Category: NTT Indy

NTT IndyCar news and information

  • Pato O’Ward wins Barber Pole for Sunday’s IndyCar opener

    Pato O’Ward wins Barber Pole for Sunday’s IndyCar opener

    On the eve of the 2021 IndyCar season opener, the NTT IndyCar Series returned to Barber Motorsports Park for the first time since 2019. Last year, IndyCar was scheduled to compete at its annual event, but the race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Patricio O’Ward started his season off right in the Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. The Monterrey, Mexico native was a part of the Firestone Fast Six after advancing and qualified on the pole after setting a time of 1:05.8479 late Saturday afternoon to earn the second pole of his IndyCar career. The pole gave Arrow McLaren SP its ninth during their IndyCar tenure.

    “It was a good day. Practice one and two were really messy. Got really dicey there with the traffic and people being on different laps into the sequence. We didn’t quite get an idea of what real pace we had. But I knew exactly what I needed to go faster. My engineer put his magic to work.

    “We had a really, really quick car in reds. We maintained our very good pace in blacks that we had in practice two. It was good, man. It feels really good to be on pole for the first qualifying session of the NTT INDYCAR Series 2021. These Arrow McLaren SP people have been working really hard. They deserve this. We’ve got a job to finish off.”

    Despite a miserable 2020 season with only five podiums, Alexander Rossi looks to rebound and start 2021 on the right foot. So far, the Andretti Autosport driver has done so by qualifying second.

    “It was great to be back in competition settings here in Barber,” Rossi said. “This track is pretty wild now that they did the repave, a lot of grip. Yeah, it started out pretty strong this morning. We were happy with the starting balance of the car. Then practice two was messy, just a lot of red flags. We were able to get a lap in.

    “Yeah, I mean, it’s tough to come up short, as short as we did in qualifying, because you can think about a couple of areas through the lap where you made mistakes, maybe could have made a difference. Ultimately it’s much better than we’ve ever had around Barber. I think our best starting spot in years past was eight. A big step up. We have a good shot at it tomorrow.”

    Rossi’s previous best qualifying effort at Barber was eighth twice, in 2019 and 2018.

    There were a few incidents that brought out the red flag during qualifying. In group two, James Hinchcliffe locked up his tires and hit the inside wall hard in Turn 5 with seven minutes remaining. After a brief red flag, cars rejoined the track, but another red flag eventually slowed the session as Felix Rosenqvist’s car went off track in Turn 17 in the final minutes of group two. While Rosenqvist was originally sixth, his fastest lap time in the session was deleted due to bringing out the red flag.

    In the Firestone Fast Six, the finishing results were O’Ward, Rossi, Palou, Power, Dixon, and Ericsson.

    An IndyCar warm-up session is scheduled for Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. CT live on Peacock with a subscription. The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama green flag is slated for 2:42 p.m. local time, live on NBC and IndyCar radio.

    Official Starting Line Up for the 2021 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama:

    1. Pato O’Ward
    2. Alexander Rossi
    3. Alex Palou
    4. Will Power
    5. Scott Dixon
    6. Marcus Ericsson
    7. Romain Grosjean
    8. Josef Newgarden
    9. Colton Herta
    10. Conor Daly
    11. Jack Harvey
    12. Scott McLaughlin
    13. Ed Jones
    14. Rinus VeeKay
    15. Simon Pagenaud
    16. Sebastien Bourdais
    17. Ryan Hunter-Reay
    18. Graham Rahal
    19. Takuma Sato
    20. Max Chilton
    21. Jimmie Johnson
    22. Felix Rosenqvist
    23. Dalton Kellett
    24. James Hinchcliffe

  • Five Things to Watch at Season-Opening  Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

    Five Things to Watch at Season-Opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

    Scott Dixon’s race against history begins this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst, the season-opening event of the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

    Six months removed from winning a sixth series championship, Dixon has A.J. Foyt’s all-time record of seven titles within reach. Foyt won the last of his championships in 1979, which means his mark has stood unmatched for 42 years.

    Dixon’s sixth title was fueled by a three-race winning streak to begin the 2020 season. Can he use a similar start this year in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, or will Josef Newgarden, who has won two of the past four season titles, dethrone him in Team Penske’s No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet? Or, will it be another driver – a veteran or perhaps a rising star – stealing the spotlight?

    NTT P1 Award qualifying starts at 5:55 p.m. (ET) Saturday, with the race at 3 p.m. Sunday. Here are five things to watch as the drama builds this weekend:

    Dixon Needs a Barber

    It can be argued that Dixon is the most successful NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver in Barber Motorsports Park history and yet he doesn’t have a trophy to show for it.

    Who wouldn’t take Dixon’s stat line at the 17-turn, 2.38-mile permanent road course? Eight podium finishes in 10 races, six times a race runner-up. That’s impressive by any measure.

    As for reaching the top step of the Birmingham, Alabama, podium, Newgarden has been the track’s recent master, winning three of the past five races. Team Penske teammate Will Power (No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet) and Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda) have won two races each. Takuma Sato, who drives the No. 30 Panasonic/Shield Cleansers Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, won in 2019, the series’ most recent race there as last year’s event was canceled amid the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Power is a four-time NTT P1 Award winner at Barber, part of the 62 poles he has scored in his career. Five more such awards ties him with Mario Andretti for the sport’s all-time lead.

    New Kings To Be Crowned?

    Dixon and Newgarden have combined to win the past four INDYCAR championships, and their teams – Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske – have won the past eight titles.

    So, who breaks the streak? It’s best to look to Andretti Autosport or Arrow McLaren SP, where Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda), Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) and Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet) are employed.

    Rossi was on pace to score five consecutive podiums to end last season until his car spun after leading 61 of the first 69 laps in the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in October. Rossi won the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in 2016 and has seven career wins, but he is massively hungry for his first series championship.

    “I’m more motivated than you can believe, and I’m really excited,” he said. “I have a lot of points to prove.”

    Herta and O’Ward have shown capable of defining INDYCAR’s future. Each enters the season 21 years old – O’Ward turns 22 on May 6 — and they battled for the 2018 Indy Lights championship as teammates (O’Ward won).

    Last year, Herta finished third in the standings with O’Ward fourth, and they’re desperate to move up. O’Ward has been outstanding in preseason testing but is still seeking his first win in the series. Herta has won three times and scored four poles to O’Ward’s single pole (at Road America last year).

    An Experienced Rookie Class

    INDYCAR might have to go back a couple of decades to find a newcomer class with as much high-level motorsports experience as this one.

    The intrigue starts with Jimmie Johnson, who shares the record for NASCAR Cup Series championships with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (seven each). Johnson grew up wanting to be an INDYCAR driver, and at 45 he’s finally getting his chance in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 48 Carvana Honda. He has been tutored by four-time series champion Dario Franchitti and has learned plenty from Scott Dixon, but the challenge that awaits him will be unlike anything he has experienced in his career.

    “It’s a monster – that’s the best way I can put it,” Johnson said of driving one of INDYCAR’s machines. “There’s so much power, so much downforce, so much grip. It’s wild to drive.”

    Driving the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda, Romain Grosjean is a nine-year veteran of Formula One, recognized as the pinnacle of global motorsports, and he finished on the podium 10 times with second-tier teams. Like Johnson, Grosjean, 34, is only scheduled to compete on INDYCAR’s road courses and street circuits this season as he adapts to the series.

    “What attracts people to INDYCAR is that it’s a top series, top cars, top drivers, and the driver can actually make a difference,” Grosjean said.

    Scott McLaughlin joined Team Penske’s INDYCAR program after driving for Roger Penske and Dick Johnson the past four years in Australian V8 Supercars. McLaughlin, 27, had completed his Down Under checklist, winning 56 races, three consecutive season championships and earning 76 poles and 106 podiums. It was time to move on, and he did so at the end of last year by competing in INDYCAR’s season-ending race in St. Petersburg. He finished 22nd.

    “There’s a bit of nerves, absolutely,” said McLaughlin, the driver of the No. 3 PPG Chevrolet, of the full season that awaits. “There’s an unknown there, but I said to my wife last night I feel as prepared as I can be right now. The only thing I lack is experience, and that will come.”

    Faces in New Places

    Among the 24 entries at Barber Motorsports Park are several INDYCAR veterans who have different opportunities for the upcoming season.

    Felix Rosenqvist, Ed Jones and Alex Palou have new teams while Sebastien Bourdais, James Hinchcliffe and Dalton Kellett have increased their number of races with the teams with which they finished the 2020 season.

    Rosenqvist, who won a race last year at Road America, will drive the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Jones is back in the series after a year away, and he returns to the organization in which he had success in 2017 (he finished third in the Indianapolis 500). Jones will drive the No. 18 Team SealMaster Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan Honda. Palou is now in the No. 10 NTT DATA Honda of Chip Ganassi Racing.

    Bourdais (No. 14 ROCKiT Chevrolet) and Kellett (No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet) now have full-season roles with AJ Foyt Racing. Bourdais is a four-time INDYCAR champion with 37 career race wins. Kellett drove in eight races last year for the team as a rookie.

    Hinchcliffe is set for his second stint with Andretti Autosport, having won three of his six career races there. After competing in six races with Michael Andretti’s organization in 2020, Hinchcliffe will be full-time in the No. 29 Genesys Honda fielded by Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport.

    “I think expectations are high for the year (as Andretti) has got a pretty stacked lineup,” Hinchcliffe said. “There was good momentum with the team at the end of last year.”

    How To Watch

    Nine of the 17 races, including this weekend’s and the two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Month of May, will air live on NBC. The other eight can be found on the NBC Sports Network.

    Fans can enjoy live coverage of all practice and qualifying sessions, as well as coverage surrounding the “500,” Indy Lights races, race day warmups and full-event replays of the 2021 season on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer platform, for $4.99 per month. Signup information can be found at www.peacocktv.com.

    At the track, a capacity of 20,000 has been reached for Sunday’s race. General admission tickets remain for action on Friday and Saturday.

  • NTT INDYCAR SERIES Extends Global Broadcast Reach with New Partnerships

    NTT INDYCAR SERIES Extends Global Broadcast Reach with New Partnerships

    INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, April 15, 2021) – The NTT INDYCAR SERIES announced a new round of international broadcast partnerships today, extending its reach and adding to an already strong list of global broadcasters.

