IndyCar: Texas PPG 375 Preview

Following the season-opening round of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the IndyCar contingent moves to oval competition, with the series returning to famed Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the PPG 375.

The 1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth has been a constant on the INDYCAR schedule since  2012

As the defending winner with a strong 1-2 finish by Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin, respectively, Chevrolet also looks to add to their seven victories on the 1.5-mile oval since 2012.

A true test of performance by driver, team, and power, Rob Buckner, IndyCar Program Manager at General Motors noted, “Texas Motor Speedway has set the stage for some exciting INDYCAR races since the Chevrolet V6 program began in 2012, and we expect a similar scenario this weekend. The track surface is worn which drivers tend to enjoy as it puts the race in their hands but poses a challenge to our Chevrolet and team engineers to arrive at the correct balance to handle the high banks and the speed. Chevrolet has had great success at Texas with our 2.2 liter V6, and we are well prepared for this weekend. With Texas being the only oval race before the Indianapolis 500, we have an opportunity to sharpen those skills specific to an oval, and hopefully bring home another big Texas win.”

Race weekend: Saturday, April 1-Sunday, April 2

Track: Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval

Race distance: 250 laps/375 miles

Firestone tire allotment: Eleven sets primary to be used during practice, qualifying and the race. An extra set will be available to cars participating in the high-line practice session.

Entry List

	CAR	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	CAR NAME	TEAM	ENGINE
1	2	Josef Newgarden	Nashville, Tennessee	PPG Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	3	Scott McLaughlin	Christchurch, New Zealand	XPEL Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
3	5	Pato O’Ward	Monterrey, Mexico	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
4	06	Helio Castroneves	Sao Paulo, Brazil	AutoNation/SiriusXM	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda
5	6	Felix Rosenqvist	Värnamo, Sweden	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
6	7	Alexander Rossi	Nevada City, California	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
7	8	Marcus Ericsson	Kumla, Sweden	Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
8	9	Scott Dixon	Auckland, New Zealand	PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
9	10	Alex Palou	Barcelona, Spain	The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
10	11	Takuma Sato	Tokyo, Japan	Niterra	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
11	12	Will Power	Toowoomba, Australia	Verizon Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
12	14	Santino Ferrucci	Woodbury, Connecticut	AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	Chevrolet
13	15	Graham Rahal	New Albany, Ohio	Fleet Cost and Care	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
14	18	David Malukas	Chicago, Illinois	HMD Trucking	Dale Coyne Racing with HMD	Honda
15	20	Conor Daly	Noblesville, Indiana	Bitnile.com	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
16	21	Rinus VeeKay	Hoofddorp, Netherlands	Bitnile.com	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
17	26	Colton Herta	Valencia, California	Gainbridge	Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian	Honda
18	27	Kyle Kirkwood	Jupiter, Florida	AutoNation	Andretti Autosport	Honda
19	28	Romain Grosjean	Geneva, Switzerland	DHL	Andretti Autosport	Honda
20	29	Devlin DeFrancesco	Toronto, Canada	Capstone	Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	Honda
21	30	Jack Harvey	Bassingham, England	PeopleReady	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
22	33	Ed Carpenter	Indianapolis, Indiana	Bitnile.com	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
23	45	Christian Lundgaard	Hedensted, Denmark	Hy-Vee Redbox Rx	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
24	51	Sting Ray Robb (R)	Boise, Idaho	biohaven	Dale Coyne Racing with RWR	Honda
25	55	Benjamin Pedersen (R)	Copenhagen, Denmark	AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	Chevrolet
26	60	Simon Pagenaud	Montmorillon, France	AutoNation/SiriusXM	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda
27	77	Callum Ilott	Cambridge, England	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevrolet
28	78	Agustín Canapino (R)	Arrecifes, Argentina	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevrolet

 

Twitter: @TXMotorSpeedway @INDYCAR, #PPG375, #INDYCAR

Instagram: @TXMotorSpeedway, @INDYCAR, #PPG375, #INDYCAR

Facebook: @TexasMotorSpeedway, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR

TikTok: @txmotorspeedway, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR

YouTube: @INDYCAR

Event website: www.TexasMotorSpeedway.com

INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com

2022 race winner: Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet)

2022 NTT P1 Award winner: Felix Rosenqvist (No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet), 46.8906 seconds, 221.110 mph

Qualifying record (based on track distance of 1.44 miles)

One lap: Charlie Kimball, 23.2730, 222.747 mph, June 9, 2017

Two laps: Charlie Kimball, 46.5861, 222.556 mph, June 9, 2017

NBC Sports race telecast: Noon (ET) Sunday, April 2, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Marty Snider and Dave Burns are the pit reporters.

Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions, qualifying and races will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman is the turn announcer. Jake Query, Michael Young and Georgia Henneberry are the pit reporters. The PPG 375 race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 160 and SiriusXM NBC Sports Audio 85 (Race only), racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

At-track schedule (All times local/Central Time):

Saturday, April 1

8-8:10 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES two-stage pit speed limiter practice

8:10-9 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Single car, Two laps), Peacock

12:45-1:15 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES high-line session (two groups/15 minutes), Peacock

1:30-2:30 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice (all cars), Peacock

Sunday, April 2

11 a.m. NBC on air

11:10 a.m. “Drivers, start your engines”

11:15 a.m. PPG 375 (250 laps / 375 miles), NBC (Live)

“4 THINGS TO LOOK FOR” AT TEXAS:

1. Round and Round We Go: The PPG 375 will be the first of five oval races on the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule as well as the 36th INDYCAR SERIES race on the 1.5-mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway. Only Indianapolis Motor Speedway has hosted more INDYCAR SERIES races among current oval tracks.

The 28 drivers entered is the most for a race at Texas since 30 drivers were entered for the Firestone Twin 275s in June 2011. And predicting who will wear the cowboy hat and celebrate in Victory Lane is anyone’s guess.

Underscoring the competitiveness of the series, there have been 23 different drivers to win the 35 races. With a wide-open field of competitive drivers and teams, will another new winner find his way to take the checkered flag in the race?

2. Dixon Has Been Dominating: Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) is the winningest NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver at Texas Motor Speedway, with five victories, and he has won three of the past six and four of the past nine races there.

Dixon has led five of the last six race races, 678 of 1,404 laps in all (48.2 percent). That accounts for him being INDYCAR’s all-time leader in laps led at this oval with 1,043 laps, more than double the number of the active driver in second place. His average finish in all races at TMS is 6.7.

But Dixon is not the only active NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver to succeed at TMS.

Six other drivers in this field have won at Texas, including Meyer Shank Racing’s Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda), who won on four occasions with Team Penske. Team Penske teammates Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) and Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet) each have earned two of Roger Penske’s organization’s record 11 victories at the track. Power won in 2011 and 2017, Newgarden in 2019 and 2022.

Ed Carpenter (No. 33 Bitnile.com Chevrolet) won in 2014, Graham Rahal (No. 15 Fleet Cost & Care Honda) won in 2016, and Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) won the second race of the 2021 doubleheader.

The seven previous winners have combined to win 16 of the 35 previous races at TMS.

3. Texas ties: Though reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Will Power is from Toowoomba, Australia, the two-time series champion and two-time Texas winner considers TMS to be a home race because his wife, Elizabeth, is from nearby Plano.

Power, who claimed his first INDYCAR SERIES oval win at Texas in 2011, is one of several NTT INDYCAR SERIES personalities with ties to the Lone Star State. Others include:

• Pato O’Ward won his first INDYCAR SERIES race at Texas in 2021, but the PPG 375 will also be the only race for the Mexican driver in his adopted home state. O’Ward’s family moved to San Antonio when he was 11, and he attended high school there.
• Santino Ferrucci drives the famed No. 14 car for Lone Star legend A.J. Foyt and aims to deliver Foyt his first oval win since 2002. Can the Sunnyvale resident take the racing legend’s team – run by TCU graduate Larry Foyt – to victory lane in its home state?

