News from INDYCAR: Firestone 600 Fast Facts

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Firestone 600 Fast Facts

Track: Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.455-mile oval

Race distance: 248 laps / 360.84 miles

Entry List:  Firestone 600 (PDF)

Firestone tire allotment: Eleven sets for use through the weekend

Twitter: @TXMotorSpeedway @IndyCar, #Firestone600, #IndyCar

Event website: www.TexasMotorSpeedway.com 

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com  

2015 race winner: Scott Dixon (No. 9 Energizer EcoAdvanced Chevrolet)

2015 Verizon P1 Award winner: Will Power (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), 47.9410 seconds, 218.519 mph (two laps)

Qualifying record (two laps): Will Power, 47.7960 seconds, 219.182 mph, June 7, 2013

NBCSN television broadcasts: Practice, noon ET Friday, June 10; Qualifying, 6 p.m. ETFriday, June 10 (tape delayed); Race, 8 p.m. ET Saturday, June 11. Brian Till is the lead announcer for the NBCSN broadcasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Katie Hartgitt and Robin Miller.

Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Pit reporters are Nick Yeoman, Brad Gillie and Michael Young, with Jake Query as the turn announcer. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on network affilaites, Sirius 212, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app. All Verizon IndyCar Series practice and qualifying sessions are available on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app.

Video streaming: All practice sessions for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season not covered by television will be available on RaceControl.IndyCar.com. Live coverage of qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award will be streamed on RaceControl.IndyCar.com.

INDYCAR Mobile app: Verizon Wireless puts fans around the world in the driver’s seat with its INDYCAR Mobile app. The app has been enhanced with new features to keep fans in the know of the latest race-day action. Exclusive features of the INDYCAR Mobile app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and includes enhanced real-time leaderboard and car telemetry; the ability to follow the race in real time with the interactive 3D track; live in-car camera video streaming for select drivers during Verizon IndyCar Series races; live driver and pit crew radio transmissions during races and live Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network audio streaming during all track activities.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, June 10
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1, NBCSN (Live)
3:15 p.m. – Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award (single car/cumulative time of two laps), NBCSN (6 p.m. ET)
6:45 – 7:15 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)

Saturday, June 11
4 p.m. – Systems check
7:06 p.m. – Driver Introductions
7:45 p.m. – Command to Start Engines
7:50 p.m. – Firestone 600 (248 laps/360.84 miles), NBCSN (Live)

Race notes:
•    There have been six different winners in eight Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2016: Juan Pablo Montoya (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Phoenix International Raceway), Simon Pagenaud (Streets of Long Beach, Barber Motorsports Park and Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis 500), Sebastien Bourdais (Raceway at Belle Isle-1) and Will Power (Raceway at Belle Isle-2). Dixon’s win at Phoenix on April 2tied him for fourth on the all-time Indy car victory list with Al Unser at 39. He is the active leader in wins. Bourdais’ win at Belle Isle on June 4 tied him with Bobby Unser for sixth on the all-time list with 35 wins.

•    The Firestone 600 will be the 28th Indy car event conducted at Texas Motor Speedway since the track opened in 1997. TMS hosted two races a year from 1998-2004 and featured a doubleheader event in 2011.

•    This is the third of five oval races on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Dixon won the first oval of the season at Phoenix in April. Rossi won the Indianapolis 500 on May 29.

•    Helio Castroneves has won four times at Texas Motor Speedway (2004 Race 2, 2006, 2009 and 2013), the most wins by an Indy car driver at the track. He is one of five past TMS winners entered in this year’s race, along with Tony Kanaan (2004 Race 1), Dixon (2008 and 2015), Power (2011 Race 2) and Ed Carpenter (2014).

•    Power has won the pole for the past three Texas Motor Speedway races. Other past pole winners entered this year are Castroneves (2004 Race 2) and Dixon (2008). Kanaan won a draw to start first for the second of the 2011 doubleheader races.

•    Six drivers have won the Texas race from the pole: Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2), Gil de Ferran (2003 Race 2), Castroneves (2004 Race 2), Tomas Scheckter (2005), Dixon (2008) and Ryan Briscoe (2010).

•    Drivers who have won at Texas have gone on to win the Verizon IndyCar Series championship six times: Hornish (2001 Race 2 and 2002 Race 2), Kanaan (2004 Race 1), Dixon (2008 and 2015) and Dario Franchitti (2011 Race 1).

•    Nineteen drivers entered this weekend have competed in past Verizon IndyCar Series events at Texas Motor Speedway. Twelve of those drivers have led laps at the track (Castroneves 499, Kanaan 370, Dixon 353, Power 252, Carpenter 91, Marco Andretti 84, Pagenaud 59, Ryan Hunter-Reay 35, Montoya 29, Graham Rahal 27, James Hinchcliffe 8 and Charlie Kimball 1).

