Chevrolet Sets Table For 2021 And Gives Hints On Future Hybrid Engine Evolution Development

Felix Rosenqvist taking a break between testing sessions at the 2-Day IMS Open Test in his new Chevrolet-powered Arrow McLaren SP Dallara. This will be the first year he will compete in a Chevrolet-powered NTT INDYCAR SERIES ride. He posted a 16th fastest time in the 2-Day IMS Open Test. Image Credit: Chris Jones via NICS (2021)

Chevrolet Sets Table For 2021 And Gives Hints On Future Hybrid Engine Evolution Development

A pre-season NTT INDYCAR SERIES ZOOM Call was held in advance of the first race of the 2021 championship season. The call, held with members of the world press, was fairly open-ended and highlighted current developments on the 10 year old turbo-charged 2.2 liter specification racing engine, and gave additional information on the developments of the 2023 Hybrid 2.4 liter specification racing engine.

It was stressed that nothing will be left on the table for 2021 or 2022 in terms of continued evolution of improving performance power bands and reliability on the current 2.2 liter power plants as the all new 2.4 liter specification comes forward for 2023.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES - INDY GP OF ALABAMA - APRIL 17-18 - BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK - LEEDS. ALABAMA

CHEVROLET ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT - APRIL 15, 2021

MARK STIELOW, DIRECTOR OF MOTORSPORT COMPETITION FOR INDYCAR, IMSA,NHRA (CHEVROLET AND CADILLAC) 

ROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR INDYCAR 

CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT - MEDIA VIA ZOOM AND DISCUSSED OUTLOOK FOR NEW INDYCAR SEASON STARTING WITH THIS WEEKEND AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK, THE INDY 500 AND OTHER FUTURE ENGINE DEVELOPMENT TOPICS. 

THE MODERATOR:

First of all, some introductions of two people who you probably have heard of but may not have met yet, we’re going to make that right today. 

The first is Mark Stielow, the General Motors Director of Motorsport Competition Engineering for the INDYCAR Series, IMSA, and NHRA for Chevrolet and Cadillac. 

We also have Rob Buckner, the Chevrolet Engineering Program Manager for the INDYCAR Series, as well.

 

Mark, let’s start with you. Please talk to us about what your overall expectations and goals are for the Chevrolet INDYCAR program ahead of the opening weekend at Barber.

 

MARK STIELOW:

“I joined the team back in September and am getting up to speed. We kind of got INDYCAR racing going after the COVID-19 hibernation we did; so, I got to the last couple of races in the season and then went into the off-season. There was a lot of work done by our engine partners and our teams to get us ready for this season. And I think we’re going to have some strong teams and I think things are going to look pretty good for us this year.”

 

Rob, it’s been a long time since we’ve been in action, but you were in Indianapolis recently for the open test. Talk with us about some of the highlights of that session and what you think we can look forward to in the opening couple of rounds.

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“Thank you everyone for taking the time to talk with us today. I know a lot of familiar faces, and miss seeing you on pit lane. We’ve been so limited. We used to do these types of things in person and now everything is a video call. Thank you for everything you have done to try to cover motorsports during COVID-19 and people not being at the track. Going into this year, it’s always great for us when we can run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Track time testing there is very limited. We had a great two days there. We’ve already run over 8500 miles on our 2021 race engines and 4900 of those came from Indianapolis. So, we really ran a lot of miles over those two days in preparation. I think we learned a lot. We’re always working with our teams. Our engine program is always looking for any opportunity to improve and we’re excited to get going.”

 

Q&A’s:

 

Q.) A RECENT GENERAL COMMENT BY PENSKE DRIVERS WAS THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE TORQUE OUT OF THE HONDA ENGINE OVER THE CHEVY ENGINE. WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON THAT EVEN THOUGH WE ALL KNOW THE ENGINE PERFORMANCES ARE EXTREMELY TIGHT AND EXTREMELY CLOSE?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“Yeah, it’s interesting. The 2.2 liters have been in competition for 10 years. And I think over that time, both us and our competitors have recognized and addressed some weaknesses that we’ve had, individually. Or, sometimes we’ve got a slight advantage somewhere and they always catch up. The general thought is we’ve always had a very strong top end and they’ve always had a very strong mid-range. I think we’ve kind of converged to a very similar torque delivery but all we can control is our own power profile going into this weekend, and I think we’ve got a very robust package for Barber. 

Team Penske's Will Power is looking forward to getting back on the track in his Verizon sponsored 5G machine. He's had great success at Barber Motorsports Park and he believes this season opener will be his. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski (2021)

To Will’s comments, the surface has a lot of grip. A lot of times at road courses we’re struggling to put power down and Barber is kind of unique in that I think this weekend, the car and the tire is going to be able to take all that the engine can give it. And that’s what we’ve been preparing to do. I think we’ll be in a pretty good place come this weekend.”

 

Q.) YOU COVER ALL THE OTHER MAJOR RACING CIRCUITS HERE IN AMERICA, WHETHER IT BE IMSA OR NHRA OR NASCAR OR WHATEVER; WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOURBIGGEST CHALLENGES OVERALL?

 

MARK STIELOW:

“The biggest challenges that we’re working on right now is you know, folks spend a lot of time on Sports Car racing. So, the GTLM class is going to converge into GT Daytona Pro. So, we’ve been working a lot on a conversion package for that. And there has been a lot of investigation, a lot of work has been done, on our end studying the LMDh proposal. 

LMDh is very interesting to us and there’s going to be a lot of manufacturers in that space, so we’ve been heavily looking at that. So, there’s a lot of activity going on in that space. My counterpart, Eric Warren, has got all the NASCAR stuff and with all the work going into NG7 car, and with that getting ready to launch next year, there’s a lot of activity in that space also. So, there’s going to be some exciting stuff going on in motorsports in the next few years.”

 

Q.) ON THE CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX WEEKEND, IT’S BEEN A BIG INCONVENIENCE WITH THE RE-SCHEDULING OF EVENTS THIS PAST YEAR. RECENTLY WE’VE LEARNED DETROIT WILL BE THE TRADITIONAL IMSA/INDYCAR DOUBLEHEADER AND A HOMETOWN DEBUT ON THE CORVETTE C8.R. WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT WEEKEND TO SHOWCASE GM RACING’S TECHNOLOGY WITH CADILLAC, CORVETTE, AND CHEVROLET?

 

MARK STIELOW:

“It’s always good to play on a home field. We’ll be racing in the shadow of the Ren Cen. In my previous jobs at GM, I’ve actually driven some of the parade cars down there. So, it’s nice to run that event and for us to do well. Unfortunately, our competitors won’t be showing up to race against the Corvettes, so we’ll be running exhibition only. There are some prior commitments that Porsche has that they can’t get out of, so we’ll be running the Corvette exhibition. And the Cadillacs will be there strong and INDYCAR also. It’s always a fun event. I’m hoping that COVID-19 turns around and we can have it be a well-attended event, but that’s still kind of up in the air right now.”

 

Q.) ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS WE’VE GOTTEN SINCE LAST YEAR’S INDY 500 IS WILL WE HAVE CHEVY BACK, HOPEFULLY ON EQUAL TERMS; MAKING IT A TRUE QUESTION MARK AS TO HOW THE 2021 EVEN WILL PLAY OUT. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WERE ABLE TO TAKE FROM THE OPEN TEST HERE THAT MIGHT LEAD BOWTIE FANS TO HOPE AND BELIEVE THAT THERE COULD BE A REALLY HARD AND COMPETITIVE RUN HERE IN MAY THAT MIGHT LEAD INTO A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE FROM LAST YEAR’S EVENT?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“I think so. I always joke with our group that hope is a very bad plan. So, we’ve had to really dig deep and try to look at where we missed it last year. Collectively, our groups have never worked better together when you look across the Chevrolet performance team with Ilmor and Pratt & Miller and everyone at Chevy, and then our race teams. I can’t thank them enough for all that they’ve contributed in the off-season. And we didn’t play a blame game. We just left there frustrated with our overall performance and have done everything we could since late August there to address it for this year. I think that the cars have changed enough that it’s kind of a re-set from 2020 when you look at the new aero parts that INDYCAR is introducing there. It seemed like at the test that guys could follow closer is maybe a little easier to pass with the barge boards and some of the different floor configurations that INDYCAR has come up with. But that was a pretty favorable day. It was cool and cloudy. I’m sure if we have a 95-degree sunny race day it’s still going to be really difficult. So, we’ve put a lot of emphasis on how we are going to qualify better, how are we going to get the most out of our engine package; like I said, we’ve visited every area of performance and tried to polish on everything. Our group is very detail-oriented, so I think we’re going to have a strong package.”

