Team Penske IndyCar Series Race Report - Road America

June 23, 2019

Track:                  Road America
Race:                   REV Group Grand Prix at Road America
Date:                   June 23, 2019
 
No. 2 REV Group Dallara/Chevrolet – Josef Newgarden
Start: 4th
Finish: 3rd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 55/55
Laps Led: 0
Points Position: 1st (+7 pts)
 
Notes:

• It was a race full of twists and turns as Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 REV Group Dallara/Chevrolet drove for consistency as they finished third at the IndyCar Series REV Group Grand Prix at Road America.
• The team's first pit stop of the 55-lap event occurred on lap 13 where they took fresh primary tires, fuel and a front wing adjustment before heading back out on track.
• Once Newgarden and his Chevrolet returned to the track following his pit stop, he found himself in the third position where he would remain for the majority of the race.
• He returned to the pits on lap 27 and, in an effort to maintain track position, the No. 2 REV Group Chevrolet team provided him with new primary tires and fuel.
• Newgarden continued to battle the field, and in the closing laps found himself battling Graham Rahal but was able to hold him off.
• For their final pit stop, the No. 2 team gave Newgarden worn primary tires and fuel on lap 42.
• After a hard-fought battle, the team finished third after starting the 4.048-mile road course in the fourth position - allowing Newgarden and the No. 2 team to maintain the lead in IndyCar Series championship point standings over Alexander Rossi.

 
Quote:  "We did what we could today with the REV Group Chevy. I think Will and I were just trying to hold down the fort in second or third but, you know, there's still good effort from everyone. We obviously had a little bit of a gap there and Andretti and Alex did a great job today so we'll go back to the drawing board. I think we need to work on our road course but good effort. Chevy still gave us a great package and having Rev group on this weekend was really nice so we'll take a third for today."
 
 
No. 12 Verizon Dallara/Chevrolet – Will Power
Start: 3rd
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 55/55
Laps Led: 0
Points Position: 5th (-108 pts)
 
Notes:

• A cloudy, windy day at Road America ended with a podium finish for Will Power and the No. 12 Verizon Chevy team.
• Starting third on alternate sticker Firestone tires, the No. 12 Chevrolet maintained the third position for the first 12 laps of the race, eventually closing in and overtaking rookie Colton Herta for the second position on lap 13.
• Visiting pit road for the first time during the race one lap later, the Verizon team made a quick stop for primary tires and fuel, maintaining Power's second-place position.
• With teammate Josef Newgarden behind in third after pit stops, Power was able to maintain a steady distance between himself and the No. 2 Chevrolet before the second round of pit stops. Race strategist Roger Penske called the Australian down pit road on lap 28 for a fresh set of primary Firestone tires and fuel.
• After another tight battle with current IndyCar Series championship points leader Newgarden for multiple laps, Power prevailed and held onto the second position.
• Making his final stop with 14 laps remaining, the No. 12 team gave Power's Verizon Chevrolet another set of primary tires and fuel. After stops cycled through, Power regained the second spot and held on to finish the race on the podium for the third time this season.
• With his second-place run, Power and the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet team moved up to fifth in championship points, 108 points behind leader Newgarden and 14 points behind Scott Dixon in fourth.

 
Quote:  "Very good result for us. That's all we had. Alex (Rossi) was on another planet there. The two guys we needed to have a bad day were Alex and Josef (Newgarden) and they keep having good days, so certainly makes it tough to catch up in the championship. We'll just keep chipping away with the Verizon Chevy to see what we can do."
 
(About if this will give him some momentum for the remainder of the season):
"Absolutely, some of the results we've had this year were heartbreaks, you could say, like at COTA (Circuit of the Americas). I'm happy with second."
 
 
No. 22 Menards Dallara/Chevrolet – Simon Pagenaud
 
Start: 16th
Finish: 9th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 55/55
Laps Led: 0
Points Position: 3rd (-61 pts)
 
Notes:

• After starting 16th in the IndyCar Series REV Group Grand Prix at Road America, Simon Pagenaud navigated his way through the field of the 14-turn road course and settled for a ninth-place finish - allowing him to maintain third-place in championship point standings.
• Wasting no time after the green flag, Pagenaud quickly jumped to seventh just seven laps into the 55-lap race. Needing no adjustments, the No. 22 Menards Chevy came down pit road on lap 13 for just primary sticker tires and fuel.
• Pagenaud jumped up to sixth after pit stops cycled through but on lap 21, the Menards Chevy rubbed tires with Colton Herta sending him off-track and dropping Pagenaud to eighth. With no caution falling, the No. 22 dropped to ninth with 23 laps completed.
• Four laps later, race strategist Kyle Moyer called Pagenaud to the pits for a scheduled green-flag stop for fresh primary tires and another round of fuel. Pagenaud maintained ninth position while trying to gain ground on the leaders as the race wound down to the second half.
• With 13 laps remaining and still running inside the top-10, Pagenaud brought his No. 22 Menards Chevrolet down pit road for the last time for alternate worn tires and fuel hoping to gain track position with the faster tires.
• Ultimately, Pagenaud finished the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America in ninth, earning the team's eighth top-10 finish of the season and holding a 33-point lead over Scott Dixon in championship standings.

 
 
Quote:  "We obviously got a great start and the Menards Chevy felt fantastic driving up through the field. Then we had contact with (Colton) Herta and there was no yellow throughout the whole race, which really set us back. And my final set of red tires at the end degraded really quickly. We've got three tracks coming up that I absolutely love, though, so I'm ready to get back out there already."