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CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500: RACE ADVANCE

Posted on by Tony DiZinno
  • CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
  • 105TH INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRESENTED BY GAINBRIDGE
  • INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
  • TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
  • RACEDAY MAY 30, 2021

Team Chevy drivers prepped, ready for the 105th Indianapolis 500

Front-row starter Rinus VeeKay leads 16 Chevrolet entries into 200-lap battle

DETROIT (May 28, 2021) – Rinus VeeKay will have a front-row seat for the start of the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. What VeeKay, and 15 other Team Chevy drivers, want most is an unobstructed view of the twin checkered flags after 200 laps on Sunday, May 30.

VeeKay, who qualified third in the No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, will be the youngest front-row starter in Indianapolis 500 history at 20 years, 261 days old.

“Very grateful to the team for all the sleepless nights, all the hard work. Definitely also big kudos to Chevy for giving me the great power to bring me to the front row,” said VeeKay, who earlier this month claimed his initial NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory by outdueling the field on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. “I was the fastest teenager in 500 history last year. Now I’m the youngest front row. That’s pretty cool. I think we can definitely go for a 500 win from here.”

Ed Carpenter Racing claimed a front-row spot for the seventh time in nine years. Teammate and team principal Ed Carpenter, a three-time Indy 500 pole winner, qualified fourth in the No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet. Carpenter, who has qualified in the top 10 the past nine years, has a best finish of second in 2018.

“Chevy has been a great partner; they give us so many tools and help us thrive,” said Carpenter, whose team has used Chevrolet power since the Bowtie brand returned to engine manufacturer competition in 2012. “At the end of the day, we’re happy with where we’re starting the Indy 500.”

The 16 entries powered by Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 engine include three Indy 500 winners. In 2019, Simon Pagenaud transferred his pole start to the biggest victory of his career.

“We had an incredible package in ’19, and Chevy power really helped us tremendously all month. We knew we had a shot,” said Pagenaud, who drives the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. “I think this year we’re close to being where we were in ’19, but I think the whole field is a lot closer. I can’t control the others. I can only control myself and my team, and I think we’re doing everything we can to be in the same spot.”

Of note:

VeeKay, of The Netherlands, holds the distinction of the youngest front-row qualifier. The previous record was 21 years, 144 days old by Carlos Munoz in 2013. A.J. Foyt IV is the youngest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. His 19th birthday was on race day in 2003.

Juan Pablo Montoya, driving the No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP entry, and Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet are the other Team Chevy Indianapolis 500 winner competing this year. Montoya won in 2000 (powered by GM brand Oldsmobile) and 2015 (with Chevrolet). Power won in 2018 in a Chevrolet.

Team owner Roger Penske, who has four Chevrolet entries in the 33-car field, has 18 Indianapolis 500 victories. The first came in 1972 with driver Mark Donohue and the most recent in 2019 with Pagenaud.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of A.J. Foyt’s first victory in the Indy 500. He also won in 1964, 1967 and 1977 as a driver, and 1999 as a team owner. A.J. Foyt Racing has three Chevrolet entries in the race. Rick Mears and Al Unser are the only other four-time winners.

Simona De Silvestro brings an historic team to the grid with her and team owner Beth Paretta. Paretta Autosport is the only female-owned and female forward team in the field.  Starting 33rd, the Swiss-born driver will make her sixth Indy 500 start.

Chevrolet has registered 11 Indianapolis 500 victories:

  • 1988            Rick Mears
  • 1989            Emerson Fittipaldi
  • 1990            Arie Luyendyk
  • 1991            Rick Mears
  • 1992            Al Unser Jr.
  • 1993            Emerson Fittipaldi
  • 2002            Helio Castroneves
  • 2013           Tony Kanaan
  • 2015           Juan Pablo Montoya
  • 2018            Will Power
  • 2019            Simon Pagenaud

General Motors brand Oldsmobile has powered five winners:

  • 1997             Arie Luyendyk
  • 1998             Eddie Cheever
  • 1999             Kenny Brack
  • 2000             Juan Pablo Montoya
  • 2001             Helio Castroneves

Tune in:

NBC will telecast the 200-lap race at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 30. Former race car driver Danica Patrick will lead the field to the green flag in the 2021 mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray hardtop convertible. The 2021 race marks the 32nd time for Chevrolet to pace dating to 1948, and the 18th time since 1978 for America’s favorite sports car.

TEAM CHEVY STARTING LINEUP WITH QUALIFYING SPEED:

AJ Foyt Racing

22. JR Hildebrand, No. 1 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing (229.980 mph)

27. Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing (229.744)

30. Dalton Kellett, No. 4 KITS.com/K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing (228.323)

Arrow McLaren SP

12. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP (230.864)

14. Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP (230.744)

24. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP (229.891)

Carlin

29. Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin (229.417)

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

31. Sage Karam, No. 24 DRR-AES Indiana Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (229.156)

Ed Carpenter Racing

3. Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Bitcoin Ed Carpenter Racing (231.511)

4. Ed Carpenter, No. 20 SONAX Ed Carpenter Racing (231.504)

19. Conor Daly, No. 47 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing (230.427)

Paretta Autosport

33. Simona De Silvestro, No. 16 Rocket Pro/Paretta Autosport (228.333)

Team Penske

17. Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske (230.557)

21. Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske (230.071)

26. Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske (229.778)

32. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske (228.876)