For the fourth straight year and sixth time, the Verizon IndyCar Series drivers are set to tackle the streets of Detroit this weekend with the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans.
This weekend’s event presents a unique challenge, as the weekend is a double-header, featuring a pair of races. The drivers will tackle the course on Saturday afternoon, followed by a second event on Sunday afternoon. Balancing your equipment over the weekend, and making sure you’re prepared as a driver will be key for all the competitors.
Juan Pablo Montoya enters the weekend with the most momentum after winning the 99th Annual Indianapolis 500 with a pass on Team Penske teammate and defending series champion Will Power with three laps to go. The victory goes along with the solid start to the season that sees him leading the standings, 25 points ahead of Power. Belle Isle didn’t treat Montoya well last year, though, as he posted a 12th and a 13th in the pair of races. So far this year, though, he has improved his 2014 finishing positions, turning top-15s into top-10s and top-10s into top-fives.
Team Penske enters the weekend as the team to beat, despite Montoya’s stats. Last year, Helio Castroneves won the Saturday edition while Will Power won the Sunday edition. Castroneves has always been good in Detroit, posting a pair of victories in CART competition, and having posted four top-fives and five top-10s in his last seven starts. Power, meanwhile, is known as the street-course king in IndyCar due to his numerous wins across the events on the schedule. In his last six starts, he has posted three top-fives and five top-10s with a series third-best 7.2 average finish.
The other option for victory comes from the fourth entry with Simon Pagenaud. Pagenaud won the event in 2013 driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, and finished sixth last year driving for SPM. He will return this year under the Penske banner, which is known for building strong cars. It could result in a return to victory lane and his first Penske win.
While Team Penske seized the glory last weekend at Indianapolis, Chip Ganassi Racing was right there with them, right in the thick of the battle for the win. Charlie Kimball managed to post the best finish for CGR, finishing third. It marks his best finish of the season, following a strong fifth place finish in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the road course. It seems as we get into the summer months, Kimball is getting comfortable with the new aero package. Whether that will translate to this weekend is yet to be seen. In his last three starts in Detroit, he has finished in the top-nine, highlighted by a third place finish last year.
“Even with a quick turnaround, I can’t wait to get back out in the No. 83 Levemir FlexTouch Chevrolet this weekend for the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit,” Kimball commented. “It’s not only a challenge for the drivers to switch from an oval to road course mentality, but it’s also a lot of work for the Verizon IndyCar Series crews and engineers to be ready for the doubleheaders. I had the chance to do some hot laps on the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix track last week for Indy 500 media day, and I really think we’ll be able to put on two great shows for the fans. As for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team coming off two strong top-five finishes, we’ll work hard on building on that momentum. Our focus is definitely improving qualifying so we can start up front and stay up front.”
Meanwhile, Scott Dixon enters the weekend as the highest driver for Ganassi in the points standings, sitting third in points. Dixon had a strong run in the Indianapolis 500 as well, finishing fourth after leading numerous laps throughout the event. If that wasn’t enough, he leads active drivers with a best average finish of 5.3 following a win, five top-fives and six top-10s in seven starts.
“I love coming to Detroit,” Dixon sounded off. “I’ve had a couple of poles here. I was leading the race once and went off strategy and that didn’t work out. We dominated the year the track came apart (2012) and led every lap there as well, so anything can happen. The track really has got a great flow to it. It’s the Motor City and a marquee event for our team and Chevrolet as a manufacturer, so hopefully we can get back on the top spot on the podium there this year. It’s an iconic city especially for motor racing, and one that we hope to do well at.”
Ganassi seems to have the most consistent drivers in Detroit as Tony Kanaan sits second highest on the average finishing position roster with a 6.7 following three top-fives and five top-10s in his last seven starts. He is looking to bounce back after wrecking during the Indianapolis 500 when the car got loose underneath him following a pit stop.
“After such a disappointing run at the ‘500’ last weekend, I’m glad that we’re going straight into Detroit where I can put all of my focus into this weekend’s doubleheader,” Kanaan commented. “The No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet has been consistently quick all season, we just need to pull everything together to get the finish I know we’re capable of. In my seven starts at Belle Isle, I’ve only been on the podium twice with a win in 2007 and a third-place finish last year, so I think I’m definitely due to get back up to the top this weekend.”
While the Chevrolets of Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing have stolen the headlines, the Hondas have continued to make improvements and gains. That was noticed by Graham Rahal’s fifth place finish in the Indianapolis 500. Rahal has been consistent this season, highlighted by a string of three top-fives entering the weekend. He has expressed how badly he wants to get to victory lane for the first time since his rookie season in 2008 and given the strength lately, this could be the best opportunity for that. After all, he did post a second place finish last year in the first of the two events.
“I feel really good about Detroit,” he said. “I felt that if we could continue to stay close in points after Indy, we would have a pretty good opportunity ahead of us with as strong as we were in Detroit last year. Detroit is a very similar place to St. Pete and obviously with it being a doubleheader, it’s a huge weekend for the championship. We are right on Helio’s (Castroneves) heels in fifth place in the point standings and just a couple of points behind (Scott) Dixon. We will just keep working hard and we’ll be there in the hunt. This race is a one of attrition a lot of times because it’s a pretty bumpy track.”
The Verizon IndyCar Series will take to the track for the first practice at 10:35 a.m.. with qualifying for the first race scheduled for 3:40 p,m. The full schedule is available below via INDYCAR.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, May 29
10:35-11:50 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
3:40-4:55 p.m. – Three rounds of Verizon IndyCar Series knockout qualifications (live-streamed on RaceControl.IndyCar.com)
Saturday, May 30
8:55-9:25 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
3:30 p.m. – ABC on air
3:50 p.m. – Chevrolet Dual in Detroit #1 green flag, 70 laps/164.5 miles (ABC, live).
Sunday, May 31
10:20 a.m. – Systems check
11:25 a.m.-11:55 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series group qualifications, two groups, 15 minutes each (live-streamed on RaceControl.IndyCar.com)
3:30 p.m. – ABC on air
3:50 p.m. – Chevrolet Dual in Detroit #2 green flag, 70 laps/164.5 miles (ABC, live).
