Team Penske Race Preview - Mid Ohio
July 31, 2013
THE RACE
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (IZOD IndyCar Series)
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2.258-mile permanent road course)
Lexington, Ohio – August 2-4
No. 3 PPG Automotive Refinish Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Helio Castroneves - @h3lio
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Will Power - @12WillPower
THE BROADCAST
Race: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Track: The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2.258-mile road course)
Qualifying: Saturday 2:00 pm ET (Broadcast at 5:00 pm ET on NBCSN)
Race: Sunday 3:30 pm ET (NBCSN)
Radio Broadcast: IMS Radio SiriusXM 211
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 3 PPG Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
· STILL ON TOP: Helio Castroneves continues to lead the IZOD IndyCar Series standings. He has led the championship in 10 of the 13 races this season including being on top for the last eight consecutive events. Castroneves enters this weekend with a 29-point lead over Scott Dixon, winner of the last three races.
· CAPTAIN CONSISTENCY: A key ingredient to Castroneves’ success this season has been his consistency. He is the only driver to complete all 1,753 laps of competition in 2013. Castroneves has finished in the top 10 in 12 of 13 races this season and his average finishing position of 5.7 also leads all series drivers.
· TRIPLE CROWN UPDATE: In addition to leading the overall series standings, Castroneves is second in the IZOD IndyCar Series road course championship and is tied with Ryan Hunter-Reay for the oval course points lead.
· MID-OHIO MEMORIES: In 10 previous career starts at Mid-Ohio, Castroneves has earned two wins (2000 and 2001), two poles and five podium finishes. He’s led 141 laps at Mid-Ohio over the years and has completed all but three laps of competition in his starts.
· WELCOME BACK PPG: Castroneves will drive the distinct blue and black No. 3 PPG Automotive Refinish car this weekend. He also drove the PPG machine at Milwaukee earlier this season where he earned a runner-up result for Team Penske.
THE Q & A
HELIO CASTRONEVES
No. 3 PPG Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
WILL THE OPEN TEST AT MID-OHIO THIS WEEK HELP ON RACE WEEKEND?
"We haven’t raced in a couple of weeks so it will be good to get back on track at Mid-Ohio. Having a full day of testing on Wednesday will give us a chance to try some things so when it comes time for qualifying and the race, we have the PPG car where we want it to be.”
YOU CONTINUE TO LEAD THE CHAMPIONSHIP BUT SCOTT DIXON IS ON A ROLL. HOW DO YOU STOP HIS MOMENTUM?
“Yes, Scott and the Ganassi guys have been hot and they are very good at Mid-Ohio, but we also know what it takes to win here. We just need to focus on what we can control and that’s getting the most out of the PPG car and hopefully we have a good result Sunday.”
DO YOU ENJOY RACING AT MID-OHIO?
“Mid-Ohio is a fun track. It’s a classic road course with some high-speed and low-speed corners and some elevation changes. It has a little bit of everything and it should make for a good race to watch on Sunday.”
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
· QUITE A QUALIFIER: Will Power has been qualifying force at Mid-Ohio. In his four career starts at the classic road course, he has earned two poles (2010 and 2012) and earned three top-five starting spots. His average starting position is 4.5 at Mid-Ohio.
· POWER M-O PRODUCTION: With an averaging finishing position of 5.5 in his four Mid-Ohio races, Power has earned three top-five results, including runner-up finishes in 2010 and last season.
· TOP 10: Despite a frustrating season that has seen Power suffer through three DNF (did not finish) results, he remains 10th in the series standings and is 23 points behind ninth place.
· LIKES TO LEAD: Power has certainly demonstrated the speed and ability to run at the front of the pack in the Verizon car this season. He has led laps in 10 of the 13 races this season, which is tops among all drivers in the series.
· TALKIN’ TURBO: Anyone that has seen the Dreamworks animated movie “Turbo” currently in theaters may have recognized a familiar voice with an Australian accent. Power made a small cameo in the movie as he voiced the character of an Australian journalist that was commenting on the sensation of the title character, a snail that races in the Indianapolis 500.
· TEST TIME: Power, Castroneves and the rest of the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will be on track at Mid-Ohio on Wednesday, July 31 as part of the series open test at the 2.258-mile road course.
· MEET YOU AT MEIJER: On Thursday evening, August 1, Power and Castroneves will sign autographs for fans from 6-7 pm ET at the Meijer store located at 8870 Columbus Pike in Columbus, Ohio.
THE Q & A
WILL POWER
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
WHAT’S YOUR FOCUS HEADING INTO MID-OHIO?
“I think it’s going to be a super-competitive weekend at Mid-Ohio. My focus is to learn as much as we can at the test and then give it our all to try and get pole on Saturday in the Verizon Chevrolet. Qualifying is so important there and we’ve won the pole there the last couple of races so we know we are capable of doing it. Then, it’s a matter of running a strong, clean race and try to go for the win.”
HOW PHYSICAL IS THE MID-OHIO COURSE?
“Mid-Ohio is a very physical circuit. It’s been a battle for the pole position in qualifying the last few years and I’m sure it will be the same this year with as competitive as the field is in IndyCar.”
WHAT WILL YOU BE LOOKING FOR AT THE OPEN TEST?
“The way the schedule shakes out over the weekend we’ll have a fair amount of time on track. So, on Wednesday, we’ll get our first taste of the racing surface and we’ll start to get a handle on the Verizon car and how it responds to different adjustments. It’s always a fun challenge to keep ahead of the track during the course of the race weekend and we’ll get a bit of head start on Wednesday.”
