Category: NTT Indy

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTE
JOSEF NEWGARDEN QUICK POLE QUOTE
JULY 3, 2021

JOSEF NEWGARD CAPTURES NTT P1 AWARD AT MID-OHIO

LEXINGTON, OHIO – Josef Newgarden was a man on a nabbing the pole behind the wheel of the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet by a mere three-thousandths of a second. It is the 14th P1 award of his career. Quick quote:

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: That was a little tighter than I wanted it to be. I about fell apart the second half of that lap. I opened the lap really well. The car has been on rails right out of the box. I am really proud of the team. Obviously thanks to this whole group here. Everyone at Team Penske has been on it! We’ve had some troubles the last couple weeks securing a win, but I can’t ask much different. They are doing everything they need to do to win these races. Excited to have another chance with a really great car. Team Chevy keeps doing a great job for us.. It’s good to have XPEL on the car. They’ve been a great partner for us the last couple of years. There is an anniversary! I didn’t know this coming into it. This is the 50th year today for Team Penske and Roger Penske scoring the first win for the organization with Mark Donohue. I was thinking of how cool it is to be in the car here racing today. Every now and then you have moments where you reflect that you are actually doing this. It’s so cool It’s a dream to drive for Roger and this entire group. So proud of everybody. Hopefully we can seal one off tomorrow—that’s what we need to do!

“I knew the third lap would be the money lap on used red tires. I opened the lap really well and then started losing time in Turn Four, all the way to the line. I was just trying to keep it together – Tim (Cindric) was telling me exactly what we needed and we got it. Really proud of everyone, the car looks good and it’s fast, and Team Chevy has done a great job so we just need to keep it together tomorrow. We need a good, clean day and I think we have the car to do that, and I know we’re capable. You have the curse of wanting to do well and get a good result when you know you’re capable as a team, but I’ve been racing long enough to see the ebbs and flows and I know that if we keep doing what we’re doing, it will come.

“There’s a lot of respect for Honda as our competitor, here at one of their home races. You want to have a good battle with someone who pushes you and they push us as hard as you can push. I’m proud to be backed by Chevrolet: every one of my INDYCAR wins has come with Chevrolet engine power so I’m pretty comfortable with where I’m at. I’m looking forward to putting them on top tomorrow.”

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 RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO
ARROW MCLAREN SP TEAM ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JULY 2, 2021

ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET TEAM HOSTED A ZOOM CONFERENCE FOR MEDIA WITH DRIVERS FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, AND PATO O’WARD, NO.5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET AND TEAM PRESIDENT TAYLOR KIEL. FULL TRANSCRIPT:

MODERATOR: FELIX TALK ABOUT GETTING BACK IN THE CAR WITH YOUR TEAM AT MID-OHIO.
FELIX ROSENQVIST: I am just really pumped to be back. I feel fine to drive. The whole team is ready to have a good second part of the season and try to get some momentum. Good to be back.”

MODERATOR: PATO HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU TO HAVE A GOOD RESULT THIS WEEKEND AND SCORE SOME CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS HEADING INTO A LONG BREAK?
PATO O’WARD: It is going to be very important I think. We’ve had a good, strong start to the first half of the season. There has been certain weekends where I don’t think we maximized, and we can’t have any of those. We are in the championship fight with Ganassi cars, (Scott) Dixon and (Alex) Palou who have been extremely strong everywhere we go. Like I’ve said to the team, there is a time to push it and it’s now. We need to stay on top of it because every point is going to be gold between now and Long Beach. We just need to try and out score them every weekend.

MODERATOR: TAYLOR, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE A BREAK TO GET THE TEAM RECHARGE AND REFOCUS GOING INTO THE PUSH AT THE END OF THE SEASON?
TAYLOR KIEL: It can serve two purposes. The break, if you have a lot of momentum and you are operating well and running well, you just want to keep going. But I think it is certainly good for everyone to have a mental break. What we ask everybody to do every day in motorsport is very stressful, so any time away I think is good and it gives everybody a chance to recharge the batteries. We are obviously at the mid-point of the season and this is where as Pato mentioned where we really need to take it to another level. We’ll take the break coming up after Mid-Ohio to recharge the batteries and hone in on some of the focus areas so we can finish the year strong.

OPEN FOR QUESTIONS FOR THE MEDIA:
FELIX, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE STRUGGLES YOU HAD DURING THE WEEK FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT IN DETROIT?
ROSENQVIST: The reason I didn’t get cleared, INDYCAR didn’t clear me is because the concussion test, which doesn’t really mean I had a concussion, there was some indication that something could be wrong and they didn’t want to take the risk which I fully understand. Obviously it was frustrating when you feel fine but it was just whatever they say goes. It’s something you can’t really change. None of this is something I can change. You just have to accept it and look forward. I don’t really feel like I have had massive issues mentally to go through because there is nothing I can change. I think it is like always if you make a big mistake and put yourself in that situation, its different. Things are just the way they are and I try in general to never dwell on things that happen. They can’t change. We’re back now and we just have to continue where we left off because at the time the incident we were really in a good place and on our way to turn around the season a little bit. We will try to get a good result at Mid-Ohio.

PATO, ON THE TV BROADCAST, WE’VE SEEN HOW STOIC AND CALM TAYLOR IS. WHAT IS A SIDE OF HIM WE HAVEN’T SEEN?:
O’WARD: He loosens up He loosens up. He is a fun guy to have around. I think what I feel like is really nice. This kind of goes toward the whole team, but specifically with the big guys. I feel like whenever I’m around either Taylor, Sam (Schmidt), Rick (Peterson) and Zak (Brown) they are the bosses but it is like having a best friend. And, you can talk to them like a best friend. I don’t know if you get where I am trying to go with that. It’s just really nice. I’m really happy where I’m at. Taylor is a fun guy, he can sound like he’s very serious all the time. He is very professional. Unlike myself, sometimes I can be very loud and obnoxious. Taylor can control himself a little bit more.

WHAT MAKES MID-OHIO SUCH A SPECIAL TRACK FOR YOU FELIX? YOU’VE ALMOST WON THERE:
ROSENQVIST: It’s a good question. We did a track walk yesterday and its just something with this track. I feel I’m always…there is good energy when you are here. It is a beautiful place. There are always a lot of people here and I feel like the fans are the right kind of fans. They are really diehard hard-core fans that come here to Mid-Ohio. They will spend the whole day in the sun. I just think somehow it is a special event. And the track is amazing. When you walk the track, you think you can’t pass here because it is so tight and twisty. But then it always produces some pretty good racing. The race format is pretty good and interesting with strategy. It is just one of those INDYCAR classics that kind of has everything, and personally I’ve had good success here. No better place to come back to.

PATO, YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RACE BEING FIVE LAPS LONGER. DOES THAT CHANGE YOUR APPROACH?
O’WARD: Not really. I leave all the strategy to my team because I’m not like the most experienced at that. I’m pretty sure five more laps longer will open the windows to a two or three stopper which makes the racing cooler. Not just a straight forward fuel save and that’s what it is going to be. I think its nice. I’m happy the race is five laps longer. I don’t know how many more approaches we can take to it, but I am pretty sure that will open to a three stopper to maximize what you have.

