CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
GENESYS 300
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FT. WORTH, TEXAS
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
JUNE 5, 2020
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
GENESYS 300
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FT. WORTH, TEXAS
JUNE 6, 2020
RACE #1 OF 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERES:
It’s time to race! After waiting for almost three months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine, the Chevrolet powered IndyCar teams and drivers are ready to kickoff the 2020 season Saturday night under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway. It will be the 24th consecutive season the NTT INDYCAR SERES will bring the excitement of INDYCAR to the famed Texas oval. Team Chevy drivers have posted eight victories on the 1.5-mile oval dating back to 2002 when Jeff Ward took the first trip with Texas Victory Lane with Chevy Power.
Starting his march toward his second Series’ Championship, Josef Newgarden drove his Chevrolet powered Team Penske car to the win at TMS in 2019. With a total of four wins and seven podiums, Newgarden was crowned the NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion following the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in September, 2019.
BOWTIE BULLETS
· Since returning to INDYCAR manufacturer competition in 2012, Chevrolet has amassed 82 wins and 92 poles in 135 races along with six Manufacturer Championships.
· Of active Team Chevy drivers, Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet has won twice at Texas (2011 and 2017), Tony Kanaan, No. 14 7-Eleven AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet has one Texas win (2004, the same year he won the Series’ championship), Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet (2014) and Newgarden’s 2019 win. Team Chevy’s Helio Castroneves has the most Texas wins with four. Although not full-time in the Series, Chevrolet will welcome him back to join the Team Penske camp for the Indianapolis 500 currently scheduled for August 23, 2020. Castroneves will be racing for his record-tying fourth win.
· Team Chevy drivers have won five of the eight races run at TMS since the highly successful Chevrolet 2.2 liter V6 engine program began competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2012.
· Power is second all-time INDYCAR pole winner with 57 (behind only Mario Andretti with 67).
· The Genesys 300 (200 laps/300 miles will be the debut race for two rookie full-season drivers for Team Chevy: Oliver Askew (Arrow McLaren SP) and Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing).
TUNE-IN:
The Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway gets underway on Saturday, June 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage will air on NBC, Pennzoil IndyCar Radio, Sirius Channel 211, XM Channel 205 and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES app. Pre-race coverage will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
ROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES:
“The Chevy powered teams are locked and loaded to officially get the NTT INDYCAR SERIES kicked off this Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway. Our Chevrolet engineers and technical partners have worked hard with each team to be as prepared as possible given the condensed schedule for the day. But racing under the lights at Texas is always exciting and a favorite for the drivers and fans, It will be a new experience for us to race without the fans physically present, but I know every Chevrolet team and their drivers will work hard to give the fans at home a great race and let them know INDYCAR is back on-track.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:
“I am really excited to get back to racing, but we as a sport understand there is a lot of pressure on us to do everything right. I have the utmost confidence in our team, the series and the track that we will do everything to keep the entire INDYCAR community safe, all while putting on a good show. It will be interesting to finally get back on the track and have the first race be one of the most intense we have all year at Texas. That place takes a lot focus and is so fast. But I’m always confident with the car we bring to the track. This will also be our first race with XPEL on my Chevy. They’re a relatively new partner of ours and it’s great they will get to be on the car for our first race of the year. I just want to put on a great show for our fans that will be watching at home on NBC. All of us will miss seeing our fans out there, but we k now they will support us by tuning in.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET:
“I’m really excited to get back on track in the No. 4 Novo Nordisk Chevrolet especially at Texas Motor Speedway having sat on pole there with the track record in 2017 and being back with my INDYCAR family as socially distant as it will be. It will be hard and very different to be racing without fans, especially the Team Chevy fans, at the race track because that interaction is a large part of what I love about being at the race track. I’m glad everyone will be staying healthy and safe and able to watch the race live on NBC on Saturday night in primetime under the lights. It’s an honor for me to be a teammate again to Tony Kanaan as he starts his Last Lap [tour] in INDYCAR driving the 14 car. For me, getting to race for A.J. Foyt in his home state of Texas is extra special. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Billie Jean King, she says ‘Pressure is a privilege,’ so the added pressure of performing for A.J. in Texas is a privilege that I look forward to stepping up to.”
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:
“Finally, it’s race week! All of us at Arrow McLaren SP are so ready to get started. To be honest, it feels a bit weird, a bit funky. Everything has been stopped for so long that it’s hard to believe we are going to be racing this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting started and getting back into it with the team. I know it’s going to take a few laps to get back up to speed. I’m feeling a little rusty but we are definitely going to be as prepared as we can so we can use our time efficiently with everything is compressed into one single day. We are definitely ready and looking forward to the race. Let’s go!”
OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:
“Everyone at Arrow McLaren SP, including me, is ready to go. I think with the extra time to prepare, we are more ready than we were before St. Pete. It will be a challenge for sure, being my first INDYCAR race, but I’m looking forward to taking in the experience and putting on a show on NBC for our partners and fans at home.”
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:
“I cannot wait to get back on track this weekend at Texas. It feels like it’s been a year since we were on the track for pre-season testing at COTA, then when we were in St. Pete. But the delay was the right thing to do – to make sure we are doing this right as a sport and taking all the proper precautions. I have seen a lot of the plans and we know INDYCAR has taken a lot of time to figure everything out to put on a good show, but to do it with everyone’s safety as the first priority. Once we get there and get in the swing of things, it will also be interesting to finally get a race with the new windscreen. On top of that, it will be the first time anyone has run the windscreen at night, so it should be a new experience for all of us. We don’t really know how the cars are going to react, so the one practice session will be really important. But we are all professionals and it will come back to all of us rather quickly. Also this is such a big opportunity to race on NBC. I know the fans will be tuning in this weekend. It won’t be the same without them there but safety is the most important thing and we can’t wait to see them back at track with us soon.”
TONY KANAAN, NO 14 7-ELEVEN AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET:
“I can’t express in words how happy I am to be back racing in the NTT INDYCAR Series this Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway. It’s our first race of the season and we all want to put on a good show for the fans who will be watching on NBC during primetime TV. We’re living through unprecedented times, so being able to give our fans good entertainment to watch is key. 7-Eleven is back on board for this race with an awesome throwback paint scheme on the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Chevy and we’re hungry for a good result. It’s going to be a one day event with a lot going on for us at the track, but I couldn’t be happier to get the #TKLastLap campaign going and to be in a race car again, especially in Texas, home state of A.J. and 7-Eleven.”
ED CAPRENTER, NO. 20 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:
“Saturday cannot get here quick enough! I am so happy to know we are finally getting our season started. Texas Motor Speedway is one of my favorite stops of the year. I hope to find success and start off the season on a high note. I am very thankful for the hard work that INDYCAR, TMS, Eddie Gossage and Governor Abbott have put in to make this happen.”
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:
“I am extremely happy to finally be back in the U.S. and be able to make my NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut this weekend! It will be quite an experience for my first race but the team and I are fully prepared to have our best possible performance!”
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 DXC TECHNOLOGY TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:
“I am thrilled to finally go INDYCAR Series racing. These times made me realize that racing is a full part of me and I have dedicated myself to it. We wish fans could be with us at Texas but understand safety is the most important thing for everyone involved. We will however provide the usual exciting entertainment that INDYCAR racing can provide while we can’t wait to see our fans back at the track again soon. We have had great success with the DXC Technology Chevrolet over the years and it will be an honor to take them on for our return at Texas which is such a tricky oval. We have a lot of exciting news in INDYCAR with the unveiling of the aeroscreen and its safety improvement for the drivers. We have a very interesting field with great rookies. It will definitely be a race and a season not to miss.”
CONOR DALY, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET:
“First of all, I’m obviously very excited to get back to racing and get back out there on track – that’s the coolest part of this whole deal. I think it’s safe to say that we’re all more than just a little anxious to get to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. On top of that, it’s an incredible accomplishment for me to back with a team I did this race with last year – that’s never happened before in my career. I had a great race last year with Carlin in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet, so I’m excited to work on what we developed last year and not have to start from square one especially with the condensed schedule. We’re just going to do everything we can to come away with an ever better result this year and build on what we have. I think it’ll put a smile on everyone’s face just to be back at a race track.”
Chevrolet INDYCAR Series Statistics
Chevrolet has recorded six NTT IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championships since returning to manufacturer competition in 2012.
Chevrolet earned six consecutive CART Manufacturers’ Cup championships from 1988-93.
Chevrolet has recorded 12 driver championships, including four in the past five years.
Chevrolet has recorded 193 wins in Indy-style racing, including USAC, CART, Indy Racing League and IndyCar Series since 1965.
Chevrolet’s initial win, under USAC sanction, was by Al Unser in the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb on July 4, 1965.
Chevrolet has 82 wins and 92 poles in 135 in IndyCar Series races since returning to manufacturer competition in 2012.
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
