Track: Raceway at Belle Isle Park, a 2.35-mile, 14-turn temporary street course (clockwise)
Race distance: 70 laps / 164.5 miles (Both races)
Entry List: Chevrolet Dual in Detroit (PDF)
Push-to-pass parameters: 10 activations for 15 seconds each (Both races)
Firestone tire allotment: Eight sets primary, three sets alternate (Weekend)
Twitter: @DetroitGP @IndyCar, #DetroitGP, #IndyCar
Event website: www.DetroitGP.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2014 race winners: Will Power (Race #1) and Helio Castroneves (Race #2)
2014 Verizon P1 Award winners: Helio Castroneves (Race #1) 1:17.5362, 109.11 mph; Takuma Sato (Race #2) 1:16.1371 111.115 mph
Qualifying lap record: Takuma Sato 1:16.1371 111.115 mph, June 1, 2014
ABC race broadcasts: Race #1: Saturday, May 30 (3:30 p.m. ET). Race #2: Sunday, May 31 (3:30 p.m. ET)
Allen Bestwick is the lead announcer for ESPN on ABC broadcasts for the second consecutive year alongside analysts Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever Jr. Rick DeBruhl, Dr. Jerry Punch and Jon Beekhuis are the pit reporters.
Radio broadcasts: Paul Page is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Qualifying and all Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 212, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR 15 app. Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions are available on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR 15 app.
Video streaming: All practice sessions for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season and this weekend’s qualifying sessions (Race #1: 3:40 p.m. ET, May 29 and Race #2: 11:25 a.m. ET, May 31) will be available on RaceControl.IndyCar.com.
INDYCAR 15 app: The Verizon INDYCAR 15 app has been enhanced with new features to keep fans in the know of the latest race-day action. Exclusive features of the INDYCAR 15 app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and include interactive 3D Live View with real-time leaderboard and car telemetry to see where a fan’s favorite driver is positioned, leaderboard with enhanced 2D marching ants and car telemetry, in-car camera video streams from cameras that move 360 degrees and driver-pit crew chatter as drivers talk strategy with their pit crews during the race.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, May 29
10:35-11:50 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
3:40-4:55 p.m. – Three rounds of Verizon IndyCar Series knockout qualifications (live-streamed on RaceControl.IndyCar.com)
Saturday, May 30
8:55-9:25 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
3:30 p.m. – ABC on air
3:50 p.m. – Chevrolet Dual in Detroit #1 green flag, 70 laps/164.5 miles (ABC, live).
Sunday, May 31
10:20 a.m. – Systems check
11:25 a.m.-11:55 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series group qualifications, two groups, 15 minutes each (live-streamed on RaceControl.IndyCar.com)
3:30 p.m. – ABC on air
3:50 p.m. – Chevrolet Dual in Detroit #2 green flag, 70 laps/164.5 miles (ABC, live).
Race notes:
* The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit will be the 18th and 19th Indy car races conducted at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park and the 21st and 22nd Indy car races held in Detroit. A 2.5-mile street circuit in Detroit hosted CART events from 1989-1991.
* Castroneves has won three times at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, the most by an Indy car driver at the track. Castroneves won his first Indy car race at the track in 2000. He’s also won there in 2001 and Race #2 in 2014. Other previous Belle Isle winners entered include Tony Kanaan (2007), Scott Dixon (2012), Simon Pagenaud (2013, Race #2) and Will Power (2014, Race #1).
* There have been 12 different pole winners in the previous 17 races. Pole winners entered in this year’s race are: Takuma Sato (2014, Race #2), Castroneves (2001, 2007 and 2014, Race #1), Dixon (2008 and 2012) and Juan Pablo Montoya (1999 and 2000).
* Three drivers have won the race from the pole: Dixon (2012), Castroneves (2001) and Robby Gordon (1995).
* The driver who has gone on to win the championship has won at Detroit four times. Will Power won Race #2 in 2014, Alex Zanardi won on Belle Isle in 1998, Bobby Rahal won at Belle Isle in 1992 and Emerson Fittipaldi won in downtown Detroit in 1989.
* Since 1995, seven drivers have won the seventh race of the season and also won the championship. They are: Dario Franchitti (2009, Iowa), Dixon (2008, Texas and 2003, Richmond), Sebastien Bourdais (2005, Edmonton), Sam Hornish Jr. (2006, Richmond), Cristiano da Matta (2002, Chicago), Greg Ray (1999, Dover), Kenny Brack (1998, Charlotte) and Tony Stewart (1997, Charlotte). Ten drivers have won the eighth race of the season and also won the championship. They are: Franchitti (2011, Milwaukee; 2007, Iowa), Bourdais (2007, Edmonton; 2005, San Jose), Hornish (2006, Kansas; 2002, Richmond), Kanaan (2004, Nashville), da Matta (2002, Toronto), Buddy Lazier (2000, Kentucky), Gil de Ferran (2000, Portland), Ray (1999, Pikes Peak), Alex Zanardi (1998, Detroit) and Brack (1998, Pikes Peak).
