Team Penske Preview - Belle Isle
May 31, 2013
THE RACE
Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans:
No. 2 Quicken Loans Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By A.J. Allmendinger
No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By Helio Castroneves
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By Will Power
THE BROADCAST
Race: Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans
Track: Raceway at Belle Isle Park, 13-turn, 2.3-mile street course
Race 1: Saturday, 3:30 pm ET (ABC)
Race 2: Sunday, 3:30 pm ET (ABC)
Radio Broadcast: IMS Radio 1250 WHNZ-AM/SiriusXM 211
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 2 Quicken Loans Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By A.J. Allmendinger
IZOD IndyCar Series Championship Points Standing: 24th (-113)
· FAST RISER: Allmendinger enters the Dual in Detroit coming off his best effort of 2013 which saw him lead 23 laps and finish seventh at the Indianapolis 500.
· GAINING EXPERIENCE: This weekend will be Allmendinger’s fourth and fifth races with Team Penske and all but one have been on temporary street/road courses. The race at Barber has been his best result on road/street course effort so far which saw him start 10th and finish 19th.
· CLIMBING TO THE TOP: After winning five races in 40 previous CART/Champ Car World Series starts from 2004-2006 and spending the years since then competing in NASCAR, Allmendinger looks to win his first open wheel race in seven years.
· DETROIT DEBUT: Quicken Loans will serve as the primary sponsor of Allmendinger’s car this weekend, marking their first time as the main livery of a Team Penske car.
THE Q & A
A.J. Allmendinger
@AJDinger
HIS TAKEAWAY FROM THE INDY 500
“After a great race in Indianapolis that really built up the confidence of my Quicken Loans Chevrolet team and we proved to ourselves that we are able to compete with the best. It was great to see that although we posted a top-10 effort everyone on the team still wanted more and are motivated to keep improving.” – A.J. Allmendinger
ON WHAT HE HAS HEARD ABOUT RACING AT BELLE ISLE
“Both (Penske teammates) Will (Power) and Helio (Castroneves) have said the racing was extremely competitive last year. It sounds like a race where you have to be at your best mentally all the time because it is so tough. I am looking forward to the challenge and thankful to both Quicken Loans and Team Penske for giving me the opportunity.” – A.J. Allmendinger
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By Helio Castroneves
IZOD IndyCar Series Championship Points Standing: 3rd (-11)
· FIRST TO REMEMBER: Castroneves won his first open-wheel race in June 2000 at Belle Isle and won again at the picturesque Detroit circuit in 2001.
· CAPTAIN CONSISTENCY: In the four temporary street/road course races of 2013, Castroneves has recorded three top-10 finishes including podiums at both St. Petersburg and Barber to start the season. Castroneves is also one of five drivers to complete all 555 possible laps in 2013.
· TEAM LEADER: Castroneves comes to Belle Isle after leading Team Penske’s efforts at the Indianapolis 500 with a sixth place finish, which was the eighth time in 13 races that Castroneves has been the highest finishing Team Penske driver.
· PRIORITIZING POINTS: Currently ranked third in the IZOD IndyCar Series Championship standings, Castroneves has never ranked lower than third the entire season including leading after the first several races.
THE Q & A
Helio Castroneves
@h3lio
HIS THOUGHTS ON BELLE ISLE
“People always ask drivers about their favorite places to race and Belle Isle is certainly one of them for me. It will always hold a special place in my heart being my first win and I am excited to go for another one this week with my Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet team.” – Helio Castroneves
ON HIS MINDSET ENTERING A DUAL WEEKEND THIRD IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
“We are coming off another good race in Indy and still continuing to be consistent which is our number one priority. We have a little bit of a gap to close to get back to the top in points and our plan is to do that with another consistent weekend. We want to stay aggressive but as a driver you have to remember there is another race the next day so you don’t want to mess yourself up.” – Helio Castroneves
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By Will Power
IZOD IndyCar Series Championship Points Standing: 14th (-79)
· NEAR MISSES: Power narrowly missed earning the pole at Belle Isle in 2012, posting a time a mere .0044 seconds behind the pole winner and his fourth place finish was 1.06 seconds off a podium finish.
