News

THE RACE

Verizon IndyCar Series
MAVTV 500
Auto Club Speedway
Fontana, Calif.
Aug. 30, 2014

THE RESULTS    

No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driver: Juan Pablo Montoya
Starting Position: 2
Finish Position: 4
Driver's Points Position: 4

No. 3 AAA Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driver: Helio Castroneves
Starting Position: 1
Finish Position: 14
Driver's Points Position: 2
 
The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
Driver: Will Power
Starting Position: 21
Finish Position: 9
Driver's Points Position: 1

THE RACE REVIEW
    
Will Power
No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet   

· Will Power began Saturday night’s race from the 21st position after posting a two-lap average of 212.604 mph during qualifying on Friday afternoon.

· Needing to earn a sixth-place finish to secure the Verizon IndyCar Series title, no matter what his fellow contenders accomplished, Power set out on a gradual climb through the field as the green flag waved to begin the race.

· Driving a smart and deliberate race, Power entered the top 10 for the first time at lap 74. He rarely ran outside of the top 10 for the remainder of the event.

· Following the only caution period of the day from laps 175-186, Power rocketed to the lead after restarting from the fourth position. He led a total of eight laps before settling back into the top five.

· After his closest championship rival, Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves, was assessed a “drive through” penalty late in the race, Power knew that the elusive title was in his sights. He crossed the finish line in the ninth position to secure his first career Verizon IndyCar Series title by 62 points over Castroneves.

· The series championship marks the 13th IndyCar title for Team Penske and the organization’s 26 national championship overall.

· For the season Power notched three wins, eight top-five finishes and four Verizon P1 Pole Awards.

· The champion and the entire No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet team was honored at Sunday night’s INDYCAR Championship Celebration as Power was presented with the Astor Cup trophy.
    

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

WILL POWER

YOU ARE NOW THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPION. WHAT ARE YOU FEELING?

“That was one of the hardest races ever. I was crying over the (finish) line. It just went on and on. I slowly made up position and the car wasn't great. But, man, what a race. I have to thank Verizon and Roger Penske and Tim Cindric. It's surreal, man. I can't believe it. I'm so mentally exhausted now. I'm just so exhausted. My hands are numb from holding onto the wheel so tight. Man, I want to be a lot more excited but I'm just so drained. That was just mega. I can't believe I won it."

AT WHAT POINT DID YOU THINK YOU HAD THE TITLE WON?

“You never think it can happen until it happens. I can't believe I'm champion. I can't believe it. Just knowing how things have gone in the past. Actually, when I took the lead, I thought 'This is good. I believe we've got a pretty good shot here.' When they said Helio got a drive through (penalty) I said 'Hey, this is it. We can do this. We can win it. It's unbelievable. That's 15 years of hard work. I started taking it seriously in 2000. That's just 15 years of hard work."

THE RACE REVIEW

Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet
    
· Juan Pablo Montoya qualified the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet in the second position after posting a two-lap average of 217.621 mph during the Friday afternoon qualifying session.

· With a fast Verizon Chevy, Montoya jumped out to an early lead on lap one in Saturday night’s MAVTV 500 and led 29 of the first 33 laps. The former series champion looked to have one of the fastest cars on track despite having to deal with a tight-handling condition.

· Early in the event it was discovered that the weight-jacker on the No.2 Chevy had malfunctioned, compounding the condition. Race strategist, Jon Bouslog, called his driver down pit road at lap 34 for four fresh Firestone tires, fuel and an adjustment to the front wing.

· Bouslog and the Verizon team continued to make adjustments to the front wing on subsequent pit stops in an effort to stay ahead of the changing track conditions.

· Throughout the first three pit stops of the event, Montoya continued to cycle back to the race lead, eventually leading a race-high 85 laps.

· Despite the ill-handling condition, Montoya was able to keep his Verizon Chevy toward the front of the field during the 250-lap event, crossing the finish line in the fourth position.

· With his fourth-place finish, Montoya secured fourth place in the final 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series standings, setting himself up for another strong run in 2015.

· Montoya also scored a series-high 342 points on the ovals during the 2014 season.

· With a strong return to the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2014, Montoya earned one win, eight top-five finishes and one Verizon P1 Pole Award this season.

· At Sunday night’s INDYCAR Championship Celebration, Montoya was also named the Fan Favorite Driver of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series.
    

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA

AFTER LEADING A RACE-HIGH 85 LAPS, WHY DID THE HANDLING GO AWAY IN THE VERIZON CHEVY?

“Honestly, I thought we had a car that could have won the race tonight; it was that fast. We had an issue with the weight-jacker in the car and it took us most of the race to dial in the handling. But once we got it right the Verizon Chevy was as fast as anyone. I’m proud of the number of laps we led tonight, just like I’m proud of the effort that the guys put in all year. I hate that the season is already over and I can’t wait to get back on track to test the new aero kits. We are going to come out of the gates stronger than this season and I really feel that we can compete for the Verizon IndyCar Series title in 2015. Congrats to Will (Power) on the championship this year. He deserves it.”

THE RACE REVIEW

Helio Castroneves
No. 3 Automobile Club of Southern California Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet    

· Helio Castroneves won his third Verizon P1 Pole Award of the season after posting a two-lap average of 218.540 mph around the Auto Club Speedway oval during the Friday afternoon qualifying session.

· Over the opening laps of the 500-mile race, Castroneves and Team Penske teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, swapped the lead on several occasions before Castroneves eventually settled into the third position.

· Castroneves began the race 50 points behind teammate Will Power in the series standings. Knowing that he needed to gain maximum points to have a chance to win the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series title, Castroneves was able to keep his No. 3 Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy inside the top-five cars most of the evening.

· Following his fourth pit stop of the day, Castroneves moved into the race lead at lap 144. He held the top spot until coming down pit road at lap 178.

· As the laps wound down in Saturday night’s event, Castroneves made his way down pit road for the final time at lap 216. Unfortunately, he was penalized for a pit lane infraction and had to serve a “drive through” penalty that placed him 14th in the running order, one lap down to the race leaders.

· The remainder of the race ran without caution, which prevented Castroneves from getting back on the lead lap. He crossed the finish line in the 14th position to secure second place in the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series championship standings for the fourth time in his career.

· For the season, Castroneves produced one win, seven top-five finishes and three Verizon P1 Pole Awards.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING    

HELIO CASTRONEVES

HOW PROUD ARE YOU OF THE EFFORT PUT FORTH BY YOUR TEAM TONIGHT?

"You know, obviously for the team it’s great to have the championship back at Team Penske. At the end I was pushing extremely hard and I knew the best way for us to get in front was through the pits. I knew that our ins and outs seemed to be working pretty well, except for the last one. I got a drive through and I felt very bad for my guys. I have to thank AAA, Chevrolet, Shell-Pennzoil, SKF, Verizon, and everyone. Hitachi especially. You guys, thank you for a great season. Congrats to Will for being a champion. He did a great job tonight. I hope the rate at his house doesn’t increase because every time I stay with him, he charges me. But at the end of the day, great job for Team Penske. We were one, two and four for Juan Pablo (Montoya). But for me, it’s another second. We will be going for it again next year.”