Category: NTT Indy

Jacob Abel earns his 10th podium of the year to clinch second in the championship, while Wisconsin native Yuven Sundaramoorthy delivers a hard-fought seventh top 10 finish

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (August 31, 2024) – ABEL Motorsports delivered two outstanding finishes in Saturday’s closely contested INDY NXT by Firestone Milwaukee 100 at the famed Milwaukee Mile, as Jacob Abel captured his third second-place finish of the season while Yuven Sundaramoorthy brought his car home in seventh position in his first race carrying the OPTIMA Batteries colors.

Both cars survived multiple wheel-to-wheel knocks through the race, with Sundaramoorthy surviving more than his share but keeping the pedal to the metal as he earned a solid finish in front of his hometown crowd. For Abel (Louisville, Ky.), the finish cemented his second-place finish in the INDY NXT series championship title chase.

The pair were at the top of the charts in on-track passes – Abel with 11 and Sundaramoorthy with 10.

Even before the on-track activities began, Sundaramoorthy, from nearby Oconomowoc, Wis. had established himself as the hometown hero. The Wisconsin graduate sported a racing helmet design that replicated the Badgers football helmet, carried the colors of Wisconsin-based global battery giant OPTIMA, and attended the Badgers season opener Friday night, enjoying pre-game festivities from the field. But once inside that helmet, Sundaramoorthy was determined to give the local fans someone to cheer for.

The pair of drivers had a single 45-minute practice session to reacquaint themselves on the Mile’s tricky setup, with less than 10 degrees of banking and wide straightaways. With the team fine tuning throughout, the session ended with Abel third and Sundaramoorthy sixth. In qualifying early Saturday afternoon, Sundaramoorthy put together a solid two-lap run to put the No. 22 OPTIMA Batteries/ABEL Motorsports Dallara into the ninth starting position with a two-lap average of 148.651 mph. Abel, the next to last car to qualify (with the qualifying order based on points), posted an average speed of 150.824 mph to start the No. 51 ABEL Construction Dallara on the outside of row one.

When the green flag fell, Abel had to check up next to the late-starting pole sitter, allowing two cars to surge from behind on the outside and one on the inside. The inside car took Abel high, sending him into the two cars on the outside. Fighting for control, Abel was fully sideways before righting the car and re-entering the fray – albeit in sixth position, as Sundaramoorthy held his ground in ninth.

Abel made a move for fifth position early while Sundaramoorthy grabbed eighth but as the race settled in the field spread out, with neither driver able to gain ground until a caution flag on lap 29 brought the field back together.

On the restart, Abel slid to the inside and made the pass for fourth stick, then made the same move on lap 38 to take third. On lap 45, Sundaramoorthy, in a three-car dog fight, made a pass for seventh and set his sights ahead.

With his rear tires beginning to fade, Sundaramoorthy fell to seventh, but he was able to maintain control as James Roe, on the inside, slid up into him on lap 60, putting him back to eighth. On lap 65, he pulled alongside Roe, who again took him high as the pair banged wheels – with Sundaramoorthy doing a masterful job to keep the car under control and in the race.

Abel continued to take the measure of Salvador de Alba ahead and with three laps to go, made the outside move in Turn 4 for second position. At the checkered flag, had earned his 10th podium of the season, with Sundaramoorthy taking a hard fought and somewhat battered seventh.

“Louis Foster (pole sitter) went a lot later than I was expecting and he was kind of slowing down before that a little bit,” said Abel. “I had to check up so I didn’t get ahead of him, and obviously lost a lot of ground there. I honestly don’t even know what happened after that – there were a few hits and I saved it, but mostly I was really frustrated because we lost six positions. It’s especially frustrating because we had a really strong race car. We moved forward really well, especially in the beginning, and I was just balancing saving the Firestone tires versus trying to get more track position. I think we did a good job with that; we just ran out a little bit at the end. But I think we made some of the most ground up out of anyone so we’re definitely proud of that.”

“I honestly think it’s the hardest oval we go to all year,” said Sundaramoorthy. “But I’m super happy to be back in Milwaukee – I think this is amazing for the sport and I love the Wisconsin crowd. It was a tough race but I’ll take the top 10 finish. I think we could have gotten a podium if we’d managed to move up more quickly but just kind of got stuck and that was where it ended. But the track raced really well and I was really happy about that. Obviously, I wish I could have gotten a better result for the hometown fans but I’m happy that we’re back in Milwaukee and really happy with the way this week has gone.”

ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, OPTIMA Batteries, S Team Motorsports, Quest Global and OMP for their continued support.

The season finale for ABEL Motorsports and the INDY NXT by Firestone will be the Music City Grand Prix, Sunday, September 15 at 11:50 a.m. ET. The race will be streamed live in the U.S. on Peacock, while international viewers can watch via INDYCARLIVE, with INDYCAR Radio available at indycar.com and on Sirius XM.

About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.

About Abel Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky, holding licenses in thirteen states. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana, with the corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans many areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.

Abel Construction has helped build some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. The company’s skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.

ABEL Motorsports social media
Facebook: ABEL Motorsports
Twitter/X: ABEL Motorsports
Instagram: ABEL Motorsports

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024) – Louis Foster left no doubt, clinching the INDY NXT by Firestone championship with his series-leading seventh victory of the season Saturday at the Milwaukee Mile.

Foster, 21, from Odiham, England, locked up the title for Andretti Global in the INDYCAR development series with one race to spare. His seventh win of 2024 was the most by any driver in INDY NXT since current NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Kyle Kirkwood won a series record-tying 10 races en route to the title in 2021, the last championship for Andretti Global.

“It’s amazing,” second-year INDY NXT driver Foster said. “I’m just speechless. I’ve got to thank the team. They’ve been behind me the last two years. Massive thanks to everyone on the 26 crew, my sponsors. It’s been a crazy two years, and I’m super happy to cap it with a win.”

Foster started from the pole and led all 90 laps in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Global, beating Jacob Abel in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine of Abel Motorsports to the finish by 4.3602 seconds. Salvador de Alba Jr. finished third in the No. 2 Grupo Indi entry of Andretti Cape INDY NXT, his second podium result of his rookie season.

Bryce Aron placed fourth in the No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield car of Andretti Global. Jamie Chadwick was fifth in the No. 28 VEXT machine as Andretti Global and its partner teams put four drivers in the top five at the checkered flag.

Foster needed to finish only sixth or better to seal the title and a financial benefits package to aid in the advancement to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, but he never looked back from the green flag. Abel, who entered this race 79 points behind in second, fell from second to sixth at the start after contact from other cars in Turn 1, effectively ending his faint title hopes.

Abel still fought back from the early trouble to pass de Alba for second place with an outside move in Turn 1 with three laps remaining. He is 93 points behind champion Foster with just the Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway remaining this season.

There was no such drama for Foster.

He held steady with a lead of about a second over teammate Chadwick for the first 35 laps of the race, including pulling away from her on the only restart, on Lap 33. Foster then expanded that margin to 1.5 seconds over de Alba with 30 laps remaining.

About the only tricky trap that Foster needed to escape was lapped traffic for the last 15 trips around the historic oval, where the series was racing for the first time since 2015. But he navigated the slower cars with ease and strutted to victory over the final 10 laps.

Caio Collet finished ninth in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports entry, but that was enough to clinch third in the standings and honors as the top-finishing rookie in the series this season.

INDY NXT by Firestone at Milwaukee Mile Race Results

WEST ALLIS, Wis – Results Saturday of the INDY NXT by Firestone at Milwaukee Mile INDY NXT by Firestone event on the 1.015-mile Milwaukee Mile, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (1) Louis Foster, 90, Running
2. (2) Jacob Abel, 90, Running
3. (6) Salvador de Alba Jr, 90, Running
4. (7) Bryce Aron, 90, Running
5. (3) Jamie Chadwick, 90, Running
6. (8) James Roe, 90, Running
7. (9) Yuven Sundaramoorthy, 90, Running
8. (5) Caio Collet, 90, Running
9. (14) Jonathan Browne, 90, Running
10. (4) Christian Brooks, 90, Running
11. (10) Callum Hedge, 89, Running
12. (12) Josh Pierson, 89, Running
13. (18) Ricardo Escotto, 89, Running
14. (11) Christian Bogle, 89, Running
15. (15) Myles Rowe, 88, Running
16. (13) Jack William Miller, 14, Mechanical
17. (16) Reece Gold, 0, Did not start
18. (17) Taylor Ferns, 0 Did not start

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 133.375 mph
Time of Race: 00:41:05.6760
Margin of victory: 4.3602 seconds
Cautions: 1 for 3 laps
Lead changes: 0
Lap Leaders: Foster, Louis 1 – 90

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Friday, Aug. 30, 2024) – The NTT INDYCAR SERIES hasn’t raced at the Milwaukee Mile since 2015, but a recent trend of oval racing in the series continued Friday during the opening practice for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s.

