Race weekend: Friday, Aug. 28 – Sunday, Aug. 30
Track: World Wide Technology Raceway, a 1.25-mile oval in Madison, Illinois
Race distance: 200 laps / 250 miles (each race)
Firestone tire allotment: Fourteen sets for use throughout the weekend
Twitter: @WWTRaceway, @IndyCar, #Bommarito500, #IndyCar
Event website: http://www.wwtraceway.com/
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2019 race winner: Takuma Sato (No. 30 Mi-Jack/Panasonic Honda)
2019 NTT P1 Award winner: Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet), 48.2554 seconds, 186.508 mph)
One-lap qualifying record: Will Power, 23.7206 seconds, 189.709 mph, Aug. 25, 2017
NBCSN television broadcasts: Race 1, 3 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 29 (live); Race 2, 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 30 (live); Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for the NBCSN telecasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy.
NBC Sports Gold livestreaming: Friday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice session (4:30 pm ET) and Saturday’s qualifying (Noon) will stream live on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.
Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query is the turn announcer. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES races are broadcast live on Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Live coverage of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying is available on XM 205, IndyCar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, Aug. 28
4:30-6 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice #1, NBC Sports Gold (live)
Saturday, Aug. 29
Noon – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Single car, Two laps (Lap 1/Race 1; Lap 2/Race 2), NBC Sports Gold (Live)
3 p.m. – NBCSN on air
3:40 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”
3:45 p.m. – Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta & Valvoline · Race 1 (200 laps/250 miles), NBCSN (Live)
Sunday, Aug. 30
3 p.m. – NBCSN on air
3:40 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”
3:45 p.m. – Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta & Valvoline · Race 2 (200 laps/250 miles), NBCSN (Live)
Race notes:
- The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta & Valvoline doubleheader will be the 11th and 12th Indy car race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Takuma Sato won the race in 2019. Paul Tracy won the first Indy car race at Gateway in 1997. Sato, Will Power (2018) and Josef Newgarden (2017) are the only former winners entered in this year’s race.
- The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta & Valvoline will be the first doubleheader event at World Wide Technology Raceway and the 12th INDYCAR oval doubleheader held since 1967. The last doubleheader was in July at Iowa Speedway.
- The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta & Valvoline will be the fifth and sixth oval races of the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. The previous oval races were won by Scott Dixon (Texas Motor Speedway), Simon Pagenaud (Iowa Speedway-1), Josef Newgarden (Iowa Speedway-2) and Takuma Sato (Indianapolis Motor Speedway).
- Three drivers have won at World Wide Technology Raceway from the pole – Juan Pablo Montoya (2000), Gil de Ferran (2002) and Helio Castroneves (2003).
- Team Penske has won five times at World Wide Technology Raceway. Penske’s winning drivers are Paul Tracy (1997), Gil de Ferran (2002), Helio Castroneves (2003), Josef Newgarden (2017) and Will Power (2018). Chip Ganassi Racing has two wins at Gateway, with Alex Zanardi (1998) and Juan Pablo Montoya (2000).
- Eighteen drivers entered in the event have competed in past Indy car races at World Wide Technology Park. Tony Kanaan has seven starts, most among the entered drivers. Fourteen entered drivers have led laps at the track (Scott Dixon 223, Josef Newgarden 220, Will Power 99, Santino Ferrucci 97, Takuma Sato 65, Kanaan 21, Simon Pagenaud 13, Colton Herta 10, Marco Andretti 4, Alexander Rossi 4, Marcus Ericsson 2, Zach Veach 2, Conor Daly 1 and Felix Rosenqvist 1).
- Three rookies – Oliver Askew, Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay – are expected to compete. All three rookies, plus Pato O’Ward and Jack Harvey, also will make their first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start at World Wide Technology Raceway.
BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500 PRE-EVENT QUOTES:
JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet): “I’m really excited for Gateway. While Indy was a really tough race, we had a decent finish, but it just wasn’t our year. We had a really strong car and learned a few things we’re going to try on the Hitachi Chevy this weekend at Gateway. It’s a much smaller oval than Indianapolis, so it can be a tricky race, and this weekend is a doubleheader, so we’ll have two chances to win there. We really need a solid weekend to keep racking up points for the championship, so that will be a huge focus for us.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 4 Tresiba/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): “After learning a lot in a very different-looking Indy 500, I am excited to get back on track at WWT Raceway for two races. The AJ Foyt Racing team had a great podium last year on the outskirts of St Louis, and we have high hopes for the No. 4 Tresiba Chevrolet for this weekend.”
PATO O’WARD (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet): “The last time I was at Gateway (World Wide Technology Raceway) was in 2018 with Indy Lights, and I had a solid run, finishing in third. The whole Arrow McLaren SP team is going to be pushing hard to get the best out of our cars and get to the top step of the podium this weekend. The hard work of the entire team paid off at Indy, and hopefully it will again.”
OLIVER ASKEW (No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet): “I’m looking forward to putting the Indy 500 behind us but continuing our strong form on ovals. Gateway (World Wide Technology Raceway) in St. Louis is a place that I love visiting and a track that I’ve had a lot of success at in the past. I also can’t wait to see the fans in the stands, which is something I really miss. The working relationship between Arrow McLaren SP and Chevrolet is getting stronger every weekend and every chance we have on track, so we are looking forward to continuing to learn as much as possible together.”
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “My team has been working hard ever since Sunday to turn my Verizon Chevy around for this weekend’s race at Gateway. Going from such a large oval to a small one, we will have to adjust our strategy quite a bit, but I think we learned some things about the car this past weekend we can apply at Gateway. Running two races at Iowa will help us prepare, as well, since it’s also a small oval. Having a good idea on how the Aeroscreen impacts that track will be important, for sure. We also normally run races at Gateway at night. With this being in the afternoon, we’ll have to adjust our plan from what we’ve done there in the past, but we all feel great going into this weekend.”
