Category: NTT Indy

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR IRACING CHALLENGE
CHEVROLET 275
VIRTUAL MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RECAP AND DRIVER QUOTES
APRIL 11, 2020

Simon Pagenaud wins first oval race of NTT INDYCAR SERIES IRacing Challenge
Dale Earnhardt Jr. places third in IndyCar iRacing debut

DETROIT (April 11, 2020) – Fuel strategy paid dividends for Simon Pagenaud as the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion led a Chevrolet sweep of the podium in the Chevrolet 275 INDYCAR iRacing Challenge at Michigan International Speedway.

Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin finished second and two-time Daytona 500 winner and NBC Sports motorsports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. placed third in his INDYCAR iRacing Challenge debut. Team Chevy has won all three races in the six-race virtual series that runs through May 2.

Pagenaud, driving the No. 22 DXC Chevrolet, took the lead for good on Lap 82 of 85.

“I cannot believe this just happened,” said Pagenaud, who competed in the virtual race on the 2-mile oval in his full race suit and celebrated the victory with a champagne toast. “We worked hard to understand this kind of racing, fuel consumption and strategies. It’s a pleasure to bring the DXC Chevrolet into Victory Lane this year.”

After qualifying toward the rear of the 31-car field and avoiding a first-lap crash involving midfield cars, Pagenaud went to Option B, which was to save fuel and conserve the Firestone tires.

“The goal was to stay out of trouble. We avoided the crash and I thought I’ll just stay back there and see what we can do,” he said. “Then, when I started doing that, we started saving a lot of fuel and realized there was that strategy lurking. But we had some good pace as well saving fuel.”

McLaughlin, a two-time champion in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship for Team Penske, won the second INDYCAR iRacing Challenge at Barber Motorsports Park last week.

Earnhardt started 18th in the No. 3 Nationwide JR Motorsports Chevrolet and pitted on Lap 3, which also set up the career Chevrolet driver to employ a fuel-saving strategy. With 15 laps left, Earnhardt was running 10th and gained positions when competitors were forced to pit for a splash of fuel.

“We got a little damage on that wreck at the start of the race. I had a really bad push in the car so I couldn’t really run with the lead pack, but it was fun,” said Earnhardt, who was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at Michigan International Speedway.

Earnhardt said driving in a virtual race against NTT IndyCar Series regulars will “be as close as I get to the real thing.”

“That’s why I like it; I can do it from the comfort of my own home. I don’t know if (wife) Amy would want me to get back in a race car much less an IndyCar. I had fun racing all those guys. A lot of those guys were ticked off about how the strategy worked out for them. That wreck on the front straightaway at the start sort of took a bunch of guys down pit road and put a bunch of in fuel-mileage mode. So, the fastest cars didn’t’ win.”

The next race in the series will be drivers’ choice. If it’s an oval, Earnhardt said he’s in.

“I really appreciated the invite and I think I need to do a better account of myself as far as just showing pure speed. I just wasn’t able to show it today, but we had a pretty good car in practice and had good speed in all the practices. I felt really confident going into the race, but just wasn’t able to show what we could do. Just maybe it might be Daytona, it might be Indy. I never imagined racing against the real drivers in IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What a great trip that would be for me.”

Team Penske’s Will Power, who traded the lead with Sage Karam through the first half of the race, finished fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet. Both Power and Karam, driving the No. 24 DRR Wix Filters Chevrolet, were among the competitors who had to roll down pit lane for fuel late with 15 laps left. Ed Carpenter, driving the No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet, finished ninth.

Karam won the series opener on the Watkins Glen International road course. Drivers in the six-round virtual series use identical car setups provided by iRacing.

DRIVER QUOTES
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 2 SNAP-ON TEAM PENSKE: “probably for me the biggest thing to get used to was the spotter with T.J. I actually have T.J.’s spotter pack in iRacing, now it’s a computer generated call. It’s not quite accurate. This is the first time where I’ve actually had a human genuinely telling me where the cars were, the runs. Getting used to that, the constant talk, how much chatter I wanted was interesting, I really enjoyed it all week. I’m glad I did it a few practice races to get used to oval stuff, how hard some people race, how hard some people didn’t. In the end, obviously been on my roof, on my lid on the first start wasn’t good, but thankfully had a fast repair, we were all granted one of those. I was able to repair my car and get back out. Became a strategy to the end in saving fuel. I think me and Dale did very similar strategies all the way to the end, as well as Simon.”

SAGE KARAM, NO. 24 DRR WIX FILTERS CHEVROLET: “We had a great day. Led a bunch of laps. It was fun. We knew it was going to be a crap shoot with fuel strategy. For the 2nd straight race, it was fuel affair. It’s all good. This is all about having fun for the drivers and fans. They knew we were here today. I was racing with Will (Power) late in the race in a effort to get to the front. And traffic got up with us and I spun. We kind of knew it would be a wild race on an oval. That first crash helping some guys with pit stops and it hurt us. But our pit stops were fast today. We picked up time over the other guys.”

MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET: “I had a lot of fun in my first iRacing event of the INDYCAR Challenge. I’ve spent the last four days working really hard with our engineers and Felipe (Nasr) getting up to speed and I felt like I was getting pretty quick at it. We had a decent qualifying and were ready to go on the green, but annoyingly there was a massive pile up before the green that we got collected in. In iRacing you thankfully can repair the damages to your car, but apparently we had some damage to the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet that couldn’t be repaired and we ended up having to spend the entire race with a car that was never 100%. It’s amazing what can be done with these types of games and I thought the graphics were great and we put on a really nice show for the fans. We’ll be putting in more time this week and will be even more prepared for next weekend’s race.”

FELIPE NASR, NO. 31 CARLIN CHEVROLET: “Today was so much fun; I had a great time on my first oval. Unfortunately our result today was completely on me. We qualified really well and got a spot on the second row (third) and we spent most of the race battling with Power and Karam for the lead, but I just came into the pit lane a little too hot on the pit entry and I think the grip level was quite a bit lower than what we were practicing with and I just lost it on pit lane. I think a lot of drivers got caught off guard by that to be honest. The first 40 laps were great and I had such a good time battling up in front, but it’s such a shame that my pit lane mistake took the No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet out of contention for a win or even a podium finish. I think we put on a good show for the fans and I want to thank everyone from the Carlin team for the effort they’ve put into the INDYCAR Challenge the last few weeks. The guys in the UK and the US were on it and I want to especially thank my engineer Steve who also spotted for me this weekend and did an incredible job. We did a lot of preparation heading into the weekend and I felt like we had a really good car that had a good shot, but it was completely my bad and I want to apologize to everyone on the team for that. Thankfully we have another race next weekend to prepare for and hopefully we’ll keep moving up and get a good result for Carlin.”

TONY KANAAN, NO. 14 ABC SUPPLY AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET: “Big crash on the first lap and that put us behind right away. We couldn’t save fuel, I ran on my own the entire time. We finished this time and I’m glad we got to do the whole race. Good day for us, despite the results. I think we entertained the fans a lot.”

DALTON KELLETT, NO. 41 K-LINE INSULATORS AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET: “We knew this race was going to be wild but I honestly didn’t expect it to start before the green flag. I am happy that I was able to weave the K-Line Insulators USA No. 41 Chevrolet through that chaos. In the end, running a two-stop strategy hurt us, we needed a splash with six to go and came out 16th. Thanks to everyone who tuned in on the broadcast and live streams. See you all next week.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET: “We were a casualty of the software. We were told to pit just before the green flag, we did, got serviced and the pits were open but we got held for 40 seconds. So we were almost a lap down as the race was starting which we never really recovered from because there was never a yellow flag. Pretty disappointed for the whole team but we were running strong after that. Got another penalty for 15 seconds on the last fuel stop and not quite sure about why that happened. Tried to play the fuel game but never got that lucky yellow so we’ll keep trying and see you next weekend.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET: “ “Not the way we wanted to end the day in XPEL No. 1, but I had a ton of fun running at Michigan and I’m happy Team Penske could bring home the win. Congrats to Simon and the 22 team! I still have a lot to learn about this whole sim racing program but I’m excited to get back to work and figure it all out!”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET: ““P4 today for the Verizon Chevy. We qualified at the front and led most of the race going back-and-forth with Sage Karam which was a lot of fun. All the guys who crashed at the start got to fuel up and Simon (Pagenaud) and others saved that won them the race. I guess I won being the first on my strategy which is two weeks in-a-row I’ve been beaten on strategy, but that means we are going to have a win here soon. But I’m having a lot of fun with this and see what happens next week.”

