Category: NTT Indy

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
ACCURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
STREETS OF LONG BEACH
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER VIDEO CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET
APRIL 12, 2023

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, met with media on NTT INDYCAR Series weekly video conference leading up to Accura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Full transcript:

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody. Glad you’re here. Another race week here in 2023. 2023 resumes this Sunday on the beautiful streets of Long Beach for another edition of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, one of the longest running races on the schedule outside of, of course, the Indy 500.

Few have had the type of success that Alexander Rossi has had on the streets of Long Beach. Back-to-back wins, back-to-back poles, 2018 and 2019. Driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet joins us today after a visit to the White House and the annual Easter egg hunt yesterday.

I got to ask you about the Easter egg hunt. How cool was that?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: It was awesome, man. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. When the opportunity presented itself to go to the White House, like why wouldn’t you? I had also never been to D.C. before, so I got kind of spoiled on my first trip there.

No, just an amazing event for not only INDYCAR to be there but for all of some 30,000 kids that got the opportunity to kind of learn about their favorite sports and kind of the physical and mental aspect that it takes to get into that sport.

We were sandwiched between the NFL and the MLB, so pretty great company for INDYCAR to be around. I think it was a pretty amazing activation that we had in terms of having the show car there, Jim Leo from PitFit Training there, a little bit of a glimpse into what it’s like. I think we definitely created some new race fans. It was really exciting to be a part of.

THE MODERATOR: You’re from California, won a couple times at Long Beach. How much are you looking forward to leading Arrow McLaren there this coming weekend?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, man. I say it all the time, outside the Indy 500 I think this is one of our flagship races if not the flagship race. It’s always such an amazing event from not only an entertainment on-and-off-the-track standpoint but a turnout standpoint. The fans there are passionate, they’re incredibly knowledgeable about the sport, there’s obviously a huge amount of history that exists with that city and that track.

Jim Michaelian and his whole group do an amazing job for us every year. Real excited to get back there. As you mentioned, we’ve had some success there in the past. With the new team and the momentum that the Arrow McLaren group has at the moment, we’re very much looking forward to the weekend.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.

Q. Could you give us an idea of how different you feel the setups are between St. Pete and Long Beach, how much confidence you take from the pace you had in St. Pete, whether you think that’s going to apply to Long Beach.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: They are different. I think St. Pete’s borderline getting to the point where it’s almost a road course, it’s so smooth and the grip level is what it is. I think you definitely take a little bit of a different approach there than you do other street courses.

Yeah, there are obviously some similarities. I think as a whole, obviously I didn’t drive the car last year, but I think the team has taken a step forward in terms of the street course program. I think Chevrolet has made monumental steps, especially coming from 2021, their evolution of ’22, then again a step this year.

I think it’s going to be the normal competitive obviously qualifying and race. I think your normal participants are going to be fighting for pole. It’s going to take perfect execution from everyone and exciting to see how it shakes out.

Q. What is your level of excitement being inside the team? You’ve had two races under your belt, where is your mind at? How do you feel with this team settling in now?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, for sure we’re two races, but also only two races, right? It’s still early days.

I think the entire atmosphere and the positivity within the team is obvious from the outside. I think the cohesiveness that they were able to keep and also the continuity of adding a third car, the people we’ve talked about many times, it’s a testament to everyone there from the top all the way to the bottom.

It’s a real privilege and joy to be part of that team every single week. I think we’re only going to get stronger as time goes on.

Q. You mentioned Chevy feel good on a street course. Is it a different feel inside the car, torque? What is different coming from a Honda to Chevrolet now?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, again, I can’t speak for what it was like. I think they had a huge focus on the bottom-end drivability side of things. Even when it was a challenge, they were still obviously very successful. Even when it was difficult in ’21, they were still winning races.

Again, it’s very hard to have that big of a difference when the engine architecture is similar or the same, and the rules have been around for so long, everyone kind of follows to the same point.

But, yes, there are still subtle differences. It’s kind of about maximizing the strengths and weaknesses of each engine, right? Honda might go about that a different way than Chevy does. For us as drivers, me making the transition from one to the other, you’ve got to understand the areas that the Chevy is working in a better range, and you got to focus on those areas to make sure you maximize the performance available.

Q. What about street course races makes you jump to another level? Do you treat these races differently?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I won Pocono, and that’s not a really big race (laughter). Pretty random actually.

It’s obviously cool to be able to have success in those types of races. But, no, it’s all the same. If you’re fortunate enough to get it right on that day, it’s cool.

Q. How crucial in INDYCAR, seems like milliseconds separate a gap from first to 10th, is pit selection? This week you’re pitting third. Do you have any input? Is there a study behind that?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, it really depends on the track. For example, Long Beach, you want to be towards the front. I assume everyone knows, but if you don’t know, it goes in order of qualifying. For example, Felix got to pick first at Long Beach based on Texas, then down the qualifying order.

For Long Beach it’s important to be in the front in terms of pit selection just so that when you’re leaving to go to practice, qualifying sims, whatever, you have as much clear track in front of you as possible.

For the ovals it’s a pretty big advantage to have an open in just because of the way the cross weight is set up, you can carry more speed into the pit box. On a track where we have a lot of cars and a small pit lane, at Mid-Ohio or Toronto, an open in or open out is kind of the preferred choice. You’ll see guys, even if they qualify third, they’ll choose the 15th box because it’s an open in or open out.

Indy is a little bit similar, but there’s the added superstition that goes into that. There’s metrics that are run on these pit boxes historically have been the most successful. There’s really no rhyme or reason to it other than odds. That’s kind of what goes into it.

It’s a little bit of everything.

Q. You have teammates around you, is there a reason you guys chose between Dixie and Josef?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: No, I mean, I think that was the order of qualifying. It went Felix, Scott, me, Josef, which just shows how important track position is.

Again, track position is that important that we all wanted to be up front. It’s the order of qualifying.

Q. What do you put down to your success in Long Beach? Do you think the track suits your driving style or just a track you enjoy?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for you. I think for me it’s always an exciting event there in Laguna. It’s a home race in the sense that I’m from California. I always have a lot of friends and family turn out that come. I think everyone kind of gets a little bit of a subconscious boost and a little bit extra motivation. We hear Josef talk all the time about how much he’d love to win Nashville, his home race. That sort of exists.