 

Q.) THE END OF 2022 IS THE END OF THE CURRENT INDYCAR ENGINE REGULATIONS. YOU ARE PROBABLY WORKING RIGHT NOW ON THE NEW ENGINE CONFIGURATION. BUT FOR THIS CURRENT ENGINE, IS THERE STILL DEVELOPMENT GOING ON?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“Yeah, we’re very fortunate to have a lot of depth and talent and motivated people. So, there’s still things we can work on in the 2.2 liter. There are some areas that are always open. And we’re running 2.4 liters now. We have our first engines on the dyno. We’re very happy with where that program is at and we’re multi-tasking. It’s very busy times for the engine program. We still have to go to the track. We’ve got to race the 2.2 liter approximately 32 to 34 more times. We’re not looking to give up anything there. And then we’ve got to have a prom debut in 2023 as well. So, the engine-side of things is flat out at the moment.”

 

Q.) JOSEF NEWGARDEN WAS TALKING LAST MONTH ABOUT HOW THE COVID RESTRICTIONS HAVE REQUIRED THEM TO WORK SMARTER AND MORE EFFICIENT AND THAT THEY STRUGGLED WITH THAT LAST YEAR AND WEREN’T ABLE TO USE OPTIMIZATION ACROSS ALL THE CARS. FROM A CHEVROLET PERSPECTIVE, HOW ARE YOU APPROACHING THESE CHALLENGES?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“COVID-19 has affected motorsports and everyone in the paddock kind of the same. We don’t look at it as an excuse that we have less track time because it’s the same for all the competitors. There has been a trend in the last five years that track time is reduced and you have to roll off the trailer very, very strong. If you’re completely lost Friday morning or Saturday morning, it doesn’t make that much difference. But overall, we’re all recognizing come P1, you really need to be in the window, you need to be close; and then just polish on it. Ideally, you don’t make many changes. So, the pre-event preparation, I think, circuit by circuit, how we use our DIL simulator working with teams and drivers before we ever get to the race track; all those things were already trending in this direction, and then with the COVID-19 reductions in track time, it’s really just amplified it. I don’t think anyone would have ever thought two years ago that NASCAR would only have really four practice sessions in an entire year. So, even within NASCAR, that’s the extreme; and then specific to INDYCAR, we have a reduction but not an elimination of practice. So, we still have an opportunity to learn and improve; especially at street courses where you cannot test. But Jay Frye and his group have done a great job of putting together a pretty logical plan of street courses. They’re mostly three-day events. Road courses are two days. If you really struggle at a road course you can test there in the off-season. So, I think we’re really pleased with how INDYCAR has handled this and the direction that it’s going. For us, it just amplifies the work you do before getting to the race track really matters and needs to be correct.”

 

Q.) WHAT’S THE BREAKDOWN BETWEEN ILMOR ENGINEERING AND GM IN TERMS OF WHAT DO THEY DO AND WHAT DO YOU DO ON THE ENGINE? AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE HYBRID THAT’S COMING IN, WHO IS GOING TO DO THE HYBRID PIECE? WHO IS GOING TO INTEGRATE IT?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“Our technical group tries really hard to not operate in silos or individual company-type thinking. So, we all work for the Chevrolet program. We’re all pulling in the same direction all the time. So, we really blur those lines. A lot of times the collaboration amongst the group has been spectacular. And even breaking down, just beyond the engine program, of bringing in the race teams to these conversations and where we want things to progress over time. So, I would like to think, internally, that Ilmor and GM are all just one engine program working together to try to have the best package we can. There are certainly strengths Ilmor has that we don’t have and vide-versa. We have some analysis and tools that as General Motors and Chevrolet is very useful. And Ilmor is a very competent, excellent engine supplier in motorsports. So, I think we try to put all that together and that makes us have an overall really good engine package.”

 

Q.) HOW POSSIBLE IS IT TO TEST THE 2.4 LITER ENGINE WITHOUT THE HYBRID SYSTEM HOOKED UP? ARE YOU ABLE TO PUT A FIGURE ON HOW MUCH THE INCREASED DISPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE AND HOW MUCH WOULD COME FROM THE HYBRID?

 

MARK STIELOW:

“On the hybrid-side we could emulate that. Before we get the hybrid unit, we can run some simulations on our dyno to simulate that. On the power-side of the equation, I’ll let Rob answer that. I haven’t really been in all the details of that yet.”

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“I think somewhat lost in the 2.4 liter transition is the fact that we’re going up in base boost as well. So, the easy thing is to think we’re going up roughly 10 percent in displacement. We’re going to go up 10 percent in power; but also, we’re going to start operating at 1.6 bars, the standard for street courses instead of 1.5 bar. And you put all that together with the hybrid unit, I think fans will be pleased with the power projections and where the engine programs are headed overall. To answer your question, we can’t run a 2.4 liter with a hybrid. Once you delete an alternator it is gone for good. So, I think all of us, INDYCAR, Honda, Chevrolet are all in for the hybrid unit to run the 2.4 liter is going to be required, not optional.”

 

Q.) THE 900 HP TARGET AT INDYCAR, WHEN DO YOU THINK WE’LL SEE THE ENGINES HITTING THAT MAGIC MARK?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“I’m not sure. I think a lot of that depends on the finalized specs of the hybrid unit, which is really INDYCAR’s area of development during this. On the engine-side, we’re just going to focus on getting all we can out of the 2.4 liter at all the various race levels of boost.”

 

Q.) IN THE PAST YOU HAVE USED THE INDYCAR ENGINE PROGRAM TO HELP DEVELOP THINGS LIKE DIRECT INJECTION TECHNOLOGY AND TO RUN ENGINEERS THROUGH. WITH THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE IN POWERING CARS, IS THAT STILL THE MAIN PURPOSE FOR BEING PART OF A SERIES LIKE INDYCAR?

 

MARK STEILOW:

“Yeah, my counterpart, Russ O’Blenes, has the propulsion-side of motorsports, and there are a lot of young engineers in that space that learned about racing and there’s also joint development work being done both at Ilmor like Rob talked about Ilmor and GM up at Pontiac for motorsports powertrain development. So, there is still a lot of technology transferred between the two. It’s still a viable training ground for us to learn more things and for us to develop people, processes, and tools to become better. General Motors and Chevrolet are still going to keep on making internal combustion engines for a while; so, we’re going to keep on pushing it as far as we can.”

 

Q.) I WON’T ASK ALL THE NAMES OF THE TEAMS AND ENTRIES YOU’LL BE ENGAGED WITH FOR THE INDY 500, BUT CAN YOU TELL US THE ANTICIPATED FINAL NUMBER OF CHEVY-POWERED ENTRIES? AND IF YOU ARE UN-SIGNING TEAMS OR IF THERE ARE STILL POSSIBILITIES FOR MORE TO BE HAD FOR THE MONTH OF MAY?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“That’s a very good question given the time of year. I think that’s the most cars last week we’ve ever run at Indy during an open test which, for our group…. It’s a difficult expansion when you go from running 10 to 11 full-time cars and then I think last week we had15 and then that’s kind of an incremental step. We expect we may add another one. We’re not completely sure. But it’s getting close to crunch time, so we’re close to finalizing. For us it’s really do we have the parts and the people to do it. And if race teams put something together, we try to be good partners with our teams; and we’ll figure out a way to make it happen.”