4. Ready, Set, Go To $1 Million Bonus: The PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge returns for a second season, and the PPG 375 will be a chance for Marcus Ericsson (No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) to solidify his chances for the prize.

The challenge offered by the industrial staffing giant is a bonus of $1 million to be awarded to the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver who can win on all three unique style of tracks – street circuits, road courses and ovals – this season. With last month’s victory in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, Ericsson has checked the street circuit box, and the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner figures to be strong at Texas after finishing third in last year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES event.

One INDYCAR SERIES driver has won on each type of track in seven of the past eight seasons, 2021 being the exception. In 2022, Josef Newgarden earned the reward, which offers $500,000 shared between the driver and his team and $500,000 presented to their chosen charity.

PeopleReady is offering an additional $10,000 to the winner of every race this season, also to be split with their selected charity.

Race Notes:

• 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson kicked off the 2023 season in style, claiming the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 5 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The 32-year-old Swede took advantage of a late-race plenum event for Pato O’Ward and held off the Mexican and teammate Scott Dixon to take his fourth career win.
• The PPG 375 will be the 36th INDYCAR SERIES race at Texas Motor Speedway, dating to Arie Luyendyk winning the INDYCAR SERIES event in 1997. No driver has competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race at TMS, but Scott Dixon has started 24 events.
• Will Power has won the pole for three of the past 11 Texas Motor Speedway races (2013, 2014 and 2015). Other past pole winners entered this year are Scott Dixon (2008), Josef Newgarden (2018 and 2020),Takuma Sato (2019) and Felix Rosenqvist (2022). Dixon and Alex Palou were awarded the pole based on entrant points after qualifying was rained out in 2021.
• Six drivers have won the Texas race from the pole: Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2), Gil de Ferran (2003 Race 2), Helio Castroneves (2004 Race 2), Tomas Scheckter (2005), Scott Dixon (2008) and Ryan Briscoe (2010).
• Drivers who have won at Texas have gone on to win the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship nine times, including in three of the last five seasons. Champions who won at Texas are Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2 and 2002 Race 2), Tony Kanaan (2004 Race 1), Scott Dixon (2008, 2015, 2018 and 2020), Dario Franchitti (2011 Race 1) and Josef Newgarden (2019).
• Twenty-five drivers entered this weekend have competed in past NTT INDYCAR SERIES events at Texas Motor Speedway. Seventeen drivers have led laps at the track: Scott Dixon 1,043, Helio Castroneves 507, Will Power 453, Josef Newgarden 190, Scott McLaughlin 186, Ed Carpenter 97, Simon Pagenaud 85, Takuma Sato 77, Graham Rahal 49, Pato O’Ward 25, Marcus Ericsson 12, Alexander Rossi 10, Rinus VeeKay, Alex Palou 9, Callum Ilott 5, Kyle Kirkwood 5 and David Malukas 3.
• Three rookies – Agustin Canapino, Benjamin Pedersen and Sting Ray Robb – are entered. All three will attempt to make their first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start on an oval this weekend at Texas. Ed Carpenter and Takuma Sato are scheduled to make their 2023 season debut this weekend.
• Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 370th INDYCAR SERIES start, which would pass A.J. Foyt for fourth on the all-time list … Dixon will attempt to make his 307th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.

Select Quotes

Marcus Ericsson – No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda

Ericsson: “I’m really looking forward to Texas, as it is one of the most extreme tracks on the calendar. It’s quite fun with really high speeds and close racing. We were strong there last year with a podium finish, but we want to get a bit better this year obviously coming off the win in St. Petersburg. It’s going to be a great weekend and I am looking forward to it.”

Fresh off his fourth career INDYCAR win, Ericsson returns to Texas Motor Speedway where he scored his first career podium (P3) on an oval course in 2022. He displayed an impressive performance where he was tied as the third-biggest ‘mover’ on the day with a net gain of +11 positions.

