Phoenix Grand Prix Preview

2005 Phoenix race action

Date: Saturday, April 2, 2016Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix Fast Facts

Track: Phoenix International Raceway, a 1.022-mile oval

Race distance: 250 laps / 255.5 miles

Entry List: Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix (PDF)

Firestone tire allotment: Nine sets primary with an additional set available to rookie drivers and those outside the top 10 in Verizon IndyCar Series points

Twitter: @PhoenixRaceway, @IndyCar, #DDCPhoenixGrandPrix, #IndyCar

Event website: www.phoenixraceway.com

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2005 race winner: Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota)

2005 pole winner: Bryan Herta (No. 7 XM Satellite Radio Dallara/Honda), 20.3837 seconds (176.612 mph)

Qualifying lap record: Arie Luyendyk (19.608 seconds; 183.599 mph) set on March 23, 1996

2005 race winner Sam Hornish

NBCSN television telecasts (also available on the NBC Sports Live Extra app): Practice, 1 p.m. ET Friday, April 1; Qualifying, 5 p.m. ET Friday, April 1; Race, 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday, April 2. Rick Allen is the lead announcer for NBCSN's broadcast this weekend alongside analysts Paul Tracy and Townsend Bell. Pit reporters are Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller.

Video Streaming: Friday's 9:15 p.m. ET practice session for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix will be available on the INDYCAR YouTube channel ( www.youtube.com/indycar) and RaceControl.IndyCar.com.

Radio broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 212, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app.

Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying is broadcast on Sirius 212, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app. Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions plus Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practice and qualifying are on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, April 1

10-11:15 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1, NBCSN (Live)

2-3 p.m. – Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award (single-car format, two laps each), NBCSN (Live)

6:15-6:45 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series final practice, live stream on RaceControl.IndyCar.Com

Saturday, April 2

2:30 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series systems check

5:30 p.m. – NBCSN on air

6:15 p.m. – Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix (250 laps/255.5 miles), NBCSN (Live).

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]Race Notes:

* Juan Pablo Montoya claimed the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 13 for the second consecutive season. Montoya has led the points after 16 of the last 17 Verizon IndyCar Series events (only failing to lead following the 2015 season finale at Sonoma).

* The Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix will be the first Indy car event conducted at Phoenix International Raceway since 2005 and 62nd Indy car race since the track opened in 1964.

* This is the first of five oval races on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Other ovas events scheduled are: the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil (May 29), the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway (June 11), the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway (July 10) and the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway (Aug. 21).

* Four drivers entered this weekend have previously raced Indy cars at Phoenix International Raceway: Ed Carpenter, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. Al Unser has the most wins by an Indy car driver at the track (six). Castroneves (2002) and Kanaan (2003 and 2004) are the only past PIR winners entered in this year's race.

* Eleven drivers have won the Phoenix race from the pole: Castroneves (2002), Arie Luyendyk (1996), Rick Mears (1982, 1989 and 1990), Al Unser (1969 and 1985), Tom Sneva (1984), Teo Fabi (1983), Johnny Rutherford (1977), Gordon Johncock (1973), Bobby Unser (1968, 1972), Lloyd Ruby (1967) and Mario Andretti (1966).

* Drivers who have won at Phoenix have gone on to win the Indy car championship nine times: A.J. Foyt (1964, first race; 1975, second race), Mario Andretti (1966, second race), Bobby Unser (1968, first race), Al Unser (1970, first race; 1985), Rick Mears (1982, first race), Bobby Rahal (1992), Buddy Lazier (2000), Hornish (2001) and Kanaan (2004).

* Three drivers will make their first Indy car oval start this weekend at Phoenix – Max Chilton, Luca Filippi and Alexander Rossi. Chilton and Rossi, along with Conor Daly, are Sunoco Rookie of the Year award candidates. Chilton and Rossi made their series debut at St. Petersburg after competing previously in Formula One.

* 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.

DESERT DIAMOND WEST VALLEY PHOENIX GRAND PRIX PRERACE QUOTES:

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was good to get the 2016 season started right with a win at St. Pete in the Verizon Chevy and now we get a chance for our first oval challenge in Phoenix. It's good for the Verizon IndyCar Series to come back to a market like Phoenix, with all the history the series has there. I think it's going to be a pretty interesting race on Saturday night and our Team Penske cars should be fast there, so hopefully we can make it two in a row to start the season."

