FAST FACTS: REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR Doubleheader
Race weekend: Saturday, July 11 – Sunday, July 12
Track: Road America, a 4.014-mile, 14-turn permanent road course (clockwise), in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Race distance: 55 laps / 220.77 miles (each race)
Media links: Race 1 Entry List | Race 2 Entry List | Trackside Book
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.
Firestone tire allotment: Nine sets primary, five sets alternate for use during the race weekend. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
Twitter: @RoadAmerica @IndyCar, #REVGROUPGP, #IndyCar
Event website: www.roadamerica.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2019 race winner: Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda)
2019 pole winner Colton Herta (No. 88 Capstone Turbine Honda), 1 minute, 42.9920 seconds, 140.306 mph
Qualifying record: Dario Franchitti, 1:39.866, 145.924 mph, Aug. 19, 2000
NBC/NBCSN telecasts: Race 1 Qualifying: 2:15 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (live); Race 1: 5 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (live). Race 2: Noon ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for NBC broadcasts alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy.
NBC Sports Gold livestreaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton with Jake Query, Michael Young and Nick Yeoman in the turns. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES races are broadcast live on the INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR MOBILE APP powered by NTT DATA. Live coverage of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying is available on Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com, and the INDYCAR MOBILE APP.
At-track schedule (all times Eastern Time):
Saturday, July 11
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, NBC Sports Gold
2:15 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (two groups), NBCSN (Live)
5 p.m. – NBCSN on air
5:08 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”
5:15 p.m. – REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR Race 1 (55 laps/220.77 miles), NBCSN (Live)
Sunday, July 12
9-9:30 a.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (two groups), NBC Sports Gold
Noon – NBC on air
12:35 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”
12:42 p.m. – REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR Race 2 (55 laps/220.77 miles), NBC (Live)
Race notes:
- Scott Dixon has won the first two races of the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. He will try to become the first driver to win the first three races of an INDYCAR season since Sebastien Bourdais won the first four races of the 2006 Champ Car World Series season. Two other INDYCAR drivers have had at least a three-race win streak to start the season. A.J. Foyt won the first seven races in 1964, and Al Unser won the first three races in 1971.
- The REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR Doubleheader will be the 30th and 31st INDYCAR events conducted at Road America since it hosted its first INDYCAR event in 1982.
- Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Alexander Rossi are the only entered drivers who have won an INDYCAR race at Road America. They also are the four most recent winners at the track. Rossi won in 2019, Newgarden won in 2018, Dixon won in 2017 and Power won in INDYCAR’s return in 2016 – the first race at the track since 2007. Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi have the most wins by an INDYCAR driver at the track (three).
- Nineteen drivers entered this weekend have previously raced Indy cars at Road America. Six of those drivers have led laps at the track (Josef Newgarden 66, Alexander Rossi 54, Will Power 46, Scott Dixon 26, Graham Rahal 3 and Simon Pagenaud 2).
- Eight drivers have won the Road America race from the pole: Mario Andretti (1983, 1984 and 1987), Danny Sullivan (1989), Paul Tracy (1993), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Bruno Junqueira (2003), Sebastien Bourdais (2007), Will Power (2016) and Josef Newgarden (2018).
- Drivers who have won at Road America have gone on to win the INDYCAR championship six times in the same season: Mario Andretti (1984), Michael Andretti (1991), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Alex Zanardi (1997), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Sebastien Bourdais (2007).
- Team Penske has won five times at Road America (1989, 1992, 1993, 2016 and 2018) and is one of three current teams with wins at the track. Chip Ganassi Racing has won three times at Road America (1997, 2001 and 2017), while Andretti Autosport won its first race in 2019. Newman/Haas Racing won a record 10 times at Road America.
- Rookies Oliver Askew, Dalton Kellett, Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at Road America for the first time this weekend.
