MAVTV 500 practice 2 results
FONTANA, Calif. -- Scott Dixon, who was runner-up in the MAVTV 500 last August, recorded the fastest lap of the 23 entries on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval in the 75-minute practice session preceding qualifications.
Dixon, driving the No. 9 Degree Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, toured the D-shaped track in 33.0839 seconds (217.629 mph).
Four teams were representing in the top five on the speed chart. Chevrolet-powered cars had six of the top 10 lap speeds.
Watch qualifications at 4:45 p.m. (Pacific) on racecontrol.indycar.com augmented by real-time Timing & Scoring and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcast. Helio Castroneves earned the Verizon P1 Award last year with a two-lap average speed of 218.982 mph. Team Penske teammate Will Power holds the two-lap qualifying record of 220.775 mph set in October 2013.
Simon Pagenaud (216.861 mph) of Team Penske was second and CFH Racing co-owner/driver Ed Carpenter (216.809), who has finished first, second and third the past three years in the MAVTV 500, was third. Takuma Sato (216.337) of AJ Foyt Racing and Verizon IndyCar Series championship points leader Juan Pablo Montoya (216.251) of Team Penske was fifth.
Montoya this weekend is seeking to complete Indy car racing’s career Triple Crown with victories in 500-mile races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway and Pococno Raceway. If successful, he’ll then seek to join Al Unser as the only drivers to win the Triple Crown in the same calendar year at Pocono in August.
Dixon is seeking to complete a career sweep of the Indy car races in California. He won at Long Beach in April and at Sonoma Raceway in 2014.
Ryan Briscoe, driving the No. 5 Arrow/Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, topped the speed chart in the first practice session with a lap of 217.451 mph (33.1109 seconds).
“With these aero kits, everyone is running different levels of downforce, which mixes it up a little bit more,” said Briscoe, who is filling in on ovals for the injured James Hinchcliffe. “It’s such a long race and so many lanes to choose from I think the goal has to be having a good race car. Hopefully we’re decent in qualifying, but it’s not the end of the world if we’re not.”