SONOMA, Calif. -- Chevrolet, which won 10 of the 16 Verizon IndyCar Series races, claimed the Manufacturers Championship for the fourth consecutive season.
Chevrolet re-entered Indy car competition as an engine supplier in 2012. This year, Chevrolet and fellow supplier Honda took on the additional role of developing and supplying manufacturer-specific aerodynamic bodywork packages for road/street courses/short ovals and superspeedways for the Dallara IR-12 chassis used by all Verizon IndyCar Series teams.
Drivers utilizing its aero road/street course/short oval aero kit, which complements the 2.2-liter, direct-injected V-6 twin-turbocharged engine, reset track records in qualifying for six races.
“Our fourth consecutive Manufacturers Championship is the result of consistent preparation, teamwork and execution by our Chevrolet teams, drivers and technical partners,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports for Chevrolet. “Together, we focused on delivering strong engine and aero performance all season long.”
Manufacturers earn points toward the championship at each race based on the positions of each of their top-three finishers. They earn bonus points for winning the Verizon P1 Award, leading the most laps and for each engine that reaches its 2,500-mile threshold before being changed out. Points are reduced for engines that fail to reach the 2,500-mile minimum.
“We’d like to congratulate Chevrolet on clinching the 2015 Manufacturers Championship and to thank Honda for its resilient competition throughout the season,” INDYCAR vice president of technology Will Phillips said. “The Chevrolet IndyCar V6 has had a strong and consistent performance this season, which has been reflected by success on the racetrack in both race finishes and engine durability.
“We made adjustments to how points were scored in the Manufacturers Championship this year, which accurately reflected Chevy’s strong performance throughout the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season, highlighted by a win in the Indianapolis 500.”
Chevrolet’s race wins consisted of three by Team Penske (Juan Pablo Montoya two, Will Power one), three by Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (Scott Dixon), two by CFH Racing (Josef Newgarden) and two by KVSH Racing (Sebastien Bourdais). Team Penske collected 11 Verizon P1 Awards this season, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams earned two and CFH Racing one.