    New broadcast partners include Sport 1 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where NTT INDYCAR SERIES events will be available live on the Sport 1+ premium service platform, with selected highlights on Sport 1. The coverage area will include the home of Switzerland’s Simona De Silvestro, who returns to the series this year to drive the No. 16 Paretta Autosport/Rocket Pro TPO Chevrolet in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

    “This is amazing,” De Silvestro said. “I’m pretty excited that Sport 1 is going to be showing NTT INDYCAR SERIES races. It’s always cool to have my races shown in my home country. I’m so glad they’re doing it as we help grow our series.”

    The international reach of NTT INDYCAR SERIES sees further growth this season with Arena 4 in Hungary and Sport Extra in Romania, both having come onboard during the 2020 season. New for 2021 is the addition of Eurosport for Poland and the Indian sub-continent, along with TV Arena Sport for Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Slovenia.

    DAZN joins the 2021 lineup for coverage of the series in Italy, home of NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis manufacturer Dallara. Meanwhile, DAZN’s global streaming service will deliver the series to another 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Australasia, the Caribbean, South and Central America, North Africa and the Middle East.

    In Asia, Fox Sports is set to take North America’s premier open-wheel racing series to more than a dozen countries, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and North Korea.

    TV Cultura will provide coverage for Brazil and its rich history of athletes and passionate fans of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. This season, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves (Meyer Shank Racing) and 2004 INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan (Chip Ganassi Racing) return to partial-season efforts, including their attempt to add another Indy 500 win to the list of Brazilians who have won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Rookie Pietro Fittipaldi, the 24-year-old grandson of two-time “500” winner Emerson Fittipaldi, will join the series as part of an oval-only schedule for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR.

    No fewer than 34 drivers are expected to compete in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this season. Twenty-two of those drivers are international.

    Combined with renewals and existing broadcast partnerships, 209 countries will be represented among 26 worldwide networks.

    “The stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES resonate in every corner of the globe, and our broadcast partnerships will bring our sport to a wider international audience in 2021,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO, Penske Entertainment Corp. “This growth and excitement are in line with what we’re seeing on the track with breathtaking racing, compelling storylines and engaging personalities featuring our defiant athletes. These new partnerships add to our momentum as we launch the 2021 season.”

    The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins Sunday, April 18 with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park.

    A full list of international broadcast partners offering NTT INDYCAR SERIES is available below and here.

    Territories – Channel

    Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, Guam, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and mainland China) – Fox Sports Asia

    Asia (Israel, Maldives, Taiwan, Timor-Leste) – DAZN*

    Australia – Fox Sports

    Australasia (Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu) – DAZN*

    Belgium – VOOsport

    Brazil – TV Cultura

    Canada – Sportsnet

    Europe (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, San Marino, Slovakia, Turkey) – DAZN*

    France – CANAL+

    Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – Sport 1

    Hungary – Arena 4

    Indian sub-continent – Eurosport

    Italy – DAZN

    Japan – GAORA SPORTS

    Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay) – Claro Video

    Latin America (Bolivia, Belize, Suriname, Venezuela) – DAZN*

    Middle East and North Africa (Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Tunisia, and Yemen) – DAZN*

    Mexico – Claro

    Myanmar – CANAL+

    North America and Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago) – DAZN*

    Netherlands – Ziggo Sport

    New Zealand – Sky Sport

    Nordics – V Sport and Viaplay

    Poland – Eurosport

    Portugal – Sport TV

    Romania – Sport Extra

    Russia & CIS – Viasat Sport East

    Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Slovenia – Arena Sport

    South Africa & SSA – Supersport

    Sub-Saharan Africa – CANAL+

    Spain – Movistar

    UK – Sky Sports F1

    Vietnam – VSTV

    *DAZN, the global OTT subscription video streaming sports service

  • CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE – BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK

    CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE – BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK

    CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
    INDY GP OF ALABAMA – APRIL 17-18
    BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
    LEEDS. ALABAMA
    APRIL 14, 2021

    RACE 1 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES:

    DETROIT (April 14, 2021) – Chevrolet teams and drivers, buoyed by strong on-track test outings and off-track preparations, enter the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with high expectations for continued success.

    Since rejoining INDYCAR manufacturer competition in 2012, Chevrolet has amassed an impressive 89 victories and 99 earned poles in 149 races on the way to securing six Engine Manufacturer Championships and seven Driver/Owner Championships. Team Penske and Ed Carpenter Racing have contributed to the achievements since 2012.

    Chevrolet scored seven wins and 11 poles during the 2020 season truncated because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Eleven cars powered by Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 engine will seek to take the checkered flag in the opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama powered by AmFirst on April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park.

    “As Chevrolet enters its 10th consecutive year of NTT INDYCAR SERIES engine manufacturer competition, we want to thank our partners and teams for the major accomplishments through the years,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager. “That dedication to a collaborative effort resulted in maximizing available off-season testing in preparation of for the 2021 season. With a talented lineup of drivers and skilled teams backed by Chevy power, we look forward to achieving more milestones this season.”

    Chevrolet has won six of the past eight races on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, is the only three-time winner.

    “I think we’ve got a good opportunity to come out pretty strong this year,” said Newgarden, who won from the pole in 2018 along with victories in 2015 and ’17. “I think we’ve done a lot of good work this off-season. I’m very encouraged about everywhere we’re going, to be honest, Barber included. I can’t wait to get going this weekend.”

    Newgarden, runner-up in the 2020 championship standings, also posted top-five finishes in 2019 and 2016 on the natural-terrain course that features 80 feet of elevation change. Teammates Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, and Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet, have also notched victories.

    Team Penske will field a fourth full-season Chevrolet entry driven by three-time Australian SuperCar champion Scott McLaughlin, who made his Series debut in the 2020 finale.

    “This track requires a lot of commitment, a lot of bravery and a lot of commitment to the aerodynamics of the car,” he said of Barber Motorsports Park. “That’s something I’m getting used to right now. Having a couple test days puts me in good stead knowing what I’ve got and what I will have chassis-wise when we hit the track on Saturday morning.”

    Felix Rosenqvist, who edged Pato O’Ward for the victory at Road America last season, has joined Arrow McLaren SP as O’Ward’s teammate in the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet, returns to A.J. Foyt Enterprises after competing in eight races in 2020. He will be joined for the full season by four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet.

    Veteran Conor Daly will drive the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing in road/street course events, with the team namesake taking the wheel on ovals. Daly will also drive in the Indianapolis 500 for the team. Rinus VeeKay, the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year, returns to Ed Carpenter Racing in the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet.

    NBC will telecast the 90-lap/214-mile race at 3 p.m. ET April 18. The race will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Practice, live qualifications and the race day warm-up will stream on Peacock Premium.

    Team Chevy will be represented by:
    A.J. Foyt Enterprises
    Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA
    Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT

    Arrow McLaren SP
    Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP
    Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP

    Carlin
    Max Chilton, No. 59 Carlin

    Ed Carpenter Racing
    Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force
    Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek

    Team Penske
    Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske
    Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske
    Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske
    Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske
    HISTORICAL 2012 TO PRESENT – CHEVROLET V6 TWIN TURBOCHARGED DIRECT INJECTED 2.2-LITER ENGINE SUPPLIER IN INDYCAR:
    2012 – 11 wins
    *First win as IndyCar V6 2.2 liter engine supplier (3/25/2012) – Helio Castroneves, Streets of St. Petersburg
    *First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 IZOD IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
    *First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Driver Championship – Ryan Hunter-Reay (also won Oval Track Championship)
    *First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Road Course Championship – Will Power
    2013 – 10 wins
    *First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Tony Kanaan
    *Second Consecutive IZOD IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
    *Repeat IZOD IndyCar Series Road Course Championship – Will Power
    2014 – 12 wins
    *Second Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Will Power
    *Third Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
    2015 – 10 wins
    *Third Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Scott Dixon
    *Fourth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
    *Second Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Juan Pablo Montoya
    2016 – 14 wins
    *Fourth Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship — Simon Pagenaud
    *Fifth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
    2017 – 10 wins
    *Fifth Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Josef Newgarden
    *Sixth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
    2018 – 6 wins
    *Third Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Will Power
    2019 – 9 wins
    *Fourth Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Simon Pagenaud
    *Sixth NTT IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Josef Newgarden
    2020 – 7 wins
    * Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1), Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indianapolis road course1 October, St. Petersburg), Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indianapolis road course October2)

    TOTAL V6 WINS: 89 wins, 99 poles (And 5 pole starts based on entrant points for total of 104) in 149 races

    About Chevrolet
    Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found www.chevrolet.com.

  • Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Fast Facts

    Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Fast Facts

    Race weekend: Saturday, April 17 – Sunday, April 18

    Track: Barber Motorsports Park, a 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course (clockwise) in Birmingham, Alabama

    Race distance: 90 laps / 207 miles

    Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.

    Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate, one additional set available for rookies for use in first practice.

    Twitter: @BarberMotorPark @IndyCar, #HIGPA, #IndyCar

    Event website: www.barberracingevents.com

    INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

    2019 race winner: Takuma Sato, 1:55:46.8076, 107.272 mph. No race in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

    2019 NTT P1 Award winner: Takuma Sato, 1:08.5934, 120.711 mph. No race in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

    Qualifying lap record: Sebastien Bourdais, 1:06.6001, 124.324 mph, April 23, 2016

    NBC Sports race telecasts: Qualifying, 10 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (tape-delayed); Race, 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy.

    Peacock Premium live streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

    INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton and Nick Yeoman. Jake Query is the turn announcer. The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama race (3 p.m. ET) airs live on network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app, with qualifying also airing on XM 205.

