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DXC Technology 600 Fast Facts

by Mike Haag | Posted on Tuesday, June 5th, 2018

Photo by Dr. Michael C. Johnson

 

DXC Technology 600 Fast Facts

Race weekend: Friday, June 8 – Saturday, June 9

Track: Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval

Race distance: 248 laps / 357.12 miles

Entry List:  DXC Technology 600 (PDF) 

Firestone tire allotment: Thirteen sets for use through the weekend

Twitter: @TXMotorSpeedway @IndyCar, #DXC600, #IndyCar

Event website: www.TexasMotorSpeedway.com   

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com   

2017 race winner: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)

2017 Verizon P1 Award winner: Charlie Kimball (No. 83 Tresiba Honda), 46.5861 seconds, 222.556 mph (two laps)

Qualifying records (based on track distance of 1.44 miles)

One lap: Charlie Kimball, 23.2730, 222.747 mph, June 9, 2017

Two laps: Charlie Kimball, 46.5861 seconds, 222.556 mph, June 9, 2017

NBCSN television telecasts: Qualifying, 4 p.m. ET Friday, June 8 (live); Race, 8 p.m. ET Saturday, June 9 (live). Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for the NBCSN telecasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller.

Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Anders Krohn. Jake Query is the turn announcer with Nick Yeoman, Dillon Welch and Michael Young reporting from pit road. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on network affiliates, Sirius 214, XM 209, IndyCar.comindycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app. All Verizon IndyCar Series practice and qualifying sessions are available on IndyCar.comindycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app.

Video streaming: All practice sessions for the DXC Technology 600 will stream live on RaceControl.IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/indycar).

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, June 8

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)

3 p.m. – Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award (single car/cumulative time of two laps), NBCSN (3 p.m.)

6:15 – 7:15 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)

Saturday, June 10

7:01 p.m. – Driver introductions

7:40 p.m. – Command to start engines

7:45 p.m. – DXC Technology 600 (248 laps/357.12 miles), NBCSN (Live)

Race notes:

  • There have been six different winners in eight Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2018: Sebastien Bourdais (Streets of St. Petersburg), Josef Newgarden (ISM Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park), Alexander Rossi (Streets of Long Beach), Will Power (INDYCAR Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500), Scott Dixon (Raceway at Belle Isle-1) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (Raceway at Belle Isle-2). Dixon’s win on June 2 was his 42nd win, tying him with Michael Andretti for third on the all-time list.
  • The DXC Technology 600 will be the 30th Indy car event conducted at Texas Motor Speedway since the track opened in 1997. TMS hosted two races a year from 1998-2004 and featured a doubleheader event in 2011.
  • The DXC Technology 600 is the third of six oval races on the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Team Penske has won both oval races thus far with Josef Newgarden at ISM Raceway on April 7 and Will Power winning the Indianapolis 500 on May 27.
  • Helio Castroneves has won four times at Texas Motor Speedway (2004 Race 2, 2006, 2009 and 2013), the most wins by an Indy car driver at the track. Five past TMS winners are entered in this year’s race: Tony Kanaan (2004 Race 1), Scott Dixon (2008 and 2015), Will Power (2011 Race 2 and 2017), Ed Carpenter (2014) and Graham Rahal (2016).
  • Will Power has won the pole for three of the past five Texas Motor Speedway races (2013, 2014 and 2015). Other past pole winners entered this year are Scott Dixon (2008) and Charlie Kimball (2017). Tony Kanaan won a draw to start first for the second of the 2011 doubleheader races but has never won the pole at Texas.
  • Six drivers have won the Texas race from the pole: Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2), Gil de Ferran (2003 Race 2), Helio Castroneves (2004 Race 2), Tomas Scheckter (2005), Scott Dixon (2008) and Ryan Briscoe (2010).
  • Drivers who have won at Texas have gone on to win the Verizon IndyCar Series championship six times: Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2 and 2002 Race 2), Tony Kanaan (2004 Race 1), Scott Dixon (2008 and 2015) and Dario Franchitti (2011 Race 1).
  • Seventeen drivers entered this weekend have competed in past Verizon IndyCar Series events at Texas Motor Speedway. Twelve of those drivers have led laps at the track: Will Power 432, Tony Kanaan 372, Scott Dixon 365, James Hinchcliffe 196, Ed Carpenter 92, Marco Andretti 84, Simon Pagenaud 59, Ryan Hunter-Reay 46, Graham Rahal 28, Charlie Kimball 27, Max Chilton 8 and Josef Newgarden 8.
  • Veteran Spencer Pigot and rookies Zachary Claman De Melo, Matheus Leist, Zach Veach and Robert Wickens will race a Verizon IndyCar Series car at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time this weekend.
  • Tony Kanaan seeks to start his 292nd consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Scott Dixon has made 232 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in Indy car racing. Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti has made 208 consecutive starts, which is the fourth-longest streak in Indy car racing.

