CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
102ND RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVYDRIVER TRANSCRIPT – MEDIA DAY
THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2018
GABBY CHAVES, NO. 88 HARDING GROUP HARDING RACING CHEVROLET:
DO YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT MINDSET GOING INTO THIS RACE? YOU HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE NOW. ARE YOU MORE RELAXED? DO YOU HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PLAN?
“I think you learn to understand that it’s a long race. I was a bit spoiled I think, my first year, I had a really good car and I was able to just drive through the field whenever I wanted. My second year, I learned that you don’t always have a good car. And it was very frustrating. And basically, the first 150 laps, I was just so aggravated inside the car because I felt like there was nothing I could do to show what I could do on track. But then, you make a few good pit stops. You maybe get in front on strategy, and all of a sudden you find yourself in the top 10. And you’re like okay, well I don’t have a great car but I’m in the top 10 and I have a good shot. And then the whole thing can turn around just like that, right? And then you come in the pits and something happens and you get a drive through and you’re back in the back again.
“And so what I’ve learned over the three Indy 500’s that I’ve done now, is that it’s a long race. And even if you’re got a great car or a not-so-great car, you have time to improve it throughout the race and to learn the track and to learn the competitors that are around you….to learn weaknesses, too. Hopefully after the last pit stop, you’re as strong as you can be and then you just do what you can with what you have. So maybe I’m able to understand that a lot better (now).”
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS?
“It’s hard to say because we’ve been thrown a curve ball with the new aero kit. Everybody is in a bit of an unknown. I think even the guy with the best race car is going to struggle getting around people. So, it’s going to be a completely different race. I think some of the things that didn’t matter so much before are going to matter more now, like patience and consistency and your pit stops.”
ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10, WHERE HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR CAR?
“I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum this month. I’ve been so happy that I was ready to go racing that day. And then, I’ve been so uncomfortable that it almost makes you say maybe you don’t want to go racing. So, I’ve been on both ends. To be honest, I don’t know where we are now. I think everyone is in a bit of an unknown situation. I think some of the on track passing that we’ve seen is maybe not as it will be during the race because everybody is playing nice in practice. When we get to the race, nobody is going to play nice. So, even if I’ve had sessions to where I feel pretty competitive and am able to do some overtakes, I know it’s going to be a lot more difficult during the race.”