    At-track schedule (All Times Local/Central Time):

    Saturday, April 17

    10-10:45 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice #1, Peacock Premium

    1:40-2:25 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice #2, Peacock Premium

    4:55-6:10 p.m.: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama qualifying (Three rounds of knockout qualifications), Peacock Premium (live); NBCSN (Tape delayed at 10 p.m. ET)

    6:15 p.m.: NTT P1 Award Presentation (pit lane)

    Sunday, April 18

    10:30-11 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium

    2 p.m.: NBC on air

    2:35 p.m.: “Drivers, start your engines”

    2:42 p.m.: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (90 laps/207 miles), NBC (live)

    Race Notes:

    • The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will be the 11th NTT INDYCAR SERIES event conducted at Barber Motorsports Park. Helio Castroneves won the inaugural race in 2010.
    • Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Takuma Sato are the only entered drivers to have won at Barber Motorsports Park. Power won the race in 2011 and 2012, Hunter-Reay in 2013 and 2014, Newgarden in 2015, 2017 and 2018, Pagenaud in 2016 and Sato in 2019.
    • Power, Hunter-Reay, Pagenaud, Newgarden and Sato are the only entered drivers to have won the pole position at Barber Motorsports Park. Power claimed the pole position in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2017, Pagenaud won the pole in 2016, Hunter-Reay won the pole in 2013, Newgarden won the pole in 2018, and Sato won the pole in 2019.
    • Five drivers have won the race from the pole – Power in 2011, Hunter-Reay in 2013, Pagenaud in 2016, Newgarden in 2018 and Sato in 2019.
    • Scott Dixon has finished on the podium in eight of his 10 previous starts at Barber Motorsports Park – including six runner-up finishes – but he has yet to finish on the top step of the podium at the picturesque road circuit.
    • Seven drivers have competed in every NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Barber Motorsports Park – Marco Andretti, Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Power, Graham Rahal and Sato. All but Andretti and Kanaan are entered this weekend.
    • Team Penske has six wins at Barber Motorsports Park (2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018). Andretti Autosport, Ed Carpenter Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing are the only other teams to win at the track. Andretti Autosport won in 2013 and 2014 with Hunter-Reay. Ed Carpenter Racing won with Newgarden in 2015, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing won in 2019 with Sato.
    • Three NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year contenders – Romain Grosjean, Jimmie Johnson and Scott McLaughlin – are entered. Those three, plus 2020 rookies Dalton Kellett, Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay, will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at Barber Motorsports Park for the first time.
    • Eighteen of the 24 drivers entered in the event have competed in NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Barber Motorsports Park. Ten entered drivers have led laps: Power 208, Newgarden 133, Hunter-Reay 93, Pagenaud 87, Sato 74, Dixon 46, Rahal 25, Sebastien Bourdais 19, James Hinchcliffe 4 and Alexander Rossi 3.
    • Dixon has made 272 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history. Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti is not entered in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race for the first time since he debuted in 2006. Andretti has made 248 consecutive starts, which is the third-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.
  • Pennzoil Named Official Motor Oil and Lubricant of INDYCAR

    Pennzoil Named Official Motor Oil and Lubricant of INDYCAR

    INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, April 13, 2021) – Pennzoil® has become the Official Motor Oil and Lubricant Partner of INDYCAR and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, a new and dynamic multi-year partnership that begins this weekend with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park.

    The expansive agreement also includes Pennzoil becoming the sponsor of the Pennzoil Technical Inspection area at all 17 NTT INDYCAR SERIES events this season. Pennzoil branding will be placed on INDYCAR’s technical inspection transporter.

    “Pennzoil has participated in the INDYCAR SERIES for many decades and during that time enjoyed much success, including the popular Pennzoil-sponsored Indianapolis 500 winners driven by Johnny Rutherford in 1980 and Rick Mears in 1984 and 1988,” said Patty Lanning, vice president, North American Marketing, Shell Lubricants. “At Pennzoil, we are proud to become the Official Motor Oil of INDYCAR to build on our success and legacy on and off the track in one of America’s premier motorsports series.”

    Said Selda Gunsel, vice president, Global Commercial Technology, Shell Lubricants: “The extreme stress put on an NTT INDYCAR SERIES engine provides the optimal test bed for modern motor oils like Pennzoil Synthetics. The highly efficient and powerful engine technology used in INDYCAR has presented Pennzoil with an opportunity to innovate and prove that our made-from-natural gas motor oils can make a difference on the track.”

    Because Pennzoil is committed to technology and technicians and shares a passion for cars with the experts, it also will celebrate the best mechanic in the series in 2021. Included in the partnership, Pennzoil will sponsor the INDYCAR Chief Mechanic Award, which will provide $50,000 to the chief mechanic of the entry that wins the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship.

    “Pennzoil has deep roots in INDYCAR racing and is part of the sport’s proud heritage,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “Pennzoil is an industry-leading brand with huge name recognition and a fantastic partner that will engage with our fans in many unique ways, helping to bring the exciting action of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to more people.”

    Pennzoil has been used in competition in Chevrolet engines in INDYCAR since 2012, powering more wins than any other motor oil-and-engine combination in that time. Pennzoil engineers continuously work on the motor oil that goes into the race cars on the track. The on-track performance and data serve as a laboratory for the motor oil Pennzoil introduces for passenger cars, helping make sure that drivers get the most out of their vehicle. Pennzoil Platinum helps extend the life of your engine and protects it for up to 15 years or 500,000 miles, whichever comes first, guaranteed[1] . That’s the same distance it would take to run the Indianapolis 500 … 1,000 times!

    This year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES season kicks off with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst on Sunday, April 18. NBC will provide live coverage starting with a pre-race show at 3 p.m. (ET), followed by the green flag at 3:30 p.m. Coverage also will be available on the INDYCAR Radio Network.

    About INDYCAR

    INDYCAR is the Indianapolis-based governing body for North America’s premier open-wheel auto racing series known as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The series features an international field of the world’s most versatile drivers – including six-time series champion Scott Dixon, two-time series champion Josef Newgarden and two-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato – who compete on superspeedways, short ovals, street circuits and permanent road courses. The season, which runs from April to September, currently consists of 17 races in the United States and Canada and is highlighted by the historic Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge held annually in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. For more information on INDYCAR and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, please visit www.indycar.com.

    About Shell Motorsports

    Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 20,000 people working to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future. The Shell downstream organization manages a portfolio of top-quality brands, including the No. 1 selling premium gasoline, Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline, No. 1 selling gasoline, Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines and Pennzoil®, the most trusted motor oil brand in America[2].

    Shell’s motorsports technical alliances around the world provide a testing ground for fuel and lubricant technologies and products in demanding road conditions. The knowledge Shell and Pennzoil gain through these alliances help address tomorrow’s world mobility energy challenge with efficient solutions that power and protect motorists around the globe. http://www.shell.com, http://www.shell.us, http://www.pennzoil.com.

    [1]15 years or 500,000 miles, whichever comes first, guaranteed. Your engine must have less than 125,000 miles and been manufactured in the past 72 months. To maintain your warranty, change your vehicle’s oil and oil filter at least as often as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Enrollment required. Keep your receipts. Other conditions apply. See Pennzoil.com/warranty to enroll and for full details and terms.

    [2]Based on a survey of licensed drivers conducted by a leading research firm, full year 2020.

  • NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rolls into 2021 with Defiant Momentum

    NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rolls into 2021 with Defiant Momentum

    INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, April 13, 2021) – Anticipation continues to build for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES opener Sunday, April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park, the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst. Here’s a look at the year ahead and what’s new with North America’s premier open-wheel series:

    Varied, Challenging Schedule

    The season begins with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst, one of the many traditional events on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar, which makes a return after the 2020 pandemic year.

    A series of four races in three weekends will start the season, including the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, April 25 and a doubleheader weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2 for the Genesys 300 and the XPEL 375. Six of the first eight events on the calendar will air on NBC broadcast television, including the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 30. A record nine events will air on NBC this season before the season culminates on the historic streets of Long Beach for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

    “You could feel the energy in the paddock during last week’s Indy 500 testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp. “Now we’re ready to end the offseason and wave the green flag on an exciting season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES action featuring our daring, fierce and competitive athletes.

    “Starting the season with four races on three consecutive weekends is an ideal launch, with momentum carrying into the Month of May. The championship stretch also is exciting, with three consecutive West Coast races to wrap up the season, along with visits to Detroit, Road America, Mid-Ohio, Toronto, St. Louis and an inaugural event in Nashville. Combined with another road course event during another NASCAR-INDYCAR weekend at Indy, we are very optimistic about the success of the 2021 season and the continued growth of the series.”

    Event weekends will feature a compact schedule in 2021, with practice and qualifying schedules built on lessons of efficiency from last season’s pandemic year. Street course events include a late afternoon practice on Fridays to allow more time to highlight support events. Road course weekends will feature a more impactful Saturday for race fans with two practices that day followed by qualifying, including the exciting Firestone Fast Six.

    Rookie Class with Global Recognition

    This season’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies are anything but inexperienced. The class of 2021 features seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson as he fulfills a lifelong dream of driving in the INDYCAR SERIES. “7-time” has worked the last few years toward this opportunity and has been methodical in his adaptation to open-wheel racing. He’ll drive his famous No. 48 with Carvana sponsorship for Chip Ganassi Racing.

    “To have someone like Jimmie join the INDYCAR SERIES, who could do whatever he wants to do at this point in his life, is a huge statement,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “He has nothing to prove in his career. He’s the ultimate competitor. All he wants to do is go out and prove to himself that he can do this and compete at a high level.”

    Formula One veteran Romain Grosjean cannot wait for his series debut. The 34-year-old French driver moves to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES after 179 career starts in the World Championship. He’ll drive the No. 51 Nurtec ODT Honda for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR.

    Three-time Australian V8 Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin prepares for his first full season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The 27-year-old Kiwi ranks third on Team Penske’s all-time win list with 48 wins, all in Supercars, and will drive the No. 3 PPG Chevrolet.

    Growing Car Counts

    Thanks to expansion by some NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams, the car count is on the rise in 2021. Race weekends will see a steady 24 full-time entries with some races, excluding the Indianapolis 500, seeing as many as 26. Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske both will field four full-time cars for the first time since 2017.

    Meyer Shank Racing continues its steady growth with the addition of three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who ranks 12th on the INDYCAR SERIES’ all-time wins list with 30 victories. He’s driving the No. 06 Honda to create an expanded two-car team for MSR in six races this season.

    Speedway Program

    NTT INDYCAR SERIES regulations require filling in the front-half of the “hole” in the underwing with a carbon fiber clam shell piece, which wraps around the structural strut of the underwing. The result creates downforce while reducing the reliance of the front wing. Ultimately, it will provide the potential for even more passing opportunities when cars are in traffic.