- Scott Dixon, the longest-tenured driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, is third on the all-time Indy car victory list with 48 wins. Dixon has made 260 consecutive starts, the best among active drivers and second on the all-time list. Tony Kanaan set the record of 318. Kanaan’s streak, which started in 2001, ended July 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
REV GROUP GRAND PRIX PRE-EVENT QUOTES
JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 1 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet): “I’m really looking forward to Road America. It’s definitely one of my favorite tracks, so it’s always a joy to go there. It’s beautiful to begin with and it’s a fun place to race. It also tends to really fit my driving style so my PPG Chevy team and I are excited to get back on track there. I also can’t say enough about how I am excited for us to have some fans back at track this weekend. We missed you guys and are glad we will see some of you in Wisconsin with us. We’re going to put our all into both races this weekend for this doubleheader and are thankful our friends at NBC will be airing one race on NBCSN and the other on NBC.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 4 Tresiba / AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): “I am so excited to get back to Road America, especially, for a doubleheader! It is one of the most iconic racetracks in North America and runs through some beautiful landscape. The over 4-mile length lends itself to great racing and high speeds! After finding a strong direction with the #4 Tresiba Chevrolet at the Indy GP, I am looking forward to getting on track Saturday and continuing to move up the grid.”
PATO O’WARD (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet): “Road America can’t come soon enough. Coming off a solid race at the GMR Grand Prix in Indianapolis, everyone at Arrow McLaren SP and I are looking forward to building on the momentum we have created so far this season. Road America is an iconic track on the calendar and I can’t think of a better place to welcome fans back to NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in a safe, responsible manner.”
OLIVER ASKEW (No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet): “We know the Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolets are fast and can contend for pole positions, now we need to work on finishing strong on race day. A doubleheader at Road America is the perfect opportunity to get a great result for the whole team. I’m looking forward to welcoming fans and partners back to the track, it will awesome to have people cheering us on again.”
MARCUS ERICSSON (No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda ): “I’m really looking forward to getting back to Road America. It’s one of the nicest tracks on the calendar and it was really fun going there last year. It’s also exciting for us as a team to build on a strong performance at the Indy GP, obviously, for Scott winning, but also for me I think my race went really well. We had a strong pace and came home with a sixth place there in the Huski Chocolate Honda car. We’re aiming to build on that performance and we think we should be really strong in Road America. I’m bringing confidence from that strong weekend. So, I’m really looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get there!”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader): “It feels great to get the start to the season we’ve had. The team has put a lot of work into the program and we’ve unloaded with fast cars in both races so far. I’m glad we’re getting into racing every weekend. With doubleheaders in Road America and Iowa the next two weekends, the fans should get some really good action. That means lots of racing and I think that’s what we all want both as drivers and as racing fans. Road America is one of my favorite tracks and our goal is to keep the PNC Bank car at the front twice this weekend.”
FELIX ROSENQVIST (No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): “I’m really looking forward to the Road America doubleheader coming up this weekend. It’s a really fun track, one of the better ones on the calendar and I think that goes for the spectators, as well, because it’s a really beautiful, old-school track. It hasn’t been the start of the season that I wanted, but I think we have a good car with the NTT DATA Honda on both the road course and the oval. So, I’m really looking forward to getting back on a roll and try to get some results going here again. I think it’s a good opportunity in Road America. It’s a track where I had a good result last year. Personally, I love going there and having a doubleheader couldn’t be better. It’s going to be a lot of racing in a short time and coming with Iowa after that as well with a doubleheader. It’s good to be going again and good to be back so shortly after Indy GP.”
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “I am so pumped for a doubleheader weekend at Road America. Last weekend just about everything that could have gone wrong for our Verizon Chevy team did, and we are just ready to head into the weekend super motivated to improve upon last weekend. I love road courses and this track is by far one of the most beautiful on the circuit. I’m glad we’ll have some fans there since that track always has such a lively crowd. They really make the event even more fun. NBC and NBC Sports Network are going to be airing the two races so I know we’re all thankful to give fans a great show two days in a row.”
