CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
STREETS OF LONG BEACH
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
APRIL 21, 2024
CHEVROLET FINISHES THE ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH WITH FIVE IN THE TOP-11
- Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, led Team Chevy at the checkered flag in a tough Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, finishing fourth his 200th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES event and 149th with Chevrolet. The two-time series champion and defending Indianapolis 500 winner led for 19 of the 85-lap race.
- Will Power, Team Penske teammate to Newgarden and driver of the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, finished sixth, after showing strength and pace all weekend. He started the race in second position, on the Streets of Long Beach. The former champion and Indianapolis 500 winner took the lead in the first corner and led the race for 15 laps.
- Rounding out the top-11 and representing Chevrolet, Romain Grosjean, driver of the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, finished eight, and Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 10th. Additionally, Théo Pourchaire, driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, finished 11th in his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race after starting 22nd.
- Pourchaire, the French rookie who was tapped to drive to fill in for injured David Malukas, had to opportunity to learn and prepare for Long Beach by spending a session in the Chevrolet simulator at the General Motors Tech Center in Charlotte.
- Josef Newgarden paced the morning warm-up session for Team Chevy, finishing the 30-minute practice third with his fastest lap of 01:07.1814 seconds.
TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RACE RESULTS:
4th Josef Newgarden
6th Will Power
8th Romain Grosjean
10th Alexander Rossi
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“It was just unfortunate to finish back. I was thinking we were going to get a run on (Scott) Dixon there. Just couldn’t quite get him. The Hitachi Chevrolet team did a great job. I can’t be more proud of the work we did. Fast car, great pit stops. They were aces all around. It was a good team effort. Top-five, we’ll have to take that today.”
On the incident with Colton Herta…
“That seems pretty black and white to me, but I’d ask the question to everybody else. If it were in the reverse, I’d expect to be penalized.”
A win and a pole are still pretty good so far. How do you feel on the progress so far this season?
“Yes, great. The team did amazing. Just amazing.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“Obviously very disappointing to DNF with an Odyssey Battery Chevy that was so fast. I got us off on the wrong foot by missing a key corner in qualifying, losing a couple of tenths a second. We were much better than an 11th-place car in qualifying. Then you look at the race and we were on the same strategy as (Scott) Dixon and looked to be in a good spot for a solid day. The gearbox issue that ended our day was just the final straw. Again, disappointing to say the least but we head to Barber next looking for a second win there.”
Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“Rough. We had an incredibly fast Verizon Chevy. Had a choice to take the yellow and take tires and have massive fuel save and go hard, but we made the most of what we had there. We didn’t have any green tires to run in those fuel save stints, so we didn’t have any defense against (Scott) Dixon. Otherwise, it would have been fine to do exactly what he did. Disappointing with how far we started up, but still a top-six. All you can do is maximize each day and move on to the next one.”
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“First, I’m sorry to the Arrow McLaren team. I limited our ability to push for strong results today – at least for two cars. I take full responsibility for a rough race, but it will be a quick turn to Barber where we’ll re-group and look to bounce back.”
Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“It was a crazy, crazy race. I enjoyed it. My first INDYCAR weekend is done now. We had a strong performance, so I’m super happy. I have to thank the onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevy team for the car. The car was awesome today. I was the biggest mover of the race, which is amazing from 22nd to 11th. Super happy with that. I have to thank the whole INDYCAR organization. The championship is amazing. The racing is here. Long Beach is a crazy good place, and I hope to be back in the future there. I learned much more in the race, it’s crazy. Every five laps in a row, many pit stops, out laps, in laps, saving fuel, overtaking cars, and I enjoyed it. The performance was great. It’s pure racing in INDYCAR. Physically, it’s tough. I’m quite tired right now, but it was a dream come true to do an INDYCAR race for me, with McLaren. Such a legendary brand and racing team. I’m quite emotional, but it’s amazing. I don’t realize it yet, but I’m super happy.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“We had a tough weekend dealing with some unique situations. We made some good steps overnight, into the warm-up and into the race. There will always be a check-up when you start that far back and, unfortunately, Pato (O’Ward) didn’t have anywhere to go. It was just one of those accordion moments. We shifted into recovery mode from there and the team did a good job to hang in and get us into the top 10.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“Yeah, it was tricky. I feel like we’ve had a good weekend so far. We’ve got up to speed quick in our practices. Not the qualifying we wanted, but the race was unfortunate. Tapped the wall out of (turn) 11. Thought the car was fine. My steering wheel was a little bit off, but I thought it was a bent toe link, but then when I went into (turn) four, I think it just completely snapped and it went around. Not how I wanted to end the day. I’m sorry to the boys, and it’s going to be a quick turnaround to Barber, but we’ll come back stronger.”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“That was a tough race. We chose to start on the greens, and I hoped I could pass some guys. Then, I felt like the pace was pretty good on greens. Unfortunately, lost a bit of time on that first pit sequence. Then, couldn’t really hold on all the way throughout that second stint on greens, but still pretty good I’d say. Then, at the end, there were some guys where everybody was on different strategy. Hoped to make up some more ground, but I really struggled on the blacks. It was just pretty hard to drive at that point. Still moved up, but wished I could’ve made it into the top-12 in the No. 21 Chevy.
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“The race was what it was. We took a gamble with the pit stops. Everyone can always Monday quarterback, but we kind of figured we either end up in the top-10 or 21st. We ended up 21st. The Sexton Properties Chevrolet is in one piece, and we move on to Barber.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“We have concluded the Long Beach Grand Prix on somewhat of a high note. Really proud of the Sexton Properties Chevrolet team. We had some really good pit stops that were clean. We made up a few spots along the way on strategy and made up some spots in the end based off of that early racing stint and avoiding the attrition. Super proud of the team and super proud of the progress we made through the weekend. We needed a clean day, and today was that clean day. Now we can build momentum heading into Barber. I want to thank the Pray.com crew. We’re here pretty much on the front porch here in California, having them here with their support and cheers. We’re looking forward to the next one.”
Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:
“P16 to P8, it was a great Long Beach Grand Prix for us. Agustin (Canapino) had a great race as well. It was a great race for us as a team. We can be proud of that. We improved a lot from St. Pete, and I’m happy that we were able to show such a strong outing on the track. Can’t wait for next weekend in Barber.”
Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:
“Another 15th for us. We are really happy. The execution was really, really good. Unfortunately, the strategy wasn’t the best at the end. We had bad luck, honestly, with the strategy. The execution as perfect. Thanks to the whole team for the excellent pit stops. The pace was incredible. We finished 15th in a really difficult race. Very high level for everybody. Top-15, more points, and we are really happy. Hope for more in the next race.”
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