 

Q.) REGARDING 2023 HYBRIDIZATION AND INDYCAR, GENERAL MOTORS HAS NOT CONFIRMED ANYTHING IN REGARD TO IMSA AND LMDH, BUT BY CHANCE BOTH CLASSES WILL INDEED BE GOING HYBRID AT THE SAME TIME. AT LEAST WHILE PLANNING TO BE IN INDYCAR, CONSIDERING BEING IN IMSA, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO AS A MANUFACTURER KNOWING THAT NASCAR IS ALSO LOOKING AT HYBRIDIZATION? WHAT DO YOU DO AND HOW DO YOU TREAT ALL THESE POSSIBILITIES FOR THE PLACES WHERE YOU ARE RACING, COULD BE RACING, SWITCHING TO THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY WITH POSSIBLY EACH ONE A BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER? DO YOU WORK WITH THESE SANCTIONING BODIES AND SAY HEY, DON’T ASK US TO BUY THREE DIFFERENT ONES OF THE SAME UNIT? HOW DO YOU TREAT WHAT COULD BE THREE VERY DIFFERENT THINGS?

 

MARK STIELOW:

“Right now, all the conversations I’ve been in and everything we’ve seen, there is very little sharing between the sanctioning bodies. So yeah, in a utopian world, it would be awesome if those guys all worked together, and we could come up with a common solution. But for a lot of reasons, everybody wants their own special mousetrap. So, what I’ve seen so far is everybody is heading down a slightly different path. But that stuff seems to be changing all the time. These meeting are constantly evolving.”

 

Q.) THERE HAS BEEN SOME TALK OR RUMORS ABOUT WHAT F-1 DOES. THEY CAPTURE MGU-H TO TAKE THE HEAT OFF THE ENGINE AND CONVERTING THAT TO ENERGY IN THE BATTERY. IS THAT ANY TALK OF DOING THAT FOR INDYCAR OR IS THAT STRICTLY A KINETIC ENERGY SYSTEM?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“Yeah, it’s been an interesting conversation with INDYCAR because we would be the first series to run a Hybrid on an oval. So, a lot of this is very conceptual. To your point, INDY qualifying engine duty cycle is ideally 100 percent if you never lift. So, how do you get any kinetic energy from that? Other times during the race, the engine duty cycle is not 100 percent when you’re in traffic. So that does open up the possibility of the car wasting some energy there. In the end it’s an energy balance equation that INDYCAR is going to need us or going to need to tell us how that want this. It also adds a layer of complexity and cost that I’m not sure is the right fit for INDYCARS. So, I think we’re leaning more toward it’s going to be a kinetic recovery system primarily.”

 

Q.) THE PUSH TO PASS WE HAVE TODAY, IS THAT COMPLETELY GOING AWAY WITH THE HYBRID? OR WILL THERE STILL BE A TURBO BOOST PUSH TO PASS IN COMBINATION WITH THE HYBRID SYSTEM?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“The nice thing is with our boosted engines is if any point during the development and first test of the hybrid unit we need more or less power, the engine programs function on electric wastegates. So, it’s relatively easy to change the boost limitations if INDYCAR desires that. I think that. If they need us to help push with a little bit more boost, I’m sure we would easily be able to do that.”

 

Q.) YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT YOU’VE DEVOTED A LOT OF TIME LATELY TO IMSA AND THE LMDH AND GTD-PRO. CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA ON WHEN GM MIGHT REACH A DECISION OR MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON FUTURE PARTICIPATION THERE?

 

MARK STIELOW:

“I would say it would be in the next 45 days.”

 

Q.) CONCERNING THE NEW ENGINE WITH THE HYBRID 2.4 LITER, CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE MEASUREMENTS?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“INDYCAR and us are working around the assumption that it will be around the same size engine, physically. We’re going up in bore size but 2.4 is not a huge architecture change. Our engine is going to be all-new. I don’t know of any carryover components that we’re taking from the 2.2 liter. So, from that perspective, it’s a clean sheet design; but fitting in the same envelope, if you will.”

 

Q.) ON THE ISSUE OF COST, IF YOU HAD TO GUESS, WHAT INCREASE WOULD THERE BE TO THE TEAMS WHEN THE HYBRID SYSTEM IS IMPLEMENTED, PER SEASON?

 

ROB BUCKNER:

“That’s pretty open-ended and not really defined at the moment as the early hardware and INDYCAR is still working through what that system is going to look like. It’s really not going to be a part of our relationship with the teams, so I’m not really familiar. I know that Jay Frye and Darren Samsum are leading that program for INDYCAR and they’re very cost-conscious; and they’ve been involving the teams in these discussions. So, we think overall, the paddock will be able to make that work. But I can’t say I know any exact figures or details as of today.”

[ht: Inside Track Communications For Chevrolet]

... notes from The EDJE

FEATURED POSTING - PERFORMANCE & RACING TECH TALK >>>

FEATURED POSTING - EVHNews - EV-Hybrid Vehicles Technology News >>>

TAGS: Mark Stielow, Rob Buckner, General Motors, Chevrolet, Cadillac, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, IMSA, NHRA, Hybrid 2.4 Liter. Turbo 2.2 Liter, The EDJE

Four Car Team Penske Effort High On Prospects As McLaughlin, Newgarden, Pagenaud, & Power Size Up Season Before Barber Start

Top to bottom - Josef Newgarden (Hitachi), Scott McLaughlin (PPG), Will Power (Verizon), & Simon Pagenaud (Menards) in all of their first race of 2021 liveries. Image Credit: Team Penske via Facebook (2021)

Four Car Team Penske Effort High On Prospects As McLaughlin, Newgarden, Pagenaud, & Power Size Up Season Before Barber Start

We are at a point in time during the ebb and flow of emotion impressions that are colored by some extensive testing information from different track configurations and team building conditions but none of this has been tested in actual competition.

Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama becomes the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES opener Sunday, April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park. To be honest, it was amazing, given the moving goal posts put up during the 2020 year of varied virus protocols throughout the nation, that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season was able to complete 14 races from a planned 18. A series of four races in three weekends will start the season, including the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, April 25 and a doubleheader weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2 for the Genesys 300 and the XPEL 375.

2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season driver review plates. Image Credit: Team Penske Twitter (2021)

These are the quotes that will be driving Team Penske during these next three weekends:

#1) For me, I don't really know what to expect. I think we've done some really good work as a team in the off-season. From what I understand the team's in a positive spot, but you don't know with testing right now sort of where everyone's at. I don't think we'll know until qualifying at Barber. That's my best answer to that sort of thing.  

#2) I think all those four engineers working together are really a fantastic group. Four awesome drivers, four awesome engineers. Obviously there's a lot more engineers in the background that really makes for a super team.  

#3) Yeah, the Honda versus Chevy, I think Barber probably is favored a little bit more to Honda because the way their engine seems to have more torque than ours. I think actually at the Speedway this year we'll be pretty strong. I think Chevy's made a really good gain.  

#4) I'm pretty excited. I think we've got a good opportunity to come out pretty strong this year. I think we've done a lot of good work this off-season. I'm very encouraged about everywhere we're going, to be honest. Barber included. I can't wait to get going this weekend. It's been a while since we got to do our normal jobs. I'm excited to get back with the boys and get working.  

TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS PRE-BARBER QUOTES

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

David Hovis - Team Penske - APRIL 12, 2021

TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, JOSEF NEWGARDEN, SIMON PAGENAUD AND WILL POWER met with media to discuss upcoming NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opening race at Barber Motorsports Park (post 2-day IMS test):

Q. What have you done to prepare for a track like Barber, which can be a tricky circuit? 

SIMON PAGENAUD:  Barber10 years ago, it was my first ever INDYCAR race. Lots of great memories. Obviously a great win in 2016. Battle with Graham Rahal. A great track, really technical, high commitment. Really need to bring a lot of confidence to the game. It's a brilliant oval track for those reasons.  

Q. Scott, what have you done to prepare for a track like Barber, which can be a tricky circuit?  

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I'm feeling as prepared as I can be right now. I said to my wife last night, Whatever happens this week, I feel like I've done a lot of hard work, worked on my fitness. It's going to be a very physical week, tough track on the body.  

