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EDMONTON, Alberta (Sunday, July 25, 2010) - Scott Dixon was surprised, Helio Castroneves was steaming and Will Power continues to lead the IZOD IndyCar Series championship standings though he was thwarted again in seeking his third consecutive victory.

Dixon prevailed in the 95-lap race on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn City Centre Airport circuit courtesy of a black flag issued to race leader Castroneves for blocking on a Lap 92 restart.

Castroneves and Power entered Turn 1 side by side, with Castroneves hitting the apex a car length ahead. As Dixon slipped past Power into second place, race chief steward Brian Barnhart immediately called Castroneves for blocking his Team Penske teammate.

The black flag call was radioed to the No. 3 car, but Castroneves failed to take the drive-thru pit lane penalty. Following the race, he was penalized 20 seconds and placed at the end of the lead lap (10th). A black flag cannot be appealed, according to Indy Racing League rules.

Castroneves overtook Power, the pole sitter, in Turns 1-2 of Lap 78 and recorded his fastest race lap on 79 (1 minute, 2.3139 seconds) to put a 1.5-second gap between him and Power. It appeared that Castroneves would go on to his second victory. His first of the season - at Barber Motorsports Park in mid-April -- derailed Power's bid for a series record-tying third consecutive victory.

But a full-course caution was called on Lap 89 after the No. 78 car driven by Simona de Silvestro ran out of fuel and pulled off course in Turn 7. Castroneves led the field into Turn 1 of the restart, with Power making a bid to regain the lead he had for 76 laps.

Power recovered to finish second, while Dario Franchitti finished third and Ryan Briscoe was fourth. Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay finished fifth.

Also on July 25, James Hinchcliffe outdueled J.K. Vernay to claim his second Firestone Indy Lights win in the Edmonton 100.

Hinchcliffe, who won his first race on home soil, closed to 55 points of the championship leader Vernay heading to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 8.

Martin Plowman finished third in the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers/KEP Printing car for AFS Racing Andretti Autosport - his season high on a street/road circuit. He's the only driver in the series to finish in the top 10 in all races and the only one to complete every lap.

The following rules in the IZOD IndyCar Series rule book were applied concerning Helio Castroneves' penalty:

Drivers were warned by Brian Barnhart during the pre-race drivers meeting on blocking: "You have plenty of options on where to put your car and we should not have any defending or blocking. Again we will be visually dividing the braking point through the entry into the corner in half. You can only be on the inside half if you are attempting to pass someone. If you are on the inside half because you are under attack from someone else, it is blocking. Don't move your car in reaction to a following car and don't impede the progress of a car with a run on you."

Rule 9.3 (B) A driver must not alter his/her racing line based on the actions of pursuing Drivers or use an abnormal racing line to inhibit or prevent passing. Blocking will result in a minimum of a black flag "drive through" penalty.

Rule 7.1 (B) (4) (C) (4) The senior official shall determine the type and length of any black flag. The penalized car shall proceed to pit lane as directed by Officials and may return to the Race only upon the declaration of Officials. In the case of the Driver Violating the Rules, no work may be performed on a Car during the execution of a black flag penalty. Should any such work occur, the conditions of the penalty are unfilled and the penalty procedure must be executed again in its entirety on a subsequent lap. The penalty may not be protested and/or appealed.

Rule 9.2 (A) Race Procedure Penalties are a result of on track conduct and are generally imposed during on Track activity. If the imposition of a penalty is near or at the end of on Track activity and Driver/Car does not fulfill it, the Senior Official may reposition the Driver/Car in the posting of results or apply the penalty to subsequent on Track activity to reflect the fulfillment of the penalty. The penalty including without limitation any repositioning in a posting is non-protestable and/or appealable.

During pre-race ceremonies, it was announced that Honda Canada and driver Paul Tracy has raised more than $112,000 for Make-A-Wish Canada through a program in which fans in Toronto and Edmonton have had the opportunity to sign the race suits worn by Tracy in the two Canadian events.

· This is the Scott Dixon's second victory of the season. He previously won at Kansas Speedway in May.

· Scott Dixon won for the second time in three starts at Edmonton City Centre Airport. He won the first IZOD IndyCar Series event in 2008.

· The win was Dixon 23^rd career IZOD IndyCar Series, extending his record for most wins.

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, winner Honda Indy Edmonton): "Brian always says that if you're blocking going into any corner and you are on the right side - especially into Turn 1, you're going to get a penalty. We get told every week, so you could see something was going to happen. We had a great run with the Target car and kept it in a typical line. It was a tough day. The Target car was pretty loose. I can't believe that we won."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, finished 10^th): "I never moved my line. I actually did move him outside. When you go side by side like that with your teammate and they just take it away from you, it's just absurd."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske, finished second): "I got a run on him and he blocked me. I would say a black flag is a pretty harsh penalty, but it is what it is. It was just one of those racing things. When you're leading on the last restart you want to keep the lead."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 Bower & Wilkins/Hot Wheels): "It was an unfortunate incident for the no.77 Bowers & Wilkins Hot Wheels car. I think our first stint was a good one. We went long saving fuel and doing the best thing with what we had. I think we could have finished in the top ten but it was just an unfortunate incident in turn 1 that ended our day. We made up six positions and the Fazzt guys did a really good job. Our strategy was good, our car was better than it had been so I think a top ten finish was in our reach." (About incident with Kanaan): "I think Turn 1 was the best place to pass. I got an opportunity and I took it. I think Tony (Kanaan) braked on the inside of Turn 1 and left the rubber line wide open. When I exited Turn 1, I felt like I left him a lot of room and stayed close to the wall. Then I felt a touch from behind on the right rear, got spun around then got hit on the left side. I'm disappointed. The whole Fazzt team is disappointed. This isn't the way we wanted things to go here in Canada. We had realistic expectation coming in but didn't leave with the results we had hoped for. This teams works hard and we'll regroup and look to do better at the next few races."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy): "We had to give 110 percent with the Venom car today and things just didn't go our way. Once we get on the right side of circumstance and once things actually go our way the 26 car will be pretty tough to get around."

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven): "I've raced a long time and I understand bad days, but this one was right up there with the longest of them for us. We have a lot of work to do to try and get better."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD, finished fifth): "Coming out of here with a top five almost feels like a victory. The guys did a great job and it was another good points day for us. We just didn't really have it this weekend. But, sometimes a team is measured by how well they do at a time when they're missing a little something and I think Team IZOD showed what it is made of."

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com): "It was a good effort by the #7 GoDaddy.com team. Overall the weekend was really rough and disappointing for not only me, but for the whole Andretti team. It was just a chain of events that led us to this finish, so we'll look to do better in Mid-Ohio."

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic): "The race wasn't good for us. We started on the red alternate Firestone tires and the balance was good but we just couldn't find any grip. On the next set somehow the pressure in the rear tires didn't come up for maybe 15 laps. After that the car was very good at one point but I spun and lost some positions. On the final stint we put primary tires on and the car balance was loose again so it was very hard to stay on the track. I couldn't fight."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, finished 10th): "Obviously, I disagree with the decisions made by the race officials on the last restart in today's race, but there is no excuse for my actions after the checkered flag. I apologize to my team, our sponsors, the fans and the entire IZOD IndyCar Series community for my behavior. My actions were totally wrong and I acted inappropriately to some people who are my friends and people I respect very much. Obviously, I am a very emotional person and today I let my emotions get the better of me and I'm very sorry for that."

PAUL TRACY (No. 15 Make-A-Wish KV Racing Technology, finished sixth): "It was a good finish for the Honda Canada - Make-A-Wish - Motegi Wheels - KV Racing team today. Our goal was to make money for Make-A-Wish these last two weeks and they raised over $112,000 for the two races. It feels great to help the kids and the families. My second goal was to have a good time. Then we wanted a good finish and we pulled it off today. It feels so good to race in front of the Canadian fans. They really enjoy their racing. Both Toronto and Edmonton support these events so well. It is tough to come in as a spot driver and perform well. This place is so hard and physical on a driver. So coming from 15^th and finish sixth feels very good. I just wish we could get the car figured out earlier in the weekend to get a better starting spot. I think we can race with the leaders if can do that. Overall, today was good for the whole KV Racing team. I just wish I could race again this year."

MARIO MORAES (No. 32KV Racing Technology, finished seventh): "It was a good race for our KV crew. I was trying to be patient with the tires in the first stint. We were able to run long on fuel in the first stint and that helped you. I am happy with the top-ten finish after the problem we had in qualifying. We had some great pit stops and a great team effort in the race. Now, I hope we can continue that momentum into Mid-Ohio."

E.J. VISO (No. 8 PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KV Racing Technology): "It was definitely a tough race. I made a couple of mistakes early in the race. But overall, my PDVSA - KV Racing crew did a great job with a strong qualifying performance. The car was good in the race. We were in a fuel conservation mode and I lost a few positions. I considered it a racing incident with Simona (de Silvestro). She didn't give any space and I think she didn't see me. So we banged tires. The officials gave me a driving through penalty and that didn't help us going back in the pack. But we recovered well and we got back to eighth. We want to be ready for Mid-Ohio now after the team did a good job this weekend."

MARIO ROMANCINI (No. 34 Conquest Racing): "I am very disappointed as everybody knows that this might be my last race because we don't have any sponsors, so I really would like to have had a good result. We had a good pace during the race but unfortunately it's such a bad luck as it is the third race in a row that I can't finish. In Toronto, someone took me out and here I got involved in an accident that I could not avoid, with Tagliani spinning in front of me. Other than that,we had a great weekend and I hope I can be back in the car soon and maybe I can do some more races this year".

BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 36 Conquest Racing RACB): "I think we had a consistent race today. On my first stint I was able to gain some positions and then I got stuck in traffic and I worked on saving fuel. On my second pit stop I lost some positions but I was on black tires and my car had a good balance and I was following Tony Kanaan all the time, which I consider a good reference, but unfortunately I couldn't improve my track position. Overall it was a good weekend and now I am looking forward to our next race in Mid Ohio."

RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 HP de Ferran Dragon Racing): "Taking into account the incident on the second lap, I'm happy we were able to salvage some points and finish in 13th. It's so frustrating that Paul compromised our race. The guys did a great job in the pits to help recover. Overall, I'm very frustrated, as we had the pace to finish much higher but, again, I think it was a great effort to come back after that set back."

JUSTIN WILSON, No. 22 Z-Line Designs: "The Z-Line Designs car was improving in our first stint and I was able to drive the car the way I had wanted. Right after our first stop my right rear shock broke and I was just trying to control the car and not get into anyone. We will have a look at why the shock failed and continue on. I'm looking forward to testing at Mid-Ohio next week to prepare for the race."

TOMAS SCHECKTER, No. 24 MonaVie: "It was a really tough race today. I think that I misled everyone and pointed them in the wrong direction with the car. We had to come in and make an early stop to change the front wing, I really don't know what went wrong there. Overall it was a really tough day and I just tried to hang in there the whole race. I just have to thank MonaVie and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the opportunity. We can definitely leave Edmonton with some positives like qualifying well and hopefully we can take that on to some more races."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology): "It was a good day for the Lotus - KV Racing Technology team. I enjoyed racing here and the race itself was very exciting. There was a lot of side-by-side and overtaking on this circuit, which I experienced a lot of today. On the last stint, I was so frustrated being stuck behind a lapped car. Its okay for a few corners or even a lap, but it held me up for so long, almost 15 laps. We tried to speak to their team to ask them to move over but for some reason it wasn't happening. On the last restart, my teammate PT (Paul Tracy) went wide and onto the grass. I was alongside him when he came back on track forcing me wide and nearly losing it, but I managed to hold on and and keep position. Later TK (Tony Kanaan) hit me from behind and spun me round, so I lost a couple of positions on that lap, but he did apologize to me after the race. That was a shame but it was still a good day for the Lotus team."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, finished fourth): "It was a tough race because I nicked the wall only a few laps into the race and bent the rear toe link. From that point on the car was a handful, especially on the restarts. When the tires were clean and hot, the car was still very fast and I was able to get by the Ganassi cars. Unfortunately, I just couldn't hold them off on the restarts. It was disappointing that we couldn't battle for the win today but I'm happy that we were able to hold on and get a good finish."

· This is James Hinchcliffe's second Firestone Indy Lights win. He won earlier this year at Long Beach.

· Both of Hinchcliffe's wins were flag-to-flag. This is the fourth time this season the race winner has lead flag-to-flag (Long Beach, Iowa, Toronto, Edmonton).

· Rookie J.K. Vernay finished second, his seventh podium finish in eight starts this season.

· Plowman continues to be the only driver to finish in the top 10 of every Firestone Indy Lights race this season. He is also the only driver to complete every lap of every race in 2010.

EDMONTON, Alberta - Results Sunday of the Honda Indy Edmonton IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.973 mile Edmonton Airport Circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

Point Standings: Power 420, Franchitti 370, Dixon 349, Briscoe 324, Hunter-Reay 316, Castroneves 305, Kanaan 291, Wilson 252, Andretti 244, Wheldon 243.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 2 Xtreme Coil Drilling TMR, winner Edmonton 100): It's obviously a fantastic feeling. It's the first time I've managed to win here in my open wheel career. To get it finally done ‑‑ I've come close a couple times, come close here a couple times. To finally get it feels extra special. That cool‑down lap was a lot of fun, seeing all the fans in the stands. And thanks to all them for coming out because it's such a great event. It certainly wasn't easy. JK made me work for it, that's for sure.

J.K. VERNAY (No. 7 Lucas/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, second): It was a great race with James. Did a great race, no mistakes, nothing for me to pass. Since the start I was behind him. I really tried to push hard and to take him. But he didn't give me a real chance, I have to say. And it was really good. Canada looks good for me. One victory, one second place. So I think it's good. We have to continue like that for the next race and trying to push hard and to work with my engine. But it was great. And just yesterday, I mean, qualifying is really important. And in Toronto I was in front for half a tenth and here I'm behind half a tenth again. So it's racing. And we hope to come back in the first position for the next race.

MARTIN PLOWMAN (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinkles/KEP Printing, third): I think there's a lot of hard work. We're pushing for the first win, trying to hold that consistency, just a one race win. So this year we're just building a lot of momentum with the team and I'm growing confidence all the time with my engineers and we're getting faster. Starting to challenge for the podiums and front rows now. One of these days we're going to get it, I hope.

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 26 Levemir FlexPen, fourth): "It was really good. It was very and a ver physical track. I got hung up behind my teammate and he's driving the same car as me, so there was no way I could pass him. The last five laps, I had a vibration, so I was really just holding on at the end."

DAN CLARKE (No. 40 Wasteco Deans Knight Special, fifth): "It was a good weekend. I'm happy for the top-five finish. It shows how much this team has improved over the last two months."

The Next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug 8 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised by VERSUS at 3 p.m. (EDT). The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Mid-Ohio 100 on on Aug 8 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Firestone Indy Lights
Edmonton 100
EDMONTON, Alberta - Results Sunday of the Edmonton 100 Firestone Indy Lights event on the 1.973-mile Edmonton City Centre Airport circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (1) James Hinchcliffe, 50, Running
2. (2) JK Vernay, 50, Running
3. (3) Martin Plowman, 50, Running
4. (4) Charlie Kimball, 50, Running
5. (5) Dan Clarke, 50, Running
6. (8) Sebastian Saavedra, 50, Running
7. (7) Stefan Wilson, 50, Running
8. (9) Adrian Campos Jr, 50, Running
9. (6) Gustavo Yacaman, 50, Running
10. (10) Philip Major, 50, Running
11. (11) Pippa Mann, 50, Running
12. (12) Rodrigo Barbosa, 50, Running
13. (13) Carmen Jorda, 6, Mechanical

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 58:33.2721
Winners average speed: 101.085
Margin of victory: 1.2273 seconds
Cautions: 1 for 3 laps
Lead changes: 0
Lap Leaders: Hinchcliffe 1-50
Point Standings: Vernay 335, Hinchcliffe 280, Plowman 253, Kimball 252, Saavedra 239, Wilson 202, Yacaman 187, Clarke 184, Major 184, Campos 165

TORONTO (Sunday, July 18, 2010) - Will Power claimed his fourth IZOD IndyCar Series win of 2010, taking the Honda Indy Toronto, after overtaking polesitter Justin Wilson on a late-race restart.

Wilson looked to be on his way to victory with 20 laps left in the 85-lap event on theExhibition Place street circuit. But Will Power overtook Wilson on Lap 72 of a restart on the 1.75-mile, 11-turn circuit and went on to a 1.7-second victory over Dario Franchitti.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was third, Andretti Autorsport teammate Tony Kanaan finished fourth and Graham Rahal - making his season debut with Newman/Haas Racing -- was fifth. Danica Patrick finished sixth - the same as last year.

Also on July 18, J.K. Vernay pulled away from the field over the final 10 laps to win the Toronto 100. It was the fourth win of 2010 for the French rookie, who has led the Firestone Indy Lights point standings since the start of the season.

Dan Clarke, driving the No. 40 Wasteco Deans Knight Special, was second (his best finish of the season) and Gustavo Yacaman finished third (also a season best) in the No. 10 Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing entry.

•This is the fourth career Firestone Indy Lights victory for series rookie J.K. Vernay. He also won the first two races of this season, at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park and at Watkins Glen earlier this month.

•Series points leader J.K. Vernay has led laps in four races this season - St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park, Watkins Glen and Toronto. He won all four races.

•Winner J.K. Vernay recorded his six top-three finish in seven starts this season. His only result off the podium came in May in the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis, where he finished 13^th.

•James Hinchcliffe failed to finish in the top five for the first time since the season opener at St. Petersburg, in which he was involved in a first-turn accident after starting from the pole.

•This is the first career podium finish for both Dan Clarke and Gustavo Yacaman. Clarke's previous best was fourth place at Indianapolis earlier this year. Yacaman's previous best finish was 4^th at Milwaukee in 2009.

IZOD IndyCar Series
Honda Indy Toronto
TORONTO - Results Sunday of the Honda Indy Toronto IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.755-mile Streets of Toronto circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (2) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
2. (5) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
3. (4) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
4. (8) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
5. (14) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
6. (12) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
7. (1) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
8. (10) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
9. (21) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
10. (15) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
11. (26) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
12. (22) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
13. (24) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
14. (20) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
15. (19) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
16. (16) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
17. (9) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
18. (7) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 83, Running
19. (13) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 82, Running

20. (6) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 71, Contact
21. (11) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 64, Contact

25. (18) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 15, Contact
26. (25) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 8, Handling

"
Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 83.451
Time of Race: 01:47:15.2554
Margin of victory: 1.2757 seconds
Cautions: 6 for 21 laps
Lead changes: 6 among 5 drivers
Lap Leaders: Wilson 1-17, Tracy 18-31 Franchitti 32-53, Power 54, Kanaan 55-56, Wilson 57-71, Power 72-85.
Point Standings: Power 377, Franchitti 335, Dixon 299, Briscoe 292, Hunter-Reay 286, Castroneves 285, Kanaan 273, Wilson 240, Wheldon 233, Andretti 225.

J.K. VERNAY (No. 7 Lucas/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, winner Toronto 100): "The beginning of the race is very difficult because in the first corner, the inside part of the track was very slippery. I touched James. I didn't want to do that but I had no choice. After that, my front left suspension was a bit broken. It was really difficult. I had to change my driving style to manage my tire. When my engineer told me ten laps to go, I knew I would be OK. I just wanted to push and make a big gap. I saw James crash on the last lap. I feel sorry for him but I can't say it's not a good thing for me in the championship."

DAN CLARKE (No. 40 Wasteco Deans Knight Special, finished second): "It is great to be on the podium again. I would have been happy with third after the year we've had. I've never actually finished in my previous races at Toronto. I was going to happy with third. I got a good run on Hinchcliffe on the back straight of the last lap. It was the closet I had ever been to him and I knew I could get him then. He kept it high in the breaking zone and I thought, fair enough, I have it. Then he just slid on. I know how it feels to do that. But I'm very happy for Walker Racing. We're going to celebrate now."

GUSTAVO YACAMAN (No. 10 Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, finished third): "This is my maiden podium, we really were struggling at the beginning of the year, it's a new car, new team but we did a great job this weekend. Everyone on the team worked together and succeeded as a team which that is the way to go. This race is really challenging, it's a really long race and physically really challenging. You're just bouncing off of every wall and so close to them. I've never been closer to the wall in my life before, not even on an oval. But I'm just really excited, the car was really good and the guys just did an overall awesome job."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 26 Levemir FlexPen, finished fourth): "That was a lot of fun. It was a really long, hard, hot race. The #26 Levemir car was good from green to checkered. I could fight all day; I could have gone another 10-15 laps for sure. The car was only getting better. All the credit goes to the AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport guys. Except for a mechanical issue during qualifying, we were in the top five all weekend. On to Edmonton and, if not a win, definitely a podium finish."

STEFAN WILSON (No. 28 Bryan Herta Autosport, finished fifth): " It was a great race. It was difficult weekend for the number 28. We had been set up and were struggling to find the right direction to go all weekend. We qualified badly, ended up p10 but we worked really hard every day to try and improve the car and I think it paid off, we had a really fast car out there. I'm really pleased with the performance this weekend. The race was a little difficult; I made a mistake and went down the run-off barrier and had to spin the car around so I dropped at least 40 seconds to the leaders then had to work so hard to get back up with them."

MARTIN PLOWMAN (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers/KEP Printing): "This was my worst finish in this season, but it was probably one of the best races I've run in the last two years. I lost a wing on lap 2 but my team did a fantastic job to get me back out there. I stayed on the lead lap, and didn't lose a lap after that. I think I had the fastest car out there, I had quite a few good passes, and then when that full course yellow came out it was great because that allowed me to bunch up to the rest of the field. I made a few more passes on the restart and overall it was a fantastic way to end a bad start. I want to thank IZOD and everybody that was involved, because this is easily one of my favorite events of the year."

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 29 William Rast/Bryan Herta Autosport, finished 14^th): "It's very disappointing, coming from last year which was such a victory for me, then coming to this year which is such a disappointment for me. It's hard for us and hard for the points. We were looking forward to the championship but we'll keep fighting with several races to go."

• This is Will Power's fourth win of the season. He previously won at Sao Paulo, St. Petersburg and Watkins Glen.

• Power has won back-to-back races twice this season (Sao Paulo - St. Petersburg, Watkins Glen-Toronto)

• This is Team Penske's 41st win in the IZOD IndyCar Series, further extending a record for most wins by a team.

• 2010 race winner Dario Franchitti finished second, his fifth podium finish of the 2010 season.

• Tony Kanaan finished fourth, his best finish on a road/street circuit this season.

• Graham Rahal, in his first race of the season with Newman/Haas Racing, finished fifth, a season best finish. Rahal's previous best finish this season was ninth at St. Petersburg and Iowa.

• Danica Patrick finished sixth, her best finish on a road/street circuit this season. Her previous best road/street finish was seventh at St. Petersburg.

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske, winner Honda Indy Toronto): "I'm just really happy to be in the Verizon car." (About his start going from 2^nd to 6^th): "I saw Ryan and Helio going for a big move and I didn't want to be taken out so I just said well that's enough and got out of the way. It's such a wild race that a lot of stuff plays out." (About restart on lap 71): "I knew just from the marbles and the pick -up that the restart was going to be really slippery. I saw him make a mistake coming off the straight so I got a run on him and pulled it off."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 02 NHR/Quick Trim): "It feels really good to be back with Newman/Haas Racing and finish fifth with Quick Trim on board. A top-five finish is a great way to start off and move forward. The guys worked really hard this weekend. When we showed up the car wasn't close. In the race it was a lot better. It will be great going to my home race next at Mid-Ohio coming off of some momentum like this. The car was only put together Monday and left Tuesday afternoon without an engine. For us to throw this together and be as successful as we have been in the first outing hopefully means it will only get better from here. It's definitely comforting to come back. When I sat in the car for the first time it was really good. I was right at home just with different colors on the car. Literally, I came here and just jumped in the car. The seatbelts fit; the mirrors were right. It was almost too good. Even on a normal weekend you have to adjust something so that was great. (About contact with Ryan Briscoe): "I was a lot quicker than Ryan and I had a really good run down the back straight. I got on Push to Pass right out of the corner and he just blocked me. He blocked me all the way into the braking zone and he broke on the inside and I wasn't expecting him too so I just punted him. He was against the wall and I was waiting for him to move out. Then he hit the brakes before he ever moved. That's what happened and I hate hitting anybody; that's not my style. But seriously, if you've got a run on someone like that and they're blocking you, that's what's going to happen."

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic): "At one point in the race I was quite happy but when we changed to option tires on the first stop, it was very hard to get up to speed on restarts so I gave up a lot of positions there. We're going to look at our tire pressures and temperature to understand that. I was only able to pass one car. It was a very tough race but we came back in one piece which is important for the quick turnaround for Edmonton. Graham's fifth place finish is very good news for the team. I can also check his data for his restarts and any changes he made to his car during the race which will be good information to have for our next run."

MARIO ROMANCINI (No. 34 Conquest Racing): "It was a very unlucky day. We had decent speed on the warm up and the car was good in the race. We had a problem in the first pit stop, but I think we had very good chances to recover because of all the accidents in the end. We were still very competitive but I don't know what Mario was thinking when he did that move, as he was more than five cars length behind me so I think he just missed his brakes and took me out. It is a shame and I sorry for my guys, as we were having our best weekend so far and I am truly ashamed that we couldn't finish our race here so now we have to think about Edmonton and hopefully it will get better there."

BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 36 Conquest Racing/RACB): "It was quite a disappointing race for me. I did a good start and at the first stint I was P12 or 13, and then we missed a little bit on our first pit stop and I went to P17. Scheckter was behind me and he tried to attack me few times and at the last time I tried to brake later to keep him behind but it was obviously too late and I just hit the tires and had to stop there and wait for the marshalls to push be back and restart the car, so I lost one lap due to that. I was my mistake and it could be a race where we could finish P9, so now we are going to focus on Edmonton next week"

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy): "It was another long day for the Venom car. We just didn't have it today. It really came down to an attrition race and I think that has a lot to do with where we finished. But, that said, it was nice to see all four Andretti (Autosport) cars finish inside the top eight."

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven): "We did a great job today we what we had. The guys had great stops and we, unfortunately, benefited from people's mistakes, but that's just the race. I've made some mistakes in the past that has cost me the race, but all in all, not bad."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Air Wick): "Our Airwick car today was pretty good. It was all just about track position; I had to pit a lap early so Justin and Will jumped up ahead when they went a lap longer. This week we just didn't run quite quick enough, we were fast in practice, but wasn't quite fast enough to beat Will in the race. Just wasn't to thank my guys cause they did a great job, and here we are in second."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD): "We had a pretty tough pit stop, but I think a lot of people had a hard time, with the track and with marbles and everything. It was like qualifying the whole time. With all the chaos and all the yellows that was going on it I almost lost it four or five times. But it was a great finish for Andretti Autosport, it's a great team and I'm just happy to race with this fresh outlook for the rest of the season and everything. It's looking good from so we'll just keep plugging away."

DAN WHELDON, No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing: "t was disappointing that I made a mistake and didn't get a great start; I was on the inside going into Turn One quite deep and then the field bottled up and I made contact. That was my fault, but then the entire National Guard Panther Racing team made a comeback and made a big improvement here compared to last year. We all just continued to get better as this weekend went on and learned a lot of things that are really going to help us moving forward."

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing): "Crazy race! Considering where we started, we got the position where we finished by being smart. The ABC Supply team did a very good strategy—couldn't be better. The pit stops were good and the car was picking up lap by lap but the incident with Simona killed my front tires. We were faster than the cars around me but on the restart, I got a good run off two and tried to make a move on her but it was hectic under braking to turn three. Everyone started to brake early and she braked early and I had nowhere to go so I had to lock it up and hope for the best. We crashed there but got away lucky cause she stopped me from going straight off. But it killed my front tires and that's how we lost our top-10 position in the last three laps. But the team did a very good job on the pitstops and strategy."

EJ VISO (No. 8 PDVSA - Jet Aviation -KV Racing Technology): "I got hit by (Dan) Wheldon in Turn 3 at the start and dropped several positions. But our pace was then good and I thought our car was coming along very well. Our strategy was good too. We were getting into position to move up in the race. I was racing closely with Tag (Alex Tagliani) and (Raphael) Matos. Tag took Matos wide and couldn't avoid clipping Matos' wheel. He spun and I got hit. We changed the rear wing and I went back out to at least finish today. It wasn't what we wanted but we got to the checkered flag. I thought our pace with No. 8 PDVSA car was pretty good. We'll get ready for Edmonton now."

PAUL TRACY ( No. 15 Make A Wish - KV Racing Technology): "I think we could have been a top seven or eight, but several things didn't fall our way. We struggled the first little bit with the handling. The car seemed to come alive at the end. My pace was as fast as the leaders and I was pretty happy with that. The yellow flags hurt us in the end. We want the first one and then get some green flag laps to get a little space for our second pit stop. But the three yellow flags put us in a bad position for our strategy. We felt we could run with the leaders if we got a break. We led some laps and got some good air time for Make-A-Wish, Honda Canada and Motegi Wheels. We had to deal with too much traffic after the first stop, and I tried to dive under Simona (de Silvestro) in turn three. The rear end got loose and I stalled. That put us back a lap. Then at the end, the car was quick. I learned a couple of things in driving the car today that help with the handling. I just wish we could have qualified better. But we learned some things today and we'll get better for Edmonton next week. This was a great week back home with all of the appearances for Make A Wish and Honda Canada. I was hoping for a better finish though."

MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology): "I think we should turn the page on this weekend. It was tough for our KV Racing team. We can look forward to the Edmonton race. I feel badly for (Takuma) Sato. I wasn't expecting him to be in that spot on the track. He was in my blind line and it was similar to Helio (Castroneves) and PT (Paul Tracy) last year. So the two cars came together. Later in the race, the car felt pretty good but we need to get ready to improve for Edmonton. We just need to forget about this weekend now."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske): "It's very sad. We had an awesome car and I think we could've fought for the win. (Meira) just broke very early going into the turn and I just didn't anticipate that. It's really too bad. The Team Penske crew had a great pit stop and we were looking strong. We'll regroup and come back with a better result next week at Edmonton."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): I made a bit of a bobble coming out of Turn 1. The cars in front of me were kind of messing round, they missed it a little bit. I followed a bit too hard and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) had a bit of a run. I held my typically line, moved over to the left, and he dove under. I had to go somewhere. He was just carrying way too much speed and hit the front of my car and put us in the tires. Before that, the car was pretty quick. We had troubles early on in the race but we definitely came back. Thought we could have had a shot at fourth or fifth but it didn't work out.

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske): "That was just really unfortunate to be taken out by a non-championship contender. The Team Penske car was definitely capable of a top-five finish today and we lost a lot of valuable championship points. We were able to finish, but now we'll just have to put our heads down and get to work next weekend in Edmonton."

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com): "It's a great confidence-booster not only for me, but the whole #7 GoDaddy.com team. It's the best finish we've had on a street course this season. We were really happy with the way the car was performing throughout the whole race. This is a good way to end a great weekend since we head to another road course next week in Edmonton. Overall, we were strong as a team with the four of us in the top 10."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology): "It was an exciting start and I was able to battle with other drivers and gain a few places. Then I was following my teammate (Mario) Moraes. I caught up very rapidly on him out of turn two and pulled alongside of him on the back straight. We went into the braking area in turn three, but I guess he didn't see me out there and made contact which unfortunately ended my race. It is so disappointing."

The Next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy Edmonton on July 25 at Edmonton City Centre Airport. The race will be televised by VERSUS at 5 p.m. (EDT). The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Edmonton 100 on July 25 at Edmonton City Centre Airport.

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES EMBRACES INNOVATION FOR 2012
Slashes barrier to entry to encourage competition

INDIANAPOLIS (July 14, 2010) - The future is here, and it's innovative, open and competitive.

The IZOD IndyCar Series unveiled July 14 its new car strategy for the 2012 season and beyond, featuring a rolling chassis with an enhanced safety cell produced by longtime series partner Dallara that will be covered in changeable bodywork created by various manufacturers.

Known as the IndyCar Safety Cell, it will be manufactured at a new facility in Speedway, Ind., and will serve as the base of the new car. Various manufacturers can produce the aero kit to dress the car with different body work, including front and rear wings, side pods, engine covers and more.

This new chassis strategy, unveiled at a ceremony at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, is based on a recommendation from the ICONIC (Innovative, Competitive, Open-Wheel, New, Industry-Relevant, Cost-Effective) Advisory Committee. The strategy is focused on the attributes of safety, raceability, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, relevant technology, American-made, green and modern looks.

The chassis completes the outline of the technical package for the IZOD IndyCar Series for 2012 and beyond. The ICONIC committee recommended June 2 an engine package featuring specifications of a maximum of six cylinders as well as maximum displacement of 2.4 cubic liters. The ethanol-fueled engines will produce between 550 and 700 horsepower to suit the diverse set of tracks in the IZOD IndyCar Series, will be turbocharged to allow for flexibility in power and will feature an Overtake Assist system providing a time-limited gain of up to 100 horsepower on select tracks.

"Once again, the ICONIC Advisory Committee has done a tremendous job to tirelessly seek opinions from manufacturers, teams, drivers and fans to devise this exciting new car strategy that best represents all the attributes that make this sport so unique and compelling," said Randy Bernard, chief executive officer of the IZOD IndyCar Series. "This car puts everything all of our stakeholders want on the racetrack: safety, competition on and off the track, diversity, efficiency and more.

"The new car also is a cost-effective package that positions the series for tremendous growth and enhances the series' relevancy to future automotive technology, while respecting the tradition of innovation in open-wheel racing."

Significant features of the new IZOD IndyCar Series car:

.The rolling chassis manufactured by Dallara to IndyCar specifications will cost $349,000, with a complete car costing $385,000. This is a 45 percent price decrease from the current IZOD IndyCar Series formula. The IndyCar Safety Cell is designed for use on all types of tracks on which the IZOD IndyCar Series competes, eliminating the need for separate chassis.

.Each team can race two different aero kits from any manufacturer during the season, with a maximum price of $70,000 for each kit. The IZOD IndyCar Series must approve all aero kit parts before production. All approved aero kit parts must be made available to all teams and undergo safety testing approved by the IZOD IndyCar Series.

.The targeted minimum weight for the new car is 1,380 pounds, nearly 200 pounds lighter than the current formula. This will make the car more efficient, another trend that will define the future of the automotive industry. The actual minimum weight of the car will be determined once variables with suppliers, including engine weight, are determined.

.The IndyCar Safety Cell will feature improved visibility, head, leg and back protection and advanced padding and ergonomics. Another unique safety concept is the wheel interlock prevention system, which will allow cars to run side-by-side while limiting the chance for wheels locking and the subsequent risk for cars getting airborne.

"Our goal was to maintain the IZOD IndyCar Series as the fastest and most versatile racing in the world," said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for the IZOD IndyCar Series. "This strategy achieves the different looks that fans wanted while maintaining the close, intense racing that occurs at every IZOD IndyCar Series event, whether on a superspeedway, short oval, road course or street circuit. A new car also levels the playing field, giving more teams a chance to succeed and generating more excitement for our fans.

"The significant reduction in the price of the new car is very important, as it helps to maintain economic stability for our teams as we transition to a new car. It also creates a more attractive avenue for new teams to enter the series."

The new car will provide the proven safety record and world-class build quality of Dallara while revolutionizing the sport by creating opportunities for multiple manufacturers - even those not currently involved in race car engineering and design - to produce parts of the car.

"This unique and groundbreaking concept embraces innovation and competition, very much in keeping with IndyCar traditions, while at the same time achieving the impossible, reducing the cost of entry and competition," said ICONIC Committee member Gil de Ferran, co-owner of De Ferran Dragon Racing and 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner. "By the use of standard parts and supply rules the IZOD IndyCar Series ensures the cost are under control and teams have access to the latest and greatest. By encouraging multiple manufacturers to supply bodywork parts and, essentially, brand the cars, the IZOD IndyCar Series brings in the innovation and competition many of us were looking for."

Said ICONIC Advisory Committee member Tony Purnell, founder of Pi Research, former technical representative to the FIA and former head of Ford's Premiere Performance Division: "We are delivering the best of both worlds to our fans and teams by creating new looks in a cost-effective manner. The innovation bred by this new formula is not limited to traditional racing manufacturers. It's our goal to reach out and challenge the automotive and aerospace industries.

"Come on Ford, GM, Lotus, Ferrari. Come on Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Electric. Come on you engineers working in your garage or in small shops. We've done our best to provide a framework for all of you to showcase your technical prowess without a need for a major raid on your piggy banks. We want you guys involved, all of you."

As part of the new chassis strategy, the IZOD IndyCar Series will increase its technical staff and facilities significantly, positioning the series as a leading-edge technical organization in worldwide motorsports.

The IZOD IndyCar Series formed the ICONIC Advisory Committee is tasked with reviewing, researching and making a recommendation to the league on the next generation IZOD IndyCar Series engine and chassis. ICONIC Committee members include Barnhart, Tony Cotman, de Ferran, Eddie Gossage, Rick Long, Purnell and Neil Ressler. It is mediated by retired Air Force Gen. William R. Looney III.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Sunday, July 4, 2010) - Will Power claimed Team Penske's first IZOD IndyCar Series victory at Watkins Glen International, winning the sixth Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen.

Series points leader Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske entry, passed his teammate Ryan Briscoe with six laps to go and held off Dario Franchitti and Briscoe for his third IZOD IndyCar Series victory of 2010.

Briscoe passed Franchitti on the final lap to help Team Penske record its first 1-2 finish since Edmonton in 2009. Brazilians Raphael Matos of de Ferran Dragon Racing and Mario Moraes of KV Racing Technology completed the top five.

In all, there were seven teams represented among the top 10 finishers in the race.

Also on July 4, French rookie J.K. Vernay strengthened his Firestone Indy Lights championship points lead with a victory in the Corning 100 at Watkins Glen International.

Vernay, driving the No. 7 Lucas Oil/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, overtook pole sitter James Hinchcliffe entering the "Bus Stop" on Lap 19 of the 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit and went on to his third victory of the season.

Hinchcliffe, driving the No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car, finished .2135 of a second behind. Sebastian Saavedra, who won at Iowa Speedway on June 20, finished third in the No. 29 William Rast/Bryan Herta Autosport car.

Andretti Autosport announced today that Team IZOD driver Ryan Hunter-Reay will run the rest of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season after a group of team sponsors stepped up to fund the effort.

The team also unveiled a new charitable initiative connected to Hunter-Reay's No. 37 entry called "Racing For Cancer." The program, which was developed by Tom Vossman, chief executive officer of team sponsor Inland Industrial Services Group, will raise money for cancer research and other charitable causes in honor of Hunter-Reay's mother, Lydia, who lost her battle with colon cancer in November 2009.

Hunter-Reay was originally slated to run only a partial schedule with primary sponsorship from Phillips-Van Heusen and its IZOD brand, Andretti Autosport continued to seek additional funding to grow the program to fulltime status.

In addition to the efforts of Phillips-Van Heusen and its IZOD brand, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inland, AirTran Airways, Comfort Revolution, The Michael Fux Foundation, Exel and ICM-Ethanol USA all have rallied to keep Hunter-Reay on track in 2010.

The car will continue to sport the primary sponsor scheme of Team IZOD exception for the race Aug. 28 at Chicagoland Speedway and an event to be determined, where Ethanol USA will be the primary sponsor as it was June 20 at Iowa Speedway.

The "Racing For Cancer" program launched today at www.racingforcancer.org and will raise funds during the remainder of the 2010 season and beyond. Those funds will be donated primarily to two national charities - The Michael Fux Foundation and LIVESTRONG - and will drive marketing, promotional and awareness campaigns in support of The Michael Fux Foundation and its beneficiaries.

The Michael Fux Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars through its existing charity work, champions numerous causes, including Down's Syndrome, autism, cancer and heart diseases. The foundation works extensively with Miami Children's Hospital, which last fall unveiled the new Michael Fux Family Center, and also with the Children's Cancer Caring Center and "Operation Smile," among many others. The foundation will focus the "Racing For Cancer" funds on children who are unable to afford cancer treatment, primarily in the Miami area.

As part of their support for Hunter-Reay and Team IZOD's car number "37," and in honor of Hunter-Reay's mother, a number of Andretti Autosport team sponsors have committed to making $37,000 donations to "Racing For Cancer." The first official donation to the effort was made by Team 7-Eleven driver Tony Kanaan, who is also putting forth $37,000.

RYAN HUNTER-REAY: "I've never seen anything like this. So many people pulling together to make things happen. Andretti Autosport and Michael (Andretti) have bent over backward to make things work, to keep me in the car. I'll never forget that. They worked endless hours to make this work. Tom (Vossman) is like an angel out of left field that came down. You can race and honor your mom. I also have to thank Michael Fux for his personal support and making the 'Racing For Cancer' program a reality. I was really close to my mom. Super-close. For all of this to come together, it was for the right reasons. Not only does it keep a race team going, it's going to benefit the frontlines in the battle against cancer. It's just an amazing system that's come up. All of the sponsors in this amazing team have contributed to make this happen. Even the best the teammate I've ever had, Tony Kanaan, made a contribution. I've never seen anything like it, and I'm so proud at the center of it. Now to be able to just show up, go race for the rest of the season, with the same team and the same people, it's a great time."

TONY KANAAN: "It was a great idea when I heard of it. He's been such a great teammate. I lost my dad when I was 13 years old to cancer. He battled really bad for four years, and I was by his side the whole time. I can relate to Ryan. When they came up with the program, I was thrilled." (To Hunter-Reay about Kanaan's $37,000 contribution to Racing For Cancer): "I'm your sponsor now, so you better respect me. Today, do not pass me, or I will pull that sponsorship out (laughter). This race team, it's not a race team. It's a family. It's the best place to be."

•This is the third career Firestone Indy Lights victory for series rookie J.K. Vernay. He also won the first two races of this season, at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park.

•J.K. Vernay's margin of victory, .2135 of a second, was the closest of the season in Firestone Indy Lights on any type of circuit. The previous closest was .4388 of a second in the Firestone Freedom 100 in May on the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

•This is the fourth margin of victory of less than one second in six Firestone Indy Lights races this season.

•This was the second-closest margin of victory, .2135 of a second, on a street/road course in Firestone Indy Lights history. The closest was .0758 of a second in 2007 at Watkins Glen when Wade Cunningham edged Hideki Mutoh.

•Watkins Glen has been the site of three of the five closest margins of victory on a street-road course in Firestone Indy Lights history (.0758 in 2007, .2135 in 2010, .5499 in 2009).

•Series points leader J.K. Vernay has led laps in three races this season - St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park and Watkins Glen. He won all three races.

•Winner J.K. Vernay recorded his fifth top-three finish in six starts this season. His only result off the podium came in May in the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis, where he finished 13^th.

•There have been eight different winners in eight Firestone Indy Lights races at Watkins Glen since this series first ran here in 2005. There were two races each at The Glen in 2007 and 2008.

•This is the fifth consecutive top-five finish this season for James Hinchcliffe. His only finish outside of the top five came in the season opener at St. Petersburg, in which he was involved in a first-turn accident after starting from the pole.

•This is the third podium finish of the season for Sebastian Saavedra. He won on the oval at Iowa and finished third on the road course at Barber Motorsports Park.

J.K. VERNAY (No. 7 Lucas/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, winner): "It was a really hard race. I didn't know the track when I arrived here. The track is so beautiful and so complicated. We improved practice after practice, and by the race, the car was just fabulous. (James) Hinchcliffe made a little mistake in the corner, and I was able to overtake him. It's just fantastic. The team did a great job. This is very good for the championship. Three wins for a rookie isn't bad."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling, second): "This was not the result we were looking for. There's no doubt that the No. 2 car was the fastest of the field. On that second lap of the restart, I got into the kitty litter put down for Stefan Wilson's motor. I said under caution that I was surprised that they were letting us go green with so much stuff on the track, but at the end of the day, it was there. I saw it; I knew it was there. I just tried not to drive down the inside of the track and get a good run. I got a bit sideways out of Turn 1 and gave JK (Vernay) the run. We were all over him at the end, but there was nothing we could do. It was just unfortunate. My boys deserved better."

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 29 William Rast/Bryan Herta Autosport, third): "It was a crazy start. The outside position is not a bad way to go because it is so wide going into Turn 1. We were able to go through it, but I lost my position with (Martin) Plowman in that corner. But I was able to get it back. From then on, I was able to maintain pace with the front. We were able to do our own race and just save the tires until the end. At the end with the last yellow, we were very close fighting each other. The amount of downforce needed at this track, it is not very easy to go through. So we're very happy with third place. It's very important points for the championship."

MARTIN PLOWMAN (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers/KEP Printing, fourth): "I have to say that this race was kind of like a victory. Coming into the weekend, I would have never been happy with fourth, but considering the weekend we've had and getting the damage early on in the race. We just had a really dogged performance and we never gave up. One day, we're going to get a win. But now we're happy with the points in the championship." (What happened to the car?): "Something broke at the rear of the car. On right-handers, it was fine, but turning left, it felt like I had a flat tire for the whole 30 laps."

JAMES WINSLOW (No. 77 Focal Point/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, fifth): "We totally transformed the car for the race. We didn't get many laps in practice and qualifying because of a sump problem. I ran over a curb, and it lost all the oil. I didn't qualify so we started in the back. The car was fantastic today. Full credit to the team for finding the setup. I found the car more comfortable, and I was able to push. I was catching Plowman for fourth, and I thought there was a potential for a top-four finish. But Charlie Kimball got around me even though he was a few laps down and slowed me up and kept me from passing his teammate. It's really frustrating, but that's racing, and I'm very happy with fifth place."

