Chevrolet IndyCar Drivers Aim for More Oval Success
· Chevrolet drivers prepare for challenging Iowa Speedway short oval
ᴏ 300-lap race on .894-mile racetrack always full of action
· Chevrolet drivers have won eight of the nine completed races this season
o Will Power moves into title contention by winning past two races
o Conclusion of Firestone 600 has been delayed until August 27
· Josef Newgarden has been the runner-up at Iowa Speedway the past two years
· Pagenaud continues to lead standings; top six in points are Chevy drivers
· Chevrolet continues to lead manufacturers’ standings
DETROIT (July 6, 2016) – Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon has started from the pole position three times in nine races at Iowa Speedway and come away with seven top-10 finishes. The driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet believes he’s due to top his third-place high in the Iowa Corn 300 this weekend.
Dixon, who led 155 of 250 laps in winning the race on the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway oval in April from the sixth starting position, is primed to tame the challenging .894-mile, variably banked Iowa Speedway oval. He holds the track two-lap qualifying record of 34.5588 seconds (186.256 mph), set on July 11, 2014.
“Iowa Speedway is such as tough track for racing Indy cars. You have very high G force loading and there is always a lot of action on that little bullring-style track,” said Dixon, who is fourth in the Verizon IndyCar Series (VICS) championship standings through nine of 16 races. “You really have to be on your game with traffic and the quick lap times. It’s got a lot more character having weathered in over the past few years and the bumps in Turns 1 and 2. The track grip has come down a little bit as well, which makes it interesting.”
Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves, who also has started from the pole three times at Iowa Speedway including 2015, holds the track one-lap qualifying record of 17.2283 seconds (183.480 mph). Castroneves, who has a best finish of second in the 2011 Iowa Corn 300, will attempt to make his 321st start, which would break a tie with Al Unser for fourth on the all-time IndyCar list.
“Iowa is one of those funny places for me. We start up front and have fast cars, but haven’t closed the deal with a victory,” said Castroneves, who is second to teammate Simon Pagenaud in the championship standings. “You want to win at every track, but I’d really like to get one here. The Hitachi Chevrolet has been fast all season, and as a team we’ve been consistent. Second in points is good, but we still have a big gap to cover. We just need to keep working hard, win some races and cut down this lead that Simon has.”
With wins in the past two races in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, Team Penske’s Will Power has jumped from seventh in the standings to third. The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion will seek to continue the momentum.
“The Verizon Chevrolet has been fantastic. Honestly, it’s been great all season, but we kind of kept shooting ourselves in the foot early on,” he said. “We’ve had some good qualifying efforts at Iowa, but haven’t been consistent in the finishes. We want to put a full event together, which is something we’ve been able to do at Detroit and Road America.
“It’s great to be back in the championship mix. Anything can happen at any of these races and our plan is to keep the pressure on.”
Chevrolet drivers, who have won eight of the nine completed races, hold the top six spots in the championship standings and seven of the top 10. Josef Newgarden, who is fifth in the standings in the No. 1 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, has been the runner-up at Iowa Speedway the past two years by a combined 1.8 seconds. Tony Kanaan, driver of the No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, won at the track in 2010 and placed second or third the next four years.
NBCSN will telecast the 300-lap Iowa Corn 300 live at 4 p.m. CT Sunday. 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. It will include a number of Chevrolet’s award-winning production vehicles, including a Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Z51. 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. Hours of operation are (all times local) 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
Members from Chevrolet Verizon IndyCar Series teams will be at the Chevrolet Racing Display to greet fans and answer questions: 4 p.m. Saturday – Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Charlie Kimball, and Max Chilton. 2:15 p.m. Sunday — Ed Carpenter Racing drivers Ed Carpenter and Josef Newgarden.