Photo by: Eric Gilbert
DETROIT – (June 6, 2012) – It is back to oval track racing for the Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 teams, this time at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). On the IZOD IndyCar schedule since 1997, fans have been treated to competitive racing with close finishes. {
"Heading back to an oval means a shift in not only setup for the cars, but the mental approach to the racing for our Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 teams and drivers,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager for the IZOD IndyCar Series. “Having an early-season test to establish a baseline, and then another test to measure the results has provided valuable information to them for this weekend's race at Texas Motor Speedway. Our Bowtie teams and technical partners are focused and working hard on optimizing the cars to compete for the win.”
Four current Chevy drivers have TMS victories on their resumes. Helio Castroneves has taken Team Penske to the Winner’s Circle three times (2004, 2006 and 2009). His teammates have also scored wins at TMS. Ryan Briscoe won in 2010 and Will Power wore the Texas-sized winner’s cowboy hat in 2011.
Before heading to Texas for the Firestone 550, KV Racing Technology and former TMS winner (2004) Tony Kanaan will make a trip to fellow Team Chevy driver Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway to compete in the ‘Prelude to the Dream’. Wednesday night’s race will mark the third time the 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series champion has participated in the charity event.
"Racing on ovals has always been an integral part of IndyCar racing,” Berube concluded. “And TMS has long been a fan favorite. We have several teams and drivers who have had great success at the track over the years. We are looking forward to leading the continuation of the great, tight racing we have seen all season."
While 2012 marks the debut of the all-new Chevy V-6 direct injected twin turbo charged purpose built engine fueled by renewable E85, the Bowtie brand competed previously in Indy-style competition as an engine manufacturer in 1986-93 and 2002-05 with V-8 engines. During that period, Chevrolet drivers notched three wins at TMS – 2002 (both races that season) and 2005.
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