Spencer Pigot and Jordan King to Race for ECR in Only Doubleheader Event of the Year

(INDIANAPOLIS) May 30, 2018 – Race Preview

– Mere days after taking part in the world-renowned Indianapolis 500, Spencer Pigot will compete in Chevrolet Dual in Detroit in the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing. Alongside Pigot will be his teammate, Jordan King, a newcomer to the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2018. King will race the No. 20 Allegiant International Chevrolet in his debut at the Raceway at Belle Isle.

– The weekend, collectively referred to as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, features the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit IndyCar doubleheader. The 2.34-mile, 13-turn street circuit on Belle Isle will come with a unique set of challenge for both drivers and crews. Pigot and King must compete in two full-distance, points-paying races in two days with the green flags for each race falling exactly 24 hours apart. The Duals will be Pigot’s fifth and sixth starts at Belle Isle while King makes his debut on the circuit, hosted inside the island park in the Detroit River.

– The black and white No. 20 of King will feature red accents this weekend as Ed Carpenter Racing welcomes Allegiant International as the primary partner for the Detroit doubleheader. Allegiant International is a professional services network that offers the capabilities of a top multinational advisory and consultancy firm, the tactical resources of a best-in-class specialty service enterprise, and the efficiency advantages of a business process outsourcing partner. Allegiant is headquartered in Indianapolis and has more than 750 professionals working globally.

– Pigot had a strong month of May as he qualified 9th for the INDYCAR Grand Prix, the highest starting position of his Verizon IndyCar Series career up to that point. A week later, he guaranteed himself a starting position no worse than 9th when he made the Fast Nine Shootout during Indianapolis 500 qualifications. He was one of only nine drivers who had the opportunity to earn the pole position for the Indianapolis 500, which was ultimately captured by Pigot’s teammate and team owner, Ed Carpenter. Pigot started the Indianapolis 500 from the 6th position, leading the race early on. He did not fall out of the Top 10 once until a drive-through penalty following a pit lane speed violation on Lap 94 dropped him back to 27th, one lap behind the field. However, Pigot would make up seven positions by the end of the race to finish 20th.

– After being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each day to support his teammates, King will climb back into the No. 20 for the Dual in Detroit. Starting from the pole position, team owner Carpenter scored a runner-up finish in the No. 20 in last weekend’s Indy 500. Carpenter, the only owner/driver in the Verizon IndyCar Series, drives exclusively in the oval events and hands the car over to King for the road and street course events. King’s most recent race was the INDYCAR Grand Prix, held on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the weekend before Indy 500 practice began. Despite having only one chance at a fast lap in the first round of qualifying due to a brake issue, King not only advanced to Round 2 but reached the Firestone Fast 6, his second appearance in only four Indy car starts. However, a top result was not meant to be after a Lap 1 incident. Repairs to the car had King on his own lap for the remaining 84 laps of the race, and he was unable to regain any positions.

– The 2016 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix was Pigot’s first weekend with Ed Carpenter Racing. After contesting the 2016 Indianapolis 500 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Pigot joined ECR the following week as the road and street course driver for the No. 20 for the remainder of the season. It is a role he retained for the 2017 season, scoring a Top 10 finish in Race 1 of last year’s doubleheader. This year, he returns to Belle Isle as ECR’s full-time driver of the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet.

– Both races of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit will be broadcast live on ABC. Dual 1 will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 3, and Dual 2 will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 4 with both of their respective green flags flying at 3:50 p.m. ET.

JORDAN KING, No. 20 Allegiant International Chevrolet: “It’s going to be a very tough weekend physically and mentally as it’s a double header. This will be the first time I have raced a full race distance twice over the course of a weekend, so that is something new I need to prepare for and get my head around. Obviously, all of the circuits I am going to this year are new, but I have driven Detroit on the simulator so hopefully I can get up to speed quite quickly. There’s always been a bit of a steep learning curve going into a weekend, but overall, it’s been quite good. I am looking forward to another challenge!”

SPENCER PIGOT, No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet: “Detroit was my first race with Ed Carpenter Racing back in 2016, so it’s almost an anniversary to go back there! I enjoy the challenges of Belle Isle and I’m excited to have the chance to race there again, especially as it’s Chevrolet’s home track. No doubt it’s going to be a tough weekend with two races coming off a busy month of May, but I know the Fuzzy’s Vodka crew is up for it. Our Indianapolis 500 did not finish quite as we were hoping for, so it’s good to be back in the car this weekend and get back after it!”