Worked with the team to get an understanding. This track requires a lot of commitment, a lot of bravery, and a lot of commitment to the aero, aerodynamics of the car. That's something I'm getting used to right now.  

Bit by bit I've got used to it across the run. Having a couple test days here puts me in good stead knowing what I've got and what I will have chassis-wise when we hit the track on Saturday morning.  

Yeah, look, I'm happy where we're at. Really excited for the challenge. It's going to be an up-and-down year. I'm really excited for all the obstacles, what's going to come across in my rookie season.  

Q. Obviously it's going to be a pretty quick couple of races at the start of the season. For Simon and Scott, how confident are you guys going into the season? Also you've come off the back of a really good test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. How much confidence does that give you going into the month of May?  

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, it's going to be an exciting year. Yeah, absolutely had a great test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Nice to also do some laps around there. I've got three great teammates to lean on, not only in terms of driving style but setup-wise, trusting what the car is going to be like at qualifying trim, race trim, understanding that. That was really nice to lean on all three of the guys. All three of them were fantastic with me, helping me build up, get acquainted.  

For me, I don't really know what to expect. I think we've done some really good work as a team in the off-season. From what I understand the team's in a positive spot, but you don't know with testing right now sort of where everyone's at. I don't think we'll know until qualifying at Barber. That's my best answer to that sort of thing.  

For me right now, it's about doing as many laps as I can, getting as much understanding under my belt, leaning on my three great teammates as much as I can.  

SIMON PAGENAUD: Clearly we focused a lot on the Indianapolis 500. Last year was not what we expected. We wanted to come back and really show the resilience of Team Penske. As you saw the test, the drivers felt, we were very pleased with the improvement. Everybody worked so hard this winter. We found speed. 

 

It's obviously just the beginning of testing at Indy, but it felt very good. That's clearly a very enjoyable thing to say as it's also my number one goal.  

Now when it comes to the full championship, also like Scott said, made big improvements on the race car, making it more consistently able to go get the last little bit of lap time. I don't know where we're going to stack up exactly, but I know that we've done everything we can to run up front and be there for the championship in the end. 

 

It's going to be a long season. You are going to have to score points and always be top five to fight for the championship.  

Q. Simon, obviously we have condensed schedules again this year. Last year you didn't know that going into it. Do you have to prepare a little differently now this year knowing that you're only running Saturday and Sunday at Barber, everything is condensed? Does that change how you prepare in the off-season and week-to-week? 

SIMON PAGENAUD: The big advantage is this year we knew that the schedule was going to change. We knew in advance. That really helped my team and myself to prepare and understand how the weekend was going to roll.  

At the end of the day it's about knowing how to tackle each practice for qualifying and then the race. I think we have right now a very good outlook on everything.  

Super excited about this format, quite frankly. I think we have a two-day weekend in Barber. St. Pete is different, three-day weekend. Texas is two races. The next four races are back-to-back. It's going to be intense. But I know we're ready. I can't wait to get going.  

Q. Simon, Team Penske has been three cars in the past. What advantages do you see in getting a fourth car full-time this year? 

SIMON PAGENAUD: You know, I know it's very simple actually to understand. It's two and two. Two and two make work a lot easier. When it's three, two guys might like the same thing, one guy might not. When it's two and two, there's more chances that two guys are going to like the same things and two others are going to like the exact same stuff for their cars or their style.  

As four, it also has a better flow, better energy within the team also. It's the same with the engineers. Jonathan Diuguid is with Scott McLaughlin. He used to lead the sports car program. Jonathan was also Helio's engineer in the past. Lots of experience there.  

I think all those four engineers working together are really a fantastic group. Four awesome drivers, four awesome engineers. Obviously there's a lot more engineers in the background that really makes for a super team.  

Scott McLaughlin's Merch page graphic. Image Credit: Team Penske via FB (2021)

Q. With the new aero package for the superspeedways this year, as I understand it you have more options as a team or a driver in terms of your setup. What has been your experience? I can ask both of you this question. What has been your experience so far? Has it made it confusing or has it made it better for you as a driver in that you have these more options? 

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: For me, it's probably -- I was speaking to Will Power about this, knowing that it's one of my first times on a superspeedway, on the oval, having no experience on really anything else. Going in, it's all brand-new.  

The feeling? I didn't have any old feelings of old cars and stuff. I was probably able to get acquainted almost easier because some of the older guys, in some ways they're so used to different feelings.  

I think it's a good option of having the option of putting the balance boards on or taking them off or whatever. It's going to be interesting what the racing is like.  

I think we found in Indianapolis, yeah, depends on your setup. It was difficult to pass three or four back in the train. But I think it certainly looks better than last year.  

Yeah, look, I'm learning every lap I do really, especially at the ovals. 

 

SIMON PAGENAUD: I felt like INDYCAR did a great job allowing us more options. It was important to make sure the show was going to be awesome. Especially if we get some fans in the grandstand, it would be fantastic to come back and put on the best show ever.  

The balance board, the more aerodynamics, also they fill up the hole on the side of the floor, and you can definitely add onto the front wing to help run in traffic. It was a big improvement.  

I really enjoyed being able to run in traffic without big surprises in the aerodynamics of the car. I think with more testing, a lot more cars will figure it out and drivers.  

So overall I think it's very, very positive.  

Q. 'Push to pass' was tested at the Indy oval recently. There's been some mixed feelings as to whether or not INDYCAR should allow 'push to pass' on ovals. In the past they never have. Like to get your thought as to having that option? I asked Juan Montoya last week. He was very much in favor of having it on the ovals. I've heard other drivers say they weren't so sure. I'd like to hear your opinion.  

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Well, for me, I think anything that makes racing better is a good thing. If INDYCAR thinks the racing is going to be better with a 'push to pass' option potentially. But I think you'll find if that gets brought in, it will be a very strategic move how you use them. You probably will save them for a long time, hopefully have enough fuel to use it, or gas as you say over here.  

I think, yeah, it's going to be interesting. It's hard for me to tell because I haven't been in a race situation. I think you got to back INDYCAR officials in anything that makes the racing better. Hopefully that will work.  

SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, I think it's very situational. Quite frankly, we don't really have -- drivers, it doesn't really matter. We're coming in, the rules are the rules. What INDYCAR decides is for us to use. I'm very much backing them up because they've made great choices in the racing in general.  

Would I have liked to have the 'push to pass' in 2019? Probably not. Would I have liked to have it last year? Absolutely. It depends on the situation. It's very hard to have one determined opinion on that.  

I think for the racing, it would be great. For the fans, it would be fantastic. But it all depends how it's gone in place.  

I look forward, in any case, to changes. It shuffles the cards and it's good for racing.  

Q. Scott, this month here you're kind of running the gamut of all the different types of courses that INDYCAR hits. You get the Indy 500 test, now you got a dedicated road course followed immediately by a street course and then a high-speed oval at Texas. Is that difficult to prepare for, to think about all the different types of racing that's coming up in quick succession? 

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, any time I get laps in these cars, it's better. It's wild, but this is exactly why I came to America for. I came to race nearly every weekend on all different disciplines I haven't done before.  

It's definitely a difficult thing to prepare for for everyone. I think we're all sort of working out times to get on the simulator, when do you give up preparing for this race this weekend and then start thinking about the next race in a week's time.  

But thankfully for the start of season when it's crazy, all these tracks I've been to before. I know what I need. We've got a solid plan in place. We can sort of hit the ground running at each track.  

So, yeah, I think probably this one this week is probably the one track that definitely I need to work harder. St. Pete I feel, having known that track, I know our balance there, it's going to be okay. Then Texas, it's an oval. I've just got to work my way around it.  

It's exciting. Like I said, I came to America to race most weekends. This is a dream for me really. 

 

Q. Scott, obviously last year was sort of an interesting one for you going from the Bathurst 1000 straight over to America to make your INDYCAR debut. What is it like this weekend? You've had a fair bit of buildup. Does it feel like you're having your debut all over in some ways? 