* Castroneves has competed in 11 previous races at Belle Isle, most of any driver. Thirteen drivers entered have led laps at the track (Castroneves 247, Montoya 117, Dixon 79, Kanaan 30, Power 26, Ryan Hunter-Reay 20, Pagenaud 18, Graham Rahal 10, Sato 10, James Jakes 4, Charlie Kimball 3, Marco Andretti 1 and Jack Hawksworth 1).
* The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit will be the sixth and seventh races on a road/street course in 2015. The first five races were won by Montoya (St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (NOLA), Dixon (Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Barber) and Power (Grand Prix of Indianapolis).
* There have been five different winners in six Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2015: Montoya (Streets of St. Petersburg and Indianapolis 500), Hinchcliffe (NOLA Motorsports Park), Dixon (Streets of Long Beach), Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park) and Power (Grand Prix of Indianapolis). In 2014, there were a record-tying 11 different race winners. Dixon’s win at Long Beach on April 19 gave him sole possession of fifth on the all-time Indy car victory list with 36. He is the active leader in wins.
* Dixon’s Indianapolis 500 pole ended a streak that saw drivers from Team Penske start from pole position in the previous five races in 2015. Castroneves (Long Beach and Barber) and Power (St. Petersburg and GP of Indianapolis) earned Verizon P1 Awards through knockout qualifying. Montoya started on pole at NOLA by virtue of the entrant point standings entering that race, after qualifications were cancelled by rain.
* At least five drivers will compete in their first Verizon IndyCar Series races at the Raceway at Belle Isle: Gabby Chaves, Stefano Coletti, Conor Daly, Luca Filippi and Sage Karam.
* Kanaan seeks to start his 240th and 241st consecutive races, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in 2001 at Portland. Kanaan’s last missed start came at Belle Isle in 2001, when he sustained a concussion in a practice crash. Teammate Scott Dixon has made 181 consecutive starts.
* Kanaan made his 300th career Indy car start in the Indianapolis 500, becoming the eighth Indy car driver to reach the milestone. Kanaan joined Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Jr., Al Unser, Michael Andretti, Johnny Rutherford and Castroneves, the latter reaching the feat at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 9.
* The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season marked the competition debut of aerodynamic bodywork kits designed, manufactured and supplied by Chevrolet and Honda. Cars are differentiated by their shape as the manufacturers have designed separate aero kit specifications for road and street course/short ovals and superspeedways for the Dallara IR-12 chassis. References to the cars will incorporate the name of the corresponding manufacturer. The superspeedway versions of the kits made their competition debut at the Indianapolis 500.
CHEVROLET DUAL IN DETROIT PRE-RACE DRIVER QUOTES:
STEFANO COLETTI (No. 4 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet): “I am very excited to go to Detroit and get back on a street course. I don’t know the track at all, but we have a lot of data from previous years, so I am sure we can get around that pretty quickly. After a top-eight finish at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis at the beginning of the month and a top-10 qualifying, I will aim to qualify even better and try to finish in the top eight again or higher. I had a good race at the GP so we should be OK and hopefully we have two great results this weekend.”
CONOR DALY (No. 5 Arrow/Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Honda): “I’m honored to have the opportunity to fill in for my close friend James (Hinchcliffe) this weekend. I definitely want to thank Arrow Electronics, Lucas Oil and all the team sponsors for giving me this shot. I can’t wait to continue working with the Schmidt Peterson guys and do the best job I can to keep James’ seat warm.”
JAMES JAKES (No. 7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): “I’m very excited to go back to Detroit and I can’t wait for the doubleheader. I haven’t qualified outside of the top three at Belle Isle, so hopefully we can do that again. It’s not going to be easy, we’ve got strong competition but we’ll be fighting very hard. Hopefully we can put something together, do a good job and get two solid points runs for the weekend.”
SAGE KARAM (No. 8 Comfort Revolution/Big Machine Records Chevrolet): “I can’t wait to get started at Detroit this weekend. The best thing you can do after a disappointing result is get right back into the car and get after it. The team has been working really hard and we know our cars are fast. I’ve never driven an Indy car at Belle Isle and I’m looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead on this street circuit. Two races in two days will be tough on everyone, especially coming off of the month at the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway, but we’re up for the challenge.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “I love coming to Detroit. I’ve had a couple of poles here. I was leading the race once and went off strategy and that didn’t work out. We dominated the year the track came apart (2012) and led every lap there as well, so anything can happen. The track really has got a great flow to it. It’s the Motor City and a marquee event for our team and Chevrolet as a manufacturer, so hopefully we can get back on the top spot on the podium there this year. It’s an iconic city especially for motor racing, and one that we hope to do well at.”
TONY KANAAN (No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “After such a disappointing run at the ‘500’ last weekend, I’m glad that we’re going straight into Detroit where I can put all of my focus into this weekend’s doubleheader. The No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet has been consistently quick all season, we just need to pull everything together to get the finish I know we’re capable of. In my seven starts at Belle Isle, I’ve only been on the podium twice with a win in 2007 and a third-place finish last year, so I think I’m definitely due to get back up to the top this weekend.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 11 Team Mistic E-Cigs – KVSH Racing Chevrolet): “I am looking forward to getting back to street racing after spending the month of May at the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway. The Indy 500 was a tough race for the team, but that is behind us now. We had some trouble with the setup at Detroit last year, but we have done a lot of work and will come with something new this year. The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit is obviously an important race for us since we are a Chevy team, so the whole Mistic E-Cigs – KVSH Racing team is looking forward to having a good performances in both races.”
TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda): “Detroit is a great track – heavy braking followed by a long straight makes a good opportunity for overtaking and that makes the race very exciting. The track is bumpy and has a variety of different type of corners, so after having the month of May with the smooth track at Indy, Detroit is a quite contrast, but I like it. It’s nice and refreshing. We had a very competitive car last year, so I’m looking forward to going back with new package.”
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Steak ‘n Shake Honda): “I feel really good about Detroit. I felt that if we could continue to stay close in points after Indy, we would have a pretty good opportunity ahead of us with as strong as we were in Detroit last year. Detroit is a very similar place to St. Pete and obviously with it being a doubleheader, it’s a huge weekend for the championship. We are right on Helio’s (Castroneves) heels in fifth place in the point standings and just a couple of points behind (Scott) Dixon. We will just keep working hard and we’ll be there in the hunt. This race is a one of attrition a lot of times because it’s a pretty bumpy track. I heard Roger (Penske, whose group promotes the event) has done a lot of great work up there to make the track conditions a little bit better. You have to be smart, patient and let it come to you. I think we did that pretty well last year and this year we’re going to have to do even better.”
LUCA FILIPPI (No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka CFH Racing Chevrolet): “It’s been a tough month for everybody, especially for the 20 crew. They had a lot of extra work to do, but I think they’ve done a great job and we’re able to get to Detroit in perfect shape. I’m really thankful to them for putting in such hard work. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to achieve what we wanted to with the Fuzzy’s car in either race during the month of May, but Detroit is still in May. It’s not Indianapolis, but I hope we can turn our luck around and get a strong result. Detroit is a circuit I haven’t been on yet, but it seems to be very nice and its characteristics should be right for my driving style. It’s a doubleheader, so it’s double opportunity with lots of track time. I am looking forward to a competitive weekend.”
CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 26 AndrettiTV/Cinsay Honda): “With the month of May behind us, we have to focus now on the rest of the championship. Last year in Detroit, I think we were really competitive. It’s a really bumpy track, so we’ll see how the new aero kits will change the circuit for us this year. We’ll see how we are and try to do our best. It’s a doubleheader, so we really need to focus and do well all weekend.”
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 27 Merchant First/Snapple Honda): “The Belle Isle track has some newly paved areas, which will bring a bit of a new element to what is a physical weekend for the drivers. I’ve been training through the month of May to be ready. Hopefully we can come out strong and close the gap to the Chevys and have a good weekend for the Snapple Honda team.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): “I’m looking forward to getting back on a street circuit with the recently modified Honda front wings. Hopefully it suits our setup, we’ve had success with it in the past at Detroit, so hoping to carry that through this year also.”
JACK HAWKSWORTH (No. 41 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda): “Detroit is probably the most technical track we visit from a driver’s point of view and one of the hardest tracks on the car. It’s extremely bumpy and there are huge amount of corners with big variation between very slow generic street circuit corners to some quick sweepers like Turns 1 and 2. It’s certainly one of my favorites and challenges both the driver and engineers to adapt best to the rough surface. It rewards a compliant car and big commitment but can catch you out with even the smallest mistake.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 Hartman Oil CFH Racing Chevrolet): “I’m really excited to get back to Detroit. It’s a quick turnaround after the Indy 500, which is lot of work for all the mechanics and engineers. We are hoping to keep rolling with good results and keep in the championship hunt with everyone. We had a pretty solid points day on Sunday (at the Indy 500), but now we have to get back to street courses and try and battle for more points and hopefully wins this weekend. I feel confident in what we are doing, we have a really strong group and we just have to keep attacking.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “Even with a quick turnaround, I can’t wait to get back out in the No. 83 Levemir FlexTouch Chevrolet this weekend for the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit. It’s not only a challenge for the drivers to switch from an oval to road course mentality, but it’s also a lot of work for the Verizon IndyCar Series crews and engineers to be ready for the doubleheaders. I had the chance to do some hot laps on the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix track last week for Indy 500 media day, and I really think we’ll be able to put on two great shows for the fans. As for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team coming off two strong top-five finishes, we’ll work hard on building on that momentum. Our focus is definitely improving qualifying so we can start up front and stay up front. It took a couple of races, but we’ve hit our stride and will work hard to keep the good results coming.”
GABBY CHAVES (No. 98 Bowers & Wilkins/Curb Honda): “I said last week that Indy seemed like a season in itself. And now that the Angie’s List Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 are behind us, it’s like we’re starting the last act in the 2015 season. Detroit will be a challenge for us; I’ve never raced there and the track is very difficult from what I’ve seen of past races there. I’m excited about the dual race format, even though I’m sure it will be physically tough on myself and the team. The BHA team has given me solid race cars at every event and this gives us a great opportunity to show our strength in race conditions twice.”