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden led at 158.762 mph in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet on the 1.015-mile oval. Team Penske has won all four previous oval races this season, and two-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Newgarden has triumphed in 10 of the last 15 circle-track races in the series.

The practice was divided into two groups of 15 minutes each to work in the lower groove on the historic track, and then the circuit opened for all cars for 90 minutes. Newgarden said the challenge was interpreting how the Firestone Firehawk tires adapted to the lower and higher lines on the track.

“I think you definitely have your hands full midway through to the end of the (tire) stint,” Newgarden said. “I liked our car a lot. It was tricky in the beginning. We had two different tires we were working with. The low-line running had like one balance by itself, and then it completely flipped when we went to this weekend’s tire.

“There was some tuning that went on there. I felt like we got into a good spot. The PPG car was really comfy at the end. Everyone is going to make their own decisions on how they view the tire usage and the mileage. It’s been really interesting the last couple of ovals on how people have strategized it.”

Up next is NTT P1 Award qualifying for both races this weekend at 2:15 p.m. ET Saturday. The first 250-lap race follows later that afternoon at 5:40 p.m., with Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network providing exclusive live coverage of qualifying and the race. Race 2 starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday (USA Network, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon was second in practice at 158.080 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Pato O’Ward was third at 157.750 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Felix Rosenqvist ended up fourth at 157.628 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing, and Scott McLaughlin put two Team Penske cars in the top five with his best lap of 157.581 in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet.

Series leader and reigning series champion Alex Palou was ninth overall at 156.793 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. His closest pursuer, two-time series champion Will Power, was 11th at 156.539 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.

Palou leads Power by 54 points – a gap of exactly one race’s worth of points – with three races remaining this season as the Spaniard seeks to earn his third title in the last four seasons and become the first repeat champion since Dario Franchitti pulled off the feat for the Ganassi team in 2010-11. Franchitti also won the title in 2009, pulling off a three-peat by 2011.

Colton Herta, third in points and 67 behind Palou, was 10th at 156.647 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian, as the top three drivers in the standings were sandwiched together from ninth through 11th on the speed chart.

The long session was incident-free until eight minutes remained, when rookie Christian Rasmussen crashed. 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Rasmussen drifted above the racing line in Turn 2, lost grip and hit the SAFER Barrier with the right side of his No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing. He was unhurt.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HY-VEE MILWAUKEE MILE 250
MILWAUKEE MILE
WEST ALLIS, WISCONSIN
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT
AUGUST 30, 2024

JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND TEAM PENSKE LED NTT INDYCAR SERIES PRACTICE AT THE MILWAUKEE MILE

• Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, led both the field and Team Chevy with his fastest lap of 158.762 mph after a 90-minute opening practice session for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 doubleheader weekend.
• Team Chevy finished with three in the top 10, including Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet (third), and Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet (fifth).
• Saturday sees qualifying for the doubleheader events at Milwaukee, followed by the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 Race 1 at 5:40 p.m. ET live on Peacock. Sunday’s Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 Race 2 airs on USA Network with the green flag dropping at 2:30 p.m. ET. Additional coverage of the twin 250-lap, 253.75-mile races broadcast via Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 218.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT:
Pos. Driver
1st Josef Newgarden (158.762 mph)
3rd Pato O’Ward (157.750 mph)
5th Scott McLaughlin (157.581 mph)

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It is a pretty quick turnaround going into qualifying and the first race of the weekend tomorrow. But, I’m feeling quite content with what we’re heading into qualifying with. I would say there is a bit more of a question mark for the race, but this will be new for a lot of people so we’ll just have to see what it has in store for us.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It was a solid Practice 1. We started out with an issue at the beginning, which we worked through. I’m proud of the way the team handled it, and we ended up closer toward where we want to be. I think we will have a strong qualifying car. I think we’re where we need to be, it just took a little while to get there as we worked through things and I learned the track. We’ll look forward to qualifying and look to put the No. 6 Big Machine Music City GP Arrow McLaren Chevrolet up at the front.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“There was a lot to do in 90 minutes, but I think we have a pretty decent direction. It will be important to qualify well tomorrow, and then we’ll have to group up again and determine our best path forward for the race.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal, Arrow McLaren:

“We’re battling near the front against a couple of teams that have had some extra testing miles around here. With a limited practice window, we tried to make every run count today. I’m pleased to see Pato (O’Ward) up there in the mix, and I think Alexander (Rossi) and Nolan (Siegel) are not far off either, and can learn from him, too. We’re going to try to put our best foot forward in a very important qualifying session and go from there.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet – Practice Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up practice, we are joined by Josef Newgarden.

Josef, P1 in the practice session. What does that mean for the rest of the weekend?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s always tough these days. It’s a full grid, right? What do we have, 27 cars? A lot of people on track.

I’m sure there’s individuals that didn’t get a super clear lap, and there’s probably more to be seen from everybody. You just account for that. I think we’ve accounted for that at other ovals. You’ll see the same thing here.

It’s encouraging. Think our car was really good. I was happy. Took some tuning. The tire was very different on the low line tire that we ran, then we went to the current tire and it took a lot of work to get it where it needed to be.

When we got through the first 30 minutes, I was super happy with the car. The team did a great job feeling comfy and comfortable. Yeah, I think Team Chevy did a good job, too, at least from what I’ve seen preliminarily.

Two opportunities for us to have a nice result to end the year.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Does it feel different, similar? Any of the old feel come become or does it feel like a completely new track?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: From previous years?

Q. Yes.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It feels similar. It’s different compared to 2015 when we left. We had a huge aero kit, big downforce. You were pretty much just flat. Very different from 2015.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Exactly. We’re way heavier. From that standpoint, it’s completely different.

But I think it’s still Milwaukee. Like, sort of the general traits of this track are very much there underneath the surface. It’s just a different car. A lot less downforce. It’s heavier, requires a different setup, different finesse. You got to look after things differently than you did 10 years ago.

It’s the same Milwaukee. There’s a preferred line. There’s kind of an alternate line that’s not great but usable. Yeah, it’s a very interesting track. I think if we get some dropoff, there’s going to be good racing, which I think everybody wants to see.

Q. What should we expect in race one tomorrow?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, he’s right. You don’t know with these sessions. Sometimes you sort of get an inkling on what you think is going to happen, then things just kind of shift as you get through the race.

I think Gateway was a very surprising result. I was super surprised the way it raced. So I don’t know. I mean, until we get through the first one, it’s really tough to predict.

I know you want an answer, you think we have more of an idea. We get through the first round, we’ll know exactly how is going to race, you know what you’re getting for race two.

Right now, it’s going to be interesting to see who is strong. I think you’ll have big separation is one thing that I will say. I think you’ll have cars that are really not good, like really not good, and you’ll have some cars that are really good, so…

That’s one thing I’d predict.

Q. Josef, Will was telling us earlier today you told him at Portland that you’d be willing to swap positions with him for points if it came down to the end?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Look, what I told him, I said it’s too early now. If it comes down to the finale, I’ve had great support from him in the past. Thinking about my first championship, 2017, he shadowed me the whole race. When it comes down to the very end and we’re still in position…

You got to be really careful, though. This is not me being cagey, it’s just the truth. If you start trying to orchestrate too much, you put yourself into a mess. I’m not going to do that. I don’t think as a team we’re going to try to do that.

Logically, you come down to the finale, we’re in Nashville, we have a car that can seal the championship, I’m not in it, I’m going to have his back all the way, 100%. But we’re not in Nashville yet. There’s a long way to go. If we try and get too clever about the way we run our team, I think you put yourself in a bad situation.

We need to go out and do the job we always do. We’re going to race each other hard, but we need to take care of each other, right? I don’t want to be crashing my teammates.

When it comes down to the very end, hopefully we’re in a position to seal the championship, we all want to see that happen, especially me. I’ll make sure that we get the job done then.

Q. As strong as Penske has been on the short ovals, is there more emphasis for all three of you to help Will knowing you can put gap on Palou? If he wins, that helps him a little bit more?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, kind of the same answer. It applies to that question, too. Me running in a normal condition is helping Will. If he’s off a little bit, I’m good today, he’s going to know exactly why I was good today. There’s nothing hidden there.

We’ll go back and have a conversation like we always do. If there’s something that he’s benefitting from this, then he will. We got to run our normal program, try to win these races. Obviously our team wants to be in a position to win the championship.

It’s not easy, though. Yeah, Palou could have an issue on one race, it closes right up, or he could just have two great races, like he normally does.

I don’t think anything’s a slam-dunk or simple. Just got to run our races and try to do a great job. Hopefully we’re in position by the time we get to Nashville to close the deal.

Q. Josef, how do you like the Josef Newgarden restart zone?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Didn’t change. They’re just painting it. There’s no difference. If you read the fine print, there’s no rule change.