Beyond that, I’ve been fortunate to have good cars there and it’s a track that suits my driving style. It’s pretty medium- to high-speed corners. There’s only one and the fountain that are slow-speed corners, so you can make time up from that standpoint.

Yeah, I mean, it’s a little bit of everything. If I had an answer for you, I’d probably win every race. I don’t think it comes down to just one thing. It’s a combination of things that work out ending up to be in your favor.

Q. Do you think traffic is going to be a big issue?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: At this point with the grid size we have, it’s an issue every weekend, aside from really Road America or Road America (laughter). That’s just the nature of it. It’s the same for everyone. You manage it as best you can.

For sure at some point throughout the weekend you’re going to get caught up in it. Everyone is. You just hope it’s not on a super critical part of the session.

Q. Qualifying is important at almost every race, but it seems like the leader is really favored at Long Beach. Does that make Saturday’s qualifications one of the more important ones of the season?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, for sure. I think you’re right: every qualifying is very critical, but especially Long Beach because the way it works out, it’s a two-stop race, pretty straightforward two-stop race.

There’s not many yellows. It’s a pretty clean race, historically speaking. The leader doesn’t really get hung out by a close pit situation type of thing.

Yeah, I mean, it’s very important to start in the top two or three I think if you’re going to want to try to win that race.

Q. A couple of the wins you had there, once you were out front, it was smooth sailing. Before you caught the end of the field, did it feel like you were on a qualifying run?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, it’s an easy two-stop race. Everyone is kind of flat out from the drop of the green. The tire life is usually pretty good there. There’s not a whole lot of strategy or saving, like, different fuel. Everyone does the same thing, so you can push pretty hard from the green.

Q. As far as the vibe, it’s one of a kind, southern California, fans turn out for it. Celebrities, glitz, glamour. Is it always one of those where you’re not only excited about racing but just excited to be there?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, 100% right. It’s an awesome event. It’s one of those ones where you feel kind of like a Super Hero when you get to go do driver introductions. It’s annoying sometimes how busy pit lane is, but that’s just a testament to the excitement and energy that exists at that track.

It’s certainly one that we try and model as many of our street courses after it. I think St. Pete comes close. Nashville comes close. I think Detroit this year is going to be phenomenal.

Yes, the pedigree it has in terms of its history, just the location, all of the extracurricular activities that you can find throughout the weekend just makes it pretty unique.

Q. Next week you switch gears and it’s the two-day open test for the Indy 500. How important is it to have everything sorted before you hit the track in May?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, it’s hugely important. That’s a really good time to really understand. Everyone has been working on their speedway cars probably since June 1st of last year. It’s such small details that add up to make a really big difference at Indy.

April is a good opportunity for you to get an understanding of what your car is lacking, and also the areas where it’s strong. Then you have a couple weeks. It’s not much time. You have a couple weeks to really dive into why maybe there’s a deficit to a teammate or to another car, whatever, and resolve that.

It’s a great test for us as drivers. Great test for the team. Then obviously it’s great to get fans out there and start to see cars on track at the greatest track in the world.

Q. You’ve talked about Long Beach being an easy two-stopper. For you as a driver, it must be better than the fuel-saving races.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I kind of am of the opinion that we could make Long Beach a little bit longer so you have the two options. Some of our best races are when you have guys on a fuel save two-stop, other guys on a flat-out three-stop race trying to make up that pit lane difference.

It’s been this length for a long time. It’s put on some great shows. Colton, I think it was ’21 or ’20, where he started 14th and ended up winning, no yellows to help him.

If you have a strong car, like always in INDYCAR, you can usually have a pretty good result. But yes, in the perfect world we’d probably extend it a little bit, but that’s for people that are paid more than me, so we’ll leave it to them.

Q. You are in your eighth season of INDYCAR. Is it something you could imagine when you came back from Europe into INDYCAR? Maybe something that surpasses your wildest dreams?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I certainly didn’t realize that I would have the longevity that I’ve had so far. Obviously very thankful for that. It doesn’t feel like eight years, but there you go.

Yeah, I mean, obviously I think it surprised everyone. I talked about it at length. Surprised everyone, including myself, the fact that we were able to do what we did in 2016 at the 500. Yeah, I’ve been very fortunate to have the amount of time in the series that I have had.

There’s still a lot of things left that I’d like to accomplish. That’s really all we’re focusing on right now.

Q. With the variety of cars that run at Long Beach, how does it impact on how the track rubbers in for the INDYCAR guys?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, that’s a good question.

Last year was a weird one. They put a sealant down, the city did. The track grip was, like, insane from lap one of practice one. The other running of the other cars didn’t really change anything because the grip level started incredibly high anyways. Pole was a new record, crazy fast all weekend.

Usually it’s a really beneficial thing because it starts out as a very low grip, green surface, because it hasn’t been use as a racetrack in a year. Having all the different stuff, especially IMSA on track, really speeds up the evolution of the track.

I don’t know what it’s going to be like this year, if that sealant will still have that effect or if it’s worn off after California got pummeled with rain for seemingly five months. I don’t know. We’ll have to see. Usually it’s a good thing in terms of getting the cars up to speed.

Q. Looking more towards the month of May, you’ve come from a team that’s run four or five cars at the 500, you mentioned McLaren have geared up to take on your car. Going into Indy with four cars, do you feel the team is in a good position to be able to cope with the number of cars they’re now running?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, 100%. We have a lot of people, like, a significant amount of people. I don’t think that’s any concern of anyone.

Obviously numbers aren’t everything. You got to make sure that they’re the right people in the right positions. I think the team has done a very good job. We have access to a lot of people from the McLaren F1 side of things in terms of testing, so they’re very skilled mechanics. I think Tony is in great hands.

Yeah, I don’t foresee it being any issue whatsoever.

Q. Since McLaren joined INDYCAR in 2020, I think this is the best car we seen they give to you. How important it is for the sport of the season have this Long Beach race which you actually won twice, how important is it to have the Long Beach Grand Prix as opportunity to get into the championship mix?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, every race is important. But, yes, obviously you highlight the tracks that you’ve been historically good at, either for yourself or team perspective. It was a missed opportunity for two of the cars in Texas with very fast race cars not ending up getting a result.

