Carlin Racing’s Patricio O’Ward will carry primary sponsorship from biofuel manufacturer GESS International for this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. The American Biogas Council will also be represented on the No. 31 Chevy.

The sponsorship initiative from GESS and ABC is part of a unique program where the owner of GESS has chosen to support up and coming NTT IndyCar Series drivers for select events in place of signing with a specific team. GESS and ABC made its debut with Harding Steinbrenner Racing’s Colton Herta last weekend at the Barber Motorsports Park event where the No. 88 Honda was wrapped in a new livery in deference to its primary sponsors.

O’Ward’s Carlin entry featured associate sponsorship from the companies in Alabama, and with the series’ move to California for back-to-back events, GESS and ABC also move from the No. 88 and take the primary sponsor role on the No. 31.

The shared sponsor among the former Andretti Autosport Indy Lights teammates is yet another bond linking the rookie stars together. For Long Beach, Herta’s home race, the No. 88 is expected to carry primary branding from King Taco. Unlike Herta’s custom GESS/ABC livery for Barber, O’Ward’s No. 31 entry will not change its core design as logos will be incorporated into the existing design scheme.

Although there’s no mention of whether a win by O’Ward will come with free biogas for those in attendance at Long Beach, Herta did confirm King Taco will feed ticket holders if IndyCar’s youngest winner adds a second victory to his 2019 tally on Sunday.