An interview with podium finishers Simon Pagenaud, Scott McLaughlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr.:
THE MODERATOR: Wasn’t that refreshing to see IndyCars back at Michigan International Speedway after a long wait. I think as Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy mentioned on the broadcast, after viewing some of the practice race, we were expecting a pretty entertaining race. It was an unfortunate start, but a terrific finish.
There was so much happening in the race that made it very entertaining for the first oval in this iRacing INDYCAR Challenge. It was a Chevrolet that won the race. It was a very good day for Team Penske.
We’re going to start with the driver of the No. 2 Snap-on Tools Dallara, Scott McLaughlin. If there was an official points tally, he would be the leader. We know, Scott, that your experience level in iRacing, you’re showing that whether it be on road courses or now on an oval. I know you’re getting used to having a spotter as well. Tell us about your day, your successful day.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, look, probably for me the biggest thing for me to get used to was the spotter with T.J. I actually have T.J.’s spotter pack in iRacing, now it’s a computer generated call. It’s not quite accurate.
This is the first time where I’ve actually had a human genuinely telling me where the cars were, the runs. Getting used to that, the constant talk, how much chatter I wanted was interesting, I really enjoyed it all week.
I’m glad I did it a few practice races to get used to oval stuff, how hard some people race, how hard some people didn’t. In the end, obviously been on my roof, on my lid on the first start wasn’t good, but thankfully had a fast repair, we were all granted one of those. I was able to repair my car and get back out. Became a strategy to the end in saving fuel. I think me and Dale did very similar strategies all the way to the end, as well as Simon.
THE MODERATOR: There was a lot of prerace discussions about ‘the big one’. We weren’t expecting that to come coming to green. How was the general conduct of your peers? Everyone racing pretty sensibly?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s funny, in the practice races everyone is crashing, stuff going on everywhere. When you get into the real thing, unbelievable, everyone was really good. I was in really clean air most of the race. I only raced sort of four or five cars, most of it with the strategy, how it all worked out.
In the end, we were all trying to save a little bit of fuel there. The conduct was really good. I think everyone is getting use to the Internet racing side of things because it’s not exactly the same in regards to how close you can touch people, all that sort of stuff, pinch people down. It’s all getting used to that. It gives you a really good feel, I’m sure, of what it’s like in the real life thing.
THE MODERATOR: To the third-place finisher, Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the Nationwide Chevrolet under an INDYCAR entry, your first INDYCAR iRacing Challenge, Junior. You got on your first INDYCAR podium. How about that?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: There was a lot of luck involved. The start of the race was a little bit odd. We’d been starting much quicker much earlier off of turn four in our practice races. I think the rest of the field behind the leaders were anticipating going around that same area.
The leaders chose to roll a little closer to the start/finish line. Everybody kind of got banged up there, accordion-ed into each other. Someone ran into the back of me. We wanted to save our quick fix that would repair all the damage on the car because I was anticipating a lot more yellows. With the damage we had, the car would burn the right front tire really quickly, so we didn’t have the pace that we had in the practices to run with the leaders.
We did pit. I didn’t even know that we had fell into the strategy on fuel that we had. That kind of became apparent as we started to think about taking our first pit stop. I was like, Let’s split the race in half. We ended up running out the gas as we crossed the finish line, getting the checkered. Ended up frustrating some guys because their strategy didn’t work out well in the fastest car, the best sim racers didn’t finish where they should have.
I had a good time. I was really thankful to be invited. Really appreciated the opportunity to be a part of this. I really became a huge fan of the series, even more of a fan of the series last year when I went to the Indy 500.
The guys, it’s fun to get to know them. They all have such wild personalities, different personalities. So much complexity to the stars in that series. It’s kind of fun getting to know who they really are.
I think in sim racing, much like any kind of console gaming, PC gaming, whatever, that’s going to bring out your real personality, the good and the bad (laughter). It’s kind of fun to see some of those guys really kind of come out of their shell.
THE MODERATOR: We have a lot of people on the line who will be keen to ask questions. We’re waiting for the race winner, Simon Pagenaud.
Dale, a lot of guys who ran up front today were avid iRacers and sim racers. Do you think this really displays a new car for this platform when you try a different race like this?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Yeah, I mean, if you were to put the best guys in the service in that race, they would destroy all of us. If you were to put some of the best customers or best drivers on the service in the NASCAR events, they would destroy all the NASCAR drivers. You can’t hold a candle to them because of their experience and the time they put into it.
But you can see there is a wide variety of skill sets when it comes to the real world drivers. When you group them together, you see the guys have a lot of time on the sim that are smart and clever about how the sim reacts, how the tires fall off, how you can counter that. There’s other guys that have no idea what is about to happen. They just drive the car as hard as they can, burn it up.
But the funny thing about it is, with all that said, I’ve seen this on the NASCAR side, I certainly think it’s got to be true on the INDYCAR side, is they adapt super fast. The guys that have never used the service, never drove the sim, not even gamers, really adapt so quickly because of how realistic I believe the platform is, the iRacing platform is. They pick up on it really quick.
I mean, I kind of hate to step outside of the INDYCAR world, but we’ve been spending so much time with our Cup cars, all the Cup regulars. Kyle Busch, what a great example of a guy who had no clue of what he was doing, and now he’s guaranteed a top-10 finish, maybe top-five, and it shouldn’t be that way. It’s much more challenging than he makes it look. He puts so much time in.
I can say the same thing with the INDYCAR guys. We’ve had a lot of time together this weekend, a lot of laps, a lot of practice, a lot of little test races and so forth, more so than I even see on the NASCAR side. There’s a lot more commitment for the drivers to put the laps in, put the time in, to be as good as they can so they can make the show as good as they can make it.
There was a lot of people on social media that would love to see you try a real INDYCAR race at some point. Would you even consider a road course or a road course test in an INDYCAR?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: No, I probably wouldn’t. For the most part my driving days are over. I have a few events left in me. I don’t know how many of those Xfinity races I’ll be running beyond this year.
For me, I mean, I guess it’s okay to be honest. This is a dream come true, to have all the real world guys on the computer. That’s where I’ve been for two decades. This is awesome to have all these guys, whether they all 100% really loved and wanted to be there, it’s awesome that they’re all competing and we’re having these races broadcast on network television in front of so many people.
The reaction generally from the population and public is, Man, I’d love to have the real thing, but this is pretty good. I’ll watch this till we get the real thing back.
I’m loving it. This is awesome. Dream come true. I never would have imagined this would happen in a million years, for there to be legitimate, in my mind, as far as sim racing goes, in that community and that bubble, legitimate racing with real world drivers. It’s pretty impressive.

