INDIANAPOLIS – In just his second year as a chief mechanic of an NTT IndyCar Series team, Trevor Lacasse has joined the ranks that include such legendary names as George Bignotti, Clint Brawner and others who have won the Indianapolis 500.
Lacasse is in charge of Simon Pagenaud’s No. 22 Menards Chevrolet. He took over that position in 2018 and Sunday’s win in the 103rd Indy 500 was his first as a chief mechanic and second as a member of Team Penske.
Lacasse was a crew member on the winning team in 2015 when Juan Pablo Montoya won the 99th Indianapolis 500.
He has been through Pagenaud’s winless season in 2018 and his recent surge back to prominence with this May sweep at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“The guy is a ‘Wheel Man,’” Lacasse described Pagenaud to NTT INDYCAR Mobile. “I’ve been racing against him since 2007. When you race against him, you always knew he was a big competitor.
“I told him when I moved over to his car, it was a dream come true. I’d rather race for him than against him.
“The guy is a ‘Wheel Man.’”
Kyle Moyer, Team Penske’s IndyCar General Manager, calls Pagenaud’s race strategy. He predicted earlier in the month that once Pagenaud snaps his winless streak, he can go on a tear and win four or five races in a row.
So far, Pagenaud has won two in a row and looks to add more in this weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle.
“Most of it is momentum,” Lacasse said. “You get your head in the right place. I think that was our big thing this month, we had a ton of momentum. We won the INDYCAR GP and loaded off quick for the Indy 500.
“We kept it simple. We stuck to the basics. The whole team was cool. Everybody did a great job. We didn’t have any one thing that clicked. The cars have been quick before, but we were victims of circumstance.
“Man, coming here, it’s been a magical month.”
Pagenaud and others admit he had issues adapting to the aerodynamic package in 2018, but after the crew worked with the car and made him more comfortable, it has turned around his career.
“When I moved over to this team, Ben Bretzman and Kyle said once this guy starts winning, he will go on a tear,” Lacasse said. “We are going to Detroit with a bunch of momentum. We will try to get Roger Penske some more wins at his track.
“Last year, between Simon, Ben, Kyle and the guys, we never got down. We knew we could start winning again.”
Starting with the Indianapolis 500 and continuing with Detroit, there are four races worth of points available for the NTT IndyCar Series championship. The Indy 500 paid double points and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is a doubleheader.
“You want to be near the front coming out of Indy, stay consistent and run up front,” Lacasse said. “If you get the finishes you want, the points will take care of itself.”
Pagenaud has a one-point lead over teammate Josef Newgarden entering Saturday’s first race at Detroit (3 p.m., NBC and the Advanced Auto Parts Radio Network).
“When you are standing on the pit box last Sunday and you have Simon Pagenaud in your car, I never had a doubt in my mind that we would win the Indy 500,” Lacasse said. “Race Day was very special. We won the INDYCAR GP and had a car for the pole in the Indy 500.
“Then, to go out and win it the way Simon did, it was satisfying for all the guys. Chevy should be proud, too. They brought some horsepower to keep Simon up front all day.
“They did their homework in addition to Simon and Ben Bretzman and Kyle Moyer and Tim Cindric and Roger Penske to give you the tools you need to have a day like we had on Sunday at Indianapolis.”