“It’s really great to be back in Indy and get the grand prix going this weekend. Last year’s grand prix was good start to the month for us; we finished second and then went on to win the ‘500.’ I’m hoping to one better with the grand prix this year for the DHL Honda and keep the momentum going through the month.”
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit, a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course (clockwise)
Race distance: 82 laps / 200 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 10 activations for 20 seconds each
Firestone tire allotment: Eight sets primary, three sets alternate
Twitter: @IMS @IndyCar, #GPofINDY, #IndyCar
Event website: www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2014 race winner: Simon Pagenaud
2014 Verizon P1 Award winner: Sebastian Saavedra, 1:23.8822, 104.672 mph
Qualifying lap record: Simon Pagenaud, 1:09.6716, 126.062 mph, May 2014 (Segment 1).
ABC race broadcast: Saturday, May 9 (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. Rick DeBruhl, Dr. Jerry Punch and Jon Beekhuis are the pit reporters.
Radio broadcasts: Paul Page is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Qualifying and 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 15 app. Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions are available on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR 15 app.
Video streaming: All practice sessions for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season and this weekend’s qualifying session (3 p.m. ET, May 8) will be available on RaceControl.IndyCar.com.
INDYCAR 15 app: The Verizon INDYCAR 15 app has been enhanced with new features to keep fans in the know of the latest race-day action. Exclusive features of the INDYCAR 15 app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and include interactive 3D Live View with real-time leaderboard and car telemetry to see where a fan’s favorite driver is positioned, leaderboard with enhanced 2D marching ants and car telemetry, in-car camera video streams from cameras that move 360 degrees and driver-pit crew chatter as drivers talk strategy with their pit crews during the race.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Thursday, May 7
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
3 – 4:40 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
Friday, May 8
11 – 11:45 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
3 p.m. – Three rounds of Verizon IndyCar Series knockout qualifications (live-streamed on RaceControl.IndyCar.com)
Saturday, May 9
11:30 a.m. – Noon. – Verizon IndyCar Series warm-up
3:30 p.m. – ABC on air
3:50 p.m. – Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis green flag (ABC, Live).
Race notes:
* The Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis will be the second Indy car event conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. Simon Pagenaud won the inaugural race in 2014 and will look for his first win with Team Penske.
* There have been four different winners in four Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2015: Juan Pablo Montoya (Streets of St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (NOLA Motorsports Park), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach) and Josef Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park). In 2014, there were a record-tying 11 different race winners.
* Drivers from Team Penske are the only drivers to start from pole position in 2015. Helio Castroneves (Long Beach and Barber) and Will Power (St. Petersburg) earned Verizon P1 Awards through knockout qualifying. Juan Pablo Montoya started on pole at NOLA by virtue of the entrant point standings entering that race, after qualifications were cancelled by rain.
* At least three drivers will compete in their first Verizon IndyCar Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course: Gabby Chaves, Stefano Coletti and Luca Filippi. Chaves has competed at IMS in Indy Lights, while Coletti won a Formula BMW USA race on the IMS road course in 2006.
* Five drivers have a chance to become the first to win on both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the famed 2.5-mile oval: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya have all won the Indianapolis 500.
* Scott Dixon won at Long Beach on April 19 and took sole possession of fifth on the all-time Indy car victory list with 36. He is the active leader in wins.
* Tony Kanaan seeks to start his 238th consecutive race, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in 2001 at Portland. Teammate Dixon has made 179 consecutive starts.
* Castroneves will attempt to make his 300th career Indy car start. He will become the seventh Indy car driver to reach the milestone, joining Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Jr., Al Unser, Michael Andretti and Johnny Rutherford.
* Charlie Kimball’s car number (83) has a special meaning to not only him, but also his father, Gordon, and team owner, Chip Ganassi. In 1983, Ganassi had his best finish at the Indianapolis 500 while driving a car that was designed by Gordon Kimball, a noted engineer and car designer.
* The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season marked the competition debut of aerodynamic bodywork kits designed, manufactured and supplied by Chevrolet and Honda. Cars are differentiated by their shape as the manufacturers have designed separate aero kit specifications for road and street course/short ovals and superspeedways for the Dallara IR-12 chassis. References to the cars will incorporate the name of the corresponding manufacturer.
* The No. 27 Snapple Andretti Autosport Honda crew of Marco Andretti won the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award during the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 26 with a total pit lane time of 84.023 seconds. The Snapple Andretti Autosport crew will receive its $10,000 award during pre-race festivities at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
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