    “We wanted to reduce the amount of work the front wing does,” INDYCAR Director of Aerodynamic Development Tino Belli said. “The amount of downforce necessary has grown over the years with the gradual addition of weight with the AK-18 side pods and the safety-inspired Aeroscreen. The new downforce created by the underwing has done exactly what it was supposed to do.”

    The change is a culmination of 18 months of work, which also included safety considerations when cars are in extreme conditions.

    “A lot of things we did for this season, we weren’t able to do last year because the pandemic,” Frye said. “The spring testing schedule has helped us out for this year and the results have been positive. Overall, the racing product has been very good. We wanted to make it even better.”

    On the Horizon

    This season will see historic moments for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Six-time series champion Scott Dixon returns to drive the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing. The 40-year-old will be attempting to tie the legendary A.J. Foyt for all-time INDYCAR championships with seven.

    Nine former Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winners, representing 13 victories, will return for the 105th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 30. The record for former “500” winners in the race is 10, set in 1992.

    INDYCAR’s and IMS’ “Race for Equality & Change” initiative continues. Launched last July, new programs include Paretta Autosport, a female-led team that will field a Chevrolet-powered car for 2010 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Simona De Silvestro for this year’s Indy 500. The goal is to compete full time in the series in 2022. Meanwhile, the new Force Indy team will compete in USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires this season. Led by team principal Rod Reid and featuring rookie driver Myles Rowe, Force Indy was created to enhance opportunities for African Americans in the world of motorsports and build a more diverse talent pipeline inside as well as outside the cockpit.

    All of these positive developments come as the series continues work toward a new engine package in 2023 with partners Honda and Chevrolet. Development continues with the 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 with hybrid technology, which is expected to produce a total of 900 horsepower.

    “It has been a tremendous effort by everyone in the offseason,” Frye said. “Our NTT INDYCAR SERIES partners, promoters, staff and teams have been working tirelessly. 2021 will be an awesome show. We can’t wait to get started.”

  • CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEAM PENSKE INDYCAR DRIVER PRE BARBER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

    CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEAM PENSKE INDYCAR DRIVER PRE BARBER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

    CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
    INDY GP OF ALABAMA
    BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
    LEEDS. ALABAMA
    TEAM CHEVY DRIVER ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
    TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS PRE BARBER QUOTES
    APRIL 12, 2021

    TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, JOSEF NEWGARDEN, SIMON PAGENAUD AND WILL POWER met with media to discuss upcoming NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opening race at Barber Motorsports Park:

    What have you done to prepare for a track like Barber, which can be a tricky circuit?
    SIMON PAGENAUD: — Barber10 years ago, it was my first ever INDYCAR race. Lots of great memories. Obviously a great win in 2016. Battle with Graham Rahal. A great track, really technical, high commitment. Really need to bring a lot of confidence to the game. It’s a brilliant oval track for those reasons.

    Scott, what have you done to prepare for a track like Barber, which can be a tricky circuit?
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m feeling as prepared as I can be right now. I said to my wife last night, Whatever happens this week, I feel like I’ve done a lot of hard work, worked on my fitness. It’s going to be a very physical week, tough track on the body.
    Worked with the team to get an understanding. This track requires a lot of commitment, a lot of bravery, and a lot of commitment to the aero, aerodynamics of the car. That’s something I’m getting used to right now.
    Bit by bit I’ve got used to it across the run. Having a couple test days here puts me in good stead knowing what I’ve got and what I will have chassis-wise when we hit the track on Saturday morning.
    Yeah, look, I’m happy where we’re at. Really excited for the challenge. It’s going to be an up-and-down year. I’m really excited for all the obstacles, what’s going to come across in my rookie season.

    Q. Obviously it’s going to be a pretty quick couple of races at the start of the season. For Simon and Scott, how confident are you guys going into the season? Also you’ve come off the back of a really good test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. How much confidence does that give you going into the month of May?
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, it’s going to be an exciting year. Yeah, absolutely had a great test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Nice to also do some laps around there. I’ve got three great teammates to lean on, not only in terms of driving style but setup-wise, trusting what the car is going to be like at qualifying trim, race trim, understanding that. That was really nice to lean on all three of the guys. All three of them were fantastic with me, helping me build up, get acquainted.
    For me, I don’t really know what to expect. I think we’ve done some really good work as a team in the off-season. From what I understand the team’s in a positive spot, but you don’t know with testing right now sort of where everyone’s at. I don’t think we’ll know until qualifying at Barber.
    That’s my best answer to that sort of thing.
    For me right now, it’s about doing as many laps as I can, getting as much understanding under my belt, leaning on my three great teammates as much as I can.

    SIMON PAGENAUD: Clearly we focused a lot on the Indianapolis 500. Last year was not what we expected. We wanted to come back and really show the resilience of Team Penske. As you saw the test, the drivers felt, we were very pleased with the improvement. Everybody worked so hard this winter. We found speed.
    It’s obviously just the beginning of testing at Indy, but it felt very good. That’s clearly a very enjoyable thing to say as it’s also my number one goal.
    Now when it comes to the full championship, also like Scott said, made big improvements on the race car, making it more consistently able to go get the last little bit of lap time. I don’t know where we’re going to stack up exactly, but I know that we’ve done everything we can to run up front and be there for the championship in the end.
    It’s going to be a long season. You are going to have to score points and always be top five to fight for the championship.

    Simon, obviously we have condensed schedules again this year. Last year you didn’t know that going into it. Do you have to prepare a little differently now this year knowing that you’re only running Saturday and Sunday at Barber, everything is condensed? Does that change how you prepare in the off-season and week-to-week?
    SIMON PAGENAUD: The big advantage is this year we knew that the schedule was going to change. We knew in advance. That really helped my team and myself to prepare and understand how the weekend was going to roll.
    At the end of the day it’s about knowing how to tackle each practice for qualifying and then the race. I think we have right now a very good outlook on everything.
    Super excited about this format, quite frankly. I think we have a two-day weekend in Barber. St. Pete is different, three-day weekend. Texas is two races. The next four races are back-to-back. It’s going to be intense. But I know we’re ready. I can’t wait to get going.

    Simon, Team Penske has been three cars in the past. What advantages do you see in getting a fourth car full-time this year?
    SIMON PAGENAUD: You know, I know it’s very simple actually to understand. It’s two and two. Two and two make work a lot easier. When it’s three, two guys might like the same thing, one guy might not. When it’s two and two, there’s more chances that two guys are going to like the same things and two others are going to like the exact same stuff for their cars or their style.
    As four, it also has a better flow, better energy within the team also. It’s the same with the engineers. Jonathan Diuguid is with Scott McLaughlin. He used to lead the sports car program. Jonathan was also Helio’s engineer in the past. Lots of experience there.
    I think all those four engineers working together are really a fantastic group. Four awesome drivers, four awesome engineers. Obviously there’s a lot more engineers in the background that really makes for a super team.

    With the new aero package for the superspeedways this year, as I understand it you have more options as a team or a driver in terms of your setup. What has been your experience? I can ask both of you this question. What has been your experience so far? Has it made it confusing or has it made it better for you as a driver in that you have these more options?
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: For me, it’s probably — I was speaking to Will Power about this, knowing that it’s one of my first times on a superspeedway, on the oval, having no experience on really anything else. Going in, it’s all brand-new.
    The feeling? I didn’t have any old feelings of old cars and stuff. I was probably able to get acquainted almost easier because some of the older guys, in some ways they’re so used to different feelings.
    I think it’s a good option of having the option of putting the balance boards on or taking them off or whatever. It’s going to be interesting what the racing is like.
    I think we found in Indianapolis, yeah, depends on your setup. It was difficult to pass three or four back in the train. But I think it certainly looks better than last year.
    Yeah, look, I’m learning every lap I do really, especially at the ovals.

    SIMON PAGENAUD: I felt like INDYCAR did a great job allowing us more options. It was important to make sure the show was going to be awesome. Especially if we get some fans in the grandstand, it would be fantastic to come back and put on the best show ever.
    The balance board, the more aerodynamics, also they fill up the hole on the side of the floor, and you can definitely add onto the front wing to help run in traffic. It was a big improvement.
    I really enjoyed being able to run in traffic without big surprises in the aerodynamics of the car. I think with more testing, a lot more cars will figure it out and drivers.
    So overall I think it’s very, very positive.

    ‘Push to pass’ was tested at the Indy oval recently. There’s been some mixed feelings as to whether or not INDYCAR should allow ‘push to pass’ on ovals. In the past they never have. Like to get your thought as to having that option? I asked Juan Montoya last week. He was very much in favor of having it on the ovals. I’ve heard other drivers say they weren’t so sure. I’d like to hear your opinion.
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Well, for me, I think anything that makes racing better is a good thing. If INDYCAR think the racing is going to be better with a ‘push to pass’ option potentially. But I think you’ll find if that gets brought in, it will be a very strategic move how you use them. You probably will save them for a long time, hopefully have enough fuel to use it, or gas as you say over here.
    I think, yeah, it’s going to be interesting. It’s hard for me to tell because I haven’t been in a race situation. I think you got to back INDYCAR officials in anything that makes the racing better. Hopefully that will work.

    SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, I think it’s very situational. Quite frankly, we don’t really have — drivers, it doesn’t really matter. We’re coming in, the rules are the rules. What INDYCAR decides is for us to use. I’m very much backing them up because they’ve made great choices in the racing in general.
    Would I have liked to have the ‘push to pass’ in 2019? Probably not. Would I have liked to have it last year? Absolutely. It depends on the situation. It’s very hard to have one determined opinion on that.
    I think for the racing, it would be great. For the fans, it would be fantastic. But it all depends how it’s gone in place.
    I look forward, in any case, to changes. It shuffles the cards and it’s good for racing.

