2015 Firestone 600
Location | Texas Motor Speedway |
---|---|
Course | Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi / 2.4 km |
Distance | 248 laps 372 mi / 595.2 km |
Weather | 86 °F (30 °C), clear |
Pole position | |
Driver | Will Power (Team Penske) |
Time | 23.9500 + 23.9910 = 47.9410 |
Fastest lap | |
Driver | Will Power (Team Penske) |
Time | 24.1743 seconds (on lap 49 of 248) |
Podium | |
First | Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
Second | Tony Kanaan (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
Third | Hélio Castroneves (Team Penske) |
The 2015
Background
The
Report
Qualifying
Initial practice and qualifying took place in the afternoon on Friday June 5, 2015 with a final practice occurring later that evening.
Pos | No. | Name | Lap 1 | Lap 2 | Total Time | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Will Power W | 23.9500 | 23.9910 | 47.9410 | |||||
2 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud | 23.9458 | 24.0122 | 47.9580 | |||||
3 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves W | 23.9612 | 24.0786 | 48.0398 | |||||
4 | 26 | Carlos Muñoz | 24.0177 | 24.0746 | 48.0923 | |||||
5 | 2 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 24.0416 | 24.1173 | 48.1589 | |||||
6 | 15 | Graham Rahal | 24.0610 | 24.1182 | 48.1792 | |||||
7 | 9 | Scott Dixon W | 24.0594 | 24.1259 | 48.1853 | |||||
8 | 10 | Tony Kanaan W | 24.0665 | 24.1351 | 48.2016 | |||||
9 | 83 | Charlie Kimball | 24.0897 | 24.1150 | 48.2047 | |||||
10 | 8 | Sage Karam R | 24.1390 | 24.1552 | 48.2942 | |||||
11 | 27 | Marco Andretti | 24.1290 | 24.1752 | 48.3042 | |||||
12 | 7 | James Jakes | 24.0723 | 24.2344 | 48.3067 | |||||
13 | 14 | Takuma Sato | 24.1562 | 24.1903 | 48.3465 | |||||
14 | 67 | Josef Newgarden | 24.1572 | 24.2958 | 48.4530 | |||||
15 | 20 | Ed Carpenter W | 24.2105 | 24.2453 | 48.4558 | |||||
16 | 19 | Tristan Vautier | 24.2517 | 24.2643 | 48.5160 | |||||
17 | 41 | Jack Hawksworth | 24.2722 | 24.3131 | 48.5853 | |||||
18 | 11 | Sébastien Bourdais | 24.3140 | 24.3429 | 48.6569 | |||||
19 | 5 | Ryan Briscoe W | 24.4444 | 24.2444 | 48.6888 | |||||
20 | 98 | Gabby Chaves R | 24.3376 | 24.3550 | 48.6926 | |||||
21 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | 24.3495 | 24.3703 | 48.7198 | |||||
22 | 18 | Pippa Mann | 24.3600 | 24.4441 | 48.8041 | |||||
23 | 4 | Stefano Coletti R | 24.6630 | 24.7685 | 49.4315 | |||||
Qualifications |
Race summary
The race took place on the evening of Saturday June 6, 2015 and was the fastest IndyCar Series race ever run at the Texas Motor Speedway with an average speed of 191.940 mph.[4] It was a relative clean contest with only one caution occurring between laps 84 to 96, which was due to non-contact debris on the front stretch of the track, during the entire 248 lap race. Pole driver Will Power had the lead for the first 7 laps of the race, when Simon Pagenaud took the lead from him and held it for the next 59 laps of the race. Multiple pit stops by others further back in the field to make wing and tire adjustments shuffled the order and put several drivers one to three laps down. Finding the right balance of downforce and tire wear and press would prove pivotal in the race.[5] In lap 67, Tony Kanaan took the lead. During the caution beginning in lap 84, pretty much the entire field pitted, and pit times resulted in a major reshuffling of order once again with Juan Pablo Montoya holding the lead when the race resumed on lap 96, with Kanaan retaking the lead on lap 103.