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by our race winner, Simon Pagenaud.
SIMON PAGENAUD: It was an awesome day. I’m just as excited as I would be for a race win. Winning is everything.
Simon and Scott, you experienced racing with Dale Jr., what does it say that you are competing not just with your fellow INDYCAR base but also drivers from different disciplines?
SIMON PAGENAUD: I was just talking to Dale earlier. First of all it’s really awesome to see him join us because he’s such a big name in racing. He can reach to so many more people than we do because he’s been racing for so many years at such high level. It’s pretty amazing to see the humility he has to come and race a series he doesn’t know, a car he doesn’t know.
I know he’s been doing a lot of iRacing, but still what he did today is pretty amazing. I just really like him. I’m a big fan of him and his dad. I was of his dad. I’m just very happy that he joined us. I hope he can do more in the future because I think he’s having fun. I’m personally having a lot of fun racing him. It’s amazing to get to race your heroes.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: For me it was the same thing as what Simon just said. I think it’s really cool to race people like Dale, like Jimmie Johnson, like people I’ve watched for many years in Australia. For me it’s really cool. For me to race against the INDYCAR guys is even a better treat for me, to learn how everyone races, who is aggressive, who is not aggressive, it’s quite interesting.
Dale, in the Cup Series you had a couple wins that snapped some stretches where you weren’t doing too well. Were you drawing on what you were able to do in NASCAR in today’s INDYCAR event even though it’s sim racing?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: My approach to the race today was, like Simon said, even though I’ve been on the service a lot, all the cars have such unique characteristics, I didn’t have much time in the INDYCAR. I was trying to find the challenges with the car and understand them as fast as I could, how the car works, how it likes to be driven for tire degradation and all those things. The sim is so realistic, sometimes too realistic.
Also there tended to be some pack racing. Practices were pretty wild. Like Simon said about being excited for the win, they had the same emotions as they would in the real car. They get as angered as easily, they get a thrill out of sim racing if it goes well. I’ve had that same experience on the oval side.
You know all those guys are there to do well. They got partners, cars that they want to put toward the front of the field so their sponsors are happy because this is really all the sponsors can attain right now when it comes to exposure, engagement. A lot of pressure on these drivers.
I was just trying to ease in there and not ruin anybody’s day but also have a reasonable finish that I could be proud of.
Scott, being so successful in sim racing in multiple series, talk about what you’ve been able to do. If you had to pinpoint one thing that’s made you successful in this, what has exactly that been?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Probably for me a lot of hard work. In some ways I’ve really worked hard on my setup and my understanding of the setup in the Supercar and the tracks. Certainly haven’t driven a Supercar in Monza before, so that was good to learn.
Obviously this week I’ve got up twice now, this is my third time getting up at 4, 5 a.m. in the morning for the practice races to learn the draft, what it was like with group practices.
With the fixed setup races, I enjoy it because everybody is in the same boat. You can’t do much about it. It’s all about how you understand the tire, how it heats up, how it goes across the run. I guess just a little bit of effort, yeah, sacrificing my sleep, getting around it.
Simon, you talked about how hectic it was having so many people in your ear. Was it more difficult to win today or winning the Indy 500?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Very different feeling, for sure. Very different situation. At the 500 we went all out and tried to take control. We had the fastest car, so we just wanted to control the race. I ended up being in the same situation with fuel on the other side, we were a bit short on fuel and we had to save.
But today the strategy, we didn’t qualify so well. I didn’t understand how to run the best line to get speed out of the car. Maybe I didn’t practice enough qualifying runs.
But I knew in race pace I was going to be good. Like Dale said, it was so hectic throughout the week in practices that I decided to just actually hang with Dale because he has so much experience in this kind of racing in general. We figured out that we were actually saving fuel and tires really well. It helped us to do only one stop.
At the end I was a bit stressed out, I must say. I was very stressed because I don’t feel as much in control. My engineer, Ben Bretzman, who is my usual engineer, was telling me the fuel code, the fuel level, how much to save fuel, that I was fine. He was telling me basically not to race people around me, which is very difficult. It’s a very different space awareness. That’s what I’m struggling with the most.
But, yeah, today was a very stressful day, very intense, very intense.
Dale, you said you ran out of fuel, crossed the line. Did you know how low that fuel was? Were you planning that the last few laps? Is that how it worked out?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: That’s how it worked out. I was playing with the fuel in the last run. If I ran any harder than I was running, I was going to be short. Even as we got the white, I couldn’t change what I was doing with the throttle to be able to get back to the checkered.
There was no point, I wasn’t going to catch Scott. His car was working pretty good. He did a great job not only saving his fuel but keeping his tires good, keeping the right front on his car.
When he took off, I might have tried for a corner or two to see if I could keep up with him, but I was going to run out of fuel so there was no point.
You said you were trying to save your fast repair in case something else came up. Was that hurting you on the speed or the handling of your car?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: I think a little bit of both, but mainly the right front. The car was real tight. The back end was broke. When we had the crash on the front straightaway, I slowed down and I kind of stopped. But somebody came from behind and slid into the back of the car. We had some damage there.