ANDERS KROHN (No. 4 Andersen Racing, 10^th): "It was the gearbox. When I hit the brakes going into the corners, it went into neutral. I had to do about 15 downshifts going into Turn 1. I have blisters on my hands from it. I don't know what we broke in the gearbox, but we broke something. We were running in fourth place comfortably. I was so comfortable. I thought for sure I could get third if we had another restart. But halfway through the race was when the gearbox started acting up. After that, all my focus was just on finishing the race. We were running so strong. I came in 10^th, but it was one of the best days of my life ever. This was my first Firestone Indy Lights race ever, but we showed we could run with the big boys. I'm so happy. Today was a big motivation for me. You could write a book on everything that happened over the last two days. It was a fantastic experience. Now we'll go back to focusing on Star Mazda for the rest of the year, and try to work on moving up the Road to Indy ladder to Firestone Indy Lights next year."

•Will Power became the first driver to win this event from pole. Team Penske has won the pole each of the six years this event has taken place, but this is the team's first victory in this event.

•This is the third victory of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season for Will Power. He also won the first two races of the season, at Sao Paulo and St. Petersburg.

•This is Will Power's second victory this season from pole. He also won from the top spot at St. Petersburg.

•This is Will Power's fourth career IZOD IndyCar Series victory. He has won this season at Sao Paulo, St. Petersburg and Watkins Glen. He won in 2009 at Edmonton.

•This is the first one-two finish this season for Team Penske. It's the second one-two by any team this season, as Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti finished first and second, respectively, at Kansas. The last time Team Penske finished 1-2 was in July 2009 at Edmonton, when Will Power and Helio Castroneves finished 1-2, respectively.

•This is the fourth major open-wheel victory at Watkins Glen for Team Penske. Bobby Unser won here in 1979 in 1980 and Rick Mears in 1981 for the team in CART events. This is the team's first IZOD IndyCar Series victory at this track.

•This was Ryan Briscoe's third podium finish this season. He won at Texas and finished third at St. Petersburg.

•Team Penske has led at least one lap in all nine IZOD IndyCar Series events this season. No other team has led in every race.

•Dario Franchitti finished third, tying a career best at Watkins Glen. He also finished third in 2005 and 2007.

•This was Dario Franchitti's fourth podium finish of the season. He won at Indianapolis, finished second at Kansas and third at Barber Motorsports Park.

•This was the 40^th IZOD IndyCar Series victory for Team Penske, extending its series record.

•Raphael Matos finished fourth, tying his IZOD IndyCar Series career best also set this season at Sao Paulo.

•Mario Moraes finished a season-best fifth. His previous best was sixth at Long Beach.

•Scott Dixon finished eighth, only his second finish outside of the top six this season. He was 18^th at St. Petersburg.

•Tony Kanaan finished 21^st, his worst result since finishing 21^st in July 2009 at Edmonton.

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske, winner): "There were two different strategies there, but I'm so happy to win it. I wanted it really bad; I really wanted to win. I can't stand when you're the quickest in qualifying and then you have a bad race. Honestly, it was the first race that I pushed on every single lap. Never once that I didn't push. We have to get the fuel number the whole race, so I had to push really hard while saving fuel. I had to get the lap time while saving fuel. It was just a difficult race, but it was great. I loved it."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, second): "Will was strong. We had a lot more downforce in the car. I was just a parachute going down the back straighaway. Both of these guys just came from nowhere and drove around me. It was a little bit frustrating, but with the downforce I was able to look after my red tires a bit more than Dario (Franchitti). He was hanging on for dear life at the end, and thankfully his went off about a lap sooner than mine did so I was able to get him. It's a great way to bring home a Penske one-two."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, third): "I was catching Will, but I used up my tires too much to catch up to him. Just overused them. Ryan was getting closer to me. I was trying to make a gap to him and made a mistake, and he got past me. I'm disappointed with the last lap, but it was a fun race. It's a fun place to race." (If your tires hadn't gone off, did you have anything for Will Power?): "I'm not sure anyone had anything for him. Will did a great job. When the tires started to go off, he did a better job of managing his tires. I don't know. I think he did a great job."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, eighth): The Simona incident really hurt us with her causing that yellow. I think we were looking at a fourth- or fifth-place finish at that point. But with everything happening, it screwed our strategy. It was a tough day. Things were kind of going for us at one point, and then later on they didn't. To salvage an eighth out of it isn't too bad. We're still third in points and within striking distance of the championship."

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic, 12^th): "I'm pleased with the finishing position for the Formula Dream/Panasonic team, but on the last stint, I lost three positions to Dixon, Castroneves and Wilson. The positive thing is that I learned some things following them. I think I improved my driving during the race, and we found our weak points. In some corners, we were very slow, and in others, we were fast.It will be good for next year.I'm looking forward to racing with Newman/Haas Racing in the Honda Indy Toronto race. Last year, the team was good there and looked like they had a strong car. I have one week off and time to discuss the plan with the team. I'm looking forward to going back to Toronto. I love street courses."

RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 HP de Ferran Dragon, fourth): "It's been a really tough year for us. The guys have worked really hard putting the cars together after Indy. It's a great result for the whole team, and all the thanks go to them. This result is good for momentum for us. I'm sure we'll learn a lot from this weekend that will help us going to Toronto and Edmonton."

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM, 24^th): "I had a good pit stop, and I tried to make up too much time. I made a mistake. I feel really bad for HVM, and they did a really good job."

ALEX LLOYD (No. 19 Boy Scouts of America, 25^th): "We're not entirely sure. We started having some strange things happening after the first pit stop. We changed tires, and all of the sudden, the steering locked. It was almost like a road car when you lose your power steering. It's been a frustrating weekend with assorted issues here and there."

MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology, fifth): "The last few races have been really hard for KV Racing Technology, so we needed this fifth-place result. Now we're heading to Toronto, where we can try to improve on it. I really need to work on my fuel mileage because I really couldn't use my push-to-pass, but it was a good day."

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing, 19^th): "Not a very good day for Foyt Racing, ABC and myself. We had a good car - not the best car of the season, but it was a good car. We unloaded and made a lot of progress during the practices, but not enough time. Then we had troubles on the pit stops, which didn't help. It's been hard to pass here, so it's a weekend to take what we have and learn from it and go for the next one. There's not much else positive you can get out of this weekend. Still it's one race, one battle, and we have the whole war."

E.J VISO (No. 8 PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KVRT, 11^th): "It was a straightforward race for me. I just kept listening to my engineer, Bill Pappas, and driving as hard as I could. I was pretty much driving a blind race because we pitted early for a different strategy. I didn't have many people in front of me until the end, when I was able to make several overtaking moves.It was difficult to keep the pace throughout the race because I lost the readings on my dashboard. I didn't get any lap times or sectors on my screen. I just listened to Bill all day, and he is good at giving me information and strategy. It is a shame we didn't qualify because if I had been in the top 10 in qualifying, I think I could have been in the top four today. We had a good car all weekend. Just the (Saturday practice) incident hurt our overall weekend. Again, I had to pass a lot of cars. I passed 14 cars today. We passed 16 at Iowa. It would be good to start further up the grid for Toronto."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology, 15^th): "I'm very disappointed. The race started very well. It was exciting, and I was able to move up a position. In the first stint, I was running fourth and comfortably with the leaders. But after the first pit stop, we lost positions and speed, and that then made it a very hard race to the end. I was hoping to have a very strong race, but we did still learn a lot today. I'm ready to get the Lotus car in to a strong position at the next race in Toronto."

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com, 20^th): "It was a pretty tough day for the GoDaddy team. The car itself was solid, but we just couldn't make up any ground. My guys did a great job this weekend, so I wish we had more to show for it."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD, seventh): "All in all, it was a pretty good day. The IZOD guys gave me a good race car, but I dug myself quite a hole when we stalled in the pits. I think we had a fourth-place car. We were definitely better than seventh, but we had to come all the way from the back after the problem with the stall. We had to be careful with fuel at the end and we actually ran out on the cool-down lap, so it was close. I'm just happy to know that I'm here for the whole season. It's really special to be able to race in honor of my mom for the rest of the year and in support of 'RacingForCancer.org.' It's just really cool that this whole team pulled together like this."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy, 13^th): "The Venom car was strong today, but we made the wrong tire choice for the last stint. We put a qualifying set of reds on, and the fronts were totally grain. It felt like I was driving in the wet. By the finish, the tread was gone. Had we made a different choice, I think we could have held our own and challenged for a top-five finish."

ADAM CARROLL (No. 27 Team Boost Mobile, 16^th): "Well, that was pretty eventful. Because the race was so long, sometimes I found that I struggled with the balance, in general. In the middle, the car felt really good, and I was able to run with a lot of the guys up front. I struggled after that last stop. The main thing is that I got the experience, got more time in the car and got a pretty good start. We'll go back, see where I can improve, and come back stronger at Mid-Ohio."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, ninth): "I think I proved I was the fastest car on three wheels out there. Unfortunately, we had the flat tire. I think it was a little impatience by the No. 9 car. He had a fast straight-line car and probably could have made the pass without causing that contact, but we were both able to recover and finish in the top 10. It was a great job by Team Penske today with a one-two finish, and congratulations to Will and the Verizon team for getting the win and finally breaking through for Team Penske at Watkins Glen."

DAN WHELDON (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing, sixth): "First and foremost, it's very special to represent to the National Guard on the Fourth of July, and I wanted to say hello to all the soldiers representing this country overseas and also here in the United States. It was a fantastic job by the National Guard Panther Racing team today. We were very strong on the first day, and we had a little problem yesterday that we didn't find until after qualifying. The race was very eventful to start with. We got bumped by Alex Lloyd. I could see he was having a little bit of a go at me and I tried to leave him some room, but he obviously wasn't right alongside of me and we touched. It's unfortunate but one of those things. I knew once we got to the pit stop, the team would get me some spots. And fortunately because the car was so good, we were able to overtake people. And soon as we got on the red Firestone tires, I was able to come through the field. That was a very strong team performance today by the Panther boys."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 FAZZT Race Team, 17^th): "Today was a tough day. We haven't had our best weekend, and the entire FAZZT team were hoping that we could pull out a good result with race strategy, but that just didn't happen. Rob (Edwards) and the guys tried to do their magic, but when the yellow came out (on Lap 38), we were just done. At that point, I just tried to keep out and gain some positions and gain some points to help us gain in the championship hunt. I'm looking forward to the next races in Canada, and I know we will recover and come back strong in Toronto."

JUSTIN WILSON (No. 22 Team Z-Line Designs/DRR, 10^th): "It was a lot of work to finish 10^th today. Everybody on the Z-Line Designs car worked hard, but we were fighting all the way through just trying to make something happen. The Firestone reds were graining pretty badly during that first stint, but that was the gamble we made starting on them. Unfortunately, we lost several more spots in that first pit-stop which put us on the back foot. After that, we were just working hard to make those positions back and move forward. We were reasonably quick, but just had too much work to do. We're looking forward to Toronto now."

PAUL TRACY (No. 24 Honda Indy Toronto/DRR, 14^th): "It wasn't the day we were hoping for with the DRR/Honda Indy Toronto/Motegi Wheels car, but we kept fighting at it all day and got the handling better on the car and ultimately ended up with a 14^th-place result. We had some issues in the race with the radio and not having communication at times, which made it difficult at times. Also, I think Justin struggled with the same thing as me, which was the balance. It's not what we wanted, but we brought the car home and got some points, and that's all that matters. I had a great time working with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and I hope that I get the opportunity to do it again and get to work with Robbie and Dennis and the rest of the team. Overall, it was a great group of guys, and I would like to do some more."

The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues July 18 with the Honda Indy Toronto at Streets of Toronto. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 12:30 p.m. (ET) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 212. The race also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Grand Prix of Toronto on July18 at the Watkins Glen International.

IZOD IndyCar Series
Camping World GP At The Glen
Watkins Glen, N.Y. - Results Sunday of the Camping World Grand Prix At The Glen IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 3.37-mile Watkins Glen International, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
2. (3) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
3. (4) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
4. (11) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
5. (9) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
6. (20) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
7. (16) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
8. (7) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
9. (2) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
10. (6) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
11. (25) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
12. (14) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
13. (8) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
14. (12) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
15. (5) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
16. (10) Adam Carroll, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
17. (19) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
18. (23) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
19. (17) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
20. (21) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
21. (13) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
22. (18) Mario Romancini, Dallara-Honda, 59, Out of Fuel
23. (24) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 57, Running
24. (15) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 38, Contact
25. (22) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 22, Mechanical

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1:40:27.4391
Winners average speed: 120.768
Margin of victory: 1.2181 seconds
Cautions: 2 for 5 laps
Lead changes: 5 among 4 drivers
Lap Leaders:Power 1-18, Dixon 19-28, Power 29-38, Franchitti 39, Briscoe 40-43, Power 44-60.
Point Standings: Power 327, Franchitti 295, Dixon 287, Briscoe 280, Castroneves 273, Hunter-Reay 251, Tony Kanaan 241, Wilson 211, Whedlson 211, Andretti 201.

LOUDON, N.H. (Sunday, June 27, 2010) - The "Fastest Race in the World" will return to the Granite State in 2011 when the IZOD Indy Car Series returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway officials announced today. The race will be held on July 30, 2011.

"We're pleased to restore an Indy car short oval to the schedule to further increase our diversity of venues," said Randy Bernard, chief executive officer of the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series. "As evident last weekend in Iowa, our cars produce tremendous racing on short ovals. Additionally, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is strategically located in the Northeast, which fills a geographical gap in our schedule. I have to thank Bruton Smith and Jerry Gappens for giving us a great opportunity here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway."

Bernard was joined by Speedway Motorsports Inc., founder and chief executive officer O. Bruton Smith, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch and Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway in making the official announcement.

Two-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti demonstrated the more than 200 mph speed that New Hampshire Motor Speedway will see with a three-lap run during pre-race ceremonies.

"This is three year deal in the making," said Jerry Gappens executive vice president and general manager of the speedway. "As an Indiana native and a fan of open-wheeled racing, I strongly believe that the people of New Hampshire will embrace this new breed of speed much like they do NASCAR."

New Hampshire Motor Speedway played host to one of the five Indy Racing League events in its inaugural year (Aug. 8, 1996) with Scott Sharp taking the checkered flag. It also was the site of Robbie Buhl's first victory (Aug. 17, 1997) and Tony Stewart's third (June 28, 1998). CART sanctioned races on the variably-banked (2 to 7 degrees) oval from 1992 to '95.

One of the IZOD IndyCar Series most popular driver, Danica Patrick, was at NHMS this weekend behind the wheel of a stock car. She showed her enthusiasm at the series adding another oval to the Indy schedule.

" I think it is very positive addition to our schedule, especially because it is in the northeast," she said.

New Hampshire International Speedway, which opened in 1990, was purchased in 2008 by Smith from Bob and Gary Bahre and renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It is about an hour north of Boston and, according to the most recent census, more than 18 million people live within two hours of the picturesque venue.

Tickets for the IZOD IndyCar Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway go on sale Monday June 28, 2010. Prices range from $35-$75.

***

The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues July 4 with the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 3:30 p.m. (ET) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The race also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Corning 100 on July 4 at the Watkins Glen International.Media Contact:

The veteran Andretti Autosport driver won for the first time since June 2008, prevailing in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer. Kanaan, who started 15th, overtook Helio Castroneves with 10 laps remaining on the .875-mile track.

