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Chevrolet looking for second Indy 500 win in three seasons

Brian Carroccio

Castroneves is due to win again for Chevy
Castroneves is due to win again for Chevy

There is no bigger prize in American open-wheel racing than the Borg-Warner Trophy for winning the Indianapolis 500. On Sunday, 33 drivers – including 16 from Team Chevy – will vie for victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 99th running of the Indy 500.

Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter turbocharged V6 IndyCar is well-represented with the first five spots on the grid and seven cars on the first three rows for Sunday’s noon ET race on ABC. Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, the 2008 race winner, claimed his second pole position for the Indianapolis 500 with a four-lap average of 226.760 mph in his No. 9 Target Chevrolet V6 IndyCar.

It marked the fourth consecutive year that a Chevrolet-powered entry was the fastest qualifier for the race. Chevrolet has won the Indy 500 eight times with the most recent coming in 2013 when Tony Kanaan won the event for the first time and gave the Chevrolet V6 its first Indy 500 victory. Chevrolet competed previously in Indy-style competition as an engine manufacturer in 1986-93 and 2002-05 with V-8 engines. In that span, Chevy power won 105 races – including seven at the Indy 500 – and six driver championships.

So far in 2015, Team Chevy drivers have won four of the five rounds in the Verizon IndyCar Series including Will Power two weekends ago on the Indianapolis Road Course.

Team Penske’s Power, the defending IndyCar Series champion, will start second in his No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Teammate Simon Pagenaud was third-fastest in qualifying and will fill out the front row in the No. 22 Avaya Team Penske Chevrolet.

Kanaan starts fourth in the No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves qualified fifth in the No. 3 Shell V-Power Nitro+ Team Penske Chevrolet.

“Our Chevrolet teams and technical partners showed great adaptability during the abbreviated qualifying process to win the pole, as well as fill the entire front row," said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Program Manager for the Verizon IndyCar Series. “Adaptability is a key ingredient to a win at the Indy 500 this Sunday. Our warmest get-well wishes go out to James Hinchcliffe as he recovers from Monday's accident during practice."

The Chevy IndyCar Racing Tour display will be open at IMS starting at 11 a.m. ET Thursday, 8 a.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. An impressive lineup of Chevrolet production vehicles will be on-hand including 2016 models Equinox, Malibu and Camaro; along with the Chevrolet SS, Silverado, Corvette Stingray, Corvette Z06, Impala, Tahoe, Traverse, Trax, Cruze and Colorado – the 2015 MotorTrend Truck of the Year.

Additional vehicles include a track-ready Camaro, the Corvette Z06 C7.R edition and a Corvette C7.R show car.

Fans also can meet and ask questions of their favorite Team Chevy drivers Thursday through Sunday at the Chevy display:

  • 1:15 p.m. Thursday: Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Charlie Kimball and Sage Karam (Chip Ganassi Racing)
  • 10 a.m. Friday: Sebastien Bourdais, Stefano Coletti, Bryan Clauson (KV Racing/KVSH)
  • 1:15 p.m. Friday: Will Power, Juan Pablo Montoya, Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud (Team Penske)
  • 1:30 p.m. Friday: Ed Carpenter, Josef Newgarden, JR Hildebrand, Sarah Fisher (CFH Racing)
  • 2:45 p.m. Saturday: Townsend Bell (Dreyer & Reinbold)
  • 10:55 a.m. Sunday: Jeff Gordon (Indy 500 Pace Car Driver)

The 99th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to start at 12:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 9 with live television coverage on ABC beginning at 11 a.m. Audio coverage also is available broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, plus Sirius and XM channels 209 and www.indycar.com. Race timing and scoring can also be found on www.indycar.com.

Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results

Year

Events

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

5

4

5

Win and pole at St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Barber, Indy road course; pole at NOLA, Indy 500

Totals

57

37

39

2015 Verizon IndyCar Championship

Driver Standings

Team Standings

Manufacturer Standings

1. Juan Pablo Montoya – 171

2. Will Power – 166

3. Helio Castroneves – 153

4. Scott Dixon – 144

5. Graham Rahal – 144

6. Tony Kanaan – 136

7. Josef Newgarden – 129

8. James Hinchcliffe – 129

9. Sebastien Bourdais – 123

10. Simon Pagenaud – 101

1. No. 2 Team Penske – 171

2. No. 1 Team Penske – 166

3. No. 3 Team Penske – 161

4. No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Teams – 144

5. No. 67 CFH Racing – 144

1. Honda – 441

2. Chevrolet – 336

Indianapolis 500 (all times ET)

  • Verizon IndyCar Series Final Practice: 11 a.m., Friday, May 22
  • Pit Stop Challenge: 1:30 p.m., Friday, May 22
  • Public Drivers’ Meeting: 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 23
  • Verizon IndyCar Series Pre-Race Grid: 10:15 a.m., Sunday, May 24
  • 99th Indianapolis 500: 12:05 p.m., Sunday, May 24
  • TV/Radio: 11 a.m., Sunday, May 24 (ABC, Sirius 213/XM 209)