DXC TECHNOLOGY 600 PRE-EVENT QUOTES:

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “We’ve had a few weeks that haven’t gone our way but we’re ready to change all that at Texas. The team learned a lot at Indianapolis and have some new things they plan on trying out on the No. 1 Verizon Chevrolet that I’m really excited about. They’ve been working hard in this long stretch, but we’re ready to do whatever we can to get back into victory lane. Texas fans are always really fun and I always really enjoy getting to meet the passionate INDYCAR fans out there.”

MATHEUS LEIST (No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): “This will be my first time in Texas so I’m excited for my second superspeedway experience. We had a great car in Indy so hopefully, we’ll have a great car in Texas, too. I’m looking forward to more oval action. I’ll try to learn the track as quick as I can and try to maximize our tools and have a great weekend.” (How do you prepare for it?) “Most of the times I just watch videos to prepare myself for the races. It was like that in Indy, so I’ll take some time to watch some races from the past years. But it’s a new car so you don’t know how it’s going to be in traffic, we don’t even know how it’s going to be by ourselves so hopefully, we’ll have a good run there.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 5 Arrow Electronics SPM Honda): “We’ve had really strong cars at Texas the last couple years, so we’re really hoping that can translate into a good weekend for us. Obviously, Detroit wasn’t what we wanted, so we have to put that one behind us and focus on getting the Arrow Electronics car to the front on Saturday night.”

ROBERT WICKENS (No. 6 Lucas Oil SPM Honda): “I had a test day at Texas Motor Speedway for a manufacturer test, so it’s actually going to be the first oval on the schedule that I’ve been to before the race weekend. Hopefully, we can hit the ground running a little easier without as many teething issues being new to oval racing. It wasn’t a great test for us since it was so windy that day, but summertime in Texas, I’m sure it’s going to be hot and completely different to how it was then. The tough INDYCAR schedule keeps on trucking, and I’m looking forward to getting back into another race weekend. We had a pretty good weekend in Detroit, so hopefully, we can keep this momentum going.”

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): “We’ve won twice at Texas and we were in contention for a third victory last year until we got taken out so hopefully, we’ll have a shot at it again this weekend. The whole PNC Bank team has been pushing hard and we had good pace last weekend in Detroit, which we hope to continue into this weekend. The last three races have been good points races for us and we’ll be trying hard to do that again Saturday night.”

ED JONES (No. 10 NTT DATA Honda): “I’m very happy with the recent results. I had my best qualifying effort ever in Detroit of fourth, but we know there is more to be done to get us to the next level. It’s a big weekend for our sponsor NTT DATA in Texas and we want to put on a great show for them and give them something to cheer about.”

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “I’m really looking forward to going back to Texas. The team has really been on a roll with a lot of success in the past month and we are ready to keep doing that. The No. 12 Verizon Chevy team brought home a win last year at Texas and we feel strongly that we have another good shot at it. The fans are always a lot of fun there and really seem to enjoy the type of racing we get to do there. I’m really excited to go back there.”

TONY KANAAN (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): “Texas is actually my highest average finish of all the tracks that I’ve been to. I’ve finished on the podium nine times there… we may bring to A.J. (Foyt) the big Texas win there. It will be fun. I don’t know why I’ve done well there. They’ve changed the layout of the track too. I like those types of races. Look at Indy, and those types of ovals, the mile and a halfs and two miles (tracks) are something that I probably understand a little bit better. I enjoy it a lot so I can’t wait.”

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Fleet Cost & Care Honda): “It has been a love/hate relationship for me at Texas Motor Speedway my whole career. I have had some really good moments and some moments that weren’t so good. In recent years it has certainly been more on the love side since we have had some great results. I think it’s a great place for us to go to right after this past weekend. I think it’s a place we can go to and have a good result, so I’m definitely excited to get out there and get running in the Fleet Cost & Care Honda. I think the new aero kit is going to behave quite differently than it did at Indy, but I also think that when we show up it’s going to be a real work in progress. I’m sure that from an aerodynamic perspective, INDYCAR is going to have to keep doing some work to get it right. If you look at the way the aero package is set up currently, I think that it’s going to be very difficult to run together but I did not test there so I’m not a great judge of that because I haven’t had any laps there yet. But I definitely think it’s going to be a work in progress and the folks at INDYCAR are ready, willing and able to adjust if we need to, to make the show great. We’ve had a great season so far minus my error in Detroit. I definitely think that we’re in a pretty good spot. We’ve just got to keep it going. A good, solid weekend will help a ton, points-wise. It would get us right up there in the hunt.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 18 Team SealMaster Honda): “Some of our sponsors are based or operate in Texas, so the race means a lot to them, their guests and the team. The SealMaster Honda No. 18 car had good pace at both Phoenix (pole) and Indy (qualified fifth). We also had a good test at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year, but the weather and track conditions will be totally different this weekend We just have to hope we unload off the truck with a good baseline and then work from there to fine-tune the car as the track changes and give everyone the result we need.”

