BRASELTON, Ga. – Any track experience, Gabby Chaves figures, will be beneficial as the 2014 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion seeks to make the move to the Verizon IndyCar Series for 2015.
Chaves tested the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car on the Homestead-Miami Speedway road course earlier this week.
“It was an incredible experience,” said Chaves, who is co-driving the Delta Wing in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta this weekend. “To come out so fresh out of the season and to have that opportunity right away doesn’t usually happen. I’m thankful for Sam and his team for giving me the opportunity.
“We had a good reference lap of Simon (Pagenaud). I got up to speed quickly and we were quicker at the end of the day. I think it was a good comparison to see that you’re in that window of speed. I’m just working hard to see what I can make out of it.”
It was the first on-track activity in a Verizon IndyCar Series car for Chaves, who last month put the new-for-2015 Indy Lights car through its paces on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Chaves, 21, a Miami resident, recorded four victories and 11 top-five finishes in the 14 races with Belardi Auto Racing to earn the series title, which carries a Mazda Road to Indy scholarship to aid in his pursuit of a 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series program.
In 2013, Chaves was the series runner-up in a Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car.
A vacancy opened this week when Pagenaud signed with Team Penske after three seasons in the No. 77 Honda-powered entry. Numerous drivers have been mentioned as candidates to fill the seat, including James Hinchcliffe. Mikhail Aleshin, who competed in the companion No. 7 SMP Racing car, said he hopes to return for a second season. Aleshin returned Sept. 28 to Russia to continue rehabilitation of injuries suffered in an Aug. 29 practice crash at Auto Club Speedway.
As Chaves noted during the Indy Lights test at IMS, he’s not pressing to secure a ride. He’s also had discussions with Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing.
“My position right now is waiting to see what happens with the seats,” Chaves said. “There are limitless possibilities out there. The teams know I’m hungry and ready to drive and ready to perform, so they have me on their radar.”
Other testing on the horizon
Graham Rahal, driving the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car, will join Daniel Abt in testing Oct. 27 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Abt, a teammate of 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Carlos Munoz in Formula 3, will drive an Andretti Autosport car. Abt, 21, of Germany, also has competed in GP2 and currently is racing in the new Formula E series.
“IndyCar is something I definitely could see myself racing in, so it’s good to get a feeling for everything and show what I can do.”
Andretti Autosport also will evaluate 21-year-old Canadian Dalton Kellett in a Pro Mazda car on Oct. 6 at Putnam Park. He posted two top-five finishes with Team Pelfrey in the series in 2014.
Next week also opens the on-track testing window for aero kit manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda. Both receive six days through Jan. 18, which is the homologation date.
Plowman plays in marathon
Martin Plowman said that playing 100 holes of golf in a single day might not have been the wisest thing to do during a race week, but it was for a good cause.
Plowman, who made his Indianapolis 500 debut in May with A.J. Foyt Racing, is competing in the Petit Le Mans’ Prototype Challenge class with BAR1 Motorsports. He participated in the golf marathon, with proceeds from sponsorship benefiting Timmy Global Health. The Indianapolis-based non-profit seeks to expand access to quality healthcare worldwide.
“I recently have become addicted to golf and (playing in this tournament) I was doing something for a good cause and having a good time,” he said. “I’m feeling it today. I guess (drivers) work out for a reason.”
Plowman, who turns 27 on Oct. 3, and his fiancée, Nicole Pollard, have set a Jan. 16, 2016, wedding date.
Of note
Bill Pappas, who was the race engineer for Rahal’s No. 15 car, is working with the RSR Racing team (Jack Hawksworth is among the drivers) at the Petit Le Mans. … ZOOM Motorsports, exclusive event promoter for Barber Motorsports Park, named George Dennis as president. He replaces Rick Humphrey. … NBCSN, the exclusive cable network of the Verizon IndyCar Series, reported that its year-over-year viewership increased for the fourth consecutive quarter. It included seven third-quarter Verizon IndyCar Series races, which posted a 20 percent viewership gain over the same quarter in 2013.