DETROIT – As Chevrolet’s engine failures carried over from Indianapolis Motor Speedway to Detroit’s street circuit, the manufacturer offered further explanation on the issues.
Speaking during IndyCar’s warmup session on FS1, General Motors president Mark Reuss said there’s been an issue with the engines’ valve and valve guides. Following Saturday’s qualifying session, Chevrolet released a statement claiming the issue has “been identified and containment efforts are underway.”
“It’s a coating issue,” Reuss said. “If you can imagine the valve sitting in the guide with a wrong coating, over time, you get to see the valve chuck off the seat. And so it becomes fatigue.”
Reuss said Chevrolet and General Motors changed the coatings and valves of the engines they’re replacing ahead of Sunday’s race (12:52 p.m. green flag). Chevrolet replaced the engines of seven cars on Saturday, including changing the engine on Christian Lundgaard’s No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet twice. Lundgaard is one of two Chevrolet engines starting on the front three rows, as he’ll start fifth and Scott McLaughlin — whose No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet engine was replaced during Indy 500 practice — will start third.
Chevrolet, which is the title sponsor of the Detroit Grand Prix, has not won the race since it moved to the streets of downtown Detroit in 2023. Two Honda engines, driven by Alex Palou and Will Power, will start on the front row of Sunday’s race.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: GM president Mark Reuss claims valve issue has caused Chevrolet Indy car failures
Reporting by Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