    Scott, this month here you’re kind of running the gamut of all the different types of courses that INDYCAR hits. You get the Indy 500 test, now you got a dedicated road course followed immediately by a street course and then a high-speed oval at Texas. Is that difficult to prepare for, to think about all the different types of racing that’s coming up in quick succession?
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, any time I get laps in these cars, it’s better. It’s wild, but this is exactly why I came to America for. I came to race nearly every weekend on all different disciplines I haven’t done before.
    It’s definitely a difficult thing to prepare for for everyone. I think we’re all sort of working out times to get on the simulator, when do you give up preparing for this race this weekend and then start thinking about the next race in a week’s time.
    But thankfully for the start of season when it’s crazy, all these tracks I’ve been to before. I know what I need. We’ve got a solid plan in place. We can sort of hit the ground running at each track.
    So, yeah, I think probably this one this week is probably the one track that definitely I need to work harder. St. Pete I feel, having known that track, I know our balance there, it’s going to be okay. Then Texas, it’s an oval. I’ve just got to work my way around it.
    It’s exciting. Like I said, I came to America to race most weekends. This is a dream for me really.

    Scott, obviously last year was sort of an interesting one for you going from the Bathurst 1000 straight over to America to make your INDYCAR debut. What is it like this weekend? You’ve had a fair bit of buildup. Does it feel like you’re having your debut all over in some ways?
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It certainly feels like a bit of a reset button, I guess. I definitely feel a lot more prepared. I have an understanding of the car a lot more than I did when I was sort of rolling into St. Pete. That can only be beneficial for me.
    I came into St. Pete with a thought of what the car was like in sort of February, March. Got to October, it was all full on. That week was full on for me. I was jetlagged, whatever. I’m not making excuses, but at the same time like I said, I feel as prepared as I can be right now.
    The only thing right now I lack is experience. I feel like I’ve got, like I said, great teammates to lean on. I’ve got a great engineer, as Simon said, who has a huge amount of experience. I’m just leaning on everyone really and soaking everything up like a sponge.
    It’s business time now. I really need to get into it.

    Following up on that ‘push to pass’ question before. Up until now it’s been allowed to be used as a defense mechanism as well as offense. Some drivers think that’s a good thing. Others feel it defeats the purpose of having it. I’d like to get your opinion on that.
    SIMON PAGENAUD: That’s a loaded question (laughter). You never get everybody to agree on that one.
    It is what it is. Again, like I said earlier, I think it depends what INDYCAR decides to do, and we have to oblige by the rules. We’re an entertainment show, so at the end of the day it’s about making sure we put on a fantastic show.
    As we saw last year, racing without fans is not racing. They have a huge part of — they are a huge part of what we do, so we have to think about that, making sure that the fans enjoy the racing. That is what INDYCAR is doing.
    Whatever the drivers think doesn’t really matter as much. But no matter what, it would be a great show. It has been without it. It will be with it, if we have it. So I personally have zero opinion on it. I don’t personally like gimmicks in racing, but honestly it completely depends on the situation and how it’s implemented.

    Q. Scott, can you tell me a little bit about the helmet design you’re going to be running at the Indianapolis 500. Is that a tribute to Rick Mears?
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. It’s just basically the same helmet design that Helio has run in previous years. Obviously what Rick was synonymous for with the yellow submarine.
    I love tradition, I love history. I think it was a cool tribute. I couldn’t fit McLaughlin down the side, it would wrap around my visor as well. I had to subs substitute for Scott.
    I thought it was pretty cool, quite on the back. It’s just a tribute to the 500, the people that have run it before, and hopefully a legacy we can start with myself and Pennzoil. I’m tremendously excited to run that car. I feel very lucky and privileged. Excited to see what we can do with it.

    I’d like to get your thoughts on INDYCAR going to Nashville for the Music City Grand Prix later this year.
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’ve never been to Nashville before, so the more America I can see, the better. Very excited. I heard Nashville is a wild city. I’m really excited for the street track there, around the stadium where the Titans play, too, is cool.
    Sounds to me, Josef is the Nashville king or Nashville mayor, he’s pretty pumped by it. He said it’s an awesome city and awesome vibe. Yeah, super pumped. Any track that goes over a bridge, man, is pretty bad ass, so I’m excited for that.
    SIMON PAGENAUD: Can you play any instrument?
    SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No. Depending how many drinks I’ve had.
    SIMON PAGENAUD: I want to see it. I want to see it (laughter).
    Pretty exciting when we get to that market. It looks like a really interesting layout, for sure, going over the bridge. I’m sure those photos will go around the world and be very iconic after a while. I am really looking forward to it.
    It’s a town of festivities and we’re bringing the show. Very excited to get to know the town. I’ve actually never been to Nashville either. As you know, I look forward to finding some good restaurants.

    We’re joined by Will Power, Josef Newgarden. Will, as a two-time winner and four-time pole winner at Barber, it’s been a couple years since we have been to Barber, so how excited are you to get back to racing?
    WILL POWER: Yeah, I’m super excited to get back in the car. Yeah, very excited. Josef is going to be very amused at this (laughter). Yeah, I think we’ve had two test days at Barber, so I reckon we’ve got the car pretty well sorted.
    I know it’s going to be super competitive. It’s going to be very, very competitive. So many good guys and teams this year. Certainly have to put everything together to make sure that we’re in the game.
    But just really happy to get back to racing. It’s been quite a long off-season.

    We’re also joined by Josef Newgarden, who is the most successful driver in the history of INDYCAR Series at Barber with three wins. Josef, what is it about Barber that kind of suits you?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I’m pretty excited, too, like Will said. I think we’ve got a good opportunity to come out pretty strong this year. I think we’ve done a lot of good work this off-season. I’m very encouraged about everywhere we’re going, to be honest. Barber included.
    I can’t wait to get going this weekend. It’s been a while since we got to do our normal jobs. I’m excited to get back with the boys and get working.
    Excited we’ve got four cars. I think we’ve got some of the best people as always. We’ve been bolstered this year with adding Scott, his engineer J.D., and a couple others. Very, very excited to get going.

    Going to be a pretty frantic start to the season. How beneficial is it to you guys to have Scott kind of added for a fourth car this season?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I think it’s tremendously beneficial. I think we’re going to find a lot of benefits from it. Last time we were four cars, we worked really well together when Helio was in the mix. Having the resources that come with an extra car at Team Penske has, in my opinion, been quite useful. I think probably more useful now with the shortened track time.
    We still have to be better at showing up with a car that’s going to work out of the box. But I think just having that extra car with the workload demand across the weekend will be very, very beneficial.
    It will be fun. It’s also fun to just see a pure rookie kind of going at it. He’s obviously super talented, going to have a good car on him. But it’s fun to watch how excited he is for every little thing, which I think makes it exciting to go to the track.

    I wanted to ask, obviously we always expect Penske and Ganassi drivers to contend for titles. Who do you reckon are going to be the new contenders for titles, people outside that group that are going to fight for titles? Do you expect to see Colton or Pato or Felix battling for the championship this year?
    WILL POWER: Yeah, I think McLaren is going to certainly be strong this year, with Pato, they’ve added Felix, who has a lot of experience in INDYCAR now. I think those guys are going to be pretty strong.
    Obviously Colton was already a threat last year, so more so this year.
    (Loss of audio.)
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: As Will was saying, all of these guys are going to be very good. Is he back?
    WILL POWER: Was I just talking and nothing happening?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: You froze, yeah.
    WILL POWER: I thought everyone was so engrossed in what I was saying, they were just like frozen, looking like, Oh, my God (laughter). Just an amazing, amazing reply. Then it just stopped. Oh, I’m frozen, okay. I should stop.

    Do you want to finish your statement, Will?
    WILL POWER: I have no clue where it stopped.
    Oh, yeah, just basically you add after Herta Penske and Ganassi and you’ve got a very fierce championship. I think you’re going to see many different winners this year. It will probably be a year of consistency that will win it.

    Josef, anyone else? Do you see maybe Rinus VeeKay with a year of experience under his belt being a threat?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t think you can count him out. Yeah, I don’t know. I think time will tell. I wouldn’t necessarily put him in the list right now. I think we probably need a little bit more evidence of that.
    Like Will said, I think Colton and Pato are probably the strongest newcomers to join the mix, and are definitely already threats in the championship. That’s only going to get probably better.
    We’ve got to see how Scott takes to it. Scott has an opportunity I think to be very strong in his first year, which could be unique to other rookies. I think he’s going to have a good opportunity. We’ll see how it takes to it.

    WILL POWER: Yeah. I mean, I liken Scott to Wickens. I believe he can have a year like that just from experience in top-level motorsports.

    The new aero package this year, on ovals you have had a chance to test it at Indy. I’d like to get your opinion with the options you now have compared to before in terms of setups. Also you tested the ‘push to pass’ on the oval. Should that work into the mix? Is that not necessary?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, I mean, I guess I’ll speak to the ‘push to pass’ because I was at the test.
    I was certainly not a big believer that’s something we need at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I want the racing to be as difficult as possible at Indy. I want opportunities for the front group to be able to race, to put on a good show.
    You can’t have everything. It’s really, really difficult to find a good balance where you have the most difficult cars to drive, the drivers can really showcase their talent behind the wheel and work with the team to make a faster car. Also to create an environment where the race is thrilling.
    I think you can have both of them. Honestly at Indy we’ve had that for the last 10 years. I think it’s been very difficult races and also very thrilling races. I think we’re talking about adding horsepower. I would rather just add pure horsepower to the car, which is what we all want. We just want more power for the cars.
    I think the ‘push to pass’ situation where you create this big speed disparity between cars is more of a risky proposition, putting it in the hands of the some of the field of 33 would make me a little bit nervous, not because it’s going to be more difficult, just because I think it would be more risky for no reason.
    Adding more horsepower is great, but probably not in a ‘push to pass’ format I think at Indy.

    Will, Honda versus Chevy, road course versus oval. Have you seen any trends? Your photo shop skills are getting as good as NASCAR. Will you be doing more of that in the future?
    WILL POWER: Yeah, the Honda versus Chevy, I think Barber probably is favored a little bit more to Honda because the way their engine seems to have more torque than ours. I think actually at the Speedway this year we’ll be pretty strong. I think Chevy’s made a really good gain.
    Yeah, it’s very close. I mean, both honestly are very close. But the field is so stacked now that any little advantage really makes a difference. If one manufacturer is just weighted a little bit more on the torque side, torque of the engine, for somewhere like Barber where it’s just pure power because there’s so much grip, it kind of stacks the field one way. Yeah, it’s super close.
    And my videos, yeah, I can keep doing them. Josef is actually using my guide to what to do, how far I should go. Is this okay to post? Any post that you don’t agree with, you should really message him because nothing to do with me, it’s his decision (laughter).

