HOMESTEAD, Florida – Carlin took to the track for the first time as a Verizon IndyCar Series team on Monday, with drivers Max Chilton and Charlie Kimball turning laps on Homestead-Miami Speedway’s road course.

The team used the session as an introductory day with the new car for 2018 featuring the universal aero kit. Carlin will test again at Homestead today and follow that with two days of testing at Sebring International Raceway later this week.

“It’s a very exciting day for us as a team,” said Trevor Carlin, the team’s racing director. “It’s our first-ever run with an Indy car at a shakedown test. It’s gone extremely well – we’ve had no technical issues whatsoever.

“The car ran flawlessly, which is a testament to Colin (Hale, team manager) and his guys. We’re very happy and now (today) we can start pushing on with our test program.”

Chilton, driver of the No. 59 Gallagher Chevrolet, started the day in the car and was positive about the team’s first run.

“It’s been a boring winter, but it’s really exciting to be back on track,” Chilton said. “I was on track for a few hours (Monday) and we had no issues with the car, which is amazing considering Carlin has never run an Indy car. It was a great day, so now it’s just catching up on the many miles that other teams have done more than us.”

Kimball, driver of the No. 23 Tresiba Chevrolet, agreed with his teammate that it was a valuable first test for Carlin, the team renowned for developing top racing talent in open-wheel feeder series around the world, including Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires.

“We just finished up a really great shakedown day at Homestead on our first day with Carlin in INDYCAR,” Kimball said. “It was a new car and everything just went really well. Team Chevy brought a perfect engine to run and we were able to go out and do a bunch of laps to get a feel for the car. The hard work will really start tomorrow, but we have a good car and a great baseline to go off of.” 

The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series opens with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 11 (12:30 p.m. ET, ABC). The 17-race schedule includes the 102nd Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 27 (11 a.m. ET, ABC) and concludes with the Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sept. 16 (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN).