CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
REV GROUP GRAND PRIX
ROAD AMERICA IN ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
JUNE 18-20
RACE 9 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON
Chevrolet carries momentum to Road America
Team Chevy coming off win, four podium finishers at Detroit doubleheader
DETROIT (June 16, 2021) – Runner-up in the second race of the July 2020 doubleheader at Road America was Pato O’Ward’s calling card entering the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
Now, with confidence garnered from two victories in the past five races with a fast Chevrolet-powered race car, the 22-year-old Arrow McLaren SP driver is looking forward to settling some unfinished business this weekend at Road America.
O’Ward recorded his first Series pole on the 4-mile, 14-turn road course, led 43 of the 55 laps and wound up second to current teammate Felix Rosenqvist in the second race. In the opener, O’Ward advanced four positions to finish eighth.
“It’s not easy to compete in INDYCAR. I think we showed we’re contenders,” O’Ward said after the race at the Wisconsin venue.
He has consistently showed the race craft, poise and demeanor not only of a contender for race wins but a title threat through the first half of the season. O’Ward moved to the top of the championship standings with a victory and third-place finish from the pole in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader last weekend on the Belle Isle temporary street circuit. His second win of the season also pushed Chevrolet to the top of the Manufacturers’ Championship standings.
“Obviously, there’s been very high and very low moments. But these guys gave me an opportunity, and I told them I will get you your wins and I will get you your results, so I hope my bosses are proud of me” O’Ward said. “I’m very excited to see what we can accomplish in the next years.”
In the short term, securing another solid result in the 55-lap Rev Group Grand Prix presented by AMR on Sunday, June 20, is the goal shared by O’Ward and 10 other Team Chevy drivers.
Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power will seek their second win at the facility since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2016 after a seven-year absence. Both won from the pole, and Power has added second-place finishes the past two years.
There are two changes to the Team Chevy lineup for the race weekend due to drivers not being medically cleared by INDYCAR to compete.
Oliver Askew, the 2019 Indy Lights champion, will drive the No. 21 Direct Supply Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing after Rinus VeeKay underwent successful outpatient surgery for a fractured left clavicle sustained Monday, June 14, in a cycling incident. Askew, 24, who made 12 NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts in 2020, most recently filled the seat of the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet in the second race at Belle Isle after Felix Rosenqvist crashed in Race 1 and was not cleared to drive.
In Rosenqvist’s place this weekend, Formula One veteran Kevin Magnussen will be behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut. Magnussen, 28, who drove for McLaren in F1, co-drove a Cadillac prototype to an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship overall victory last weekend in Detroit.
NBCSN will telecast the REV Group Grand Prix live at noon ET Sunday, June 20. The 55-lap/220.5-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
Kevin Magnussen, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP
Carlin
Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin
Ed Carpenter Racing
Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force
Oliver Askew, No. 21 Direct Supply
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
Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 2012
2021 – 3 wins, 3 poles in 8 races
Wins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2).
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, 102 earned poles in 157 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.
