For the third time this season, and the fifth time in his career, Simon Pagenaud will lead the Verizon IndyCar Series field to the green flag. Pagenaud captured the Verizon P1 award for Race One of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans.

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, VERIZON P1 AWARD WINNER: “It’s super-physical out there. The track is awesome. It’s a real street fight out there. The 22 car was amazing. I’m glad HP is back on-board with us. A lot of them are here this weekend, so I’m glad we could do well for them. The team is just doing incredible. I’m glad we could keep the momentum going. Last weekend (the Indy 500) wasn’t what we wanted but we’re back.”

THE INDY 500 ASIDE, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE BACK IN A PROPER PLACE? “Honestly we never left it. We were strong in the race at the 500 but it is what it is. You can’t always be up there (at the front). But today is an awesome feeling.”