Newgarden Qualifies 18th For Saturday’s Race; Filippi Will Start 19th

(DETROIT) May 29, 2015 – Qualifying Notes

– The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans is the only doubleheader event on the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. The unique race weekend features a 70-lap, full points paying race on Saturday afternoon, followed by another full race on Sunday afternoon.

– Qualifications were held Friday afternoon for Race 1 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit. At the conclusion of qualifications, it was determined that Luca Filippi will start 19th in tomorrow’s race, while Josef Newgarden will start 18th after an accident in qualifications.

– Filippi was in Round 1, Group 1 of qualifications and began his session on black tires. After making a pit stop for the softer, faster sticker red Firestone Firehawks, the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Award Winning Vodka Chevrolet came out behind a slower car. He was unable to make the pass or create enough of a gap to set a quick lap before time expired and finished his group in 10th.

– Following a similar strategy to Filippi, Newgarden also began his session on black tires and quickly switched to sticker reds. Newgarden was sitting in fifth on his second-to-last lap when he made contact with the outside wall in Turn 13. The No. 67 Hartman Oil Chevrolet sustained damage to the left rear corner and repairs began immediately after Round 1, Group 2 qualifications concluded. By causing a red flag, Newgarden lost his two quickest laps and was credited with being 9th in his group.

– Filippi has never raced on the 2.35-mile, 14-turn circuit around the Streets of Belle Isle. In five previous races on Belle Isle, Newgarden’s best finish is 15th in 2012.

– This is the eighth weekend in a row of on-track activity for CFH Racing, dating back to April 12. After this weekend, the team will head to Texas Motor Speedway for the second oval race of the year. The team had three cars in last weekend’s Indianapolis 500 with J.R. Hildebrand and Josef Newgarden placing in the Top 10 in 8th and 9th, respectively. Team co-owner Ed Carpenter was involved in an incident with another car and finished 30th.

– Race 1 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans will be broadcast live on ABC starting at 3:30 pm ET on Saturday, May 30.