Ericsson has improved every single year on oval courses with Chip Ganassi Racing and just last year, registered the series’ 2nd-best average finishing position in such races (2022: 5.0; 2021: 12.8; 2020: 16.2). Ericsson has found success amid continuity across his No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda team over that span and will make his 49th start with the team this weekend.

Scott Dixon – No. 9 PNC Bank Honda

Dixon: “I love racing at Texas and I’m really looking forward to this race weekend. There have been a lot of configurations that we’ve had throughout the years. I think this year, the series has done a good job of bringing some updated aero pieces which will tighten the pack and allow for some side-by-side racing … I think it’s definitely going to show a lot of the development and off-season work that the team has done and this should be a fantastic weekend for us.”

Dixon is no stranger to firing off the six-shooter at Texas Motor Speedway’s victory lane. He’s taken the checkered flag five times before, more than any other INDYCAR driver in track history. He has also led the most laps at TMS (1,043), which is more than two times the number of the next closest driver. Dixon has also finished in the top-5 in 14-of-his-24 (58%) career starts at the track.

The Iceman put on a clinic in Texas’ first race in 2021, setting a track record for the most laps led by a race winner (206-of-212).

Dixon has a chance to make history once again as he enters this race weekend tied with Mario Andretti for the most all-time top-5 finishes (193) in series history.

Alex Palou – No. 10 The American Legion Honda

Palou: “We’ve been working hard. This has not been my best race, but we did finish top-10 last year. Hoping to get a little bit closer and have a better race in terms of overtakes with the downforce that we have. Super excited for this weekend and hope to see you at the track.”

Palou, the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion, has led a lap in each of his 3 races in Fort Worth with CGR. He’ll look to claim victory this weekend in what would be his first career win on an oval.

Palou has registered a podium finish in 14-of-his-34 races with CGR with one such finish coming in an oval race (P2 in 2021 Indianapolis 500).

Takuma Sato – No. 11 Niterra Honda

Sato: “I’m thrilled about returning to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and for my very first outing with Chip Ganassi Racing. Texas Motor Speedway is an iconic ultra-high-speed track with such a high banking that provides us with unbelievably intense racing all the time. In terms of preparation, it’s very limited and certainly there is a lot to learn in a short time. It’s very challenging for me since there has not been any testing. In the limited time, I have gotten very comfortable and confident with my new environment. I know the crew well now and spent a good amount of time with our engineers as I experienced in St. Pete. I am also very excited about representing our primary sponsor NGK’s new brand group name launched “Niterra” this weekend with beautiful Niterra blue, black and white and can’t thank NGK enough for their support. Of course, Niterra will be alongside Deloitte, Panasonic, Honda and everyone with me. This is an extremely exciting time, and I can’t wait get back behind the wheel.”

Sato will make his 215th career INDYCAR SERIES start in Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend, but his first with Chip Ganassi Racing. He will pilot the No. 11 Niterra Honda to navigate the 1.5-mile oval, where he will seek his seventh career victory, and fourth in an oval race.

Sato claimed oval victories previously at the Indianapolis 500 twice (2020 and 2017) and at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2019. He has been knocking on the door since his last race-winning season, as he has led a lap in 5 of the 9 oval races across the past two seasons (1 of 4 drivers to do so).

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“Always excited to get back to Texas. It’s a very demanding, difficult track on the teams and the drivers. I love the challenge of going there. Last year was a fantastic ending for the No. 2 car and was really a great event for Team Penske as a whole. Team Chevy has really done a tremendous job for us both at this event last year, but I think to start the 2023 season. I’m excited to put all of the hard work from the offseason to use at the race this year and can’t wait to see all of the fans back in Texas.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“Looking forward to getting back to Texas for the PPG 375. Obviously, a pretty awesome for our team last year of first, second, and fourth. Unfortunately, I just lost it on the line there against Josef (Newgarden), but if you want to lose to anyone, your teammate is the guy to lose to. Hopefully, we’ll go one better this year. Maybe protect that highline, and if we’ve got the same fast Chevys as we normally have, and the fuel mileage, we’ll be perfect. Really looking forward to seeing what we’ve got.”