    Yourself and Simon have spoken fairly highly of Scott McLaughlin leading into his first full year in INDYCAR. What sort of separates him from perhaps other rookies that we’ve seen over the last few years? What has your advice been to him ahead of his first full season?
    WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, the difference is that Scott has a significant amount of experience at a very high level because the Super Car Championship in Australia is very competitive, very professional. It’s on par with INDYCAR.
    He’s been through all the stuff that rookies go through. You’ve seen that in his testing. He hasn’t thrown it off. I don’t think he’s even been off the track. Yeah, he’s very methodical about his approach. I think experience is going to help him significantly over a rookie that had only done junior categories.

    Will, obviously in the Road to Indy you’re helping out or mentoring Myles Rowe, but also there’s some young Australians. How cool is that as an Australian to see guys like Alex Peroni and Cam Shields come over here and try and make it?
    WILL POWER: Yeah, no, I’ve certainly helped Cameron Shields a lot in trying to make sure he continues. Obviously Myles is in a great program and has had a lot of laps in the car now. I’m hoping he’ll be super strong.
    But, yeah, I actually don’t know Alex Peroni very well, but I’ve kind of followed him a little bit with what he’s done in Europe. I think he’ll be really quick.
    Yeah, it’s great to see, especially Cameron Shields, he’s from Toowoomba, and he is very quick. I really believe he can get all the way to INDYCAR.
    I’ve got to give it to him because he has absolutely zero money or funding and he stuck it out for the last few years here by just meeting the right people, getting in the right situation and performing when he needs to.
    Yeah, I hope he gets a full season this year. I think he’s in a good car. We’ll see what happens there.

    How excited are you to be affiliated with Paretta Autosport for the Indianapolis 500? How impressed were you with Simona’s time over the weekend?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Very excited. They’re certainly a great addition to our group. It’s fun to have another car with Simona, too. I think Simona is a top-shelf talent. I think a lot of us feel that way about her in INDYCAR. It was almost a shame that she got cut short with her timeline in INDYCAR. When she left, she never probably had the best opportunity to compete at a high level. She was already doing that.
    I think she’s going to be fantastic. She took to things pretty quickly, almost like she never left. With Paretta, the entire team, they’ve been absorbing the way work. We’ve had a lot of the different women at the track with us trying to understand our philosophies, the way we go about racing.
    It’s going to be exciting. They’re a really fun program. I think they’re going to be covered pretty well in the 500. There’s a lot of interest in their specific group. I think they’ll have a good opportunity to compete at a high level.

    Will, a couple years ago you were involved with trying to get INDYCAR back to Australia. Any update on that? Any movement in that area? Is that a dead horse?
    WILL POWER: I don’t think that will ever happen. I don’t think it will ever happen (laughter).
    I shouldn’t say never, but not in the time that I’m in INDYCAR. Let’s say it’s definitely not going to happen in the next five years. I think Roger’s focus is going to be on North America, not really going anywhere else. I don’t know that for a fact. I think he’ll try to grow that before he thinks about going anywhere else.

    The Music City Grand Prix in your hometown of Nashville. What can everyone expect from that new race coming up this year?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you could expect a good party, a really good party. I think it’s very positive. When I think of street course racing in INDYCAR, I think of thrilling racing for all the purists out there. But I think of an entertaining show, certainly a bit of a party, which caters to everybody. That’s what you want. You want that atmosphere where everyone can show up and have a good time regardless of how much of a racing fan you are.
    I think Nashville is going to do that probably better than anywhere. I’m very excited for it. I think it will be a great event. I know all the drivers in the paddock are excited for that one to come around.

    Will, with Scott on the team, both from the same part of the world, do you have any secret language you can talk to each other your teammates won’t understand?
    WILL POWER: We certainly do, but probably nothing I can mention on here. If you’ve ever been to Australia, you probably understand they like to throw swear words around a lot (laughter).
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: They like to use their language at restaurants, I’ve noticed, when we go there (smiling). People love it.
    WILL POWER: Yeah, no, we certainly have our own language, which isn’t good language, I would say (laughter).

    About Chevrolet
    Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found www.chevrolet.com.

  • Meyer Shank Racing Targets Fast Start to 2021 INDYCAR Season at Barber

    Meyer Shank Racing Targets Fast Start to 2021 INDYCAR Season at Barber

    MSR begins fifth year of INDYCAR competition with second-consecutive full-season INDYCAR campaign

    Pataskala, Ohio (12 April 2021) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will open its fifth season of INDYCAR competition this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. The team will return with Jack Harvey in the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday (3:00pm ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 205).

    The last five race seasons have seen MSR grow from an Indianapolis 500-only entry to a full-season team with a planned expansion program through multiple seasons. Now, with a podium finish, 10 top ten finishes and two front row starts Meyer Shank Racing and Harvey are aiming for their inaugural INDYCAR win this season.

    MSR has expanded to a two-car program for part of the 2021 season, with Helio Castroneves joining the effort starting with the Indianapolis 500 in May.

    Harvey is coming off of a productive two-day Indianapolis 500 test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway which saw the team run through several simulations in preparation for the Month of May. Both Harvey and Castroneves completed two full days of Indy 500 testing.

    “The test went really well for us,” said Mike Shank. “We were able to get through everything that we needed to and we ended the final day eighth and tenth in top speeds. We’re feeling good leaving Indy and now we’re ready to bring that momentum to the season opener at Barber.”

    MSR will be making its second appearance at the 2.38-mile natural terrain road course. Since Harvey’s 2019 Barber outing – which saw him make a run to 13th – the team has had the opportunity to test at the Alabama circuit. Collecting valuable data and preparing for the 80 feet of elevation change that Barber boasts, MSR and Harvey are eager to kick off the INDYCAR season on a high note.

    “I love going to Barber,” said Harvey. “Our test that we had there in November looked pretty solid and I was happy with the car. I think that everyone is ready for the season to start. And not that we are kicking right back to normalcy, but being back at the track and racing, that’s our normal. The team has worked super hard in the off season, I feel like I’ve worked really hard in the off season, and I just want to go to Barber and get the result that I know this team is capable of.”

    The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama weekend will kick off on Saturday, April 17th with just two practice sessions followed by qualifying (PeacockTV, SiriusXM Ch. 205). Coverage of the event will begin on Sunday, April 18th at 3:00pm ET on NBC (XM Ch. 206, Sirius Ch. 211).

  • CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TWO-DAY PRE-SEASON IMS TEST RECAP-JOSEF NEWGARDEN SETS BLISTERING PACE

    CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TWO-DAY PRE-SEASON IMS TEST RECAP-JOSEF NEWGARDEN SETS BLISTERING PACE

    JOSEF NEWGARDEN TOPS CHARTS AFTER TWO-DAY NTT INDYCAR SERIES TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
    Two-time Series’ Champion led the field of 32 cars testing with scorching lap of 226.819 m.p.h.

    INDIANAPOLIS (April 9, 2021) – Josef Newgardern, in the cockpit of the No. 2 Shell Fuel Awards Team Penske Chevy, ran 130 laps of the two-day open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for theAT 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. Despite losing over five hours on Thursday to rain, Newgarden and his team maximized the time wisely to leave with the No. 2 burning brightly at the top of the scoring pilon.

    Five of the top-nine drivers on the speed chart were Chevy powered.

    The only incident came 11 minutes into testing on Thursday when 2020 Rookie-of-the-Year Rinus Veekay met the Turn One wall He suffered a broken finger on his left hand, but after being fitted with the appropriate brace, the driver of the No.21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet has been cleared to drive at the season opener on April 18, 2021 at Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds Alabama.

    DRIVER QUOTES:
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN . NO.2 SHELL FUEL REWARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET — POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: “It’s just nice to be back…its nice to have a couple of days to work even though the first day was as completed as we would have liked. It’s just nice to be back here with four cars and having Scott join the program, we are going to be able to make a lot of headway quick with the amount of resources we have. I think the Shell Fuel Rwards Chevy is beautiful and I’m loving driving it so far. We need to learn as much as we can and then carry that momentum into May when the real work begins.”

    SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 SHELL PENNZOIL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: “Once we get laps, I think we…when you roll up to the gate for the first time it’s amazing. But not now because of the rain. Rolled out for the first time we had a good lap but massive help with the tow. Then we focused on doing some stuff with what I learned from that tow. We’ve been good, the tires have been really strong and we’ve been consistent. Rick Mears has been great. Just been there for me to lean on. He simplifies the more technical stuff for me Tells me great stories on preparing for it. Yeah, its been great so far.”

    SIMON PAGENAUD, NO.22 MENARDS TEM PENSKE CHEVROLET – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: “Yeah great great to studious day for us. We just went through different aero configuration on the racecar but overall it’s always such a it’s good to be back could be back in the Speedway. Obviously it is place a phenomenal place for racing and for our team. It is our number one priority to win here so Chevy power seem strong and I was very very excited you to finish the day in the Menards No; 22 today so we could shape. So far program is a is on time for what we wanted to do.”

    MAX CHILTON, NO.59 CARLIN CHEVROLET – POST TW0-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS: “A really positive day at IMS. The Carlin team has worked harder than ever this past winter. I can definitely see the change in the car, especially if you look at the no-tows, so that’s a really good sign of speed. I could sense we’d be quick right away. We still have to work on running in traffic, but we’ve got plenty of time in May to work on that. My new engineer Luke [Mason] and I are working together really well, and I think the whole Carlin team is coming together. So overall, a positive day at the Speedway.”

    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA – NO. 86 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS: : “Today was a good day and we learned a lot. It was great to be back in the car with Arrow McLaren SP and very useful for me to start getting back into traffic before the actual Month of May. I still have a lot to do personally to get better, but the test was a great opportunity to bond with the engineers and team. We have good speed in the car but still a lot to learn.”

    PATO O’WARD – NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS: : “I think we had a solid test. We tested a lot of different things that should help us when we come back for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500. The No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet feels good and I think we’ve made improvements over where we were last year in the race. It was good to get :500 weekend is normally like. I think we should have a good starting point to be competitive this May.”

