinions on a wide variety of motorsports disciplines, be sure to check out our FanSided Network sister site Beyond the Flag for more information ahead of the green flag.

Again, the 2021 Indianapolis 500 will be held on Sunday, May 30, at 11 a.m. ET, with television coverage on NBC.