I love it when it was brought up. That’s a great point. Just to make it non-subjective. We get a gray-out zone, it’s a little subjective of where it starts and where it finishes, right? It’s a pretty big zone. You put a line, there’s no subjectiveness. That’s great.

I don’t think the restart procedure needs to change. They’ve made some good changes this year, which were provoked by last year, the jumpiness that we’ve had this. We’ve had this for 24 months, this jumpiness on restarts.

This probably should have been done in the beginning. I just think it’s a clarification more than anything, which is good for everybody.

Q. One of the things that was discussed (in the media bullpen) is NASCAR got a race in Mexico City ahead of INDYCAR. Pato is extremely disappointed in that. That spawned a conversation about where some places that INDYCAR could race. This guy would probably say Down Under. Where would you want to go race if you had a wide-open map?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, you don’t want to ask me. My dream tracks would be in, like, Japan. I’d be going to Japan. I love the country. I was sad I missed that era when they were running there. That would be on my list.

Going to Spa, old school tracks like that. Brands Hatch GP. The list would go on and on. There’s a lot of legendary tracks.

I think there’s some great stuff in the pipeline. I honestly do. We have a lot of momentum. I’m excited about FOX coming onboard next year. NBC has done a great job for us, but we’re going to be turning the page and having a new chapter next year. I think we should all be excited about that. There’s more stuff to piggyback on with that deal.

I’m excited about 2025. We need to finish this year off right, but I think we got great momentum that can happen next year.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’ve always wanted to race there. That’s where I watched some of my very first INDYCAR races, Nashville Superspeedway.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Nashville Superspeedway? Yeah, I do. I’ll respect their name. Not scared to do it.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. 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.

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Friday, Aug. 30, 2024) – Louis Foster sent a clear message to the rest of the INDY NXT by Firestone field during practice Friday at the Milwaukee Mile: He wants the season championship now.

Championship leader Foster dominated with a best lap of 148.410 in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry of Andretti Global early in the 45-minute session on the 1.015-mile oval. Foster only needs to finish fifth or better to secure the title in the penultimate race of the season and the first race at this historic track since 2015 for the INDYCAR development series.

“I think it’s good to be back here,” Foster said. “Now, we’ll go to work on the car for qualifying and also the race car. It’s going to be a tricky car to set up, so we’re going to work on that tonight and try figure it out.

“Obviously, it’s a good way to start the weekend. I’m happy with the car; we just need to fine-tune it here.”

Qualifying is next at 1 p.m. ET Saturday (INDYCAR LIVE, INDYCAR Radio Network), followed by the 90-lap INDY NXT by Firestone at the Milwaukee Mile race at 3:50 p.m. Saturday (Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Rookie Callum Hedge was second fastest in practice at 147.348 – more than 1 mph behind Foster – in the No. 17 HMD Motorsports car. Jacob Abel, who won last Sunday at Portland International Raceway to keep his faint title hopes alive, was third at 147.252 in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine of Abel Motorsports. Abel is the only driver mathematically eligible to challenge Foster for the title, 79 points behind the leader.

Another rookie, Salvador de Alba Jr., was fourth at 147.093 in the No. 2 Grupo Indi car fielded by Andretti Cape INDY NXT. De Alba scored his only podium finish of 2024 at the season’s first oval by placing third July 13 at Iowa Speedway.

Jamie Chadwick rounded out the top five at 147.067 in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global.

Two yellow flags for contact interrupted practice.

Rookie Taylor Ferns did a quarter-spin exiting Turn 2 in the No. 55 Abel Motorsports car and backed into the SAFER Barrier eight minutes into the session. Nine minutes later, Reece Gold also clipped the wall in Turn 2 with the right side of his No. 10 HMD Motorsports car. Ferns and Gold were unhurt.

Austin, Texas (Friday, August 29, 2024) – Forte Racing is proud to announce their new multi-year partnership with BLogic Systems, a payment technology solutions company based in Northern California. BLogic Systems became the exclusive payment technology partner for the Southern California based Forte Racing team and is supporting their IMSA GTD and Lamborghini Super Trofeo programs.

BLogic Systems’ innovative payment technology allows Forte Racing to use multiple payment options to optimize all of their revenue streams on a single platform. The company’s goal is to provide an innovative, user-friendly point-of-sale (POS) solution to businesses of all sizes with top-notch customer service.

Erick Tu, President of BLogic Systems, is excited to enter the motorsport arena as a partner of Forte Racing. He looks forward to bringing the company that was built on a foundation of listening to the needs of every individual business owner to the world of sports car racing and the businesses that support those race teams.

“We are thrilled to partner with Forte Racing to bring people-first, customized payment technology solutions to the fast-paced world of motorsports,” Tu said. “BLogic Systems is dedicated to ensuring seamless transactions with unmatched flexibility, reliability, and efficiency at the track and beyond.”

Forte Racing Team Principal Shane Seneviratne is delighted to be the racing partner for a tech company that is unique in their capability to offer flexible and customized payment solutions based on the individual customer’s needs. Unlike other processors, BLogic takes a tailored approach to helping merchants save as much as possible.

“I’m extremely excited to have BLogic as our team’s payment solutions partner,” Seneviratne said. “The fact that they were able to tailor their product to our specific needs was a big incentive for our team to enter into the partnership. Erick (Tu) and his team have been exceptionally easy to work with and we’re looking forward to continuing our partnership for years to come.”

Click here for more information on how BLogic Systems can help your business and be sure to follow the team at Forte Racing.

About Forte Racing (Formerly known as US RaceTronics)

Forte Racing is a Los-Angeles based Motorsport team supported by Lamborghini Squadra Corse and competing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series.

Founded in 2023 and operated by US RaceTronics, the Italian-American team’s GT Daytona title contender is a Lamborghini Huracan EVO2 GT3 driven by Pro driver Loris Spinelli and Misha Goikhberg. The ream finished the 2023 season with four top-five finishes in the last five races of the season and included a 2nd-place finish at Indianapolis and a win at the season-finale Petit LeMans. The team finished an impressive rookie season fifth in the IMSA WeatherTech GTD Championship.

The team line-up for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech GTD Championship includes the team’s 2023 Petit LeMans winning driver Goikhberg and Spinelli along with NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Devlin DeFrancesco for the five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races.

US RaceTronics (USRT) was founded by Shane Seneviratne in 2005 to compete in the Atlantic Championship, a formula race car series. The team finished 5th in points its first year and continued its success during the succeeding years, ultimately amassing a total of 21 podiums, 7 poles, 5 race wins and finishing 3rd in the 2009 Atlantic Championship. USRT was put on hold after series officials announced the Atlantic Series was put on hiatus.

Seneviratne fully returned to racing in 2015 after receiving an invitation to manage the O’Gara Motorsport entries in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North American (LBSTNA) Series. The team won the Team Championship, Dealership Championship, Pro Championship and Amateur Championship that season.

The success of 2015 reignited Seneviratne’s passion for racing and he relaunched US RaceTronics to compete in the 2016 LBSTNA Series. The team has won multiple North American and World Championships and expects to add to their success as they enter their eighth season in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North American Series. The team also competed in 2023 with one car each in the IMSA WeatherTech GTD Championship and the IMSA VP Challenge and will be expanding their entries in 2024.

For more information on how to become a driver with US RaceTronics, learn more about the Series, or attend a race, visit www.usracetronics.com.

About O’Gara Motorsport

O’Gara Motorsport was founded in 2014 by owner Tom O’Gara and celebrated winning the 2015 North American Lamborghini Super Trofeo driver and team Championships. The team goal is to achieve victories in the Series as well as showcasing the brands of their sponsors both on and off the track. With a vertically integrated platform that starts at the dealership and accelerates to the top levels of professional sports car racing, everyone at O’Gara is dedicated to providing a comprehensive program for anyone, from the casually curious to the dedicated racer.

About Change Racing

Founded by Lamborghini Charlotte CEO and long time real estate developer, John E. Littlefield, Change Racing is the premier championship winning team. Claiming 18 titles in various classes; Change Racing has competed in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series since its inception in 2013.

