Chevy hopes to keep momentum going from Detroit
Six of the first seven races of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season have been contested on either a road or street course. Team Chevy driver Will Power (in photo) scored the first victory in 2014, bringing the Chevrolet 2.2 liter twin turbocharged powered No. 12 Verizon Team Penske to Victory Lane at the Streets of St. Petersburg. His second victory of the year that propelled him to the lead in the point standings was race one of the Chevrolet Dual at Detroit last Saturday.
The first oval race was the Indianapolis 500 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Last year’s Texas Motor Speedway winner, Helio Castroneves, came within just six one-hundredths of a second from claiming his fourth Indy 500 victory.
However, Castroneves took the momentum to Detroit and scored a top-five finish in race one in the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, and a dominating victory in Sunday’s race two of Chevrolet sponsored weekend. He is second in the standings behind his Team Penske Chevrolet teammate, Power.
"Texas Motor Speedway presents some unique challenges for the drivers and engineers given the combined vertical and lateral loading the car and driver must sustain due to the speeds achieved on this banked oval," said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager for the Verizon IndyCar Series. “In the last month, the Verizon IndyCar Series drivers have competed on a new permanent road course, the iconic superspeedway at Indianapolis, a street course double header on Belle Isle and now the high banks of Texas Motor Speedway. It is evidence of the diversity in talent required to compete in, and is unique to this Series. Chevrolet and our technical partners are proud to provide the power and support to Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Ed Carpenter Racing and KV Racing Technology."
Five current Team Chevy drivers have TMS victories on their resumes. Castroneves has hoisted the trophy at TMS four-times (2004, 2006, 2009 & 2013). Will Power wore the Texas-sized cowboy hat in 2011. Ryan Briscoe was the winner in 2010. Scott Dixon went to Victory Lane in 2008 and Tony Kanaan won the Texas race in 2004. In addition, Sebastien Bourdais won the IROC race at TMS in 2005.
For the fans, the Chevy Racing display will provide the opportunity to get up-close to many vehicles from the full Chevrolet line-up including: the all-new 2014 Impala, Malibu, Silverado, Corvette, Camaro, Volt and Traverse. Also on display will be a variety of parts and accessories from Chevrolet Performance customers can get from their local Chevy dealer for their own Chevrolet. Crate engines will be on display, and interactive games will entertain fans of all ages.
Several of the Chevrolet IndyCar stars will make appearances at the Display throughout the race weekend. Fans should visit the Display for the driver line-up and times. The display will be open Friday from 10 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday from Noon to 8:00 p.m.
The Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, June 7, 2014. Live television coverage of the 248-lap/372-mile race on NBC Sports Network will begin at 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET). Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 209, and IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 213. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at www.indy.car.com. Chevrolet Racing