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It certainly feels like a bit of a reset button, I guess. I definitely feel a lot more prepared. I have an understanding of the car a lot more than I did when I was sort of rolling into St. Pete. That can only be beneficial for me.  

I came into St. Pete with a thought of what the car was like in sort of February, March. Got to October, it was all full on. That week was full on for me. I was jetlagged, whatever. I'm not making excuses, but at the same time like I said, I feel as prepared as I can be right now.  

The only thing right now I lack is experience. I feel like I've got, like I said, great teammates to lean on. I've got a great engineer, as Simon said, who has a huge amount of experience. I'm just leaning on everyone really and soaking everything up like a sponge.  

It's business time now. I really need to get into it.  

Simon Pagenaud at Texas Motor Speedway test - happy to be at the precipice of 2021. Image Credit: Chris Owens (2021)

Q. Following up on that 'push to pass' question before. Up until now it's been allowed to be used as a defense mechanism as well as offense. Some drivers think that's a good thing. Others feel it defeats the purpose of having it. I'd like to get your opinion on that.  

SIMON PAGENAUD: That's a loaded question (laughter). You never get everybody to agree on that one.  

It is what it is. Again, like I said earlier, I think it depends what INDYCAR decides to do, and we have to oblige by the rules. We're an entertainment show, so at the end of the day it's about making sure we put on a fantastic show.  

As we saw last year, racing without fans is not racing. They have a huge part of -- they are a huge part of what we do, so we have to think about that, making sure that the fans enjoy the racing. That is what INDYCAR is doing.  

Whatever the drivers think doesn't really matter as much. But no matter what, it would be a great show. It has been without it. It will be with it, if we have it. So I personally have zero opinion on it. I don't personally like gimmicks in racing, but honestly it completely depends on the situation and how it's implemented.  

Q. Scott, can you tell me a little bit about the helmet design you're going to be running at the Indianapolis 500. Is that a tribute to Rick Mears? 

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. It's just basically the same helmet design that Helio has run in previous years. Obviously what Rick was synonymous for with the yellow submarine.  

I love tradition, I love history. I think it was a cool tribute. I couldn't fit McLaughlin down the side, it would wrap around my visor as well. I had to subs substitute for Scott.  

I thought it was pretty cool, quite on the back. It's just a tribute to the 500, the people that have run it before, and hopefully a legacy we can start with myself and Pennzoil. I'm tremendously excited to run that car. I feel very lucky and privileged. Excited to see what we can do with it.  

Q. I'd like to get your thoughts on INDYCAR going to Nashville for the Music City Grand Prix later this year.  

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I've never been to Nashville before, so the more America I can see, the better. Very excited. I heard Nashville is a wild city. I'm really excited for the street track there, around the stadium where the Titans play, too, is cool.  

Sounds to me, Josef is the Nashville king or Nashville mayor, he's pretty pumped by it. He said it's an awesome city and awesome vibe. Yeah, super pumped. Any track that goes over a bridge, man, is pretty bad ass, so I'm excited for that.  

SIMON PAGENAUD: Can you play any instrument?  

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No. Depending how many drinks I've had.  

SIMON PAGENAUD: I want to see it. I want to see it (laughter).  

Pretty exciting when we get to that market. It looks like a really interesting layout, for sure, going over the bridge. I'm sure those photos will go around the world and be very iconic after a while. I am really looking forward to it.

It's a town of festivities and we're bringing the show. Very excited to get to know the town. I've actually never been to Nashville either. As you know, I look forward to finding some good restaurants.  

MODERATOR: We're joined by Will Power, Josef Newgarden. Will, as a two-time winner and four-time pole winner at Barber, it's been a couple years since we have been to Barber, so how excited are you to get back to racing?  

WILL POWER: Yeah, I'm super excited to get back in the car. Yeah, very excited. Josef is going to be very amused at this (laughter). Yeah, I think we've had two test days at Barber, so I reckon we've got the car pretty well sorted.  

I know it's going to be super competitive. It's going to be very, very competitive. So many good guys and teams this year. Certainly have to put everything together to make sure that we're in the game.  

But just really happy to get back to racing. It's been quite a long off-season.  

MODERATOR: We're also joined by Josef Newgarden, who is the most successful driver in the history of INDYCAR Series at Barber with three wins. Josef, what is it about Barber that kind of suits you?  

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I'm pretty excited, too, like Will said. I think we've got a good opportunity to come out pretty strong this year. I think we've done a lot of good work this off-season. I'm very encouraged about everywhere we're going, to be honest. Barber included.  

I can't wait to get going this weekend. It's been a while since we got to do our normal jobs. I'm excited to get back with the boys and get working.  

Excited we've got four cars. I think we've got some of the best people as always. We've been bolstered this year with adding Scott, his engineer J.D., and a couple others. Very, very excited to get going.  

Q. Going to be a pretty frantic start to the season. How beneficial is it to you guys to have Scott kind of added for a fourth car this season?  

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I think it's tremendously beneficial. I think we're going to find a lot of benefits from it. Last time we were four cars, we worked really well together when Helio was in the mix. Having the resources that come with an extra car at Team Penske has, in my opinion, been quite useful. I think probably more useful now with the shortened track time.  

We still have to be better at showing up with a car that's going to work out of the box. But I think just having that extra car with the workload demand across the weekend will be very, very beneficial.  

It will be fun. It's also fun to just see a pure rookie kind of going at it. He's obviously super talented, going to have a good car on him. But it's fun to watch how excited he is for every little thing, which I think makes it exciting to go to the track.  

Q. I wanted to ask, obviously we always expect Penske and Ganassi drivers to contend for titles. Who do you reckon are going to be the new contenders for titles, people outside that group that are going to fight for titles? Do you expect to see Colton or Pato or Felix battling for the championship this year? 

WILL POWER: Yeah, I think McLaren is going to certainly be strong this year, with Pato, they've added Felix, who has a lot of experience in INDYCAR now. I think those guys are going to be pretty strong.  

Obviously Colton was already a threat last year, so more so this year ... (Loss of audio).

  

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: As Will was saying, all of these guys are going to be very good. Is he back?  

WILL POWER: Was I just talking and nothing happening?  

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: You froze, yeah.  

WILL POWER: I thought everyone was so engrossed in what I was saying, they were just like frozen, looking like, Oh, my God (laughter). Just an amazing, amazing reply. Then it just stopped. Oh, I'm frozen, okay. I should stop.  

Q. Do you want to finish your statement, Will?  

WILL POWER: I have no clue where it stopped - Oh, yeah, just basically you add after Herta Penske and Ganassi and you've got a very fierce championship. I think you're going to see many different winners this year. It will probably be a year of consistency that will win it.  

Q. Josef, anyone else? Do you see maybe Rinus VeeKay with a year of experience under his belt being a threat? 

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don't think you can count him out. Yeah, I don't know. I think time will tell. I wouldn't necessarily put him in the list right now. I think we probably need a little bit more evidence of that.  

Like Will said, I think Colton and Pato are probably the strongest newcomers to join the mix, and are definitely already threats in the championship. That's only going to get probably better.  

We've got to see how Scott takes to it. Scott has an opportunity I think to be very strong in his first year, which could be unique to other rookies. I think he's going to have a good opportunity. We'll see how it takes to it.  

WILL POWER: Yeah. I mean, I liken Scott to Wickens. I believe he can have a year like that just from experience in top-level motorsports.  

Q. The new aero package this year, on ovals you have had a chance to test it at Indy. I'd like to get your opinion with the options you now have compared to before in terms of setups. Also you tested the 'push to pass' on the oval. Should that work into the mix? Is that not necessary?  

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, I mean, I guess I'll speak to the 'push to pass' because I was at the test.  

I was certainly not a big believer that's something we need at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I want the racing to be as difficult as possible at Indy. I want opportunities for the front group to be able to race, to put on a good show.  

You can't have everything. It's really, really difficult to find a good balance where you have the most difficult cars to drive, the drivers can really showcase their talent behind the wheel and work with the team to make a faster car. Also to create an environment where the race is thrilling.  

