Chevrolet IndyCar Teams Aim to Carry Momentum into May
· Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis up next on road course
ᴏ Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud and Will Power are previous winners
· Bowtie Brand has dominated first four races of Verizon IndyCar Series season
ᴏ Pagenaud, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Scott Dixon earn victories
· Chevrolet drivers hold top five positions in the championship standings
ᴏ Pagenaud, with two wins and two runner-up finishes, is leader
· Chevrolet driver roster for GPI expands with JR Hildebrand and Matthew Brabham
DETROIT (May 11, 2016) – Throughout his 89-race Indy car career, Simon Pagenaud has maintained that if he wins races the championship will take care of itself.
The second-year Team Penske driver is off to a flying start toward his initial title with two victories and a pair of runner-up finishes in the four Verizon IndyCar Series races to date. He, and 11 other Chevrolet drivers, will seek to continue that momentum this week in the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the 2.439-mile, 12-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Pagenaud was victorious in the past two races – on the streets of Long Beach, California, and on the Barber Motorsports Park road course in Birmingham, Alabama – and takes a 48-point advantage over four-time series champion Scott Dixon into the 80-lap contest Saturday.
Pagenaud won the inaugural grand prix in 2014, and Team Penske teammate Will Power won from the pole in 2015.
We come into May with a lot of
momentum and that’s a great position to be in. I’m very excited to get behind the wheel of the No. 22
Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. They are a great partner and this is our first race with them, so that
adds even more to this special month in Indy car racing. The road course at Indy really suits my driving
style. In fact, this track probably suits my style the best. It’s a track that I’ve won at in the past having
won the inaugural Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 2014. As a team, our confidence level is very
high, but we’re going to continue to work hard and not let the early season success spoil us.”
We come into May with a lot of
momentum and that’s a great position to be in. I’m very excited to get behind the wheel of the No. 22
Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. They are a great partner and this is our first race with them, so that
adds even more to this special month in Indy car racing. The road course at Indy really suits my driving
style. In fact, this track probably suits my style the best. It’s a track that I’ve won at in the past having
won the inaugural Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 2014. As a team, our confidence level is very
high, but we’re going to continue to work hard and not let the early season success spoil us.”
We come into May with a lot of
momentum and that’s a great position to be in. I’m very excited to get behind the wheel of the No. 22
Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. They are a great partner and this is our first race with them, so that
adds even more to this special month in Indy car racing. The road course at Indy really suits my driving
style. In fact, this track probably suits my style the best. It’s a track that I’ve won at in the past having
won the inaugural Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 2014. As a team, our confidence level is very
high, but we’re going to continue to work hard and not let the early season success spoil u
We come into May with a lot of
momentum and that’s a great position to be in. I’m very excited to get behind the wheel of the No. 22
Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. They are a great partner and this is our first race with them, so that
adds even more to this special month in Indy car racing. The road course at Indy really suits my driving
style. In fact, this track probably suits my style the best. It’s a track that I’ve won at in the past having
won the inaugural Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 2014. As a team, our confidence level is very
high, but we’re going to continue to work hard and not let the early season success spoil u
“We come into May with a lot of momentum, and that’s a great position to be in,” said Pagenaud, who will drive the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. “The road course at Indy suits my driving style. In fact, this track probably suits my style the best. As a team, our confidence level is very high, but we’re going to continue to work hard and not let the early season success spoil us.”
Team Penske’s success has started in qualifications, where it has earned the pole for every race this season — Helio Castroneves (twice), Power and Pagenaud. Teammate Juan Pablo Montoya also has visited the winner’s circle. Dixon, driving the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, won the other race.
Chevrolet drivers hold the top five, and seven of the top 10, positions in the championship standings. Montoya trails Dixon by four points, while Castroneves and Tony Kanaan also are in the top five.
“The month of May is special in Indy car racing,” said Montoya, who earned a podium finish in the 2015 race in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. “Every team focuses on it and puts a lot of effort into it. The road course at Indianapolis is smooth and flat, which really lets us be aggressive with the cars. And it’s Indy, so I expect everyone to bring their best and really fight hard.”
The Chevrolet driver roster will be expanded for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis with JR Hildebrand (No. 6 Preferred Freezer Fuzzy Vodka Chevrolet) and Matthew Brabham (No. 61 PIRTEK Team Murray Chevrolet). Brabham, who won an Indy Lights race on the road course in 2014, will be making his Verizon IndyCar Series debut. He is the grandson of Sir Jack Brabham and former Indy car and sports car racer Geoff Brabham.
Hildebrand and Brabham also will compete for one of the 33 starting spots in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 29.
The Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis is set to start at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 14, with live television coverage on ABC. Live radio coverage will be on the INDYCAR Radio Network, XM Radio Channel 209, and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 212. In addition, Verizon IndyCar Series live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at indycar.com, indycarradio.com and INDYCAR App on your mobile device.
Acclaimed young adult fiction author and Indiana native John Green will lead the field to the green flag in a Torch Red 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe.