“Hopefully we can finally turn our luck around in Detroit. I’ve always enjoyed racing at Belle Isle and following our podium at this event last year, we have every reason to be optimistic for the doubleheader.”
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)
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Firestone tire allotment: Eight sets primary, four sets alternate (weekend). Teams must use one new set of primary and alternate tires in each race.
Twitter: @DetroitGP @IndyCar, #DetroitGP, #IndyCar
Event website: http://www.DetroitGP.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2016 race winners: Race 1: Sebastien Bourdais (No. 11 Team Hydroxycut-KVSH Racing Chevrolet); Race 2: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)
2016 Verizon P1 Award winners: Race 1: Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet) 1:14.9166, 112.926 mph; Race 2: Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet), 1:14.0379, 114.266 mph.
Qualifying lap record: Simon Pagenaud, 1:14.0379, 114.266 mph, June 5, 2016
ABC race broadcasts: Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 (3:30 p.m. ET)
Allen Bestwick is the lead announcer for ABC broadcasts alongside analysts Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever Jr. Rick DeBruhl, Dr. Jerry Punch and Jon Beekhuis are the pit reporters.
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 and qualifying for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will stream live on RaceControl.IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/indycar)
INDYCAR Mobile app: Verizon’s INDYCAR Mobile app is available across all carriers. Exclusive features of the app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and include enhanced real-time leaderboard and car telemetry; 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 2
10:20-11:05 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice 1
3:30-4:15 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice 2
4:20-4:35 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series pit stop practice
Saturday, June 3
10:05-10:35 a.m. – Race 1 qualifying for Verizon P1 Award (two groups/12 minutes each), IndyCar.com (live)
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
10:45-11:15 a.m. – Race 2 qualifying for Verizon P1 Award (two groups/12 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 22nd and 23rd Indy car races conducted at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park and the 25th and 26th Indy car races held in Detroit. A 2.5-mile street circuit in downtown 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 also won at Belle Isle 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, 2016, Race 2), Carlos Munoz (2015, Race 1).
- There have been 14 different pole winners in the previous 21 races. Pole winners entered in this year’s race are: Simon Pagenaud (2016 – both races), Will Power (2015, Race 1), Takuma Sato (2014, Race 2), Helio Castroneves (2001, 2007 and 2014, Race 1) and Scott Dixon (2008 and 2012).
- Three drivers have won the race from the pole: Scott Dixon (2012), Helio Castroneves (2001) and Robby Gordon (1995).
- The driver who has gone on to win the championship has won at Detroit four times. Will 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), Scott Dixon (2008, Texas, and 2003, Richmond), Sebastien 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), Tony Kanaan (2004, Nashville), da Matta (2002, Toronto), Buddy Lazier (2000, Kentucky), Gil de Ferran (2000, Portland), Ray (1999, Pikes Peak), Alex Zanardi (1998, Detroit) and Brack (1998, Pikes Peak).
- Helio Castroneves has competed in 15 previous races at Belle Isle, most of any driver. Sixteen drivers entered have led laps at the track (Castroneves 257, Simon Pagenaud 93, Scott Dixon 81, Will Power 47, Tony Kanaan 30, Marco Andretti 24, Takuma Sato 22, Ryan Hunter-Reay 20, Conor Daly 16, Graham Rahal 11, James Hinchcliffe 10, Carlos Munoz 8, Mikhail Aleshin 3, Charlie Kimball 3, Alexander Rossi 1 and Oriol Servia 1.)
- Since 2012, the Verizon IndyCar Series has averaged 8.75 different race winners per season, including a record-tying 11 winners in 2014. There were eight different winners in the 16 races of 2016 with an equally tight competition projected for the 2017 season. There have been six different winners in the six race thus far this season: Sebastien Bourdais (St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Barber), Simon Pagenaud (Phoenix), Will Power (INDYCAR Grand Prix) and Takuma Sato (Indianapolis 500).
- The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will be the fifth and sixth races on a road/street course in 2017. The first four races were won by Sebastien Bourdais (St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Barber) and Will Power (INDYCAR Grand Prix).
- Scott Dixon’s Indianapolis 500 pole ended a streak that saw drivers from Team Penske earn pole positions in the previous five races in 2017. Will Power (St. Petersburg, Barber and INDYCAR Grand Prix) and Helio Castroneves (Long Beach and Phoenix) earned poles through qualifying.
- Rookie Ed Jones will race a Verizon IndyCar Series car at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park for the first time this weekend. Jones, the 2016 Indy Lights champion, has never competed at the circuit.
- Tony Kanaan seeks to start his 273rd consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Teammate Scott Dixon has made 213 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in Indy car racing should he start the race.
- Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 334th career Indy car start, which ranks fourth on the all-time list. Tony Kanaan will attempt to make his 333rd Indy car start, which is fifth all-time. Both are competing in their 20th season of Indy car racing in 2017.
- Drivers may engage their “push-to-pass” for a total of 150 seconds during each race, with a maximum duration of 15 seconds for any one activation. The push-to-pass is not available on the initial race start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower for 2017.
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