TAYLOR, HOW GOOD IS IT FOR THE TEAM TO HAVE FELIX BACK THIS WEEKEND AND GOING FORWARD?
KIEL: It’s huge. It is something we have talked about. Felix kind of alluded to it. We finally felt like we were turning the corner in Detroit. I think we had a really good car. Felix was comfortable. We were ready, and then it didn’t happen. We need to turn the corner. This is a pretty good place to do it. That is what our focus is now. Securing good results week after week and building on the momentum so we can maximize the second half of the year. I know the potential is there. Felix is driving well. We just need to get the whole package together. Once we do that I have no doubt he will be running up toward the front where he belongs.

FELIX, WERE THEY TREATING YOU LIKE YOU HAD A CONCUSSION? WHAT WERE YOU ALLOWED TO DO, OR NOT DO. WHAT KIND OF THINGS WERE YOU DOING? WERE THEY TREATING YOU LIKE YOU HAD A CONCUSSION WANTING YOU TO DO A CONCUSSION-LIKE RECOVERY?
ROSENQVIST: After you have a crash like that obviously, I was more worried on the physical side because I had a lot of pain in my body. But I had nothing broken so it was nothing that would be really an issue to drive with. You just have to deal with the pain. But that was my biggest worry. But then when we found out there were some symptoms of a concussion when I did a test, it’s a normal procedure. You can’t watch too many screens, not do any big exercise for awhile. So I think everyone treated [me] really well and I got a lot of good help from INDYCAR to put me through the best possible rehab for the following weeks. And now I feel 99% recovered and I think it is thanks to all of the professionals that helped me to get to this place so quickly. So its been really good how everyone handled it. I think it is one of those things that you can’t be too careful. You only have one brain, so I don’t mind them caring for me.

WERE YOU ALLOWED TO TRAIN AS USUAL, OR WHERE YOU WITHHELD FROM THAT TOO?
ROSENQVIST: Actually the latest studies show that if you have a concussion or symptoms of one it is better to do light exercise with very low heart rate. Maybe like 30 minutes every day. That is something I did which seemed to really help especially on the physical side. I did some exercise and then I ramped it up. Now I am pretty much doing the same exercise I did before Detroit.

IS IT DISRUPTIVE TO HAVE SUBSTITUTE DRIVERS IN THE CAR?
KIEL: It’s not easy. You certainly want Felix in the car every weekend. But the good thing is we were able to lean into certainly Oliver (Askew) in Detroit and the guys were familiar with each other. We were able to get all the difficult things you have to do in that situation done. He did a great job and so very happy with that. Then we had a little bit of time. Thought Kevin (Magnussen) might be a good fit for one of these things. That came together very quickly for the Road America piece. We were able to try a few things, but the total focus was making sure we were maximizing the No. 5 car throughout the process. Certainly we were out to collect points with both entries. But you have to be very focused when something like this happens.

PATO WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO NOT HAVE YOUR FULLTIME TEAMMATE DURING THE TWO RACES?
O’WARD: I certainly missed Felix. But you kind of have to mentalize yourself as in do your own program. Pay attention to what you need from the car. Honestly I feel like that is what INDYCAR is. There are teams that have two, three, four cars, and honestly sometimes we drive differently. Everybody drives differently and everybody needs different things from the car to be able to extract the time. Sometimes what our teammates have is useless to us. Sometimes its not useless to us. Sometimes it helps us. Its kind of like 50-50. Is it going to help? Is it not going to help? I kind of just focus on what I need from the car and get what works for me. I know that I drive very different to many other drivers. The way I extract the time from the car is very different. Some people can’t be driving the same thing they are because it’s just not going to be quick enough for them.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF PATO SAYING HE WAS GOING TO WIN AND THEN DEDICATING HIS DETROIT WIN TO YOU?
ROSENQVIST: That was pretty awesome. We talked in the morning and Pato said he was going to win this one for you. We kind of joked about it. We were driving back home, my girlfriend was driving and I was watching the race. It was pretty cool when he said that after the race. He is a man of his word!

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING BEING OUT OF THE CAR WATCHING THE RACES THAT MAYBE YOU CAN APPLY NOW THAT YOU ARE BACK IN THE CAR?
ROSENQVIST: I thought it was interesting following the race from the outside. I always try to do the best I can in whatever situation I am in. I thought there were things you can learn just observing. Spending more time observing other drivers as well. During the weekend you don’t really have time to look at much because you are busy with your own stuff. I had a lot of time to analyze everything all around. I thought it was interesting. But we have such a tight stretch with races I don’t really feel like it was a really bad thing to be…it’s always bad when others can be in the car and your not. But it would have been worse if it was a massive…if I was out of the car for two months or something. But just missing two weeks I don’t really think it will affect me in anyway really. I feel fine, and I think I will be at the level I was before I came to Detroit. I think everything will be fine.

WHAT ARE YOUR EMOTIONS GETTING BACK IN THE CAR?
ROSENQVIST: It’s like when you get in the car for the first time in the season and you are really excited to see how it feels. I feel a certain level of that I guess. It’s crazy how quickly you become hungry especially when you are not driving, when you are just watching everyone else drive. You just want to get back into it you picture it and you think about it. Hopefully that kind of fire will be a positive thing as well.

PATO, AS YOU MENTIONED YOU ARE OUTNUMBERED BY THE GANASSI TEAM. HOW AGGRESSIVE CAN YOU BE AT MID-OHIO?
O’WARD: I think it is pretty straightforward. We just have to score more points than both of them. I don’t think it gets simpler than that.

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.

LEXINGTON, Ohio (Friday, July 2, 2021) – There’s one thing clear with Josef Newgarden as he and Team Penske search for their first victory this season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Speed is not a problem.

Newgarden led the opening practice for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline on Friday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The two-time series champion turned a top lap of 1 minute, 7.2524 in the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, continuing a trend that has seen Newgarden win the NTT P1 Award at the last two series races.

“It was a good session,” Newgarden said. “The thing I noticed right was that the car felt phenomenal. When you get into a car and it feels that good, you’re like, ‘Man, we got something right here coming into it.’

“I think we’re on the right track. Getting into the reds (alternate Firestone tires) in qualifying is going to be the tricky bit, to keep the balance. You normally put a lot of understeer here on reds. So far, so happy.”

Saturday’s action includes practice at 9:05 a.m. ET (live on Peacock), NTT P1 Award qualifying at noon (live on Peacock, 8 p.m. Saturday on NBCSN) and final practice at 3:30 p.m. Expect a tight race for spots on the 26-car starting grid, as less than one second separated the top 18 drivers in practice today.

The 80-lap race on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile circuit is set for noon Sunday, live on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Pato O’Ward was second today on the time sheet with a best lap of 1:07.5050 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Jack Harvey ended up third at 1:07.5840 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda.

2018 Mid-Ohio winner Alexander Rossi was fourth at 1:07.7245 in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda. 2015 Mid-Ohio winner Graham Rahal rounded out the top five at 1:07.7561 in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda.

This is a home race for Harvey and Rahal. Englishman Harvey’s team, Meyer Shank Racing, is based in nearby Pataskala, Ohio, and team co-owner Michael Shank is a native of Columbus. Rahal also is a native of the Columbus area.

“We just want a smooth weekend,” Harvey said. “It’s everyone’s home race at Meyer Shank Racing. Mike has been awesome. There’s no added pressure, but we all want to get a good result for him in the place he grew up.”

