Managing Director of Chevrolet racing program Rob Buckner says that their teams are ready for this weekend’s 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay is the fastest Chevrolet as he starts the race from third place behind Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou and pole-sitter Scott Dixon.
Speaking ahead of the race this weekend, Buckner said:
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at some of the best tracks and puts on some of the best events in all of motorsports. “But there isn’t anything that compares to the Indianapolis 500. That’s especially true if you are fortunate to win it, which we have done multiple times with our twin-turbo V6 engine. After months of hard work and hundreds of laps in the lead-up to Sunday, our teams are prepared and ready.
“Winning the Indy 500 is an incredible feat in and of itself. But to have the chance to make this year’s running the 100th INDYCAR victory for the Chevrolet V6 engine is an even more special opportunity. We’ve already won races this year and lead the Engine Manufacturer Championship. We’d like nothing better to hit the century mark with our fifth Indy 500 win since 2012.”
While at the Indianapolis 500, Team Chevy fans can enjoy all that the Chevrolet display, located near the Pagoda plaza, has to offer. Included in the display activities will be six Q&A sessions with some of the star Chevrolet drivers throughout Friday.
• 9:30-9:45 a.m.: Ed Carpenter Racing – Ed Carpenter, Rinus Veekay and Conor Daly
• 9:45-10:00 a.m.: Arrow McLaren SP – Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Juan Pablo Montoya
• 1:30-1:45 p.m.: DragonSpeed/Cusick Motorsports – Stefan Wilson
• 1:45-2:00 p.m.: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing – Sage Karam and Santino Ferrucci
• 2:00-2:15 p.m.: AJ Foyt Racing – Dalton Kellett, Kyle Kirkwood and JR Hildebrand
• 2:15-2:30 p.m.: Juncos Hollinger Racing – Callum Illott
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 6 a.m. Sunday. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• 2023 Corvette Z06
• Corvette Stingray R concept
• Corvette Stingray
• Chevrolet electrical models Bolt EV, Bolt EUV and Silverado EV
• Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer RS, Silverado 2500 HD, Silverado 1500 ZR2, Trailblazer ACTIV, Silverado 1500 MCM LT Trailboss, Traverse High Country, Tahoe Z71 and Camaro ZL1
• A cutaway chassis of the 2023 Corvette Z06 and IndyCar showcar
• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Chevrolet Racing t-shirt
TEAM CHEVY QUOTES
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 SHELL CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE: “I’m very excited to get to the ‘race’ part of this month. I think we have really strong racecars, especially with Team Chevy. They’ve really backed us tremendously this season and we feel really confident we can win this race together. With their support and the Shell Fuel Rewards car, I think we can challenge for the win. It’s going to be a long day. We need to be methodical about the way we move forward. I think patience is going to pay off. It’s the same game every year. We have to get to the finish and we have to position ourselves in the final stint. If we’re in position, then we’ll look to capitalize on a victory together with everybody.”
SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 23 PALERMO’S CHEVROLET, DRYER & REINBOLD RACING: “I’m very excited about Sunday’s race, especially after running in race trim. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing always puts together a strong race car. That is one of the reasons I came to the team this year. While we thought we would be a little stronger in qualifying, starting on the outside of the fifth row is not a bad position for the race. We have a good strategy for adjustments in the race and we will make another small change in ‘Carb Day’ practice. It looks like the weather will be a little warmer for Sunday and could play into our hands. We worked early last week on race settings, and I’m pleased how things went for our No. 23 car. Now, we’ll be ready to move to the front of the field when the green flag drops.”
SAGE KARAM, NO. 24 AES INDIANA CHEVROLET, DRYER & REINBOLD RACING: “It is hard to believe that this race will be my ninth 500. And to be honest, this year’s No. 24 car might be my best in race trim. We felt good in Monday’s practice running on full tanks and in traffic. That is all we concentrated on during the two hours, ‘How was the car in traffic?’ We came into last week’s practice runs as prepared as our team has ever been after the April two-day test. We learned a lot about the car then. And we continued to translate that info into this month’s runs. Qualifying was a little wild with weather changes and the wind moving around so much. Looking on Sunday’s weather, it could be pretty warm, which I like. Our car has performed well in the races here when we get hotter track temps. So we are ready for Sunday’s race.”