DALTON KELLETT (No. 14 K-Line USA / A J Foyt Racing Chevrolet): “Coming off my NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut at the GMR Grand Prix, I can’t wait to be back on track in the #14 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet at Road America. The doubleheader will be a great opportunity to keep learning and build on the foundation work from last weekend. My first event was all about learning the car and maximizing track time. I’m going into this weekend with that same focus, the more quality track time and experience I get under my belt, the better we can position ourselves for a strong result. In the short turn around, we’ve reviewed the data and have a pretty good idea where we need to focus our attention to keep improving. We will be heading into Road America with clear goals in mind.”
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 TOTAL QUARTZ (Race 1) Fifth Third Bank (Race 2) Honda): “Obviously I’m very excited to get to Road America after a strong run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I think that we proved out some great theories and improvements at IMS. I’m very proud of our engineering corps, and Takuma, Spencer and everyone that worked hard to get us where we are. I’m excited; I think we should be very strong. We’ll keep our focus on it and do the best that we can but we should be very good. We had a good race there last year and fought for a podium and I feel like we’re a little better off this year with how we came out of IMS. Not just the end result, but the performance in general, by all three cars was good so I feel good about it. I think we should be pretty strong. The Aeroscreen is hot; it’s a challenge. For me physically, I actually felt OK (at IMS) except my neck was getting very tired. But as far as my heart rate, I burned some serious calories in the race at IMS, but I actually felt good. Road America is a little easier of a track, physically, than IMS is so we’ll be all right.”
SANTINO FERRUCCI (No. 18 SealMaster Honda): “I’m looking forward to the doubleheader at Road America this weekend. INDYCAR and the track will be allowing some fans to attend for the first this season so that is exciting. I’m very happy with the way the Coyne Vasser Sullivan team has developed the SealMaster Honda road course car. The work we’ve done on the simulator is paying off. Our pace is definitely there and we are coming off a top-10 finish at the GMR GP. We’ll be back in the SealMaster colors this weekend and If we can have zero mistakes I think we can fight for a top-five finish and possibly a win for all our sponsors.”
CONOR DALY (No. 20 U.S Air Force Chevrolet): “I am very excited to get back to Road America in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car after a few years away! I enjoyed being there last year in a sports car, it went quite well. We are hoping to continue to use what we learned from the GMR Grand Prix, have a strong qualifying run and follow it up with a strong couple of races. The doubleheader will be really interesting. I can’t wait to get back in it, it’s nice to have a continuous flow of work now. We’re going to keep improving, keep getting better and go trophy hunting.”
RINUS VEEKAY (No. 21 Direct Supply Chevrolet): “Road America is a very successful track for me. I had my first-ever win in American racing there in 2017, which was also my first win in race cars. I swept the weekend, which was nice! It’s been a good track for me. It’s my all-time favorite track so it’s cool to be able to race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car there this season! Being a doubleheader, it’s good for me! It’s also a pleasure to drive in the blue Direct Supply car this weekend. I’m really excited and looking forward to it. I think we can pull another great weekend out of our hats!”
SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): “I think the Menards Chevy team really showed their strength as a group at the Indianapolis road course this past weekend. On Saturday we came through the field and ended with a podium finish. It was a really strong championship level weekend! Road America is a doubleheader with lots of points on the table. This is one of the most beautiful tracks we get to race on in the series but it also is quite complex. We are going to give it 100%. For our partners at Menards. Wisconsin is their backyard and it’s always great to represent them so close to their home. This weekend will mark the first time we see fans back at the racetrack and that is amazing. Thanks to NBC Sports and NBC for their support also in this unprecedented times, as well.”