E.J. Viso finished an IZOD IndyCar Series-high third and Ryan Briscoe was fourth.

Will Power, the pole sitter, finished fifth to regain the series championship points lead. Dario Franchitti, the leader entering the race, looked to be a contender until the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car had a gearbox issue with 50 laps remaining.

It was a special weekend for John O'Gara. He was with extended family at the racetrack, race day also happened to be Father's Day and on June 19 he celebrated his 28th wedding anniversary with his bride, Jean.

O'Gara, the race strategist among other things for the No. 67 Dollar General car driven by team owner Sarah Fisher, has the opportunity to work side by side with son Andy and daughter Colleen.

"It's incredible to be able to follow him like I did growing up and to come to all the racetracks and root him on and to now be here on the other end," said Andy, who happens to be married to the owner/driver.

Both were part of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for many years before leaving to start Sarah Fisher Racing in 2008. Sarah's 80th IZOD IndyCar Series start was cut short when the No. 67 car drifted up the track in Turn 4 and made light contact with the SAFER Barrier on Lap 95.

"Sometimes you don't appreciate it while you're here but when you get home and take time to think about what you're doing, where you're at and who's around you and it means a great deal to us," Andy O'Gara said.

There are two sons of famous racing fathers competing in today's race on Father's Day: Graham Rahal, who is driving the #24 Dad's Root Beer car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, is the son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal. Marco Andretti, who drives the #26 Team Venom Energy for Andretti Autosport owned by his father Michael

In addition, there are three sets of fathers and sons working on the spotter's stand today: Former Indianapolis 500 polesitter Pancho Carter (Dale Coyne Racing) is joined by his sons Dane (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) and Cole (de Ferran Dragon Racing); Glenn "Packy" Wheeler (Panther Racing) and his son Chris (Dale Coyne Racing); Rik Crews and his son C.R. (Both with KV Racing Technology.

About 115 Boy Scouts from Iowa were part of the pre-race ceremonies at Iowa Speedway.

They had the opportunity to get an up-close look at the No. 19 Boys Scouts of America car driven by former Scout Alex Lloyd. Boy Scouts of America is celebrating its centennial anniversary, and the program with Dale Coyne Racing focuses on the benefits of Scouting in a changing world.

"It's phenomenal to have organizations like the Indy (Racing League) behind the Boy Scouts and realize that this program is what we need in today's world," said Jim Fox, scoutmaster of Troop 111 from Grimes, Iowa. "We've even added merit badges that fit today's world - geocaching, inventing - but the basic core values haven't changed from 1912."

Brett Snyder of Muscatine, Iowa, a tire changer on the No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing car, suffered a sprained ankle when struck by the car entering the pit stall during a stop in the first half of the race. ... Danica Patrick was running at the finish for the 24th consecutive race -- four off Scott Dixon's series record. Patrick posted her third consecutive top-10 finish. ... Dixon, who started in the top 10 for the 40th consecutive race, finished in the top 10 for the sixth race in a row. His five-race top 5 streak ended with a sixth-place finish.

· This is Tony Kanaan's first win of the season and the 14^th of his IZOD IndyCar Series career. His last win was at Richmond in 2008.

· This is Andretti Autosport's second win of the season. It won previously at Long Beach with Ryan Hunter-Reay.

· This is Helio Castroneves' second podium finishes of the 2010 season. He was on the podium when he won at Barber Motorsports Park in April.

· E.J. Viso finished a career-best third. His previous best finish in the IZOD IndyCar Series was fourth at St. Petersburg in 2008.

· The third place finish for KV Racing Technology matches the team's previous best IZOD IndyCar Series finish. Driver Mario Moraes finished third for the team at Chicagoland in 2009.

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): "I was leading at the time and the gearbox went. I was shifting from sixth down to fifth and came up with a box full of neutrals. We had a winning car today, but it wasn't anybody's fault. The Target team did a great job today. These things just happen."

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, winner Iowa Corn Indy 250): "I have to thank my team and the entire 7-Eleven crew. They did a great job. I had a great car. I have thank my teammates. Marco (Andretti) and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) came over after qualifying. I was very disappointed. I made a mistake during qualifying and I was pretty down. They talked to me for 45 minutes and cheered me up. Marco gave me a little bit of his setup and Ryan actually helped me with the setup, putting it together for today. It was a great job as a team and it feels good."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, finished second): "Team Penske did a great job. We finished fourth and fifth as well so all of our cars were in the front. Somehow the No. 3 car was always wearing out the left front. When I needed it the most, unfortunately it wasn't there. I'm not sure. Maybe that bump between Tony (Kanaan) and Scott (Dixon) might have caused something because it was very hard to set up the car during the race. I should be happy but with ten laps to go, it slipped right through my hands. We had great pit stops. The team did an incredible job. Tony did seem to have a better car. He could run everywhere but more consistent. It's a shame for us today, but for the championship it is very good.

E.J. VISO (No. 8 PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KV Racing Technology, finished third): "It's been a very tough year for the team. We all knew that we could get there. We have some very good people on the team and good drivers. We finished in the position we deserved to have. I hope this is the start of good things to come for the rest of the season."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, finished fourth): "I'm so happy with this fourth place finish today. I was scared. That first stint, the car was very loose. I think the change with the wind direction today, it really (inaudible) my car in Turn 1 with the bump. I was in a lot of trouble, so come in fourth today is a great effort by Team Penske. We made a few changes during the pit stops and they gave me positions on the yellow stops. That was really good."

RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 HP de Ferran Dragon Racing): "I had an OK race. The car ran well most of the race. We collected points, which is important. There is still a lot of the season to go. We had a mechanical issue during an early pit stop that hurt us a bit, but it was a good race overall. The change we made to the car yesterday after qualifying really helped and we moved in the right direction. We are continuing to understand the data and improve the car, which is important for the future."

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM): "We were really struggling for the last 20 laps. It was really hard to drive over the bump in Turn 2. I don't know what happened. We were OK at the beginning of the race. We had a mishap in the pits and we ran the tires down a lot. I'm sure we can learn a lot from this weekend. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing): "It was a good result. What matters is that we're improving and being consistent everywhere we go. We've had top 10s and the next stage is top fives. It's hard in this series, but the ABC Supply team is moving forward and that's important."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske): "We were just a little bit too loose. I had a couple of big moments. I worked with the stuff in the cockpit, and it wasn't bad at the end. It was pretty good. I should have gone the high side on those backmarkers. This track is so setup dependent. If you have a bad setup you're going backwards, so you have to nail it.

SARAH FISHER (No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing): "It was a racing accident. There's just not a whole lot of room, so when you go into a corner two-wide and there's a lack of grace, it makes it tough to go in the top. The marbles are bad here anyway. I almost had it but I got in the marbles after running a little high."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology): "I was just lapping traffic when I was looked inside and a car chopped into me. I was trying to be careful but I was too wide and went into the wall. I'm really disappointed. I feel very sorry for the team. They did a tremendous job over the weekend. Every pit stop was great. We worked on the car during every pit stop, trying different set ups to match the environment we have today. We were gradually gaining positions. I'm just disappointed finishing like this."

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic): "The car was reasonable at the beginning of the race. I was off the pace a little bit but we were working with the car. Once everyone got up to speed it was difficult to stay with them though. The guys did a fantastic job overnight and every day. I'm disappointed with myself because I think I could have done better. We're going to work hard to figure this out for the next round of oval races."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): "I think we did alright today but we weren't able to maximize points. After 40 laps we saw a lot of tire wear for some reason and I just got a ton of understeer. It was a shame but we managed to stay in the points mix."

IZOD IndyCar Series Iowa Corn Indy 250
NEWTON, Iowa - Results Sunday of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 0.894-mile Iowa Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (15) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running
2. (4) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running
3. (19) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running
4. (8) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running
5. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running
6. (2) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running
7. (13) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running
8. (12) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 249, Running
9. (17) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 249, Running
10. (9) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 249, Running
11. (10) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 249, Running
12. (6) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 248, Running
13. (14) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 248, Running
14. (21) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 247, Running
15. (3) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 244, Running
16. (23) Mario Romancini, Dallara-Honda, 244, Running
17. (22) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 237, Running
18. (5) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 212, Running
19. (7) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 177, Contact
20. (24) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 131, Handling
21. (20) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 128, Handling
22. (18) Sarah Fisher, Dallara-Honda, 92, Contact
23. (25) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 31, Handling
24. (11) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact
25. (16) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1:42:12.4036
Winners average speed: 131.205
Margin of victory: 4.2030 seconds
Cautions: 4 for 51 laps
Lead changes: 16 among 7 drivers
Lap Leaders: Power 1-32, Andretti 33-44, Franchitti 45-54, Rahal 55-65, Franchitti 66-67,
Dixon 68-85, Franchitti 86-112, Dixon 113-115, Franchitti 116-119, Kanaan 120-135, Franchitti 136-145, Kanaan 146-180, Franchitti 181-195, Castroneves 196-198, Franchitti 199, Castroneves 200-239, Kanaan 240-250.
Point Standings: Power 274, Dixon 263, Franchitti 258, Castroneves 251, Briscoe 240, Kanaan 229, Hunter-Reay 225, Wilson 191, Andretti 184, Dan Wheldon 183.

FORT WORTH, Texas (Saturday, June 5, 2010) - Ryan Briscoe was denied of firing the six-shooters in Victory Circle at Texas Motor Speedway the past two years. Finally, the Team Penske driver got to have some fun.

Briscoe, who started from the pole, held off Danica Patrick to win the Firestone 550K. Marco Andretti finished third for the second consecutive race and Scott Dixon, the 2008 race winner, finished fourth.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dario Franchitti was fifth, ending the two-year streak of the Indianapolis 500 winner repeating at Texas the same year.

Helio Castroneves, who started fifth in the No. 3 Team Penske car and was the 2009 winner at Texas, exited on Lap 129 when he attempted to overtake the No. 32 KV Racing Technology car driven by Mario Moraes on the frontstretch.

Wheels touched and the cars spun, with Bertrand Baguette in the No. 36 Conquest Racing RACB car having nowhere to go but between the spinning cars. He didn't fare so well. Castroneves was without radio communication with his spotter and the pit stand.

Simona De Silvestro suffered a minor burn on her right hand when the No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing car made contact with the wall on the backstretch.

IZOD IndyCar fans have spoken and they believe four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt should be recognized as the greatest Indy car oval driver.

Fans selected Foyt as the honoree for the oval championship trophy with 43.6 percent of the vote through a poll on indycar.com, the official website of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Rick Mears was second with 30.1 percent of the vote. Other nominees were: Mario Andretti (18.8 percent), Bill Vukovich (6.4 percent) and Ted Horn (1.1 percent).

Foyt was one of the most successful Indy car drivers with 67 victories -- 64 of which were on ovals. Of those oval wins, 24 came on dirt -- the most at the Indiana State Fairgrounds (6). Foyt scored most of his paved oval victories at Ontario Motor Speedway (5).

He had nine 500-mile victories: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4), Pocono Raceway (4) and Ontario (1). He won his first race on the 1-mile dirt track at Illinois State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Ill., on Sept. 5, 1960 (and went on to win four more races there). He won his last race at Pocono on June 21, 1981.

The IZOD IndyCar Series will announce the honoree for the Road/Street trophy at its next road course event at Watkins Glen International in July.

A.J. FOYT: "This is an honor that I really appreciate for a couple reasons," Foyt said. "I've always liked ovals more than road courses -- the Indy cars didn't run that many road courses when I won most of my races. Second, it was voted on by the fans so that makes it pretty special to me. I like the challenges of the ovals -- you have to have everything right: the driver, the car and the team. If you make a mistake on a road course, you can make it up in the next corner or two. Make a mistake on an oval and you end up in the wall. Ovals are a lot less forgiving. I think the Oval champion will be the driver and team that make the fewest mistakes. To have my name on that trophy is pretty cool any way you look at it."

Indy Racing League CEO Randy Bernard isn't usually a man of few words, but that one sufficed after exiting the Indy Racing Experience two-seater at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnny Rutherford was the driver for four laps on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval a few hours before the Firestone 550K.

Top speed was about 175 mph - about 40 mph slower than Ryan Briscoe's four-lap pole average - and Bernard felt the G forces that pinned him to the right side of the stretched Dallara.

In 15 years as CEO of the Professional Bull Riders, Bernard hadn't once boarded a mechanical bull. Three months into the IZOD IndyCar Series gig and he's taken a wild ride.

"I've never had an experience like that in my life," Bernard says. "I can't even fathom going faster than we did. I was blown away with how fast we were going, and to know that Johnny can still go that fast was amazing."

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Justin Wilson raised $9,100 for charity through an auction of his "Wilson" helmet - an off-shoot of the volleyball in the Tom Hanks movie "Cast Away" -- he wore during his run to seventh place in the Indianapolis 500. The auction proceeds will be divided evenly between Racing for Kids and Operation Helmet.

Racing for Kids uses the popularity of motorsports to focus public attention and funding on the health care needs of children. Operation Helmet provides free helmet upgrade kits to servicemen deployed overseas.

· This is Ryan Briscoe's first win of the season and his sixth career IZOD IndyCar Series victory. His last win came at Chicagoland Speedway in 2009, eight races ago.

· This Team Penske's fourth win of 2010 and its 39^th win in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

· Danica Patrick finished a season-best second place, her first top-five of the season. Her previous best finish in 2010 was sixth at Indianapolis.

· Danica Patrick has been running at the finish in the last 23 IZOD IndyCar Series races. Scott Dixon holds the series record of 28.

· Marco Andretti finished third, his second consecutive top-three finish and third top five of 2010.

· Dario Franchitti finished fifth and assumed the lead in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings

· Andretti Autosport put four cars in the top-seven positions of the race with Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay's sixth and seventh-place finish.

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, winner Firestone 550K): "(On tonight's race): It was pretty crazy out there. There was also a lot of tire management too. I really had to work with the tools in the car to keep a good balance throughout the stint. That really made the race fun. (On racing Danica Patrick for the lead): Danica got by us and I didn't want to make any aggressive moves and block. I gained some momentum on the next lap, used the push-to-pass and was able to pass her out of Turn 4 and into Turn 1. She gave us a real run for our money tonight. It was fun racing side-by-side with her."

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com): "It was a good weekend last weekend in Indy and it was a good weekend here in Texas. Sometimes the little victories that I have throughout the season are not necessarily obvious on the track. Maybe there in other aspects of what I'm doing, winning little victories here and there to get everything in line to perform from top to bottom on race day. I've been working hard all season. It's just really nice to have a result to show how hard I've been working and how hard the team has been working as well."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy): "It was definitely a good team effort. The Venom car was strong all night long and we really showed that. We went to the back a couple of times and just came forward. Never give up, I think that was the name of the game tonight.

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): "Not a bad day for the Target team with a double top-five finish today. Our car was solid and we held our ground for the most part. Outside of that it wasn't your typical Texas race and things got strung out a bit at the end. We'll take the points and move to Iowa."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Energizer): "Great car in the front tonight, not as much in traffic. We led a bunch of laps and the Energizer car was really fast. It was a great job for Team Target. We were set up to run up front (but that didn't happen.)"

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven): "It was a good race for us. The 7-Eleven boys did a great job on the stops. Things could have been a little bit better, but I'm happy. It was crazy out there. Unfortunately, I got chopped back to 17th by my teammate and we had to work our way back through the field. I think we had a car to finish a little bit better, but that's the beauty of Texas. You can't know what is going to happen until the last lap. I had some fun, for sure."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD): "I think we had to work harder than anybody else tonight to get what we got. We went from the back to the middle to the back to the middle to the back to the top seven. Once again, we raced well in a pack. We're good in traffic, but the speed we had on our own just wasn't enough. This #37 IZOD team is extremely resilient. The guys dig deep, I dig deep; we are a great team. We could win a lot of races together. We'll just have to see what happens." (How did your thumb feel tonight?): "I forgot about it during the race. The adrenaline was running so high, I could have had a knife sticking in my arm and I wouldn't have known about it."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske): "Yeah, I was up at that front most of the night and finished out back. The Verizon car was good at front, but we struggled in traffic. Then we got out of sequence when we picked up some debris from a crashed car. We needed a yellow flag there at the end and just didn't get it."

E.J. VISO (No. 5 PDVSA - Jet Aviation- KV Racing Technology: "I want to thank the team for giving me a very good car today. I think had a top five car. Unfortunately, in the last stint, we had a problem with the handling as the car was just very loose. I almost lost it a couple of times in turn two at the end. That is why we lost some positions at the end. It was very strange and we are going do some research on the problem. Our car was fast for most of the race. We had a consistent package for the majority of the race. I'm looking forward to the Iowa race now."

MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology): "I couldn't hear my spotter say anyone was on the outside. Then I got hit and started spinning. I thought I was by myself. It is a tough one for the KV Racing team. We have to get ready for Iowa now."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 LOTUS - KV Racing Technology): "It was a tough weekend. After qualifying Saturday, we made a number of changes to the car for this morning's warm-up and it was a positive move. The race started solidly. We saved our tires and fuel to stretch our first stint. It was all setting up nicely, but in the second stint, Alex Lloyd came out of the pits on cold tires. He couldn't stop and struck my car under braking, causing me to spin. That really ended my race because there was no full-course caution until the end. In all, it was a very disappointing and tough race, but it was another good learning experience for me. Next, we race in Kansas and my first oval test will be there this coming Friday. I am very excited to start my oval adventure."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 FAZZT Race Team): "The team did a fantastic job tonight and gave me a really good car so it's disappointing to not be able to capitalize on that. We had a little issue in qualifying yesterday and the guys worked on it last night and fixed the problem and you could see that we had a great car when we got out front. Once I got out front, I had a great car and the Bowers and Wilkins #77 car was absolutely amazing. We realized we had a small issue in Indianapolis and it carried over here in qualifying. But the guys worked very hard and found the problem last night and I knew that tonight when I had such a good car. But the racing is just so competitive that you just can't make it up when you start from the back. I'm so proud of the boys and so proud to show what a good car we had when we got out front. That is testament to the hard work of the team and shows the character of everyone on this team. Now, we know we have a good car so we will leave and regroup and do a better job in Iowa."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology): "The start was quite exciting. It's a great track, especially for side-by-side racing. But soon, I started to struggle with the balance and I lifted through the corners. I was just hanging on and waiting until the first stop. The crew did a great job to get back the balance during the first pit stop. I was able to keep pace and overtake people. Going into Turn 2, there was sudden failure and I went into the wall. The impact was very gentle. It is such a shame to have it end like this."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske): "We were very lucky to be honest. At a speedway like this, you do not only rely on just your spotter. You have to have your whole line in each mirror to be sure that you are clear before you go wide. Clearly, he didn't do that. It takes experience. With only 130 laps in the race, there's still a lot to go. It's just a shame."

SIMONA de SILVESTRO (No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM): "The car was pretty loose for a couple of laps. It was pretty hard coming out of Turn 2. I was able to catch it a couple of times but this time it got away from me and I hit the wall. The car caught on fire and it wasn't really extinguishing. I feel bad for the guys because the car was pretty good, just a little loose. Now I know what a loose car is."

The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues June 20 with the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer at Iowa Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 1:30 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The race also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Iowa 100 on June 19 at the Iowa Speedway.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Results Saturday of the Firestone 550K IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.455-mile Texas Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

20. (5) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 129, Contact 21. (9) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 129, Contact 22. (22) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 129, Contact 23. (17) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 116, Mechanical 24. (26) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 97, Contact 25. (11) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 56, Contact 26. (21) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 37, Mechanical

Lap Leaders: Briscoe 1-7, Franchitti 8, Briscoe 9-47, Franchitti 48-132, Tagliani 133-165, Power 166-169, Briscoe 170-189, Wheldon 190, Mutoh 191, Patrick 192, Briscoe 193-228.

Point Standings: Franchitti 246, Power 243, Dixon 235, Castroneves 211, Briscoe 208, HUnter-Reay 201, Wilson 179, Kanaan, 179, Andretti 169, Wheldon 164.

Scott Dixon won the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 for the second consecutive year, giving Team Target its fourth victory in a row on the 1.5-mile oval (Dan Wheldon won in 2007 and '08).

Dixon held off teammate Dario Franchitti over the final six laps after a restart in the first oval race of the season. Andretti Autosport's Tony Kanaan improved 11 positions to finish third and Helio Castroneves was fourth.

Ryan Hunter-Reay, driving the No. 37 IZOD car for Andretti Autosport, moved up 17 spots from his starting position to finish fifth. Pole sitter Ryan Briscoe in the No. 6 Team Penske car finished sixth and Alex Tagliani was seventh in the No. 77 FAZZT Race Team entry.

Turner Gill, new head football coach at the University of Kansas, received a ride on the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval in the Indy Racing Experience two-seater.

"You could really feel the G forces," said Gill, who was the grand marshal of the IZOD IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen International last July while he was coach at the University of Buffalo. "It was thrilling. I felt like I was in a football game."

The Conquest Racing crew for #34 Mario Romancini was at Kansas Speedway until early this morning preparing the backup car for today's race. Ironically, the backup car is the same car that his teammate Bertrand Baguette has used on the road/street courses. Baguette's car is the chassis that Romancini used on road and street courses.

•This is the 22nd career IZOD IndyCar Series victory for Scott Dixon. His most recent victory came in 2009 at Motegi. Dixon had made six consecutive starts without a victory before today.

•This is Target Chip Ganassi Racing fourth consecutive race at Kansas Speedway. Dan Wheldon won in 2007-2008. Scott Dixon has won the last two races here at Kansas Speedway.

•This is Scott Dixon's second podium finish of the season. He finished second at Barber

•Dario Franchitti finished second, his best finish of the season. His previous best finish was third at Barber.

•This is the seventh 1-2 finish for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series. It is the third time that Dixon and Franchitti have finished 1-2 since the start of 2009 season.

•Tony Kanaan finished a season-best third. His previous best was fifth April 18 at Long Beach.

•Helio Castroneves finished fourth. He and Tony Kanaan are the only IZOD IndyCar Series driver to finish in the top 10 in every race this season.

•Ryan Hunter Reay finished fifth, his career-best finish on an oval. His previous best finish on an oval was sixth at Indianapolis in 2008.

•John Andretti finished a career-best ninth. His previous best was 11^th in 2008 at Iowa Speedway.

•Will Power has finished 12^th. He had finished in the top four in the previous four IZOD IndyCar Series races this season. He won at Sao Paulo and St. Petersburg, was third at Long Beach and fourth at Barber.

•There were six different teams represented in the top-10 finishers in today's race.

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, winner Road Runner Turbo Indy 300): "It's was huge. Winning at Kansas going into the month of May is a big deal. Team Target has had a slow start to the season, but this is what we need and jump back into points table. It's certainly good to get that momentum going to Indy."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Suave, finished second): "After the first pit stop, it looked like Ryan, Scott and myself were pretty equal. Scott made a mistake, got loose and I got past him. And then Scott got back past me and towards the end of the stint, managed to get past Ryan. After that Scott and I were running 1-2 in formation. He was a little bit quicker than I was, especially toward the end of the stint. He was probably .2 or .3 mile-per-hour every lap. My balance was very good, but he was just quicker. It went on for a quite a while then Tony and I were very close on the restart as well. Then the yellow came out just as we finished pitting and that put tons of cars between Scott and myself. In fact Helio jumped us in that situation too. And then on the final restart, it was tough. The backmarkers, again just like Barber, it appears the race one or two or three laps down is more important than the lead lap race. They're running side-by-side, driving up into the grey, giving absolutely no room to have the race in the front of the pack so that was very frustrating. I think Helio, Tony and myself were trying to make the best of it and trying to jump each other. I got past Helio and then I could see Tony coming on pretty strong. The last few laps, the car was really oversteering but I kept it flat and managed to jump him. I think second was a fair result for us.

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, finished third): "I have to thank the whole 7-Eleven crew for the great stops. It was a great race. We did what we could. We definitely didn't have the fastest car out there so we tried to maximize the result. Qualifying really doesn't matter at this place. I hope the fans enjoyed it. I want to thank them for coming and it's a good way to lead into Indianapolis.

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, finished fourth): "It was a good start for us on the ovals. We ran clean, we ran strong and we ran inside the top-five most of the day. We lost a couple of positions at the end there, but there was so much traffic and the car really changed. It's pretty tough out there. You can't blink or you might lose your spot. We were able to get into a good rhythm today and I think we created some good momentum for the month of May. At the end of the day, it was a positive result for Team Penske."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD, finished fifth): "It was a fight out there, for sure. It was really, really tough. The IZOD guys did a great job on the stops. We had a car that was manageable, but it was a little loose. I almost lost it out there a couple times, but almost doesn't count. We brought it home and this was good for the championship. Now, we just need to go get the funding to go past Indy."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, finished sixth): "We had a bit of a tough day out there today. We got out of sequence when we lost a wheel and that left us short a set of sticker tires. It was an exciting race and we probably passed more cars than anyone else out there. Considering the day we had, I feel pretty good that we were able to finish on the lead lap and bring home a top-six finish with the No. 6 Team Penske car. Hopefully we can learn from today and go into the Indianapolis 500 in good shape."

MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology, finished seventh): "We had a problem in qualifying that hurts us. We tried to fix it for the race, but maybe it wasn't enough. The car ran pretty good though. The setup wasn't the best for today. Now, we have to work harder to get ready for the Indy 500. We also had some problems with our pit stops today. Overall, I thought we could have had a better placing. So there are some things we can work on for Indy."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 FAZZT Race Team, finished eighth): "I think this weekend the FAZZT Race Team has shown that we can be competitive on the oval and that is where we want to be and I think it looks good for us heading into Indianapolis. It's very motivating for everyone on the team to have a good result here at our first oval event. Our race today was a good one but we realized early in the race that we weren't great on the restarts because of the gearing so with full fuel tanks it was a little difficult to follow the pace. But the team gave me such a good car and such a consistent car for the long runs that we were able to stay with the leaders. The Firestone tires were great today and the whole stint long the car was very consistent and we were able to make up ground. Towards the end we were fighting for position and it was better and easier for me to stay with the quick cars and we were good on fuel so everything worked really well. I'm very happy that we are going to leave here with the car in one piece and with our evaluation on the oval done. We are definitely proud of what we are doing and I'm amazingly proud of the boys and the job they have done preparing this car. We're very motivated and looking forward to getting prepared for the Indianapolis 500."

JOHN ANDRETTI, (No 43 TEAM Window World, finished ninth): "I can't be disappointed with this. I felt if we finished in the top 10, that would be better than I could expect and we finished ninth. We ran up there, we ran good and we ran good on the long runs. Like everybody, I think we wish (Scott) Dixon hadn't caught it quite so good because then we could have finished a little better, but I'm pleased. We weren't perfect, but it was good for me. I had a good time."

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing): "We needed a little more grip towards the end of the run but on the short run, the car was awesome fast and I was able to keep up with anyone. It was just a problem with the older tires. But the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt team has put us in a good position going into Indy. Ovals are intense, after all these months being out of the car and not racing ovals continuously, ovals are intense! I'm glad to be back and I like this feeling."

DANICA PATRICK, (No. 7 TEAM GoDaddy.com, finished 11^th) "Today was really disappointing because I think the GoDaddy car was actually pretty strong. I really wanted to enjoy a great run today, but it just didn't happen for us."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske finished 12^th): "I had a busy day out there in the Verizon car. The first stop I went a touch long in the pit box which cost us some time. The car felt pretty good all day. The restarts were interesting and I definitely have a better idea of who I can work with out there. Overall, I'm glad we ran as well as we did and I'm feeling good going into Indy."

MARCO ANDRETTI, (No. 26 Team Venom Energy): "I think the theme of the day was salvage. The positive is that we gained 13 positions from start to finish and on a normal day that's great. But, when you're starting at the back of the pack it takes more than that. We're still missing something in the Venom car, so we'll just have to take what we learned this weekend and move forward. We'll refocus now on winning the big one at the end of the month."

JAY HOWARD (No. 66 Service Central/Sarah Fisher Racing): "First of all, I would like to thank Service Central for all that they have done for us. I just wish I could have given them a better result this weekend. As a team, we showed that we had speed, but we just need to work on consistency throughout the race. The month of May is a long month, so we're going to take what we learned here on to Indy, and go from there."

SARAH FISHER (No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing): "It was a long first day back today. The car didn't really handle how we wanted it to in traffic, nor by itself, but we have some really good ideas about things we learned last year in Homestead that didn't work on the chassis that we ran there, but should work for this one going into Indy. We had great pit stops today; the guys all worked really well together, even after changing some crew positions so that the 66 car could share some of our guys. The 67 car did a really good job today, so I was very happy with that. We've just got to do our homework a little bit better on front mechanical grip, but we'll get there."

MARIO ROMANCINI (No. 34 Conquest Racing): "The guys did a good job of building up the car overnight. Unfortunately it was a road course car, and we didn't have time before the race to practice and make changes. We tried to tune the car during the race, but the setup wasn't great. In the end I just did what I could to bring the car home."

BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 36 Conquest Racing/RACB): "I am very happy with the pace we had during the race. Unfortunately I made a few mistakes in the pits. I think that without those mistakes we could have easily finished 15th, which is a good point for the Indianapolis 500 next month."

RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 HP Luczo Dragon): " It was a very difficult day, just one of those days. We thought the car would be more competitive today, but it just wasn't there. The conditions were difficult, especially with the wind in the beginning, but it did get better. The car had a certain behavior in the beginning of the race and even though I was able to adjust some things in the cockpit it never was right. I had many close calls, many moments, but I was focused on bringing the car home. That was very important because we haven't finished here before and we had to have two perfect cars heading to Indy."

E.J. VISO (No. 8 PDVSA KV Racing Technology): "We were running very fast today. The car was very good to drive. I could go almost anywhere on the track. We went from 16^th to fifth. I made a mistake for speeding in the pit lane and had a drive through penalty. But I came back and was able to get by other cars again. Unfortunately, I tried to get around (Rafael) Matos in turn one and got into the loose stuff near the wall. The car slid up into the barrier. The contact broke the front suspension. I feel very badly for the team and sponsors because our No. 8 PDVSA KV Racing Technology car was extremely fast today. Overall, I think we shown that our team has good oval setups and we are anxious to get to Indianapolis now."

