Team Chevy looking to score third consecutive win

DETROIT – Next on the schedule for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams and drivers is the 17-turn, 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park road course just east of Birmingham, Alabama.

Team Chevy started the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season with wins in the first two races: Will Power scored the first victory for Team Chevy in 2014 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, and Mike Conway followed up with the win on the Streets of Long Beach.

Chevrolet has notched one pole and two victories in the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama since its successful 2012 debut of the 2.2 liter purpose-built engine fueled by E85.

Power returns to the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama as a two-time winner of the event. It was Power who delivered the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 engine’s first Barber win in 2012, and also won the event in 2011. His Team Penske teammate, Helio Castroneves took the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama win in 2010.

“We are looking forward to returning to Barber Motorsports Park,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, Verizon IndyCar Series. “And are expecting ambient conditions more conducive to racing than when we were there for the Open Test in March. This track is unique with its flowing form and high grip that really requires solid car setup and high driver stamina to finish on the podium. Each race weekend provides a learning opportunity and a chance to expose weaknesses, and Long Beach was no exception. Team Chevy heads into Barber with back-to-back wins, numerous lessons learned and corrections applied which will fuel our gameplan for the race on Sunday.”

The Indy Grand Prix of Alabama is scheduled to start Sunday, April 27, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. ET with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network.

Chevrolet in the Verizon Indycar Series - From the driver’s seat:

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, POINTS LEADER: ““I love racing at Barber. You love any track where you’ve had a lot of success. It just fits my driving style well. Barber is very high speed with a lot of banking – there aren’t many road courses like it that we go to. Unfortunately, (Ryan) Hunter-Reay broke our streak of Team Penske wins at Barber last year. We hope to take our spot back this year with the No. 12 Verizon Chevy. I expect the track to be much different than it was at the test in February, but it’s encouraging for us that we were really fast then. It had a ton of grip because it was much colder than it will be on Sunday. I still believe we’ll have plenty of speed to contend for the win though.”

MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, 2ND IN STANDINGS: “I feels very good to come to the Barber track as the winner of the last Verizon IndyCar Series race. It was a stunning win for the Ed Carpenter Racing/Fuzzy’s Vodka team, as they did a tremendous job preparing the car, making good pit stops and the an excellent strategy of race. There was a lot of banging and shoving at the start and we broke the right front wing. I think the team was more concerned about that than I was during the race. The wing was flapping a little but the car was good. I want to thank Ed (Carpenter) and the team for making this ride happen for me in 2014. I think we have a great combination with Ed on the ovals and me driving the streets and roads. It felt fantastic to repay them for their trust in me. I like the Barber circuit a lot. It’s a cool track, very fast flowing. It is harder to pass there, but it’s still possible. I feel we can transfer the Long Beach win into a good showing this weekend at Barber.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 AAA TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 4TH IN THE STANDINGS: “Barber Motorsports Park is such a fantastic facility. It has to rank right up there as one of the nicest road courses that there is. But don’t be deceived by its beauty – that place is very fast and very demanding. Winning the first race there in 2010 was a great feeling. Everyone wants to be the first to do something. Team Penske has been pretty solid there and I expect more of the same this weekend. All three cars were quick at Spring Training and we’ve started the year with a lot of speed. The No. 3 AAA Chevrolet was a podium car at Long Beach, but we weren’t able to close that deal. I feel like we can get the job done at Barber.”

SCOTT DIXON, NO. 9 TARGET CHIP GANASSI CHEVROLET, 6TH IN THE STANDINGS: “Barber is a very technical and challenging track. It demands a lot out of the divers physically, as well as the teams as far as setup of the car. I guess you could say I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the track. We’ve had four races there and I’ve finished second each time. Hopefully this year is our year to break through and grab the top step on the podium.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, 8TH IN STANDINGS: “To get a top-five finish under our belt two weeks ago in Long Beach was definitely a step in the right direction for the No. 2 Team Penske Chevy team. Top-five finishes are not the ultimate goal for us, but as I’ve said before this journey back to the Verizon IndyCar Series is a process. While you might want them to, things don’t happen overnight in this sport. As I continue to learn more about the ‘red’ Firestone tires, how they wear and the grip level they provide, we should start qualifying better and that will mean a huge difference in how we race and how we finish. Barber presents a new and exciting challenge since I’ve only been there for Spring Training. We were really pleased with the car and speeds there at the test and our experience should have us in an even better position in the PPG Chevy this weekend.”

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA, NO. 17 KV AFS RACING CHEVROLET, 10TH IN STANDINGS: "It's been an aggressive start of the season and we've been able to survive it with good points in the bank. We need to keep with the top 10 drivers in the championship. Barber is a place I had a good qualifying last year and a bad strategy killed a good finish. We need to keep up the good work and get to May with great vibes and a good position to fight the championship from.”

TONY KANAAN, NO. 10 GE REVEAL CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 11TH IN STANDINGS: "Looking forward to stepping into the GE Reveal car at Barber this weekend and help the Target Team reach the top of the podium there. We've worked a lot at the shop since Long Beach and everyone on the 10 and the 9 cars are ready to put on a show for the fans before we go to the inaugural Indianapolis GP and the 500."

RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 8 NTT DATA CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET, 15TH IN STANDINGS: “We didn’t have a great race in Long Beach with the mechanical issues we were experiencing, but I’m ready to put that behind us and look forward to Barber this week. At the open test in early March we finished in the top five of the weekend, so I have a lot of confidence going back there now. I think that we really do have a fast car and when all of those pieces come together, we’re going to be hard to beat.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 11 TEAM HYDROXYCUT KVSH RACING CHEVROLET, 16TH IN STANDINGS: “Barber is a nice track. It is a permanent road course so you know what you are up against. We tested there for Spring Training in March, but didn’t get a lot of track time because of the weather conditions. We will know a lot more after the first couple of practices.This race is very important for KVSH Racing. We had a fast car the first two races of the season, but for various reasons have not been able to get the results we were hoping for. They guys have done a great job setting up and preparing the car. We just need to put everything together and finish off a race weekend with the kind of performance we know we are capable of having.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 83 NOVO NORDISK CHIP GANASSI RACING CHEVROLET. 23RD IN STANDINGS: “I’m really looking forward to going back to Barber Motorsports Park. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team had such a strong race weekend there last year, from practice to qualifying to almost grabbing a podium race finish. I have no doubt the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Team Chevrolet will be quick again when we roll out on Friday."

Team Chevy