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 REV Group Team Penske Chevrolet): "I am really excited to debut the new REV Group Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix. I am one of the few guys who ran at Phoenix before and I have some really good memories of the track, including winning there in 2002. We learned a lot in our test there a few weeks ago and it sounds like there's a lot of buzz in town around the Verizon IndyCar Series coming back to race at PIR. I know I am excited and looking forward to racing under the lights in the REV Team Penske Chevy on Saturday night."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "It's really great that INDYCAR got such a historic venue like Phoenix back on the calendar. I remember watching PIR races on TV as a kid, so it will be cool now to get to battle it out there. And it will be a battle! Based on what we saw at the open test, it will be a tight race, very physical, very hot … and I don't care if it's a dry heat! Track position will be key but we have a great Arrow Electronics car and some of the best strategists on pit lane, so hopefully we can get the No. 5 up front."

MIKHAIL ALESHIN (No. 7 SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "We had a good start to the 2016 INDYCAR season with a fifth-place finish in St. Pete. I'm very excited about the first oval race of the season at Phoenix. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be there for the test, but I will do my best to bring the SMP Racing No. 7 car to the front."

MAX CHILTON (No. 8 Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "We tested at PIR before the season started so this is one of the very few tracks I'll go to this season with some INDYCAR experience under my belt. I learned a lot at the test and spent a lot of time with my teammates, engineers and (CGRT driver advisor) Dario Franchitti. I went up to the spotter's stand as well and had time to study the different lines and how to best race the track. I'm hoping that experience will translate into a successful weekend for the Gallagher team this weekend."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series champion): "I'm excited for the return to Phoenix. I think the last time I was there was 2005. It's a tough track and I know it's changed a bit over the years with some resurfacing, so it will be interesting to see how it handles now. I love the area and Arizona is a great part of the world. There are a lot of fans in the area and I hope they are as excited as we are to return and go racing there again."

TONY KANAAN (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "Our season opener in St. Pete wasn't exactly the way we wanted to start out the year, but we took away some positives from the weekend like moving up 10 spots and finishing in the top 10. We've had some time to debrief and do some testing and NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing is more than prepared heading into Phoenix. I've had some really good results there with the two wins (2003 and 2004) and I felt really good at the test earlier this year. I'm focused and the team is ready for a good result out in Phoenix, so we're going to do everything we can to make that happen."

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 11 Team Hydroxycut – KVSH Racing Chevrolet): "This will be the first time I have raced at Phoenix International Raceway in an Indy car, so that is always different and a bit of a challenge. We tested there about a month ago and collected a lot of data, but the one thing I know for sure is that it will be a very physically demanding race. We are going to be pulling more G's (G-forces) than we usually do and the racing will be close. We have Chevy power and the new Chevy aero kit, so I know we have a reliable package. We just have to work hard and keep digging and with any luck we can have a good race."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "Obviously it was disappointing not to be able to race at St. Pete to start the season, but I am feeling a lot better and just really ready to get our season started in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet at Phoenix. We know from the test there that our cars are going to be really fast on the Phoenix oval and it should put on quite a show for the fans Saturday night. I know everyone is happy to be back racing at Phoenix. It's an awesome area, home to the Penske Racing museum, which makes it extra special for us and the fans seem very excited, so we look forward to this weekend."

Helio Castroneves tests at Phoenix

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing Honda): "Very fast! It's well known that this track is unique as there is different banking for each corner – it's very impressive. The track has such a high level of grip and the cornering speed is incredibly fast, so the sensation of turning into Turn 1 is quite amazing. I also felt we received such a warm welcome from the fans. They came to see us at the open test day and they are very enthusiastic. I thought it was a very nice atmosphere."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda): "Exciting is the word that comes to mind when I think about Indy cars returning to Phoenix. To go back there where Indy car racing has such a storied past is cool. It's also cool as my dad won here before, and dominated in 1992 to score the team's first win. I think we can make a great run of it and hopefully get Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing another victory in the desert. The dusk or when the sun begins to go down behind the stands in Turn 1 will be very tricky, for sure. Getting the right visor darkness on for the race will be key. Physically this will be the most demanding race of the year, I believe, so it's important to make sure I am hydrated and ready for a lot of G-forces and laps! (On the importance of this race after a disappointing result in St. Petersburg): This race is huge. I honestly feel like this race could shape our entire season. If we have a good run, we will bounce right back in points. I think our competition will be bringing their 'A' game and it will be very important that we do as well."