I think you’re correct in saying that the program that the team has this year and the performance of the cars has been really strong through the first two races. There’s no reason to not think that that won’t continue.

Yeah, we’re excited about Long Beach. We feel very confident in what we have, what we can do there. It’s just about hoping a couple things go your way and you can come out of there with a strong result.

Q. How are things with Kyle after the Texas incident?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, that’s a long time ago now. So it’s all behind us.

Q. This is the first full season you’ve been competing against Pato. Now you’re in the same team. How impressed are you by his ability and speed? Do you think he’s right now the toughest driver to beat in INDYCAR?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think everyone’s been impressed with Pato since day one that he came into the series. I think his speed was obvious. Obviously he’s very exciting to watch from his in-car videos. I think his nickname is the Ninja or whatever.

He’s very good. I didn’t have to be on his team to realize that. I think the three of us are pushing each other very hard. It’s important that we have three cars kind of at the front every single weekend. That’s the goal of the team. That’s what McLaren as a brand expects and demands from us.

Quite honestly, Pato, you could argue, he maybe should have two wins to start the year. He’s done a very, very good job. It’s going to be a fun remaining 15 races with him and everyone else.

Everyone at this level is pretty good. I think you can pick 10 guys that are hard to beat every single weekend.

THE MODERATOR: Are you worried about Kanaan and Pato together during the month of May? They’re pretty similar, aren’t they?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I don’t think anyone’s really the same as Pato. He’s very unique (smiling).

Yeah, I mean, they’re both South American, highly energized and excited about seemingly everything (smiling).

Q. You’ve driven for the greatest names in all of motorsports. You’re considered one of the best race car drivers on the planet. Can you put into words what it means to race for Arrow McLaren?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: First of all, thank you (smiling).

It’s amazing. This year is the 60th anniversary of McLaren being founded as a race team. To be able to kind of be a part of that and be in history at one point a part of all of the great drivers that have gotten the opportunity to drive for this brand, it’s something very, very special. It’s something that I don’t take lightly. I take a lot of pride in. It certainly forces all of us that kind of wear (indiscernible) to elevate ourselves on and off the track.

It’s an honor, but obviously there’s responsibility that comes along with it.

Q. As a race car driver, how do you feel ending a race under caution?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: It’s a tough one. I think INDYCAR does races on distance. I think that is an important thing to remember, especially when you’re comparing it to other championships. You can’t necessarily, because of the circumstance, just change the distance of a race because you want to see a certain finish.

I think INDYCAR in the past has done a really good job at red flagging races when there is enough laps, once the cleanup is over, to kind of go through the restart process, whatever the correct terminology for that is.

For example, at Texas, it was one lap. Even if they red flagged it, there wasn’t enough laps left to get the field around and do a restart. That was a tough situation. I think obviously everyone would have liked to see it go green to the finish. Pato would obviously have liked that as well. It wasn’t meant to be. That’s just racing sometimes.

Q. How are you feeling from the mileage you’ve done on the new tires? Does the info you get from the tires get shared within the team or do you provide some feedback to the manufacturer, as well?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: So all of the above. At the end of every weekend we kind of have a debrief, every driver and team I believe has a debrief with Firestone, kind of going through the pros and cons of the primary and the alternate, what needs to be adjusted for the future. I think they take that into account, not for 2023, but certainly for 2024.

Yeah, I mean, using the tires in practice, there’s usually a pretty big grip increase that comes on the alternate that you got to make an adjustment to the balance of the car so you can’t just go out with the same race car, put softer tires on, expect to maximize it. You’ve got to change something. Usually you’re trying to figure out how big the offset needs to be.

I think Firestone has done an amazing job in the sense that we have a sustainable tire that really produces the same level of performance as a non-sustainable tire. I think that was proved in Nashville last year, and that’s why we’re using them on all the street courses this year. I think it’s a huge step for INDYCAR, huge step for Firestone, something we should all be very proud to be a part of.

Q. You have been successful at Long Beach with Andretti. With McLaren, how do you feel with a new team for this weekend?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: We’re still learning as we go at this point. Yeah, I mean, I think based on St. Pete, I think based on the fact that I think Felix was in the top six in qualifying last year, their cars are good.

Certainly there is a step we need to make to be as strong as Andretti or Penske I think on the street courses in general. But I think we’re close. I think we have just as good of a shot as anyone this weekend.

Q. You’ve been with Formula 1 before. You know what it’s like to travel internationally with a team. How do you feel about INDYCAR going to Argentina and how will it benefit INDYCAR as a whole to go international?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think as drivers we all would love to see not only international races but still an expanded calendar, right? I think certainly the interest that exists from Argentina, as you mentioned, obviously from Mexico, makes a very strong case to have races in a place like that.

But there’s a lot of factors other than just wanting to do it, right? I actually was talking about this with someone earlier today, talking about adding a race that we used to go to in the States. It’s like you can talk and dream and think it’s going to be this great idea, but you got to actually go out there and buy tickets, show up. You can’t just say it’s a great idea.

I think there is momentum building. I think there is an interest that exists that we certainly are looking to exploit, but there’s a lot of different factors that go into it.

I look forward to seeing how it goes. But certainly Argentina and Mexico with the interest we’ve seen there in the past 12 months, it’s certainly on the top of the list.

Q. Have you had any sort of change of opinion in terms of pit lane incident in Texas, how that played out? You made it clear you thought it was Kyle’s fault.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: No change of opinion. I think hopefully we can, as a series, learn about communication and continuity, just take lessons from it. It’s a shame to have situations exist and not really learn anything from it.

It’s something that we all talked about at length. At the end of the day it’s history now. We just got to make sure going forward everyone is on the same page.

Q. Looking back at St. Pete, there was a couple of incidents where cars were airborne. Going into another street course, do you think the street courses could be widened or changed in any way to avoid situations where cars have nowhere to go but up?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: That’s a good question, good observation. Obviously there’s airborne cars in Texas, too.

But, yeah, I think racing is dangerous. I think INDYCAR has done a really good job at putting driver safety, team safety at the forefront of what they do.

I think we’ve all seen the images of – who was the red car – Benjamin, we’ve seen the images of his car, kind of all the impact marks that went up the aeroscreen.