As cars pitted for fuel beginning in lap 138, the lead was again reshuffled, with the lead passing to Scott Dixon, Hélio Castroneves, James Jakes and then back to Dixon. Another round of pitting for fuel again reshuffled the lead over a ten lap period, with Kanaan, then Castroneves and then Marco Andretti taking the lead. Dixon re-took the lead on lap 194 and would maintain lead for the rest of the race with the except of his taking his final pit stop for fuel on lap 228 end up having the lead for a total of 97 laps, eclipsing his season total of 59 in laps led in one race.[5] He would go on to win the race, which his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kanaan taking second, and Castroneves taking the third podium position for Team Penske. The top 4 finishers were all Chevrolet cars which dominated the race and the top finishers suggest high downforce will be the way to success on oval courses for the remainder of the season.[6]
Race results
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine & Aero Kit |
Laps | Time/Retired | Pit Stops |
Grid | Laps Led |
Pts. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9 | Scott Dixon W | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 248 | 1:52:47.8511 191.94 mph |
5 | 7 | 97 | 53 |
2 | 10 | Tony Kanaan W | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 248 | +7.8000 | 5 | 8 | 57 | 41 |
3 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves W | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 248 | +9.9446 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 36 |
4 | 2 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 248 | +10.4608 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 33 |
5 | 27 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport
|
Honda
|
248 | +26.0947 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 31 |
6 | 26 | Carlos Muñoz | Andretti Autosport
|
Honda
|
247 | +1 Lap | 4 | 4 | 28 | |
7 | 83 | Charlie Kimball | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | +1 Lap | 5 | 9 | 1 | 27 |
8 | 5 | Ryan Briscoe W | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
|
Honda
|
247 | +1 Lap | 5 | 19 | 24 | |
9 | 7 | James Jakes | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
|
Honda
|
247 | +1 Lap | 4 | 12 | 2 | 23 |
10 | 98 | Gabby Chaves R | Bryan Herta Autosport | Honda
|
246 | +2 Laps | 5 | 20 | 20 | |
11 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 246 | +2 Laps | 4 | 2 | 59 | 20 |
12 | 8 | Sage Karam R | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 245 | +3 Laps | 6 | 10 | 18 | |
13 | 1 | Will Power W | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 244 | +4 Laps | 5 | 1 | 7 | 19 |
14 | 11 | Sébastien Bourdais | KV Racing Technology
|
Chevrolet | 244 | +4 Laps | 7 | 18 | 16 | |
15 | 15 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda
|
243 | +5 Laps | 6 | 6 | 15 | |
16 | 14 | Takuma Sato | A. J. Foyt Enterprises
|
Honda
|
243 | +5 Laps | 8 | 13 | 14 | |
17 | 18 | Pippa Mann | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda
|
242 | +6 Laps | 5 | 22 | 13 | |
18 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport
|
Honda
|
241 | +7 Laps | 7 | 21 | 12 | |
19 | 4 | Stefano Coletti R | KV Racing Technology
|
Chevrolet | 239 | +9 Laps | 8 | 23 | 11 | |
20 | 19 | Tristan Vautier | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda
|
156 | Wheel bearing | 3 | 16 | 10 | |
21 | 67 | Josef Newgarden | CFH Racing | Chevrolet | 149 | Engine | 5 | 14 | 9 | |
22 | 20 | Ed Carpenter W | CFH Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | Engine | 4 | 15 | 8 | |
23 | 41 | Jack Hawksworth | A. J. Foyt Enterprises
|
Honda
|
62 | Suspension | 4 | 17 | 7 | |
OFFICIAL BOX SCORE |
Key | Meaning |
---|---|
R | Rookie |
W | Past winner |
Championship standings after the race
- Drivers' standings
Pos | Driver | Points | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 348 | |
2 | Will Power | 313 | |
3 | Scott Dixon | 305 | |
4 | Hélio Castroneves | 286 | |
5 | Graham Rahal | 261 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included.
References
- ^ "2015 Schedule - Firestone 600". Verizon IndyCar Series.
- ^ Lewandowski, Dave (June 2, 2015). "Briscoe, Vautier, Mann back for Texas". Verizon IndyCar Series. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- The Windsor Star. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ "Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan lead Ganassi 1-2 sweep in crash-free Texas race". www.espn.com. Associated Press. June 6, 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ a b Henry, John (June 6, 2015). "Castroneves has enough downforce for another top-five finish". Star-Telegram. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
External links