· MAN OF THE STREETS: The Australian driver has won 17 of 38 (45%) of his temporary street/road course races while competing for Team Penske.
· POLE PRIDE: With 30 career pole wins, is tied for eighth all time and his next pole win will tie him with Sebastien Bourdais for seventh. Power is also the only Team Penske driver to win in new Verizon P1 Pole Award in 2013 (St. Petersburg).
· MOVING ON UP: Power moved up from 18th after the Sao Paulo 300 to his current ranking of 14th entering the Chevrolet Belle Isle Grand Prix.
THE Q & A
Will Power
@12WillPower
HERE IS THE QUESTION WE ARE ASKING ABOUT
“I am looking forward to getting back to Belle Isle and especially with the new track, the racing should be even tighter this year. The Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet crew did pretty well last year, just barely missing out on both the pole and a podium finish so hopefully we are just a couple small changes away from getting on top. This is a race we really want to win for Roger especially and the whole Verizon Team Penske crew.” – Will Power
ON WHAT HIS GOAL IS FOR THE WEEKEND
“With two races this weekend we have a great opportunity to accumulate a lot of points, which is what we need right now, so we are going to give it our best shot. Hopefully we can earn two good finishes this weekend that turn things around and sets the momentum for the rest of the season ” – Will Power
LAST WEEK RECAP
After qualifying all three Team Penske drivers on the front three rows, Allmendinger led the team’s efforts for most of the day by leading 23 laps and showing promise until a seatbelt malfunction caused him to pit while leading on Lap 113. Castroneves was consistently in the top-10 on the way to a team high sixth place finish while Power’s car did not react well in traffic as he fought to a 19th place finish. All three cars led at least one lap during the race.
Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans:
No. 2 Quicken Loans Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By A.J. Allmendinger
No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By Helio Castroneves
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By Will Power
THE BROADCAST
Race: Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans
Track: Raceway at Belle Isle Park, 13-turn, 2.3-mile street course
Race 1: Saturday, 3:30 pm ET (ABC)
Race 2: Sunday, 3:30 pm ET (ABC)
Radio Broadcast: IMS Radio 1250 WHNZ-AM/SiriusXM 211
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 2 Quicken Loans Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By A.J. Allmendinger
IZOD IndyCar Series Championship Points Standing: 24th (-113)
· FAST RISER: Allmendinger enters the Dual in Detroit coming off his best effort of 2013 which saw him lead 23 laps and finish seventh at the Indianapolis 500.
· GAINING EXPERIENCE: This weekend will be Allmendinger’s fourth and fifth races with Team Penske and all but one have been on temporary street/road courses. The race at Barber has been his best result on road/street course effort so far which saw him start 10th and finish 19th.
· CLIMBING TO THE TOP: After winning five races in 40 previous CART/Champ Car World Series starts from 2004-2006 and spending the years since then competing in NASCAR, Allmendinger looks to win his first open wheel race in seven years.
· DETROIT DEBUT: Quicken Loans will serve as the primary sponsor of Allmendinger’s car this weekend, marking their first time as the main livery of a Team Penske car.