It would just push the right front off real easy. I don’t know if it was hurting the speed, the power, but definitely as the car got deeper and deeper into the run, it started to kind of act like a chair that had a short leg. It was very funky how it was driving.
I was waiting on that quick fix. I was expecting to have multiple yellows. The way the practice sessions had been going, we were all on top of each other, having a lot of accidents. Turned out to be a fuel mileage race.
Dale, what were you first impressions with your first INDYCAR race? What do you think your dad would think that you decided to do INDYCAR racing?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: I think he’d certainly have a hard time with this, just the sim racing part of it I guess. That’s what we’re all watching on television, and everyone is enjoying it. You never know, he might have came around to be a big fan of it.
For me driving the INDYCAR is just an opportunity to hang out with those guys, get to know Simon, Scott, all the rest of those guys better. It’s just fun for me to have the opportunity.
As a fan you can only get so much access, the drivers do a great job of giving a lot. There’s only so far that you can really push that to get to know these guys. This is a bit behind closed doors, get to kind of see what their world is like.
Being a driver in the NASCAR series, I got a real good idea how those guys are, their lifestyles, how they interact with each other. Certainly some similarities in the INDYCAR world.
The fact that they’re from all over the world, where NASCAR it’s just basically guys from the United States, it’s a little smaller of a bubble, the INDYCAR personalities are just so complex and so different from each other. Really contrasting. That’s a lot of fun to hear them interact with each other.
With the world and the country going through this crisis, how helpful is it or relieving to set time aside, have a routine to sim race for fans?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: It’s great. Just for a moment you get to forget about everything that’s going on out there. I promise you, during those laps, thinking about fuel, trying to figure out where we’re going to end up, you’re not thinking about all the sadness and frustration and troubles going on in the world around you.
Hopefully that’s the same feeling that a lot of people get when they tune in and watch or races on NBCSN. For a minute things feel good. When it’s over you snap back into reality and have to start trying to stay healthy and keep up the regimen that you have to say healthy, wait for this thing to play itself out.
Dale, obviously Amy, they would never find your remains if you said you were going to go INDYCAR racing full-time. What about next week? If you get the invite, are you going to go around next week?
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: She just ended the first trimester for our second child. She has her good days and bad days. But I’m kind of committed to running the NASCAR stuff. There’s NASCAR stuff on both networks happening on the weekend and throughout the week.
I believe I’m pushing my luck to add more racing to my schedule. As much as I would love to sit on the sim rig every single day, compete and Twitch stream and do all those things, I need to be a dad and help her at this particular time especially.
I do badly want to race again with Scott and Simon and all the guys, even if it’s a road course, get out there and give it a go. Hopefully there will be opportunities for me to do that if not next weekend. I might need to take a little bit of a break. If not next weekend, I’d love to get another invite if they’re open to having me back.
Simon, I have to know something. I heard this was your first full iRace.
SIMON PAGENAUD: No, I’ve been on iRacing since 2008. I took a big break, maybe too long of a break. I’m certainly readjusting a lot.
When was your first race back after the break?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Watkins Glen was my first race back in a while. Especially at this level, it’s taking me time to train. I’m training five hours minimum a day right now. I want to be competitive. That’s my nature. I want to win races. When INDYCAR announced this official racing, I wanted to be myself and I wanted to go out there and do the best I could.
Winning is the most satisfying thing that I know. Being able to do what we did today to me is why I train so hard, it’s why I do this.
Scott, you were all set to make your INDYCAR debut with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May. With that being changed, I imagine everything is up in the air. How much is your participation in this really increasing your desire and hope to get back in an IndyCar and possibly come over full-time?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, look, I just appreciate Team Penske allowing me to jump in an INDYCAR, jump in the INDYCAR Challenge. It’s been fun. I’m taking it onboard and learning. I’m learning some tracks I’ve never been to before in real life. For instance, Barber last week, Michigan as a speedway, learning the oval side.
Look, for me right now it’s a wait-and-see type thing. Obviously the Indy GP is put off. It’s a matter of waiting and seeing what goes on with border controls and travel restrictions, all that sort of stuff.
It’s all good. Just have to keep doing what I can do. I’m focused on keeping myself fit, like Simon said, making sure I’m ready whenever the call comes. We’ll see how we go.
Simon, it’s obvious you’re all in on this deal, wearing your driver’s suit. When will we see a virtual Norman package?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Norman comes at the end of every race to give me kisses. He was very excited today like he can be when I win a race.
The biggest thing about the race suit is my fellow drivers, they think I sleep in my race suit. I just wanted to show that I do sleep in my race suit.
I also wanted to give some love to DXC. In these tough times, our sponsors are there for us. DXC Technology has been a phenomenal partner. We transitioned from HPE to DXE. I’ve had lot of good luck with that car. I love these guys. End of the day it’s a relationship and we work really hard on it with Team Penske. I just felt like wearing the race suit was probably the best way to represent them.

