2015 Firestone 600

The 2015 Firestone 600 was the ninth round of the 2015 IndyCar Series season. It took take place on Saturday, June 6. The race was contested over 248 laps at the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, and was televised by NBCSN in the United States.[1] It marked the 27th IndyCar race held at the speedway since it was first held there in 1997.[2]

2015 Firestone 600
Race details
9th round of the 2015 IndyCar Series season
DateJune 6, 2015
Official nameFirestone 600
LocationTexas Motor Speedway
CoursePermanent racing facility
1.5 mi / 2.4 km
Distance248 laps
372 mi / 595.2 km
Weather86 °F (30 °C), clear
Pole position
DriverWill Power (Team Penske)
Time23.9500 + 23.9910 = 47.9410
Fastest lap
DriverWill Power (Team Penske)
Time24.1743 seconds (on lap 49 of 248)
Podium
FirstScott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)
SecondTony Kanaan (Chip Ganassi Racing)
ThirdHélio Castroneves (Team Penske)

Background

The second race in last week's rounds 7 and 8 in the IndyCar series marked the first time all season that a race finished without a Penske or Ganassi driver among the top two places. The top performance by either of the super teams was a third-place showing by Penske’s Simon Pagenaud in first race of the dual in Detroit on Saturday.[3] It also marked the best showing by Honda cars with the manufacturer taking 1-2 in the first race, and 2-3 in the second race.

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
  1. "2015 Schedule - Firestone 600". Verizon IndyCar Series.
  2. Lewandowski, Dave (June 2, 2015). "Briscoe, Vautier, Mann back for Texas". Verizon IndyCar Series. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  3. Duff, Bob (May 31, 2015). "Little guys come up big in Detroit Grand Prix". The Windsor Star. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  4. "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.
  5. Henry, John (June 6, 2015). "Castroneves has enough downforce for another top-five finish". Star-Telegram. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  6. Fraley, Gerry (June 6, 2015). "Strategic change helps Scott Dixon takes Firestone 600 by force". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
Previous race:
2015 Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix		 IndyCar Series
2015 season		 Next race:
2015 Honda Indy Toronto
Previous race:
2014 Firestone 600		 Firestone 600 Next race:
2016 Firestone 600
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