Chevrolet Aims for Second Short-Track Victory of Season

• Josef Newgarden won at 1-mile ISM Raceway in April
  ᴏ Reigning series champion won at Iowa Speedway in ‘16
• Team Chevy has claimed five wins at Iowa track since 2012
  ᴏ Chevrolet drivers have also started from pole in every race
• New universal aero kit will add new dynamic on .894-mile tri-oval
  ᴏ Increased straightaway speed forecast for 300-lap race
• Fans can interact with the drivers at Chevy Racing display

 

DETROIT (July 3, 2018) – Verizon IndyCar Series veteran Tony Kanaan characterizes Iowa Speedway as “a place that keeps you on your toes at all times.”

Racing side by side over 300 laps, with every green-flag circuit of the .894-mile tri-oval in the 18-second range, drivers rarely get a breather. A wrinkle July 8 for the 11th Verizon IndyCar Series race at the track in Newton, Iowa, will be the universal aerodynamic body kit introduced for the 2018 season.

A handful of Team Chevy drivers tested last week at the track in preparation for the 268.2-mile Iowa Corn 300, including Gabby Chaves, who competed in 2015 and ’16 with the distinctively different short-oval aero kits produced by Chevrolet and its competitor in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

“Definitely the speeds on the straightaways are much higher, the speeds in the corners are much slower,” said Chaves, driver of the No. 88 Harding Racing Chevrolet. “Before, this used to be a track that you’d run wide open the whole time – full throttle. I wouldn’t be surprised if late in a run with big tire wear that you’d be starting to use the brakes. It’s definitely much, much different.”

Chevrolet drivers have won five of the six races and every pole at Iowa Speedway since its 2012 return to the Verizon IndyCar Series. Last year, Will Power earned his second pole start at the track in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Helio Castroneves led a Team Chevy sweep of the top two finishing positions.

Also in 2017, Matheus Leist won the Indy Lights race after starting 10th. Leist, driving the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing, is among five drivers who will compete for the first time at the track in the Verizon IndyCar Series race.

This season, drivers backed by the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged direct-injected V6 Chevrolet engine have won five races, including Josef Newgarden racing to the checkered flag in the first short-track event of the season at the 1-mile ISM Raceway in suburban Phoenix in April.

The reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion dominated the most recent race – the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America – leading 53 of the 55 laps after starting on the pole on the 4-mile permanent road course. He was also dominant in the 2016 race at Iowa Speedway, leading 282 of the 300 laps on the way to victory.

“Our win at Road America was great and we feel like we have gained a lot of momentum. We’ve done well at Iowa before and we’re excited to head back,” said Newgarden, driver of the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. “I know the whole No. 1 Hitachi Chevrolet team and myself enjoy short-track racing so we’re looking forward to racing in front of a really fun crowd.”

Fans can view an impressive array of Chevrolet production vehicles, including the Corvette Grand Sport, Silverado 2500HD, Silverado 1500, Bolt EV 2LZ, Camaro 2SS Convertible, plus simulators and other immersive displays at the Chevrolet IndyCar Racing Tour property.

Fans also will have the opportunity to interact with Team Chevy drivers: Saturday – 12:45 p.m. Team Penske (Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud). Sunday – 10:30 a.m. Ed Carpenter Racing (Ed Carpenter, Spencer Pigot); 11 a.m. Carlin (Charlie Kimball, Max Chilton).

On the .894-mile tri-oval, Team Chevy will be well represented by:

A.J. FOYT ENTERPRISES:

Matheus Leist, No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet
Tony Kanaan, No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet

CARLIN:
Charlie Kimball, No. 23 Tresiba Chevrolet
Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Chevrolet

ED CARPENTER RACING:

Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet
Spencer Pigot, No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet 

HARDING RACING:
Gabby Chaves, No. 88 Harding Group Chevrolet

TEAM PENSKE:

Josef Newgarden, No. 1 Hitachi Chevrolet
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet
Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Chevrolet

Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results

Year	Races	Wins	Poles	Notes
2012	15	11	10	Engine Manufacturer Championship; Driver & Owner Titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)
2013	19	10	11	Engine Manufacturer Championship; Indy 500 win (Tony Kanaan)
2014	18	12	13	Engine Manufacturer Championship; Driver & Owner Titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)
2015	16	10	16	Engine Manufacturer Championship; Driver & Owner Titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi); Indy 500 Win (Juan Pablo Montoya) – first manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2012
2016	16	14	13	Engine Manufacturer Championship; Driver & Owner Titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)
2017	17	10	11	Engine Manufacturer Championship; Driver & Owner Titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)
2018	10	5	5	Wins – Josef Newgarden (Phoenix, Barber, Road America), Will Power (Indianapolis RC, Indianapolis 500). Poles – Newgarden (Barber, Texas, Road America), Power (Indianapolis RC), Ed Carpenter (Indianapolis 500)
Totals	111	72	79

 

2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Standings (Chevrolet in bold)

Driver Standings	Team Standings	Manufacturer Standings
1. Scott Dixon – 393 2. Ryan Hunter-Reay – 348 4. Alexander Rossi – 348 4. Josef Newgarden – 343 5. Will Power – 328	1. No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing – 393 2. No. 28 Andretti Autosport – 348 3. No. 27 Andretti Autosport – 348 4. No. 1 Team Penske – 343 5. No. 12 Team Penske – 328	1. Honda – 832 2. Chevrolet – 707

 

Iowa Corn 300 (all times ET)

• Verizon IndyCar Series Practice 1:11:15 a.m., Saturday, July 7
• Verizon IndyCar Qualifications: 3:30 p.m., Saturday, July 7
• Verizon IndyCar Series Practice 2: 6:45 p.m., Saturday, July 7
• Iowa Corn 300: 2:30 p.m., Sunday, July 8
• TV/Radio/Other: NBCSN will telecast the 300-lap (268.2-mile) race on the .894-mile tri-oval live 2 p.m. July 8. It will also telecast qualifications live at 3:30 p.m. July 7. Practice sessions will be streamed on RaceControl.IndyCar.com in conjunction with the INDYCAR Radio Network broadcast. Qualifications and the race also will be broadcast on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, RaceControl.IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com, the INDYCAR Mobile app, Sirius 214, and XM209.