Championship leader Alex Palou ended the session ninth at 1:07.7951 in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

The practice included one red flag, 25 minutes into the session, when Felix Rosenqvist spun in Turn 1 and stalled in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Rosenqvist returned to the series today after missing the REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR on June 20 at Road America and Race 2 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit on June 13 due to a heavy crash in Race 1 at Detroit on June 12.

Rosenqvist ended up 13th quickest in the session at 1:08.0265. Another driver returning from an injury hiatus, Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing, was 18th at 1:08.2367 in the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet. VeeKay missed the Road America round due to a broken collarbone suffered in a cycling accident.

The spin by Rosenqvist wasn’t the only incident of the session. Colton Herta came within inches of the concrete wall between Turns 9 and 10 earlier in the session in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda after going off track and bouncing through the grass.

Chip Ganassi Racing has won nearly half of the INDYCAR races held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course since 1996, which bodes well for Scott Dixon in his bid to win a record-tying seventh NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship this season. But that also bodes well for the driver he and the rest of the field are chasing for the series title.

Alex Palou, Dixon’s first-year teammate, has regained the top spot in the standings and holds a healthy 28-point lead over Arrow McLaren SP driver Pato O’Ward heading to the 10th of 16 races on the calendar. Dixon trails Palou by 53 points, a deficit that will take more than one race weekend to overcome. Only two other drivers – Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud – are within 100 points of the series lead. Newgarden trails by 88, Pagenaud by 94.

All of which makes it imperative for those chasing Palou to gain ground in this weekend’s The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline.

Twenty-six car-and-driver combinations are rolling into the permanent road course in Lexington, Ohio, for the 38th INDYCAR race held since 1980. The weekend schedule includes all three levels of the Road to Indy, with doubleheader races for Indy Lights and Indy Pro 2000 with USF2000 staging three races.

On-track activity will effectively be non-stop through Sunday’s main event. INDYCAR’s action begins Friday at 2:30 p.m. (ET) with a 45-minute practice live on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. A second 45-minute practice, also on Peacock, will be held at 9:05 a.m. Saturday, with three rounds of knockout qualifying for the NTT P1 Award set for Saturday at noon (live on Peacock, delayed on NBCSN until 8 p.m.).

The 80-lap INDYCAR race is Sunday at noon on NBC, with the green flag set for 12:05 p.m. The INDYCAR Radio Network will have complete coverage on its affiliates, INDYCAR.com, the INDYCAR Mobile App powered by NTT DATA and SiriusXM Channel 205.

Among the storylines to monitor:

The Second Half
Applying a legendary quote from baseball great Yogi Berra, it’s getting late early in this NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Of course, a different, improving phase of a pandemic is part of that, but the calendar just turned to July and yet nine races have been held. Last year, only one had by this point.

Also, at Sunday’s checkered flag the season will be almost two-thirds completed, and for those drivers with significant ground to make up on the standings leader, the season finale won’t be a double-points race as it has been in recent years. Assuming all drivers participate in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sept. 26, those with designs on the title must be with 45 points of the lead to mathematically have a chance.

Thus, it’s time for many to get motoring. Include former series champions Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda), Newgarden (No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet), Pagenaud (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet), Will Power (No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet), Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda) and Sebastien Bourdais (No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet) in that group. Each is 88 points – or more – out of the lead.

A Large Field
Twenty-six cars are three more than competed in last year’s doubleheader at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile flowing road course, and the driver lineup includes returnees and newcomers.

Back in the lineup after recent injuries are Felix Rosenqvist (No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet) and Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet).

Rosenqvist missed the two most recent races – the back end of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit on June 13 and the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America on June 20 – due to lingering effects from his abrupt, nose-first impact with the Turn 6 barrier in Race 1 at Belle Isle Park. VeeKay suffered a broken right clavicle in a cycling accident June 14, with surgery the next day forcing him to be held out of the Road America race. He was in Chevrolet’s simulator earlier this week and was cleared by INDYCAR’s medical staff Wednesday.

Santino Ferrucci will be back in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda for a fourth time this season, and he has had top-10 finishes in the first three, including finishing sixth in the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. He finished sixth and 10th in the Detroit races.

The newcomer in the Mid-Ohio field is Ryan Norman, a two-time race winner in Indy Lights who has been driving for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

A former motocross rider, the 23-year-old Norman hails from a Cleveland suburb, which makes Mid-Ohio his home track. The circuit is also one where he has a significant amount of experience, competing in six Indy Lights races with Andretti Autosport and testing last week in the No. 52 KOINU INU/EVO Honda of Dale Coyne Racing with RWR in which he will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut.

This will be INDYCAR’s largest field at Mid-Ohio since the 2011 race when there were 27 cars.

Best Driver, Best Team
As mentioned, Chip Ganassi’s Indianapolis-team has dominated INDYCAR races at Mid-Ohio, winning 11 of 23 races since Alex Zanardi won the first of his two in 1996. Other race winners for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, Dixon, Dario Franchitti and Charlie Kimball. The team won five in a row from 2009-2013, with Kimball’s win in ’13 the fastest ever at the track (117.825 mph).

Dixon has won at Mid-Ohio a record six times, most recently in 2019. His starting position hasn’t been a factor in the races he has won — he has started as high as the pole (2011) and as far back as 22nd (2014).

For capturing a sixth INDYCAR championship in 2021, Dixon is a leading candidate for Best Driver at the ESPYs. Fan voting, which plays a significant role in determining the annual winner, continues through 8 p.m. (ET) Friday, July 9. Votes can be cast at this link. https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/id/31633865/espys-2021-vote-best-driver

Challengers Are Plentiful
For all of the Dixon and Ganassi dominance at Mid-Ohio, it was Andretti Autosport which fared the best overall last year.

Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) led the team’s podium sweep of the second race, with Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda) and Hunter-Reay rounding out the podium and a top-five Honda sweep. Rossi won the 2018 race and finished third in last year’s first race, won by Power.

Power has been the best of INDYCAR’s Mid-Ohio qualifiers, earning the NTT P1 Award a record five times, including two of the past three.

Be mindful of the hometown motivation of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Meyer Shank Racing. Both teams consider this the second-most important race on the schedule after the Indianapolis 500 because both outfits either started in the Columbus area or still maintain facilities there.

The team co-owned by Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan fields 2015 Mid-Ohio winner Graham Rahal (No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda), Takuma Sato (No. 30 Panasonic/Mi-Jack Honda) and Ferrucci, while MSR co-owners Michael Shank and Jim Meyer have Jack Harvey (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda) primed for this event.

Pagenaud (2016) and Newgarden (2017) are also former winners at the track.

A Change in Race Distance
Last year’s two races at Mid-Ohio were 75 laps, lower than the standard 85 or 90 used since the resumption of INDYCAR racing in 2007.

For the first time in track history, INDYCAR will stage an 80-lap race, the goal to force teams to decide between making the strategy based on two stops or three.

“It just makes people do different things,” said Ferrucci, who finished 14th in each race last year. “You can either do fuel savings or you can run hard and fast. It definitely changes up the grid a little bit, and I’m looking forward to it. It will make the racing more entertaining.”

