Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Teams Prepared for 2014 Season-Opening Race
Streets of St. Petersburg Kicks Off 18-Race Schedule
 
·         2014 marks Chevrolet’s third year in Verizon IndyCar Series competition with the V6 2.2 liter twin-turbocharged direct-injected purpose-built engine fueled by E 85
·         A Chevrolet IndyCar V6 powered driver won both the pole and the race on the Streets of St. Petersburg in 2012 and 2013
·         Chevrolet is the defending IndyCar Series Manufacturer Champion, and also won the title in 2012
·         In two full seasons of competition, Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers have won 21 of the 34 races held in the 2012 and 2013 seasons
·         Chevrolet IndyCar V6 driver Tony Kanaan is the defending champion of the Indianapolis 500
 
DETROIT (March 26, 2014) – Chevrolet’s drivers and teams are ready. They have prepared for five months for this moment.  The first race of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series (IndyCar) is about to commence on the 14-turn street circuit on the Streets of St. Petersburg (Fla.) for the Firestone Grand Prix. Since Chevrolet’s return to open wheel racing in 2012 their drivers and teams have taken the pole and the checkered flag at the season opening race setting the stage for two manufactures titles.  New faces to the Chevrolet brand along with a new redesigned 2.2L twin turbo engine are the focus as the new season gets underway.
 
During the off-season IndyCar officials made significant rule changes for engine manufacturers.  In 2014, engines are now required to complete 2,500 miles before change-out without penalty, or as high as 2,850 miles if they start a race with just short of 2,500 miles on the engine.  This is a 25 percent increase from 2013 where engines were to be changed after 2,000 miles of use.  This season both engine manufacturers are required to use identical, yet revised twin turbos from Borg-Warner, a technology Chevrolet already had in place. Multiple areas of the engine were opened up to both engine manufacturers to be redesigned and resubmitted to IndyCar for re-homologation.  Chevrolet worked tirelessly during 2013 working in numerous areas including fuel injection, cylinder heads, plenum / inlet system, exhaust headers and calibration to improve upon an already immensely successful engine.
 
Racing is deeply sewn into the fabric of Chevrolet. The dedication to constantly evolve the performance of Chevrolet’s production vehicle line-up is the driving force behind the involvement in the Verizon IndyCar Series, which was never as prevalent as during this off-season.  The engineers working on the updated Chevrolet IndyCar Series engine focused heavily on simultaneously improving its power, reliability and fuel efficiency, which are key characteristics of several current powerful and fuel-efficient Chevrolet production cars.   
 
“Team Chevy is primed, prepared and positive about the start of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season kicking off on the streets of St. Petersburg, said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series.  “Chevrolet has had good results on this circuit the past two seasons since returning to IndyCar competition.  With our updated 2.2L twin turbo direct injected V6 Chevrolet IndyCar engines, new formats to the championship points and a race on the road course at IMS to kick off the month of May, there is a plethora of new challenges to look forward to.  Top it off with Verizon as the new Series sponsor to engage the fans with leading edge communication technology and this could be the season to remember.”
 
In addition to an updated engine, a few new faces have joined Chevrolet’s star studded driver lineup for 2014 including the Chip Ganassi Racing stable which houses defending IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon.  A total of four organizations fielding 10 full-time cars will carry the Gold Bowtie as they take on the competition in 2014 powered by the purpose-built Chevrolet IndyCar 2.2L twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V-6 racing engine powered by renewable E85 ethanol fuel.
 
The Team Chevy line-up as the season kicks off in St. Petersburg will be:
 
Ed Carpenter Racing: Mike Conway, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet (Road Courses only.  Ed Carpenter will drive the oval track races)
 
KV Racing Technology: Sebastien Bourdais, No. 11 Mystic/Hydroxycut KVSH Racing Chevrolet and Sebastian Saavadra, No. 17 KV AFS Racing Chevrolet
 
Team Penske: Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet and Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet
 
Chip Ganassi Racing: Ryan Briscoe, No. 8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, Scott Dixon, No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, and Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
 
For the first time, the Team Chevy IndyCar display will be on site on the Streets of St. Petersburg.  Located in the Fan Midway that runs adjacent to the front straightaway, the display hours of operation will be Friday, March 28th: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Saturday, March 29th: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM and Sunday, March 30th: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. On display will be a number of vehicles from the Chevrolet line-up including Impala, Malibu, Silverado, Sonic RS, Traverse and Volt.  There will be interactive activities for children and adults alike.
 
The highlight of the weekend will be the driver visits to the stage in the display where fans can engage in question and answer sessions with Chevrolet’s top IndyCar stars.
On Saturday, fans can see: Mike Conway at 12:15 PM; Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya at 12:30 PM; Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Saavedra at 12:45 PM and Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan at 5:30 PM.
ABC will have a live telecast of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 30, with pre-race at 3 PM ET. The green flag will fly at 3:27 PM.