Action-Packed Weekend Pairs NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Intercontinental GT Challenge

INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, April 6, 2020 – The stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a third exciting racing event in 2020. The INDYCAR Harvest GP will take place Saturday afternoon, Oct. 3 on the IMS road course.

The new event was unveiled today as part of INDYCAR’s updated 2020 schedule announcement. The GMR Grand Prix remains on the IMS schedule for Saturday, July 4, setting the stage for a history-making INDYCAR and NASCAR pairing over the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard weekend. The can’t-miss 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will take place Sunday, Aug. 23.

The INDYCAR Harvest GP joins a busy weekend of racing at IMS, with the previously announced Indianapolis 8 Hour beginning at 10 a.m. (ET) Sunday, Oct. 4. The event will feature the first-ever combination of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli with its North American counterpart, GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS.

“INDYCAR in October at IMS might bring slightly cooler weather but will definitely be warmly embraced by our fans,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Paired with the Indianapolis 8 Hour, we’re set for a can’t-miss fall weekend of motorsports at The Racing Capital of the World. We appreciate everyone’s support and flexibility as we continue to navigate calendar adjustments caused by the COVID-19 situation and extend our thanks to the GT World Challenge for embracing this new weekend schedule.”

A full on-track schedule spanning Wednesday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Oct. 4 will be released soon. Tickets for each day of track-action will go on sale Friday, April 17. Fans who want exclusive access to a pre-sale window should go to IMS.com/HarvestGP.

The INDYCAR Harvest GP will pay tribute to a storied IMS event, the “Harvest Classic” held in September 1916. The Harvest Classic was the only racing event held outside of May at IMS from 1911 through 1993. The event featured three races, all won by legendary driver Johnny Aitken.

With the Indianapolis 8 Hour included in the 2020 GT World Challenge America schedule, this will be the series’ first long-distance endurance race that will count toward the championship in recent decades. The weekend will also showcase drivers in SRO America’s Pirelli GT4 America, GT Sports Club America and the TC America series will crown its champions as they cross the world-famous Yard of Bricks start-finish line over the race weekend.

“Sharing Intercontinental GT Challenge’s Indianapolis debut with one of America’s biggest sports categories is a real privilege for everyone at SRO,” said Stephane Ratel, founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group. “INDYCAR, as well as its cast of world-class drivers and teams, requires no introduction. It also completes a blockbuster weekend at the Brickyard featuring the best of GTs, touring cars and open-wheelers.”

Chevrolet aims for fast start to 2020 season

• Chevrolet teams, drivers enter opener with confidenc
• Bowtie Brigade seeks to continue streak of success
• Chevrolet has amassed six wins in eight races at St. Pete
• Reigning champion Josef Newgarden won 2019 race
• Chevrolet welcomes two rookies to full-season lineup
• Oliver Askew, Rinus VeeKay are proven talents

DETROIT (March 11, 2020) – Amid NTT INDYCAR SERIES changes entering the 2020 season, the constant for Chevrolet personnel, teams and drivers is consistency of execution that produces victories.

Thirteen drivers powered by the direct-injected 2.2-liter, twin turbocharged Chevrolet V6 engine are entered in the March 13-15 opener – the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The roster includes reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden; teammate and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud, who was runner-up in the 2019 driver championship; four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais; and three young but accomplished rookies.

In total, Chevrolet’s opening-race entries represent eight Indy car driver championships, 103 race wins and 113 pole starts. The lineup will be bolstered for the Indianapolis 500 in May by, among others, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, 2013 Indy 500 winner and 2004 series champion Tony Kanaan, race winner and three-time Indy 500 pole winner Ed Carpenter, and two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso.

Chevrolet also welcomes the two-car entry from Arrow McLaren SP Motorsports. The SP part of the team – co-owners Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson – has been a mainstay on the grid, but it is the first time since 2002 that it has utilized Chevy power.

Chevrolet’s successful 2019 season encompassed nine victories and nine pole starts in the 17 races. Since returning to INDYCAR manufacturer competition in 2012, Chevrolet has amassed 82 wins and 92 poles in 135 races along with six Manufacturer Championships.

“Chevrolet and our Bowtie teams and drivers are excited to get back on-track and begin the competition for another successful season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” Chevrolet Racing engineering program manager Rob Buckner said. “While we are extremely proud of our previous success with manufacturer and driver championships plus Indianapolis 500 wins, the streets of St. Petersburg is the beginning of a new campaign. The open dialogue and cooperation with our partner teams as well as the technical partners that contribute to the Chevy IndyCar program have worked tirelessly to get ready for this opening weekend. There are some unknowns with the new Aeroscreen, but we’ll work with teams to get the optimal performance. We’re looking forward to another strong season.”

Building on that foundation is the focus of every Chevrolet engineer, team member and driver. Chevrolet has won six of the eight races and corralled 15 of the 24 podium finishes on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn (5 left, 9 right) St. Petersburg temporary street circuit since the Bowtie Brigade returned to open-wheel racing manufacturer competition.

“We have a similar approach every season of trying to prepare as best as possible,” said Newgarden, whose St. Petersburg ’19 victory was a springboard to his second driver title. “We (Team Penske drivers) feel pretty similar about where our weaknesses were, strengths were. We try and improve on that, just make ourselves better in all areas for the next season.
“We have the same goals. We need to try to win the Indianapolis 500 as a team, same thing with the drivers’ championship.”

Bourdais and Team Penske’s Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, are two-time winners at St. Petersburg. They are tied for sixth on the all-time Indy car victory list with 37. Al Unser (39) is fifth.

Added Pagenaud, who swept the Month of May races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year: “It’s going to be a very exciting season with a lot of very strong teams and new kids coming on. We’ll see what we can do.”

First-year drivers in Chevrolet-powered cars for the full season include 2019 Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Motorsports entry and Rinus VeeKay, who recorded 16 wins on the three stages of the Road to Indy ladder in 2017-19, in the No. 21 Sonax entry for Ed Carpenter Racing. Ben Hanley, who made three starts for DragonSpeed in 2019, and sports car veteran Felipe Nasr, driving the No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet in the opener, are also listed as rookies.

Conor Daly will take the controls of the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing on road and street course, while the team owner will compete on the five ovals. Second-year driver Patricio O’Ward, the 2018 Indy Light champion, will team with Askew at Arrow McLaren SP.

