Chevrolet IndyCar Teams and Drivers Prepared to Take on Phoenix International Raceway

· Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) hosting first oval race of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season
o Desert track on west side of Phoenix metro area returns to series’ schedule for first time since 2005
· Team Chevy drivers Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan are only active drivers with Indy car victories at Phoenix International Raceway
o In addition to Castroneves and Kanaan, defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and Chevrolet oval racing star Ed Carpenter have starts at the 1.022-mile oval
· Juan Pablo Montoya took the Chevrolet-specific Aero Kit powered by the Chevy 2.2-liter V6 twin-turbo direct injected engine to Victory Lane in the season-opening race on the streets of St. Petersburg for the second consecutive year
o Will Power won the pole at St. Pete with a track record-breaking effort
· Chevrolet capped 2015 season by winning fourth consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship as Scott Dixon was crowned series’ champion and Juan Pablo Montoya put the Gold Bowtie in Victory Lane for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500

PHOENIX (March 30, 2016) – Dictionary.com defines versatile as ‘being capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.’ Without question, the Chevrolet teams in the Verizon IndyCar Series (VICS) will again demonstrate their versatile skills and expertise as the second race of the 2016 schedule takes them to the fast and challenging Phoenix International Raceway (PIR).

The season opened two weeks ago on the highly technical street course of the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Now the attention is focused on the 1.022-mile oval on the west side of the Phoenix (Arizona) metro area with the expectation of fast, close competition. The venue returns to the schedule for the first time since 2005.
“During pre-season testing at the Phoenix International Raceway, our Chevrolet IndyCar teams and drivers, Chevrolet engineers and our technical partners worked tirelessly to arrive at the optimum setup for Saturday night’s race,” said Mark Kent, Director of Motorsports Competition for Chevrolet. “The uniqueness of this one-mile track, with its four distinct corners, presented our teams and drivers with a complex set of challenges as they tested in preparation for the race.”
This is where the versatility of the teams and drivers comes into play. Crew members must quickly adapt to the ever-changing track conditions as well as maximizing the performance of the Chevrolet Aero Kit IndyCars with the fully integrated 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected V6 engine when a full field of cars takes to the short oval for 250-plus miles.
For the drivers, while their physical and mental fitness is always on display with the split-second decisions they make behind the wheel, PIR presents physical demands that will see them deliver their highest levels of performance during the 250-lap race under the lights.
“On a track such as PIR, there are always compromises,” Kent added. “The trick is to find the right balance of drag, downforce and engine performance that allows for fast, consistent lap times. This should be a very competitive and entertaining race that will showcase a different skill set for teams and drivers which are not as obvious at other venues.”
With four Team Chevy drivers having previous starts at PIR and two of the four with victories, Chevrolet is well positioned to capitalize on experience and preparation this weekend at Phoenix. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Tony Kanaan scored back-to-back wins at PIR in 2003-2004, winning from the pole in 2003.

“We’ve had some time to debrief (after St. Pete and testing),” said Kanaan. “The NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing team is more than prepared heading into Phoenix. I’ve had some really good results there with the two wins and I felt really good at the test earlier this year. I’m focused and the team is ready for a good result out in Phoenix, so we’re going to do everything we can to make that happen.”

Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves won from the pole in 2002.

“I am really excited to debut the new REV Group Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix,” Castroneves said. “I am one of the few guys who ran at Phoenix before and I have some really good memories of the track, including winning there in 2002. We learned a lot in our test there a few weeks ago and it sounds like there’s a lot of buzz in town around the Verizon IndyCar Series coming back to race at PIR. I know I am excited and looking forward to racing under the lights in the REV Team Penske Chevy on Saturday night.”

At PIR, Team Chevy will be well represented by:

ED CARPENTER RACING:
Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet
Josef Newgarden, No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAMS:
Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chevrolet
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet
Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chevrolet
Max Chilton, No. 8 Gallagher Chevrolet

KVSH RACING:
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 11 Team Hydroxycut Chevrolet

TEAM PENSKE
Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 REV Group Chevrolet
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet
Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 DeVilbiss Chevrolet

Fans Can Get Up Close at Team Chevy IndyCar Display
The Chevy IndyCar Racing Tour display will be on-site at PIR. Display hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 1, and 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, April 2. Fans can see an impressive array of Chevrolet production vehicles including: all-new 2016 Malibu, Camaro 2LT, Equinox, Colorado Z71 Diesel, Corvette Stingray Convertible, Silverado 2500 HD Diesel and a selection of crate engines, parts and accessories all sold by local Chevrolet dealers’ parts department. There will also be race simulators for fans to test their skills and a Chevrolet Verizon IndyCar Series show car plus the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 twin turbo direct injected engine on a stand.

Fans also can meet and ask questions of their favorite Team Chevy drivers
Friday at the Chevy Racing pit box in the PIR Fan Midway outside turns one and two:
· 12:30 p.m. PT Friday: Josef Newgarden and team owner/driver Ed Carpenter from Ed Carpenter Racing

· 5:00 p.m. PT Friday: Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Charlie Kimball and Max Chilton from Chip Ganassi Racing teams

· 5:15 p.m. PT Friday: Sebastien Bourdais and team owner Jimmy Vasser from KVSH Racing

Chevrolet Aero Kit Update:
One of the primary criteria for Chevrolet’s return to IndyCar competition in 2012 was the ability to design and engineer an Aero Kit that created differentiation from the competition. The 2015 introduction of the Chevrolet-specific Areo Kit accomplished that goal with components that included front and rear wing elements, “coked” side pods with wheel wedges and rear wheel guards to deliver Chevrolet IndyCar teams the right combination of drag and downforce coupled with optimum engine performance from the reliable and successful Chevrolet 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct injected V6 engine fueled by E85.

The Aero Kit introduction in 2015 netted Team Chevy 10 Series wins, 16 poles, a fourth consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship, Scott Dixon winning the Driver Championship and Montoya taking Chevrolet to Victory Lane in the Indianapolis 500. After four seasons of competition, the number of wins for Chevrolet stands at an amazing 43 in 68 events since the start of 2012. In 2015, Chevrolet IndyCar drivers were awarded every Verizon P1 pole award. The 2016 season has picked up where Chevy left off in 2015. Will Power won the pole at St. Petersburg, and Montoya went on to win the season-opening race for the second consecutive year.

Provisions in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar rulebook allow the manufacturers to continue to bring upgrades and enhancements. For Chevrolet, the goal remains the same – to give the Chevy teams the on-track tools needed to win races and championships. Chevrolet, in conjunction with its technical partners, has developed a strategic plan to rollout upgrades to the allowable three regulation boxes of the Chevrolet Aero Kit.

Chevrolet Engine Update:
For 2016, Verizon IndyCar Series Engine Regulations continue to provide Chevrolet the opportunity to design and upgrade the Chevy IndyCar 2.2-liter V6 engine – the goal always being to provide Chevy teams and drivers improved power, reliability and fuel efficiency. The 2014 and 2015 upgrades, including the integration into the Chevy Aero Kits, remain in effect plus the opportunity for the Chevy engineers and technical partners to design and implement upgrades to ports, camshafts, fuel system and installation – including a new, lighter exhaust system and a new wastegate with improved actuator cooling and valve head design.