Everyone, despite the magnitude of that incident, walked away totally fine. I think that just goes to show that these cars are safe and the advancements that we’ve made have not been for nothing.

But, yeah, racing is always going to have risk to it. That’s just a part of life. Everything you do has risk. I think you’re always looking at ways to make it safer, but I certainly don’t think there’s any issues with street courses, and I don’t expect that to be a normal thing going forward.

THE MODERATOR: Alex, safe travels.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Thank you, guys. Appreciate it. We’ll see you out there.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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 at www.chevrolet.com.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
PPG 375
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FT. WORTH, TEXAS
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
APRIL 2, 2023

JOSEF NEWGARDEN PUTS CHEVROLET IN TEXAS VICTORY LANE
WIN IS EIGHTH FOR THE BOWTIE BRAND 2.2 LITER V6 ON 1.5-MILE TRACK SINCE 2012

• Victory is third and second consecutive for Newgarden at Texas Motor Speedway and 26th of his NTT INDYCAR Series career
• Pato O’Ward finished second in the 250-lap race to give Chevrolet 1-2 finish
• Newgarden and O’Ward traded the lead at least six times, and raced in the lead pack the entire as the race ended under yellow with final caution on lap 248
• O’Ward leaves with points lead as series heads to Streets of Long Beach

FT. WORTH (April 2, 2023) – Josef Newgarden kicked his 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season into high gear with a hard-fought victory at Texas Motor Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden led eight times for a total of 123 of the 250 laps in the PPG 375.

From the drop of the green flag, the two-time champion battled in the lead pack trading the lead six times with runner-up Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and in the lead pack that was as many as six cars numerous times during the race.

As the result of an single car incident on lap 248, the race ended under yellow flag conditions giving O’Ward his second consecutive runner-up finish and vaulted him to the points lead as the Series heads to the Streets of Long Beach on April 16, 2023.

Pole winner Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, finished 26th after a single car incident on lap 178.

Other Team Chevrolet contenders Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, were left with disappointing 16th and 22nd place finishes respectively after separate incidents on pit lane.

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet and Callum Ilott, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, gave Chevrolet four of the top-10 with sixth and ninth place finishes.

Rookie Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, finished 12th in his first oval race. Rookie Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, impressed in his first INDYCAR oval race with a 15th place finish.

Next on the calendar for Team Chevy is the Long Beach Grand Prix on the Streets of Long Beach April 14-16, 2023.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference
Sunday, April 2, 2023
Josef Newgarden
Pato O’Ward
Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Josef Newgarden, a three-time winner at Texas Motor Speedway. 26th career win now in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. You led eight times for 123 laps. Jumps up for fourth in the championship.

Nice cowboy hat.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Thanks. I don’t know if it fits, right. I apologize to any cowboys that would make fun of my fit.

Great car. I don’t know what else to say other than our car was fast. That’s what made the difference. I sort of owe tuned it middle of the race. Pato ran up on us, got by us, was walking away. We got the tuning back, which was great. Reversed everything that I asked for. Got it into a happy window and were in position at the end.

Team Chevy, PPG, a great weekend for us, great team effort. We’re on the board. We are on the board. We were not on the board leaving St. Pete. We’re on the board now.

THE MODERATOR: The bounceback feels pretty good, too?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s great. I would have liked to start under better circumstances after round one. Here we are playing a little bit of catch-up. Got a long way to go. I’m happy we were able to get this done today. It was good affirmation for the whole team.

Really, really positive on our team. We’ve got a great group across the board, but really on the 2 car, there’s a lot of changes. They’re really good. I’m happy they were able to be shown what they’re capable of this weekend ’cause I know it. Now I feel like they’re really going to believe it going forward.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Did you and Pato touch wheels with two to go?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: We did. Right in the dogleg there. The second apex, we just touched kind of heading into T1. Wasn’t as bad as the hit I had with Romain, but it was a light touch.

Q. How was Romain out there? Seems people have many opinions.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I’m fine. I’m cool. Like, look, everything worked out fine. Almost didn’t work out. It gets tight. It gets tight in INDYCAR. It got tight for me.

I came out the other side, so I’ve got nothing to complain about right now. Very happy.

Q. Were you just biding your time?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Q. You were that good?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, well, you know, it would have looked silly if we led the whole race… Just trying to keep it fun. People would have said it’s a conspiracy for PPG. Don’t want to see that happen (smiling). Let Pato have his fun, then I had to put him away.

No, just kidding, that’s not what happened. We were getting beat pretty significantly in the middle of the race. I thought beginning of the race we had him, like, super covered. The car was good, track gripped up. I asked for some progressions on the setup. They were not right for the way the track was trending.

I think Pato went the right way. He did the exact opposite of what I was doing. They were telling me what he was asking for. We were bad in the middle. He snuck back up on me. I had a big gap. He snuck up on me, was walking away.

I was like we just need to get through this stint and catch back up. He had such a lead at that point, it was going to be difficult. The caution 100% brought us back into it. We got the car back to where it needed to be. When we were in position, we could get the job done.

But we were not significantly better than him. I mean, he was just as good. He was definitely better in the middle. In the end he was just as good. It could have gone either way, in my opinion, between our cars.

Q. I asked Pato and Palou this. In the final third of the race, there was a lot of three-wide passing. What wires you guys to get in there and do that?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Man, I think it’s the Jimmie Johnson effect. We were here last year. People were like, This Jimmie guy, look at him, he can do it. I think Jimmie Johnson basically gave everybody confidence this weekend.

It’s obviously more than that. We’ve got a lot more downforce on the cars. The lanes were working pretty well. How great was that to see, there was a second lane. This was a real race today, which was fantastic.

But I think in this sport you definitely can’t think about the potential. It’s just you got to go pretty flat out if you want to drive the cars at a high level.

It’s impossible to drive these things at the level you need to without blocking everything else out. I think that’s what you get from a lot of drivers here.

Q. The second lane racing, was it a combination of aero changes, tire deg, traction compound? What made the racing what it was today?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think the biggest factors are the downforce increase, which was significant. There’s a lot more load on the cars. The entire last stint, I was flat the whole time, flat for the first half of the stint. It’s a big jump from last year. That’s definitely factor number one.

