Juan Pablo Montoya and Will Power lead the field into Turn 1 to start Race 2 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit at Belle Isle Park — Photo by: Bret Kelley
Track: Raceway at Belle Isle Park, a 2.35-mile, 14-turn temporary street course (clockwise)
Race distance: 70 laps / 164.5 miles (Both races)
Push-to-pass parameters: 10 activations for 15 seconds each (Both races)
Firestone tire allotment: Eight sets primary, three sets alternate (Weekend)
Twitter: @DetroitGP @IndyCar, #DetroitGP, #IndyCar
Event website: http://www.DetroitGP.com
2015 race winners: Race 1: Carlos Munoz (No. 26 AndrettiTV Cinsay Honda); Race 2: Sebastien Bourdais (No. 11 Team Mistic E-Cigs KVSH Racing Chevrolet)
2015 Verizon P1 Award winners: Race 1: Will Power (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) 1:16.0941, 111.178 mph; Race 2: Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), entrant points.
ABC race broadcasts: Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5 (3:30 p.m. ET)
Allen Bestwick is the lead announcer for ESPN on ABC broadcasts for the second consecutive year alongside analysts Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever Jr. Pit reporters are Rick DeBruhl, Dr. Jerry Punch and Jon Beekhuis.
Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Pit reporters are Dave Furst, Katie Hargitt and Michael Young, with Jake Query and Nick Yeoman in the turns. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 212, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app. All Verizon IndyCar Series practice and qualifying sessions are available on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app.
Video streaming: All practice sessions for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season and this weekend’s qualifying sessions (Race #1: 3:30 p.m. ET, June 3 and Race #2: 10:45 a.m. ET, June 5) will be available on RaceControl.IndyCar.com.
INDYCAR Mobile App: Verizon Wireless puts fans around the world in the driver’s seat with its INDYCAR Mobile app. The app has been enhanced with new features to keep fans in the know of the latest race-day action. Exclusive features of the INDYCAR Mobile app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and includes enhanced real-time leaderboard and car telemetry; the ability to follow the race in real time with the interactive 3D track; live in-car camera video streaming for select drivers during Verizon IndyCar Series races; live driver and pit crew radio transmissions during races and live Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network audio streaming during all track activities.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, June 3
10:45 a.m. – Noon – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1
3:30 p.m. – Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award Race #1 (three rounds of knockout qualifying), IndyCar.com (Live)
Saturday, June 4
10:05-10:35 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2
3:03 p.m. – Driver Introductions
3:43 p.m. – Command to Start Engines
3:50 p.m. – Chevrolet Dual in Detroit #1 (70 laps/164.5 miles), ABC (Live)
Sunday, June 5
8:45 a.m. – Systems check
10:45 – 11:15 a.m. – Qualifying for Verizon P1 Award Race #2 (Two groups/15 minutes each), IndyCar.com (Live)
2:59 p.m. – Driver Introductions
3:43 p.m. – Command to Start Engines
3:50 p.m. – Chevrolet Dual in Detroit #2 (70 laps/164.5 miles), ABC (Live)
Race notes:
* The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit will be the 20th and 21st Indy car races conducted at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park and the 23rd and 24th Indy car races held in Detroit. A 2.5-mile street circuit in Detroit hosted CART events from 1989-1991.
* Helio Castroneves has won three times at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, the most by an Indy car driver at the track. Castroneves won his first Indy car race at the track in 2000. He’s also won there in 2001 and Race #2 in 2014. Other previous Belle Isle winners entered include Tony Kanaan (2007), Scott Dixon (2012), Simon Pagenaud (2013, Race #2), Will Power (2014, Race #1), Carlos Munoz (2015, Race #1) and Sebastien Bourdais (2015, Race #2).
* There have been 13 different pole winners in the previous 19 races. Pole winners entered in this year’s race are: Power (2015, Race #1), Takuma Sato (2014, Race #2), Castroneves (2001, 2007 and 2014, Race #1), Dixon (2008 and 2012) and Juan Pablo Montoya (1999, 2000 and 2015, Race #2).
* Three drivers have won the race from the pole: Dixon (2012), Castroneves (2001) and Robby Gordon (1995).
* The driver who has gone on to win the championship has won at Detroit four times. Power won Race #2 in 2014, Alex Zanardi won on Belle Isle in 1998, Bobby Rahal won at Belle Isle in 1992 and Emerson Fittipaldi won in downtown Detroit in 1989.
