FORT WORTH, Texas -- Think smart. Act fast.

NTT DATA’s slogan is its lifeblood, much like the Verizon IndyCar Series team it has partnered with for the 18-race season. Through teamwork, it delivers fast results.

The diversity of the schedule – from a doubleheader on a demanding street circuit last weekend to a high-speed, high-banked oval this weekend – sustains its own set of physical, mental and technological challenges. The partnership with NTT DATA, though in its developmental infancy, already is paying dividends for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams.

With a portfolio of application, business process, cloud and infrastructure services, NTT DATA is the sixth-largest global IT services provider with the foresight to assimilate and apply what’s next in 42 countries.

“We’re a people company at the end of the day. We don’t make hardware or software; we’re a services company. Our asset is our expertise and our people,” said Jeff Womack, senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “On the racing side, there is an infinite number of data and a lot of opportunity with analytics. To parse it out into data that can go into a better (chassis) set-up or a better design is unlimited. Just the wind tunnel data alone is extraordinary.

“There is the ability to have information real time (during a race) and then there is data that can be downloaded for next year with the introduction of aero kits.”

Much like series title sponsor Verizon, NTT DATA is a diverse technology company that has gone beyond solely placing its logo on the No. 8 entry driven by Ryan Briscoe.

“You have a traditional sponsorship where a company will receive brand visibility,” Womack said. “With our racing relationship with Chip, which is fortified by his vision for the partnership, there is the aspect of hosting clients. But we are able to do what we do best to help the team be better.

“One the racing side, there is all the data and telemetry coming from the car, and data analytics is a core part of our business. Technology always changes. This is an ultra-competitive environment, and if you can assimilate and apply technology faster than your competitor, that might mean you win the race.”

IT security, application development and management, cloud computing, and website design and maintenance are other parcels of opportunity.

“What we do for manufacturers and insurance companies we can bring to the team,” Womack said. “The partnership is many dimensions and the other thing is there is a partner ecosystem where we’re talking and collaborating with the other partners. There are a tremendous amount of opportunities; all kinds of interconnectivity. It’s using the best skills of the partners as part of the partnership.”

With its North Americas headquarters in Plano, Texas, NTT DATA will be the title sponsor of pole qualifying for the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6.

NTT DATA began its relationship with the team in 2013 for an Indianapolis 500 entry with Briscoe. Following the race, NTT DATA maintained an associate partnership with Ganassi on the No. 83 Indy car of Charlie Kimball.