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic): "Taku (Takuma Sato) was on the outside but in the last turn a car was also on the inside and it came up (on the track) so there was nowhere to go. This is very unfortunate because we had a very good race up to that point, and I didn't want to crash Taku because I respect him a lot. The next race is Indy so now I will put it out of my mind and try to race up front again. I think the Formula Dream / Panasonic team could have had a fourth place result. Top three would have been difficult but fourth place was possible. It's is a shame we ended the race early."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology): "Today was a very exciting day for me being my first race oval race. I was running in sixth place with 14 laps to go when a yellow flag came out. There was a pack in front on the restart while I was racing Hideki (Mutoh) side-by-side. It looked like he was pushing up to the wall and I had nowhere to go. After having a conversation with Hideki, he was being pushed up into me by the lapped orange car. We both had nowhere to go. It's very, very unfortunate. I feel bad for the fans, particularly for all of the Japanese fans and all of Hideki's fans. The KV Racing Technology Lotus Team did a fantastic job. It's just frustrating and I'm very disappointed not to finish. However I really enjoyed racing with many great drivers and gaining a lot of positions as well as understanding how oval racing works."

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the 2010 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 30 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live by ABC at noon. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's will be broadcast live by VERSUS as part of its coverage of Miller Lite Carb Day.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Results Saturday of the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.52-mile Kansas Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

23. (4) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 186, Contact 24. (11) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 186, Contact

Point Standings: Power 190, Dixon 164, Castroneves 162, Hunter-Reay 159, Franchitti 152, Wilson 137, Briscoe 132, Kanaan 129, Meira 101, Matos 98.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 18, 2010) - Ryan Hunter-Reay, the newest member of the Andretti Autosport quartet, received a bear hug from the CEO in Victory Circle. That meant a lot coming from a racing champion - Michael Andretti.

Hunter-Reay prevailed in the breakneck Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - a race slowed by a lone full-course caution (tying an IZOD IndyCar Series road/street course record) - holding off Justin Wilson by 5.6031 seconds to give Andretti Autosport its first victory since 2008 at Richmond (Tony Kanaan).

"It was the most fun I had in a race car because it was handling so well," said Hunter-Reay, who is the first American to win at Long Beach since Andretti in 2002. "My mom is out there today. She passed along recently and this race is for her. Over the last couple of laps I said 'This is for you, Mom.'"

Said Andretti: "I love this place. It's where I got my first win as a driver (1986) and where I got my first win as a sole owner."

Hunter-Reay became the first American driver to win an IZOD IndyCar Series race since he won in July 2008 at Watkins Glen, which was his first career victory.

Will Power, the championship points leader and pole sitter, finished third in the 85-lap race on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit. He heads to the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway on May 1 having extended his lead to 42 points over teammate Helio Castroneves (130). Hunter-Reay is third (129) and Wilson is fourth (125).

In Firestone Indy Lights, James Hinchcliffe led all 45 laps in the Grand Prix of Long Beach to score his first career victory in the series. Hinchcliffe held off Charlie Kimball by .8370 of a second. Series points leader J.K. Vernay finished third.

Hinchcliffe held off Kimball on three restarts over the last 14 laps of the race to ensure victory.

•This is the second career IZOD IndyCar Series victory for Ryan Hunter-Reay. His first victory came in 2008 at Watkins Glen. Hunter-Reay had made 27 consecutive starts without a victory before today.

•This is the first IZOD IndyCar Series victory for Andretti Autosport since Tony Kanaan won in 2008 at Richmond. The team was named Andretti Green Racing at that time. The victory ended a drought of 28 consecutive races without a victory.

•This was the first victory for an American driver in the IZOD IndyCar Series since Ryan Hunter-Reay won in 2008 at Watkins Glen. Hunter-Reay is a native of Boca Raton, Fla., who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and also lived in Dana Point, Calif., before recently moving to Fort Lauderdale.

•The last American driver to win the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach before Ryan Hunter-Reay today was Michael Andretti in 2002. Andretti owns Andretti Autosport, which fields Hunter-Reay's car.

•This is Ryan Hunter-Reay's second top-three finish of the season. He finished second at Sao Paulo.

•The second-place finishes by Justin Wilson this season at St. Petersburg are the best for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series since team co-owner Robbie Buhl won in 2000 at Walt Disney World Speedway.

•Will Power has finished fourth or better in all four IZOD IndyCar Series races this season. He won at Sao Paulo and St. Petersburg, was third today and fourth at Barber.

•This is the first time that a Team Penske car has not finished first or second at an IZOD IndyCar Series street/road course event since Watkins Glen in 2008, where Ryan Briscoe finished 12^th and Helio Castroneves 16^th. Penske had put at least one driver in the top two in the last 14 street/road course races since Watkins Glen 2008.

•Tony Kanaan finished a season-best fifth. His previous best was eighth last weekend at Barber.

•Mario Moraes finished a season-best sixth. His previous best was 13^th last weekend at Barber.

•There were 17 cars on the lead lap at the end of this event, a season best. The previous best was 15 at St. Petersburg. The first four races of this season have been contested on street/road courses.

•Four teams were represented in the top five finishers today: Andretti Autosport (Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (Justin Wilson), Team Penske (Will Power) and Target Chip Ganassi Racing (Scott Dixon).

•Four teams are represented in the top five in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings after this event: Team Penske (Will Power, Helio Castroneves), Andretti Autosport (Ryan Hunter-Reay), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (Justin Wilson) and Target Chip Ganassi Racing (Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti).

•Will Power reported after the race that his car was stuck in first gear when he lost the lead to Ryan Hunter-Reay on Lap 18. He did not accidentally press the pit-lane speed limiter button on his steering wheel.

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD, winner): "Man, that was awesome. The car was so much fun to drive. That was some of the most fun I've had in a race car because it was handling so well. My mom was out there with me today. She just passed away recently. This race is for her. I was in a great zone. It was on the last couple of alps where I said (to myself), 'Thanks for being with me today, Mom.' We were the fastest car out there today. We deserved it. This is like a home race for me."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing, 22^nd): (What did you say to Mario Romancini?): "I just said, 'What are you thinking?' He said: 'I'm sorry. I missed my braking mark a little.' It's been a disappointing end to a disappointing weekend. We had problems with our drink bottle and our radio. It's been a tough day. To end it that way is just incredibly frustrating." (About struggles at the last three races): "We made a lot of changes, and nothing has happened. I think we figured out what it is." (About his schedule after this event): "I've been working really hard on a couple of things, but unfortunately we had a curve ball thrown at us a couple of weeks ago. I'm working hard to get back, hopefully at Kansas, but it's looking more like Indy."

JUSTIN WILSON (No. 22 Team Z-Line Designs/DRR, second): "I am really disappointed. Alex was a lap down and he nearly took Ryan (Hunter-Reay) out a couple of times. Once Ryan got past, it got him off line and slowed him up. I dove down the inside of Turn 8, and I braked pretty late. I just got the door slammed in my face. Even if you aren't going to give way to the leaders, you need to leave room at the apex to back out. Nothing you can do about it. We had to come in and change the front wing and we were just in mad fuel saving mode after that. It's just a shame that it happened. We had a great day. The Z-Line Designs car was fantastic. To have a front wing change and to come back in finish second is an amazing day."

ALEX LLOYD (No. 19 Boy Scouts of America, 19^th): "I only found out what happened a few minutes ago. I just thought I had a flat tire. I didn't feel any contact. I was running my race. I wasn't going to make it hard for those guys. I had an issue with (Takuma) Sato that put us in that position where we were about to get lapped. When Ryan (Hunter-Reay) got close enough and got a run, I let him by. At the same time, we're trying to stay on the lead lap. We just can't make it easy and back out. Ryan had just got by and at the next corner, Justin must have tried to get down the inside and his front wing hit my right rear tire. That's nowhere near being alongside. I can't run around the outside because of the marbles. If he had just waited a corner and got a good run, I wouldn't have challenged it. He was just impatient and it ended up hurting both of us. Not that our race was going as great as his, but it certainly cost us three or four positions."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 FAZZT Race Team, 21^st): "We just had a tough day today, and it's just a shame for the team. We had contact on the first lap with Marco Andretti in the hairpin, but we recovered and stayed up front, running with the leaders. Unfortunately on our first stop, we had an issue with our refueling. I think the butterfly was stuck, and we didn't get enough fuel into the car. From that point on, we realized we were in trouble. We had to make a second stop that we hoped we wouldn't have to make, and then when we came in on the last yellow to get fuel and they put us in the back of the pack. On the restart, I was trying to make my way up, and I got tangled up with someone and it damaged the front suspension. The team is doing well, though, and we have the speed in qualifying. So this little glitch was unfortunate today, and we're going to try and fix it and make sure we don't put ourselves in a trouble situation again."

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing, 11^th): "I thought it was a fair result for ABC Supply and A.J. Foyt Racing. As competitive as it is and having an almost top-10, except we got unlucky on the yellow. But it was a fair race; nobody dropped out and it was green all the way, so there was nothing artificial about it. We've finished all the races this year, so now we can go on to our oval sector of the series, which should be better for us."

DAN WHELDON (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing, ninth): "I think it was a very good race for the National Guard/Panther Racing team. We had a little bit of a fuel collection problem, which made us have to save fuel for the major race, and that is difficult. But the car was really very, very good. I was able to run good lap times saving fuel and enjoyed the race. I would probably say that the position we finished doesn't reflect how good the car was, and sometimes you have those races. But this was a good race for us."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, eighth): "The car was pretty good today. It was difficult to pass. We missed it a bit on our strategy today. A yellow flag would have helped our situation, but as it turned out, we lost a few spots in the pits. We had a car that was better than eighth place, but we scored some points and we'll continue working hard to improve."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, seventh): "It was an interesting race. It was very unusual in that there were so few yellow flags. Everybody was behaving out there. We definitely had a car that was better than seventh place. Unfortunately, we lost a few positions during our second stint. The good news is we are still second in the championship points. We need to keep pushing heading into Kansas at our first oval race."

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic, 13^th): "I struggled with the brakes at the beginning of the race in Turns 1 and 9, so it was hard to overtake. Then we switched to black primary tires for the second stint and the pace wasn't that bad, but it was still very hard to overtake other cars. The Formula Dream/Panasonic car had the speed, but we just couldn't make it past to overtake."

RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 HP Luczo Dragon, 20^th): "It's really a shame that we struggled in qualifying because we had a very competitive car today, especially in the end. The track really came to us, and we were running with the leaders. When you start in the back here, you have to take risks because it's just so difficult to pass. Unfortunately our strategy didn't work. We were expecting at least one more yellow, but that's how it goes sometimes. We just have to analyze and understand where we need to improve and go to the next one."

MICHAEL ANDRETTI (Team owner, Andretti Autosport, owner of today's winning car, two-time winner of Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach): "I just love this place. It's where I got my first win as a driver (in 1986), and now I've got my first win as a sole team owner (here)."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, 12^th): "Disastrous weekend for us. Not what we expected at all. We got as high as 10^th, but we struggled all day in the Target car. We had some troubles getting around Alex Lloyd there at the end for some reason."

E.J. VISO (No. 8 PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KVRT, 15^th): "It was a straightforward race, so we couldn't do much as far as strategy. It's a shame because the car was balanced all through the race, but we just lacked a chunk of grip everywhere around the circuit. We will just have to keep working hard, and I am confident that we will improve. But right now the most important thing is to get ready for the oval in Kansas."

BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 36 Conquest Racing RACB, 24^th): "It was a difficult race starting from the back. I was blocked at the beginning behind Mario (Romancini). We struggled a bit on the red tires, and we had to pit quite early because of that. We changed to blacks and the pace on those was quite good, but I was blocked behind (Alex) Lloyd and that's when we encountered the problem with the front suspension so we had to stop there."

MARIO ROMANCINI (No. 34 Conquest Racing, 23^rd): "Of course, I'm very disappointed. Our strategy was working pretty well, and we were having a great race. What happened today was a race accident, which sometimes happens. My crew did a great job, and I want to thank them for that. Now we go to the ovals, where we will hopefully be more lucky."

MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology, sixth): "Since the start of the weekend, Iain (Watt, Moraes' engineer) and I worked well together. It is just Iain's second race with the team. Qualifying was disappointing. I thought we had a better car than 15^th. In the race, I got a good start and tried to save fuel. It is very hard to save fuel on this circuit. We were able to use the tires well, and the car handled very good throughout the race. I am very happy for our KV team. Iain and I are learning each other better with every race. I am feeling more comfortable with him now. I am gaining more confidence with my driving, too. I was able to make a move on Helio (Castroneves) on the restart in Turn 1. The car just felt good all day. Now we move to the four oval races, and we need to work on that setup in the test this week at Kansas."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology, 18^th): "It was a tough weekend. After qualifying Saturday, we made a number of changes to the car for this morning's warm-up, and it was a positive move. The race started solidly. We saved our tires and fuel to stretch our first stint. It was all setting up nicely, but in the second stint, Alex Lloyd came out of the pits on cold tires. He couldn't stop and struck my car under braking, causing me to spin. That really ended my race because there was no full-course caution until the end. In all, it was a very disappointing and tough race, but it was another good learning experience for me. Next we race in Kansas, and my first oval test will be there this coming Friday. I am very excited to start my oval adventure."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, fourth): "It was a tough day, and I think we missed some gears a bit. Our first gear was too long, and it was hard to get out of it. Our sixth gear was too short. We had plenty of good speed, but I think there at the end we just couldn't get close to Will, and whoever was in front of each person was going to pull away. That was kind of the end of it for us, and we decided just to cruise around in fourth gear."

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, fifth): "I am happy for Ryan, and I think he deserves this win. He was quick all weekend. We did all we could, but we lost a couple of positions on our pit stop. It was a hard race and seemed to be very physically demanding. I am happy for the Andretti Autosport team, and I feel like when one teammate wins, it is a victory for all of us. We are on the right track, and I am looking forward to heading into the ovals."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske, third): "Once Justin passed me, I tried for a couple of laps, but there was no point in putting the car in the wall. The Verizon Wireless car is still leading in points, and the team has a goal of winning the championship, so we are still in line for that. Overall it was a good day, but on one lap I got stuck in first gear. I have no idea why that happened, and I hope it doesn't do that again because I slowed down. I was able to get out of it and speed back up, but it hurt my placement. It is great to be on the podium again this weekend, and I am very happy with the car and the team."

MIKE CONWAY (No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 10^th): "It went well today. We just tried to save a lot of fuel by doing a lap more than everybody ahead of us and make up positions that way. It's frustrating, though, because it doesn't feel like you're pushing at all because you're just saving fuel. I think the only time I pushed was during the last stint. But the guys worked out a good strategy, and we got a top-10 finish and good points for the championship in the end."

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com, 16^th): "Today's race was definitely challenging, and the result doesn't show how hard the GoDaddy crew worked. It's been a frustrating weekend all around for the #7 car. But I'm so happy that my teammate Ryan won. His win is great for the #37 guys and Andretti Autosport as a whole."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy, 14^th): "Today was just one of those days when things don't go your way. Track position was so important, and we just kept giving it away. We bent the front wing twice and had to change the whole front nose, so that set us back. We just weren't able to get back where we needed to be. It was a disappointing finish for the Venom car but a great day for team. Ryan drove a great race and had a strong car. I'm really happy to see Andretti Autosport in Victory Lane."

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM, 17^th): "It was nice to be back on a track that I know. It's really different in Indy cars compared to Atlantics. But the race was good. I made a bit of a mistake on the restart when I got a lot of wheelspin and got passed. But I learned a lot, and we'll see how the next one goes."

