Grid set for second annual Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, May 8 – The starting grid is set for the second annual Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Team Penske’s Will Power taking the pole with a blazing run in Firestone Fast Six qualifying.

Power, the defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion, broke the IMS road course track record with a time of 1 minute, 9.4886 seconds. Scott Dixon, of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, will join Power on the front row after qualifying second with a time of 1:09.7156. A total of 25 drivers are in the field.

Saturday’s race will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET, rain or shine, and features excellent vantage points for fans whether they are in covered grandstand seats or on the various spectator mounds around the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS road course.

Drivers continue to rave about the layout, now in its second year after a 2013 refurbishing, which incorporates a portion of the famous oval.

“It kind of spoils us, this place, because it’s so smooth. It’s a really nice road course,” Power said. “It’s technical, it’s fun and it’s really good for racing.”

After the race, fans are invited to take part in a Track Invasion – namely, they can walk on the course moments after the drivers finish racing on it. There are various entry points around the course for fans to begin their “Invasion.”

Also, Bronze Badge holders may take part in a complimentary pre-race pit walk at 3 p.m.

Repeat bidder: Simon Pagenaud heads to Saturday looking for a repeat victory in the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He qualified fifth in the No. 22 DeVilbiss Chevrolet.

This year, he is with a new team – Team Penske – giving the 30-year-old native of Montmorillon, France, confidence to repeat amidst a deep field. So far, the Verizon IndyCar Series has produced four winners from four different teams this season, including Pagenaud’s teammate Juan Pablo Montoya in the opener at St. Petersburg.

In 2014’s inaugural race on the IMS road course, he took the lead with five laps left and held off Ryan Hunter-Reay by 0.8906 of second at the finish.

“I had the key to success last year, but that doesn’t mean you have the key to success this year, because it’s all about competition here,” Pagenaud said. “Every day, you have to reset and try again. Obviously, I have a lot of confidence. It’s a track I like. We should be in good shape.”

As part of the Penske stable – which has won the Indianapolis 500 15 times – Pagenaud is also looking toward later in the month and a try at becoming the first driver to win both Month of May races at IMS.

“That’s my personal dream. It’s something I really want to accomplish,” Pagenaud said. “I’m in the team to do so. I have everything I need to make it happen.”

Text for help: A new system has been implemented that will allow visitors the opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns to IMS staff members by sending a text message from their cell phones.

A proven system developed by In Stadium Solutions (ISS) will give fans attending IMS events the opportunity to communicate inconspicuously and directly with IMS Panasonic Pagoda Command to report various issues by texting IMSFAN, (space), location and specific concern to 69050.

Once the message is received, appropriate responders will be dispatched to address the situation, and if additional information is required, engaged personnel will respond with appropriate questions. Standard text message rates will apply.

Old-school unveil: Old and new came together on Friday when Dreyer & Reinbold-Kingdom Racing unveiled the livery for its No. 24 Robert Graham Special Chevrolet for the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 alongside the bright yellow sprint car built by Floyd “Pop” Dreyer, grandfather of team principal Dennis Reinbold.

Duke Nalon drove the sprinter to the 1938 AAA Eastern Championship, one of many accomplishments for Dreyer, who constructed the car bodies of the three front-row starters for the 1931 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

“I’ve been coming to (IMS) since I was a little kid, so it’s just fabulous to be back,” said Reinbold. “It’s a special deal for me in celebration of my grandfather as we tie it in to the unveiling of our 2015 car.”

Townsend Bell will drive the No. 24 Robert Graham car in the Indy 500. The car’s livery fits with the luxury clothing brand based in New York, and the car’s interior pays tribute to NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon with a photo montage of Gordon’s five Brickyard 400 victories on the IMS oval. Gordon will be the Pace Car driver to start the Indy 500.

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2015 Ticket Information: Ticket information is available for all racing events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015 – the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, 99th Indianapolis 500, Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, Lilly Diabetes 250, Crown Royal Presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard and Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

Fans have three quick, convenient methods to buy tickets:
• Online: Visit www.ims.com/tickets. Tickets are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
• Phone: Call 800-822-INDY or 317-492-6700 between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday.
• In Person: Visit the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday.

Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at 866-221-8775 for more information.

Information on parking and camping at IMS events is available at www.ims.com/tickets.