•    At least three drivers entered this weekend – Max Chilton, Conor Daly and Alexander Rossi – will make their first attempt to start a Verizon IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

•    Kanaan seeks to start his 258th consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Teammate Scott Dixon has made 199 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the third-longest streak in Indy car racing.

•    Castroneves will attempt to make his 320th career Indy car start, which would tie him with Al Unser for fourth on the all-time list.

•    The No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Team Penske crew of Simon Pagenaud won the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award during Race 1 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit with a total pit lane time of 52.4366 seconds. During Race 2 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske crew of Will Power claimed the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award with a total pit lane time of 52.0598 seconds. Both Team Penske crews will receive their respective $5,000 awards during pre-race festivities at the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.

•    The 2016 season is the second in which aerodynamic bodywork component kits are used. The aero kits, produced by engine manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda for their respective supplied teams, are the latest technical innovation to enhance on-track performance through competitive aerodynamic development. Each manufacturer produces two kits for teams – one for short ovals/road courses/street courses and another for superspeedway ovals – but within each kit, teams have multiple component options available.

•    The second season of aero kit competition complements the fifth year of engine manufacturer competition between Chevrolet and Honda with their 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines. It will be another season testing speed and durability to determine the manufacturer champion.

FIRESTONE 600 PRE-EVENT QUOTES:

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “The roller coaster continues. It is getting a little frustrating, but we have to keep an even keel. If we start pushing, then that puts us in bad situations. That’s what happened on Sunday in Detroit. We had the front wing damage and I was pushing too hard to catch back up and we ended up in a crash. We’ve only been to Texas a couple of times in the Verizon Chevrolet, but we’ve gotten good finishes. That’s what we need to do. We need to start building positive momentum and get off this up-and-down thing we’ve been doing.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 AAA Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet): “We’ve been so close – so close. We’re just missing out on some wins. A couple things different here and there and we could have a couple of victories, but that’s racing and you need some luck. At some point we’ll be on the right side of some of these things. Texas has been good to us over the years, so we hope to keep that going. I’m sure the AAA Insurance Chevy is going to be fast. We had a great test there last month, so maybe this will be the one. Simon (Pagenaud) is doing a great job in points, but we’re right there in the hunt.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): “Now that we are past Indy, we are headed to all the tracks I missed last year. That said, I’m incredibly excited for the rest of the calendar. Texas Motor Speedway is no exception. Since the DW12 came out, the racing there has been super intense from inside the car. It’s one of the biggest setup challenges of the year, so we are hoping that the Arrow Electronics car can be solid rolling off the truck and can fight up front.”

MIKHAEL ALESHIN (No. 7 SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Honda): “I’m very happy to be going back to Texas Motor Speedway. Last time we did really good there (in 2014) and it was my first top-10 finish in INDYCAR. We didn’t have a great weekend in Detroit so I’m looking forward to be back on track in the No. 7 SMP Racing and DOOM car so we can get some good points for the championship standings.”

MAX CHILTON (No. 8 Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “I am excited to put last weekend in Detroit behind us and move onto an oval, which I enjoyed in testing and seems to create great racing. I have raced in the state of Texas before and the fans are great. Having a lot of guests from Armin Strom and Gallagher, I hope to put on a good show.”

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series champion, 2015 Firestone 600 winner): “Texas is another iconic event on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. This is the only track anywhere that I know of where you get to shoot guns in Victory Lane after a win. We were fortunate enough to do that last year as part of a one-two finish with (Tony) Kanaan and myself, which was very special.”

TONY KANAAN (No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet): “Texas Motor Speedway is another one of my favorite tracks on the INDYCAR schedule. I’ve raced there so many times and have been able to put up some pretty solid results over the years. Last year the No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet was very strong on the oval and our setup worked well with the added downforce and new aero kit, so we’re hoping to build on that second-place finish we got in 2015 and turn that into my second win at Texas Motor Speedway.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 11 Team Hydroxycut – KVSH Racing Chevrolet): “Our team owner (James ‘Sulli’ Sullivan) is local and the Texas race means a lot to the team. We’ve had two good races in Detroit and we had a pretty good race car last year at Texas. Hopefully, we can keep making little gains and not get a penalty that will take us out of the race. If we do that, we may actually be looking pretty good in the Hydroxycut car. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going.”

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “I like the Texas track a lot. It’s actually one of my favorite races. We’ll have the same boost settings as Indianapolis, which will be a lot of fun. The Verizon Chevy has qualified very well there and getting that early track position is important. It has been a few years since we got a win there, but we’ll try and build on the momentum from last week. The win in Detroit gives the whole team confidence and hopefully we can build on that with another good result. After starting in a bit of a hole, we’re climbing back into the championship race and we need to keep logging solid finishes.”

