Chevrolet Racing

Chevrolet Aims to Kick Off Month of May with Indy GP Victory

Chevrolet Aims to Kick Off Month of May with Indy GP Victory

· Team Chevy drivers have won all three races on Indianapolis road course
ᴏ 85-lap race on 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit precedes Indy 500 preparations
· Simon Pagenaud enters the fifth race of the season in a familiar position
ᴏ Reigning series champion is points leader and two-time winner of the event
· Team Penske’s Will Power won the 2015 race from the pole position
ᴏ Driver of No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet reset course qualifying lap record in ‘16
· JR Hildebrand will mark 50th Verizon IndyCar Series career start with momentum

DETROIT (May 10, 2017) – Looking ahead to the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 isn’t an option, or even a thought, for Team Chevy drivers. The Verizon IndyCar Series season is 25 percent complete, the points available in the INDYCAR Grand Prix this weekend are too important, and the competition is too fierce to totally look ahead to the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on May 28.

Chevrolet drivers have won all three Verizon IndyCar Series events on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and the 85-lap race is an important step on the championship path. ABC will telecast the INDYCAR Grand Prix live at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

Last year, Simon Pagenaud entered the race buoyed by consecutive wins at Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park. Pagenaud, who won the inaugural grand prix at Indianapolis in 2014, recorded a third win in a row with a dominating performance from the pole. The 54 points earned stretched his comfortable margin heading into the Indy 500, and he went on to claim the series title.

The third-year Team Penske driver of the No. 1 Menards Chevrolet, who earned his maiden oval victory April 29 at Phoenix International Raceway, is in a familiar position as the points leader entering the INDYCAR Grand Prix for the second consecutive year.

“I was fortunate enough to win two of the last three (grand prix) events (at Indianapolis),” said Pagenaud, who led 57 of the 82 laps last May. “We are hoping to execute again. We have been working closely with Chevy as well and are ready to put on a good show.”

Teammate Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Verizon Chevrolet, was runner-up in 2016 and placed third in ’14. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, who set the course qualifying lap record last year, won the race from the pole in 2015.

Team Penske also will receive a boost from two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya, who will drive the No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Chevrolet this weekend and compete in the Indy 500.

“I’m so excited to get back on track. I’ve run a few tests, but will run my first race since last season,” said Montoya, who won the 2016 season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, and finished eighth in the championship standings. “I should feel a little behind, but I don’t. The guys on the Fitzgerald Glider Kits team have been in tune and mixed in with the other teams all season, so we have all the data and those tests went really well. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

JR Hildebrand, No. 21 Preferred Freezer Services Chevrolet, who at Phoenix claimed his first podium finish, will mark his 50th Verizon IndyCar Series career start. Ed Carpenter Racing teammate Spencer Pigot, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet, made his second Verizon IndyCar Series start on the IMS road course last year.

“We’ve been really strong in all the races so far this year, so hopefully that continues this weekend,” said Pigot, 23, whose best finish this season on road/street courses is eighth at Long Beach. “I was able to race on the road course last year (advancing seven positions from his starting spot to finish 11th) and I think we’ve got a really good shot with the Fuzzy’s Vodka crew.”

Conor Daly, No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Racing, also made an impressive move in the 2016 grand prix by placing sixth after starting 22nd in his first Verizon IndyCar Series race on the road course.

The 85-lap race will be paced by a 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 Coupe.

The Chevy IndyCar Racing Tour display will be open Friday from 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Flag Lot (near Pagoda Plaza) for fans to see an impressive array of Chevrolet production vehicles, including the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, 2018 Traverse, Silverado 2500 HD High Country, Camaro convertible, Corvette Carbon 65, and Tahoe.

There will also be race simulators for fans to test their skills and a Chevrolet Verizon IndyCar Series show car plus the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 twin turbo direct-injected engine on a stand.
Fans also can meet and ask questions of their favorite Team Chevy drivers from 2-2:15 p.m. ET Friday. On stage from Team Penske will be Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud, Juan Pablo Montoya, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power.