CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
103RD RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS 500 MEDIA DAY
SELECTED QUOTES FROM DRIVERS
MAY 23, 2019
DRAGONSPEED CHEVROLET DRIVER BEN HANLEY PARTICIPATED IN INDY 500 MEDIA DAY. SELECTED QUOTES FROM DRIVER:
BEN HANLEY
INADUIBLE
“We only tested on the Monday before St. Petersburg, so we can’t say we arrived as we wanted to because everything ended up getting a bit delayed. We were really still finishing the car throughout the weekend. We were nowhere prepared as we wanted to be, but we didn’t want to put off getting in our first race as they coincide with the other programs that are running.”
HOW HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN AT HOME?
“It’s been good. It’s a huge race, but when you are here, you realize how huge it is. You know it’s one of the biggest races, if not the biggest race, but you don’t realize it until you’re here what the atmosphere is like. You can watch it on television, but it’s not the same as it is being here. It’s been an eye-opening experience, but in a positive way. Everyone is busy for two weeks, whether you’re testing, qualifying, or doing media. It’s great. All of this allows us to participate in the race. It’s a great thing that IndyCar is so proactive in pushing the social media, the drivers and teams to get forward and get on the television. It’s amazing for everyone involved.”
YOU SAID A MOMENT AGO THAT YOUR FIRST FOCUS WAS QUALIFYING AND EVERYONE WAS HAPPY WITH THAT. IS THAT CONSIDERED A WIN?
“Yeah, third race in and we are trying to qualify for the Indy 500. We knew it was going to be tough; there is hardly anyone with previous extensive experience on the team. Overtime, we have focused on getting it in the show. We wanted to practice in traffic for the first week. I think most teams started off in a qualifying run and then switched to race focus. It was really important for us to run on our own and have a balance. Now we have switched to race focus, but it’s tough. Everyone knows it’s a tough race, but we have to start somewhere. We got it in the race and now we are aiming to finish the race.”
HAS THE PHONE BEEN RINGING FOR SPONSORS OR ARE YOU PICKING ANYTHING UP FOR THE 500?
“Hopefully we are in the process in picking something up for the moment. If that happens, that’s great because we have qualified for the race. Like I said, IndyCar enables outreach through social media and being on the television. Ultimately, if we win the race, we’ll have sponsors for our organization and everyone involved.”