What They’re Saying About the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series Schedule

MARK MILES (CEO, Hulman & Co.): "The Verizon IndyCar Series calendar represents another step forward in our strategy to grow the series. There were several factors that led to the positive momentum we experienced in 2014 and we will continue to execute on those initiatives – continuity in our broadcast schedule, strategic growth of our schedule and improvements to how we promote our events. The continued support from our television partners at ABC and NBCSN, and the ongoing collaboration with promoters, teams and sponsor partners gives us a lot of confidence about our future."

ROGER PENSKE (Owner, Team Penske): "The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule provides a good competitive balance of street circuits, road courses and oval tracks at some terrific venues for our sport. We are excited to visit new markets in Brasilia and New Orleans and ending the season at Sonoma Raceway will provide a great backdrop for the series championship."

WILL POWER (2014 Verizon IndyCar Series Champion, Team Penske Chevrolet): "I'm really happy with the additions to the schedule with the races in Brazil and in New Orleans. It's always exciting to go to new markets. And it's good to blend the new with the traditional tracks like Long Beach, Toronto, Milwaukee and ending the season in Sonoma. Overall, it's a good, competitive schedule and I can't wait to get back on track to try and defend our Verizon IndyCar Series championship. It's definitely going to be tough man."

KRISTEN PONTHIER ENGERON (President, NOLA Motorsports Park): "We are excited about being a part of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series and looking forward to hosting all the sponsors, teams and having the public come out for this inaugural race in New Orleans. We promise that anyone who comes out will be able to see and experience a Louisiana style race festival that promises to be fun for anybody of any age. New Orleans knows how to do events unlike anywhere else, so laissez les bon temps rouler!"

LANEY CHOUEST (Owner, NOLA Motorsports Park): "We are very excited to be a new stop for the Verizon IndyCar Series. We will most certainly live up to our reputation in New Orleans and have a racing festival to be remembered. We look forward to hosting sponsors, racing teams, and racing fans for our inaugural event. For those who are curious and want to "come on down" and experience something special, we say 'permission granted', see you in April 2015."

GRAHAM RAHAL (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda): "The schedule looks really good to me. Sonoma is a great location to end the season. From a commercial standpoint, the sponsors always want to go there and we all look forward to that race. There is a seven week stretch beginning with the races in Indy which will be a busy string for the teams but I think there is a good mix of races overall. I'm excited to race in New Orleans. The track owner Laney (Chouest), whom I met on a media day there, has been in contact and keeping me posted about all of the updates to the track. The new aero kits will produce plenty of excitement next season and with those coming starting with St. Pete, that will add quite a bit into the mix. It's going to be very challenging for the teams to get their cars prepared and down to St. Pete but the extra challenge of the aero kits is what the fans want. They want to see a difference between the manufacturers and that's what they are going to get. I think the cars are going to be pretty radical. The fans are going to be pretty happy."

MICHAEL ANDRETTI (Team Owner, Andretti Autosport): "It's great to see the Verizon IndyCar Series going back to Brazil and expanding internationally. Having a presence outside of the U.S. is important for the health of the series and a necessary part of growing visibility and awareness opportunities in our industry."

GEORGE DENNIS (President, ZOOM Motorsports, exclusive event promoter of Barber Motorsports Park): "The 2015 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama is already shaping up to be our best race weekend yet. Our fans seem to love the late April date when the beautiful landscaping at Barber Motorsports Park shows off one of the finest road courses in North America. We're thrilled that IndyCar has such a loaded schedule and look forward to a great 2015 season."

SARAH FISHER (Co-owner, CFH Racing): "It is big picture strategy and growth that we've already seen improvement within. To organize this type of schedule strategy and to include as many stakeholders in it as they have, is a tough job and I commend them for it. We are excited about the additions of Brasilia and NOLA, and competing in those markets. Especially the idea of continuing our partnership with all our supporters in Brazil, our series has a tremendous asset there outside the US and it's great to be going back. And, we are enthusiastic about the continuity of the other venues that continue to partner with our series. We are going into locations that not only provide great racing, but have people that want to see the Verizon IndyCar Series at the top."

