IndyCar Road America Rev Group GP Preview

Newgarden leads from Hunter-Reay and Rossi in 2018

Last year, on a perfect day for racing at Road America with a huge crowd in attendance, Josef Newgarden drove a perfect race and led 53 of 55 laps from pole to get his first IndyCar win on the 4.04-mile road course.

Newgarden had Ryan Hunter-Reay breathing down his back the entire race but he never put a wheel wrong and Hunter-Reay never was close enough to make a pass attempt.

Scott Dixon came home third with Takuma Sato and Robert Wickens rounded out the top-5.

Can this year's point leader, Newgarden, repeat at Road America in 2019?

REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR Fast Facts

Race weekend: Friday, June 21 – Sunday, June 23

Track: Road America, a 4.014-mile, 14-turn permanent road course (clockwise), in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"][adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]Race distance: 55 laps / 220.77 miles

Entry List: REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR (PDF)

Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.

Firestone tire allotment: Eight sets primary, four sets alternate. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.

Twitter: @RoadAmerica @IndyCar, #REVGROUPGP, #IndyCar

Event website: www.roadamerica.com

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2018 race winner: Josef Newgarden (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)

2018 pole winner Josef Newgarden (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), 1 minute, 43.2026 seconds, 140.020 mph

Qualifying record: Dario Franchitti, 1:39.866, 145.924 mph, Aug. 19, 2000

NBC/NBCSN telecasts: Qualifying: 5 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (same-day delay); Race: noon ET Sunday, NBC. Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for NBC broadcasts alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Kelli Stavast and Robin Miller are the pit reporters.

Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Anders Krohn with Jake Query, Michael Young and Nick Yeoman in the turns. Dave Furst, Rob Howden and Ryan Myrehn will report from the pits. All NTT IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 219, XM 202, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Live coverage of NTT IndyCar Series qualifying is available on Sirius 219, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

NBC Sports Gold livestreaming: All NTT IndyCar Series practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports' direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, June 21

11:05 – 11:50 a.m. – NTT IndyCar Series practice #1, NBC Sports Gold (live)

3 – 3:45 p.m. – NTT IndyCar Series practice #2, NBC Sports Gold (live)

4 – 4:30 p.m. – NTT IndyCar Series warmup/pit stop practice, NBC Sports Gold (live)

Saturday, June 22

11 – 11:45 a.m. – NTT IndyCar Series practice #3, NBC Sports Gold (live)

3 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), NBC Sports Gold (live); NBCSN (5 p.m. ET, same-day delay)

Sunday, June 23

11:06 a.m. – Driver introductions

11:43 a.m. – Command to start engines

11:50 a.m. – REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR (55 laps/220.77 miles), NBC (Live)

Race notes:

There have been six different winners in nine NTT IndyCar Series races in 2019. Josef Newgarden (Streets of St. Petersburg, Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1 and Texas Motor Speedway), Colton Herta (Circuit of The Americas), Takuma Sato (Barber Motorsports Park), Alexander Rossi (Streets of Long Beach), Simon Pagenaud (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and Scott Dixon (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-2) have won races in 2019. The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
There have been seven different winners in the last 10 NTT IndyCar Series races (Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Colton Herta, Takuma Sato, Alexander Rossi, Simon Pagenaud and Scott Dixon). The only repeat winners in that stretch: Pagenaud (INDYCAR Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 in 2019) and Newgarden (St. Petersburg, Belle Isle-1 and Texas in 2019).
There have been six different NTT P1 Award winners in 2019. Will Power (Streets of St. Petersburg and Circuit of The Americas), Takuma Sato (Barber Motorsports Park and Texas Motor Speedway), Alexander Rossi (Streets of Long Beach, Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1), Felix Rosenqvist (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course) Simon Pagenaud (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and Josef Newgarden (Raceway at Belle Isle Park-2) have won poles in 2019. The record for most pole winners in a season is 12 set in the 1999 CART season.
The REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR will be the 29th Indy car race at Road America since it hosted its first Indy car event in 1982.
The REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR will be the eighth race on a road/street course in 2019. Six drivers have won the previous seven road/street races: Josef Newgarden (Streets of St. Petersburg and Raceway at Belle Isle Park-1), Colton Herta (Circuit of The Americas), Takuma Sato (Barber Motorsports Park), Alexander Rossi (Streets of Long Beach), Simon Pagenaud (INDYCAR Grand Prix) and Scott Dixon (Raceway at Belle Isle-2)
Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais are the only entered drivers who have won an Indy car race at Road America. They also are the four most recent winners at the track. Newgarden won last year, Dixon won the race in 2017 and Power won in Indy car's return in 2016 – the first race at the track since Bourdais' win in 2007. Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi have the most wins by an Indy car driver at the track (three).
Seventeen drivers entered this weekend have previously raced Indy cars at Road America. Six of those drivers have led laps at the track (Sebastien Bourdais 92, Josef Newgarden 66, Will Power 46, Scott Dixon 26, Simon Pagenaud 2 and Graham Rahal 2).
Eight drivers have won the Road America race from the pole: Mario Andretti (1983, 1984 and 1987), Danny Sullivan (1989), Paul Tracy (1993), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Bruno Junqueira (2003), Sebastien Bourdais (2007), Will Power (2016) and Josef Newgarden (2018).
Drivers who have won at Road America have gone on to win that season's Indy car championship six times: Mario Andretti (1984), Michael Andretti (1991), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Alex Zanardi (1997), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Sebastien Bourdais (2007).
Team Penske has won five times at Road America (1989, 1992, 1993, 2016 and 2018) and is one of two current teams with wins at the track. Chip Ganassi Racing has won three times at Road America (1997, 2001 and 2017). Newman/Haas Racing won a record 10 times at Road America.
Rookies Marcus Ericsson, Santino Ferrucci, Colton Herta, Patricio O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, along with veteran Jack Harvey, will race an NTT IndyCar Series car at Road America for the first time this weekend.
Tony Kanaan seeks to start his 310th consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Kanaan would pass his team owner A.J. Foyt for sole possession of second all time in career starts should he make his 370th start at Road America on Sunday.
Scott Dixon has made 250 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in Indy car racing. Marco Andretti has made 226 consecutive starts, which is the third-longest streak in Indy car racing.
Scott Dixon, the longest-tenured driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, is third on the all-time Indy car victory list with 45 wins. Sebastien Bourdais is sixth on the all-time list with 37 wins and Will Power is tied with Bobby Unser for seventh on the all-time list with 35 wins.

REV GROUP GRAND PRIX PRE-EVENT QUOTES

A big crowd last year. This year rain may ruin the party

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 2 REV Group Team Penske Chevrolet, NTT IndyCar Series point leader; 2018 Road America race winner): "That win at Texas was just awesome. My team worked so hard to put together a great car and it really paid off. We had a bit of time to relax with a weekend off but now we're ready to get back to racing. I'm really excited to have REV Group onboard for my No. 2 Chevy, and it's also cool that they're sponsoring the race. Road America is one of the best tracks we visit because it's just a really pretty track, it's fun to race at and the fans are always so great. I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend."

MATHEUS LEIST (No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "I am looking forward to driving at Road America this week. It's such a nice track and a beautiful place. It's definitely one of my favorites of the calendar. I am also looking forward to seeing all of our friends from ABC Supply. Since it's their home race, it'll be a special weekend. Let's have some fun."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "I think if you were to poll the drivers, Road America would consistently be the favorite road course for most of the field. We're really excited to get back there. Last year we had a strong race. The result might not show it, but after a bad first pit stop due to a fuel probe issue, the Arrow car was great and we were able to pick up a lot of time and track positions. We're hoping that we can roll off the trucks with a strong car and bring home a good result."

MARCUS ERICSSON (No. 7 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "Another new race and track for me in Road America. I've heard a lot of good things about it, and I've watched a lot of races from previous years. It looks amazing. I was also in the simulator the other day preparing for the weekend. It seems like a super-fun track, very challenging and one of the best on the calendar from what I can see. I'm really looking forward to getting there and see how it is in person. Also, we're coming off of some good results – Detroit was a great weekend with our first podium, and then we followed that up with a strong showing in Texas. I think we have some momentum going, so we're looking to build on that and have another strong weekend in the No. 7 Arrow car at Road America."