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
RINUS VEEKAY ZOOM TRANSCRIPT
JULY 2-4

THE MODERATOR: It’s been a rather interesting couple weeks for Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, from a top-3 starting positing at Detroit to deciding to ride to Road America on a bike, which didn’t exactly go as planned. Regardless, Rinus rejoins the NTT INDYCAR Series this weekend for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the HPD Ridgeline, back in the No. 21 Sonex Autogeek Chevrolet as he continues his pursuit of an NTT INDYCAR Series championship, and Rinus joins us before traveling to central Ohio later today.

First off, Rinus, how are we feeling?

RINUS VEEKAY: I’m feeling good. Feeling strong. I got quite a good range of motion in my left shoulder again. No pain. I’ve been on the simulator and just felt great. No distractions from any weird feelings or pain.
Yeah, ready to race and ready to win.

THE MODERATOR: We saw on social media yesterday you already spent some time in the sim. How did it go, and how about the wear and tear on the shoulder this week, and what do you expect?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I’m already in the gym like every day trying to use the arm and like strengthen the muscles. I think it’s not going to be an issue. Like the movement I need to turn the wheel is a movement that’s not painful to me. Luckily that’s all right for me.
Yeah, I just feel very strong like on the simulator, we were I think four tenths faster than I was last year with the progression of the car and me driving a little bit better, I think.
I think we keep improving, just like every race this season, so I’m ready.

THE MODERATOR: I know you’ve got good memories at Mid-Ohio. No one can forget the pass on the outside of Colton Herta in race 1 last year. What did you learn from Mid-Ohio last year that maybe you can use going into the weekend this year?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, it’s going to be very close. Hopefully it’s not going to be half wet in qualifying just like last year. But I think it’s going to be fine.
Of course it was a double-header, which I’m not a huge fan of, because I like the buildup to just one race. So I think a single-header is going to be great for me.
I like the track, and yeah, I think just like last year, you’ve got to stay out of trouble because it’s quite close. Like maybe the front three get away, and you want to be part of the front three and just fight it out there on track.

Q. I’m just wondering, the simulator, as you approached that, did you try to do a full race kind of like mode, or how did you approach it to make sure that you’re basically A-ok to drive a full race, if you follow my drift?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we did like all short stints just to get the car better, but I’ve been in the car like driving for 10 minutes and like a two-minute break in between for like two hours at a time, and I had no issues.
We did take it easy with tightening the belts because normally I have my Hans device there which kind of takes a little bit of the pressure off the set of the belts just being directly over. Took it a little easy, didn’t take any risks, but I’m 100 percent confident that it’s going to be no issue.
With all the heavy corners in Mid-Ohio, they all go left, so it’s not going to be an issue.

Q. Does the simulator give you — how does it give you the sensation of driving Mid-Ohio? Was that what you were doing? How does it figure in, factor in or throw in the physical nature of it, or can it do that?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I think Mid-Ohio on the simulator from Chevy, it’s one of the best correlated tracks. Like the whole feeling of oversteer you have is the actual feeling I have in the real car.
You’re really working on that track. I always get out of the car super sweaty, so no, it’s not just driving on a simulator for fun, it’s definitely tough but also very, very good help to getting into the mode for that weekend and also going through some procedures you never have time for on the race weekend.

Q. Are you being forbidden from riding a bicycle by your team? Have they looked at the Tour de France crashes and gone, wait a minute, maybe you shouldn’t do this?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we haven’t really talked about it. I think it’s — I’ve got to build it up slowly. I might step on the bike again in the off-season when I have time to recover if something crazy happens, but this was just a stupid accident.
Many of the other INDYCAR drivers, they’re on the bike, and it’s a good way to work out. I bought like a virtual rear wheel form of bike so I can ride on Zwift, which also many drivers do, and then I can ride inside without falling off.

Q. I kind of wanted you to walk me through what happened and what went through your mind when you went down? Did you know instantly you were hurt? And what part of your bike ride were you on and what was the decision to go from where you were to Chicago that day?
RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, so I was riding with my trainer Raun, and we were just side by side on a bike trail, very safe actually, nothing crazy. I don’t know what caused it. I think my steering wheel went sideways and threw me over the bike. I knew I fell hard, but then I was on the ground — actually no pain but just little shocks.
And then I feel my shoulder and I feel the bone not being where it’s supposed to be. I immediately knew that was going to be a problem.
But yeah, had no pain at all until I got to the hospital. Lucky and happy with that.
And then yeah, we were going to ride from Indiana Dunes State Park, so we drove from Chicago to there. My parents dropped me off, and Raun, and then we would drive from there to our hotel in Chicago, which was going to be around 70 miles, and yeah, we crashed around mile 15.
Didn’t even get a good workout in, but that’s not a problem. Good thing is I can be in the car this weekend.

Q. What were you doing during the race that you weren’t able to race, and was it hard for you? What was your role that weekend instead?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I just tried to be a part of the team, so be in the pit stand during the race and be at the pre-race meetings and just be around and learn from what the team was doing and use the opportunity to have eyes like from outside and look at things from another perspective.

Q. That race that you missed with Oliver filling in for you, I know you guys have been Road to Indy rivals I guess you would say for a couple years now, what was your impression of what he was able to do just hopping in and putting together a top-12 finish, and how did you guys’ relationship evolve over the weekend, being able to work together rather than against each other a little bit?
RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I think he did really well. Of course it’s not easy to step into a brand new team, brand new car on Road America; it’s a hard track. But just like he told me, the car was very good to drive, so that made it a lot easier. You kind of have the same feeling in the car.
Yeah, I think he did really well, and yeah, I think it was a great opportunity for him, and then in race weekend it was pretty cool working with him instead of against him.
But yeah, he was doing well on the team and looked very professional. Also I think like everyone saw, we had some fun and some non-intended puns, but no, it was a lot of fun. Definitely could have been a lot worse missing a race.

Q. Looking forward now that you’re back in the car with seven races to go, I know missing out on a race certainly with Alex winning one isn’t ideal for your championship hunt. You’re a little bit more than 100 points back now. We’ve only seen a couple two-time race winners so far this year. It looks like for someone anywhere from fourth beyond who’s going to hope to make a championship run, you’re probably going to have to win two or three of these next seven races. With how tight we’ve seen the championship be this first half or so of the season, do you feel like a run like that is possible or doable either for you or anyone else beyond second or third place?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we’ve seen Scott Dixon do it last year, so I think it’s definitely possible. You’ve got to be lucky yourself and other guys got to be a little unlucky.
But I’m not really focused on that. I just want to get back in the top 5 in the championship and just do the best I can and show some great racing and of course try to win every weekend.
You know, as much as — you can work as hard as possible, but it’s almost impossible.
Yeah, it’s definitely going to be tough to catch up, but that’s not really any of my worries. I’m just going to give it all and see where I end up.

Q. Going from your rookie season to fighting to be top 5, maybe even top 3 in the championship by season’s end through eight races this year, in what way do you feel like you’ve made the biggest improvements from your rookie season to now?
RINUS VEEKAY: I think just the teamwork. My way of working together with the team and just the whole atmosphere and I can just be myself, and I think now like my engineer Matt Barnes can really read what I am doing. Like he can really take everything out of my words and use it as a valuable change on the car, and every change we do is perfect.
I feel like the whole car team has improved but also the whole teamwork, and of course I get more comfortable every day in the car.