SIMON PAGENAUD (Driver, Team Penske Chevrolet): "INDYCAR has put together a fantastic schedule for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Our fans will be able to see us compete at all of our classic tracks, while taking the sport to new venues in Brazil and New Orleans. We have the best racing in the world in our series. This schedule will allow us to showcase the speed and technology associated with our cars and teams to all of our fans. It's going to be exciting and I'm ready to get started."

JIMMY SMALL (President, Iowa Speedway): "The return of INDYCAR to Iowa Speedway in 2015 is exciting news for our race fans, sponsors, and the entire region. INDYCAR races here are not only thrilling sports entertainment, but also a boon for the local economy. Our track provides some of the best racing you'll see anywhere, making this a can't-miss weekend. Announcing our INDYCAR weekend in October allows our fans, local businesses and the City of Newton to plan ahead, and will better facilitate future planning for those who want to participate in the event. We have established a strong INDYCAR tradition in Iowa. I know that race fans, like me, will look forward to July 17-18 of 2015 with great anticipation."

STEVE PAGE (President and General Manager, Sonoma Raceway): "Our road course will be an outstanding venue to decide the series championship, and it will be a terrific way for our fans to wrap up the 2015 racing season in Sonoma. We look forward to working with the folks at INDYCAR and Verizon to make this a championship event second to none."

SCOTT DIXON (Driver, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "Sonoma has always been a great circuit for the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule and I'm happy to hear we're continuing that relationship. People always ask what my favorite track is and I often say 'the last one I won at' so it's perfect for me and Team Target. It's a very technical and challenging track and the site of the biggest Target weekend each season from a partnership perspective. I'm looking forward to defending our win there in 2015."

BOBBY RAHAL (Co-owner, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing): "Sonoma is a great place to end what will be a very demanding season. The addition of New Orleans as a new market is great as well. The fact that there isn't much racing at all there gives us the ability to really create something special and I'm hopeful it will be a big event for the Verizon IndyCar Series. Overall I am pleased with the quality of the circuits we have on the schedule. The 2015 season is certainly going to be interesting with the new aero package. The people who have been chosen to test the new aero kits will have an early advantage over those who haven't, which is the majority of the teams, so that will put extra pressure on those teams to quickly come to grips with the new challenge. Overall that should produce some exciting drama for the fans. I'm confident in our team and the learning process we will be going through with Honda on the aero kit and look forward to the 2015 season."

BRANDON IGDALSKY (President/CEO, Pocono Raceway): "We're excited about today's announcement. We have been bombarded with questions from race fans regarding the Verizon IndyCar Series' return to Pocono next summer. Our staff evaluated fan feedback, and with cooperation from everyone at INDYCAR, we were able to find different date on the 2015 calendar which we feel works better for everyone involved."

TONY KANAAN (Driver, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "Returning to Pocono in 2015 is great news! The 'Tricky Triangle' is a very challenging racetrack for us drivers and it provides great racing and excitement for the fans. Continuity is the key word to rebuild our fan base for that region and the Verizon IndyCar Series and Pocono are working very hard and thankfully making it happen. I'm obviously happy to be able to return in 2015 and finish up right the strong race that we had in 2014."

MARCO ANDRETTI (Driver, Andretti Autosport Honda): "It's great to see my hometown race (Pocono Raceway) on the 2015 schedule. Pocono is basically in my back yard and the support in the area is so encouraging. It really is a track that is made for Indy cars; there's a fun challenge in trying to find the balance between Turn 1 and Turn 3. In Turn 1 you really feel the speed of the cars – it's become one of my favorite turns in racing."

