Team Chevy heads to Mid-Ohio with Manufacturers' and Driver's point lead

DETROIT – August 1, 2012 – This weekend, the 13 Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers will take on the intricacies of the 2.4-mile, 15 turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio. The 85-lap Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will be Round 12 of the 15-race 2012 IZOD IndyCar Season

Helio Castroneves, winner at Edmonton Indy

Photo by: Rebecca McKay

"This weekend our Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams and drivers take on the challenge of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series. “It is a very technical and physically challenging track for the drivers with a combination of fast, medium and low speed corners, one long straightaway and several dramatic elevation changes. Chevrolet's technical partners in our IndyCar V6 program are working closely with our team engineers to ensure the Chevy engine delivers the necessary performance and reliability. They are also employing an array of tools to provide setup insight to the teams for this driver-focused track. The racing is so close every weekend that every detail matters.

"IndyCar is enhancing the push-to-pass parameters this weekend with a 5 second activation delay to reduce the use of the feature in a defensive manner. This should keep the racing interesting and will require more strategy from the drivers in the cockpit to make the best use of the extra boost."

With Helio Castroneves and the No. 3 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet team’s victory in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, his second trip to Victory Lane this season, Team Chevy drivers have notched eight wins in the Bowtie Brand’s return to IndyCar competition. Chevrolet continues to lead the IndyCar Manufactuers’ Championship standings, a position it has not relinquished since the checkered flag flew at the season’s opening race at St. Petersburg, also won by Castroneves.

"With just four races remaining in the season,” Berube continued. “And Chevrolet drivers holding down the top-three positions in the driver's point standings, every position and ever point count in their quest to win the top prize - the IZOD IndyCar Series Driver's Championship. The intensity continues to ratchet up. Everyone involved in the Chevrolet IndyCar program is committed to giving all the teams and drivers the best possible on-track package."

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay with three wins to his credit is at the top of the standings heading into the Mid-Ohio event. He leads Castroneves by 23 points. Castroneves Team Penske teammate, Will Power, sits in third, just three points behind second position and 26 points out of the lead.

In previous Indy car races at Mid-Ohio two current Team Chevy drivers have visited the Winner’s Circle. Castroneves has scored two victories – 2000 and 2001. Ryan Briscoe was the 2008 race winner.

Chevrolet competed previously in Indy-style competition as an engine manufacturer in 1986-93 and 2002-05 with V-8 engines, winning 105 races, that powered Chevrolet to six driver champions, and included seven Indianapolis 500 victories. Five of those wins were at Mid-Ohio as Emerson Fittipaldi took the checkered flag in 1988, 1992 and 1993. Michael Andretti won twice – 1990 and 1991.

The 85-lap Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is scheduled to start on Sunday, August 5, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. ET with live television coverage on the ABC TV.

The live radio coverage will air on the IMS Radio Network on SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212). In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at www.indy.car.com.

CHEVROLET IN THE IZOD INDYCAR SERIES - FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO. 28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA/ PELOTONIA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT – POINTS LEADER: "The commitment level is going to be very high as a driver this weekend. We saw much higher cornering speeds at the test (last Thursday at Mid-Ohio), and that means it's going to be a very physical race. By commitment, I mean you hold your breathe and go into every corner quicker than you think the car can stand and hope you come out the other side. We had a great test session with our (Andretti Autosport) teammates, and although qualifying will be at a premium, I think we will be able to pass with the DW12 chassis. We've shown at every race so far this year that this chassis allows for more passing. "We're going to need another race win to win the championship, and that's our total focus. I'm committed to working just as hard as a driver as my engineers and pit crew are working. As a team, we're 110-percent committed to bringing a championship back to Andretti Autosport."

HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 PENSKE TRUCK RENTAL CHEVROLET – 2ND IN POINTS: “Mid-Ohio has been a great place for me before and I hope to continue that this week in the No. 3 Penske Truck Rental machine. When everything goes right it is a really fun track to drive and I look forward to what we are going to be able to do this time around with the Chevrolet engine. We have really great momentum heading into the race and we need to keep that going to win the championship.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – 3RD IN POINTS: “We are very focused on what we need to do to put the No. 12 Verizon in the championship. Mid-Ohio is going to be an exciting race as it is getting down to the end and it is great to be in the middle of what looks to be a Chevy chase for the championship. We know we need to win races and I had some good performances here before so now it is time to put it all together, win the race and put our team where we want to be.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NO. 27 TEAM GODADDY.COM ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET – 5TH IN POINTS: "For us the last few races certainly haven't gone to plan, but the last true road course we were at was Barber (Motorsport Park) back in April which was a strong event for us - even though again there we got hurt by a yellow flag or else we could have been on the podium after starting on the front row. We are coming off a pretty decent test (at Mid-Ohio) and I think we feel pretty good going into this race. This weekend will be a great opportunity for the Go Daddy Chevy team to get back into the form we had at the first half of the season and try to make a good rally for the last few races. We're looking to stay inside the top five in points and I'd still love to get my first race win in this season; Mid-Ohio would be a great place to accomplish that."

