CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDY GP OF ALABAMA – APRIL 17-18
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
LEEDS. ALABAMA
APRIL 14, 2021
RACE 1 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES:
DETROIT (April 14, 2021) – Chevrolet teams and drivers, buoyed by strong on-track test outings and off-track preparations, enter the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with high expectations for continued success.
Since rejoining INDYCAR manufacturer competition in 2012, Chevrolet has amassed an impressive 89 victories and 99 earned poles in 149 races on the way to securing six Engine Manufacturer Championships and seven Driver/Owner Championships. Team Penske and Ed Carpenter Racing have contributed to the achievements since 2012.
Chevrolet scored seven wins and 11 poles during the 2020 season truncated because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eleven cars powered by Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 engine will seek to take the checkered flag in the opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama powered by AmFirst on April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park.
“As Chevrolet enters its 10th consecutive year of NTT INDYCAR SERIES engine manufacturer competition, we want to thank our partners and teams for the major accomplishments through the years,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager. “That dedication to a collaborative effort resulted in maximizing available off-season testing in preparation of for the 2021 season. With a talented lineup of drivers and skilled teams backed by Chevy power, we look forward to achieving more milestones this season.”
Chevrolet has won six of the past eight races on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, is the only three-time winner.
“I think we’ve got a good opportunity to come out pretty strong this year,” said Newgarden, who won from the pole in 2018 along with victories in 2015 and ’17. “I think we’ve done a lot of good work this off-season. I’m very encouraged about everywhere we’re going, to be honest, Barber included. I can’t wait to get going this weekend.”
Newgarden, runner-up in the 2020 championship standings, also posted top-five finishes in 2019 and 2016 on the natural-terrain course that features 80 feet of elevation change. Teammates Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, and Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet, have also notched victories.
Team Penske will field a fourth full-season Chevrolet entry driven by three-time Australian SuperCar champion Scott McLaughlin, who made his Series debut in the 2020 finale.
“This track requires a lot of commitment, a lot of bravery and a lot of commitment to the aerodynamics of the car,” he said of Barber Motorsports Park. “That’s something I’m getting used to right now. Having a couple test days puts me in good stead knowing what I’ve got and what I will have chassis-wise when we hit the track on Saturday morning.”
Felix Rosenqvist, who edged Pato O’Ward for the victory at Road America last season, has joined Arrow McLaren SP as O’Ward’s teammate in the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet, returns to A.J. Foyt Enterprises after competing in eight races in 2020. He will be joined for the full season by four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet.
Veteran Conor Daly will drive the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing in road/street course events, with the team namesake taking the wheel on ovals. Daly will also drive in the Indianapolis 500 for the team. Rinus VeeKay, the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year, returns to Ed Carpenter Racing in the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet.
NBC will telecast the 90-lap/214-mile race at 3 p.m. ET April 18. The 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, live qualifications and the race day warm-up will stream on Peacock Premium.
Team Chevy will be represented by:
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT
Arrow McLaren SP
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP
Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP
Carlin
Max Chilton, No. 59 Carlin
Ed Carpenter Racing
Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek
Team Penske
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske
Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske
HISTORICAL 2012 TO PRESENT – CHEVROLET V6 TWIN TURBOCHARGED DIRECT INJECTED 2.2-LITER ENGINE SUPPLIER IN INDYCAR:
2012 – 11 wins
*First win as IndyCar V6 2.2 liter engine supplier (3/25/2012) – Helio Castroneves, Streets of St. Petersburg
*First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 IZOD IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
*First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Driver Championship – Ryan Hunter-Reay (also won Oval Track Championship)
*First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Road Course Championship – Will Power
2013 – 10 wins
*First Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Tony Kanaan
*Second Consecutive IZOD IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
*Repeat IZOD IndyCar Series Road Course Championship – Will Power
2014 – 12 wins
*Second Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Will Power
*Third Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
2015 – 10 wins
*Third Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Scott Dixon
*Fourth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
*Second Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Juan Pablo Montoya
2016 – 14 wins
*Fourth Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship — Simon Pagenaud
*Fifth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
2017 – 10 wins
*Fifth Verizon IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Josef Newgarden
*Sixth Consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
2018 – 6 wins
*Third Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Will Power
2019 – 9 wins
*Fourth Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Indianapolis 500 win – Simon Pagenaud
*Sixth NTT IndyCar Series Driver Championship – Josef Newgarden
2020 – 7 wins
* Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1), Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indianapolis road course1 October, St. Petersburg), Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indianapolis road course October2)
TOTAL V6 WINS: 89 wins, 99 poles (And 5 pole starts based on entrant points for total of 104) in 149 races
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. 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 www.chevrolet.com.