ZACH VEACH (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda): “I’m really excited to go up to Road America, especially because it’s the first event that we’re going to have fans at. These race weekends have been nice to get back into the race car, but some element has been missing and that’s just the interaction with the people at the event. Being able to share the race with people that are there watching from the corners is such a special thing and so important for all of us drivers. I’m excited to get to Road America for that and hopefully get us back in the top 10 and compete for another top five and possibly a podium there. We have two races, it’s the first doubleheader that we have this season, so hopefully we can roll off the truck well, because if you’re fast on Saturday then you should be fast on Sunday.”
ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 27 Auto Nation / NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda): “It’s been a tough start to the year with two mechanicals, but that is behind us now. We have four races in the next two weekends, which will give us a chance to come back. We’re focusing on race wins for the AutoNation / NAPA team, and looking forward to welcoming fans back to the track this week at Road America.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): “We are headed back to one of my favorite places in the U.S. and top three tracks on my list! Over the past few years, we have been very competitive here, so I’m optimistic heading into the doubleheader weekend. The 28 team has been strong at the first two race weekends; however, we’ve experienced some unusual situations which have kept us from challenging for a win. We’re all super focused on a strong double race weekend at Road America and putting that DHL Honda up front.”
TAKUMA SATO (No. 30 Panasonic One / Cure Honda): “I think we are moving in a good direction with our road course setup. We haven’t done enough testing with it but we proved this road course setup had good potential at IMS. I think we are looking strong. Two road course races will be tough. I can’t imagine doing practice, qualifying and a race in one day and then the next day have qualifying and a race. I think last weekend was good training. It was a hot day and the Aeroscreen made it hotter but Road America has a longer straight so hopefully that will help us. (On the Aeroscreen at IMS:) “It was hot during the race at IMS. The cooling was technically working well, but the problem was that the debris and marbles were coming through the duct and broke into the helmet hose and blocked flow so we need to work on that.”
ALEX PALOU (No. 55 Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh Honda ): “We’ve done some simulator work in preparation for Road America so that should help us heading into the weekend. It gives me a better idea of what to expect, but it’s still going to be tough because of the single practice session. Even if you’ve driven the track on the simulator, nothing beats driving on the real thing, so you still need some time to learn the track and get the car where you want it to be and that can be tough to do in just one 90-minute session. That said, I’m confident we’ll be stronger there than at Indy. From what I’ve seen by watching onboard videos and with the sim work, the track is really nice, it has a little bit of everything and I’m looking forward to not only one but two races there this weekend.”
MAX CHILTON (No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet): “I think myself and the whole Carlin team are feeling extremely energized after last weekend on the road course at IMS. We didn’t have the best finish after some bad luck, but we showed so much promise and pace all weekend and it’s a really good feeling going into Road America knowing we have a fast car in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet. Road America is such a great track and it really suits my driving style, so I’m very excited to get back to Gallagher’s ‘home track.’ It’ll be interesting racing back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday and I’m sure it’ll be quite the workout for both drivers and crews, but we’re ready to put on two days-worth of on-track action for the fans at the track and those watching at home.”
JACK HARVEY (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda): “Road America is just one of the most beautiful racetracks that you could ever go to. When you think about permanent road racing tracks in North America, Road America is definitely on that list. It was a tough weekend for us last year, but after we dissected it during the offseason and we feel pretty confident about what went wrong. Now we know what we need to do this year to have a strong result.”
COLTON HERTA (No. 88 Capstone Turbine Honda): “Road America is going to be AWESOME. Really looking forward to having the fans back, although we won’t get much interaction with them, it’ll be nice to see them around the track and in the stands when driving. Track-wise, there aren’t many places that we go that beat that track, the place is incredible. I was really fast there last year and had my first-ever pole, so really looking forward to getting back.”
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 98 U.S. Concrete / Curb Honda): “We have a good chance to get back in the top 10 in points this weekend. Road America is my favorite permanent road course and it will be good to have fans back with us. We have had pace this year, so some luck will put us back into the top five.”
Sources: Kate Davis/INDYCAR PR