Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana

• Race 2 of 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season (April 10-12). Inaugural event at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, La., about 15 miles from Downtown New Orleans.

• Entry list: 24 cars entered

• Tickets and event information: www.gpofnola.com

• Twitter: @GPofNOLA, #GPofNOLA; @IndyCar, #IndyCar, @IndyCaronNBCSN

• TV: NBCSN live qualifications telecast April 11 (5 p.m. ET), race telecast April 12 (2:30 p.m. ET). Brian Till will be the chief announcer for NBCSN alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Marty Snider, Kelly Stavast, Kevin Lee and Robin Miller are the pit reporters. ... The first "INDYCAR Chronicles" of the season, featuring Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver James Hinchcliffe, airs at 5:30 p.m. (ET) April 10.

• Web: Live streaming video of Verizon IndyCar Series practices in conjunction with real-time Timing & Scoring and the IMS Radio Network broadcasts is available on www.RaceControl.IndyCar.com. Timing & Scoring, results, news, video and more is on the INDYCAR 15 app for all carriers. Download it today.

• Radio: Paul Page is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton for the IMS Radio Network. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network, Sirius 213, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR 15 app.

Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying is broadcast on Sirius 213, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com, and the INDYCAR 15 app. Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions are on RaceControl.IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR 15 app.

• Get in the game: Fantasy racing returns to the Verizon IndyCar Series with the launch of the #INDYRIVALS Fantasy Challenge driven by Firestone. INDYCAR’s newest fantasy game allows fans to become team manager by fielding a four-driver lineup for each Verizon IndyCar Series race with a stockpile of prizes on the line each week as the stars of the series go wheel-to-wheel for race wins. Sign up today.

Circuit: 2.74 miles, 13 turns (clockwise)
Race laps: 75 (205 miles)
Push-to-pass parameters: 10 activations for 20 seconds each
Pit box dimensions: 40 x 16 feet
Race day fuel: 75 U.S. gallons of Sunoco E85 for practice/qualifying and 75 gallons for race
Tires: Nine sets of Firestone Firehawk primary tires and three sets of alternates. There have been a number of tests at the venue, which have given Firestone the opportunity to determine optimal tire selection. Firestone will bring the same tires to NOLA Motorsports Park that are used at Barber Motorsports Park – given the similar performance demands and track characteristics of the circuits. With expected inclement weather, Firestone will bring one additional set (six total) of rain tires per car.

Friday, April 10: 12:15-1:45 (Practice 1)
                           4:15-5:30 p.m. (Practice 2)

Saturday, April 11: 12:30-1:15 p.m. (Practice 3)
                               4:15 p.m. (three rounds of qualifications, including Firestone Fast Six)

Sunday, April 12: 11-11:30 a.m. (Warm-up)
                              2:37 p.m. green flag

Qualifications: Three rounds of knockout qualifying to determine the Verizon P1 Award winner and set grid. Twelve cars from Segment 1 (six quickest from Groups 1 and 2 of 10 minutes of track time) advance to 10-minute Segment 2. Top six from Segment 2 advance to 10-minute Firestone Fast Six session.

Points: Driver, entrant and engine manufacturer receive points corresponding to their finish in the race (manufacturer points are awarded to the top three race finishers). Bonus points for driver/entrant also are awarded for Verizon P1 Award (1 point), leading the most laps (2 points) and leading a lap (1 point). Engine manufacturer bonus points are awarded for Verizon P1 Award (1 point) and leading the most laps (2 points).

Of note: A Verizon IndyCar Series driver autograph session is scheduled from 10:30-11:30 a.m. April 11 at the INDYCAR Fan Village. ... There's also a Family Fun Zone, with musical performances on race day. ... The Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana is the first Indy car race at NOLA Motorsports Park and first major auto race in the state of Louisiana since a 1995 IMSA GT race in Downtown New Orleans. … Most Verizon IndyCar Series teams have tested at NOLA Motorsports Park with either the Dallara aerodynamic package or the new Chevrolet or Honda platform – or both the former and new components. … With a third-place finish at St. Petersburg, Tony Kanaan has finished on the podium in six of his past eight races. … Simona de Silvestro, who made 65 starts over four Verizon IndyCar Series seasons, is the only female driver entered in the race. She made her return to the series at St. Petersburg after a one-year absence, finishing 18th. … The crew of the No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet won the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with a total pit lane time of 99.024 seconds. The crew will receive its $10,000 award during pre-race festivities at the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana.

He said it: “I’m really excited to get to New Orleans. Yes, we are coming off a win in St. Pete, which always makes you hungry to get back to racing, but I’m looking forward to getting back on the track at NOLA. From my first lap there in testing I came away very impressed with the facility. The grip level is amazingly high, especially with the new aero kits. I can’t wait to see what it’s like on the ‘red’ Firestone tires. It’s going to be very interesting with everyone flying around. I’m very proud of how my No. 2 Verizon Chevy team came out of the gate strong this season. It’s only been one race, but compared to how we struggled last year at the start it’s a night-and-day difference. It’s just the difference a year makes. We are working just as hard and we haven’t made any radical changes to the team. It just comes down to experience.”
-- Juan Pablo Montoya, who won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet