Simona de Silvestro drives a Volt

Simona de Silvestro

On Friday, IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro made her first trip to the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center in Detroit and visited the 2013 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix exhibit. She will participate in the dual 70-lap IndyCar races June 1-2, and her No. 78 Dallara will be powered by Chevy.

"I'm looking forward to Belle Isle and the season," said de Silvestro, who was joined Friday by Team Penske veterans Will Power and Helio Castroneves. "I'm expecting top-10 finishes this season. With KV Racing and the Chevy engine, I believe we can finish on the podium."

Speaking of the auto show, what car does de Silvestro drive around town?

"A Chevy Volt," she said. "It is fast enough and gets great mileage."

Power and Castroneves, a two-time winner at Belle Isle, are excited about June's Grand Prix and the two-race format.

"The duals are going to be cool," said Power, who finished runner-up again in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship in 2012. "It's going to be a massive points' weekend in Detroit. I hope to head out of the Motor City in the lead and go on to win a championship for Roger Penske."

Castroneves, a three-time Indy 500 champion, can't get to Belle Isle fast enough.

"The fans are going to have a great time at Belle Isle," he said. "It's double the fun for them and us. There should be plenty of passing on the extended racetrack, which has now been resurfaced. Roger (Penske) has given us great equipment again, and we have been very fast in testing. I finished strong last year in the championship, and hopefully the chemistry in the team will keep going."