I think factor two is just the track seemed better this year. Like, it was not quite as dark on the PJ1 patches. I know the last time they coated was September last year. That’s what I was told at least in our briefing. Maybe that’s incorrect.

Q. I think it’s been a few years. They put the resin down but they don’t put the PJ1 down. That’s critical.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I apologize. That’s what they said in the report, they said they put resin down, which I don’t know, I’m not a chemist, I have no idea what these effects are.

But the track was better. It was less dark in the area where the PJ1 has been applied. It didn’t seem as low-grip initially as times when we’ve been here in the past.

Even when everyone tried the high line running, it wasn’t like you ventured up there just to start out and it’s really low grip. Pretty much immediately when we went up there, it was okay grip. I think that was much more inviting for people to have more downforce. We were able to more successfully apply rubber to it from our cars.

I think all of that contributed and led to the type of racing that we had today.

Q. Big-picture question. Last year there was a lot of questions about the future of this place. There’s potential for this track maybe changing in the future, resurfacing… What is your take on that? Is it like we got the racing back, but on the other hand you don’t want the track to be changed?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I just want to see Texas race the way it should race. I think most people would look at today and say that’s how Texas should race.

You look at the past, it’s even been taken up a notch from that. Three-wide the entire time. I wouldn’t want to see that. I think you can go too far nowadays.

I really like high tire deg. I like when people come and go and you’ve got to work your advantage. You’ve really got to work to try to keep the car underneath you.

We’re kind of a step above where I like to see the cars at. I know from an entertainment standpoint this had to be significantly better than last year. It just had to be. It felt packed up for most of the race and definitely at the end.

Where we go from here, it’s hard to say. Old Texas is hard to beat. The configuration was great. The track surface was better for us, we could run all three lanes. I’d like to see that back, then we can start peeling off downforce off the cars. If you go and try and find that again, we might not get it right.

So I don’t think I have a great answer for you. We’ve had the product we’ve had, at least as far as the track. We’ve just chipped away at it. By this year we’ve gotten it really good. I don’t have a good answer for you.

Q. You told us in the bullpen you put St. Pete behind you. When you make an engineer change, have a race like that, any sort of concerns coming into this race?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Not as far as the crew. I can tell you that. I don’t care, I’ll say that, it doesn’t bug me. Every year there’s a reset personally. When you sit out for six months, you start to think, Okay, do I still believe we can do what we were doing last year? I knew exactly where we were last year, what we were capable of.

I said some statements towards the end of the year. These were not grandiose statements, they were true what I said, what I thought was possible on the 2 car.

Six months in an off-season you start to think if that’s true, if we’re still capable of that. Leaving St. Pete, it’s always natural to have those thoughts. I was ready to get here to Texas and get on the board, as I say.

Today is very validating for stuff like that. It just validates my self-positivity, but also affirms what I felt about the team. I know how good the people on the 2 car are. Doesn’t matter that they’re new. I know who’s on it, what they’re capable of.

I hate making these type of statements, but we’re in a really good spot, really good spot.

Q. Back-to-back at Texas Motor Speedway, I believe Helio has done it in the past, it’s quite an achievement. How proud are you of being able to do that?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m proud of the team honestly. Obviously personally it’s satisfying, but I think it’s more gratifying, just continue to repeat and echo, but it’s really gratifying for the people that are on the car. There’s a lot of new people on the 2 car specifically. I know each individual and what they can do.

Just coming back and repeating is big validation for all of them, I think gives them a lot of belief. So we’re going to leave here in a good spot.

Look, you can’t take anything for granted. It’s very easy for this championship to swing one weekend to the next. It’s entirely possible we go to Long Beach and have a tough weekend. That can happen.

I think we have to focus on having good, clean weekends going forward. Everybody knows the game in here. It’s a game of averages when you look across the championship. And we have to be the best at that.

Q. Three-wide into three, you got to go for it then or else…

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: That’s pretty much about go forward or you’re exposed. That was the racing style. There was no like I’m going to sit here and ride. You’re in a risky position by doing that.

I think your mentality had to be I’m going forward.

Q. At the end you’re side by side with Pato. Had the race gone on, what was your strategy going to be to be able to nudge ahead of him?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s hard to say. We were building to the white. I was watching the runs every lap, kind of trying to gauge what I needed to do, where I needed to be.

I think the difference maker for our car was that it just had really good speed. It had really natural speed to it. I felt like it was a little bit quicker than Pato’s car, which in the past when I’ve raced him here I felt the opposite, I actually felt like Pato had a really quick car innately.

Today was the complete opposite for me. My car had the speed it needed. It was about keeping positioning where I was. That was the key. Just don’t let him get underneath me basically.

Q. During a portion of the race were you laying back in the weeds conserving the car because you knew you had that speed?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I was full throttle the whole race. I was trying to build the gap early, and we were doing that. We got into the weeds in the middle when I was asking for adjustments that weren’t the right way. At the end there, I was giving it everything. I gave it everything the whole race.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, it’s a one-time deal, yeah. I do. That’s fair.

Q. Last year you sat here and you were asked about winning your first race with your new engineer. I don’t know what it is about you, Texas, new engineers. You’ve done it again. Tell me about this.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think the world of Luke. I guess just to look back a year ago, I felt the same way about Eric. I think Eric did a tremendous job for us in 2022. I can’t speak highly enough about the job that he did.

Then for Luke to step into the role, I’ve just got a high level of confidence in that man. He’s excellent. He is just so excellent at what he does. He is a phenomenal race engineer. You got to understand the definition of ‘race engineer’ to really understand that praise. But he is phenomenal.

I’m excited for him. Obviously extends much further than Luke. Luke has a great team behind him, James, we have Mustafa, aka Simba, is on the stand now. A new guy on our team doing performance and helping Luke. You have the entire crew obviously behind him.

It’s a big team effort. But I think the world of Luke and the entire team. Just to repeat, I feel really good about where we’re at.

Q. Last year in Victory Lane your pockets were filled with hundred dollar bills peeled off from Roger Penske.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: He brought ice cream sandwiches. That is almost as good as 600 bucks. I value ice cream sandwiches tremendously. It’s all perspective (smiling). No cash, though, unfortunately. Shut the valve off this year.

Q. Pato was lapping everybody. It was like you guys were having another race. Did you feel at that point maybe the race was starting to slip away from you at all?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Oh, definitely. It started. It was slipping away. It can happen that quickly. It was one stint that was really not good.

I could see where Pato was strong. In a lot of ways I thought he was just right in step with us, even to start the race. When I would start to pull maybe a second on him, he could pretty much match us straight up. He was very good.

Then I de-tuned us in that stint. He tuned in his race car into the correct direction. He just really took advantage of that particular segment of the race. For sure, I was really worried about did I just compromise the finish here. He’s gotten a big gap on us.

But you got to stay positive. We fortunately had a yellow that bunched us back up and gave us an opportunity.

Q. You feel like the yellow is what saved your race, your day?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s hard to say. I think we could have run him down. It would have been tough. I would like to think on the flip, if I could have gotten that advantage on him in the middle, I would beat him pretty straight up with no yellows. He probably would have done that to us. It would have been hard for me to catch up.

That’s how quickly the race can change and one stint can walk you back. That’s essentially what happened to us.

Q. In your mind how would you have done the race strategy-wise if this race had played out?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Strategy-wise, I have no qualms with what we did. I think it was the right stuff.

I would go back and completely revert what I asked for in the middle of the race tuning-wise. I think I would have gone the opposite direction in hindsight. Fortunately we got it right for the end. I sort of learned from that bad stint what we did wrong, then we got it back.

Q. How was it handling-wise?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I thought we were really balanced well in the beginning. If anything, maybe working towards a little loose. I thought the track was going to really come to us, so I didn’t want any changes. I just wanted to leave it.

I could hear Pato was asking for front wing. He wanted to add turn to the car as we were building into the race. We went kind of somewhat opposite directions ’cause after the first stint, that was the first stint I was talking about, in the second stint I felt the same way. We actually took wing out. We just went opposite ways.

After that second stop, it was very clear that I needed to be probably building with the track. Track grip was coming up. I was pushing to the fence when he was racing me. That’s kind of how he got by me. He was just holding the outside, looked like he could just run flat. I had to be lifting. I was going to run into him if I didn’t lift. That’s kind of where I was on the state of our car.

We just unwound all that stuff, started going the right way, got the car in a good spot.

Q. There was a strategy call, pitted on caution, came back five laps later and topped up, is that strategy something you were asking for, was that a team decision?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, that’s all T.C. probably. Tim, I mean, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a better strategist than Tim. He’s just got a good feel to these races. It was a great call.

If there was no other yellows till the end, I think that was probably the call to win. Then it obviously changed the game again. Pato, luckily for them, that brought them back in. They got another shot to come back into it.

I’m glad we made the call to get tires as well, because then we were match for match with him, which was probably pretty critical.

Q. We saw a bit of a different race today with lap cars. That’s different than what we’re used to with INDYCAR oval racing, particularly at places like Indianapolis and Gateway. Was there anything different about this particular package at Texas that made lapping cars easier for fast guys?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, the second lane. There still was degradation. I think for the first third of the stint almost to the first half, you had people really packed up and congested. It wasn’t like people were falling off a cliff really early, but you still had the degradation on the second half of the stint.

When that started to build in, you just had somewhere to go. That’s the big thing you need. You’ve got to have racing room. At high-speed places like this, even short ovals, you just can’t follow super well in direct wheel tracks. It’s possible, but the racing is more difficult.

When you have real estate to put your car (indiscernible), it makes the racing 10 times better. That’s all you really saw, was there’s real estate this time around to use.

Q. You mentioned some of the changes in setup that INDYCAR brought. Generally speaking, was a lot of that what you have been clambering for for several years, particularly since the addition of the aeroscreen?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s a tricky balance. They’ve been doing this. They’ve been putting downforce on every year. You don’t want to go too far.

I know I don’t want just a straight-up pack race. I really don’t. I think it takes out too much of the skill. I mean, you want the skill of tire degradation where you’ve got to make a good car and you’ve got to learn how to drive it, but you need some element of a packed-up race, certainly in the beginning of stints, to make the show good, to make that also part of the challenge in the race. I just don’t want that the whole way.

INDYCAR is always walking a fine line. They’ve been adding downforce every single year. So I think it’s been a combination of finding enough downforce on the cars. Unfortunately just sometimes takes this long to get that right combo.

I think more than the downforce, it’s really been the track. I think two, three years ago, it wouldn’t have mattered how much downforce you put on the car, you still weren’t going to use the second lane. It was unusable.

It’s not just been the downforce. It’s been a combination of getting the track better and stopping the PJ1 being laid down has greatly improved that.

I wouldn’t put it just on the downforce or configuration thing. It’s also been the track kind of coming back to where we needed it.

Q. There were some questions whether the Goodyear rubber from the trucks would undo the work you did in the high lane. Did you sense that being an issue?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: From my perspective, no negative impact from the trucks. I really felt like the trucks wouldn’t negatively impact us. Obviously their rubber is not a match to ours.

But I thought the more cars circulating and running multiple lanes would ultimately be better. There’s always the inherent reduction in grip on the start of our race when trucks have been on. You got to give it a good 10, 15 laps to clean up their rubber.

I think from a long-term standpoint in the race, it was never going to be a negative to what we had done. And it wasn’t. It did not unwind the work we did the day before. If anything, it just helped it more.

Q. Thinking about how exciting this race was from your vantage point, can you think back to the last non-Indy 500 that you felt like INDYCAR oval racing was as exciting as today?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, hard to say. It’s been through a lot of configuration changes over the last 10, 15 years, you know?

I mean, I remember old school Texas, ’06, ’07. I mean, I would consider that pretty old school for this track if it started late ’90s. It was classic nighttime, three-wide, all the sparks, everybody packed up. It was just a different time in INDYCAR, different era.

I really think today was a good mix. I’d probably take a little downforce off, if you asked me. I don’t like it super packed up. But I think today was a very good mix between the two worlds, of not having a pack race, but also having a difference maker where there’s tire degradation and you have to work as a team to figure that puzzle out.

I was really happy with today. On ovals, that’s what we need. At Indy we search for something like that. It’s a different race than Texas. Indy is not Texas, so I don’t know that we can compare those two.

Trying to find the balance with downforce and grip, it’s always the game nowadays. We’re just trying to find the right balance where there’s not too much but enough to help us go.

THE MODERATOR: I’m assuming it’s back to Wags & Walks?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, the charity stuff. Same charities. Split between the Children’s Network and Wags & Walks. They did an amazing job of providing that opportunity. It’s a significant difference for these great charities, significant.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll wrap it up there.

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Wrapping up another NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Texas Motor Speedway.

For now, joined by second-place finishing driver, Pato O’Ward.

Pato, I’m sure you’re wondering if this thing stays green for the next couple of laps what happens? Or how pleased are you with a second?

PATO O’WARD: At which point (laughter)?

THE MODERATOR: The question is, did you have anything for Josef?

PATO O’WARD: Oh, yeah, I had the timing right. The lap before we crossed the line, my nose was slightly in front of his. There was no way it was going to finish in single file. Yeah, racing gods had other plans.

I have to say to the guys it’s been a hell of a start to the year. I had a rocket. Like, I don’t think there’s another way to put it.I was really comfortable in the car. It was fun, I have to say. Like, it’s got to be the best Texas race in the last four, five years. It was freaking awesome.

Really, really nice that I got to drive and race with guys that I have so much respect for: Alex, Josef. You can push it to the limit, but you always give each other the room that you need. I think that’s what we gave the fans. That’s what they deserve.

THE MODERATOR: Pato talked about the respect that the three of you had for everyone, knowing you could push them a little bit but still have room to do what you need to do.

PATO O’WARD: That’s how it has to be. There’s really no other way to do it. Going way too fast to mess around at those speeds. We’re going wheel-to-wheel like 226 miles an hour or something. It’s a little wiggle from somebody can be really big.

So hats off to everybody. It’s pretty insane, I have to say. I don’t know how it looks. It must look cool, I’m assuming. It looks insane. But inside of the car, you’re going in, you see two guys there, then you’re just like keep it in. It’s commitment.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.

Q. INDYCAR brought some new aero pieces, different aero package this weekend. Is that what produced the good racing today? Did you think they nailed it?

PATO O’WARD: I think a mix of both, track and pieces.

PATO O’WARD: There was a legit second lane, for sure.

PATO O’WARD: No, it was a proper second lane.

Q. Do you think the rubbering-in session helped with that, too?

PATO O’WARD: Yes. But as soon as I went out in the rubbering session, it was like, Wow.

PATO O’WARD: You were running fine.

PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I think the tougher part, which I think then strings people out, is 75% to 100% of the stint, that zone is where I think you really see people. I feel like in the beginning, like the top five, top six guys, were basically able to run the same everywhere.

I think then the stronger cars, they were just able to do that for just a lot longer in the stint.

Q. Where do you feel this race shifted out of your favor?

PATO O’WARD: I knew I could have won. It’s just there was really no other way to do it besides timing it. You had to do it the last lap ’cause if not, they were probably going to do it to you.

Just the timing of the last yellow is what really killed us to be honest. All the other ones, you can’t judge when they fall or didn’t fall. If they did, it would probably be a very different story.

Q. (No microphone.)

PATO O’WARD: My strategy? I’m super happy with the calls my team made. No problems there. I think everybody did a phenomenal job.

Q. It looked insane.

PATO O’WARD: Nice (smiling).

Q. Did you and Josef actually touch wheels with two to go?

PATO O’WARD: I don’t know why Josef likes to get so close to me (laughter).

Q. It’s because you’re cute.

PATO O’WARD: I didn’t really have anywhere to go. I had the walls.

Q. You didn’t touch?

PATO O’WARD: We touched in Detroit. That one I felt. This one, no.

Q. What wires you guys to do something that stupid?

PATO O’WARD: The tow was just so strong. With the second lane opening up, you really couldn’t back off or you’re going to get freight-trained by somebody. It’s like keep your foot in it, keep your position, maybe get a position, or lose one. You kind of have to go.

PATO O’WARD: I have to say it would have been really sketchy if it was, like, lap 45 or lap 50 and everyone has tires. I think that would have been, yeah, maybe not very safe.

I just think everybody feels like a hero when everybody has fairly fresh tires, yeah.

Q. You guys obviously put on a great show today. Does this race call for more ovals to INDYCAR? If so, which ones would you like to see added to the schedule?

PATO O’WARD: I haven’t had the pleasure of running Milwaukee and Richmond. I don’t know what to say. We could have a long season, more races, but I say out and about…

PATO O’WARD: That would be nice.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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 at www.chevrolet.com.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
PPG 375
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FT. WORTH, TEXAS
TEAM CHEVY JOSEF NEWGARDEN WINNER’S QUOTE
APRIL 2, 2023

JOSEF NEWGARDEN PUTS CHEVROLET IN TEXAS VICTORY LANE
CHEVROLET HAS ONE-TWO FINISH WITH PATO O’WARD CLAIMING RUNNER-UP SPOT

• Third Texas Motor Speedway victory for Newgarden
• Led 123 of 250 lap race
• Newgarden has 26 career NTT INDYCAR Series victories-all in a Chevrolet powered Team Penske car
• Win is the 8th at Texas for the Chevrolet 2.2 liter V6 since 2012

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, WINNER:

TALK ABOUT THAT FINAL RESTART WITH PATO O’WARD WITH 12 TO GO

“I am just so happy to be here for PPG and Team Penske and it was a group effort this weekend. Pato gave me all the respect in the world when he was racing next to me and it was hard, it was hard to race those guys. I think (Alex) Palou was super strong too and there were no gimmies, it was just packed up today. It was very difficult to get away. There were parts where we were really good, parts where we were weaker and when we needed to be good, the car was there at the end. So proud of this team. After St. Pete I was kind of rethinking everything and thinking, ‘can we do this again’. But I am so happy to be here and want to thank Team Chevy for all their support and to PPG obviously. Given the title here, its just a big day for everybody.”

WHEN PATO TOOK OFF AND THERE WERE JUST TWO CARS ON THE LEAD LAP, WERE THINKING NO WAY THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY?

“I knew I needed something to catch back up. Because that stint where he got by me, and ripped a gap, that was my worst stint. I think we went the wrong way with our adjustments, which was my decision. I was the one asking for it and then I wanted to reverse it. But like I said, when we needed the car at the end, it was absolutely there. So, I was worried if we didn’t get help to catch back up that he may run away with it and we lost our chance. But they gave us another chance again and we took it.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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 at www.chevrolet.com.