Dixon was third in 2018

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "We were fortunate enough to be racing last weekend at Le Mans when most others had an off weekend after Texas. It will be good to be back in the PNC Bank car, though. We won at Road America in 2017 and have had strong cars there. It's such a great track and one the drivers all love to compete at. We haven't had the best luck or finishes over the past few rounds and now is the time for results. We're at the halfway mark in the season and you really have to start collecting points to set up for the final races to have a shot at the championship. I think this weekend will be key for that reason."

FELIX ROSENQVIST (No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "Road America is one of the tracks that I still haven't driven, but I've played it on video games and have driven it on the simulator. It's one of the real classics of motorsports. It's so cool to finally get to drive there, especially coming off a stretch where there were such short, fast laps at Texas and Detroit was really bumpy. To come to a long, roller-coaster type circuit is a real changeup. I'm excited to get to Wisconsin and go fast."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was great to have a weekend off after going through the busiest stretch of the year. We were able to take a step back and refocus our efforts for Road America and we really value being able to do that. My team has been hard at work and really took advantage of us not traveling for a week to put together a really great Verizon Chevy for this weekend. I'm ready to get back to racing and try to continue to improve our efforts on track."

TONY KANAAN (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "I am really looking forward to Road America. It's one of my favorite races of the year and also ABC Supply's home race. I hope we can start turning the situation around there."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Gehl / Manitou Honda): "I have high hopes for the race at Road America. I think Takuma (Sato) and I have a lot of the same things in mind (for the car setup) and we are eager to get out there and see what we can do. It's challenging to get the lap right due to the track length. You can get so many sectors perfect and then make one mistake and it's very costly. With the long straights, every corner and every mistake carry a big lap time penalty if you get it wrong. We will be looking to avoid that. Road America is set up perfectly for racing and in particular Indy car racing. We love racing there as it was always a huge family event for us and will be yet again this year as all the Rahals will gather there over the weekend." (About his throwback livery): "The Gehl throwback paint scheme is amazing. It really looks tremendous and is just like Dad's 1994 (Miller Genuine Draft) car. The team did a great job with it and we're thankful to Gehl for allowing us to do it. It's also special to commemorate Honda's 25th season in Indy car racing and the part that Dad had in that."

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 18 SealMaster Honda): "I'm really looking forward to racing at Road America again. It's my favorite road course in the United States. It's a lot like the tracks I grew up with in Europe. I've raced at Road America four times back in the CART and Champ Car days and finished on the podium every time. At one point I was wondering if I would ever win there and finally did in 2007. The SealMaster Honda was strong last year, but we had an issue and that prevented us from scoring a top-five. We're 10^thin the championship race right now and we are going to have to dig deep, keep working hard and have a couple of strong performances over the next few races if we're going to be in contention at the end of the season."

SANTINO FERRUCCI (No. 19 Cly-Del Manufacturing Honda): "I'm looking forward to going back to Elkhart Lake. I went there a lot as a kid when I was karting, so it will be nice to be racing on the big track in an Indy car. I'm not too sure what to expect heading into the weekend, We didn't have the opportunity to test at the track, but I'd definitely like to keep the top-10 finishes going and keep collecting points and completing laps. I have a lot of confidence in our No. 19 Cly-Del Manufacturing Honda, and my crew and I think we can have a good weekend."

ED JONES (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet): "Road America should be a really good race. It's a very fun track to drive at. The last two years, I had top-10 finishes in both races. Chevy has also been strong there, so it's a good track for them as well. Unfortunately, last week's test got canceled due to weather, but the guys have done a lot of work back in the shop to get ready. Hopefully, we can hit the ground running and get a solid result."

SPENCER PIGOT (No. 21 Direct Supply Chevrolet): "Road America is one of the best tracks that we go to all year. I've been racing there since I was 16 in various types of cars and it's become one of my favorites. We had a pretty good race there last year and we've been competitive on road courses so far in 2019. Hopefully, we can continue that trend and have a strong weekend."

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): "Road America is a great weekend for us, especially since we'll have our fan favorite Menards Chevy livery. This will be a fun event, as I really enjoy Road America. It's a classic event on the INDYCAR schedule that always has a great crowd. I look forward to being in Wisconsin representing Menards and meeting with fans at the Menards store in Sheboygan."