Most recently claiming the 2021 Amateur World Championship in Misano, Italy. Change Racing also claimed all SIX 2020 North American Championships, including the Pro, Pro-Am, Am and LB Cup class championships as well as the Team and Owner championships.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HY-VEE MILWAUKEE MILE DOUBLEHEADER
MILWAUKEE MILE
WEST ALLIS, WISCONSIN
TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE
AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

CHEVROLET RETURNS TO THE MILWAUKEE MILE WITH MOMENTUM
Will Power Coming Off of Win in Portland and Looking to Continue His Championship Charge

• Racing to victory in Portland as well as World Wide Technology Raceway, Chevrolet returns to the Milwaukee Mile with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES seeking a third-in-a-row victory, and 10th of the year, as the season sees three races remaining to the championship.
• Will Power and the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet team are looking to capitalize on Power’s previous Milwaukee success, as well as his most recent win in Portland, to continue the charge for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship.
• Returning to the Milwaukee Mile for the first time since 2015, Team Chevy looks to add on to the four wins in four races during the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012, as well as three NTT P1 pole awards, and 11 podium finishes.
• Chevrolet swept the podium in three of the four races in the V6 era, including in 2012, 2013, and 2014, while claiming the top two steps on the podium in 2015. In 2012, the Bowtie brand claimed the top six finishing positions, in 2013 the top five, and in 2014 the top four.
• Additionally, Chevrolet has led 796 of 975 laps led from 2012 to 2015, accounting for leading 81.6% of laps at the historical one-mile oval.
• Chevrolet looks to score a sixth victory at in five events at Milwaukee in the new V6 with hybrid technology era after winning the debut in Mid-Ohio, sweeping the Iowa doubleheader, World Wide Technology Raceway, and Portland.
• Team Chevy has nine victories, including the prestigious 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500, six earned NTT P1 Pole Awards, 11 podium finishes, and 992 laps led in 2024 with three races remaining.
• Overall, Chevrolet has captured 120 race wins since 2012 in the V6 era, in addition to 135 earned NTT P1 pole awards, and 319 podium finishes.

DETROIT (August 29, 2024) – As the NTT INDYCAR SERIES marches on towards the championship round in Nashville, three races remain for Team Chevy including the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile doubleheader this weekend. Heading into the event, Chevrolet carries both victorious momentum as well as a winning history at the historical one-mile oval located at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis.

Returning to the Milwaukee Mile for the first time since 2015, Chevrolet holds four victories in the four events held in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012, in addition to capturing the earned NTT P1 Pole Award three times (2013, 2014, 2015). Of those four events, Team Chevy additionally swept the podium in 2012, 2013, and 2014, while claiming the top two steps in 2015. In 2012, Team Chevy finished first through sixth, with claiming the top five finishing positions in 2013 and top four in 2014.

“Returning to the Milwaukee Mile this weekend will be exciting,” said Chevrolet INDYCAR Program Manager Rob Buckner. “With three races remaining in the championship, including two this weekend, and the ever-tight, competitive racing, it’s sure to be a show. The track races more like a road course despite it being a short track oval, and with winning history and momentum, we’re looking forward to potentially sweeping another doubleheader weekend like Iowa.”

So far in 2024, the Bowtie brand has raced to nine victories, including the prestigious 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Starting on pole six times this year, Chevrolet additionally holds 11 podium finishes and 992 laps led.

The Milwaukee Mile this weekend presents a special milestone for two Team Penske drivers, including Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet and most recent winner on the circuit, making his 300th career start in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Saturday, his 214th for Team Chevy. Power’s teammate Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, will make his 200th consecutive start.

Since the beginning of the V6 era in 2012, Chevrolet has raced to victory 120 times as well as captured 135 earned pole awards in 213 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races. In the new hybrid era introduced to competition at Mid-Ohio this season, Team Chevy has captured five wins in six races and looks to continue that momentum with three races left in 2024.

The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile doubleheader race weekend kicks off with practice on Friday, Aug. 30 at 3:35 p.m. ET. Saturday sees qualifying at 2:15 p.m. ET, followed by the 250-lap, 250-mile Race 1 at 6 p.m. ET on Peacock. The second of two 250 lap events, Race 2, takes the green flag at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday on USA Network. All practice and qualifying sessions broadcast with Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 218.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Winning the pole was a massive morale boost, not just for myself, but for the entire team. Just showed how hard we’ve been working; how competitive we are and now the next step is to start collecting some trophies from the races.

The approach for this weekend, since I’ve never raced here before, will be to have a consistent car. I think we learned a lot from the test, and obviously we want to win on one of these ovals, and I think we’ll have a great shot here at Milwaukee.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Milwaukee is a very unique track. It’s flat and short and very low grip. So my approach this weekend is just going to be push the limits as much as possible early and get used to driving different lines with the car. It’s going to be hard to race there with the lanes being kind of single file. I think we’ll have a fairly good race car based on our oval experience so far this year. That doesn’t mean anything in INDYCAR racing because the field is tight. Really looking forward to finishing out strong and hopefully getting a couple more top tens. Our test there went okay, and with the application of what we learned, we should be good.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“This will be my first time racing at the Milwaukee Mile, so this will be a new challenge this weekend. Every day we’ll be learning something new, but I’m looking forward to seeing what this weekend has in store for us.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“I’m excited to get back to some short-oval racing in Milwaukee. The ovals have been really strong for us so far and I’m confident that we’ll be competitive. I’m hoping to get back to the form we were in at Gateway and fight for a podium this weekend.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“Doubleheader weekends are always exciting, and this has been a long-anticipated one with the return of the Milwaukee Mile. We need a perfect three races to finish the season and that starts this weekend.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:

“We’re hopping back to the Milwaukee Mile with exciting low-banked short-oval racing on tap for the first time in over a decade. We’ve been pouring over the data and brewing up some setup tweaks since we tested here in June and, as always, we’ll be aiming to leave the other cars in our draught come Saturday and Sunday in the Brew City.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

On finishing the season on the Milwaukee and Nashville ovals…

“First and foremost, I am incredibly thankful to Ed (Carpenter) for providing me this opportunity. I am excited to drive the No. 20 in the remaining three races and I am fully committed to giving the team my absolute best. While I haven’t raced at Milwaukee or Nashville before, my past performances on ovals have been strong and I’m eager to add these tracks to the list!”

Ed Carpenter, Team Owner of Ed Carpenter Racing, on Christian Rasmussen finishing the season on the Milwaukee and Nashville ovals…

“First off, this was a very difficult decision for me to make. I want to make it clear that this is not a retirement announcement. However, the reality is, I have not performed to the level that I expect of myself for the team. Christian (Rasmussen) tested at (World Wide Technology Raceway) prior to the race, and he showed me that he deserves this expanded opportunity. He also had such a strong performance during the Month of May and has earned the chance to continue his development. I am excited to watch him finish the season out strong for the No. 20 crew and the entire ECR team.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“I am very excited for Milwaukee this weekend and the continuation of the oval season! It should be a good weekend. Chevy has won every oval race this season so we’re happy to have Chevy power taking us to the front! We are hoping to continue our Top 11 streak, aiming to get a Top 5 and move closer to the Top 10 in the championship. It will be busy with the doubleheader, but I am looking forward to it!”

Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“Excited to discover Milwaukee. Made some good progress at World Wide Technology Raceway on short ovals and looking to take those learnings to Milwaukee for the double-header weekend.”

Chevrolet at Milwaukee (V6 era since 2012, pre-hybrid):

Wins at Milwaukee: 4

2012: Ryan Hunter-Reay

2013: Ryan Hunter-Reay

2014: Will Power, from pole position

2015: Sebastian Bourdais

Earned Pole Awards at Milwaukee: 3

2013: Marco Andretti

2014: Will Power

2015: Josef Newgarden

Number of Team Chevy Podiums at Milwaukee (V6 era since 2018, pre-hybrid): 11

2012: Chevrolet swept the top six positions.
2013: Chevrolet swept the top five positions.
2014: Chevrolet swept the top four positions.
2015: Chevrolet claimed the top two steps on the podium.

Number of laps led by Team Chevy at Milwaukee (V6 era since 2018, pre-hybrid): 796 of 975 from 2012-2015 for 81.6%

2024 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:

6: NTT INDYCAR SERIES race as V6 engine supplier with hybrid technology integration.

5: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as V6 engine supplier with hybrid technology integration since mid-2024.

213: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.

120: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.

135: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 138 pole awards in total, with five recorded based on points for weather.

3: Earned pole in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as V6 engine supplier with hybrid technology integration.

8: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.

7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.

13: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

6: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era.

34: Number of times Chevrolet has swept the podium in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. In total, a manufacturer has swept the podium 54 times since 2012.

29: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.

9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.

46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.

*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. 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.

The battery industry powerhouses plan to support Wisconsin driver at ‘hometown” INDY NXT event in Milwaukee

GLENDALE, WI (Aug. 28, 2024) – Clarios, the world’s largest supplier of low-voltage batteries and solutions, as well as the company behind OPTIMA Batteries, has announced an exciting new collaboration with INDY NXT driver Yuven Sundaramoorthy. With the next round of the INDY NXT series near Clarios’ and OPTIMA Batteries’ headquarters, the team looks to debut a new look for hometown hero Sundaramoorthy’s car on the starting grid at the Hy-Vee Milwaukee 100 race on August 31.

Clarios and OPTIMA Batteries are slated to support INDY NXT rising star Yuven Sundaramoorthy.

INDY NXT, formerly known as Indy Lites, is an explosively popular open-wheel racing series that feeds directly into INDYCAR, the premier open-wheel racing series in the United States. Featuring a lineup of 16 or more cars, INDY NXT is part of the Road to Indy developmental program. It is the final step for drivers before joining the elite ranks of INDYCAR, with 14 races on America’s most challenging raceways.