Castroneves advances 11th spots from starting position

Fort Worth, TX (2 April 2023) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) driver Helio Castroneves used the lessons learned in 21 previous IndyCar starts at Texas Motor Speedway to claw his way out of the back half of the field to secure a 10th place finish in Sunday’s PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) used shrewd pit strategy to move into the upper half of the field during a spate of mid-race pit stops and the Brazilian made those gains hold up. Castroneves’ final pit stop on lap 187 saw the No. 06 crew fast at work with the Brazilian gaining four spots in pit lane.

Returning to the fray in 11th for the final restart with 12 laps to go, Castroneves was able to snare another spot on the final green-flag lap of the day to place 10th.

Castroneves’ result is the 29th IndyCar top-10 results for MSR and marks the third consecutive year where an MSR car has scored a top-10 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) briefly ran in the top half of the field running eight spots ahead of where he started. An early second stop on lap 100 dropped him back in the field leaving him to fight from behind in claiming a 17th-place finish.

The Ohio-based team will have a week off before heading to California for the iconic Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach April 14-16.

Driver Quotes:

Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) – Started 21st, Finished 10th: “Really great finish for the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM car today. With a little bit of patience and great teamwork – and I cannot emphasize that enough because they gave me a great strategy and that’s how we were able to move up. We didn’t have the fastest car if I’m being honest, but we stayed out of trouble and we did what we needed to do. It’s a great start to the season for us, we did not have a race in St. Pete, so for us it’s a great start.”

Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) – Started 22nd, Finished 17th: “We started the race really well, but then what we found in qualifying continued into the race – the car was very slow. Fortunately the handling was ok and the entire team did a great job extracting the best out of the car. Now we need to work and figure out what is going on. It’s certainly a big set back and it’s not where we want to be. Helio did a great job with P10 so congrats to him and the 06 crew. We finished the race in one-piece this time, but overall we have to do better.”

Fort Worth, TX (1 April 2023) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) drivers Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) and Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) will start 21st and 22nd respectively on Sunday after qualifying for the PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway (12:15pm ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 160).

A busy first day on track featured just one practice session before qualifying midday. Teams had a short 30-minute turn around following qualifying to prep the cars for final practice to close out the day.

The team felt good after Saturday’s opening hour of practice, putting both cars in the top 17, but the Ohio-based squad was unable repeat the result over two qualifying laps around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval.

Pagenaud was first of the MSR drivers to qualify – third in the order – and was hoping that an earlier run and cooler temperatures would pose an advantage. Simon’s run yielded an average speed of 218.103 mph which puts him 22nd for tomorrow race.

Castroneves went out sixth in the qualifying order and posted a 218.196 mph lap which puts him 21st for tomorrow’s 250 lap race.

Sunday’s PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway will air on NBC on Sunday starting at Noon ET. SiriusXM will also host live IndyCar Radio coverage of both sessions on XM Ch. 160.

Driver Quotes:

Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) – Starting 21st, Two-Lap Avg. Speed 218.196mph: “The car felt pretty much the same as it did this morning, obviously the lap time is a little different because we had drafting during practice. Balance-wise, the cars felt good, but we just weren’t fast enough. We’ll get ready for tomorrow and see how it goes in the race.”

Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) – Starting 22nd, Two-Lap Avg. Speed 218.103mph: “The car felt good and the team did a great job making it handle really good in the corners. But we don’t know why just yet we didn’t pick up the speed in the car, but we will look into it and to understand what was going on. It’s a shame because the team did a great job preparing the car, but we’ll work hard and be ready for tomorrow.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
PPG 375
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FT. WORTH, TEXAS
TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORT
APRIL 1, 2023

FELIX ROSENQVIST PUTS CHEVROLET ON POLE AT TEXAS
SECOND CONSECUTIVE NTT P1 AWARD AT 1.5-MILE TRACK

• Four Team Chevy Drivers in Top-Five Qualifiers for PPG 375
• Fourth Career NTT P1 for No, 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet Driver

FT. WORTH – (APRIL 1, 2023) – For the second consecutive year, Felix Rosenqvist put his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet on the pole at Texas Motor Speedway. It is the fourth NTT P1 Award of his INDYCAR Series career. This is the seventh pole for Chevrolet since 2012 when the Bowtie Brand returned with the 2.2 liter Twin Turbocharged Direct Injected V6.

With a two-lap average speed of 220.264, Rosenqvist leads four Team Chevy drivers starting in the top-five for the 250-lap on Sunday.

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet starts third; Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, rolls off fourth and Pato O’Ward, No, 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet will start fifth

The PPG 375 will take the green flag Sunday, April 2 at 12:00 p.m. ET live on NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET:

“Waiting for most of the field to run is kind of what we went through last year. It was funny how similar that was to 2022. We have a great, great car! Thanks to McLaren, NTT DATA, Chevrolet and all our partners for just doing a phenomenal job to put us in this position. All three of us are quick and it’s always in the details by the team you know. It’s flat out just trying to shorten that track distance. And it worked out.

“It’s nice. I don’t know if you will really want to lead this race because of fuel. So maybe I’ll drop back a couple of sessions. We will kind of have to figure that out tomorrow, depending on how the car feels and race trim we have. It’s nice man. It’s nice to be in the beehive. Big field nowadays and fun.

“Great car. Arrow McLaren just gave us a weapon today again. I think we kind of just built on last year. Maybe it’s a good thing to start out early, I don’t know. The track kind of warmed up, so we’ll take it. Big thanks to all of our partners. Velo, NTT, Arrow, they’ve done just a phenomenal job. I think we’ve always been good here, but this is a whole different confidence level compared to last year. Let’s try to wrap it up tomorrow.”

On team confidence with him and the team…

“I think it is. It’s definitely a calm, and we’re all pretty nice and calm. Everyone at the No. 6 car, especially, I think we’re just kind of doing our thing. Not looking much at the others, and we were chatting there ‘Let’s not celebrate too early here.’ You never know if there’s a magic wind putting Marcus (Ericsson) into P1, but it was an amazing qualifying. I don’t think we could have done much better with what we had. Big thanks to everyone.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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 at www.chevrolet.com.