CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
STREETS OF LONG BEACH
ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
APRIL 10, 2019
Chevrolet heads west in search of milestone win
· Chevrolet seeks 75th victory since 2012 return
ᴏ NTT IndyCar Series heads to Long Beach street course
· Team Chevy has finished 1-2 at track in 2014, ’15, ‘16
ᴏ Simon Pagenaud is most recent Team Chevy winner
· Chevy Racing drivers off to fast start to the season
ᴏ Josef Newgarden is points leader; Will Power has two poles
· Power to be inducted into Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame
DETROIT (April 10, 2019) – A victory on the streets of Long Beach marked Simon Pagenaud’s first win in a Team Penske Chevrolet and jump-started his drive to the 2016 NTT IndyCar Series championship.
“I’m hungry for more. Let’s see what California brings us,” said Pagenaud, who will be behind the wheel of the No. 22 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet this weekend in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Nine drivers powered by Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 engine are entered in the 85-lap race April 14 (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN) on the temporary street circuit.
A Chevrolet victory will mark the Bowtie brand’s 75th since its 2012 return to NTT IndyCar Series competition.
After runner-up finishes to start the ’16 season, Pagenaud broke through on the 1.968-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit after starting third. He led a 1-4 sweep for Team Chevy.
Pagenaud, who has five top-five finishes at Long Beach, comes into the race weekend off a ninth-place finish April 7 on the Barber Motorsports Park road course.
“The No. 22 DXC Technology Chevrolet team has great potential that we haven’t fully unlocked yet,” said Pagenaud, who qualified 14th. “The race car is competitive and there is no better place for me than Long Beach. It’s my favorite track on the schedule and also a place where I’ve had a lot of success.”
Teammate Josef Newgarden gained 12 positions over the 90-lap race at Barber Motorsports Park. The fourth-place finish, coupled with a victory in the season opener and runner-up spot at Circuit of the Americas, allowed Newgarden to retain the championship points lead.
“Coming from a 16th starting spot to finish fourth, the No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet team and I felt like it was a win,” he said. “We’re off to such a great start this season with nothing but top-five finishes so far, and we’re really hoping to continue that streak as we head into Long Beach.”
In 2012 at Long Beach, Will Power registered the third successive victory for Chevrolet’s to start the season, and was the second of his three wins in a row.
Power, who also won in 2008 at Long Beach and has three pole starts, will be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame along with former Chevy Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais.