CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
IOWA INDYCAR 250S DOUBLEHEADER 
IOWA SPEEDWAY
NEWTON, IOWA
TEAM CHEVY RACE 1 NOTES & QUOTES
JULY 17, 2020

TOP CHEVROLET UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: 
POS.   DRIVER
1^st       SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
3^RD      OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET
4^thPATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET
5^th       JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET 8^th       CONOR DALY, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET
TOP SIX UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS.  DRIVER
1^ST      Simon Pagenaud (Chevrolet)
2^nd      Scott Dixon (Honda)
3^rd       Oliver Askew (Chevrolet)
4^th       Pato O’Ward (Chevrolet)
5^th      Josef Newgarden (Chevrolet)

From last to first, Pagenaud claims victory in Iowa Race One
Chevy drivers claim four of top-five finishing positions
Newton, Iowa – Simon Pagenaud sat quietly poised in his No.22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet, set to be almost last car to qualify for both races of the NTT INDYCAR Series Doubleheader at Iowa Speedway. But a problem with the fueling system prevented the car from firing, so Pagenaud did not qualify and had to start dead last (23^rd) for the first of the two 250-lap races. He will also start last in Race Two. 

But in his usual cool manner, the 2016 Series’ champion worked in sync with his team and when the checkered flag flew, it was Pagenaud that took his bright yellow Chevrolet to victory lane. He led twice for total of 83 laps. 

Scoring his first NTT INDYCAR Series podium is third place finisher Oliver Askew, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Askew started 14^th in the 23 car field. 

Scott Dixon (Honda) completed the podium.

Askew’s teammate, Pato O’Ward, brought his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet in fourth. 

Josef Newgarden, who will start on the pole of Saturday night’s 250-lap race, finished fifth. Newgarden started second and grabbed the lead early, and would be credited with leading twice for 68 laps. But the team’s strategy was shuffled when a long caution flag scrambled the field on lap 144. 

The caution was caused when teammate Will Power made contact with the backstretch wall, and at the restart a two-car crash kept the field under caution for 26 laps. Team Chevy driiver Rinus Veekay, No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet was involved in the accident but emerged uninjured.

Pole sitter Conor Daly, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet, finished eighth to give Chevrolet five of the top-eight finishers. 

NBCSN will telecast Race 2 of the IOWA INDYCAR 250’s Doubleheader live at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 18. Live coverage can also be found on the INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR MOBILE APP powered by NTT DATA.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Race WinnerFROM WORST TO FIRST! IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO NOTCH YOUR FIRST WIN HERE AT IOWA?

“Wow, this place is tough! What a night! What a day for us. First of all, it was an amazing group effort from the whole Team Penske to recover from Road America. I made a mistake. We unloaded really well. This morning was a lot of fun. Qualifying was disheartening, but these guys never give up and that’s what this team is all about. It’s amazing to get the Menards car to be shining here in Iowa is awesome. So, I’m really proud for John and everybody at Menards and Chevy. Obviously, we had the horsepower and the fuel conception, but most importantly, I can’t believe it. I have to re-watch the race. How did I get there? I don’t know. The last 50 laps were certainly a lot of tension. A lot of tension. When (Scott) Dixon is chasing you, you’d better hit your marks.”

TAKE US THROUGH THAT AND HAVING THE FIVE-TIME CHAMPION BREATHING DOWN YOUR NECK AT TIMES AND TRYING TO STRETCH THE FUEL AND KEEP HIM IN YOUR REAR VIEW MIRROR AND DEALING WITH LAPPED TRAFFIC, HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH ALL OF THAT?

“Yeah, it’s certainly not easy with lapped traffic. I knew we had a really good car on long runs, so that was really my chance. I was really keeping up with the tires and they behaved really well. I was a little worried about the (Arrow) McLaren guys because they pitted for new tires, and new tires were so much speed, so I was a little worried. In the end, I had my hands full. Thanks for everybody at Team Penske and everybody who supports us. It was an amazing team effort.”

YOU’RE GOING TO DO IT ALL AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT, STARTING FROM THE REAR. DO YOU HAVE IT IN YOU?

“I do, I do. I never give up. If I’ve got to do it again, I’ll do it again. This we certainly a pretty cool win on an oval. Indy will always be the top, but this one was pretty cool, too.”

OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 3^rd

WHAT A NIGHT IT WAS FOR YOU IN PICKING UP YOUR FIRST CAREER PODIUM. TALK ABOUT THAT TEAM STRATEGY ON PURE OFFENSE WITH THOSE TIRES LATE IN THE RACE. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

“I wish you could see my smile right now (wearing a mask). This Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet absolutely came alive once the track started to get cooler. We were really, really good on new tires and when they were very used. So, if that yellow didn’t come out at the restart, I think we would have had a really good shot at finishing at least one-two with Pato (O’Ward) and I. We’ll get at them again tomorrow. Honestly, that’s probably one of the most fun races I’ve ever done in my life. Hats off to everybody at Arrow McLaren SP and thanks to everybody who showed up tonight and watched at home, my family. It was an awesome night.”

THIS WAS NO EASY TRACK TO COME TO TERMS WITH. AND WHILE YOU HAVE RACED HERE ONCE BEFORE EARLIER IN YOUR CAREER, YOU SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE LIKE LEARNING A WHOLE NEW TRACK IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES. HOW DID YOU COME TO GRIPS WITH IT SO QUICKLY?

“Well, I think a lot of it comes down to preparation and spending some time in the Chevy simulator. I was here four years ago but the track feels a lot shorter and smaller now running in INDYCAR. I love this track and can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow.”

MAYBE SOME OF THAT SPEED CAME FROM YOUR NEW DO, A LITTLE BIT SHORTER?

“Yeah, it might be a little more aero-efficient and a bit of weight reduction, and it’s a bit cooler in the car, too. Maybe I should keep it short.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 4th

IF NOT FOR THAT PIT STOP THERE THE LAST TIME YOU CAME DOWN, YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN RIGHT UP THERE CHALLENGING. BUT YOU HAD A FAST CAR. HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THE DAY OVERALL?

“Yeah, I think you said it. Arrow McLaren SP gave us fantastic cars. We were really up on the pace. Unfortunately, that last pit stop really put us some time behind and it made us fight harder, but I’m super happy for my teammate, and his first INDYCAR podium. We’re going to be pushing for one-two tomorrow. We’ve got very fast cars and these guys deserve a win. So, hopefully we can give it to them tomorrow. But I’ve got a race under my belt at Iowa. What a fun race! What a cool race! It’s definitely one of the craziest ones I’ve ever done.”

YOU FOUGHT HARD TO GET TO A POSITION WHERE YOU’RE CONSISTENTLY CONTENDING FOR WINS AND OBVIOUSLY LAST WEEK AT ROAD AMERICA YOU HAD A STRONG SUNDAY. TONIGHT, ANOTHER STRONG NIGHT. HOW EXCITING IS THIS FOR YOU?

“Oh, for sure. I have so much faith in the group of guys that are behind me that are engineering these cars. They are way smarter than me. My job is to drive the car. Honestly, they’ve given me great cars everywhere. We’ve been out of the box very fast. We need to continue doing that and our pre-race conditions need to keep improving and I know we’re going to be up there fighting for wins and podiums. I think we’re making big strides. Last weekend was a big step. Today was a great result for the team but we’re close to that first win and I hope it comes soon.”

HOW VALUABLE WAS TODAY JUST FROM A LEARNING PERSPECTIVE?

“The stints are so long. It’s really good to just kind of get a feel for what the car is going to start doing after 40 or 50 laps. And yeah, obviously it’s up to the guys to do the strategy and my job is to listen to instructions and push, push, push. But, I’m so happy for Simon (Pagenaud). Great job on his part and Scott Dixon as well, and my teammate there. It’s a great result for the team, but I want three positions there!”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 5^th

YOU LED 68 LAPS TONIGHT AND THERE WAS PERHAPS A SLOW STOP AND AN UNTIMELY CAUTION, BUT WHERE DID THIS ONE ULTIMATELY GET AWAY FROM YOU GUYS?

Multiple points. The caution was certainly was the nail in the coffin. Without sounding too over-confident, I think we had the car to beat tonight, hands-down. So, it’s frustrating. I’ve got to be honest, I’m so angry about the way that this all transpired. Some of it is just bad luck. The yellow coming out when it came out, you can’t predict that stuff. You weigh out the pros and cons when you’re trying to go long, when you’re trying to go short on your pit windows. And, I can’t fault my guys. I think they did a great job. I had a rocket ship. I mean, I had a car above, in my opinion. I’m sad that we weren’t able to put our car in Victory Lane because I felt like we had that potential. But, like I said, I’m very proud of my guys. They always do a great job for me. I think it’s just chalked up to bad luck tonight. I’ve got to try and make-up for it tomorrow.”