Conor Daly, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“I can’t wait to head to Texas Motor Speedway and get back to work! Texas is a track where I have had some decent runs in the past and we, as a team, are strong on superspeedways. We understand our issue from last year that kept us from a good result and it will be resolved for this year, which is nice. I am excited to get back to it and back up to the high speeds of Texas. Hopefully, all three of our BITNILE.COM cars will bring home a great result!”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“Cowboy hat and boots are ready! I am very excited for Texas and I think it’s going to be a really good weekend for us. We showed really good speed last year and thought we had tamed Texas, but things did not really go our way at the end. We looked at everything, learned from it as a team and now I feel we are more prepared than ever. It’s going to be tough and it’s going to be hard, but it’s also going to be exciting. I am confident we are going to contend for a top-five!”

Ed Carpenter, No. 33 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“I am extremely motivated to get back to Texas Motor Speedway and get my season started! Texas has always been a track that I have enjoyed racing at. While the past few years haven’t gone to plan, as a team we feel like we have a good strategy this year to get our three cars back to the front and in contention for the win. It is the only oval before we get to the Indianapolis 500, so it will be a big boost to leave there with confidence in our oval off-season development!”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“Texas is the closest I have to a home grand prix. I’m going to have over 200 guests in the suites and over 500 guests in the grandstands cheering on papaya. We love racing at Texas! I got my first NTT INDYCAR SERIES win there, so I have great memories every time I go back. We’re ready to keep building on the momentum we started with in St. Pete.”

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

”I’m really looking forward to Texas. It’s one of the tracks where I have a lot of great memories, personally and as a team. In general, it’s one of the ovals that I’m strongest at historically and the one I probably enjoy the most. We’ve had a good track record there, but obviously the competition is super tough. We have some new ideas to continue being strong, and even though our baseline is pretty good, we’re not taking anything for granted. It’s an awesome track, quick with a lot of adrenaline – it’ll be good to get the first oval of the year going.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

”Texas always provides a unique challenge, and I’m really looking forward to hitting the track. Our team has been working incredibly hard to fine-tune the car, and we’re confident in our ability to perform well this weekend. The high-speed corners and intense competition make the Texas race a thrilling experience for both drivers and fans alike. We’ll be pushing hard to secure a great result and deliver an exciting race for everyone watching.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“Super excited to head into the Texas Motor Speedway race this coming weekend. Hopefully a lot to look forward for us as a team. Obviously, we didn’t start the season off super strong, so a little bit of redemption here. Will be nice to get back on the ovals. The last start at Texas was really good and I already have a top-five there, so it’ll be pretty cool to win that race. We’ll see what we can do.”

Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“Really looking forward to this upcoming race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Had the rookie test last week which went very well. Very comfortable around there and looking forward to coming back to the race weekend. It’ll be exciting. It’ll be a great atmosphere, a tough race. Really looking forward to getting back on track.”

Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“Pretty excited to head to Texas this week. It was where I made my oval debut in INDYCAR, and definitely looking forward to it. I think this year we’ve definitely stepped it up a bit, and as it was my first time last year, I’m sure I’ve stepped it up a bit as well. It should be a good challenge. I think we definitely have some good speed with Chevy helping us a bit on the straight line as well with extra power. Looking forward to it, and that it will also be our first oval with two cars. That will be exciting to get to compare bit and hopefully learn a bit. It will be a compact weekend, and that never makes it easy but also on the challenging side, we can hopefully capitalize on it.”

Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“I am very excited to have my first weekend in an oval with all that means. I have prepared myself as much as possible for this opportunity and we are looking forward to having a good weekend together with the whole team. Although obviously my main objective is finishing the race in any position regardless of the final result. Our big challenge is to see the checkered flag and be able to gather experience and continue on this learning way.”