ED CARPENTER (Co-Owner and Driver, CFH Racing Chevrolet): "I am very happy with the 2015 schedule and extremely pleased to see the 500 mile races back with Indy, Fontana and Pocono. Some of the new events like Brazil and New Orleans look very exciting too. We are very busy with the new CFH Racing team as we continue the process of the teams merging their efforts. This off-season is very hectic for our new team. But I know everyone at INDYCAR as well as the track promoters worked hard to develop a strong schedule. I want to thank them for producing a successful 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. We are looking forward to a high-competition series."

CHARLIE JOHNSTONE (President, Honda Indy Toronto): "Today's a good day to wave both the green and checkered flags. Scheduling an event of this magnitude is complicated in a normal year. Toronto is a growing city with many moving parts, and the same can be said for professional auto racing. There are a lot of details and coordination that go into the teams, the schedules, the races and the various sites, especially with street courses. We're celebrating today and getting ready for the road ahead."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (Driver, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "I'm glad the schedule is out! Highlights for me are Brazil and NOLA, because I love learning new tracks. Obviously I'm very happy that my hometown race in Toronto made it back on the schedule too. It'll be nice racing there in June instead of July, because it should give us some relief from the heat and humidity in July when we've raced there in the past."

JIM MICHAELIN (President/CEO, Grand Prix Association of Long Beach): "We are delighted with the announcement today of the Verizon IndyCar Series returning to the streets of Long Beach on our traditional third weekend of April date. This will be the 32nd time that our fans will have the opportunity to see the stars and cars of the series on this legendary circuit and we're looking forward to a great show."

BUD DENKER (Chairman, Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix): "The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans was the first INDYCAR doubleheader race weekend hosted by the series in 2013 and we're excited that our event will continue as the only twin race weekend in 2015. We welcome back Quicken Loans as the presenting sponsor of the Dual in Detroit and we love the doubleheader race format on the tough Belle Isle street circuit. It's certainly a unique challenge for the Verizon IndyCar Series drivers and teams, but the real winners are the fans and our partners who get to enjoy two world-class INDYCAR races on one spectacular weekend."

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (Driver, Team Penske Chevrolet): "I'm very excited that we are taking the Verizon IndyCar Series back to Latin America with the debut of a new track in Brasília. Obviously we have a lot of Latin Americans in the series and it will be nice to take our sport to a continent where we have a lot of fans. With the new schedule and the new body kits, it's going to be a great year for the Verizon IndyCar Series."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (Driver, Team Penske Chevrolet): "Going back home to Brazil to start the season will be awesome – I'm looking forward to the new track in Brasília. An important part of the schedule will, of course, be the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indy 500 followed by the only doubleheader on the calendar at the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans. I think some of the new markets and the new aero kit package will bring some exciting changes to the Verizon IndyCar Series and I know we'll be ready to go with the Hitachi/Shell-Pennzoil/AAA Chevy team."

JULIE SOBIESKI (ESPN vice president, league sports programming): "We look forward to once again bringing ABC's viewers the exciting racing and competition of the Indianapolis 500 and the Month of May at Indianapolis, as well as the St. Petersburg and Detroit races. INDYCAR racing has a quality all its own and we're proud to continue our company's long relationship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR in 2015."

JON MILLER (President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN): "We're thrilled the INDYCAR season will begin and end on NBCSN. This year's schedule looks to be one of our most exciting ever, as it combines new races in Brazil and New Orleans with old favorites, such as Long Beach, Barber and Milwaukee. With our presentation of the final eight races of the 2015 campaign, the INDYCAR champion will again be crowned on NBCSN."

DALE COYNE (Owner, Dale Coyne Racing): "We are excited about this positive direction of the 2015 schedule. To add two new markets to our already diverse geographic schedule is a good sign of our strength going forward."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (Driver, CFH Racing Chevrolet): "2015 is going to be another great year for Verizon IndyCar Series racing and I look forward to the growth of our international schedule. Expansion takes time and careful planning, so 2015 should provide a great transition year as we strive to reach our goals. I'm excited to see the finale take place at Sonoma as well, and look forward to ending the year in such a beautiful part of the country."