    FELIX ROSENQVIST – NO. 7 VUSE ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – – POST TWO-DAY INDYCAR OPEN TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS: : “I thought today was good, we got a lot of laps done and had a pretty good car for most of the day. We fell off a little bit at the end, running in traffic with a little too much understeer, but we got to try a lot of good things with the team. These test days really let the team get into gear a little bit better. We are going to be back here pretty soon and it was nice to get on track in :Indianapolis again.”

    POST TEST TRANSCRIPTS:

    Juan Pablo Montoya
    Arrow McLaren SP
    Josef Newgarden
    Penske Racing
    Press Conference

    THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everybody. We have Juan Pablo Montoya standing by and we expect to have Josef Newgarden, as well. Juan Pablo finished third on the speed chart, pretty successful day with Arrow McLaren SP.
    How was your day today, Juan Pablo?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It was good. I think yesterday was a little shocking getting back in the car. Today was good. We worked through a lot of things. We found a lot of good things and a lot of bad things, like you always do.
    It was nice to get back a little bit in the draft. A lot to catch up again, learn, understand again what you need to do, the timing. But everything just starts coming back.
    It’s funny, getting up to speed yesterday was, Ooh. Today you don’t even think about it. This afternoon even better. The first few runs with traffic is like, Ooh. Then you start relaxing, getting in the flow of things. We did some pit stops at the end.
    Everyone at Arrow McLaren SP has been doing a very good job. It was fun so far. I think this test was very, very useful.

    THE MODERATOR: Yesterday you never really had to do a rookie orientation, refresher program. You had to go through that yesterday, didn’t you?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yes. I was joking to the engineers, said I’m going to run 214.9, 215.1. My second lap was 215.1, then 214.9, 215.2. I’m going, We need to be below 215 (laughter).
    THE MODERATOR: You have to go slow before you can go fast.
    If you have a question for the two-time Indy 500 champion, go ahead.

    Q. I wanted to ask, appeared to be that your car could go pretty much anywhere on the track. When you dropped back, you were able to slice back through the field. Is that because the aerodynamics, the aero changes, are so good, or because your particular car, the 86, is so strong at the moment?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I felt okay. I didn’t feel as good as you said. It’s great that it looks like that. I did pass few cars and everything, I could move, I could change, I felt pretty decent at parts.
    The thing is, remember, every run you do, you change something. You don’t keep the same car, keep doing things. You always trying to improve the feeling, improve the car to maybe be more consistent in clean air, more consistent in the draft, things like that.
    As you go through those things, there’s some runs that you go out there, you’re just in the way, and you hate it. I said like three times today, Hell, I’m not doing this. Actually the word wasn’t ‘hell’ but I’m using the polite word. I said, I’m not doing this and I bailed.
    One of them actually bailed and really scared the hell out of me in three and four. I lifted and I didn’t even do turn one. I went in the deceleration lane. I’m not doing this (laughter).

    Q. Do you feel as well as being fast that your car was actually handling quite well in traffic? Could you kind of like run directly behind someone or do you still need quite a lot of clean air?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: You always need a lot of clean air. Even before this, even the old cars, you need a lot of clean air. With these cars, I think for me personally you still notice the difference.
    It’s a shame, yeah, I mean, that we didn’t — some people tried the ‘push to pass’, they did the other test. But it would make racing quite more wild, I think. I know some people don’t want wild.

    THE MODERATOR: Also joining us here in the Zoom room, we welcome in the two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion, Josef Newgarden, as well.
    Josef, tell us about your day. Quickest in that session, 226.819 miles per hour.
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a pretty good day.
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Are you driving?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, not yet. I’m still in the parking lot. Where are you?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I’m in the garage working. We got meetings and things. We love meetings.
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Are you trying a new approach this year?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: No, I’m trying to avoid the meetings, but they still make me go.
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a pretty good day. I was happy enough with the car. I think we still need some work, for sure.
    But just to get an initial read on where we’re at, obviously there’s a lot of new parts, differences to the last couple years. So we’re just trying to assess what we need to really work on now these last couple weeks before we get back here in May.
    Pretty happy. I felt the Shell Fuel Rewards car looked good. Had some decent speed, which is always nice to see, but doesn’t mean much when it comes to race day. We’ll see how we shake out as we get to the meat of things in the month of May.

    THE MODERATOR: We’ll continue with questions.

    Q. Juan, wondering how this year’s car compares to 2015 and 2000?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: How does it compare? How does the car compare? This is engineer right here (laughter).
    They’re a little harder to drive, I think. I think the difference between clear air and dirty air is a little bigger. I think the changes from what INDYCAR did, from what everybody says, it’s a little harder as before, but not that bad. Put it that way.
    Q. What about an extra hundred horsepower?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: After running today, I would be a big fan of that ‘push to pass’, to be honest.

    Q. Josef, how was the Chevy today?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Good. I think Chevy has done a great job, as evidenced with Juan as well. I think the McLaren boys are quick. I think we feel pretty good about things.
    I think they’ve definitely made improvements, and we needed to in the off-season. We all did. Us as a team, I think Chevrolet, we all got together and looked where we were weakest. I think there was a little bit to go around on all sides. They’ve really stepped up.
    We put in a lot of effort. I think we found some good stuff. It’s getting hard nowadays. These gains you’re looking to find are so small. I think they’ve managed to find a decent chunk, which is impressive with how far along we are. Very encouraged with Chevrolet.

    Q. With the aero changes they were working on in the off-season, bringing them in for the 500 to increase passing, did you notice a difference between last year’s aero package compared to this year’s?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yes, definitely. It’s easier to follow. It’s still tough. You’ll still get a big front wash in traffic. 10 cars back, it’s always going to be difficult. But I think they’ve made the ability to follow better. That balance separation between clean air and dirty air is definitely reduced.
    Some of them are tricky to drive, some of these parts. I think you’re seeing some split camps here along pit lane. Not everybody is running the same stuff. That’s been interesting to watch. There’s more downforce on the car. I think the balance shift in traffic is less.
    Yeah, the ability that we’re going to have to race compared to last year will be better.

    Q. Any restaurant recommendations for Nashville?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Man, there’s plenty. If you’re into coffee, Barista Parlor. Hot chicken, Hattie Bs. The Southern is very good. There’s a lot of good spots. Those are a few.

    Q. Juan, this is your first time with the Aeroscreen now. How long did it take you to get used to it? Your thoughts on it so far?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It wasn’t too bad to get used to it. I thought it would be a little more intrusive. It’s definitely a pain in the butt to get in and out of the car, and it’s a lot hotter. I know like here it hasn’t been that bad in the oval. I did a test in Laguna. In a road course, you don’t get a lot of air. That was kind of shocking.
    Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of weird because, like, you’re really in a little bubble. It feels a little bit once you’re driving like a sports car.
    But you’re with a closed visor, I still don’t get why you have to run — I don’t think you have to. I think you probably do, but I’m used to sports cars. Same thing you’re with the visor open so you get a little more air.
    It’s good. It’s fine. I think from the safety point of view, it’s a great thing. It’s a matter of getting used to it more than anything else.

    Q. Some of the guys last year talked about it was harder to find a limit with the open cockpit. Did you find it harder to find a limit in your car today?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: No, because I come from a sports car and a closed cockpit car. For me, it’s the same thing. It doesn’t really change that much. I think for the guys that are used to the open cockpit, might be a little harder.
    I’ve driven a lot of closed cars. Last four years, I’ve mainly been driving sports cars, P2 cars. Feels about the same.

    Q. Josef, how much did you notice any differences in the car today from the test last October?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: When were we here? I thought it was the beginning of November.

    Q. When you tested these configurations.
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s identical to the final config that we ran in November. From then it’s the same. Literally the last that config that we ran is what you can put on the car, at least the maximum amount. It’s pretty similar to what we tested, I mean, the same.

    Q. The weather conditions play a role today with traffic?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I think it was a pretty easy day. It was pretty ideal conditions. Not too hot. Certainly not too cold. A little bit windy. That was probably the most difficult part about the day, was the wind, the movement of the car. Pretty standard for this place. You’re always kind of fighting that depending where it’s coming from. It’s always playing a factor.
    Weather wasn’t an issue. It was a pretty easy day, for the most part, to be honest.

    Q. I noticed the turn two trap speed chart, seems like the guys at the top of the speed chart were good there. Is that one of the more important corners to get right at this track?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think that was probably the most difficult corner as far as wind today. For most of the day you had a tailwind going into two, you had the side wind on the track. It could catch you out. It was difficult in traffic to get it right. Someone was having a big tow, it was one of the tougher corners to get right. That’s probably why you saw the cars that were quick and good, they were typically pretty good through two, as well.

    Q. I know yesterday probably had to be a little bit of a frustrating day. What kind of energy and excitement do you get from a day like this where you have eight, nine cars running in packs? Does a day like this on the track really invigorate you to get this season started here?
    JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: For me personally, I think it’s definitely a huge thing. I know yesterday we didn’t run as much as we could. In a way, I’m pretty happy it worked out that way. We did the refresher. We did installation up in the morning. I had a look at everything the other guys were doing, just to relax with the guys and everything. It wasn’t too bad.
    At the end of the day we managed to get the refresher done. It was good. It was good because it still feels like this place is fast. When you do it often, you lose the appreciation of how fast you go. It was nice to get a night’s sleep on it. Yesterday when I was done, I was like, This place is quick. Today it was like, Aah, it’s normal. So it was nice.

    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, obviously for someone like Juan, this test is great. Even for all of us that have been regulars here, this is a great test to have, to give a warmup for the month of May. It felt like the month of May, to be honest with you, typical day to start out.
    Yeah, pretty happy we got this peek into the future.
    THE MODERATOR: We want to say thank you to Juan Pablo Montoya for stopping by. Appreciate you doing so after a couple busy days. The month of May will be here before we know it.
    We’ll continue with Josef Newgarden.