THE Q & A
A.J. Allmendinger
@AJDinger
HIS TAKEAWAY FROM THE INDY 500
“After a great race in Indianapolis that really built up the confidence of my Quicken Loans Chevrolet team and we proved to ourselves that we are able to compete with the best. It was great to see that although we posted a top-10 effort everyone on the team still wanted more and are motivated to keep improving.” – A.J. Allmendinger
ON WHAT HE HAS HEARD ABOUT RACING AT BELLE ISLE
“Both (Penske teammates) Will (Power) and Helio (Castroneves) have said the racing was extremely competitive last year. It sounds like a race where you have to be at your best mentally all the time because it is so tough. I am looking forward to the challenge and thankful to both Quicken Loans and Team Penske for giving me the opportunity.” – A.J. Allmendinger
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By Helio Castroneves
IZOD IndyCar Series Championship Points Standing: 3rd (-11)
· FIRST TO REMEMBER: Castroneves won his first open-wheel race in June 2000 at Belle Isle and won again at the picturesque Detroit circuit in 2001.
· CAPTAIN CONSISTENCY: In the four temporary street/road course races of 2013, Castroneves has recorded three top-10 finishes including podiums at both St. Petersburg and Barber to start the season. Castroneves is also one of five drivers to complete all 555 possible laps in 2013.
· TEAM LEADER: Castroneves comes to Belle Isle after leading Team Penske’s efforts at the Indianapolis 500 with a sixth place finish, which was the eighth time in 13 races that Castroneves has been the highest finishing Team Penske driver.
· PRIORITIZING POINTS: Currently ranked third in the IZOD IndyCar Series Championship standings, Castroneves has never ranked lower than third the entire season including leading after the first several races.
THE Q & A
Helio Castroneves
@h3lio
HIS THOUGHTS ON BELLE ISLE
“People always ask drivers about their favorite places to race and Belle Isle is certainly one of them for me. It will always hold a special place in my heart being my first win and I am excited to go for another one this week with my Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet team.” – Helio Castroneves
ON HIS MINDSET ENTERING A DUAL WEEKEND THIRD IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
“We are coming off another good race in Indy and still continuing to be consistent which is our number one priority. We have a little bit of a gap to close to get back to the top in points and our plan is to do that with another consistent weekend. We want to stay aggressive but as a driver you have to remember there is another race the next day so you don’t want to mess yourself up.” – Helio Castroneves
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driven By Will Power
IZOD IndyCar Series Championship Points Standing: 14th (-79)
· NEAR MISSES: Power narrowly missed earning the pole at Belle Isle in 2012, posting a time a mere .0044 seconds behind the pole winner and his fourth place finish was 1.06 seconds off a podium finish.
· MAN OF THE STREETS: The Australian driver has won 17 of 38 (45%) of his temporary street/road course races while competing for Team Penske.
· POLE PRIDE: With 30 career pole wins, is tied for eighth all time and his next pole win will tie him with Sebastien Bourdais for seventh. Power is also the only Team Penske driver to win in new Verizon P1 Pole Award in 2013 (St. Petersburg).
· MOVING ON UP: Power moved up from 18th after the Sao Paulo 300 to his current ranking of 14th entering the Chevrolet Belle Isle Grand Prix.
THE Q & A
Will Power
@12WillPower
HERE IS THE QUESTION WE ARE ASKING ABOUT
“I am looking forward to getting back to Belle Isle and especially with the new track, the racing should be even tighter this year. The Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet crew did pretty well last year, just barely missing out on both the pole and a podium finish so hopefully we are just a couple small changes away from getting on top. This is a race we really want to win for Roger especially and the whole Verizon Team Penske crew.” – Will Power
ON WHAT HIS GOAL IS FOR THE WEEKEND
“With two races this weekend we have a great opportunity to accumulate a lot of points, which is what we need right now, so we are going to give it our best shot. Hopefully we can earn two good finishes this weekend that turn things around and sets the momentum for the rest of the season ” – Will Power
LAST WEEK RECAP
After qualifying all three Team Penske drivers on the front three rows, Allmendinger led the team’s efforts for most of the day by leading 23 laps and showing promise until a seatbelt malfunction caused him to pit while leading on Lap 113. Castroneves was consistently in the top-10 on the way to a team high sixth place finish while Power’s car did not react well in traffic as he fought to a 19th place finish. All three cars led at least one lap during the race.