Yuven Sundaramoorthy rose rapidly through the ranks of USF Pro 2000, USF2000, F1600 and karting to become the first Indian-American driver to win an INDYCAR-sanctioned event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2021 and again in 2022 as part of the USF2000 Championship. In 2024, Sundaramoorthy continues his INDY NXT push as a full-time driver for Abel Motorsports, now with support from Clarios and Optima Batteries. Most recently, he claimed his first-ever podium finish in INDY NXT at Worldwide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 18.

The Abel Motorsporrts car driven by Sundaramoorthy will feature a new Clarios-Optima livery for the upcoming round of Indy NXT in Milwaukee.

The upcoming Hy-Vee Milwaukee 100 race on August 31 will showcase the debut of the Clarios-Optima Batteries-backed Abel Motorsports car driven by Sundaramoorthy.

“The heart of OPTIMA Batteries is with motorsports and enthusiasts,” said Marketing Director of OPTIMA Batteries Cameron Douglass. “We are constantly looking for new ways to align with drivers and race teams to help take our products to the next level.”

Fans can see the Clarios-Optima INDY NXT race car in person at the Milwaukee 100 in West Allis, Wisconsin, or live exclusively on Peacock starting at 2:50 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 31. In addition to roaring around the racetrack, the CLARIOS-OPTIMA INDY NXT car will also be at a variety of events.

For more information on how to see Sundaramoorthy and the CLARIOS-OPTIMA Batteries INDY NXT car in action, click here.

About Clarios
Clarios is the global leader in advanced, low-voltage battery technologies for mobility. Our batteries and smart solutions power nearly every type of vehicle and are found in 1 of 3 cars on the road today. With around 18,000 employees in over 100 countries, we bring deep expertise to our Aftermarket and OEM partners, and reliability, safety and comfort to everyday lives. We answer to the planet with a rigorous sustainability focus – advancing best-in-class sustainability practices and advocating for them across our industry. We work to ensure 100% of our products sold are recyclable, and we recycle 8,000 batteries an hour in our network. Clarios is a Brookfield portfolio company.

About OPTIMA® Batteries
OPTIMA high-performance automotive, marine and heavy-duty AGM batteries are manufactured by Clarios, LLC, the world’s largest manufacturer of automotive batteries. OPTIMA REDTOP®, YELLOWTOP® and BLUETOP® batteries feature state-of-the-art SPIRALCELL TECHNOLOGY®. This patented design allows OPTIMA batteries to deliver superior performance in both starting and deep cycling applications. The OPTIMA product family also includes a line of Digital Chargers, with advanced multi-stage charging to charge and maintain a variety of vehicle batteries, maximizing battery life and performance. The newest additions to the OPTIMA YELLOWTOP line are now offered in DIN group sizes H6 and H7. This offering allows a variety of modern vehicles, ranging from late-model domestic performance to European models, to experience the power and performance of OPTIMA Batteries. To learn more or to purchase OPTIMA products, please visit www.optimabatteries.com, call 1-888-8OPTIMA (1-888-867-8462) or find @OPTIMABatteries on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

PORTLAND, Ore. (Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024) – Will Power and Team Penske made their point Sunday by winning the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland: The race for the Astor Challenge Cup is far from over.

Power earned his series-leading third victory of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet and gained ground on championship leader Alex Palou with three races remaining. He drove to a 9.8267-second victory over the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of Palou on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course at Portland International Raceway.

Two-time series champion Power, who started second, earned the 44th win of his Hall of Fame career on the heels of disappointing consecutive finishes of 12th in July at Toronto and 18th last weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway.

“Very rewarding,” Power said. “I came here determined, so did the whole team. We wanted to get qualifying right and then execute in the race. It’s not a last-ditch effort, but really if Palou finished ahead of us today, it was going to be very difficult.

“We’re going to keep fighting ahead here. A couple of bad races before this, but let’s see if we can get a championship.”

Josef Newgarden completed the podium by finishing third in the No. 2 TireRack.com Team Penske Chevrolet, with Colton Herta fourth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Marcus Armstrong rounded out the top five in the No. 11 American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Two-time and defending series champion Palou leads Power by 54 points – the maximum number a driver can earn in one race. Herta slipped from second to third, 67 points behind Palou, after finishing fourth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian.

The three remaining races are all on ovals – the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at the Milwaukee Mile and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway. The INDYCAR SERIES hasn’t raced at the Milwaukee Mile since 2015 or Nashville Superspeedway since 2008.

Power has 10 career victories on ovals, including in 2014 at Milwaukee and last month at Iowa Speedway; Palou has none among his 11 career wins.

“We’ve been very, very good on ovals – very solid,” Power said. “Obviously, they’re two ovals that we haven’t raced at in a long time, so it’s anyone’s game. I hope we get it right. We’ll do our best and take the fight to Alex.”

Power wasted no time taking the fight to Palou at the drop of the green flag. He passed NTT P1 Award winner Santino Ferrucci entering Turn 1 on the first lap and was out front and in control for the rest of the 110-lap race except for pit stops. Power led a race-high 101 laps.

Palou passed Ferrucci for second on Lap 8 and, like Power, stayed in that spot for most of the remainder of the race except for pit stops. Ferrucci, who earned AJ Foyt Racing’s emotional first pole since 2014, finished eighth in the No. 14 Phoenix Investors Chevrolet.

Two-time and defending series champion Palou’s best chance to pass Power came on Lap 26 when Pietro Fittipaldi exited the pits in the No. 30 Localiza Rent a Car Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing directly in front of Power after serving a drive-through penalty. That slowed Power and allowed Palou to pull right up to Power’s gearbox in Turn 7, but Power parried the move and kept the lead.

Quick work by the Team Penske pit crew on Power’s first stop all but sealed the win, especially since there were no caution periods after a first-lap fracas involving Kyle Kirkwood, Scott Dixon and Fittipaldi. Power’s first stop, at the end of Lap 32, lasted 6.9 seconds. Palou made his first stop one lap later, but it took 9.2 seconds.

From there, Palou slipped back as varying tire strategies unfolded over the final two pit stops. Power started on the Firestone Firehawk primary tires and was able to use the quicker Firestone alternate red-sidewall tires in all three pit stops. Palou aggressively used a set of alternate tires in NTT P1 Award qualifying Saturday and was forced to the less-grippy primary tires for his final stint, ensuring Power’s cruise to victory.

“Maybe we were a bit wrong with the strategy there,” Palou said. “Went too aggressive in qualifying yesterday and really didn’t have any good used alternates. It was tough work there on primaries having to catch Will, but the 12 deserved it today. They were very, very fast. Happy with the P2 today.”

The top eight drivers in the standings are still mathematically eligible to win the Astor Challenge Cup as season champion, but it’s looking more and more like a three-driver race for the title between Palou, Power and Herta.

The drive for a seventh title by Dixon probably was derailed when he crashed the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda into the guardrail on Lap 1 after contact from Fittipaldi. Dixon was forced into the dirt earlier in the lap amid tight traffic by the No. 27 AutoNation Honda of Andretti Global’s Kirkwood, and Dixon was hip-checked by Fittipaldi’s car shortly after returning to the racing surface.

Dixon finished last in the 28-car field – his lowest finish since being taken out in a crash and placing 32nd in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. He is fifth in points, 101 behind Palou.

The first race of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader is at 6 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 31, with live coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. The second race is at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 1, with USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network providing live coverage.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
BITNILE.COM GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND
PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
PORTLAND, OREGON
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP
WITH QUOTES AND TRANSCRIPTS

AUGUST 25, 2024

WILL POWER TAKES CHEVY BACK TO VICTORY LANE AT PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
JOSEF NEWGARDEN FINISHED THIRD TO GIVE CHEVROLET TWO ON PODIUM FOR BITNILE.COM GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND

• Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet, scored his third win of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series season with today’s win at Portland International Raceway (PIR)-his second on the 1.964-mile/12-turn road course
• Power led 101 of the 110 laps; it is his sixth podium of the season and the 104th of his career
• This victory is the 44th of Power’s career and the first time since 2018 the two-time Series’ champion and Indianapolis 500 winner has scored three-plus victories in a season
• Two of his 2024 victories have been since INDYCAR introduced hybrid technology to the Series schedule at the Mid-Ohio race (Iowa Race 2 and today)
• Power leaves Portland second in the point standings, 54 points down to leader Alex Palou
• Josef Newgarden, No. 2 TireRack.com Team Penske Chevrolet, finished third to give Chevrolet two spots on podium
• Pole winner Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Phoenix Investors AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, kept his string of top-10 finishes alive with an eighth place finish today
• Team Chevy drivers scored four of the top-eight finishers today with Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Freightliner Team Penske Chevrolet, racing his way from the 20th starting position that was the result of six-place grid penalty
• Today’s win is the third for Chevrolet at PIR, the ninth win of the 14 races run to-date in 2024-four including the Indianapolis 500 with the tried and true 2.2 liter V6 configuration and five since the INDYCAR hybrid technology integration, and 120 victories since the Bowtie Brand returned to INDYCAR competition in 2012
• With three races remaining in the season, Chevrolet leads the Series’ Manufacturers Championship standings 1,236 to 1,110 points
• The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile Doubleheader weekend August 30,31-September 1 is next on the calendar for Team Chevy in the NTT INDYCAR Series

TEAM CHEVY TOP-8 RACE RESULTS:
Pos. Driver
1st Will Power
3rd Josef Newgarden
7th Scott McLaughlin
8th Santino Ferrucci

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)

ROBERT BUCKNER, CHEVROLET ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES:

“Congratulations to Will Power and the No. 12 Chevrolet team on their dominate win at Portland International Raceway. With just three races to go in the season, Will made a strong statement today that he is going to fight for this championship. I am very proud of the effort that has been put forth by our Chevrolet engineering group working with our teams to stay in this fight. After facing some unknowns with the mid-season introduction of the hybrid technology scoring our ninth victory today is a perfect example of the effort put forth to finish strong. “

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON BUSINESS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, WINNER:

On today’s race…“Just working hard. I’m enjoying the craft. Feel very lucky to be in this series and with this team. Days like this are hard to do. So many good drivers, so many good teams. To execute like that feels very good.”