TONY KANAAN (No. 14 Big Machine Vodka AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): “I’m excited to return to St. Louis this weekend after our podium there last year. The promoters at World Wide Technology Raceway have done a terrific job working with the local authorities to provide a race where fans could go and have an opportunity for entertainment in a safe and socially distanced environment, and I’m really looking forward to seeing them at the track. When I announced the TK Last Lap in January of this year, no one had an idea of what 2020 had in store for us, so being able to have fans at these last two races of my season is really special for me. I want to put on a good show for them and for the fans at home, as well.”
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 United Rentals Honda): “I’m excited about the opportunity for the championship. I feel like we’re in a really good spot in fourth, and we’ve got some bright days ahead. We’ve had a really consistent year. I wish we hadn’t wasted some of the opportunities we had at Road America and Texas because we’d surely be even further up in the hunt, but we’re excited about what we’ve got, and I hope we can continue to have a great run to the finish line for the United Rentals car in both races at WWTR. I feel like we should be good at St. Louis. Obviously, Takuma won there last year, and we were good last year until the exhaust cracked. We’ve just got to keep working on our short oval cars. We were strong in Iowa, but how much of that we can take and apply at St. Louis is the question. I hope and I expect us to be pretty strong. I feel like the 15 team has done an amazing job this year. We have been the most consistent of our cars this year, and I just feel like our guys deserve a win, so hopefully we can break through here and make it happen. The pit stops have been amazing, as has car preparation and everything else. We’ve got to stay confident and got to keep working hard, and I think it will come. It will be great to have fans back in the stands at World Wide Technology Raceway. We anticipate a great weekend of racing with the doubleheader. Hopefully, everyone will come out and have some fun.”
SANTINO FERRUCCI (No. 18 SealMaster Honda): “We’re coming off the Indy 500 with huge momentum heading into the Bommarito Automotive Group doubleheader. I’m super confident we can build on that momentum, and I can’t wait to get back to racing for SealMaster, Bommarito and all of our sponsors. We felt like we had the race won last year, leading almost 100 laps. So, I’ve been waiting to get back there ever since. I think we have a really good chance at getting a win, especially with the doubleheader format.”
ED CARPENTER (No. 20 United States Air Force Chevrolet): “After a tough Indy 500, I am happy to be able to climb back aboard the No. 20 Chevrolet this weekend and return to WWT Raceway. We plan to pick up where we left off last year and once again finish my season on the podium.”
RINUS VEEKAY (No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet): “WWT Raceway coming up next! The Indy 500 was really tough for the whole team but only a few days until we are on track again turning left. I’m really looking forward to Gateway. Last year, ECR showed they have good cars and are capable of good finishes there. I’ve won a race there, too, so it’s a good combination. I cannot wait to get out there for two races.”
SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): “The Indianapolis 500 was really tough. We had some really bad luck, but we’re excited for a chance to turn that around this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway in the Menards Chevy. With two races this weekend, we have two chances to run hard and try and get more championship points. We lost some momentum after the last race, but we still have a shot at it, so we’re going to race hard. Gateway is a really fun little oval that is really fun to race at. I know my guys are working hard turning around the car from Indy for this weekend, and I know they’re putting something great together.”
TAKUMA SATO (No. 30 ABeam Consulting Honda): “Last year’s race was a special one. St. Louis is a great track. It’s quite challenging. Turn 1 and 2 and Turns 3 and 4 have quite different characteristics, and that makes for great fun for all of us. Last year it was such a special moment. We had a difficult week the week before and leading up to the event was a tough situation, but I was so pleased with the warm welcome at the venue. So many fans came up to me and cheered us on. What an amazing race result with the win. Even though it was midnight, so many fans remained for the podium. Once again, a great strategy worked, and the No. 30 team was extremely strong. I was very proud of that moment. It is good to return to defend our win after having just won the Indy 500 for a second time.”
ALEX PALOU (No. 55 Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh Honda): “I’m super excited about racing at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) this weekend, mainly because I now have much more experience on an oval with these last two weeks at Indianapolis, where I felt really comfortable. Already in Iowa, I think we made a big step forward, but I think Indy was the big moment where it clicked, and I gained confidence and feel ready to fight for races on ovals. Even if we had the accident, looking back at Indy we had an amazing two weeks. Until that moment, I think we were in a good spot to fight for the win. It was unfortunate and my mistake, but the team showed that we have the speed. Going to Gateway, if we look at the race last year, the team did an amazing job. They were close to accomplishing a 1-2 finish, so hopefully, we can try and do the same this year with Santino (Ferrucci). Last week we had the opportunity to do some simulator work for Gateway, and we learned a lot, I learned even more. It was my first oval work on a simulator, and that always helps me. Hopefully, we can have a really good weekend.”
CONOR DALY (No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet): “I’ve honestly been looking forward to getting back to World Wide Technology Raceway since the checkered flag waved there last year. It’s definitely one of my favorite tracks on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, and after how well we did last year at WWTR, I’m confident that the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet will be great again this year. It’s been a lot of fun being back with Carlin this year for the ovals, and we’ve had really a strong run as a team together so far. So, with this being our last oval of the season, I want to make sure we finish it on a high note.”
JACK HARVEY (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda): “Last weekend at Indy was really great for us and put us in a good headspace going into Gateway. The one thing I think about most about Gateway is the crowd and the energy. It’s nice to hear that fans will be allowed to come to this race. The last three years I’ve sat in the stands, with the fans; it’s just such a fun place. I’m really excited to get to Gateway for the first time.”