    Q. A couple of the engineers and a few of the other drivers were conjecturing that with the package the way it is, it’s going to be two cars, the second-place car will kind of have an advantage. They think anything further back than two cars you might have five cars running in a pack, but the fifth-place car and fourth-place car don’t have much of a shot. Does it feel that way to you?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, certainly last year that was the case. I think you have a better opportunity this year looking at the amount of downforce we have, the balance shift in and out of traffic. I think you have a better opportunity to fight for the win in the third or fourth car in line.
    I think more than that, you are a quick car during the race, you somehow find yourself in the back, I think you have a better opportunity of making your way forward. Those two elements will automatically help the show. But you don’t want to have it so easy where we’re packed up the entire field the entire time. I think that’s something that you would want to avoid.
    It’s a balancing act. I think it will be a lot better than last year as far as the ability to race up front. Time will tell. But I think you’ll have a better show.

    Q. In Happy Hour we saw some pretty good passing and some dicing around out there. Some of the drivers said the dicing was a little bit by design. When you have these test sessions, do you go in with the mindset of trying different things to see how they work so when you’re back here when it matters you’ll know what it’s going to do?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, definitely. We’re constantly trying to assess everything. Today we were spot checking some qualifying stuff early on. We got into race running, just tried to focus on how our cars were in race traffic.
    At the end of the day that’s going to be probably the most important thing. Yeah, when we’re out there running, it’s for real. There’s people that drop back every now and then. That’s not real passes. As far as the way we’re running in line, we’re trying to simulate it as much as the race.
    It’s very much the real deal what people are seeing.

    Q. Considering you’re one of the more we’ll say older statesmen now at Penske Racing. These days you’ve just had at Indy, how valuable are they for someone like Scott McLaughlin?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Tremendously. Scott has been so much fun to be around because he’s truly a rookie in INDYCAR. Everything that he does is like the coolest thing ever. So to see that perspective again after having been here myself for 10 years, it’s just really fun. It’s really fun to see that through his eyes.
    But it’s a very valuable day. He’s soaking everything up. Every moment he’s getting better. He’s doing a really good job trying to take time, ask a lot of questions, pay attention to every detail. He’s really switched on. He’s a smart race car driver. He’s doing all the right things to figure out how to be good in this category.
    I think you can come to expect that. I think he will be very competitive this year. So, yeah, valuable day for him, for sure.

    Q. For Roger, what do you think this means to him, building up to what could be a great month of May this year by comparison to what we had last year?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Certainly, Roger has a lot of pride in this place, and he should. This is an amazing facility. He is a very deserving captain to lead this ship. I think we’re all pretty happy that he’s at the helm of it.
    He’s beaming to be out here every day. He’s always excited, excited for what we’re doing as a team, but more excited for what the Speedway is doing. There’s no one that wants fans here more than Roger, I can tell you that. I think if we get a semi-filled up crowd, he’s going to be a very happy man. We’re all going to be very happy.
    This place was built for fans. That’s what this track is all about. We get to the month of May, have some people in the stands, it’s going to be good for everybody.

    Q. To Barber, how important is it to get points on the board early on and kick-start the season in the most positive way?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it’s always important. I always tell people, I tell the team, Let’s get on the board today. We don’t need to win the race, but we need to score some points, have a good showing, set ourselves up for a good year.
    That’s what we try to do. That’s what we’re going to try to do next weekend.

    Q. Did you get a feel for how the Chevy and Honda balance power is at the moment? I realize it’s difficult in these conditions to judge. We all know what happened last year. You guys were powerful but didn’t have the fuel economy.
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it’s hard to say. It looks a lot more even this year, is what I would say at the moment. Someone could obviously be miles ahead by the time we get to the month of May. It’s possible. But I would say it looks a lot more even right now than where we were at last year.
    We’re all excited about that. I think Chevrolet has done a great job. It’s going to provide an interesting show for everybody.

    Q. Did you check out how far you could go on a tank of fuel, turbo boost level, fuel rich level?
    JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, we didn’t do a lot of economy stuff today. We just did it — I didn’t run through any mixtures. I think there’s still some questions to be answered in the month of May. We were trying to check off some bigger team item stuff.
    Chevy has more manpower than just us at Team Penske. Not sure what they’re up to. We’re going to debrief with them after a test like this. We’re pushing. I think we’re going to be in a good spot looking at the initial information.
    THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Josef Newgarden.

    Ed Carpenter
    Ed Carpenter Racing
    Press Conference
    THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks, everybody, for tuning in, Zooming in, if you will, after the first half of the day, day one of the Indy 500 open test. Certainly an interesting day for Ed Carpenter Racing, Conor Daly, P1 in the 47 car, top speed of 222.714 miles an hour. Ed second quick in the 20 machine. His Rookie of the Year from last year, Rinus VeeKay, with an interesting day as well.
    We’ll begin things with Ed. How would you describe day one today for the IMS Indy 500 open test?
    ED CARPENTER: Not the way we had exactly hoped it would go. You never want to lose one of your three cars kind of in the first 10 minutes of the session. That was a bit of a bumpy way to start the test.
    We do have three cars, so Conor and I carried on. We were able to get a little bit of work done. By the time Rinus’ yellow and cleanup was done, we had about 90 minutes of track activity, but probably only 45, 50 minutes of that by the time you get installs done.
    We were able to get a couple changes in really just to establish a baseline. There’s a lot to do now tomorrow, a lot of new parts to test. We were able to test some of them last fall. There’s a lot to work through to be ready for when we come back for Indy 500 prep.

    THE MODERATOR: How is Rinus doing?
    ED CARPENTER: I think he’s okay. Disappointed. Obviously not the way he wanted to start either. It’s easy to be upset about things like that. The conditions were a little tricky with the wind. It’s an inexperience thing still. He’s got a year under his belt, but it was a truncated year.
    He did so well at Indy last year, but got a little bit ahead of himself today. Didn’t quite have a feel for his balance, got a little bit too aggressive in one.
    I know he’ll bounce back. He’s shown that he can bounce back from unfortunate circumstances in the past. I know he’ll be ready when he gets back out there.

    THE MODERATOR: We’ll open for questions.
    Q. Is there anything you could really take away from today, given it was kind of a truncated day for you guys? If you can get the car back on the road for Rinus tomorrow, do you expect him to run, given that he’s injured his finger?
    ED CARPENTER: It’s my understanding that he’s cleared. I know the guys took that car back to the shop. If we can get that car together, it’s possible he runs tomorrow.
    I don’t know that we would pull out his backup, just because it will be the race car for Barber, St. Pete and Texas. It’s all a little tight to going racing, the risk, potentially another excursion.
    If the guys can get that other car back together, possibly. I don’t really know. I was focusing on what I was doing with my car, debriefing with Conor. A lot of guys had gone back to the shop to evaluate all that, see where they were.
    I’m waiting to hear from Tim Broyles, our team manager, on that. One of the good things about being a driver today, I don’t have to worry about everything, I can focus on what we have going on track and what we have to accomplish tomorrow yet with my run plan.

    THE MODERATOR: How much did the weather play a factor in what you had planned today?
    ED CARPENTER: The day was definitely short. Felt like May watching the radar already. Yeah, I mean, we certainly had a lot more we wanted to do. We really just did a baseline, made one small adjustment to kind of adapt for conditions. Have a lot to do yet.
    Essentially we each just got a baseline run in. I only did nine laps. Happy the car has had some pace, we were able to get a good draft. At the same time it doesn’t really mean anything after just a brief period of running, and not everybody out there yet.

    Q. I know you were planning on two full days. Do you feel like one full day, as long as we don’t get any more weather, will be enough to accomplish everything? Will you be able to squeeze everything in to tomorrow that you would have hoped for over two days?
    ED CARPENTER: We’ll do the best we can. You would always take more time if you could get it. At the end of the day, for the most part, everyone is going to have the same opportunity to have the same amount of track time.
    Don’t worry about it too much. Weather and changing schedules is something we’ve all gotten quite adept at over the past year. Looks like it’s going to be a better weather day tomorrow. The six hours will go quick.
    Some of the things we wanted to do, it would have been nice to have our session, lunch break, go back out and do some longer changeover types of things that we may have to scrap till we come back.
    If we can be efficient, we can still get through everything we wanted to, at least the big items.

    Q. You had a handful of changes to the car as far as the aerodynamics are concerned. You’ve had a little bit of time to look at those things. How important is the setup two days to getting like you feel like you’re really ready to go once we get to May?
    ED CARPENTER: Well, certainly if you come out of this test and have success and are able to get a good baseline, it will springboard you into a quick week of practice leading into qualifying.
    In a perfect world, we would feel really happy with our cars, how they’re running in traffic. With the speed we have out of our Chevy engines, worst-case scenario, we have a good idea of what we need to improve on coming out of this test coming back.
    Either way we’ll have things we want to improve on. Hopefully we come out of it with good speed and feeling good about how the cars are handling in traffic. We’ll fine-tune it for practice leading into qualifying and the race.

    Q. We have an oval event before Indy this year with Texas. How relevant is that going to be in terms of what you do with your setup leading into the month of May, as well?
    ED CARPENTER: I mean, setups are quite different from Texas to Indy. I think probably — I mean, I like that we have an oval before. It’s nice to be able to get two races under our belt for me.
    But compared to when Indy was the first oval, especially having three in a row with Barber, St. Pete and Texas, it presents a little bit of a challenge with car rotation and spares potentially and things like that. We’ve known the schedule for a long time and have a good plan. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

    Q. Were you able to do enough running in traffic to get a sense if there’s any improvement with the changes made to the cars?
    ED CARPENTER: No, not yet. I got a one-car tow, but it was about seven seconds out, so not really a good enough read to start to fully establish that.
    We had some of the parts on, not all of them. There are a lot of different configurations out there. Definitely need more time. There’s really no group that formed in the short amount of time we had. Still plenty to learn. But I’m sure we’ll get through that tomorrow.

    THE MODERATOR: Ed, what is the rest of your night looking like? On dad duty?
    ED CARPENTER: Yeah, Ryder has a class here till 7:30. I’ll be watching that, maybe answering some emails. We’re supposed to have a team owners call at 7, but that got pushed till 8 because cars are on track later. Wait for him till 7:30, go home and get some dinner, get the boys a shower, I might take one myself, rinse and repeat.

    THE MODERATOR: Nothing confirmed yet about when we’re going to start back up tomorrow morning. For those of you joining us, we’ll pass that information along as soon as we get it.

    Ed, thanks so much. Have a great evening. Tell everybody we said hi.
    ED CARPENTER: Will do. Thanks.

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