LONG POND, Pa. – Tenth in the Verizon IndyCar Series standings with two races left in the season places Simon Pagenaud on the championship bubble.
He’s mathematically a contender entering the ABC Supply 500 this weekend at Pocono Raceway, but for the first time since joining the Verizon IndyCar Series full time in 2012 challenger status is altogether something different.
“Frankly, I’m in a position where only the win matters,” said Pagenaud, who’s had an up and down first season in the No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet.
Recently, there’s been an upswing – three top-10 finishes in the past fives with three complementary top-five qualifying efforts that include back-to-back front-row starts. Pagenaud hasn’t been dismayed through the 14 races. In fact, he was advised to expect a breaking in period and comprehended the complexities of basically building a team from scratch before breaking out.
“We’ve had some time off to think about it,” said Pagenaud of the break since advancing 12 positions relative to his starting spot to tie his season high of third place Aug. 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “Right now, the 22 team is really gelling. We actually spent time together at my home and have a good energy going. Mid-Ohio was an example. We had a really rough weekend but bounced back, which I thought was a really good sign of potential for the future. It was the first big telling."
Pagenaud finished fifth, third and fifth in the standings the past three seasons with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. He joined the four-entry Penske armada early in the offseason to get a jump on changes for 2015.
“My mind is pretty clear on trying to understand the car a bit more," he said. "A thing I didn’t realize is that the aero kit changed the car so much this year. I went into a new team, new car, new set-up and new aero kit as well. I was starting over.
“It reminded me of the first year with Schmidt. The difference is the crew was already in place and I jumped in the car basically. Now I’m really starting to get a grip on everything. I feel more relaxed. It’s an interesting time.”
Pagenaud participated in a team test Aug. 12 on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval partly to prepare for the 2.5-mile triangular Pocono Raceway oval and overtly to continue to decipher the Chevrolet superspeedway aerodynamic bodywork package.
“It was about understanding every aerodynamic combination and helping the engineer collecting data,” said Pagenaud, who has a best finish of sixth in two races at Pocono. “We worked on Pocono because the goal for Pocono is to go there and win and try to help Team Penske win the championship.”
Hawksworth seeking some redemption at Pocono
First-year AJ Foyt Racing driver Jack Hawksworth is looking forward to racing on “The Tricky Triangle” on Aug. 23. As a Verizon IndyCar Series rookie in 2014, his race weekend was cut short because of a practice crash.
His Bryan Herta Autosport car spun in Turn 1 and made contact with the SAFER Barrier. Hawksworth was examined at the infield medical center and transported to a local hospital for further tests that diagnosed a bruised heart muscle. He was held overnight for observation and was cleared by the INDYCAR medical team to compete six days later at Iowa Speedway.
“Last year’s accident was a combination of a few things, pushing a little hard on cold tires and being a little aggressive in terms of car set-up to try to dial it in for qualifying,” he said. “We had a limited amount of track time that weekend and with no testing leading up to the event, I think it pushed us into a tricky situation.”
Hawksworth, driving the No. 41 ABC Supply Honda, enters the ABC Supply 500 with a pair of top-10 finishes in the past five races. In that span, he advanced a total of 22 positions relative to his starting spots.
“I’m really hoping for some redemption at Pocono this year,” said Hawksworth, 24, who lives near the team headquarters in suburban Houston. “The accident wasn’t fun but it’s a long time ago now and it would be great to firmly wipe that one from memory with a good run this year. The team has been strong there in the past and I would absolutely love to capitalize on that.
“Another couple of top 10s (in the final two races) and we can head into the offseason with some momentum and come back a lot stronger next year.”
Diffey and Matchett doing double duty on race day
NBCSN Verizon IndyCar Series lead announcer Leigh Diffey will call his first race from Pocono Raceway. The network’s telecast begins at 2 p.m. ET.
But Diffey and analyst Steve Matchett will be well into their day by then. From NBC Sports Group's International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., they’ll provide coverage of the Belgian Grand Prix at 7:30 a.m.
Soon after the checkered flag, Diffey and Matchett will be taken to Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., where they’ll take a short chartered flight to Pocono. Analyst Paul Tracy will meet them in the broadcast booth.