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (IZOD IndyCar Series)
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2.258-mile permanent road course)
Lexington, Ohio – August 2-4
No. 3 PPG Automotive Refinish Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Helio Castroneves - @h3lio
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Will Power - @12WillPower
THE BROADCAST
Race: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Track: The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2.258-mile road course)
Qualifying: Saturday 2:00 pm ET (Broadcast at 5:00 pm ET on NBCSN)
Race: Sunday 3:30 pm ET (NBCSN)
Radio Broadcast: IMS Radio SiriusXM 211
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 3 PPG Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
· STILL ON TOP: Helio Castroneves continues to lead the IZOD IndyCar Series standings. He has led the championship in 10 of the 13 races this season including being on top for the last eight consecutive events. Castroneves enters this weekend with a 29-point lead over Scott Dixon, winner of the last three races.
· CAPTAIN CONSISTENCY: A key ingredient to Castroneves’ success this season has been his consistency. He is the only driver to complete all 1,753 laps of competition in 2013. Castroneves has finished in the top 10 in 12 of 13 races this season and his average finishing position of 5.7 also leads all series drivers.
· TRIPLE CROWN UPDATE: In addition to leading the overall series standings, Castroneves is second in the IZOD IndyCar Series road course championship and is tied with Ryan Hunter-Reay for the oval course points lead.
· MID-OHIO MEMORIES: In 10 previous career starts at Mid-Ohio, Castroneves has earned two wins (2000 and 2001), two poles and five podium finishes. He’s led 141 laps at Mid-Ohio over the years and has completed all but three laps of competition in his starts.
· WELCOME BACK PPG: Castroneves will drive the distinct blue and black No. 3 PPG Automotive Refinish car this weekend. He also drove the PPG machine at Milwaukee earlier this season where he earned a runner-up result for Team Penske.
THE Q & A
HELIO CASTRONEVES
No. 3 PPG Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
WILL THE OPEN TEST AT MID-OHIO THIS WEEK HELP ON RACE WEEKEND?
"We haven’t raced in a couple of weeks so it will be good to get back on track at Mid-Ohio. Having a full day of testing on Wednesday will give us a chance to try some things so when it comes time for qualifying and the race, we have the PPG car where we want it to be.”
YOU CONTINUE TO LEAD THE CHAMPIONSHIP BUT SCOTT DIXON IS ON A ROLL. HOW DO YOU STOP HIS MOMENTUM?
“Yes, Scott and the Ganassi guys have been hot and they are very good at Mid-Ohio, but we also know what it takes to win here. We just need to focus on what we can control and that’s getting the most out of the PPG car and hopefully we have a good result Sunday.”
DO YOU ENJOY RACING AT MID-OHIO?
“Mid-Ohio is a fun track. It’s a classic road course with some high-speed and low-speed corners and some elevation changes. It has a little bit of everything and it should make for a good race to watch on Sunday.”
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
· QUITE A QUALIFIER: Will Power has been qualifying force at Mid-Ohio. In his four career starts at the classic road course, he has earned two poles (2010 and 2012) and earned three top-five starting spots. His average starting position is 4.5 at Mid-Ohio.
· POWER M-O PRODUCTION: With an averaging finishing position of 5.5 in his four Mid-Ohio races, Power has earned three top-five results, including runner-up finishes in 2010 and last season.
· TOP 10: Despite a frustrating season that has seen Power suffer through three DNF (did not finish) results, he remains 10th in the series standings and is 23 points behind ninth place.
· LIKES TO LEAD: Power has certainly demonstrated the speed and ability to run at the front of the pack in the Verizon car this season. He has led laps in 10 of the 13 races this season, which is tops among all drivers in the series.
· TALKIN’ TURBO: Anyone that has seen the Dreamworks animated movie “Turbo” currently in theaters may have recognized a familiar voice with an Australian accent. Power made a small cameo in the movie as he voiced the character of an Australian journalist that was commenting on the sensation of the title character, a snail that races in the Indianapolis 500.
· TEST TIME: Power, Castroneves and the rest of the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will be on track at Mid-Ohio on Wednesday, July 31 as part of the series open test at the 2.258-mile road course.
· MEET YOU AT MEIJER: On Thursday evening, August 1, Power and Castroneves will sign autographs for fans from 6-7 pm ET at the Meijer store located at 8870 Columbus Pike in Columbus, Ohio.
THE Q & A
WILL POWER
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
WHAT’S YOUR FOCUS HEADING INTO MID-OHIO?
“I think it’s going to be a super-competitive weekend at Mid-Ohio. My focus is to learn as much as we can at the test and then give it our all to try and get pole on Saturday in the Verizon Chevrolet. Qualifying is so important there and we’ve won the pole there the last couple of races so we know we are capable of doing it. Then, it’s a matter of running a strong, clean race and try to go for the win.”
HOW PHYSICAL IS THE MID-OHIO COURSE?
“Mid-Ohio is a very physical circuit. It’s been a battle for the pole position in qualifying the last few years and I’m sure it will be the same this year with as competitive as the field is in IndyCar.”
WHAT WILL YOU BE LOOKING FOR AT THE OPEN TEST?
“The way the schedule shakes out over the weekend we’ll have a fair amount of time on track. So, on Wednesday, we’ll get our first taste of the racing surface and we’ll start to get a handle on the Verizon car and how it responds to different adjustments. It’s always a fun challenge to keep ahead of the track during the course of the race weekend and we’ll get a bit of head start on Wednesday.”