AND YOU’LL BE STARTING ON THE POLE FOR TOMORROW’S RACE

“Yeah hey, look, all you can do is go forward. This is racing. Some days the racing gods shine down on you and some days they don’t. And today they definitely didn’t, but that’s how it works. You’ve got to take the good days when you get them and accept the bad days when you have them. We’ll try to regroup for tomorrow. But Chevy has done a great job for us. We had the package to beat tonight in my opinion and having Hitachi’s support always means the world. So, we’ll try again tomorrow and try to get ‘em.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET – Finished 8^th

“It was definitely a rollercoaster of a day for us. Obviously, we were so excited to win the pole for tonight’s race in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet. That’s just such a major accomplishment for myself and this team. We’ve all been working so hard and the guys gave me a great car to qualify, so I was pretty excited that I was able to get that pole. We started the race tonight okay, but just really struggled with keeping the rear underneath me and trying to figure it out as we went. It was just tough and we just didn’t have the pace that we needed. The yellow really killed us. Some people just got so lucky with that, but unfortunately it didn’t fall our way. We chose to extend the last stint and make the tires last, but it was really tough driving absolutely to the limit on older tires and trying to hold people off there at the end. It was tough end to the day, but it was seriously awesome to get the first INDYCAR pole for both Carlin and myself and I’m looking forward to tomorrow night’s race where we’ll start up front again in third.”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 15^th

“This has always been one of my favorite tracks, but I don’t remember ever having as difficult of a night here. I was excited to run the U.S. Air Force colors and want to do a good job for them. I’m embarrassed about the performance tonight. The good thing is we have another chance tomorrow, so long as it’s not a repeat. It was pretty brutal. It’s hot in the cars, it’s uncomfortable and with a poor performance, I am pretty disappointed.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 17th 

“I think it was a disappointing night for both AJ Foyt Racing cars. The No. 4 Tresiba Chevrolet was not what I wanted to feel underneath me but I know the engineers will do really good work making it better tonight. I felt like everyone did a good job with what we had. Today was busy, practice, qualify and straight into the race—especially racing what you qualify. We had to compromise on gears, ride heights and setups and stuff but it was the same for everyone and we just didn’t maximize it. But we’ll review it and be ready to go for another 250 laps tomorrow night.”

TONY KANAAN, NO 14 BRYANT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 18^th

“It was a shame. I think we had a consistent car but the tire deg for us was more than other people, so we need to figure out what’s causing it. It’s on the setup. We’re pretty decent halfway through the stint and then the car will fall off really quick and in one of those I got loose, and not to spin I went wide, got in the marbles, brushed the wall a little bit, so that cost us 18 laps, but track position is really important so we have that for tomorrow. [starts 8^th] I think we have overnight to think about it and another hour session tomorrow to try to make the tires last a little bit longer and then go from there. I truly believe we have a top 10 car for tomorrow.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Sidelined on lap 157 in accident with Colton Herta – Finished 20^th 

“There was nothing I could have done. I had a good start, but I was told it was a no-start so I went off the throttle. I think the other car was too late getting that information, I really don’t know. I got hit, that’s clear. It’s very tough. We could have gone for a podium or a win today. We’ve got to go for it tomorrow. I’m happy that we’ll have a Take 2.”

WE BET YOU’RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT AERO SCREEN WHEN COLTON HERTA WENT OVER YOU

“Yeah, I’m very happy; especially with the safety. I stepped out. I saw the whole row. So yeah, the screen was destroyed. Thank you to INDYCAR for the great safety and let’s go for it tomorrow.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Sidelined on Lap 143 with left front wheel issue – Finished 21^st

YOU HAD A BIT OF A WILD RIDE WHEN THE WHEEL CAME OFF. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?

“Obviously, the front just took off straight into the wall. Yeah, not a good feeling.”

YOU HIT THE WALL AND IT WAS THE LEFT FRONT THAT CAME OFF. YOU SAID THIS HAS BEEN A SEASON SO FAR WITH A LOT OF PROMISE AND YOU JUST HAVEN’T LIVED-UP TO THE POTENTIAL. THIS LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT

“Unbelievable. I don’t know what I’ve got to do. It’s so, so, so frustrating. It’s just unbelievable. I don’t know what to say. The guys will get it back together and we’ll have another shot at it tomorrow.”

WE’VE JUST SEEN A COUPLE EXAMPLES OF THE AERO SCREEN AND YOURS IS ONE OF THEM WITH THAT WHEEL COMING BACK OVER THE TOP OF YOU. WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT THE ADDITION OF THIS SAFETY IMPLEMENT?

‘Man, I’ll tell you, you can’t thank INDYCAR enough for everything that they’ve done, safety-wise with that aero screen and inside the aero screen. It’s just a tremendous job and it’s better than any other series that have implemented something like it. A very, very good job.”