Talk about that dominance and your crew doing such a fantastic job…

“They picked the strategy really well. I just did my job and got them fuel numbers. Kept my eye on (Alex) Palou behind me. I could see the gap opening on Palou’s but I knew we had a better car. It was just a matter of getting through that traffic. That last stint, we were on new tires. We were very strong.”

Heading back to the Milwaukee Mile next week, you’ve won there and did very good in the test as well. This could be a strong finish for you in the remaining three events…

“It could be very strong. I’ve been very strong on all the ovals this year. Won at Iowa, could’ve won last week. It was close but looking forward to it.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 TIRERACK.COM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 3RD:

“Good day for us, Team Penske. Obviously, a great team win for Will (Power). We could use that after the last weekend we had. It’s really great. He’s our highest car, so we need to make sure we finish this thing off right. I think the No. 2 car was great today. Finishing third is a great result. You always want more. I want to win every race we’re in. It’s stinks to not win it, but it was a good result for our team. Having TireRack.com on this weekend was great. They’ve been a great partner of ours especially with acquisition from Discount Tire. So, it’s fun to have them on the INDYCAR program. Team Chevy doing a great job today with two on the podium.

“It was pretty good. I think second was probably our potential. I think Will (Power) had everybody covered today. Hard to say that we were going to challenge him. Maybe if we started first and we could make something happen there, but I think top-three, second place, that’s where we were at today, so it was a really good result for the No. 2 car. TireRack.com, it was their first race sponsoring the No. 2 car. You always want a victory when someone new is on board. It was a good day. I’m happy Will got the win. He has been fast all weekend, and obviously, he’s still gunning for this championship. Definitely a car we want to finish up front, so this is a great day for us. I always want more, and I don’t like finishing third, but a good day for Team Penske.”

There’s a lot of question marks and a lot of unknowns on what would be the preferred tire for today. Did it change throughout the race as what you thought may be the preferred tire?

“Not for us. I was kind of waffling on it after the first stint thinking okay, is it going to be the red? Is it going to be the primary? But I wasn’t sure at that point. But going into it, I felt like the red was a little stronger for us and that ended up being the case. So, I think that was probably the preferred tire for our car and we managed with what we could. Lap traffic was hard today. We just couldn’t make much happen in that middle stint and that’s probably what slowed our progress in getting to the No. 10. Good, clean day. It could’ve went about as we expected. Just a touch short.”

Championship aside, we head to two ovals to finish out the year. As the oval king, are you looking forward to getting to go to a couple of ovals?

“I’ll be honest, I was more excited about here. I really was. I wanted us to get a win here on the road course and we had a good showing. I think we had the potential, but I like everywhere. It’s not just ovals that get me excited. It’s places like this. The biggest thing is we’re coming to the final stretch, right? Three races to go for us and I think we need to have a solid finish. We’re still in the championship fight with our team. We’ve got two good things to cheer for coming to the end of the season, and to wrap things up on a good note.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 FREIGHTLINER TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 7TH:

On today’s race-a charge from 20th to 7th

“I’m buggered. I’m tired. It was a hard charge but our Freightliner Chevy was good and the Thirsty Three’s were rapid on the pit stops. Really proud of the crew. I said to my wife who’s watching at home, hello Karly. I said top-seven today would be like a podium. I’m proud of that one and can’t wait to get home and then head to the final three races where on ovals we’ve proven we’ve been pretty good this year. We’ll see how we go.”

You were really confident earlier in the weekend, and when you have a car like that you know you can get to the front. How does that impact how aggressive you are throughout the race?

“You just have to trust once you get clearer, you can hit the lap time. You can’t make mistakes either, so it’s a credit to my crew that they kept me level headed throughout the whole race. There were a couple of times you get heated as you do, but overall, just disappointed with yesterday. That one is on me. Can’t do that on a championship run, but hey, we’re still in it until we’re mathematically out of it. I don’t care, I’m still in it. So, press on.”

SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 14 PHOENIX INVESTORS AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH:

“The weekend was incredible, to start on pole with Will (Power). Obviously, he got me on the inside of turn one. I braked a little early. First time for everything, but we’ll learn. The team did a phenomenal job, we just didn’t quite have the pace we that we thought we would today. Obviously, with the heat coming up, we were just all over the track and it was super greasy. It’s unfortunate but I mean, I had fun. It’s a long race to go green for as long as it was. We had great stops. Our pit crew did phenomenal. I can’t thank Sexton Properties, Phoenix investors, Chevrolet, everybody enough. To get the pole this weekend for us is a huge milestone. We get to sit in the front box for the dual at Milwaukee which will be a lot of fun. A big advantage for us. On to the ovals.”

Back to turn one at the start, how did you approach that? Was there a conversation with Will Power about how you guys would handle the start into the first turn?

“I kind of told Will (Power) where I was going to go and I try and if I got the jump, I could get in front of him, I would and I would kind of string him along, pull him down into turn one. He was going to the inside and just block, and give me into two, I just didn’t expect him to brake as early as I did. I definitely didn’t mean to either. It was really cool to talk with him, too, and get some advice on what to do. He’s such a good dude and I’m really happy for him and for the No. 12 team to win. It’s great for them and the championship. He was very helpful. A lot for me to learn there and I can’t wait to race him again a little bit more in the next few.”

Silly Season seems like it’s been going on for two and a half years in INDYCAR. It never stops. How does a weekend like this bode for your future, and talks with AJ Foyt Racing or perhaps other teams?

“Obviously, it’s huge. To qualifying on pole, it’s a drivers’ thing and we obviously got the car right, working with the engineers, it’s a team effort at the end of the day to do that. To put that lap in and everything, and to race as well as we have been all year, I think it’s our eighth top-ten. We’ve just been so consistent. I obviously want to stay here at AJ Foyt (Racing) and we’re going to work on that with Larry (Foyt) over the next couple of weeks to see it’s a possibility. To build what we have, to be coming back to the tracks again next year with the continuity of the same engineers and team, mechanics. It’s getting better all around. We’ll be starting more up front and hopefully, we can get some more poles and can translate those into wins.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 ASKROI ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 11TH:

“I had a good start and pretty good pace. The No. 21 askROI.com Chevrolet felt really good, actually a lot better than in warm up yesterday so we made some really good changes. We maximized what we had with everything we had going on. I am pretty proud of the team and of myself. Almost got another Top 10, but still pretty happy. Great job by everybody and on to the next one!”

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 12TH:

“It was a long day, and that was a lot of effort to finish 12th. But at least we finished, as it had been a few races since we did that. The team did a great job in the race with what we had, maximizing strategy and stops, so it is positive to finally get some points on the board before heading to some tracks where we should be pretty strong at next week.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15TH:

“Obviously, a very hard weekend for the whole team, including ourselves in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. There are a lot of things to look over to see where the issue is. The reality is, this is unacceptable. We’ll see where we can can improve for the coming races to close out the year better than just fighting for 15th.”

STING RAY ROBB, NO. 41 PRAY.COM AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 18TH:

“Long day here in Portland. We went forward quite a bit. A small mistake on the last stop cost us a few spots, but overall, I think it was a fairly maximized day for the pace that we had. For the conditions, I think that we had a fairly decent car. We made a call at the beginning of the race to trim compared to the cars around us. I’m not sure how I ended up. I think we gained a little, lost a little. Overall, pretty happy with the result. Got some good points out of it and we’re moving forward to two tracks that I think we’re going to do well at.”

NOLAN SIEGEL, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 21ST:

“It was a very, very long race and it felt like we didn’t really have a whole lot to get by anyone. Then, I made a few mistakes where things just compounded for a pretty disappointing race for us. We will look into it and move on, but we are definitely not satisfied with the weekend. We need to do better, and luckily, we have two more coming up.”