Q. Obviously this weekend it’s a very kind of packed field with 26 drivers on the grid. How important is it to kind of roll off really well tomorrow?
RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s going to be important, just like my first race when we started off practices I think P3, P2. When you feel you’re right there when you start the weekend, you’re going to have a good weekend. Even the simulator it felt better than average.
I think we can have a good start and go for a podium and hopefully win again. I think it’s definitely possible.
Even though we have two practices now, which is very nice, it’s still going to be not that much time, so got to give it all.

Q. In terms of the track itself, is there any particular section of the track that you particularly enjoy, or is it just the whole thing in general?
RINUS VEEKAY: I kind of enjoy Turn 9. It’s always a nice corner, turning in fully on the curve and then falling off the track where you’re always like fighting the oversteer. I think it’s definitely a very — yeah, a very sensational track. It just feels great to drive there, especially with a good car.

Q. Back in Road America, you had made a comment that you had talked to Josef about sort of how it went for him when he had a similar situation when he was at ECR; have you been leaning on anybody else for advice during this time?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, yeah, I’ve talked with Josef a little bit, but yeah, also in the team, they know him very well, so everyone still has memories from how that went.
He only drove, I think, nine days after surgery. I’m already way past, two weeks, so I’m not worried at all. I got a message on Instagram from a V8 Supercar driver Shane van Gisbergen about hyperbaric oxygen treatments that have really helped his clavicle recover. He drove eight days after surgery.
I immediately searched for a clinic that did that, and I did three hours of hyperbaric chambers a day. Yeah, I think it really helped and like sped up the recovery process.

Q. What was some of Josef’s advice and what were some of the things you guys talked about?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, he told me it might feel good now after surgery because it’s super strong, but take it easy. You don’t want to hurt yourself even more. Yeah, just be responsible. That’s definitely good advice, but also he told me — yeah, when he was driving he had no pain, and they worked around with a few different Hans device pads to relieve the pressure that’s on there. We’ve done that last Monday, and we’ve found really good ones. I’m able to be in the car with belts super tight and have no pain.

Q. How has your training regimen changed with all of this, and do you foresee it getting back to normal in the near future, or are you sort of in a new mode for the rest of the season as far as training goes?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I did a lot of like upper body like bench press, shoulder press, that kind of stuff, and now it’s tough, I’m still recovering. Yesterday I could finally do some push-ups, but overhead I’m still — it’s still very tough.
With strength training, I’m building it up and doing lots of stretching, too. But then cardio-wise, yeah, no cycling of course right now, so trying to do a bit of running. I did a 5K run yesterday without pain, so that’s good. Possibly going to do a run while everyone is doing the track walk today.
Trying to get some cardio in, but I think I’m ready for the race weekend.

Q. I just heard that you said that something that helped you this year was the connection with the team. What did you learn staying in the wall with the team the last race that you can improve your driving?
RINUS VEEKAY: So I think definitely strategy-wise. Normally they just tell me, pit this lap, and they got to change the strategy when there’s a yellow or a red flag or anything. I just listened to them.
But now when I was on the wall I learned — I got to see how they think and why they make certain decisions, so now I can think with them and possibly decline some of their strategies when they say something, because yeah, I learned some stuff that I definitely would have struggled with in the race.
Yeah, it’s definitely good to learn that. Even makes me stronger for the future.

Q. I already heard what you said about all your training, all your process from healing. What do you think will be the challenge for this return for you, this middle sector with fast corners? Do you think it will be a problem from something specific or just you have to try?
RINUS VEEKAY: I think it’s not going to be a problem. I feel confident. I was first a little bit worried about maybe my neck would be painful with the pressure, with the G-forces, but I’ve done some neck training and felt nothing, feel super strong. Definitely no worries, and as long as I don’t go overhead with my arms, it’s going to be fine. So if I cheer going past the checkered flag first, I’ve got to do it like — got to throw up my right hand instead of my left hand.

Q. I know you talked about what you did and how Oliver did, but how did you feel watching someone else drive the No. 21?
RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s definitely weird to see your own car leave pit lane and you not being there in the car. That was weird, but no, I felt okay once I accepted it, of course.
I tried to see everything from a positive perspective, and I think I really did well that weekend. Yeah, I’m very excited to be in the car again this week.

Q. Did you feel like left out when someone else was driving the No. 21?
RINUS VEEKAY: I didn’t feel very left out. I was still in the meetings with the team and doing everything I normally do, just not driving. I still tried to be part of the team and not leave them alone, so I just tried to be with them and learn as much as possible and still give the team a good feeling that I’m still there.

Q. After Mid-Ohio we have a summer break of sorts. I was wondering what your plans were and if the injury changed what you were going to do over the next month?
RINUS VEEKAY: No, I’m still going to do what I was supposed to do. I’m going to go to Curaçao, the Caribbean, after Mid-Ohio, where I’ll see my girlfriend for the first time since January 4th. Then she’s going to come to Nashville, so she’s going to stay for a long time.
Yeah, just going to relax a little bit, and yeah, try to build up the recovery in my shoulder and try to build up all the workouts.

Q. Has your girlfriend been to an INDYCAR race before?
RINUS VEEKAY: She has not. Unfortunately with COVID it’s hard to get her across from Europe, but right now if she stays 14 days in the Caribbean, she can get into the U.S.
That’s our plan, and I think she’ll love it, definitely.

THE MODERATOR: Great to see you back up and at it and already training and ready to go this weekend. Thank you so much for doing this this morning, and safe travels to Ohio.

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 RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
JULY 2-4

RACE 10 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON

Chevrolet aiming to add to road course victory total
Team Chevy welcomes VeeKay and Rosenqvist back to lineup

DETROIT (July 1, 2021) – Team Chevy will be buoyed by the return of talented drivers Rinus VeeKay and Felix Rosenqvist for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. The 80-lap race on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is scheduled for Sunday, July 4.

VeeKay was cleared by the INDYCAR medical staff to drive the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing. VeeKay, 20, who in May earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory and became the youngest front-row starter in the history of the Indianapolis 500, underwent outpatient surgery June 15 to repair a collarbone fracture sustained in a cycling accident June 14.

“I am very excited to race this weekend at Mid-Ohio, especially after missing the last race at Road America,” VeeKay said. “I have been working incredibly hard on my recovery, doing all kinds of treatment. I feel I will be right back at the level I was before.”

Rosenqvist was cleared by the INDYCAR medical team to drive the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet after missing the past two races because of an on-track incident June 12 at Belle Isle.

“I am fully ready to get out there and push to the limit again, and I really can’t wait,” he said.

Said Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager Rob Buckner: “We are first and foremost thankful that Rinus and Felix have no lingering effects of their incidents and are cleared to compete for Team Chevy this weekend. They are important members of their respective teams, and we look forward to continuing the prosperous relationships we have built and supporting both drivers to the best of our abilities.”

Rosenqvist’s teammate, Pato O’Ward, a two-time winner and two-time pole sitter this season in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, will look to retake the championship points lead at the venerable road course.

Team Chevy has four wins, eight poles and 20 top-five finishes in the 10 races at Mid-Ohio since its return to manufacturer competition in 2012. Will Power won the first race of the 2020 doubleheader, and since 2012 the diver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet has accrued four pole starts and seven top-five finishes – including an agonizing three runner-up finishes.

