Will final race on Belle Isle be win No. 100 for Chevrolet V6 engine?
DETROIT (June 2, 2022) – Chevrolet will race on home ground this weekend as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on Detroit’s Belle Isle for the final time in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. It’s the seventh round of this year’s championship with Team Chevy continuing its push for a landmark victory in the series.
The next win for Chevrolet will mark its 100th since it returned to INDYCAR in 2012 with its 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine. There might be no better place to do it with the GM Renaissance Center overlooking the racetrack and Chevy’s history at the venue.
Chevrolet has won two of the past four races on Belle Isle and seven times since 2012. This year’s race marks the first time for a single INDYCAR race on Belle Isle after doubleheaders for the last nine years – except for the 2020 event that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With four wins on the season, Chevrolet leads the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer championship, as it has since claiming victory in the season’s first race at St. Petersburg.
This weekend’s race will be the final one on Belle Isle as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will move to a new 10-turn, 1.7-mile layout through the streets of downtown Detroit.
“Racing in Detroit is important for everyone at Chevrolet and General Motors,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet Program Manager for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. “There are so many employees in Detroit who touch this program in some way that never get a chance to see the end result of all their hard work. So it’s great to race in front of them and give them a good show. It’s great from that perspective, but also to continue the long tradition of open-wheel racing in the Motor City. We’re looking to rebound from Indianapolis in a strong way, and getting our 100th win with the 2.2-liter V6 would do the trick.”
Eleven Chevrolet-powered IndyCars are set to tackle Belle Isle this weekend – including Santino Ferrucci filling in for Callum Ilott in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Chevrolet-powered IndyCar. One of the leading contenders will be Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 McLaren Chevrolet from Arrow McLaren SP. He won the second of two races on Belle Isle a year ago and is coming off a runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 500 to go along with a win earlier this year at Barber Motorsports Park.
Team Penske teammates Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Shell Chevrolet) and Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet) already have claimed street circuit victories this year – McLaughlin at St. Petersburg and Newgarden at Long Beach.
He and Team Penske’s Will Power, in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet, are among the other previous Belle Isle winners for Team Chevy. Newgarden was victorious in 2019 and Power won in 2014 and 2016.
While on Belle Isle, Team Chevy fans can enjoy all that the Chevrolet display, located in the heart of the Meijer Fan Zone inside the circuit, has to offer. Included in the display activities will be six Q&A sessions with some of the star Chevrolet drivers and personalities.
Friday
• Noon: Chevrolet Women in Racing Forum
• 1:00 p.m.: Arrow McLaren SP – Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist
• 2:00 p.m.: Ed Carpenter Racing – Rinus VeeKay, Conor Daly
• 2:30 p.m.: Team Penske – Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Will Power
Saturday
• 2:15-2:30 p.m.: Juncos Hollinger Racing – Santino Ferrucci and Callum Ilott
Sunday
• 1:00 p.m.: A.J. Foyt Racing – Dalton Kellett, Tatiana Calderon, Kyle Kirkwood
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• 2023 Corvette Z06 Coupe and Convertible
• Corvette Stingray R concept
• Corvette Stingray 70th Anniversary Edition
• Chevrolet electrical models Bolt EV, Bolt EUV and Silverado EV
• Additional Chevrolet models such as Bolt EUV Premier, Blazer RS, Silverado 2500 HD, Silverado 1500 ZR2, Trailblazer ACTIV, Silverado 1500 MCM RST, Traverse High Country Redline, Tahoe Z71, Camaro ZL1, Camaro SS, Equinox RS and Colorado Bison ZR2
• A cutaway chassis of the 2023 Corvette Z06
• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix t-shirt
Chevrolet and the NTT INDYCAR Series continue the 2022 season with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 5 from the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. The race will air live on USA, the Peacock streaming service and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160) beginning at 3 p.m. ET. Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com.
TEAM CHEVY QUOTES
CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “Detroit is still one of the best street courses on our schedule. It’s a classic venue and the home of Chevrolet as well! Having scored a podium there in the past, the goal is to do that again. We’re on a great streak of momentum right now and I don’t see any reason why we won’t be able to continue that. I’m very excited with the good points we’ve gotten recently and our movement up in the championship standings and ready to get going again!”
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN RACING TEAM WITH BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “I am very excited to go to Detroit! We had a really good year there last year, finished second in the first race and qualifying third for Race 2. I think we can do that again, or even be one step higher on the podium! We have a very good car and I believe we put the Month of May behind us. We’ll work hard on the next few races, which are very important. I am also looking forward to trying some Coney dogs.”
SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 77 DYNAMIC EDGE CHEVROLET, JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING: “Although I am happy to be back in the car, it’s unfortunate for Callum under the circumstances. I hope his hand heals really quickly and he is back on track soon. I’m just here to help with the team and see if we can get them a really good result and bring in some different knowledge from my experience in Detroit. I am looking forward to having some fun and carrying the momentum I have from Indy. I can’t thank the guys over at Juncos Hollinger enough with in trusting me this weekend and hopefully it goes really smoothly.”
BY THE NUMBERS: Chevrolet in INDYCAR
· 1: Chevrolet’s position in the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer standings after six races
· 2: Consecutive front-row starts in the Indianapolis 500 for Rinus Veekay of Ed Carpenter Racing
· 3: Team Chevy drivers in this year’s race who have won on Belle Isle: Will Power (2014 and 2016), Josef Newgarden (2019) and Pato O’Ward (2021)
· 4: Consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin won the pole and race at St. Petersburg. Penske teammate Josef Newgarden won at Texas and Long Beach, and Pato O’Ward was victorious at Barber Motorsport Park for Arrow McLaren SP
· 6: Different Chevrolet drivers to win races dating back to the start of 2020. Scott McLaughlin was the most recent at St. Petersburg
· 6: Number of Manufacturer Championships in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012
· 6: Number of Team Chevy Driver/Entrant championships since 2012
· 7: Wins on Belle Isle for Chevrolet-powered teams since 2012
· 9: Wins from pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver
· 13: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including past 10 with Chevrolet
· 18: Wins by Roger Penske-owned entries in the Indy 500 since 1972
· 25: Wins by Will Power since 2012. All have come with Chevrolet, giving him the most of any driver with same manufacturer
· 39: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver
· 99: Chevrolet victories in NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012
· 108: Earned poles by Chevrolet since 2012
· 171: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. 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.
