CHEVROLET RACES INTO THE MONTH OF MAY STARTING WITH THE SONSIO GRAND PRIX AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE
DETROIT (May 9, 2024) – Kicking off the prestigious month of May in Indianapolis, the Chevrolet teams and drivers next set their sights on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course for the Sonsio Grand Prix, May 10-11, 2024.
Racing to victory lane nine times since the road course was introduced in 2014, Chevrolet has also captured the NTT P1 Pole Award in eleven events, leading 629 laps and racing to 19 podium finishes on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.
With a rich history on both courses at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Team Chevy looks to add to 113 victories in the 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected V6 era since 2012, as well as 129 earned NTT P1 Pole Awards and 312 podium finishes.
Rinus VeeKay, driver of the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, led 33 of 85 laps in 2021 on his way to capturing his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES career victory. Looking forward to this weekend’s race and the excitement over the prestigious month, VeeKay said, “It’s May! Back to the venue of my first win, this will be the third birthday of my first win! I’m very excited to head back to the road course. This race kicks off the Month of May so it’s always special, of course the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the home track to the team as well. We are ready to go for a great result after some bad luck recently. I think we can do really well at IMS the whole month and definitely start by being competitive in the Sonsio Grand Prix. It’s always nice to go to a track with that feeling. Hopefully we can start off the month with a win!”
The Sonsio Grand Prix from Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Road Course in Speedway, Ind. kicks off with first practice Friday, May 10 at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by second practice at 1:10 p.m. ET. Qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six also take place Friday, taking the green flag for the session at 4:20 p.m. ET. The 85-lap, 207.32-mile Sonsio Grand Prix broadcasts live starting at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. All practice sessions and qualifications will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“It’s always nice to start May off with a road course and to get settled staying in the coach over the GP weekend. It’s also nice that we have a Saturday race to free up our Sunday to relax and maybe play golf at Brickyard Crossing. I think from all the testing we learned more so when we came into Barber we knew we had a good package. Hopefully the same goes for the Indy GP since we tested at the IMS road course with the hybrid engine last month. There is definitely potential for (differing fuel strategies). I feel the Indy GP has been more of a tire race than fuel but it changes every year because the Firestone tires change.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“(Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course) is a great track for racing. There are a lot of passing zones. There are places where you have to think about momentum more than other tracks when making a pass, because the straightaways are so long. There are often times where you have to think multiple corners ahead to figure out where you can make a high percentage move without compromising the rest of the lap. It’s obviously a very different event (from the Indianapolis 500), but momentum weekend to weekend is a very real thing. The month of May I think could be a turning point for us. With some good results, rolling into the rest of the season and with that confidence as a more cohesive team could be crucially important.”
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“We’re headed to the Indy Road Course this weekend for the only time this season. Even though we’ve raced here quite a bit over the last few years, I would say every year is different. It’s always kind of surprising seeing where people stack up; sometimes, it’s completely the opposite of what you expect. I’m looking forward to the challenges that we’ll have this weekend. We’ll try to roll out with the best package as a team and score some good points.”
Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“I’m looking forward to discovering another new track this weekend. However, I’m a bit more familiar with this track given its history, plus I’ve been able to have some time in the simulator to prepare. This is home for a lot of teams in the series, including Arrow McLaren, so I’m excited for my first ever race in Indianapolis. I’ll give it my all this weekend and hopefully we can bring home a good result.”
Théo Pourchaire on extending season with Arrow McLaren outside of the Indianapolis 500…
“The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has some of the best racing in motorsport, and now I can say that with experience. I’m excited to take on this challenge with Arrow McLaren for the rest of the season. This is a special opportunity, and I am committed to learning and improving as we get on track each race weekend. I’ve enjoyed my first two races with the team, and I know we have plenty of potential in front of us. Of course, I would like to thank Zak, Gavin and Tony, as well as the Sauber F1 Team, for making this all possible.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“The Indy Grand Prix last year was very kind to us both times we races there, but we still had a bit of pace to find. I think that there is a really good opportunity for us to start the Month of May in a strong way this weekend, and we’ll be doing everything in our power to make that happen.”
Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:
The best month of the year is finally here, and there’s no better time for us to get back on the right track. We have so much exciting stuff going on this month, from celebrating the 50th anniversary of Johnny Rutherford’s 1974 Indy 500 win to Tony Kanaan getting inducted into the IMS Hall of Fame later, but it really all starts this weekend at the Indy Road Course. We’ve been fast here historically, especially last year when Pato and Alexander both landed on the podium. With Théo, we just keep continuing to build up and improve each time he gets in the car. I’m confident we’re going to have three cars fighting at the top this weekend, and I’m looking forward to starting the Month of May with a great result.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“I am looking forward to getting the Month of May started! I feel good about the progression we as a team are making each weekend, as well as myself as a driver. Even though results haven’t been on our side, there have been plenty of positives from the first three race weekends. We will keep building on that and hopefully get a strong result in the first of our home races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“It’s May! Back to the venue of my first win, this will be the third birthday of my first win! I’m very excited to head back to the road course. This race kicks off the Month of May so it’s always special, of course the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the home track to the team as well. We are ready to go for a great result after some bad luck recently. I think we can do really well at IMS the whole month and definitely start by being competitive in the Sonsio Grand Prix. It’s always nice to go to a track with that feeling. Hopefully we can start off the month with a win!”
CHEVROLET AT INDIANAPOLIS ROAD COURSE:
Wins at Indianapolis Road Course (since 2012): 9
2015: Will Power
2016: Simon Pagenaud
2017: Will Power
2018: Will Power
2019: Simon Pagenaud
2020 (Fall Race 1): Josef Newgarden
2020 (Fall Race 2): Will Power
2021 (Spring Race): Rinus VeeKay
2021 (Fall Race): Will Power
Earned Pole Awards at Indianapolis Road Course: 11
2014: Sebasitán Saavedra
2015: Will Power
2016: Simon Pagenaud
2017: Will Power
2018: Will Power
2020 (Spring Race): Will Power
2020 (Fall Race 1): Rinus VeeKay
2020 (Fall Race 2): Will Power
2021 (Fall Race): Pato O’Ward
2022 (Spring Race): Will Power
2022 (Fall Race): Felix Rosenqvist
Number of Team Chevy Podiums at Indianapolis Road Course (since 2012): 19
Number of laps led by Team Chevy at Indianapolis Road Course (since 2012): 629
2024 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:
202: NTT INDYCAR Series races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.
113: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012.
129: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 134 pole awards in total, with five recorded based on points for weather.
8: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.
7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.
12: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
5: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era.
32: Number of times Chevrolet has swept the podium in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. In total, a manufacturer has swept the podium 50 times since 2012 in the V6 era.
26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.
9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.
46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.
*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
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