Teammate Josef Newgarden, who closely followed Power across the finish line in Race 1 last year, won in 2017. Both are looking for their first victory of the season. Mechanical issues at Detroit and Road America in June stymied strong runs for both NTT INDYCAR SERIES champions.

“The good news is over the last few events is we’ve shown up with quick race cars,” Buckner said. “Having been involved in motorsports for such a long time, if you keep showing up with fast race cars, eventually it’s going to be your day. We’re so close to getting a win with them; it just seems like the last few events haven’t unfolded in our favor.”

Newgarden, who will drive the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, earned the NTT Pole Award and led the most laps in each of the past two races. On-track issues arising late in both races relegated the Tennessee resident to second- and 21st-place finishes.

“I think we have fast cars; it’s just not working out right now. But now we will claw. We will claw our way back,” said Newgarden, who has collected three runner-up finishes this season.

Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, placed third at Road America to buoy his spirits after an issue during a red flag period in Race 1 at Belle Isle negated the impressive drive to his 40th career victory.

NBC will telecast the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio live at noon ET Sunday, July 4. The 80-lap/180.6-mile race will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Practice and qualifications will stream on Peacock.

Team Chevy will be represented by:
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt Racing
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing
Arrow McLaren SP
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP
Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP
Carlin
Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin
Ed Carpenter Racing
Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek
Team Penske
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske
Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske

Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 2012
2021 ­– 3 wins, 4 poles in 9 races
Wins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2, Road America).
2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 races
Wins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)
2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 races
Driver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)
2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 races
Indianapolis 500 win (Will Power)
2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)
2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)
2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);
Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 2012
2014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)
2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)
2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)
Total – 92 wins, 103 earned poles in 158 races


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.

Race weekend: Friday, July 2 – Sunday, July 4
Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a 13-turn, a 2.258-mile road course in Lexington, Ohio
Race distance: 80 laps / 180.64 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.

Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. One additional set of primary tires may be used by teams fielding a rookie driver. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.

Twitter: @Mid_Ohio, @IndyCar, #Honda200, #INDYCAR
Event website: www.midohio.com/
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2020 race winners: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) and Colton Herta (No. 88 Capstone Turbine #ShiftToGreen Honda)

2020 NTT P1 Award winners: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), 1:06.3343, 122.543 mph and Colton Herta (No. 88 Capstone Turbine #ShiftToGreen Honda) 1:26.2788, 94.215 mph

Qualifying record: Simon Pagenaud, 1:03.8700, 127.271 mph, July 30, 2016

NBC Sports telecasts: Qualifying: 8 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (same-day delayed); Race: Noon ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for NBC Sports telecasts this weekend alongside analyst Townsend Bell.

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

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers with Joel Sebastianelli and Alex Wollf in the pit lane. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on SiriusXM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, July 2
2:30-3:15 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, Peacock Premium (live)

Saturday, July 3
9-9:50 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2, Peacock Premium (live)
Noon-1:15 p.m.: Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium (live); TV: NBCSN (8 p.m. ET, Same-day delay)
3:30-4 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Premium (live)

Sunday, July 4
11:58 a.m.: “Drivers, start your engines”
Noon: NBC on air
12:05 p.m.: The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline (80 laps/180.64 miles), NBC (Live)

Race notes:

• There have been seven different winners in nine NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Alex Palou (Barber Motorsports Park, Road America), Colton Herta (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Texas Motor Speedway-1), Pato O’Ward (Texas Motor Speedway-2, Raceway at Belle Isle Park-2), Rinus VeeKay (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Helio Castroneves (Indianapolis 500) and Marcus Ericsson (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1) have all won in 2021. The modern record (1946-present) for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
• There have been eight different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Helio Castroneves and Marcus Ericsson) The only repeat winners in that stretch are O’Ward (Texas-2, 2021 and Belle Isle-2, 2021) and Palou (Barber 2021 and Road America 2021)
• The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by HPD Ridgeline will be the 38th INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Will Power and Colton Herta split the doubleheader races in 2020. Johnny Rutherford won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio in 1980.
• Scott Dixon is the winningest INDYCAR SERIES driver at Mid-Ohio with six victories (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2019). Emerson Fittipaldi won at Mid-Ohio three times, while Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Teo Fabi, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser and Alex Zanardi all won at Mid-Ohio twice. Past winners Dixon, Graham Rahal (2015), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2017), Alexander Rossi (2018) Will Power (2020-Race 1) and Colton Herta (2020-Race 2) are entered this year.
• Will Power has won five poles at Mid-Ohio, the most of any driver. Power won the pole in 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019 and 2020-Race 1. Mid-Ohio pole winners entered in this year’s race are Power, Scott Dixon (2011, 2015), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2013), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Alexander Rossi (2018) and Colton Herta (2020-Race 2).
• Fourteen drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984), Bobby Rahal (1985), Roberto Guerrero (1987), Teo Fabi (1989), Michael Andretti (1990, 1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Patrick Carpentier (2002), Paul Tracy (2003), Scott Dixon (2011), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Alexander Rossi (2018), Will Power (2020-Race 1) and Colton Herta (2020-Race 2)
• Twenty-two drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Mid-Ohio. Scott Dixon (17) has made the most starts at Mid-Ohio among the entered drivers. Ryan Norman, one of four rookies who will make their first start at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut. Thirteen drivers have led laps at the track (Dixon 261, Will Power 205, Josef Newgarden 89, Alexander Rossi 71, Colton Herta 61, Sebastien Bourdais 38, Simon Pagenaud 37, Ryan Hunter-Reay 33, James Hinchcliffe 30, Graham Rahal 27, Takuma Sato 16, Felix Rosenqvist 15 and Marcus Ericsson 1).
• Chip Ganassi Racing has won 11 times at Mid-Ohio, including eight of the 15 races sanctioned by INDYCAR at the track. Ganassi’s winning drivers are Alex Zanardi (1996, 1997), Juan Pablo Montoya (1999), Scott Dixon (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019), Dario Franchitti (2010) and Charlie Kimball (2013).
• Team Penske has 10 wins at the track with Emerson Fittipaldi (1992, 1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994, 1995), Helio Castroneves (2000, 2001), Ryan Briscoe (2008), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2017) and Will Power (2020-Race 1)
• Scott Dixon has finished in the top five in 11 of his 17 starts at Mid-Ohio, including six wins between 2007 and 2020 … Will Power has finished in the top five in nine of his 13 starts at Mid-Ohio … Simon Pagenaud has finished on the podium four times in his previous 11 starts.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
MID-SEASON CHEVROLET RACING CATCH-UP
ROB BUCKNER CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2021

ROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR INDYCAR MET WITH MEDIA VIA CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS CHEVROLET’S PERFORMANCE IN THE 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON THROUGH NINE OF 16 RACES, AND OTHER FUTURE LOOKING TOPICS. FULL TRANSCRIPT:

ROB BUCKNER: “Good morning everyone. Thanks for joining us. Hope everyone’s had a great race season so far and happy to answer any questions on the Chevrolet IndyCar side.”