I think you can have both of them. Honestly at Indy we've had that for the last 10 years. I think it's been very difficult races and also very thrilling races. I think we're talking about adding horsepower. I would rather just add pure horsepower to the car, which is what we all want. We just want more power for the cars.  

I think the 'push to pass' situation where you create this big speed disparity between cars is more of a risky proposition, putting it in the hands of the some of the field of 33 would make me a little bit nervous, not because it's going to be more difficult, just because I think it would be more risky for no reason.  

Adding more horsepower is great, but probably not in a 'push to pass' format I think at Indy.  

Q. Will, Honda versus Chevy, road course versus oval. Have you seen any trends? Your photo shop skills are getting as good as NASCAR. Will you be doing more of that in the future? 

WILL POWER: Yeah, the Honda versus Chevy, I think Barber probably is favored a little bit more to Honda because the way their engine seems to have more torque than ours. I think actually at the Speedway this year we'll be pretty strong. I think Chevy's made a really good gain.  

Yeah, it's very close. I mean, both honestly are very close. But the field is so stacked now that any little advantage really makes a difference. If one manufacturer is just weighted a little bit more on the torque side, torque of the engine, for somewhere like Barber where it's just pure power because there's so much grip, it kind of stacks the field one way. Yeah, it's super close.  

And my videos, yeah, I can keep doing them. Josef is actually using my guide to what to do, how far I should go. Is this okay to post? Any post that you don't agree with, you should really message him because nothing to do with me, it's his decision (laughter).

Will Power feels, given past performances, Barber Motorsports Park gives him a shot at a great start. Image Credit: Team Penske via Facebook (2021)

Q. Yourself and Simon have spoken fairly highly of Scott McLaughlin leading into his first full year in INDYCAR. What sort of separates him from perhaps other rookies that we've seen over the last few years? What has your advice been to him ahead of his first full season? 

WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, the difference is that Scott has a significant amount of experience at a very high level because the Super Car Championship in Australia is very competitive, very professional. It's on par with INDYCAR.  

He's been through all the stuff that rookies go through. You've seen that in his testing. He hasn't thrown it off. I don't think he's even been off the track. Yeah, he's very methodical about his approach. I think experience is going to help him significantly over a rookie that had only done junior categories.  

Q. Will, obviously in the Road to Indy you're helping out or mentoring Myles Rowe, but also there's some young Australians. How cool is that as an Australian to see guys like Alex Peroni and Cam Shields come over here and try and make it? 

WILL POWER: Yeah, no, I've certainly helped Cameron Shields a lot in trying to make sure he continues. Obviously Myles is in a great program and has had a lot of laps in the car now. I'm hoping he'll be super strong.  

But, yeah, I actually don't know Alex Peroni very well, but I've kind of followed him a little bit with what he's done in Europe. I think he'll be really quick.  

Yeah, it's great to see, especially Cameron Shields, he's from Toowoomba, and he is very quick. I really believe he can get all the way to INDYCAR.  

I've got to give it to him because he has absolutely zero money or funding and he stuck it out for the last few years here by just meeting the right people, getting in the right situation and performing when he needs to.  

Yeah, I hope he gets a full season this year. I think he's in a good car. We'll see what happens there.  

Q. How excited are you to be affiliated with Paretta Autosport for the Indianapolis 500? How impressed were you with Simona's time over the weekend?  

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Very excited. They're certainly a great addition to our group. It's fun to have another car with Simona, too. I think Simona is a top-shelf talent. I think a lot of us feel that way about her in INDYCAR. It was almost a shame that she got cut short with her timeline in INDYCAR. When she left, she never probably had the best opportunity to compete at a high level. She was already doing that.  

I think she's going to be fantastic. She took to things pretty quickly, almost like she never left. With Paretta, the entire team, they've been absorbing the way work. We've had a lot of the different women at the track with us trying to understand our philosophies, the way we go about racing.  

It's going to be exciting. They're a really fun program. I think they're going to be covered pretty well in the 500. There's a lot of interest in their specific group. I think they'll have a good opportunity to compete at a high level.  

Q. Will, a couple years ago you were involved with trying to get INDYCAR back to Australia. Any update on that? Any movement in that area? Is that a dead horse? 

WILL POWER: I don't think that will ever happen. I don't think it will ever happen (laughter).  

I shouldn't say never, but not in the time that I'm in INDYCAR. Let's say it's definitely not going to happen in the next five years. I think Roger's focus is going to be on North America, not really going anywhere else. I don't know that for a fact. I think he'll try to grow that before he thinks about going anywhere else.  

Q. The Music City Grand Prix in your hometown of Nashville. What can everyone expect from that new race coming up this year? 

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you could expect a good party, a really good party. I think it's very positive. When I think of street course racing in INDYCAR, I think of thrilling racing for all the purists out there. But I think of an entertaining show, certainly a bit of a party, which caters to everybody. That's what you want. You want that atmosphere where everyone can show up and have a good time regardless of how much of a racing fan you are.  

I think Nashville is going to do that probably better than anywhere. I'm very excited for it. I think it will be a great event. I know all the drivers in the paddock are excited for that one to come around.  

Q. Will, with Scott on the team, both from the same part of the world, do you have any secret language you can talk to each other your teammates won't understand? 

WILL POWER: We certainly do, but probably nothing I can mention on here. If you've ever been to Australia, you probably understand they like to throw swear words around a lot (laughter).  

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: They like to use their language at restaurants, I've noticed, when we go there (smiling). People love it.  

WILL POWER: Yeah, no, we certainly have our own language, which isn't good language, I would say (laughter).  

[ht: Judith Kouba Dominick - Chevrolet Racing Trackside Communications]

FAST FACTS

Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Takuma Sato are the only entered drivers to have won at Barber Motorsports Park. 

Power won the race in 2011 and 2012, Hunter-Reay in 2013 and 2014, Newgarden in 2015, 2017 and 2018, Pagenaud in 2016 and Sato in 2019.

Power, Hunter-Reay, Pagenaud, Newgarden and Sato are the only entered drivers to have won the pole position at Barber Motorsports Park. Power claimed the pole position in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2017, Pagenaud won the pole in 2016, Hunter-Reay won the pole in 2013, Newgarden won the pole in 2018, and Sato won the pole in 2019.

Five drivers have won the race from the pole – Power in 2011, Hunter-Reay in 2013, Pagenaud in 2016, Newgarden in 2018 and Sato in 2019

Race weekend: Saturday, April 17 – Sunday, April 18

NBC Sports race telecasts: Qualifying, 10 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (tape-delayed); Race, 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC's coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy.

... notes from The EDJE

Featured Posting At Motorsports Journal >>>

TAGS: SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, JOSEF NEWGARDEN, SIMON PAGENAUD, WILL POWER, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Chevrolet, Team Penske, Barber Motorsports Park, The EDJE

Montoya Gets In Groove At Arrow McLaren SP As Newgarden Tops The Charts With Penske At IMS Practice Day 2

Scoring Pylon at Day 1 of open testing during a break soon after some rain. Image Credit: Matt Fraver via NICS (2021) 

Montoya Gets In Groove At Arrow McLaren SP As Newgarden Tops The Charts With Penske At IMS Practice Day 2

INDY 500 Champion Juan Pablo Montoya and 2-Time INDYCAR SERIES Champion Josef Newgarden discuss 2021 season opening two-day practice, at speed and traffic, held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Thursday April 8 & Friday April 9.

A lot was learned, but mostly, those who have already had winning success at a track that holds "the greatest spectacle in racing" showed the better results in pace over these two days of shakedown.

Fact is, any one of the top 15 in the combined speed timing charts would be an easy bet with luck to take home the 105th Running Of The INDY 500 Borg Warner Trophy here in 2021.

Top 15 for three sessions of practice at IMS. Image Credit: NICS (2021)

Josef Newgarden, thirsting for his first INDY 500 win, posted the fastest speed of Friday and the test overall, 226.819 mph, in the No. 2 Chevrolet where Juan Pablo Montoya, Who had won the INDY 500 in 2000 & 2015, posted up at P3 (226.123) in his No. 86 Chevrolet (behind last year's, and 2-time winner, Takuma Sato), is back for another attempt to capture the glory after finishing so close (P6, 2017) last time out.