AJ Foyt Racing will have veteran Charlie Kimball behind the wheel of the No. 4 Tresiba entry for the full season. Bourdais, Kanaan and Dalton Kellett will share duties in the No. 14 Chevrolet. Kanaan, who will drive in the oval races in his final season of NTT IndyCar Series competition, will reach 382 starts – second to Mario Andretti’s record 407 – by competing in all five.

Max Chilton returns to the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet for road/street courses while Dreyer & Reinbold Racing with Sage Karam in the No. 24 Wix Filters Chevrolet enhanced its part-time schedule by adding St. Petersburg.

NBC Sports Network will telecast the 100-lap/180-mile race live at 2:30 p.m. ET March 15.

Team Chevy will be well represented by:
AJ FOYT RACING:
Charlie Kimball, No. 4 Tresiba Chevrolet
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet

ARROW MCLAREN SP RACING:
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
Oliver Askew, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
CARLIN:
Felipe Nasr, No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet
Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet

DRAGONSPEED:
Ben Hanley, No. 81 DragonSpeed FlexBox Chevrolet

DREYER & REINBOLD RACING:
Sage Karam, No. 24 DRR Wix Filters Chevrolet

ED CARPENTER RACING:
Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax Chevrolet

TEAM PENSKE:
Josef Newgarden, No. 1 Hitachi Chevrolet
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet
Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Chevrolet

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (all times ET)
NTT IndyCar Series practice 1: 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 13
NTT IndyCar Series practice 2: 3 p.m., Friday, March 13
NTT IndyCar Series practice 3: 10:45 a.m., Saturday, March 14
NTT IndyCar Series qualifications: 2:40 p.m., Saturday, March 14
NTT IndyCar Series warmup: 10:25 a.m., Sunday, March 15
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg: 3:30 p.m., Sunday, March 15
TV/Radio/Other: NBC Sports Network will telecast the 100-lap/180-mile race live at 2:30 p.m. The NBC Sports Gold INDYCAR Pass will telecast practice sessions and qualifications. All sessions and the race are broadcast on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com, the INDYCAR Mobile app, Sirius 216 and XM 205.

Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results

2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 races
Wins – Josef Newgarden (St. Petersburg, Detroit 1, Texas, Iowa); Simon Pagenaud (IMS road course, Indianapolis 500, Toronto); Will Power (Pocono, Portland). Poles – Will Power (St. Petersburg, Circuit of the Americas, Mid-Ohio); Simon Pagenaud (Indianapolis 500, Toronto, Iowa); Josef Newgarden (Detroit 1, St. Louis, Pocono-*by entrant points)
2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 races
Wins – Josef Newgarden (Phoenix, Barber, Road America), Will Power (Indianapolis RC, Indianapolis 500, Gateway). Poles – Newgarden (Barber, Texas, Road America, Toronto), Power (Indianapolis RC, Iowa, Pocono, Portland), Ed Carpenter (Indianapolis 500)
2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)
2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)
2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);
Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 2012
2014 – 12 wins, 13 poles in 18 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)
2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)
2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)
Total – 82 wins, 92 poles in 135 races
‌
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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 at www.chevrolet.com.

FORT WORTH, Texas (February 14, 2020) — Love was in the air at Texas Motor Speedway Friday, and it had nothing to do with Cupid slinging arrows around the world-renowned motorsports facility. Seven NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers, including defending series and Texas Indy 600 champion Josef Newgarden, were on-site for what doubled as a rookie initiation and the debut of the sport’s aeroscreen safety canopy at TMS.

What resulted was universal praise for the aeroscreen and from the young drivers for their first experience in No Limits, Texas.

While Newgarden (Team Penske), Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing), and Santino Ferrucci (Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser-Sullivan) were shaking down the high-powered open-wheel cars for their first-timer teammates, it also offered a chance for their first taste of how the car’s new windshield would change the racing at Texas.

As for the first-timers, Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing), Alex Palou (Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh), Oliver Askew (Arrow McLaren SP), and Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske), there wasn’t a comparison to be made from a windscreen perspective, but it was a valuable learning experience for when the circuit returns for June’s Texas Indy 600.

The following are quotes from Newgarden, Carpenter, Ferrucci, and Askew at Friday’s test:

Josef Newgarden (No. 1 Team Penske Chevrolet)

What kind of a step is the aeroscreen for the safety of INDYCAR drivers?

“I think that’s the last major safety advancement that the cars have needed was the head protection, and finally we have that.”

The aeroscreen is the biggest change to an Indy car since…?

“This is the biggest change to an Indy car since probably when we went to carbon tubs … you’re talking 30 years ago. It’s a very large introduction to something new. I think from a safety standpoint, it’s probably the biggest safety innovation since the HANS device, and the HANS device you’re talking early 2000s.”

Have you been at all surprised that Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin has taken the INDYCAR world by storm this week?

“Not surprised by Scott one bit. He’s a champion. He’s deserved this opportunity. It’s actually been a lot of fun for us to have him in the team because we love watching him in Australia. Getting the chance to hang out with him and race cars together has been a total blast. We’re really looking forward to the month of May. I think he’s going to have a great run at the GP.”

Ed Carpenter (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Driver/Owner)

How did you notice the aeroscreen change the racing at Texas Motor Speedway in your short run?