TONY KANAAN, NO. 11 GEICO/MOUSER ELECTRONICS KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET – 6TH IN POINTS: "We had a fairly productive test at Mid-Ohio last week where we were able to work through a few things, but had to stop early because of the rain. I have been racing at Mid-Ohio since my CART days, so I am familiar with the layout and like the track a lot. The fans have always been great there and it's a great place to take the family. I am looking forward to having a successful weekend, hopefully with a win."

RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 2 PPG AUTOMOTIVE REFINISHES TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – 9TH IN POINTS: “Our plan for the No. 2 PPG car at Mid-Ohio is to go for the win. This is a place I have won before and we will need to continue our streak of qualifying well in order to put us in a favorable position to take the victory. We need wins to move up the points standings and I know the Team Penske and Chevrolet teams have what it takes to make that happen.”

ORIOL SERVIA, NO. 22 PANTHER/DREYER & REINBOLD RACING CHEVROLET – 11TH IN POINTS: “Mid-Ohio is a track that I’ve competed at for many years and it’s very technical. I like it a lot and it’s a great challenge. We came from a race in Edmonton where were not happy with our performance except at the very end where we set one of the fastest laps of the race. I was happy at the Mid-Ohio test to see that we are keeping the form that we finished Edmonton with and we were competitive and understanding the car more and more. It was our first test that wasn’t on an oval with the Chevy engine and we had a lot to learn and we did learn quite a bit so I’m looking forward to the race. We want to finish the season strong and get those podiums that we have been getting closer to and we are focused and working hard for it.”

JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 4 NATIONAL GUARD PANTHER RACING CHEVROLET – 15TH IN POINTS: “Going into this weekend from a performance standpoint, we had a really good test at Mid-Ohio last week and rolled off the truck pretty quick. There are obviously still things to get figured out but we kept up with the pace as the day went along. We had a very specific direction we knew weneeded to go with the car and that gives us a lot of confidence going into the weekend. We had a strong car there last year; we were running eighth or ninth and got tangled up in somebody else’s mess, and even with our car out of shape, we were laps down and running competitive times. We’re going back to the pink camo paint scheme in the National Guard Chevy this weekend, and I know that was a hit last year for a lot of people. So we’re hoping we can bring some attention to the role that female Soldiers play in the National Guard, and also looking forward to getting back out on the racetrack this weekend.”

MARCO ANDRETTI, NO. 26 TEAM DR. PEPPER ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET – 16TH IN POINTS: "Our car was good at the (Mid-Ohio) test session last week. We need a good race, and I think this weekend should be fun. With all of the grip and the downforce, these cars are fun to drive at Mid-Ohio. You can really get after it, and really throw it into the corners."

RUBENS BARRICHELLO, NO. 8 BMC/EMBRASE KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET – 17TH IN POINTS: “I have always enjoyed watching the Mid-Ohio race on TV and now I have the chance to race there. We had a good testing there last week, so I am excited about the race and hopefully we will have a strong result.”

E.J. VISO, NO. 5 CITGO/PDVSA KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET – 20TH IN POINTS: “The last few weeks have been tough. We have focused on the setups of the car, which probably is the area we are trying to progress the most, and we believe the research and the test we did last week will pay off this week during the race. I’m excited to go back to Mid-Ohio.”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S PREMIUM ULTRA VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – 21ST IN POINTS: “It is a fun challenge for a driver. It is fast. It is very physical. It’s usually pretty hot there. So it’s a physically demanding track. And it can be a mentally demanding track there too. They have a big following at Mid-Ohio. It is always a big weekend with the IndyCars and the ALMS sports cars doing a doubleheader. Hopefully we’ll have a good run. We were able to test a little there last week before the rain hit. It’s definitely more of a physical challenge at a track like Mid-Ohio compared to an oval. But if you go to Milwaukee and Iowa and when we used to race at Phoenix and Richmond, those ovals are very physically challenging with the G loads. Take a Kentucky Speedway compared to Mid-Ohio, the road course is much more physically tasking. And the fast ovals can be mentally tasking. Each place is a little different. But Mid-Ohio is always a physical challenge. The (IZOD IndyCar) series is so extremely competitive right now. The sport is as competitive as it has ever been, at least during my career dating back to 2004. From the level of drivers in the series and the quality of the teams, so it is a fun time to be involve in the IZOD IndyCar Series.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS NO. 7 TRUECAR-MCAFEE DRAGON RACING CHEVROLET, 25TH IN POINTS (RUNNING THE STREET AND ROAD COURSE RACES IN 2012 FOR DRAGON RACING): “Mid Ohio is one of the most challenging road course in the US. I’ve never had great success there but we had a good test last week and I sure hope we can put our True Car / Mc Afee entry at the top of the board

Source: Team Chevy Racing