Date set for IndyCar drivers’ appearance on “Celebrity Family Feud”

Verizon IndyCar Series fans are used to watching their favorite drivers go to battle on the racetrack. On July 31, fans can see them vie on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the afternoon and then watch five drivers join forces for another competition that evening on the ABC summer hit, “Celebrity Family Feud.”

Drivers Will Power, Tony Kanaan, James Hinchcliffe, Conor Daly and team captain Helio Castroneves take on Sports Illustrated swimsuit models Samantha Hoopes, Tanya Mityushina, Robyn Lawley and Hannah Ferguson, led by Nina Agdal, in the highly rated game show hosted by Steve Harvey that returned for another season in June. The drivers vs. models episode airs at 8 p.m. ET July 31 on ABC, following The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio that airs at 2 p.m. ET on CNBC (with a 5:30 p.m. re-air on NBCSN).

In each episode of “Celebrity Family Feud,” teams of five compete to win money for a designated charity. Each team is made up of a celebrity captain, with four relatives or friends playing along. The winning celebrity team is given the chance to win up to $25,000 to donate to a charity of its choice.

The Verizon IndyCar Series quintet will represent the Indy Family Foundation, a fund intended to aid those in the motorsports community (regardless of sanctioning body) in financial need due to hardship caused by illness, injury or death.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the episode,” said Hinchcliffe, who after meeting Harvey at the taping, later appeared on his popular lifestyle show, “Steve Harvey.” “For what we experienced being there, I think it’s going to be a good show.

“We did it quite some months ago and fans have known about it for a while, so I’m excited that they’re going to get a chance to see it, and see true teamwork, see the real teamwork that happens in INDYCAR racing,” said Hinchcliffe, driver of the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda. “You’ve got five competitors and we put them all on the same team, and it was awesome to see what happened.”

The episode will feature two premier matchups, the other pairing featuring former contestants of “The Bachelor” against former contestants of “The Bachelorette.”

“Celebrity Family Feud” returned to the air in 2015 and was ABC’s highest-rated summer show. One of INDYCAR’s television partners, ABC broadcast five Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2016, including the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 29.

Other celebrities appearing on “Celebrity Family Feud” in 2016 include country music star Kelly Pickler, NSYNC’s Lance Bass, Snoop Dogg and Laila Ali (daughter of late boxing legend Muhammad Ali).

Adam Sinclair