NTT IndyCar Series News Conference - Friday, April 9, 2021 - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Juan Pablo Montoya - Arrow McLaren SP

Josef Newgarden - Penske Racing

Press Conference - Post IMS Practice Day #2

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everybody. We have Juan Pablo Montoya standing by and we expect to have Josef Newgarden, as well. Juan Pablo finished third on the speed chart, pretty successful day with Arrow McLaren SP.

How was your day today, Juan Pablo?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It was good. I think yesterday was a little shocking getting back in the car. Today was good. We worked through a lot of things. We found a lot of good things and a lot of bad things, like you always do.

It was nice to get back a little bit in the draft. A lot to catch up again, learn, understand again what you need to do, the timing. But everything just starts coming back.

It's funny, getting up to speed yesterday was, Ooh. Today you don't even think about it. This afternoon even better. The first few runs with traffic is like, Ooh. Then you start relaxing, getting in the flow of things. We did some pit stops at the end.

Everyone at Arrow McLaren SP has been doing a very good job. It was fun so far. I think this test was very, very useful.

THE MODERATOR: Yesterday you never really had to do a rookie orientation, refresher program. You had to go through that yesterday, didn't you?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yes. I was joking to the engineers, said I'm going to run 214.9, 215.1. My second lap was 215.1, then 214.9, 215.2. I'm going, We need to be below 215 (laughter).

THE MODERATOR: You have to go slow before you can go fast.

If you have a question for the two-time Indy 500 champion, go ahead.

Q. I wanted to ask, appeared to be that your car could go pretty much anywhere on the track. When you dropped back, you were able to slice back through the field. Is that because the aerodynamics, the aero changes, are so good, or because your particular car, the 86, is so strong at the moment?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I felt okay. I didn't feel as good as you said. It's great that it looks like that. I did pass few cars and everything, I could move, I could change, I felt pretty decent at parts.

The thing is, remember, every run you do, you change something. You don't keep the same car, keep doing things. You always trying to improve the feeling, improve the car to maybe be more consistent in clean air, more consistent in the draft, things like that.

As you go through those things, there's some runs that you go out there, you're just in the way, and you hate it. I said like three times today, Hell, I'm not doing this. Actually the word wasn't 'hell' but I'm using the polite word. I said, I'm not doing this and I bailed.

One of them actually bailed and really scared the hell out of me in three and four. I lifted and I didn't even do turn one. I went in the deceleration lane. I'm not doing this (laughter).

Q. Do you feel as well as being fast that your car was actually handling quite well in traffic? Could you kind of like run directly behind someone or do you still need quite a lot of clean air?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: You always need a lot of clean air. Even before this, even the old cars, you need a lot of clean air. With these cars, I think for me personally you still notice the difference.

It's a shame, yeah, I mean, that we didn't -- some people tried the 'push to pass', they did the other test. But it would make racing quite more wild, I think. I know some people don't want wild.

Josef Newgarden prepares to take to the 2.5 mile oval for practice. He didn't know then that his expertly prepared Penske Racing Chevrolet would post the best pace. Image Credit: Chris Jones via NICS (2021)

THE MODERATOR: Also joining us here in the Zoom room, we welcome in the two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion, Josef Newgarden, as well.

Josef, tell us about your day. Quickest in that session, 226.819 miles per hour.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a pretty good day.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Are you driving?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, not yet. I'm still in the parking lot. Where are you?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I'm in the garage working. We got meetings and things. We love meetings.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Are you trying a new approach this year?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: No, I'm trying to avoid the meetings, but they still make me go.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a pretty good day. I was happy enough with the car. I think we still need some work, for sure.

But just to get an initial read on where we're at, obviously there's a lot of new parts, differences to the last couple years. So we're just trying to assess what we need to really work on now these last couple weeks before we get back here in May.

Pretty happy. I felt the Shell Fuel Rewards car looked good. Had some decent speed, which is always nice to see, but doesn't mean much when it comes to race day. We'll see how we shake out as we get to the meat of things in the month of May.

THE MODERATOR: We'll continue with questions.

Q. Juan, wondering how this year's car compares to 2015 and 2000?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: How does it compare? How does the car compare? This is engineer right here (laughter).

They're a little harder to drive, I think. I think the difference between clear air and dirty air is a little bigger. I think the changes from what INDYCAR did, from what everybody says, it's a little harder as before, but not that bad. Put it that way.

Q. What about an extra hundred horsepower?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: After running today, I would be a big fan of that 'push to pass', to be honest.

Q. Josef, how was the Chevy today?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Good. I think Chevy has done a great job, as evidenced with Juan as well. I think the McLaren boys are quick. I think we feel pretty good about things.

I think they've definitely made improvements, and we needed to in the off-season. We all did. Us as a team, I think Chevrolet, we all got together and looked where we were weakest. I think there was a little bit to go around on all sides. They've really stepped up.

We put in a lot of effort. I think we found some good stuff. It's getting hard nowadays. These gains you're looking to find are so small. I think they've managed to find a decent chunk, which is impressive with how far along we are. Very encouraged with Chevrolet.

Q. With the aero changes they were working on in the off-season, bringing them in for the 500 to increase passing, did you notice a difference between last year's aero package compared to this year's?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yes, definitely. It's easier to follow. It's still tough. You'll still get a big front wash in traffic. 10 cars back, it's always going to be difficult. But I think they've made the ability to follow better. That balance separation between clean air and dirty air is definitely reduced.

Some of them are tricky to drive, some of these parts. I think you're seeing some split camps here along pit lane. Not everybody is running the same stuff. That's been interesting to watch. There's more downforce on the car. I think the balance shift in traffic is less.

Yeah, the ability that we're going to have to race compared to last year will be better.

Q. Any restaurant recommendations for Nashville?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Man, there's plenty. If you're into coffee, Barista Parlor. Hot chicken, Hattie Bs. The Southern is very good. There's a lot of good spots. Those are a few.

Q. Juan, this is your first time with the Aeroscreen now. How long did it take you to get used to it? Your thoughts on it so far?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It wasn't too bad to get used to it. I thought it would be a little more intrusive. It's definitely a pain in the butt to get in and out of the car, and it's a lot hotter. I know like here it hasn't been that bad in the oval. I did a test in Laguna. In a road course, you don't get a lot of air. That was kind of shocking.

Yeah, I mean, it's kind of weird because, like, you're really in a little bubble. It feels a little bit once you're driving like a sports car.

But you're with a closed visor, I still don't get why you have to run -- I don't think you have to. I think you probably do, but I'm used to sports cars. Same thing you're with the visor open so you get a little more air.

It's good. It's fine. I think from the safety point of view, it's a great thing. It's a matter of getting used to it more than anything else.

Q. Some of the guys last year talked about it was harder to find a limit with the open cockpit. Did you find it harder to find a limit in your car today?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: No, because I come from a sports car and a closed cockpit car. For me, it's the same thing. It doesn't really change that much. I think for the guys that are used to the open cockpit, might be a little harder.

I've driven a lot of closed cars. Last four years, I've mainly been driving sports cars, P2 cars. Feels about the same.

Q. Josef, how much did you notice any differences in the car today from the test last October?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: When were we here? I thought it was the beginning of November.

Q. When you tested these configurations.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It's identical to the final config that we ran in November. From then it's the same. Literally the last that config that we ran is what you can put on the car, at least the maximum amount. It's pretty similar to what we tested, I mean, the same.

Q. The weather conditions play a role today with traffic?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I think it was a pretty easy day. It was pretty ideal conditions. Not too hot. Certainly not too cold. A little bit windy. That was probably the most difficult part about the day, was the wind, the movement of the car. Pretty standard for this place. You're always kind of fighting that depending where it's coming from. It's always playing a factor.

Weather wasn't an issue. It was a pretty easy day, for the most part, to be honest.

