CHEVROLET HEADS NORTH TO CANADA FOR THE HONDA INDY TORONTO

DETROIT (July 12, 2023) – The 10th round of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season sees Team Chevy hit the streets for the fourth of five street circuit events, the Honda Indy Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, this weekend. Racing around the tight 11-turn, 1.786-mile/2.874-kilometer course at Exhibition Place, Chevrolet seeks to add to their seven wins, seven earned NTT P1 Pole Awards, and 599 laps led.

Sweeping the podium three times since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era at Toronto, including in 2014 for both Race 1 and Race 2, as well as 2015’s race, the Bowtie brand boasts 19 podiums in total at Honda Indy Toronto.

Finishing on the podium in 2022’s event, Felix Rosenqvist, driver of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, noted anticipation of this year’s event, saying, “It’s good to be back in my favorite city in the world. I love Toronto, and I love the track there. I’ve had some of my best career highlights there, including my first podium finish with the team last year, so I’m excited to return.”

With two victories and a pole award in Toronto, Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, said of the annual event and Canadian fans, “It’s definitely a crowd favorite. We love the city, [and] we love the fans. They’re normally very knowledgeable on the history of INDYCAR.” In discussing the course, Newgarden continued saying “It’s a tough street circuit, a challenge for all of us. For our team, it’ll be a great opportunity to hopefully have a good weekend, good points for the championship and try to roll into the summer with more strength.”

“We’re all excited to return to the Streets of Toronto,” said Rob Buckner, IndyCar Program Manager for Chevrolet at General Motors. “Canada has always been INDYCAR country, and the enthusiasm of the fans is infectious at Toronto. The lakefront location adds to the atmosphere.

“The stretch of different types of tracks the Chevrolet-powered teams compete on in June and July every season provides multiple opportunities to showcase the flexibility of the cars to maximize performance on different configurations as well as the talent of the drivers to perform well,” continued Buckner. “As at any street race, execution and strategy are key at Toronto. Qualifying and track position will play huge roles in the outcome of the race. We’re ready to go all-out and help our teams start up front and stay there come Sunday.”

The Honda Indy Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada kicks off with Practice 1 Friday, July 14 at 3 p.m. ET, with Practice 2 starting Saturday at 10:35 a.m. ET. Qualifications and the Firestone Fast Six also take place Saturday, starting at 2:50 p.m. ET. A final warm-up will start race day Sunday at 10:15 a.m. ET. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160. The 85-lap, 151.81-mile race Sunday, July 16 will take the green flag at 1:30 p.m. ET live on Peacock.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“Excited to go to Toronto. It’s definitely a crowd favorite. We love the city, we love the fans. They’re normally very knowledgeable on the history of INDYCAR. It’s a tough street circuit, a challenge for all of us. For our team, it’ll be a great opportunity to hopefully have a good weekend, good points for the championship and try to roll into the summer with more strength.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“For me, it’s my second year going into Toronto. Always love street circuits, and Toronto has so much history. Going there is a lot of fun and they put on an awesome event. The Canadian people really make the event, and it’s always a buzz. So, I’m excited to go back there and have another crack at a really cool race track.”

On learnings from last year and what can be applied to a second race…

“I think the more laps I can do, the better for me. We did as many laps as we could, and qualified in the Firestone Fast Six last year; we were really strong. But I know with that experience under my belt, and how I know the race travels in that, I feel like we can go better again. It’s just going to be laps and making the most of what I know from last year, and studying what I learned.”

With Detroit returning to the streets, and having St. Pete and Long Beach, what do you feel you’ve learned and can also apply to a second event in Toronto for you?

“I think what we learned with Firestone, and the tires, that’s a big deal. Toronto always comes at a time when everyone is really on top of their setups with street courses, and the tires and stuff, so I’m excited to go there. I think we’re going to have a really strong package regardless.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“We’re back to street racing, so I expect it to be a fight just like every other street course that we go to. Anything can happen. I always look forward to going to Toronto; it’s a nice city with a great atmosphere, and we have awesome Canadian fans.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“First and foremost, I’m really excited to be back here in Toronto for the race. This city always brings an amazing crowd and energy that fuels all of us at the track. The street course in Toronto is tight and technical, but that’s exactly what makes it so challenging and rewarding. We’ve had great pace on street courses this year, and we need to continue that trend to gain back the couple spots we’ve lost in the championship over the past two events.”

Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“Toronto is a special event, not only for me with it being run on the streets in my hometown but also for the Canadian team members we have, including part-owner Ric Peterson. I remember riding my bike over to this track when the thought of making a living in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES was just a dream. Now to be here ready to fight for the pole and the win is “pinch-me” stuff. The Canadian winters serve up some bumpy roads that keep our damper experts busy, and the long blast down the Lakeshore serves up some great racing. Let’s go have some fun.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“Toronto has always been a huge hit on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar with some of the most passionate fans we race in front of. The Canadian fans make this event what it is! This will be my first street course race behind the wheel of the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevy, so we’ll be working through our long test list of items in both practice sessions ahead of qualifying.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“I am very excited to go to Toronto! I like the city a lot, it’s so nice to be up there. I love the atmosphere surrounding the race and the track itself, there’s so much to look forward to this weekend! It’s another street course, which creates great opportunities for us. I am planning on staying out of the chaos and getting a good result for BITNILE.COM! Hopefully, we are up to speed right away and can turn the season around.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“I very much enjoyed racing at the Toronto Street course in 2019. We definitely had a strong weekend considering it was my first time there as a rookie. I do very much look forward to coming back to Toronto even though the car is different and I’m in a different team. We’ve been working very hard and very diligently, on our street course set up to try and improve from the team last year. Unfortunately, this is one of the few tracks I can’t practice on my simulator so I will be relying off of old videos and notes.”

Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“This will be my first time in Toronto. I haven’t raced there in any Junior Formula series, but I am really excited to learn a new track and it looks like a very enjoyable street circuit. We will be racing against guys that have a lot of experience, guys that have literally been there for 20 years. The team has had a lot of success in the past on street circuits so I am excited to see what we can accomplish together.

“In terms of prep, the big thing is looking at video and data and trying to get as much sim time as possible. It will really be just getting up to speed as quickly as possible, getting the car in a window where it is performing and getting the most lap time out of it as possible. I am really focused on giving the team a strong result.”

CHEVROLET AT TORONTO (since 2012):

Wins in Toronto: 7

2012: Ryan Hunter-Reay

2014 (Race 1): Sebastian Bourdais

2014 (Race 2): Mike Conway

2015: Josef Newgarden

2016: Will Power

2017: Josef Newgarden

2019: Simon Pagenaud

Pole Awards at Toronto: 7

2014 (Race 1): Scott Dixon

2014 (Race 2): Helio Castroneves

2015: Will Power

2016: Scott Dixon

2017: Simon Pagenaud

2018: Josef Newgarden

2019: Simon Pagenaud

Podiums at Toronto by Team Chevy: 19*

*Chevrolet swept the podium three times in the 2012 V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era at Toronto, including in 2014 for both Race 1 and Race 2, as well as 2015’s race.

Laps Led at Toronto by Team Chevy: 599

2023 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:

191: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.

109: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.

121: Earned poles since 2012.

7: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.

7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.

12: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

5: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era.

26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.

14: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including the past 11 with Chevrolet power.

9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.

44: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.

*Will Power’s career total of 68 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.