Chevrolet IndyCar Teams Seek to Continue Momentum
· Josef Newgarden seeks to repeat at site of his first Verizon IndyCar Series victory
ᴏ Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet driver is confident heading into 90-lap race
· Rolling Barber Motorsports Park course is among most challenging on schedule
· Bowtie Brand has won first three races of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season
ᴏ Juan Pablo Montoya (St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Phoenix), and Simon Pagenaud (Long Beach)
· Chevrolet drivers hold top five positions in the championship standings
ᴏ Team Penske’s Pagenaud, with win and two runner-up finishes, is first
DETROIT (April 21, 2016) – If there is any pressure on Josef Newgarden to repeat his 2015 Victory Circle appearance at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend, the 25-year-old from Hendersonville, Tennessee, isn’t letting on.
To the contrary, the driver of the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing is brimming with confidence entering the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
“We’ve had a couple of good top-10 finishes these last two races (sixth and 10th). Now it would be nice if we could go there and get a little bit better than that,” Newgarden said. “Finally getting back on the podium or getting a win would be nice leading into the Month of May. That’s our priority.”
Newgarden claimed his first Verizon IndyCar Series victory on the rolling 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course last April by picking up the lead on Lap 70 of 90 and holding off Graham Rahal by 2.2 seconds. Newgarden went on to also win at Toronto and finish a career-high eighth in the championship.
“We’ve got a fast car (at Barber). We won there last year and we’re coming back with a great Fuzzy’s Vodka team,” said Newgarden, who will be making his 71st Verizon IndyCar Series start.
Scott Dixon also has had fast Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolets at the track in Birmingham, Alabama. The reigning series champion has finished on the podium in all six races, but has yet to stand on the top step in Victory Circle.
“Barber is demanding,” said Dixon, who holds the track lap record set in qualifications in 2013. “It’s like a little bullring almost. It’s very fast and very high-grip. There are both fast and blind corners and it can get narrow in some places as well.
“We also run well here and I’m looking forward to doing that again this weekend.”
With his fifth Indy car career victory last Sunday in the 42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and runner-up finishes in the first two races, Simon Pagenaud of Team Penske sits atop the championship point standings. Chevrolet drivers hold the top five spots.
“Getting our first Team Penske victory was huge and we’re looking to continue that positive momentum into the Barber event, where I have done well in the past,” said Pagenaud, who has been running at the finish in the past 14 races. “I’m very excited about getting into the No. 22 PPG Automotive Refinish Team Penske Chevrolet. We’ve had some fantastic success in that car with three podium finishes going back to last year.
“The start of the season has been tremendous and it’s great to be leading in points, however, we have a long season ahead of us. Our goal is to concentrate on our job and everything else will take care of itself.”
Dixon, who earned his 39th Indy car victory at Phoenix earlier this month, is 14 points behind Pagenaud. First-round race winner Juan Pablo Montoya is third, Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves is fourth and Tony Kanaan of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams is fifth.
Chevrolet’s success this season extends to qualifications. Will Power and Castroneves reset track lap records in earning the Verizon P1 Award for the pole in the first two events of the season, and Castroneves earned the pole for the second successive year at Long Beach.
Castroneves, who won the inaugural Verizon IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park in 2010, claimed the pole for the 2015 race.
At Barber Motorsports Park, Team Chevy will be well represented by:
ED CARPENTER RACING:
Josef Newgarden, No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet
CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAMS:
Scott Dixon, No. 9 Coca-Cola Chevrolet
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet
Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Tresiba Chevrolet
Max Chilton, No. 8 Gallagher Chevrolet
KVSH RACING:
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 11 Team EUROPA-KVSH Racing Chevrolet
TEAM PENSKE
Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 AAA Insurance Chevrolet
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet
Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 PPG Automotive Refinish Chevrolet
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 Juan Pablo 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 46 in 71 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 earned the pole and Montoya won the season-opening race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the second consecutive year. Two weeks later on the Phoenix International Raceway oval, Helio Castroneves claimed the pole and Dixon won the race. Castroneves repeated as the pole winner on the streets of Long Beach and Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud won the race.
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.