It was readily apparent to Kelly Potter that there was more to E.J. Viso than reputation and resume.
Sure, the Venezuelan is a fun-loving individual who, during a prolonged period of rain at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2010, entertained himself and others by learning to ride a unicycle. Sure, he’s a hard-charger who’s reaped little for his efforts in four-plus IZOD IndyCar Series seasons totaling 75 races but periodic criticism from fellow competitors.
Potter came on board KV Racing Technology this year to be the crew chief on the No. 5 CITGO/PDVSA car driven by Viso, filling out a unit that had only one returning member. It was a fresh start -- for everyone.
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“Coming into this deal, E.J. was labeled as (a driver) who crashed and stuff, but the guy shows brilliance,” Potter says. “(Team principals Kevin Kalkhoven, Jimmy Vasser and Mark Johnson) put together a solid team. E.J. sees all of us gelling and that makes the driver comfortable. Finally, he’s confident with us and the car that there will be no issues and he goes forward.”
It’s an astute observation and the 27-year-old driver responds with courtly deference. There appears to have been a mind-set alteration alongside the new Dallara chassis, Chevrolet engine package and team members.
“The whole atmosphere, the crew, the engineering side, the reliability of the car -- and some percentage is me -- it’s clicking,” says the soft-spoken Viso, who's in his third year with KV Racing Technology. “They are all working very hard and they know I’m here for them. I’m better trained than ever, I’m stronger mentally than ever. That’s all translating to a better performance, better results every time we go to the track. This keeps giving me confidence in doing what I’ve been doing. I believe a lot more in teamwork and the importance of every single person in my crew.”
To that end, Viso is taking up part-time residence in Indianapolis to spend more time with the crew members to prepare for and review race weekends in a casual atmosphere over dinner or an outing.
“A lot of the guys have been stepping up, bringing new ways of doing things and that has been bringing fresh results,” Viso says. “And having Jimmy in my stand … it’s the first time I’ve worked with somebody that is telling me things that he really knows because he’s been behind the wheel. It’s been very helpful. Hopefully, we can stay strong and stay together for years.”
Viso has three top-10 finishes (season-high fifth at Milwaukee) entering this weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto, where he advanced nine positions last July to finish ninth. He also has four top-10 starts (two on road/street circuits). Those DNFs by contact – totaling 15 over his initial 66 IZOD IndyCar Series starts – have dwindled to one in nine events this season (he was on the receiving end of contact with Will Power’s car in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway on June 23).
“This year, giving even conditions, we’ve had a superior car to a lot of people,” he says. “This keeps giving me confidence in doing what I’ve been doing. There’s a new energy in the team and I like how things are playing out.”