Max Chilton feels he still has a lot to learn when it comes to racing on ovals as he prepares himself for his sophomore season in the Verizon IndyCar Series, where he will remain with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Chilton entered the series in 2016 with just three oval races in Indy Lights under his belt, but could only muster one top-ten finish in his five oval races last year, a seventh place finish at the Phoenix International Raceway, but he knows his racecraft needs to improve to become a more competitive driver in 2017.
“It’s so different racing on ovals, especially in IndyCar,” said Chilton on Autosport. “The Indy Lights series, the cars are a lot smaller. I didn’t do many oval races.
“Also the cars are usually very spread out. With IndyCar, there are cars everywhere. You’re sometimes four-wide with another three behind you. Racecraft plays a huge part in the oval racing. That’s why I felt like I learnt a lot, but I’ve still got plenty more to learn.
“Dario Franchitti is my mentor. He said it took him three or four years to master the craft of oval racing. I feel like I’m going to take in more experience with that.”