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 20 GUY CARE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 26TH”

“A day that could have been. The pace in the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet was pretty good and I think we could have had a Top 12 today. Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t look where they are going and I got hit. We had to come in and change the front wing and that put us a lap or two down. It was kind of over from there. Looking beyond that, it was a pretty good weekend. Super close qualifying, we were right there with everybody, then good pace in the race and making moves.”

POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

Will Power

Josef Newgarden

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joined now by the 2024 champion here at Portland, Will Power. His third win of the season, second here in Portland. Jumps back into second place in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points championship. 44th career win. Sixth podium of the season. The 104th of his career.

I know it’s much more than this, but to simplify it, it kind of all began and ended in turn one, the opportunity to pass Santino there. How huge was that?

WILL POWER: Turn one, Santino and I talked about the start, he was not going to block or anything. He braked earlier than expected, because I braked earlier. I was going to let him lead. Yeah, he’s a good teammate. Very fair. I have to thank him for helping me out there.

But yes, from there it was a pretty I guess straightforward race of playing the game with in and out laps against Palou. I think we definitely had a better car on reds. We could pull a good gap. I think black tires at the beginning, that got a bit tough.

Yeah, man, a good day. Went green for a long time. Kind of mentally drained. I don’t have that many words. But yeah, it’s good stuff.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll begin with questions.

Q. Would you be willing to go on the Masked Singer?

WILL POWER: Masked Singer? No, definitely not good enough for that. I’ll do some karaoke.

Q. This win brings you 54 points within Alex. Him finishing second, you trimming 12 points off of your gap to him, how winnable does this still feel going into the final three oval races?

WILL POWER: I would say if he had finished ahead of us, it would almost be over. It just kept it alive. Ultimately, one DNF for him, one win for me, you’re right there. Certainly within 20 points. That makes it very possible it could happen.

Yeah, I said going into this race we simply have to win. We simply have to at least finish ahead of him, but ultimately win to keep this thing alive. That’s what we did.

It’s going to be the same every week. It’s going to be the same every race from here out. Just got no choice but to be ahead of him or it’s over.

Q. Would you envision over these final three races the team putting all of its eggs in your basket to try to get you a championship or will you still be racing your teammates for race wins at Milwaukee and Nashville?

WILL POWER: I think if we have the cars to win, and we want to win the championship, yes, that’s probably what we should do with three to go. We should probably, yeah, be looking at how can we get the 12 car in the best possible position. Really that’s our only chance. We got three really good drivers – four really if you include Santino – that are capable of running at the front.

Yeah, that can take up a lot of positions. I’m the head of that group, we win the race, that starts to make things look possible.

Yeah, we’ll talk about that when we get to Milwaukee, see if that’s a possibility.

Q. A doubleheader at Milwaukee that we haven’t raced on in nearly a decade, a track at Nashville that you may only raced on once in your career, how unknown is what we’re getting into over these final three races?

WILL POWER: Yeah, quite unknown. You don’t even know, like, can you pass at Milwaukee? Will qualifying be a big deal? How will this play out? I don’t even think we’ve run on the tire we’re going to run. Yeah, a very, very interesting three races that you really don’t know where everyone’s going to stack up.

All the ovals we went to this year, we’ve had history on, very good setups and data for. Milwaukee, we tested there a couple times now. But it’s really difficult to tell till you get in the race situation to know how good your car really is.

Q. About the 75th lap or so, it looked like Alex wanted to get racy with you. Were we seeing that correctly?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I had traffic. I was at the mercy of the pace of the car in front. I saw that gap just shrink really quickly. I think he pulled into the pits or I passed. However that played out. As soon as I got clear track, I knew I could put quite a bit of time into him. Especially at the end of the stint, it seemed like his car used the tire more than ours. On reds we were simply better. Our car was really good on red tires.

Yeah, kind of equal I’d say on blacks. He even looked like he dropped off on blacks. It was really a lot to do with traffic management. If it was a clear track for me, I always felt I could pull a gap on him.

Q. Last weekend was not what you wanted. Your blood pressure was considerably higher. How do you deal with those ups and downs?

WILL POWER: I get mad very quickly, but I get over it very quickly. I mean, I’ve grabbed Scott Dixon at Road America, then got into the car and said, Sorry, man. It’s all good. Like, got into the medical car a few seconds later.

I just am like that. When I’m mad, it looks worse. My bark is worse than my bite. I’m like not that (smiling). I forgive very quickly and easily and move on. I know everyone in this series is trying to do the same thing. We’re all lucky to be here.

Last week I saw a lot of points just… A great race really. I would have to say the most fun I’ve had in years on an oval finished in a bad way. I enjoyed the race, I had so much fun, then it finished like that. Kind of disappointed. Late restart. I think if we went earlier, it wouldn’t have happened.

Yeah, one day later I’m wake surfing with Josef, laughing. Talking to Malukas and joking. Yeah, it’s just how I am.

Q. You said at the beginning of the race that Portland had a special place in your heart because it was the first place you ever tested. How does this win and being able to continue that championship fight rate for you?

WILL POWER: Man, anytime I win in this series, I feel so lucky. Like it feels like it’s so impossible and hard to win. I was thinking through the race, No way I’m going to win this. He’s going to get me. But you do your absolute best.

When you get a win, it’s a very good feeling. It’s very, very satisfying. It takes so much, it really does. To get through all those rounds in qualifying, to qualify right at the front, that is so difficult in this series. Then to execute completely on a race day with so many good guys and teams around you, it really is a big deal just to get on a podium in INDYCAR.

Every win I get now, it’s so special. It really means a lot. It’s adding to my win list. It’s not like I’m racing for another decade, put it that way. Yeah, I work really hard at my craft, so it’s very satisfying. I know all the guys on the car really deserve it. Best pit crew in pit lane. They have been the quickest the last couple years. They are again this year. That’s a hard situation to come upon. To be in that situation, to be a good driver in a great team, having the opportunities to win. Bloody winning a race is a big deal.

Q. Anything specific about Portland itself?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, it’s the first track I ever drove at in the U.S. First time I ever drove an INDYCAR. I still remember it driving down the back straight, I had the thought, Man, I could be paid to do this. That was with big horsepower days, too. Yeah, I still remember that thought, driving down that back straight. I remember that day, I do. I remember driving that car. It had understeer. Stalled it a couple times trying to leave the pits. It was good memories. A long time ago. Almost 20 years ago. I think it’s 20 years ago. Crazy, cool.

I do love it. Yeah, I mean, I have that memory for this place. I’m glad we came back here, we started racing here again. It was a cool place when I got to race here in Champ Car.

But I love all the tracks. When I walk in the paddock, it’s like it would be really tough for me to walk away from this sport. It really would. The feeling of being a part of something, trying to accomplish something with a group of people, yeah, I think you’d be pretty lost. If I stopped, I’d be very lost with what to do.

I love racing. I love the paddock. I love the people. Feel lucky to do it.

Q. When you were going down that back straightaway, did you have any thought you’d be doing this for this long?

WILL POWER: No. Yeah, no way that I thought I would have driven for the best team in the U.S., won on ovals, won the Indy 500. All those things. Won a championship. Yeah, not a chance.

I worked very hard always, was very determined. It’s something that unfolds very slowly. It’s not a big shock that it happened now. When you reflect on it when you came here all those years ago, it was a dream. What I’ve done, I’ve lived out my dream, absolutely. I’ve just lived it out.

You need to reflect sometimes and appreciate that when you get mad or disappointed about something that happens. You’re really lucky to be here.

I enjoy doing appearances now. I enjoy media, all that stuff. It’s all great stuff. I give the young guys a hard time if they complain about it. Man, you could be working in an office, you could be working construction, you’re lucky you’re in this very small group of people that get to do this for a living, so enjoy it.

Q. How similar or different does this title fight feel compared to 2022?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s very different. Like, it’s a must-win situation almost right now. Can take a little bit more risk. You probably have a little less pressure ’cause you’re not the one sort of defending this points lead.

Believe me, it’s nice to have the points lead. It’s much better to be in his position by a longshot. Yeah, different year. I kind of learnt from his championship last year, the style of ’22 wouldn’t have worked that year. You had to win. That’s what this year is.

This year was a year of a lot of mistakes from a lot of drivers. Last two races. Toronto, think about it, if I didn’t try that move on Scott. If Malukas and I didn’t have that issue, cause that yellow, suddenly you’re looking pretty good. Everyone has let some big points go. Palou at Iowa. It’s been one of those years where a ’22 sort of year would win it, yeah.

Q. If you’ve let yourself think about this at all, what would a third championship mean to you?

WILL POWER: Oh, yeah, tremendous, tremendous in many different ways. To win in this series, at this time, it’s so difficult. You get a third championship from a deficit of 54 points at this point, come back from a deficit like that, yeah, that would be amazing. It would be absolutely amazing. To finish on all ovals, as well, kind of going back to my early days, sort of unfinished business there.

