Prior to the Verizon IndyCar Series’ return to Gateway Motorsports Park two Saturdays from now, the open-wheeled franchise makes a return trek to Pocono Raceway for this Sunday’s ABC Supply 500.
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Chris Owens
The uniquely-shaped 2.5-mile Pennsylvanian tri-oval hosts the 200-lap feature that has a 1:10 pm Central green flag drop. Live coverage begins at 12:30 pm on NBC Sports Network (NBSN).
A primary narrative to watch this weekend at the 500-mile showdown will be current series’ points leader Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) looking to maintain his lead in the standings over hard-charging Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport), who claimed checkered flags at the Mid-Ohio road course two weekends ago. Dixon currently holds a 46-point edge over his nearest competitor (494-448).
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Chris Owens
“Pocono is a great track and one I think everyone looks forward to on the INDYCAR schedule each year,” said Dixon. “It’s definitely the ‘Tricky Triangle’ with the level of difficulty. Hopefully, the PNC Bank car will be there at the end when it counts.”
“We are coming off of a strong weekend at Mid-Ohio and feel that we’ve got a bit of our momentum back,” said Rossi. “That being said, every race is a critical situation for us in terms of needing big results. We welcome the challenge in Pocono this weekend – one of my absolute favorite tracks. I cannot wait to get back at it.”
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Chris Owens
Veteran Will Power (Team Penske) claimed victories in the last two Pocono rotations so eyes will be closely following the driver that sits fourth in points (407). He claimed his fifth podium of the year with a third place result at Mid-Ohio with the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet.
“Everyone is hungry for wins at this point in the season,” said Power. “Being in the championship hunt, we need a really strong run there to keep running toward the championship and we’re ready to do just that.”
Defending IndyCar series champion Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) fell to third place in the series (434 points) with a fourth place finish at Mid-Oho as Rossi leapfrogged over the Tennessean. Newgarden seeks his fourth win of the season at the tri-oval.
Photo Credit: INDYCAR – Chris Owens
“Pocono is a difficult track and, with a lot of really strong competition, it’s not an easy place to win,” Newgarden assessed. “Every lap really counts between now and the end of the season. We need to be consistent and not make mistakes.”
Rookie Robert Wickens (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) steered the No. 6 Lucas Oil SPM Honda to runner-up placement at Mid-Ohio and in the process recorded his seventh Top 5 finish of 2018.
“Everything I’ve learned on an oval so far this year is almost out the window because it’s not an oval, it’s a triangle!” he said. “My mindset doesn’t change like it hasn’t for any other oval so far this year, so I’m hopeful we can be running competitively at the end and find ourselves somewhere inside the Top 10.”
For more info on the Verizon IndyCar Series, visit their official link.
The Verizon IndyCar Series returns to Gateway Motorsports Park on Saturday, August 25 for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Leading up to the event, Arch City Media will be providing weekly coverage of the series to keep local open-wheeled racing fans informed and updated.
