Chevrolet Racing

With Momentum of Double Win in Detroit, Chevrolet IndyCar Drivers Head to Texas Looking to Continue Success Firestone 600 Next on Schedule at Texas Motor Speedway

With Momentum of Double Win in Detroit, Chevrolet IndyCar Drivers Head to Texas Looking to Continue Success
Firestone 600 Next on Schedule at Texas Motor Speedway

· Chevrolet Verizon IndyCar Series drivers have won 7 of 8 races this season
o Victories by Sebastien Bourdais and Will Power at Chevrolet Dual in Detroit on Belle Isle marked 50 wins for the Chevrolet IndyCar 2.2 liter twin turbocharged direct injected V6 engine since its 2012 debut in the Verizon IndyCar Series
· Scott Dixon put his No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in Texas Victory Lane in 2015; the four-time champion also won from the pole in 2008 on the 1.455-mile oval
· Will Power was the pole winner in 2015, upping his total at Texas Motor Speedway to three — more than any other active driver in the Verizon IndyCar Series; Power also won the race in 2011
· Helio Castroneves has four Verizon IndyCar Series wins at Texas Motor Speedway, more than any active driver; he won from the pole in 2004
o Other Chevrolet Aero Kit IndyCar with 2.2 liter V6 engine drivers with TMS wins are: Tony Kanaan – 2004; Ed Carpenter – 2014
o Bourdais won an IROC race at TMS in 2005

DETROIT (June 9, 2016) – With the momentum of two victories in the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit that increased the total Chevrolet wins in the Verizon IndyCar Series (VICS) to seven thus far in 2016, the next stop for the Chevy teams and drivers is the fast 1.455-mile Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) for the Firestone 600. TMS has been a staple on the series’ schedule since 1997 and has produced numerous exciting, close finishes.
Four-time and defending VICS champion Scott Dixon powered his No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to Victory Lane in 2015 at Texas Motor Speedway. Currently second in the standings, Dixon won earlier this season on the 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway oval.

“Texas is another iconic event on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule,” said Dixon. “This is the only track anywhere that I know of where you get to shoot guns in Victory Lane after a win. We were fortunate enough to do that last year as part of a one-two finish with (Tony) Kanaan and myself, which was very special.”

Kanaan, No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, is eighth in points and will be looking to post another W on his impressive resume. He won in 2004 at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Texas Motor Speedway is another one of my favorite tracks on the INDYCAR schedule,” said Kanaan. “I’ve raced there so many times and have been able to put up some pretty solid results over the years. Last year the No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet was very strong on the oval and our setup worked well with the added downforce and new aero kit, so we’re hoping to build on that second-place finish we got in 2015 and turn that into my second win at Texas Motor Speedway.”

Fresh off his first win of the season at the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, holds the record for active drivers on winning the Verizon P1 Award for pole at TMS. Not only is he looking to extend his streak of consecutive poles at TMS to four, but to back up his 2011 win by taking the final left turn of the evening into Victory Circle.

“I like the Texas track a lot,” said the 2014 VICS champion. “It’s actually one of my favorite races. We’ll have the same boost settings as Indianapolis, which will be a lot of fun. The Verizon Chevy has qualified very well there and getting that early track position is important. It has been a few years since we got a win there, but we’ll try and build on the momentum from last week. The win in Detroit gives the whole team confidence and hopefully we can build on that with another good result. After starting in a bit of a hole, we’re climbing back into the championship race and we need to keep logging solid finishes.”

Four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais also has momentum from his Detroit Race 1 win. Bourdais, No. 11 Team Hydroxycut-KVSH Racing Chevrolet, has an IROC win at Texas in 2005, but wants to win in the VICS for team co-owner and Texas native James Sullivan.

“We’ve had two good races in Detroit and we had a pretty good race car last year at Texas,” said Bourdais. “Hopefully, we can keep making little gains and not get a penalty that will take us out of the race. If we do that, we may actually be looking pretty good in the Hydroxycut car. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going.”

NBCSN will telecast the 248-lap/360.84-mile race live at 7 p.m. CT Saturday. Also, the INDYCAR Radio Network broadcast is available on network affiliates, indycarradio.com, RaceControl.indycar.com, the INDYCAR Mobile app, Sirius 212, and XM 209.

Chevrolet will welcome fans to its Chevrolet Racing Display inside the racetrack. It will include a number of Chevrolet’s award-winning production vehicles. Examples of Chevrolet engines, and a selection of performance parts and accessories that are available for fans to purchase from their local Chevrolet dealer also will be on display. Display hours will be: Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday Noon to 8 p.m.