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[/media-credit]DETROIT – (June 6, 2012) – It is back to oval track racing for the Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 teams, this time at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). On the IZOD IndyCar schedule since 1997, fans have been treated to competitive racing with close finishes.
“Heading back to an oval means a shift in not only setup for the cars, but the mental approach to the racing for our Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 teams and drivers,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager for the IZOD IndyCar Series. “Having an early-season test to establish a baseline, and then another test to measure the results has provided valuable information to them for this weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Our Bowtie teams and technical partners are focused and working hard on optimizing the cars to compete for the win.”
Four current Chevy drivers have TMS victories on their resumes. Helio Castroneves has taken Team Penske to the Winner’s Circle three times (2004, 2006 and 2009). His teammates have also scored wins at TMS. Ryan Briscoe won in 2010 and Will Power wore the Texas-sized winner’s cowboy hat in 2011.
Before heading to Texas for the Firestone 550, KV Racing Technology and former TMS winner (2004) Tony Kanaan will make a trip to fellow Team Chevy driver Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway to compete in the ‘Prelude to the Dream’. Wednesday night’s race will mark the third time the 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series champion has participated in the charity event.
“Racing on ovals has always been an integral part of IndyCar racing,” Berube concluded. “And TMS has long been a fan favorite. We have several teams and drivers who have had great success at the track over the years. We are looking forward to leading the continuation of the great, tight racing we have seen all season.”
While 2012 marks the debut of the all-new Chevy V-6 direct injected twin turbo charged purpose built engine fueled by renewable E85, the Bowtie brand competed previously in Indy-style competition as an engine manufacturer in 1986-93 and 2002-05 with V-8 engines. During that period, Chevrolet drivers notched three wins at TMS – 2002 (both races that season) and 2005.
For this event the Corvette Grand Sport will take center stage. All of the 13 Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 drivers in the field for Saturday night’s race will follow the white 2012 model of the iconic nameplate on the pace laps prior to the green flag of the 228-lap race.
For the fans, the Chevy Racing display will provide the opportunity to get up-close to many vehicles from the full Chevrolet line-up. There will be a test drive for fans to take a spin in their favorite model. Also on display will be a variety of parts and accessories from Chevrolet Performance customers can get from their local Chevy dealer for their own Chevrolet. Crate engines will be on display, and interactive games will entertain fans of all ages. Several of the Chevrolet IndyCar stars will make appearances at the Display throughout the race weekend. Fans should visit the Display for the driver line-up and times. The display will be open Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The Firestone 550 is scheduled to start on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET) with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network.
Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 94 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 212. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at www.indy.car.com.
Fans can follow Team Chevy on Team Chevy Facebook, @TeamChevy on Twitter and on Google+.
CHEVROLET INDYCAR V-6
FAST FACTS
FIRESTONE 550
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
JUNE 8-9, 2012
- · Chevrolet has won three previous IndyCar races at Texas Motor Speedway
- § Jeff Ward, 2002
- § Sam Hornish, Jr., 2002
- § Tomas Scheckter, 2005
- · Four current Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 drivers have victories at Texas Motor Speedway
- § Helio Castroneves, Three (3) wins (2004, 2006, 2009)
- § Tony Kanaan (2004)
- § Ryan Briscoe (2010)
- § Will Power (2011)
- · After five races, seven (7) Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 drivers are in the top-10 in the standings:
- § 1. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, 232 (3 wins)
- § 3. Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Chevrolet, 177 (1 win)
- § 4. James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 Team Go.Daddy.com Chevrolet, 176
- § 7. Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Chevrolet, 169
- § 8. Ryan Briscoe, No. 2 IZOD Chevrolet, 142
- § 9. Tony Kanaan, No. 11 GEICO/MOUSER Electronics Chevrolet, 141
- § 10. Oriol Servia, No. 22 Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet, 129
- · The all-new Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 has won four of the five races in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Season
- § Streets of St. Petersburg – Helio Castroneves
- § Barber Motorsports Park – Will Power
- § Streets of Long Beach – Will Power
- § Streets of Sao Paulo – Will Power
