OpenAI
Chip Ganassi Racing uses OpenAI's models to synthesize decades of fragmented race telemetry in seconds, enabling real-time pit strategy that secured victory at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
AI-assisted summary of R&D Part 1 — original source. Check the original for full context.
Source published:
Detailed notes
## Background OpenAI published this video on YouTube on May 28, 2026. The page description provides no additional details about the video.
## TL;DR The video highlights OpenAI's collaboration with Chip Ganassi Racing as the motorsports team aims to become the first to fully leverage artificial intelligence on the track. Joyce, a research engineer at OpenAI, explains how AI helps aggregate and synthesize massive volumes of telemetry and historical data between sessions to refine race strategy and gain fractional-second advantages. The content also showcases how AI supports human performance, such as trainer Will Plummer using ChatGPT for pit crew workout programs, and culminates in a strategic victory at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
## Atmosphere & style The dynamic is high-stakes, fast-paced, and analytical, balancing the high-octane excitement of motorsports with pragmatic technological engineering. It creates a visceral sense of urgency—from the tense split-second decisions on the timing stand and seven-second pit stops to the technical precision of navigating Long Beach's tight Turn 11. Watching it feels like witnessing cutting-edge theoretical AI models directly translate into real-world track efficiency and a triumphant victory lane experience.
## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=0s) Chip Ganassi Racing aims to become the first motorsports organization to fully integrate artificial intelligence into its trackside operations and strategy. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=0s) Because base chassis and engines are standardized in IndyCar, teams must find competitive edges in fractions of a second through data and setup optimization. - [01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=60s) OpenAI and Chip Ganassi Racing aggregate telemetry and historic data from 2023–2025 to synthesize strategic insights within tight multi-hour engineering windows. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=0s) Joyce emphasizes that possessing the fastest car on the track is insufficient without executing flawless race strategy. - [02:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=164s) Human performance trainer Will Plummer uses ChatGPT as an assistant strength coach to generate and adapt workout programs for IndyCar's multi-role pit crew members. - [02:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=164s) Unlike NASCAR's specialized pit crews, IndyCar pit stops are executed by full-time mechanics, truck drivers, and engineers who achieve consistent seven-second pit stops. - [02:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=164s) Strategists on the timing stand distill continuous telemetry streams into dynamic, real-time driver updates to manage track traffic and gaps. - [05:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=300s) Engineers rely on confidential, custom digital tools co-developed with OpenAI to make split-second pit calls and adjust contingency plans under pressure. - [05:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=300s) During the Long Beach race, rapid real-time calculations allowed the team to capitalize on rival Felix Rosenquist's unexpected pit entry and secure victory. - [05:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=300s) Following the win, the team denied the driver's request to perform victory donuts in order to preserve the engine for two scheduled test sessions.
## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=0s) Data Integration and Strategy on the Streets of Long Beach
Being the front-runner in motorsports is a double-edged sword: you hold the top spot, but every rival on the grid is actively targeting your position. Joyce, a research engineer at OpenAI who leads the team's collaboration with Chip Ganassi Racing, describes this exact tension as a high-stakes problem-solving game. In a sport where every team works under rigid constraints—given the same base chassis and engine—the ultimate challenge is finding innovative ways to shave crucial fractions of a second off lap times. Chip Ganassi Racing, known for its dominant history and a culture built on trying new things, aims to become the first motorsports organization to fully leverage artificial intelligence on the track.
The primary objective of the partnership is aggregating and synthesizing the enormous, fragmented volume of data generated during test sessions, race weekends, and past seasons. Between sessions on a race weekend, engineers often have only a couple of hours to process complex telemetry, learn from it, and tune the car's setup. AI allows the team to ingest this history instantly, analyzing past performances from 2023, 2024, and 2025 to uncover competitive advantages and refine race strategy. Preparing for major events like the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach—the team's biggest race after the Indianapolis 500, where they finished second the previous year—requires analyzing far more variables than humanly possible in short timeframes.
- Joyce emphasizes that a single tenth of a second frequently dictates whether a team wins or loses, noting that having the fastest car on track often isn't enough to secure victory without perfect strategy. - Chip Ganassi's core philosophy is simple yet demanding: "Do the simple things right."
[02:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=164s) Human Performance and the Timing Stand High-Wire Act
Unlike NASCAR teams that employ former collegiate or professional athletes solely to perform pit stops, IndyCar pit crews consist of team members who work full-time operational jobs—such as mechanics, truck drivers, and engineers—who step up to execute pit stops during critical moments. Will Plummer, the human performance trainer for Chip Ganassi Racing, manages the conditioning of these multi-role crew members. Plummer utilizes ChatGPT as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, feeding it weekly workout routines and prompting it to generate subsequent training programs adapted to the crew's physical progression.
On the timing stand during a race, engineers face a constant flood of data signals. The fundamental challenge is distilling raw data streams into quick, essential callouts for the driver in the cockpit, who has no visual sense of the traffic unfolding ahead of or behind them. Spotters and strategists paint dynamic, real-time pictures over the radio, tracking tight gaps and managing track position. When a strategy call is made, execution must be instantaneous, relying on custom digital tools and confidential internal technology developed alongside OpenAI.
- An average IndyCar pit stop lasts roughly seven seconds, a benchmark Chip Ganassi Racing hits consistently while competing teams struggle with higher variability. - Strategists on the timing stand constantly adjust calculations based on real-time track gaps, such as monitoring the tight margin behind Marcus Ericsson to give clear feedback to the driver.
[05:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=300s) Real-Time Track Execution and Victory at Turn 11
The street circuit at Long Beach features high-speed straights balanced by technical sections, dominated by Turn 11—a tight, right-hand hairpin that severely punishes mistakes. As the race nears its critical window, flexibility becomes paramount because a single lap can dramatically alter a team's entire strategy. When cars bunch up around pit windows, engineers must decide in split seconds whether to call the driver into pit lane or keep them out for an extra lap to overcut opponents in clean air.
During one pivotal sequence, competitor Felix Rosenquist makes an unexpected early pit stop, creating a brief window of opportunity. The timing stand relies on total trust between the crew and the engineering team: when the call is made, the fueler receives an exact countdown—down to five, four, three, two, one seconds—fueling the car precisely as directed with zero room for error. The strategic execution pays off as the team captures the win and heads to victory lane. Reflecting on the result, Joyce highlights how visceral it feels to watch theoretical AI models leave the lab and yield immediate efficiency gains on the track.
- Race strategy requires maintaining multiple contingency plans, as traffic or sudden pit calls by rivals like Felix Rosenquist force immediate modifications on the fly. - Following the victory call over the radio, the driver asks if he can perform celebratory donuts, but the team promptly denies the request over the radio because the engine still needs to be saved for two upcoming test sessions.
## Notable quotes > [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4&t=0s) Do the simple things right. — Chip Ganassi
## Mentioned Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, ChatGPT, Chip Ganassi, Chip Ganassi Racing, Felix Rosenquist, IndyCar, Indianapolis 500, Joyce, Long Beach, NASCAR, OpenAI, Will Plummer, YouTube
[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfZqTWlSc4)