Yeah, it’s a tough climb from here, but not impossible.

Q. Consistency is a thing that wins the championship, but also there’s the consistency from the guys that deliver that car to you. How hard is this run to the final group of races for them?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it is very much about the consistency of pit stops, car preparations, the guys that build the engines. All those things are going to play a part. Yeah, kind of a grueling season in that they have to pack up now, rebuild a car, rebuild three cars before we go to Milwaukee. It’s the same for every team, yeah.

I mean, it’s absolutely a team sport, I can tell you that. Just having been in this for so long, like I said, to get the ingredients of the fastest pit crew, the best team, the best engine, and being one of the best drivers, to get that combination is so difficult. You look through the whole field, all those guys are capable of winning.

So yeah, got to feel fortunate to be a part of a team like Penske where you’re given those ingredients.

Q. Do you feel maybe the Dixon factor, considering he’s won at Nashville before, can that have an effect on the championship if they let him loose to cover for Palou?

WILL POWER: Yes. Having tested there with Dixon, Dixon is very good at Nashville. I said that before. I could see him winning that race, see him being very competitive. He could play a part, absolutely, in a scenario where we must win, you’re probably going to be fighting Dixon.

Q. The key message still is what you’ve been saying, stay ahead of Alex at all times?

WILL POWER: Yeah, that’s our only shot. That is our only shot. We must be continually finishing ahead of him and see where it falls.

Q. This is your first three-win season since 2018. What’s made the difference to regain the winning form?

WILL POWER: It’s never just one thing, to be honest. I think Chevy made a gain last year. Just with that, you’ve got more chance to qualify in the top six. Qualify in the top six, you certainly have more chance of a win.

If I look at 2022, there were a lot of, like, races where I went from 16th to third, got a lot of podiums, a lot of second places. Had I qualified slightly better, those potentially could have been wins. It’s just putting yourself in that position, having the car.

Yeah, you are constantly working on that stuff. One year you’re a little conservative. Next year you see Palou win with a bit more aggression, so you become a bit more aggressive. I never stop digging and looking.

I actually came into this season with the mindset I must win multiple races. It’s been a long time since I have. Yeah, that’s basically a lot of factors go into it.

Q. Is there anything with your specific race craft that you’ve changed or maximized on now better than previously?

WILL POWER: No, not really. No, I race pretty similar. A couple mistakes this year that I really reflect on that is uncharacteristic of sort of the 2022 year.

No, I have the same mentality. I’m very calm in the car always. Rarely do I get flustered or say something on the radio. I’m less calm out of the car if something happens, but…

Yeah, you just change small things. Built this big toolbox of skills over the years, worked on the mental aspect a lot, which just comes with age, to be honest. No particular thing.

You have your goals coming into a season, but you are just walking that tightrope of aggression versus consistency. If you look at Dixon, 99% of the time he will not go for a move that’s sort of in a 50/50. He will weigh on the cautious side. That’s won him championships. Palou is further to the aggressive. But he walks that tightrope really well of aggression versus reward.

Yeah, I’m always playing on that one side or the other. ’22 I was too conservative. ’23 I had a bad year. This year maybe I’m a little bit over-aggressive at times. But that’s the game you play. You got to hit that sweet spot. It’s tough.

Q. You have this interesting ability to have a really bad race, get mad, cool down, but come back and funnel what was bad into something positive. What is it? Is it a thing?

WILL POWER: Ultimately I came here, like, I have to qualify really well because of the first corner. But ultimately I have to win to keep this thing alive. Yeah, that’s what I did.

Yeah, no, it may look like that, but that’s not really get mad and do anything. You just focus in. I try to do that every weekend.

Yeah, those couple of 18th places were just from bad restarts actually. I mean, yeah, both of them were in restarts on a short oval.

Q. Recently we had news confirming David Malukas heading to Foyt. Some believe he could be moving into your car at some point in time in the future. Won more races than any of your teammates this year. Share some thoughts about wanting to continue.

WILL POWER: I want to continue. I’m not retiring. I’m not. I’m just simply not retiring. Yeah, I know people probably like to spread that around, rumors or whatever, in the hope that they can take my seat. Yeah, I’m staying here for a while. I’ll get better every year, man. I get better every year. I feel like that.

Q. We haven’t had a lot of kids from Down Under doing big things on the Road to Indy for a while. Lochie Hughes heading to INDY NXT. Any thoughts about that?

WILL POWER: I really want to help him get to INDYCAR. I think he’s very good. He’s very focused, determined. Yeah, we spoke I think at Iowa. He didn’t have many races after that. He asked me how to approach a championship. The long or short of it is, man, all you can focus is on what you can control, nothing else. Forget about the rest. Focus in. It’s your ticket to ultimately INDYCAR, but definitely Indy Lights.

I want to help him get to the INDYCAR. I want to see another Australian get a good seat and succeed here in America. He’s good. He deserves it.

THE MODERATOR: Busy between Miles and Lochie.

WILL POWER: Yeah, tough one. I want to see them both succeed. I think Miles will be fine. I think ultimately he’s got Penske’s help. He’s pretty good. Lochie needs more help. It’s very tough from where he is.

You’ve seen Indy Lights champions move on. It’s been good, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Joined now by the third-place finishing driver, Josef Newgarden. His best-ever finish here at Portland, fifth podium of the season, 57th of his career. Now tied with Sebastien Bourdais for 18th on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES list.

Josef, your general thoughts about this afternoon?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a good day for us. I think in a lot of ways close to our potential. Looking at it from, like, a far distance, it looked like we were a second-place car today. I think third is really close to what we could have achieved.

I think we probably had something for Alex, but not for Will. I think Will was probably lights out the best today. A great result for our team. Obviously Will is still going for this championship. It’s a great result for him to be up front.

For us, you always want more. I want to win every race I’m in, so I don’t like finishing third. It’s a good weekend, good, solid weekend. Proud of the team. Proud of having Tire Rack on our car.

True story. Fun story. I’ve been a customer of tirerack.com since I was a kid. It was always my preferred site to go to when I was trying to figure out specifications for tires. It’s funny to come full circle now that I am 33 to and have them on the car. Pleased we can take this to the last few races of the year and finish strong.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll start with questions.

Q. Josef, much calmer post race today than last week. Was it that pedestrian on the track or still a pretty busy race today?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it wasn’t super action packed today. Not quite like Gateway, right? Gateway was probably a little more intense in a good way. Today was a little bit more calm. It wasn’t enough to mix it up. We didn’t have a yellow get thrown in there to kind of mix things up.

I think the top guys were pretty strong in their own right so they stayed stationary once we settled in after that first stint.

You can’t have the greatest show every weekend. This is probably a little less than what we experienced last week at Gateway. Still a fun fight. I always enjoy trying to get these races right. The fuel saving, the way you choose when you’re pitting, all that sort of stuff, it all matters and still fun to get it right on a day like today.

Q. Was it hard to keep the right pace and hit your numbers?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Definitely. It’s always tough. The car is not easy to drive on the edge, do it consistently every lap without making mistakes or a wrong decision. It’s a tough day. It’s not like we were all just cruising around.

Yeah, maybe a little more settled and processional than we would have liked. A little more action probably would have been good for the fans. Still a tough day to get this right.

Q. Josef, you started on red tires today. What do you think about your tire strategy? Do you think it worked very well?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a good day. Like I said, I think it’s about what our potential was. The only way we finish higher is if we start higher. Need to start on pole or second place, lead from the beginning if we want to be higher up.

It’s going to be tough to match Will today. He had a 10th or two on us. I think Alex was really tough to beat, too. If we had track position on them, maybe we make something happen. I think it was going to be hard overall.

From where we started, pleased with the progress we made. I don’t want to finish third, but I think we maximized what we could today.

Q. Josef, you were strong at the test. How much are you looking forward to returning to Milwaukee and Nashville? How do you expect the two tracks to race?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m excited, for sure. I like Milwaukee. I’ve been there a couple times in the past before we left for a little hiatus. I always thought it was fun. I hope we can produce a good race.

Nashville is completely unknown to me. I’ve never been on the track. Out there to watch some testing. Really don’t know what that one’s like.

I have high hopes we can find a good package for both places. I think Gateway was really pretty phenomenal as far as the combination. It’s not easy. It’s not an exact science. I think if we could bottle a good racing package where there’s usability on multiple lanes, we would take it everywhere.

Sometimes it’s a little bit of guesswork, trial and error. You have to kind of go places a time or two to figure it out in this new package. We’re trying to figure it out, with the extra weight, hybrid, aero, tire configuration.

I have high hopes we can have a good race package for Milwaukee and Nashville. Overall I love oval racing, too, so excited to finish the season strong.

ABOUT CHEVROLET

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heartbeat, 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