ZACH VEACH (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda): "Road America is definitely one of the most beautiful places we go to. I think it's a favorite track for a lot of us. Winning there in Indy Lights was very special and with the speed we've had since May, if we can get some luck on our side, I think it'll be a great weekend for the Gainbridge team."

Rossi's car failed him last year

ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda): "It was nice to have a weekend off after the month of May stretch but now I'm really excited to get back in the car. We've had great pace at Road America in the past but haven't been able to capitalize on the speed, so we will be looking to change that this year and get another win for the NAPA Racing team. We've got our eyes on the championship now, so we need to get the second half of the season off to a great start."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): "Road America is always a blast to drive – it's one of my favorite racetracks on Earth. We brought the DHL team home a second place last year and this year our goal is to do one better and end the day in victory lane."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 30 Mi-Jack / Panasonic Honda): "The track is just great; a classic super-fast road course. There is a lot of great history behind it and we all love to race there. The very fast turns and especially the iconic carousel and heavy braking area after the long straight with low downforce is challenging. Getting the balance right with good grip and how much you can take off downforce, i.e. reduce drag for speed is always a tough one and that's challenging for both driver and the engineers. The Indy road course was a tough one with tricky conditions and we couldn't adapt well there, but Road America should suit us more. We have a good base setup from last year and this year's development should apply in a good way. Barber was a very special moment and perhaps the combination of conditions and characteristics of the track matched great for us, and there is no reason why we couldn't repeat that in Road America."

PATRICIO O'WARD (No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet): "I'm excited to be heading to Road America this weekend, especially after being out of the No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet for a few weekends. Road America is a very long track and it's a track where if you're able to get everything right you can make up a lot of time. I've raced at Road America before in Indy Lights, so I know the track pretty well, but I'm excited to go there for the first time in an Indy car. The main focus this weekend for me is to just work with the team to get as much information as we can as quick as possible while building off both of our past experiences at Road America and be ready for qualifying and the race. I think there's a lot of potential for this to be a very good weekend for us."

MAX CHILTON (No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet): "I'm really looking forward to getting back on track at Road America. It's a track that really suits my driving style and one that I've felt very comfortable with since I started in INDYCAR in 2016. I'm feeling really good about this weekend and I think the whole team is reenergized and refocused after a weekend off. We'll have quite a few Gallagher guests at the track with Road America being so close to their U.S. headquarters, so I'm hoping we can put together a good run this weekend for the No. 59 Gallagher Chevrolet and come away with a solid result."

JACK HARVEY (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda): "I'm very excited to get to Road America, I think it is one of the best racetracks in North America. Although I've never been there before, I have been coaching there and have done some practice on the sim to learn the layout. I have a little bit to learn but we will try to follow our momentum from the (INDYCAR) GP in May."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 98 U.S. Concrete / Curb Honda): "We need to build on these top-10s we've collected the past couple races. Road America is one of my favorite permanent road courses. There are lots of opportunities to pass, but I need to qualify better than we have been to capitalize and walk away with a good result."

Entry List

NOTE: Rookies are listed in italics.

Rank – Driver – Car, Team, Engine
1 – Josef Newgarden – #2, Team Penske, Chevrolet
2 – Matheus Leist – #4, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet
3 – James Hinchcliffe – #5, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda
4 – Marcus Ericsson – #7, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda
5 – Scott Dixon – #9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
6 – Felix Rosenqvist – #10, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
7 – Will Power – #12, Team Penske, Chevrolet
8 – Tony Kanaan – #14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet
9 – Graham Rahal – #15, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
10 – Sebastien Bourdais – #18, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan, Honda
11 – Santino Ferrucci – #19, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda
12 – Ed Jones – #20, Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa, Chevrolet
13 – Spencer Pigot – #21, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
14 – Simon Pagenaud – #22, Team Penske, Chevrolet
15 – Zach Veach – #26, Andretti Autosport, Honda
16 – Alexander Rossi – #27, Andretti Autosport, Honda
17 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – #28, Andretti Autosport, Honda
18 – Takuma Sato – #30, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
19 – Patricio O’Ward – #31, Carlin, Chevrolet
20 – Max Chilton – #59, Carlin, Chevrolet
21 – Jack Harvey – #60, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
22 – Colton Herta – #88, Harding Steinbrenner Racing, Honda
23 – Marco Andretti – #98, Andretti Herta Autosport, Honda