CONOR DALY (No. 18 Jonathan Byrd's Hospitality Honda): "I think it's going to be quite a challenge in Phoenix, probably the biggest challenge we've faced so far. Especially for me as a driver. There's a lot to learn, a different style of racing to get used to. I'm excited for it. It was nice to be able to test there in the Jonathan Byrd's Hospitality car, so we have a little bit of experience going into it, but still, I definitely think of this track as probably one of the biggest challenges we'll face all year. …The cars are super on the limit in Phoenix and it'll be tough for everyone. It's a whole new physical set of challenges, obviously the track is very difficult physically and I think patience is quite important in Phoenix as well and just staying in the fight will be the major key for us. I don't have much to compare the track to in Phoenix but it's pretty cool driving on it. With Turns 1 and 2 being so different from Turns 3 and 4 and having the dogleg, that creates, again, another challenge for racing there. When all the corners are different that presents another challenge, where is the best place to overtake, one place is obviously going to be a lot harder than the other and no one is going to be giving an inch. It's going to be new, it's going to be different but I like the track and I think it's going to be a cool place to have a race."

LUCA FILIPPI (No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda): "I'm very, very excited going into my first oval race, especially since it's my first oval race in an Indy car, which is something very special to me. Not many drivers have the opportunity to race on ovals, so I also feel lucky and honored to accomplish this. I know it's going to be a real challenge. It's going to be something very different from everything else that I've experienced in racing, so I expect an exciting weekend but at the same time a tough weekend. It's hard for me to have specific expectations, but being in INDYCAR is what I like the most and where I want to be and I have to go through this learning process and take it step by step. My preparation for this race is going to be mentally slightly different because there's still a lot to learn and we don't have a lot of time to practice and work with our engineers to make the right changes before the race to get the Boy Scouts of America car where we want it. I'll have to remind myself not to overdrive the car, because on ovals you don't have room for that. I think the key will be to be patient. I obviously want to take the best out of it and we have to take it one step at a time to get the job done properly."

Scott Dixon

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): "I am very excited to be getting back in the car for this weekend's race at Phoenix. It will be my first race since last season and I am chomping at the bit to get back out there. Excitement has been building for this race since it was announced and we are looking for a big weekend with the Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolets."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): "I'm excited to get back to Phoenix. Hopefully we can get back up on the board this time, St. Pete was a bit of a rough start. Those things happen, but the guys have been working really hard leading up to this next race weekend. It will be great to be running with Ed (Carpenter) again, we always work well together. I think we're going to bring a pretty strong effort to the first oval of the year and hopefully have a good showing in the Fuzzy's Vodka cars."

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Devilbiss Team Penske Chevrolet): "We will be running the No. 22 Devilbiss Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix, so we will be trying to build on our second-place finish in St. Pete a few weeks ago. Phoenix is a fast and challenging oval but we had a good test there recently and we feel good going into this weekend. We need to have a strong start to the oval schedule and I think it's going to be really exciting with our cars there racing at night in Phoenix. You don't want to miss it."

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda): "I'm excited to go Phoenix for the first time with INDYCAR in many years. We've been testing there and I enjoyed it. It's a really complicated oval, fast but a short oval. We'll see how it goes – it's the second race of the year and something different to have ovals so soon in the season. I'm looking forward to it."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 27 Snapple Honda): "We'd like to go to Phoenix this week and at the very least improve on the open test there, which is hopefully a podium or win. It's going to be a physical 250-lap race, but small ovals under the lights are always fun. I'm looking forward to it."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): "It's no secret that I love short oval racing. I've been looking forward to this race since the rumors started growing stronger that PIR would be back on the INDYCAR schedule for 2016. As a team we've been very strong on the short ovals, so we're looking to maintain that form. No one really knows what to expect when it comes to race traffic, so we'll all be on a bit of a learning curve throughout the race weekend. Hopefully we can continue the positive momentum following our podium finish at the season opener in St. Pete."

JACK HAWKSWORTH (No. 41 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing Honda): "From what I understand, it is a circuit that has a huge open-wheel history and has produced some great races in the past. It's always good to visit tracks that are steeped in history as it gives the place a certain aura. Judging by the turnout at the preseason test, we should get a good crowd and it seems like the fans are looking forward to INDYCAR's return."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Tresiba Chevrolet): "I can't wait to get to Phoenix Raceway for the race weekend. We had our ups and downs at St. Pete, but the oval out west is a whole different game. It was good to have those two preseason test days; I think we learned a lot about the car's capabilities on the banking and that sharp turn on the exit of (Turn) 2. It's such a fun track, but you really have to be focused every single second you're strapped in. It will be a big weekend for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team as we unveil a new look on the No. 83 car, too. Lots to look forward to in Phoenix."

ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda): "This weekend in Phoenix is going to be something completely new to me and my career. My first oval experience is something that I am incredibly excited about. … And while I don't really know what to expect, I am very much looking forward to getting started. I will be relying a lot on the wealth of information and success around me in Bryan (Herta) and Michael (Andretti), as well as my three teammates, to make the transition as seamless as possible. The No. 98 team is growing every day and there has been a lot of effort on and off track after St. Pete, so we will be looking to translate that into a strong result."

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