A dozen Chevrolet-powered IndyCars will look for Bowtie’s sixth win of 2022
DETROIT (June 9, 2022) – Chevrolet’s team’s in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will close out a hectic five-week stretch of competition this weekend at one of North America’s top road-racing destinations: Wisconsin’s historic Road America for the Sonsio Grand Prix Presented by AMR.
Twelve Chevrolet-powered IndyCars – including the 2022 debut of Paretta Autosport’s No. 16 Chevrolet for Simona De Silvestro – are entered for Sunday’s 55-lap 220-mile race around the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit. De Silvestro and AJ Foyt Racing’s Tatiana Calderon – in the No. 11 Rokit Chevrolet – are the first female pair to compete in the same INDYCAR race in nine years, and both are on Team Chevy.
Chevrolet is coming off an historic victory last weekend at Belle Isle – the manufacturer’s 100th INDYCAR win since it returned to the series in 2012 with its 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V-6 engine. The Bowtie Brand reached the mark by winning five of the first seven events of 2022 and leads the Engine Manufacturer Championship.
“Everyone on our program and all of our teams have worked extremely hard during this run of events at Indianapolis, plus Detroit and now Road America,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet Program Manager for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. “We’re grateful to reach the 100-victory mark with our 2.2-liter V6 engine, and there’s no place better than to start the drive to 200 than at a circuit like Road America.
“It’s a circuit that presents a variety of engineering tests,” he added. “Obviously the track is very fast with long, wide-open straights but at end of these are hard braking zones for a number of 90-degree corners. Throw in high-speed corners like the Carousel and the Kink, plus a race surface that brings high tire degradation, and this will be one of the most challenging races of the season.”
Road America returned to the INDYCAR schedule in 2016, and Chevrolet has won twice at the circuit since then: Team Penske’s Will Power – the winner last weekend at Detroit and the current points leader – in 2016 and teammate Josef Newgarden in 2018.
In addition, Arrow McLaren SP’s Felix Rosenqvist won at the circuit in 2020. Chevrolet also has been strong in qualifying with the manufacturer taking six of seven pole positions since 2016.
Newgarden has extra incentive to win at Road America. With early-season wins at Texas Motor Speedway and the Long Beach street circuit, he heads to Wisconsin with a chance to win the PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge, which rewards the first driver to win on an oval, street circuit and road course in the same season. That driver will share $500,000 with his or her team and donate $500,000 to that driver and team’s chosen charity.
Chevrolet and the NTT INDYCAR Series continue the 2022 season with the Sonsio Grand Prix at 12:55 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 12 from Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The race will air live on NBC, the Peacock streaming service and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160) beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com.
TEAM CHEVY QUOTES
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW McLAREN CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN SP: “I am excited to go back to Road America where I got my first pole in IndyCar. I’m looking forward to making our No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet a bit better than last year and fight up at the front.”
FELIX ROSEQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN SP: “It will be good to be back at Road America. It’s where I got my first IndyCar win back in the day. Think it’s been one of our weakest tracks and I actually didn’t drive last year; but I think we’ve made some good progress since then. We know what to do to be competitive so we’re pretty pumped to get back and try to continue our streak of good speed and good results that we’ve had lately.”
TATIANA CALDERON, NO. 11 ROKiT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING: “It’s been very tough for me coming as a rookie with very little testing. So I think we have improved particularly, like, in the road courses where I can, like, explore the limit of the car a little bit more. These street circuits are really tough here, compared to Europe even or some other places. The bumps that you experience in Detroit, for example, I think that’s unique from INDYCAR that you can have all these kind of tracks. I’ve been enjoying suffering a little bit, as well. It’s tough, but we like the good competition. Yeah, hopefully once we get to places where I’ve been before, like Indy GP again, Mid-Ohio where I tested for the first time last year in July, to go to familiar places, I hope that our performance can continue to improve.”
SIMONA de SILVESTRO, NO. 16 CHEVROLET, PARETTA AUTOSPORT: “I think the last time I was at Road America was 2009. For me, the expectation, I think at the end of the day you want to do the best job you can. I think we have to be realistic as well. We have not tested. It’s the middle of the season, all these guys and girls have been running half the season already. We need to see where we kind of stack up. I think for me in a sense, I’m really looking forward to getting back in an IndyCar. So from that point of view I think I’ll push quite hard to get up to speed as quickly as I can.”
CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “Road America is such a classic event for our sport. To be partnered with Paretta Autosport this weekend as well is really nice. Having three drivers under our banner will help us collect a good amount of information and hopefully lead to us being as strong as we can be! We’ve had three solid races in a row and want to keep adding points to the board and keep this positive momentum going!”
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 DIRECT SUPPLY CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “Road America is my favorite track, it’s been two years since I’ve last driven there so I am excited for this weekend! The track suits my driving style and the team has made huge progress. It should be a good weekend, especially with Direct Supply on the car! I’m really ready to get back on track there with all of my bones in the right place places this year!”
CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 DYNAMIC EDGE CHEVROLET, JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING: “Having spent a week out of the car obviously in Detroit, looking at the racing from a slightly different angle, I can happily say I am going to be back in the car for Road America. I have been cleared by the INDYCAR Medical Team. We looked quite extensively at my hand and the risk of further damage is a lot lower. It’s still a factor, but the track surface in Road America is a lot less bumpy than Detroit. Looking at Road America, I haven’t been there yet, but it’s a good high speed fun track and quite long as well. There are some good overtaking zones, so it should be a fun weekend with a lot of action. I am super excited to get back in, coming off the momentum we had at the INDY GP we should be on for a good weekend.”
BY THE NUMBERS: Chevrolet in INDYCAR
· 1: Chevrolet’s position in the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer standings after seven races
· 2: Consecutive front-row starts in the Indianapolis 500 for Rinus Veekay of Ed Carpenter Racing
· 2: Wins at Road America for Chevrolet-powered teams since 2016, when INDYCAR first raced at the circuit.
· 3: Team Chevy drivers in this year’s race who have previously won at Road America in INDYCAR: Will Power (2016), Josef Newgarden (2018) and Felix Rosenqvist (2020).
· 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
· 9: Wins from pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver
· 14: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including past 11 with Chevrolet
· 18: Wins by Roger Penske-owned entries in the Indy 500 since 1972
· 26: 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
· 100: Chevrolet victories in NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012
· 109: Earned poles by Chevrolet since 2012
· 172: 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.
