CHEVROLET WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE POLE FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS 500
Chevy’s Ed Carpenter Wins Back-To-Back Verizon P1 Pole Awards for Greatest Spectacle in Racing
 
INDIANAPOLIS (May 18, 2014) – Chevy power returned to the top of the pylon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third consecutive season as Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet earned the Verizon P1 award, and the pole for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500.  Carpenter became only the 11th driver in Verizon IndyCar Series history to win back-to-back poles for the Indy 500, and only the 10th driver to have two poles to his credit at Indianapolis.

“Ed Carpenter drove four incredible laps under intense pressure to clinch his second consecutive pole for the Indianapolis 500, said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The hometown favorite joined an elite group of drivers who have clinched two poles for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. We’re proud to have Ed and his No. 20 crew as part of Team Chevy.”
 
With a four lap of average of 231.067 seconds Carpenter was steady under tension as the final competitor in the Fast Nine Shootout.  He was the only driver to break the 231 mph barrier on his four lap average. The Indiana native set the fastest four-lap average since fellow Chevrolet driver Helio Castroneves earned the pole for the Indy 500 in 2003 with a four lap average of 231.725. An average speed of 229.382 mph makes this is the fastest field in Indy 500 history.
 
The Chevrolet powered driver made the most of the new qualifying format earning a maximum possible 42 championship points by being the fastest car on day one of qualifying and backing that up by earning the pole.
 
“What an effort and result for Ed Carpenter and the whole Ed Carpenter Racing organization, said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series. “Back-to-back poles at the Indianapolis 500 is surely an elite group.  Ed certainly knows how to wheel his Chevy powered Dallara around the Brickyard, and his team’s efforts to prepare a car to consistently run at that level are noteworthy.  All of us at Chevrolet are proud of this accomplishment by Ed and the whole Ed Carpenter Racing crew.  Now we shift our focus to winning the Indy 500 next Sunday.”
 
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, will join his Gold Bowtie teammate Carpenter on the front row for the 98th running of the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ rolling off third.  Power was one of only six drivers to surpass 230 mph on his 10 mile qualifying effort.  Power’s Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indy 500 winner, will pilot his No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Chevrolet from the fourth starting position inside of the second row when the green-flag waves next Sunday.
 
Pole sitter Ed Carpenter’s teammate JR Hildebrand, No. 21 Preferred Freezer Chevrolet, making his first start of the season will line-up ninth in his fourth attempt at victory in the Indy 500.  
 
Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet will make his first Indy 500 start in 14 years from the 10th starting spot.  Defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon will join Montoya in the fourth row starting 11th in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
 
Last year’s Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, now driving for Chip Ganassi will try to make it back-to-back trips to Victory Lane in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Sebastian Bourdais, No. 11 HYDROXYCUT MYSTIC E-CIGS KVSH Racing Chevrolet rounds out the top-20 Chevrolet starters earning the 17th starting spot.
 
Fifteen Chevrolet V6 powered cars will take the green-flag on Sunday May 25th for the 200-lap/500-mile race. The remainder of Team Chevy’s starters are as follows: Townsend Bell, No. 6 Robert Graham KV Racing Technology Chevrolet – 25th, Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet – 26th, James Davidson, No. 33 KVRT/Always Evolving Racing Chevrolet, Ryan Bricoe, No. 8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet – 30th, Sage Karam, No. 22 Comfort Revolution/Brantley Gilbert Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdon Racing Chevrolet – 31st, Sebastian Saavedra, No. 17 AFS KVAFS Racing Chevrolet – 32nd and Buddy Lazier, No. 91 Wynn Institute for Vision Research Chevrolet – 33rd.
 
A five-hour practice session is scheduled for Monday afternoon from 12 to 5 p.m.
 
The 2014 Indianapolis 500 will be the 98th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” It has been held every year since the first race in 1911 except the war years of 1917-1918 and 1942-1945. The race will take place Sunday May 25, 2014, and will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 11 a.m. (ET).