Q. I noticed the turn two trap speed chart, seems like the guys at the top of the speed chart were good there. Is that one of the more important corners to get right at this track?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think that was probably the most difficult corner as far as wind today. For most of the day you had a tailwind going into two, you had the side wind on the track. It could catch you out. It was difficult in traffic to get it right. Someone was having a big tow, it was one of the tougher corners to get right. That's probably why you saw the cars that were quick and good, they were typically pretty good through two, as well.

Q. I know yesterday probably had to be a little bit of a frustrating day. What kind of energy and excitement do you get from a day like this where you have eight, nine cars running in packs? Does a day like this on the track really invigorate you to get this season started here?

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: For me personally, I think it's definitely a huge thing. I know yesterday we didn't run as much as we could. In a way, I'm pretty happy it worked out that way. We did the refresher. We did installation up in the morning. I had a look at everything the other guys were doing, just to relax with the guys and everything. It wasn't too bad.

At the end of the day we managed to get the refresher done. It was good. It was good because it still feels like this place is fast. When you do it often, you lose the appreciation of how fast you go. It was nice to get a night's sleep on it. Yesterday when I was done, I was like, This place is quick. Today it was like, Aah, it's normal. So it was nice.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, obviously for someone like Juan, this test is great. Even for all of us that have been regulars here, this is a great test to have, to give a warmup for the month of May. It felt like the month of May, to be honest with you, typical day to start out.

Yeah, pretty happy we got this peek into the future.

THE MODERATOR: We want to say thank you to Juan Pablo Montoya for stopping by. Appreciate you doing so after a couple busy days. The month of May will be here before we know it.

We'll continue with Josef Newgarden.

Q. A couple of the engineers and a few of the other drivers were conjecturing that with the package the way it is, it's going to be two cars, the second-place car will kind of have an advantage. They think anything further back than two cars you might have five cars running in a pack, but the fifth-place car and fourth-place car don't have much of a shot. Does it feel that way to you?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, certainly last year that was the case. I think you have a better opportunity this year looking at the amount of downforce we have, the balance shift in and out of traffic. I think you have a better opportunity to fight for the win in the third or fourth car in line.

I think more than that, you are a quick car during the race, you somehow find yourself in the back, I think you have a better opportunity of making your way forward. Those two elements will automatically help the show. But you don't want to have it so easy where we're packed up the entire field the entire time. I think that's something that you would want to avoid.

It's a balancing act. I think it will be a lot better than last year as far as the ability to race up front. Time will tell. But I think you'll have a better show.

Q. In Happy Hour we saw some pretty good passing and some dicing around out there. Some of the drivers said the dicing was a little bit by design. When you have these test sessions, do you go in with the mindset of trying different things to see how they work so when you're back here when it matters you'll know what it's going to do?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, definitely. We're constantly trying to assess everything. Today we were spot checking some qualifying stuff early on. We got into race running, just tried to focus on how our cars were in race traffic.

At the end of the day that's going to be probably the most important thing. Yeah, when we're out there running, it's for real. There's people that drop back every now and then. That's not real passes. As far as the way we're running in line, we're trying to simulate it as much as the race.

It's very much the real deal what people are seeing.

Q. Considering you're one of the more we'll say older statesmen now at Penske Racing. These days you've just had at Indy, how valuable are they for someone like Scott McLaughlin?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Tremendously. Scott has been so much fun to be around because he's truly a rookie in INDYCAR. Everything that he does is like the coolest thing ever. So to see that perspective again after having been here myself for 10 years, it's just really fun. It's really fun to see that through his eyes.

But it's a very valuable day. He's soaking everything up. Every moment he's getting better. He's doing a really good job trying to take time, ask a lot of questions, pay attention to every detail. He's really switched on. He's a smart race car driver. He's doing all the right things to figure out how to be good in this category.

I think you can come to expect that. I think he will be very competitive this year. So, yeah, valuable day for him, for sure.

Q. For Roger, what do you think this means to him, building up to what could be a great month of May this year by comparison to what we had last year?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Certainly, Roger has a lot of pride in this place, and he should. This is an amazing facility. He is a very deserving captain to lead this ship. I think we're all pretty happy that he's at the helm of it.

He's beaming to be out here every day. He's always excited, excited for what we're doing as a team, but more excited for what the Speedway is doing. There's no one that wants fans here more than Roger, I can tell you that. I think if we get a semi-filled up crowd, he's going to be a very happy man. We're all going to be very happy.

This place was built for fans. That's what this track is all about. We get to the month of May, have some people in the stands, it's going to be good for everybody.

Q. To Barber, how important is it to get points on the board early on and kick-start the season in the most positive way?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it's always important. I always tell people, I tell the team, Let's get on the board today. We don't need to win the race, but we need to score some points, have a good showing, set ourselves up for a good year.

That's what we try to do. That's what we're going to try to do next weekend.

Q. Did you get a feel for how the Chevy and Honda balance power is at the moment? I realize it's difficult in these conditions to judge. We all know what happened last year. You guys were powerful but didn't have the fuel economy.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it's hard to say. It looks a lot more even this year, is what I would say at the moment. Someone could obviously be miles ahead by the time we get to the month of May. It's possible. But I would say it looks a lot more even right now than where we were at last year.

We're all excited about that. I think Chevrolet has done a great job. It's going to provide an interesting show for everybody.

Q. Did you check out how far you could go on a tank of fuel, turbo boost level, fuel rich level?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, we didn't do a lot of economy stuff today. We just did it -- I didn't run through any mixtures. I think there's still some questions to be answered in the month of May. We were trying to check off some bigger team item stuff.

Chevy has more manpower than just us at Team Penske. Not sure what they're up to. We're going to debrief with them after a test like this. We're pushing. I think we're going to be in a good spot looking at the initial information.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Josef Newgarden.

[ht: FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

Race fans tuning in on Peacock saw an afternoon full drivers of drafting for position down the main straightaway and the backstretch and exciting passes into the corners, all causing one to salivate at the thought of the increased on-track competition we can expect to see next month. Image Credit: Chris Jones via NICS (2021)

This Field Is Close!

By Zach Horrall | Published: Apr 10, 2021 - Post 2-Day Test @ INDYCAR.COM

Team Penske posted a strong showing at the Indy 500 Open Test, potentially a sign of what’s to come, as Josef Newgarden posted the fastest speed of Friday and the test overall, 226.819 mph, in the No. 2 Chevrolet. His teammates were seventh (Will Power), 11th (Simon Pagenaud) and 18th (Scott McLaughlin).

Team Penske had an off year by its standards in 2020 at Indianapolis, as Newgarden led the team with a fifth-place finish, the only top 10 the team produced last year in the “500.”

“It was a really just a nice preview of the Month of May to kind of validate some of the work we’ve done at the shop,” Newgarden said. “We’ve tried to make our cars quicker, inherently, by themselves and make them better in traffic. Those are the two ingredients here to be fast and win races. I think we’re in a better spot. It feels that way. I’m really happy with my Shell Fuel Rewards car, and I think Chevy has done a great job. We know we needed to be better, and I think we’ve shown up with better weapons. I’m excited to get back here for the Month of May.”

However, Team Penske was just inches ahead of the rest of the field.

The separation between the 31 NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars Friday was just one and a half seconds from leader Newgarden to slowest Cody Ware. Sato was just .0742 of a second slower than Newgarden,

Sato hit that top speed while running in one of the many multi-car packs that hit the track Friday afternoon. 

Additionally, the 10 fastest speeds were evenly split between the series’ two manufacturers, Chevrolet and Honda. While a Chevrolet driver paced the overall field, it was Honda that had the fastest no-tow speed.

If race fans take anything away from the Indy 500 Open Test, it’s that the field that is expected to return for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 30 will be separated by just mere car lengths as 33 of the best drivers in the world battle for racing immortality at the Racing Capital of the World.

ENDS

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: Juan Pablo Montoya, Josef Newgarden, Penske Racing, Arrow McLaren SP, INDY 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, 2021, 105th Running, Practice, The EDJE