“Road America is always a highlight on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule and it’s certainly one of my favorite racetracks. As usual, the racing should be intense with a lot of drafting and passing opportunities. After finishing fourth at Road America last year, the DHL team is hoping to improve on that and get some much-needed momentum going for the remainder of the season.”
Track: Road America, a 4.014-mile, 14-turn permanent road course (clockwise)
Race distance: 55 laps / 220.77 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. (for each race)
Firestone tire allotment: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires in the race.
Twitter: @RoadAmerica @IndyCar, #KOHLERGP, #IndyCar
Event website: www.roadamerica.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2016 race winner: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)
2016 pole winner: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), 1 minute, 42.2105 seconds, 141.379 mph
Qualifying record: Dario Franchitti, 1:39.866, 145.924 mph, Aug. 19, 2000
NBCSN television broadcasts: Qualifying, 5 p.m. ET Saturday, June 24 (same-day delay); Race, 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, June 25 (live). Rick Allen is the lead announcer for the NBCSN broadcasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller.
Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers with Dave Furst and Rob Howden reporting from the pits. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on network affiliates, Sirius 212, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app. All Verizon IndyCar Series practice and qualifying sessions are available on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.
Video streaming: All practice sessions for the KOHLER 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 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 23
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
3:15 – 4 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
4:05 – 4:20 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series pit stop practice, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
Saturday, June 24
11 – 11:45 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #3, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
3 p.m. – Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), NBCSN (5 p.m. ET, same-day delay)
Sunday, June 25
8 – 8:30 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series warmup, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
11:32 a.m. – Driver introductions
12:10 p.m. – Command to start engines
12:17 p.m. – KOHLER Grand Prix (55 laps/220.77 miles), NBCSN (Live)
Race notes:
- There have been seven different winners in the nine previous Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2017: Sebastien Bourdais (Streets of St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (Streets of Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park), Simon Pagenaud (Phoenix Raceway), Will Power (INDYCAR Grand Prix and Texas Motor Speedway), Takuma Sato (Indianapolis 500) and Graham Rahal (Raceway at Belle Isle-1 and Raceway at Belle Isle-2). Bourdais’ win at St. Pete on March 12 gave him sole possession of sixth on the all-time Indy car victory list. Power’s win at Texas on June 10 tied him with Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy for ninth on the all-time list with 31 wins.
- The KOHLER Grand Prix will be the 27th Indy car race at Road America since it hosted its first Indy car event in 1982.
- The KOHLER Grand Prix will be the seventh race on a road/street course in 2017. The first six races were won by Sebastien Bourdais (Streets of St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (Streets of Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park), Will Power (INDYCAR Grand Prix) and Graham Rahal (Raceway at Belle Isle-1 and Raceway at Belle Isle-2).
- Will Power is the only entered driver who has won an Indy car race at Road America, winning Indy car’s return last season following a nine-year absence. Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi have the most wins by an Indy car driver at the track (three).
- Eighteen drivers entered this weekend have previously raced Indy cars at Road America. Four of those drivers have led laps at the track (Will Power 46, Helio Castroneves 24, Simon Pagenaud 2 and Graham Rahal 2).
- Seven 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) and Will Power (2016).
- Drivers who have won at Road America have gone on to win the 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 four times at Road America (1989, 1992, 1993 and 2016) and is one of two current teams with wins at the track. Chip Ganassi Racing has won twice at Road America (1997 and 2001). Newman/Haas Racing won a record 10 times at Road America.
- At least two drivers, rookie Ed Jones and veteran JR Hildebrand, will race a Verizon IndyCar Series car at Road America for the first time this weekend. Both have raced at the circuit in open-wheel ladder series.
- Tony Kanaan seeks to start his 275th consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Teammate Scott Dixon has made 216 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in Indy car racing.
- Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 337th career Indy car start, which ranks third on the all-time list. Tony Kanaan will attempt to make his 336th Indy car start, which is fourth all-time. Both are competing in their 20th season of Indy car racing in 2017.
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