* Since 1995, seven drivers have won the seventh race of the season and also won the championship. They are: Dario Franchitti (2009, Iowa), Dixon (2008, Texas and 2003, Richmond), Bourdais (2005, Edmonton), Sam Hornish Jr. (2006, Richmond), Cristiano da Matta (2002, Chicago), Greg Ray (1999, Dover), Kenny Brack (1998, Charlotte) and Tony Stewart (1997, Charlotte). Ten drivers have won the eighth race of the season and also won the championship. They are: Franchitti (2011, Milwaukee; 2007, Iowa), Bourdais (2007, Edmonton; 2005, San Jose), Hornish (2006, Kansas; 2002, Richmond), Kanaan (2004, Nashville), da Matta (2002, Toronto), Buddy Lazier (2000, Kentucky), Gil de Ferran (2000, Portland), Ray (1999, Pikes Peak), Zanardi (1998, Detroit) and Brack (1998, Pikes Peak).
* Castroneves has competed in 13 previous races at Belle Isle, most of any driver. Fifteen drivers entered have led laps at the track (Castroneves 247, Montoya 152, Dixon 80, Kanaan 30, Power 32, Marco Andretti 24, Sato 22, Ryan Hunter-Reay 20, Bourdais 18, Pagenaud 18, Conor Daly 12, Graham Rahal 10, Munoz 8, Charlie Kimball 3 and Jack Hawksworth 1).
* The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit will be the fifth and sixth races on a road/street course in 2016. The first four races were won by Montoya (St. Petersburg) and Pagenaud (Long Beach, Barber and Grand Prix of Indianapolis).
* There have been four different winners in six Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2016: Montoya (Streets of St. Petersburg), Dixon (Phoenix), Pagenaud (Long Beach, Barber and Grand Prix of Indianapolis) and Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis 500).
* James Hinchcliffe’s Indianapolis 500 pole ended a streak that saw drivers from Team Penske earn pole positions in the previous five races in 2016. Power (St. Petersburg), Castroneves (Phoenix and Long Beach) and Pagenaud (Barber and Grand Prix of Indianapolis) all earned poles through qualifying.
* At least two drivers will compete in their first Verizon IndyCar Series races at the Raceway at Belle Isle: Max Chilton and Alexander Rossi.
* Kanaan seeks to start his 256th and 257th consecutive races, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in 2001 at Portland. Teammate Dixon has made 197 consecutive starts, which is the third-longest streak in Indy car racing.
* The 2016 season is the second in which aerodynamic bodywork component kits are used. The aero kits, produced by engine manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda for their respective supplied teams, are the latest technical innovation to enhance on-track performance through competitive aerodynamic development. Each manufacturer produces two kits for teams – one for short ovals/road courses/street courses and another for superspeedway ovals – but within each kit, teams have multiple component options available.
* The second season of aero kit competition complements the fifth year of engine manufacturer competition between Chevrolet and Honda with their 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines. It will be another season testing speed and durability to determine the manufacturer champion.
CHEVROLET DUAL IN DETROIT PRE-EVENT QUOTES:
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “It’s good to get right back at it after Indianapolis. We certainly didn’t have the best of luck during the month of May. That’s why I think it’s good to get after it again. It’s time to move on from Indy. We had good starts last year in the Verizon Chevy in the Belle Isle races. The finishes weren’t where we’d like. We were able to lead some laps in the Sunday race, so maybe we can build off that. We just need to get some positive momentum going. It’s really been an up-and-down season, which gets frustrating.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet): “I’m very much looking forward to putting Indianapolis behind us. It was just such a frustrating ending there. We were in great shape one minute and not the next. Really excited to get back in the Hitachi Chevrolet, though. We haven’t been in those colors in a while, so that will be good. Hitachi is such a great partner and we’re looking to bring them some good results. The Belle Isle event is tremendous and one that I always look forward to. Other than the Sunday race last year, it’s a track that we’ve been able to do well at. We’re just excited to get up there and on the track.”
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): “Detroit and I have had a bittersweet relationship in the past, but the last few races there have been very competitive. I really like the new layout. We are hoping to just continue the momentum we’ve been seeing with the No. 5 Arrow Electronics car and try and get back on the podium.”
MIKHAIL ALESHIN (No. 7 SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Honda): “I’m very happy to be going back to Detroit, driving the No. 7 SMP Racing car. I have good memories from last time (2014) and hope to get good result for the SPM team this time. It should be an exciting doubleheader weekend.”
MAX CHILTON (No. 8 Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “We’re really getting into the heart of the racing season and things are getting busy. The teams have been working hard and it’s a quick turnaround after the month at IMS. This will be my first trip to Bell Isle and I think having two races Saturday and Sunday should be a challenge. I think one of the keys will be unloading fast. You don’t have much time to think and work on your race car because you’re going from practice to race to qualifying to racing again. The Gallagher team is working hard getting us ready to go back to street- and road-course racing and I’m looking forward to getting back in the car Friday.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “Detroit is one of the most grueling weekends of the season for a few reasons. The track is tough and really demands a lot from the drivers. It’s very physical in nature and you really have to wrangle the car to compete at the front of the grid. Two races and two qualifying sessions in as many days really puts the teams to the test. Usually you have some time to recover from an event and prepare yourself mentally and physically for the next round. Not in Detroit. The dual races there provide a lot of excitement and twice as much action for all our fans.”