ROB, HOW HARD IS IT TO FOCUS ON ENGINES FOR 2022 AND ALSO WORKING WITH THE 2.4 PLANS FOR 2023? HAVE YOU HAD TO DOUBLE THE STAFFING SIZE? OR DO YOU JUST SAY, HEY, HERE’S 2022 AND IT’S GOING TO BE MILD IMPROVEMENTS ON 2021, AND FULL FOCUS ON 2.4L (FOR 2023)?

ROB BUCKNER: “Luckily there are a few things that help us there. It’s primarily the homologation table for 2022 is pretty minimal (in terms of changes), so there’s few things we can revisit. The fundamental engine architecture is very similar, and the rulebook is quite similar from purely internal combustion side of things.

“There’s things that as we continue to learn and develop on the 2.4L, from the (2.2L) we’re running now, that could be rolled out for the 2.2L next year in its final year of competition – and vice versa. So there’s more engines running, and the staff is kind of looking after these projects at the same time. Since we know the (2.2L) expiration date is quickly approaching.”

DO YOU THINK THE 2.4L HYBRID, SPEAKING TO VARIOUS INDYCAR MEMBERS, THAT IT’S SEEMING TO BE ON TRACK IN FIRST QUARTER NEXT YEAR, DO YOU THINK THAT’S A FEASIBLE TARGET FOR YOU GUYS?

ROB BUCKNER: “I think so. That’s what we’ve been working towards for our first track test. We’ll keep plugging away at that the second half of this year. The final deciding factor for when it goes on track is going to be integrating the new engine into the car, the cooling system that goes with that, and there’s a lot of parts and pieces that have to come together before we go on track. I think everyone on our side and our competition, there’s been a lot of collaboration to be ready to test for the first time.”

LOOKING AT THE PERFORMANCE OF TEAMS ACROSS THE BOARD THIS YEAR BEYOND TEAM PENSKE, ARROW MCLAREN SP AND ED CARPENTER RACING HAVE STEPPED UP. FOYT AND CARLIN HAVE HAD THEIR MOMENTS. HOW HAPPY YOU HAVE BEEN WITH OTHER TEAMS IN THE ARSENAL?

ROB BUCKNER: “That’s a good one, because that’s an area we have worked hard to address is the depth of the Chevy program. (Rinus) VeeKay in the 21 car and everyone at Ed Carpenter Racing have had their heads down and been digging the last couple years, so it’s been great to see them get some results with the 21 car. That was a really big win – seeing an Ed Carpenter Racing win at Indianapolis was really special for all of us being involved with him since 2012, Tim Broyles and that whole group. Really happy for them; their month of May performance wasn’t just great for them but it was great from the Chevrolet perspective.

“You mentioned Arrow McLaren SP, and that program has turned out to be pretty much everything we had hoped for when we laid that out a couple of years ago and where we could go. We’ve always been excited to have Pato (O’Ward) in a Chevy in IndyCar; he’s a remarkable talent, and we’re hoping we can keep him in the Chevy family for a long time.

“Carlin and Foyt, we try to be very supportive of them and helping them improve.

“Across our whole program, I wouldn’t say we’re satisfied; the results and struggles during May speaks very clearly that there’s a lot of work to be done. Trying to custom tailor our support package to each of our teams to make sure in some instances turn things around and in others keep them going in the right direction. A lot to be working on at the moment.”

HOW DO THE CONVERSATIONS GO WITH PENSKE? NEITHER ONE WANTS TO BE IN THE POSITION THE TEAM IS IN WITHOUT A WIN THIS YEAR, SO HOW DO CHEVY AND PENSKE DISCUSS THAT?

ROB BUCKNER: “The good news is over the last few events is we’ve shown up with quick race cars. Having been involved in motorsports for such a long time, if you keep showing up with fast race cars, eventually it’s going to be your day. So especially leaving Road America; I wish we weren’t coming up to an off weekend! I wish we were going to Mid-Ohio today to keep plugging away at it. We’re so close to getting a win with them; it just seems like the last few events haven’t unfolded in our favor.

“I don’t know how I could task the Chevrolet group with preparing for Detroit or Road America any differently. It’s just circumstance, and eventually we’re going to get there. Both camps are operating that way. Chevrolet, we’re going to help them the best we can and I know from talking to Tim Cindric and Ron Ruzewski, that side is putting in the most effort possible to make sure we can close out the year strong. So far it’s all been very positive dialogue with them. One, if we keep showing up with fast race cars and no one’s style is out of control, we’ll get some wins.”

THESE ENGINES HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE 2012. HOW MUCH DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL IS LEFT IN THESE ENGINES? IS THERE STILL SOMETHING MORE TO FIND IN THE LAST YEAR?

ROB BUCKNER: “For either side, Chevy and our competition, if you stopped now, you’d be left behind next season. For 10 seasons, both sides have been on the path of continuous improvement. You always think you’ve updated and found something to give you a clear advantage, and then you find it’s almost on par with the competition. Each one is driving the other one forward, relentlessly. So we really can’t stop. No doubt if we stopped now, and raced this engine 20-something more times, we’re going to be behind at the end. So there’s always improvements to be made.

“Four or five years ago we could have said, ‘That’s it. Oh, we’ve explored enough and that’s all we can get out of the 2.2L.’ If we would have done that then, we’d be massively behind right now. You have to keep the development process going; running engines on the dyno, revisiting old ideas, maybe hardware development calibration. We won’t consider the 2.2L development officially 100 percent done until it’s raced its final event.”

IF YOU WERE TO PUT A 2012 SPEC ENGINE AND RACE IT AGAINST A 2021 SPEC ONE THAT JUST COMPLETED ROAD AMERICA, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU SAY HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST DECADE?

ROB BUCKNER: “You’d be making a 2012 engine, probably in the neighborhood of 100 horsepower down to current race engines, while being massively inefficient in comparison with poor drivability. It’s not a very refined package. I think if you could take a 2021 race engine and race it against a field of 2012 cars, it could probably lap the field! It would be unbelievable, and that would be a remarkable performance difference. But that shows how both suppliers have really pushed each other in development and have to continuously be getting better.”

IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE FOR A DO-OVER IN TERMS, NOT IN TERMS OF RESULTS, BUT IN TERMS OF ENGINE CHARACTERISTICS. WE’VE GOTTEN USED TO THE CHEVY BEING STRONG AT THE TOP END AND THE COMPETITION HAVING SLIGHTLY BETTER TORQUE. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED, OR DID THAT ALMOST DEFINE THINGS, AND IS IT SOMETHING YOU CAN DO OVER WITH THE 2.4L?

ROB BUCKNER: “Our focus has always been on high-speed performance, and I don’t think we’ll drastically change that approach with the 2.4L. You spend the majority of wide-open throttle time in high-rev range in an IndyCar event. So some of our fundamental decisions will be similar. Some things in engine design you lock into earlier in the program, like the entire inlet system, engine block, cylinder heads. Some big decisions you make early on; you then carry those forward for years because you don’t get to re-homologate.

“The 2.4L does allow us to do a full clean sheet redesign. Early on, we’ve learned over the 2.2L to make some decisions that could have produced compromises. But engine design is pretty much all about compromises, and the rulebook framework and packaging limitations of the car. I have good faith in our group that we’ll address some of our weak points and the 2.4L will be a good package. I have no doubt our competition is too. The 2023 debut, you’ll see our best and our competition’s best baked in right from the beginning.”

