Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Penske, ECR continue Chevrolet aero testing at Texas

Josef Newgarden

Photo: IndyCar

Chris Owens

Team Penske and Ed Carpenter Racing hit the track at Texas Motor Speedway for further manufacturer testing with the 2018 aero kit, with drivers Josef Newgarden (in the No. 2 Verizon Chevrolet) joining the ECR duo of Ed Carpenter and Spencer Pigot (in the No. 20 and 21 Fuzzys Vodka Chevrolets, respectively) for a full day of testing on the high-banked 1.5-mile oval.

The Chevrolet outing follows a similar one for Honda at the Texas oval, where Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe tested in October.

Newgarden explained that the aero package definitely makes the car feel different, but not as much as he was expecting on the Texas oval.

“It feels different; I wouldn’t say drastically different from a feel standpoint,” said the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series champion. “This type of an oval will be less change than some of the other tracks with aero configurations. There’s a small difference just running alone.”

Newgarden also added the car’s structure and aesthetics make it both look and feel like a proper racing car.

“Everything getting lower I think is preferred, the side pods getting pushed forward – those are the big aesthetic differences we really wanted,” said Newgarden. “There is more crush structure in the way of the driver with the side pods coming forward, but it looks more like an open-wheel car. The shaping of the side pod looks like a proper open-wheel car.”

Ed Carpenter echoed Newgarden’s sentiments, highlighting that the major difference in the big oval package is in the way the car produces downforce, rather than the amount it produces.

“Compared to Phoenix, it’s not as different but has a different feel. It makes downforce in a different way and (the way) you sense the feedback from the car for me is a little different,” said Carpenter.

Pigot, whose only oval races have been at the last two Indianapolis 500s - and neither with ECR - is chomping at the bit to get back to oval competition. He did test at Texas though filling in for JR Hildebrand in April, while Hildebrand recovered from a hand injury sustained at Long Beach.

“I’m excited to go oval racing again. It’s been awhile since I’ve consistently driven on ovals. I think it will only help that I will be in the car throughout the whole season rather than here and there,” he said.

Pigot added that he’s enjoying doing development work for the aero package, a role that he admits is new to him.

“It’s something I’ve never really been a part of before, developing somewhat of a new car with the team. On the road course side of things, it’s been all my feedback. Hopefully, it is a good thing and not a bad thing when we get to the first race!” he detailed about his role with helping ECR and Chevrolet develop the new bodywork.

“It’s a cool experience to step up into a full-season role and also step up in a development way as well. It’s nice to be here on the ovals and have Ed driving the car a lot. He’s got a ton of experience, someone I can ask questions to and relate to a lot more than when we’ve been doing road-course testing so far.”

Follow @KyleMLavigne