“There’s a couple little subtleties just in the way the air moves around. It’s quieter, which is different. Believe it or not that kind of changes the sensation of how you feel the car. Visually, it’s actually very good. There’s not any limits or distortion or anything like that.”

How does the change in air movement around you affect you in the cockpit?

“We don’t have the frontal pressure on the helmet that we’ve always had. It’s more coming down behind you. It’s actually wanting to push your head forward a little.”

Why is it important for veteran drivers to come out and get the cars dialed in for your rookie teammates?

“This is a place that’s so unique that even when a guy who’s run ovals comes here for the first time they’re kind of like, ‘Wow, this is different.’ You see all the teams putting a veteran guy in except Arrow (McLaren SP) just to make sure it’s comfortable and stable.”

Santino Ferrucci (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser-Sullivan)

You’ve only raced at Texas once before, but did you notice a difference between then and now by adding the aeroscreen?

“To be honest with you, you can’t tell it’s there. It’s not like anything stands out at me. It’s actually quieter.”

Sunset happens during the Texas Indy 600. Are there any concerns about a glare on the aeroscreen?

“It’s not any different from if you have one or without. When the sun gets low like that and you can’t see the track, you can’t see the track regardless. I don’t anticipate the spotlights being an issue at all, but I think the cars will look pretty sweet. We gotta put some LEDs on top of them and deck ’em out a little bit, make them look cool.”

Oliver Askew (No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Driver)

How were your first few laps at Texas Motor Speedway?

“I really enjoy it. I’ve been looking forward to this test for a long time. I love ovals … we did a test at Kentucky Speedway last year in Indy Lights, and I kind of feel some similarities between those two tracks with the tri-oval and with how smooth the tracks are but it’s a completely different car, right? Much quicker. An extra 30 mph at those speeds feels like an extra 100.”

Is it an advantage or a disadvantage that your team didn’t have a veteran here to shake down the car for you?

“With my experience and how comfortable I am with ovals so far, I’m able to feel what the car’s doing, and that’s all the engineers really need to know. It’s an advantage for me because I’m getting more track time than the other rookies who are here.”

The group, minus McLaughlin, returns to Texas Motor Speedway for the Texas Indy 600 on June 6. Newgarden is the defending race winner, his first checkered flag at TMS.

Two-Time & Defending Supercars Champion to also Participate in COTA Preseason Test

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 5, 2020) – Team Penske announced today that defending Virgin Australia Supercars Champion Scott McLaughlin will make his NTT IndyCar Series debut on Saturday, May 9, racing in the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

The two-time Supercars title winner, who will attempt to win his third consecutive series championship for DJR Team Penske (DJRTP) in 2020, will also participate in next week’s IndyCar Series preseason open test at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.

“This is an amazing opportunity – to race against some of the best open wheel drivers in the world on one of the most historic tracks in motorsports,” said McLaughlin, who drove an open wheel car for the first time last month during a series rookie evaluation test at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla.

“I’m excited about the challenge of trying to win a third-consecutive Supercars championship while helping to keep the Shell V-Power Racing Team at the front of the field this season. I’m also really looking forward to this new opportunity,” added McLaughlin. “It’s a driver’s dream to get a chance to race an Indy car for Team Penske. With the experience I gained at the test in Sebring, I know a little bit more about what to expect when I get back into the car at COTA. I just want to learn as much as I can every time I’m in the car so I can make the most of the opportunity to race with the team at the Grand Prix in Indianapolis.”

McLaughlin will pilot the No. 2 Dallara/Chevrolet during both the COTA test and the GMR Grand Prix in Indianapolis. McLaughlin has produced 35 victories and 44 pole positions over the last three seasons while helping DJRTP claim team championships in 2017 and 2019 and winning the driver’s title in each of the last two seasons. McLaughlin also earned his first win in the legendary Bathurst 1000 race in October, with co-driver Alex Premat. On his way to the title last season, McLaughlin established a new single-season Supercars record with 18 victories, along with a series-leading 15 poles and 22 podium finishes.

“Scott has experienced tremendous success in Supercars over the last three seasons with DJR Team Penske and we believe his talent and his drive will continue to shine behind the wheel of an Indy car,” said Roger Penske. “It will be interesting to see how he continues to develop as we work up to his first race at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. We know Scott will work hard to improve with every lap and he will represent Team Penske well as he gets acclimated to the IndyCar Series.”

Team Penske has won five of the six IndyCar Series races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course since the series began competing at the 2.4-mile track in 2014. Will Power won the Grand Prix in 2015, 2017 and 2018, while Simon Pagenaud captured the checkered flag in 2016 and again in 2019 for the team.

The GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will take place on Saturday, May 9, with the green flag scheduled to waive at 3:50pm ET. The race will be seen live on NBC, with radio coverage on INDYCAR Radio and SIRIUS XM.

About Team Penske
Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 540 major race wins, over 620 pole positions and 37 Championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition. Over the course of its 54-year history, the team has also earned 18 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win, overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring along with a win in Australia’s legendary Bathurst 1000 race. Team Penske currently competes in the IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team also races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, in a partnership with Dick Johnson Racing, as DJR Team Penske. For more information about Team Penske, please visit www.teampenske.com.