TONY KANAAN (No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “We had such a good race at the (Indianapolis) 500 last weekend and, even though we came up short, the momentum that NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing is taking into Detroit is so strong. We proved this last month how strong our race car can be, so hopefully we can come out a little stronger in qualifying for both races on Belle Isle. The doubleheader in Detroit is always rough on the drivers and teams to make two full races happen in two days, but it’s so exciting for us and the fans and I’m really looking forward to hopefully adding our first win in 2016 this weekend.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 11 Team Hydroxycut – KVSH Racing Chevrolet): “I am looking forward to getting back to street racing after spending the month of May at the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway. We had a good car in both Detroit races last year and came away with a win in the second race, so we should come off the transporter with a good baseline setup. I also had an opportunity to do some pace car rides on the Belle Isle circuit during a media day a little over a week ago, so it was nice to reacquaint myself with the track. The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit is obviously an important race for us since we are a Chevy team, so the whole Hydroxycut – KVSH Racing team is looking forward to having a good performance in both races.”
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “The Detroit event is unique with the two races, so the schedule is a little different than what we normally have. It kind of mixes things up a little bit which is good, I think. My Verizon Chevy team won a pole last year and we won a race back in 2014. Mostly, we’ve had good results there, so I’m looking forward to getting back to work after Indianapolis. We’ve continued our roller-coaster ride this season and it would be great to get everything moving in the right direction.”
TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda): “The Detroit GP has always been an exciting one for me, whether it was a dry or wet race. I enjoy driving this bumpy Belle Isle street course a lot, particularly after we raced the super-smooth Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 230 mph only a few days ago. Belle Isle is competently different. We have good history at this track and our performance at street courses has been strong so I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 United Rentals Honda): “The doubleheader is tough because it’s physical and a lot is thrown at you in a short period of time. With two full races it’s very valuable in the championship to have a great run in both races and gain as many points as we can. Last year was a tough, wet, weekend. We were too conservative in the first race and ultimately got collected in others messes. We then went on Sunday and had a great race to follow it all up with a podium. We are looking for a good, solid weekend all around again this year. I’m looking forward to getting back on a street course. I think we should be good. I know Long Beach was frustrating but I get the sense the United Rentals car should be fast and competitive. I am looking forward to getting to Detroit and getting running as soon as possible.”
CONOR DALY (No. 18 Jonathan Byrd’s Hospitality Honda): “I’m excited about the Detroit race weekend. Last year was really cool, we had a legit shot at winning the race. It was an awesome time, awesome fight with a lot of good drivers and I’m just hoping for the same thing this year. I think it’s a great event. The doubleheader is really intense, two races in a weekend is a lot on the whole team. We just need to make sure that we’re all prepared and ready to go. I know I’ll be ready, and I know the guys will be ready. I just can’t wait. It should be fun. The track was super bumpy last year, so it will be interesting to see if it’s changed at all, other than that it’s a fun track to drive and race on and hopefully we can create some good racing.”
GABBY CHAVES (No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda): “We head into Detroit as we try to keep building on what we’ve started. I’ve had two races with the Dale Coyne Racing team and, for myself, after being back in the car for the whole month of May, I can really get going now. I’m really looking forward to it. Detroit was my first top 10 of the year last season so I think we’re set up for a good run. The Detroit track location is fantastic, but it’s a rough circuit, it’ll beat you up and beat the cars up so we have to work hard to make sure we have a really good car.”
SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet): “Even though the finish of the Indianapolis 500 is not what we hoped for or indicative of the car we had, we’re ready to get back on the track. I don’t feel we lost any momentum. As a team, the whole Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet crew is in a great place. We came out of Indy with the points (lead) in good shape, so the big-picture view is good. I like the Belle Isle track and really looking forward to competing there again.”
JACK HAWKSWORTH (No. 41 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda): “It’s a really technical circuit, probably the most technical on the calendar. It’s extremely bumpy and quite a long lap – 14 corners – so the car needs to be compliant over the bumps. As a driver you can influence the car’s performance a lot there because there is so much going on, so many corners, concrete patches, different shades of asphalt. There are some tricks of the trade you can use over the bumps so you can extract the last little bit of lap time.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Tresiba Chevrolet): “Wow, after a show like we had on Sunday in Indy, I really think we have a huge opportunity to show those fans just how versatile the Verizon IndyCar Series is during the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit this weekend. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team has had some success on Belle Isle in the past, and I think we’ve been consistent this season on the street courses. I’m looking forward to getting back into the No. 83 Tresiba Chevrolet in a few days in the Motor City for the doubleheader.”
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