CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE
LEXINGTON, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
JULY 25, 2019
Chevrolet aims for another Mid-Ohio victory
Chevrolet impressive on 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio road course
Chevrolet drivers have three wins, six poles at track
Team Chevy drivers are first and third in championship standings
Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud are past winners at track
Chevrolet has been strong on variety of racetracks
Bowtie brand has seven wins and six poles in 12 races
RC Enerson to drive No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet entry
DETROIT (July 24, 2019) – Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud recorded victories in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on the way to winning NTT IndyCar Series championships in 2017 and ’16, respectively.
A repeat performance July 28 by either of the Team Penske teammates would go a long way in their pursuit of a second driver title.
The 90-lap race on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural-terrain Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course closes out three consecutive weekends of competition, with four events (two ovals, one street circuit and one road course) remaining.
Newgarden, driving the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, padded his points lead to 29 with a dominating victory July 20 at Iowa Speedway. Pagenaud, who tested at Mid-Ohio a few days before earning his third win of the season July 14 on the streets of Toronto, is within striking distance third in the standings.
“There is a lot of momentum on the side of the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet team right now, but we need to focus on this weekend,” said Newgarden, who started and finished fourth at Mid-Ohio in ’18. “Mid-Ohio is a place we’ve had some success at including a win a couple of years ago, which was the last time we raced the PPG livery there. We’re hoping it brings us luck again.”
Added Pagenaud, driver of the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet who has registered five top-five finishes at the track: “We’ve got five races left and we’re right in the mix of it. Chevy has done a tremendous job lately giving us a bit more horsepower, so I really feel in the game. We tested there awhile back, and the car was good. We’re going to do everything we can to catch Josef (Newgarden) and plan to make the Menards Chevy shine at Mid-Ohio.”
Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet who’s fifth in the standings, earned podium finishes and two pole starts the past three years at the racecourse.
Team Chevy drivers have secured the NTT P1 Award in six of the seven races at the track – and 89 poles overall in 130 races — since the Bowtie brand’s return to NTT IndyCar Series manufacturer competition in 2012. Nine drivers powered by the direct-injected 2.2-liter, twin turbocharged Chevrolet V6 engine are entered.
RC Enerson, 22, who made three NTT IndyCar Series starts in 2016 for Dale Coyne Racing, including at Mid-Ohio, will drive the No. 31 Lucas Oil School Carlin Chevrolet. Enerson, who tested with the team in February, won the 2015 Indy Lights race from the pole at the track.
Max Chilton returns to the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet for the event.
NBC will telecast the race live at 3:30 p.m. ET July 28. In the Honda Indy 200,