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda): “Texas Motor Speedway is the team’s home track so we want to do well there, of course. We missed the test there but I feel quite positive about going back to a superspeedway. Texas is a high-banked oval which allows us to race two and three wide, plus we race under the lights at night so that makes it super exciting for the fans – and the drivers as well.”

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Mi-Jack/RLL Honda): “We had performance and speed at times during the Firestone 600 event last year, but I think we really struggled to get the consistency out of the car and ultimately come race day it really hurt us. We underestimated the amount of downforce that we needed in the race and we have learned from that now. I hope we can go back this year and have a better performance all around. Texas is a tricky track and, for sure, it was one of the events that hurt us the most last year from a points standpoint. The Honda oval aero package at Indy looked good, but Texas is a very different animal and we need to be prepared for whatever that might throw at us. Right now it’s hard for us to give an exact indication of where we believe we will stack up, but if we can have a good balance (in the car) and have a good race car and can be fast, I think we can be competitive there, no matter what. Having tested there helps, but I think we have learned a lot since the test that I think will help us. We will take some of that testing data into consideration, without a doubt, but for sure we have learned more aerodynamically since then and anticipate being better than we were at the test.”

CONOR DALY (No. 18 Jonathan Byrd’s Hospitality Honda): “I’ve never raced at Texas Motor Speedway yet, but I’ve been there many times to watch. I’ve always wanted to race there. The place just fascinates me, under the lights, such a cool track, such great racing for so many years. I want to get me some guns and shoot them in Victory Lane! I can’t wait to get there. We also need to rebound from our previous oval experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I think we had a great car there but we weren’t able to finish it out and we want to turn that around.”

GABBY CHAVES (No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda): “Texas Motor Speedway demands a lot of commitment as a driver, a lot of trust in your car, in your guys, your pit crew, engineer. Everyone has to be working as one unit. It’s definitely a daunting track with its high banking. It’s a high-speed track with a lot of passing opportunities and it’s one of the more fun tracks to race at. Last year, I had a top-10 finish there as a rookie and I’m very much looking forward to go back there and to try to get a top five this year, go for the win and see what we can do.”

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet): “It is always great to race at Texas Motor Speedway and it’s a track that we have had success at. I am ready to rebound from a tough Indianapolis 500 and the team is ready to keep the momentum going that we have built over the past month.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet):
 “I absolutely love Texas, it’s one of my favorite Indy car tracks. It’s one of our best places for fans and certainly one of the best ovals to drive an Indy car on. I can’t wait to get back there with Ed again, I think we’ll have two really good chances with both of the Fuzzy’s Vodka cars. We’ll try to make something happen under the lights.”

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Team Penske Chevrolet, 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship leader): “I’m really excited for the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. It will be great to back on an oval after some great street racing in Detroit. We led some laps last year at Texas and want to take the next step this year and get a strong result. We’ll have the Hewlett Packard Enterprise colors back on board our Chevy this week and we’ll work hard to get them in Victory Lane. I think this race will be very exciting after the test there last month. We are halfway in the season and we have a strong points lead, but this team is built to win races. Everything takes care of itself if you win races, so that will continue to be our focus.”

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda): “We’re headed to Texas, back on an oval. This is a hard oval, one of the hardest ones. Last year we had a good result and when we tested earlier this year there, we tested good. It is going to be a really long race – but we are sixth in championship points, so we will fight for the win.”

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 27 Snapple Honda): “We’re coming to Texas for a win – we need it more than ever to turn our season around and race for the championship. The Snapple car was good at the test here in April and if we build on that foundation we will be the ones to beat on Saturday.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): “Getting a win at Texas Motor Speedway for the DHL Honda is at the top of my list. This track can be very tricky to get the setup just right, so as a four-car team, we’ll all be working together to prepare the best setup we can for race day.”

JACK HAWKSWORTH (No. 41 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda): “Texas is always fun, especially under the lights and if the grip allows, then it opens up multiple lanes for the drivers to use. It’s the team’s home race and we’ll be hoping to have a better weekend there.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Tresiba Chevrolet): “I’m excited to get back to Texas Motor Speedway for the Firestone 600 on Saturday. It’s going to be a totally different challenge than this past weekend in Detroit; still very physical, but in a different way with the high banking and, of course, the high temperatures. We had a solid car at TMS last year, with a top-10 finish, so we’ll be looking to improve on that. Props to the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew for the quick turnaround this week. It’s been a long stretch for the Verizon IndyCar Series but I know I have a great team behind me.”

ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 98 Castrol Edge/Curb Honda): “I am more than excited that we get to go racing again this weekend. We are now in a tight championship battle, so we all really need to focus and make sure to maximize our potential in Texas. I believe we will have a good car there and it is very important that we carry the momentum of the past couple weeks forward.”