ZACHARY CLAMAN DE MELO (No. 19 Paysafe Honda): “This will be my first time racing at Texas Motor Speedway and I’m really looking forward to it. It will be nice to get back in the No. 19 Paysafe car after a week off. I feel that we can be very competitive this weekend as I’m more confident with my oval racing after all the time spent on track during the Indy 500.”

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet): “It is always great to race at Texas Motor Speedway! It’s a track that we have had success at before and we are excited to see if we can do it again. I am ready to keep the momentum going that the Fuzzy’s Vodka team built during the month of May!”

SPENCER PIGOT (No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet): “Texas is one of the races I have been looking most forward to this year. I’ve tested there a couple of times, but not yet run in a race. I am really enjoying being able to race on the ovals this year. We qualified strong at Indianapolis but the race didn’t end how we were hoping, so it’s exciting to get to another high-speed oval so soon afterward and see what we’ve got.”

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet): “Detroit was a bit of mix for us but we were glad to bring home a decent finish on Sunday. Now, we’re focused on getting the No. 22 DXC Technology Chevrolet back to victory lane in the DXC-sponsored race. Texas is always a challenging racetrack but is always exciting for the fans and one of my favorites. My team has a few things up their sleeve and we’re ready to put on a good show for the fans with one of our few night races.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 23 Tresiba Chevrolet): “It’s been a long stretch for everyone in the Verizon IndyCar Series since the beginning of May, but we always look forward to going to Texas Motor Speedway. I had my first pole position there last year, so it’s always nice to have some extra confidence going into qualifying. It’ll be interesting to see how the new cars take on the night race. I’m ready for some Texas-sized fun with Carlin!”

ZACH VEACH (No. 26 Relay Group 1001 Honda): “Texas has been a race I’ve been looking forward to racing the past five years. I don’t think anyone would argue with me that it’s had some of the best Indy car racing we’ve seen. I’ve always been a fan of night races and fast ovals, they make for an exciting combination — on new tires when pushing pretty hard, it can be very exciting. I’m excited to go out there and race for the very first time and see if we can be there in the end because finishing this race is an achievement all in itself.”

ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda): “Texas has been an interesting race for us the past couple years, and with this new car it’s going to be a curveball for everyone to learn in a short period of time. The temperatures look very hot, but we’ve always had strong cars there in the past – we qualified third there last year. Hopefully, we can have that same qualifying performance with a better outcome and recover some of the points we missed in Detroit. These NAPA AUTO PARTS guys have been working their tails off to give me the best car and they deserve to be leading this championship.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): “Texas is always an exciting race under the lights. The conditions this weekend will be very hot, so it will be interesting to see how that affects the racing. We have a few top-10s at Texas Motor Speedway, but it’s a track we haven’t been able to add to a win list yet. Coming off a strong weekend in Detroit for the DHL team, we’re hoping to keep the momentum rolling.”

TAKUMA SATO (No. 30 ABeam Consulting Honda): “Texas is always exciting; a typical 1.5-mile oval!  The last few years we had very close racing and I enjoyed it. We will go back to the speedway and put on another exciting show. We want to get a good result and make up some ground in the championship. Hopefully, we have a strong package at Texas.”

MAX CHILTON (No. 59 Gallagher Chevrolet): “I really enjoy the oval at Texas Motor Speedway and I’m excited to get back out there this weekend. We had good results there last season, qualifying sixth and then avoiding all of the trouble until three laps to go in the race where we were still able to come through with a top-10 finish in eighth and lead some laps. Last weekend in Detroit was great for Carlin with a top-10 finish and the No. 59 Gallagher Chevrolet just outside the top 10, so hopefully we can keep improving and get us both into the top 10 this weekend at Texas.”

GABBY CHAVES (No. 88 Harding Group Chevrolet): “Super excited to get back to Texas. I always have had good results at this track. This is where we had the first top-five finish for Harding Racing and I can’t wait to get back there. Last year, we had a really good race and a competitive car. I think this year we’ll be in a really good position by coming back with a similar baseline. That way we can be competitive all weekend and hopefully get back into a good result and a good groove and rhythm to keep carrying the momentum forward.”

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda): “Coming off a solid weekend in Detroit, we’re eager to keep pushing our way up in points at Texas. There’s no denying this isn’t one of my favorite tracks, and the heat is going to be brutal, but we’re going to give it everything we have to bring home a good result for U.S. Concrete in their backyard.”

– Information provided courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series

  

About the Author

Mike Haag has covered motorsports in San Antonio and South Texas for more than 35 years. In addition to covering motorsports for the San Antonio Express-News for nearly 28 years, Mike also has co-hosted TrackSmack with Dawn Murphy for 18 race seasons. In addition to being a writer, Mike taught high school English and Journalism for 30 years before retiring in May, 2020.