DO YOU EVER REGRET LETTING THEM GO TO TWIN-TURBOS, AFTER THEY STARTED SINGLE TURBOS? OR WORRYING ABOUT CONCESSIONS ON AERO KITS?

ROB BUCKNER: “I always try to be very forward looking, so back in 2012 I was working on production small-block engines for C7 Corvette and some of our light trucks. Chris Berube was around then. I got into IndyCar in 2013 and remember some heartburn around “turbo-gate” – these things become heavily political. For the 2.4L program, we’ll both be twin-turbo, and the rules are slightly adjusted.”

YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH KEVIN MAGNUSSEN THIS WEEKEND. WHAT WAS HIS FEEDBACK ON THE INDYCAR ENGINE FRONT?

ROB BUCKNER: “I feel for Kevin because his seat fit was in the middle of last week and then Road America is a tough place to go into without a test. A 45-minute session, you might get 2-3 representative laps. He was drinking from a firehose all weekend. The team really enjoyed working with him.

“His engine feedback was interesting. He had a lot of similarities to others; he said our package can be a little difficult to drive, nothing too surprising. It’s very impressive he drove the car for 45 minutes and basically gave us the same summary of strengths and weaknesses like guys like Bourdais and Pagenaud, who have driven this package on-and-off since 2012. That speaks to the talent he is.

“It was huge for the Cadillac DPi program to get the win with Kevin, Renger and Ganassi in Detroit. We hope to see him around some more. He’s a great talent. Both Haas (F1) drivers have shown that once they get in equal equipment to their competition, they’re very talented.”

IT’S A PRETTY CLOSE MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE. AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE END OF THE YEAR, SOMETIMES CARS CAN’T SCORE POINTS, HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT AS THE YEAR GOES ON?

ROB BUCKNER: “The best thing we can do on our side is keep our entries to four engines or less for the year, because that keeps them points eligible. So there’s a big focus on making sure the 11 full-time entries are eligible to score points, particularly for the West Coast swing towards the end of the year. Because if some are on engine five, the situation could be close enough where that’s the deciding factor. The easiest way to ensure it is to go 1-2 and sit on the pole, and score the maximum 96 points. Focus on winning races and the manufacturer’s stuff will take care of itself!”

TO THAT END, WAS IT A RELIEF THAT TORONTO WASN’T REPLACED?

ROB BUCKNER: “All of us were disheartened by that news (of Toronto being canceled). Not so much that Toronto is not being replaced. It was very sad that the event was canceled. That’s one of my favorite events of the year.

“I understand the logic behind them not replacing it, and not doing a doubleheader. For us it was decided early enough that it gives us more flexibility; engine mileage will be down, so that helps from going to engine three to engine four, and makes engine five less likely to happen. No pushback from us on not doing a doubleheader at Mid-Ohio or Gateway. We honestly got tired of doubleheaders in 2020, so this was the right thing to do.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN IS CHEVROLET’S ONLY FULL-TIME ROOKIE THIS YEAR WITH TEAM PENSKE. HOW HAVE YOU EVALUATED HOW YOU THOUGHT HE’D DO AGAINST HOW HE’S FULLY DONE?

ROB BUCKNER: “I can’t think of a harder year to be a rookie because of the depth of teams and drivers! It’s unbelievable when you look at the top 10, and how hard it is to practice, qualify or race in the top 10. There’s not a lot of testing. Scott’s transition is very similar to Jimmie’s, but coming from a grand touring, heavy car with small tires to an open-wheel car. Scott’s been his own biggest critic and a bit hard on himself.

“All of us on the competition side think once he figures this out, he’ll be one of the top talents in the series. We’re just supporting him all we can with simulation time. He’s got great teammates to lean on at Team Penske. Imagine being a rookie with those three experienced drivers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the podium or winning a race before the end of the year.”

DOES WINNING AT MID-OHIO CARRY MORE SIGNIFICANCE AS IT’S AN EVENT SPONSORED BY YOUR COMPETITION?

ROB BUCKNER: “Ha! There’s some of that with both sides, and they love to be successful in Detroit with our banners all over the place. We feel the same way when we go to Barber, or Toronto, or Mid-Ohio. We don’t circle the event, let’s go test here or spend a bunch more time in the simulator. But yes, it’s gratifying when you’re successful there!”

DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY EXTRA CARS THE REST OF THE SEASON AT SELECTED RACES?

ROB BUCKNER: “There’s been a lot of interest, which is good. It’s remarkable the interest level around Nashville. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a pretty big car count there. Long Beach is always of big interest as well. It goes to the health of the series. Sponsors want to be at these events. For us, leaving the Indy 500, we have quite a few low-mileage engines due to our car count at Indy, so doing one-off entries later in the season is pretty easy for us from an engine perspective. We just need the people to be able to support that. We have a few teams talking to us about additional part-time entries, and hopefully they announce it soon on their end. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some really healthy car counts at some of these big events.”

WHEN GANASSI RAN WITH CHEVROLET FOR THREE SEASONS, 2014-2016, ONE OF THE DEFINING QUALITIES THAT DIXON DESCRIBED BETWEEN THE TWO WAS THAT CHEVROLET HAD FEWER OPTIONS TO TAILOR TO A SPECIFIC DRIVER’S OUTPUT. WHEREAS THE OTHER COMPETITOR COULD HAVE DIFFERENT MAPS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT’S CHANGED OVER THE YEARS AND MAY CHANGE GOING INTO THE 2.4L ERA?

ROB BUCKNER: “It’s always interesting the 2 groups. Our group tries to be pretty controlled and don’t like running things on the track we haven’t run on the dynos; I don’t see that changing too drastically. I think it’s easy to overlook the challenge of running 11 cars nearly all the same and expecting them to be reliable. So that’s one of the reasons we don’t let our trackside engineers go too crazy on calibration changes. You’d end up with 11 cars on different calibrations and probably hurt some hardware. Clearly there are other ways to do it, but we always prioritize proven options to minimize our risks to hurt performance or reliability. We’ve changed a lot since 2016, yes, but overall we go to the track with proven concepts backed by data.”

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.

Pataskala, Ohio (28 June 2021) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will make its second trip this season to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – its home track – but this time for the NTT INDYCAR Series, Honda Indy 200 on Sunday (12:00pm ET, NBC).

Heading back to the site of his first victory in North America (Indy Lights), Jack Harvey will look to do the same in INDYCAR competition this weekend with the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda.

Harvey has shown considerable pace this season that has seen him compete at the front of the highly competitive Indy Car field. Harvey’s last outing at Mid-Ohio saw him finish seventh, his best career INDYCAR finish at the central Ohio circuit.

Although MSR is still aiming to capture its first INDYCAR podium at its home track, the team has scored three podium finishes in IMSA competition at the track where team co-owner Mike Shank first started the team.

“Everyone at MSR is looking forward to racing at Mid-Ohio, the obvious reason being that it’s the home race for the team and the home race for Honda,” said Harvey. “We’ve had some good success and good potential at Mid-Ohio in the past, and it’s where I got my first win (Indy Lights), so I’m excited to be headed there this weekend. We’ve shown a lot of pace this year with the 60 car and our focus is to bring home the result that I know we are capable of.”

The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will be broadcast live on NBC starting at 12:00pm ET on Sunday, July 4. SiriusXM will provide IndyCar Radio coverage on XM Ch. 205.