•James Hinchcliffe earned his first career Firestone Indy Lights victory today. His previous best was second in 2009 at Mid-Ohio. This was his 18^th career Firestone Indy Lights start.

•James Hinchcliffe led all 45 laps today, a career best. His previous best was 20 laps in 2009 at Kentucky, the only event that he previously led.

•The last time a driver led every lap of a Firestone Indy Lights race was August 2009 at Infineon, where 2009 series champion J.R. Hildebrand led wire to wire.

•This is the second Firestone Indy Lights victory for Team Moore Racing. Pablo Donoso won for the team in 2008 at Infineon.

•Charlie Kimball finished second, matching his career best set last weekend at Barber.

•Series points leader J.K. Vernay finished third, ending his two-race winning streak this season but continuing his streak of finishing on the podium in all three races this season.

•Rookie Philip Major finished a career-best seventh. His previous best was 10^th at Barber.

•Rookie Niall Quinn earned his first career top-10 finish. His previous best was 14^th at Barber in his series debut.

•Stefan Wilson placed 17^th, his first finish outside of the top 10 since Watkins Glen in 2009. His streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes since Watkins Glen ended at this event.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling, winner): "It feels like it has been a long time coming. We had a couple of close calls last season, and starting from the pole in St. Pete didn't work out for us. All weekend long, the Team Moore Racing car was great, and I owe a huge thank you to all of the boys. To get a first win out of the way and another pole is huge. Basically, it was a perfect weekend for us, and to do it here in Long Beach, at one of the staple events on the IndyCar Series calendar, is phenomenal. Congrats to Charlie and J.K., as well. They had a great race. We had a really good rhythm and pace, and then I kept seeing those yellows come out, but we had a great car on the restarts. Today was about not making mistakes, and it was great to have the pole for today's race. Today's win was also a relief. There was a lot of pressure last year to win a race and we didn't get that done, so that weighed heavily on my mind all through the offseason. It was a huge relief and hopefully the first of many."

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 29 Bryan Herta Autosport, fourth): "It was a long race. I'm grateful for the points I was able to gather today. Points today were the most important. I had a great car. It was a crazy start. I was just trying to survive the first corner. I'm not disappointed in this finish. I'm happy what we did today and am looking forward to the ovals."

J.K. VERNAY (No.7 Lucas/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, third): "This morning the car was perfect in warm-up, and I was feeling confident. But then during the race, I didn't really understand what was wrong with the car or what was happening. It was difficult for me to stay behind Charlie and Hinchcliffe. I am happy to be in the front of the championship, though, and as a rookie I feel great about my season to this point. And when fighting for the championship, third place is not bad."

TONIS KASEMETS (No. 35 Palm Beach Indy Racing, sixth): "For the first Indy Lights race ever in my life and my first time in an Indy Lights car, I think it's a super result, being in the top six. So I'm really, really happy. It was very tough to pass because we carried a lot of downforce, but we did it for my security, so I could feel secure in the car. But it really hurt us in a straight line. But the car was very good, and the team did a great job."

STEFAN WILSON (No. 28 Bryan Herta Autosport, 17^th): "It was a tough day, a tough weekend, really. We made a lot of improvement as the weekend went on. It was really difficult to pass, so we just worked to maintain our position. Before the yellow came out, it looked like we had a fast race car, but after the yellow, the car just wasn't there. We had a fuel alarm on the rash, and we were missing some RPM's. There wasn't any sign of it during warm-up, which is really bizarre. We didn't see it coming, so we'll just have to go back, study the data and find out what the problem is."

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach grand marshal Mark Wahlberg talked about his Race Day experience today. Wahlberg is an Academy Award- and Emmy Award-nominated producer/actor.

MARK WAHLBERG: "This is awesome. I've got my 4-year-old son out here. This is our first race together. The intensity level, the excitement is amazing." (Who are you rooting for?): "Gotta go for Team IZOD, my boy Hunter-Reay."

National Hockey League legend Teemu Selanne is a guest in the pits today of the FAZZT Race Team and IZOD IndyCar Series driver Alex Tagliani. Selanne, known as "The Finnish Flash," plays right wing for the Anaheim Ducks. He has scored 606 regular-season goals during his illustrious career.

TEEMU SELANNE: "This was just awesome. I've always been a big race fan and have been to a few open-wheel races in the past. I really love the Long Beach event. The whole package here is perfect with the downtown venue, it's almost like Monaco."

Fifteen-time Grammy Award winner David Foster is a guest of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing today.

NHLR began a partnership with the David Foster Foundation (DFF) before the season-ending IZOD IndyCar Series event in 2009 at Homestead-Miami and will run the DFF slogan, "Be a Donor, Save a Life," on the sidepod of the No. 06 car driven this weekend by Hideki Mutoh to help raise awareness of organ donation.

DAVID FOSTER: "Becoming an organ donor is an important cause to me. What better way for the world to see our 'Be a Donor, Save a Life' message than on the side of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing's Indy car at the number-one street race in North America. I'm grateful to the team, and I take personal pride in seeing our 'Be a Donor' message on the Indy car in an area where I live and work. This is a tremendous opportunity for the David Foster Foundation, and we're so thankful to have a great partnership with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing in sharing this most important message."

Chef Giada De Laurentiis, host of the hit show "Everyday Italian" on Food Network, is a guest of Target Chip Ganassi Racing during the IZOD IndyCar Series race today.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 on Saturday, May 1 at Kansas Speedway. It starts a stretch of four consecutive races on ovals after the season began with four consecutive street/road course races.

The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's the first oval event of the season for the series.

IZOD IndyCar Series
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Results Sunday of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.968-mile Streets of Long Beach circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (2) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
2. (3) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
3. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
4. (8) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
5. (6) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
6. (15) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
7. (4) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
8. (5) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
9. (10) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
10. (16) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
11. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
12. (12) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
13. (11) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
14. (9) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
15. (17) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
16. (20) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
17. (13) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
18. (19) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
19. (21) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
20. (18) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
21. (7) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 65, Contact
22. (22) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 58, Contact
23. (23) Mario Romancini, Dallara-Honda, 58, Contact
24. (24) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 45, Mechanical
25. (25) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 10, Handling

Race Statistics:
Time of Race: 1:47:12.5404
Winners average speed: 93.619
Margin of victory: 5.6931 seconds
Cautions: 1 for 5 laps
Lead changes: 5 among 3 drivers
Lap Leaders: Power 1-16, Hunter-Reay 17-26, Power 27-29, Hunter-Reay 30-56, Dixon 57-58, Hunter-Reay 59-85.
Point Standings: Power 172, Castroneves 130, Hunter-Reay 129, Wilson 125, Dixon 112, Franchitti 112, Briscoe 103, Kanaan 94, Matos 84, Wheldon 83.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Saturday, April 17, 2010) - Will Power, whose drive to an IZOD IndyCar Series' record three consecutive victories was derailed April 11 at Barber Motorsports Park, is back on track.

Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, recorded a quick lap of 1 minute, 09.3185 seconds in the 10-minute Firestone Fast Six shootout on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit April 17 to earn the PEAK Performance Pole Award for the 36th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

"We certainly have the car figured out, and I'm very happy that the Verizon car is P1 again," Power said. "We've got to get the strategy right this weekend. I know sometimes it's really hard to read, but we need to keep executing in races."

Power, who won at Long Beach in 2008, recorded his third consecutive pole start (Dario Franchitti was P1 in Brazil). The series record is four by teammate Helio Castroneves and Billy Boat, and the next race is May 1 on the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval (Power started 18th in 2008).

"I think the key to success is starting up front," Power said. "I think getting the yellow. You've got to get the lucky yellow. You can be out front leading and bam, get caught by a yellow. You could see it last weekend. Strategy can screw you, but it also can go your way."

Power earned the pole by more than four-tenths of a second over Ryan Hunter-Reay, but less than three-tenths of a second separated the second through fifth positions on the grid. Just 1.6 seconds separated Power from No. 23 starter Mario Romancini.

Hunter-Reay, driving the No. 37 IZOD car for Andretti Autosport, notched a season-best second starting position (1:09.7506). Justin Wilson (1:09.7939) tied a season best with a third-place start in the No. 22 Z-Line Designs car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and Castroneves (1:09.8470) will join him in Row 2.

Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe (1:10.0255) and Andretti Autosport's Tony Kanaan (1:10.1618) will be on Row 3. Kanaan, driving the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car, posted his fourth consecutive top-10 start (and participated in the Fast Six for the third time).

It was the second time ever that Team Penske put three drivers into the Firestone Fast Six.

Conversely, Scott Dixon will start eighth and teammate Dario Franchitti will start 12^th - the first time that a Target Chip Ganassi Racing car has not qualified for the Firestone Fast Six. Dixon, though, extended his series record to 36 consecutive top-10 starts.

FAZZT Race Team's Alex Tagliani (1:09.8730 in the second round) missed the Firestone Fast Six by 0.0367 of a second and will start seventh. Marco Andretti, who bumped Simona De Silvestro from advancing to the second round with a final-lap 1:10.3594, will start ninth in the No. 26 Venom Energy car for Andretti Autosport. Dan Wheldon in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car will start a season-high 10.

In Firestone Indy Lights qualifying, James Hinchcliffe, driving the No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car, earned his second pole start of the three-race season with a quick lap of 1:14.6261.

The top seven cars were separated by .9681 of a second after the 60-minute qualifying round for the 45-lap Grand Prix of Long Beach on the 1.968-mile temporary street circuit, and the gap between Hinchcliffe and 10th-place starter Junior Strous was 1.2969 seconds.

J.K. Vernay is positioned to make it three consecutive victories as he'll start on the outside of the front row in the No. 7 Lucas Oil/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. He produced a quick lap of 1:14.7829.

Charlie Kimball (1:14.9094) in the No. 26 Levemir FlexPen car for AFS Racing Andretti Autosport will share Row 2 with Sebastian Saavedra (1:14.9761), driving the No. 29 William Rast/Bryan Herta Autosport entry. Martin Plowman (1:15.4126) in the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers/KEP Printing car for AFS Racing Andretti Autosport and Philip Major (1:15.4126), driving the No. 49 Sam Schmidt Motorsports car will be on Row 3.

SGT Louie M. Martinez , a native of National City, Calif., and a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, is the National Guard Panther Racing's "Hometown Hero" for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

SGT Martinez was given a ride in the Indy Racing Experience two-seater by National Guard Panther Racing driver Dan Wheldon, had a special "hero card" with his picture and biography that he signed at the IZOD IndyCar Series autograph session and will be honored during the driver introductions.

Martinez, assigned to the HHC 40th Infantry Division, is a recipient of the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Service Medal among other commendations.

Panther Racing honors a "Hometown Hero" at each domestic IZOD IndyCar Series race.

KV Racing Technology co-owner Jimmy Vasser won the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race today from the pole. Professional drift and rally driver Tanner Foust finished second, with actor Brian Austin Green in third. Green was the first celebrity finisher.

Chef Giada De Laurentiis, host of the hit show "Everyday Italian" on Food Network, will be a guest of Target Chip Ganassi Racing during the IZOD IndyCar Series race Sunday.

KV Racing Technology announced today that it is entering a car in the 2010 Indianapolis 500 for veteran Paul Tracy.

Tracy, 41, finished second in 2002 at Indianapolis to Helio Castroneves and finished ninth last year. He will attempt to make his seventh Indianapolis 500 start this year. This year's edition of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" opens Saturday, May 15.

KV will grow to a four-car team at Indianapolis, as Tracy joins the team's IZOD IndyCar Series regulars, E.J. Viso, Mario Moraes and Takuma Sato.

PAUL TRACY: "I want to thank (co-owners) Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser of KVRT and GEICO for the opportunity to return to the world's biggest auto race. I have won races and championships at the top level during my racing career, but what I'm missing is a win at Indy. I feel I have some unfinished business at the Brickyard and, with the support of GEICO and an outstanding team like KV Racing Technology, I feel good about our chances at this year's '500.'"

JIMMY VASSER (Co-owner, KV Racing Technology): "It is tremendous to bring Paul back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway again this year. Paul was very competitive last year in the GEICO machine in his first Indy 500 in seven years. After last year's return to the Speedway, we believe Paul will be a contender for the win."

Every driver in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will start the race Sunday on the alternate "red" tires except for #2 Raphael Matos, #7 Danica Patrick and #34 Mario Romancini. Each car must use the alternate (red) Firestone Firehawk tires for at least two green-flag laps per race.

•Will Power earned his third Peak Performance Pole Award this season. It was his third consecutive pole, tied for second all-time in series history with Helio Castroneves (2006), Scott Dixon (2003) and Greg Ray (2000). Billy Boat (1998) and Castroneves (2004) share the series record with four consecutive poles.

•This was the fifth career IZOD IndyCar Series pole for Will Power. He has three poles this season (St. Petersburg, Barber, Long Beach) and two poles in 2009 (Long Beach, Edmonton).

•Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified a career-best second. His previous best was third in 2008 at Watkins Glen. He won that race.

•Ryan Briscoe qualified a season-best fifth. His previous best was eighth at Brazil.

•Dan Wheldon qualified a season-best 10^th. His previous best was 15^th at St. Petersburg.

•This is the second time that Team Penske has placed three drivers in the Firestone Fast Six since the qualifying format's inception at the start of the 2007 IZOD IndyCar Series season. In 2009 at Edmonton, Will Power won the pole, Ryan Briscoe qualified second and Helio Castroneves third.

•This is the first time that a driver from Target Chip Ganassi Racing has not qualified at least one driver for the Firestone Fast Six since the qualifying format's inception at the start of the 2007 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Scott Dixon will start eighth and Dario Franchitti 12^th in the race Sunday, as both were eliminated after the second session.

Scott Dixon (2007-10), Dario Franchitti (2009-10) or Dan Wheldon (2007-08) had made the Firestone Fast Six at the 21 IZOD IndyCar Series races on road or street courses since the start of the 2007 season.

WILL POWER (No.12 Verizon Team Penske, pole): "We certainly have the car figured out, and I'm very happy that the Verizon car is P1 again. We've got to get the strategy right this weekend. I know sometimes it's really hard to read, but we need to keep executing in races." (How important is it to get through first session with black tires, saving a set of reds for the Firestone Fast Six?): "that's important. It gives you a good chance to get the pole. If you're quick enough, you have to do it. You've got to take the risk to get through on the blacks. The blacks take longer to come on, but actually they're pretty quick. They're good." (What's the key to your success at Long Beach?): "I think the key to success is starting up front. I think getting the yellow. You've got to get the lucky yellow. You can be out front leading and bam, get caught by a yellow. You could see it last weekend. Strategy can screw you, but it also can go your way. So we've got to read that well tomorrow."

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic, 11^th): "In the first round, we used two sets of red Firestone option tires, and at one point we looked very strong. The Formula Dream/Panasonic car was good; we improved a lot from practice to qualifying. I gained almost one second. The second round seemed tough because we had already used the two reds in the first run, so we only had used reds for Round 2 so that's why we couldn't go any faster. We know we have speed, so maybe next time we can use black and red tires in the first round and two sets of reds in the second. The team did a fantastic job. I'm pretty happy."

DAN WHELDON (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing, 10^th): "It was a really good team effort by everybody in the National Guard Panther Racing crew. We tried a lot of different things in all three practice sessions leading up to qualifying, and we managed to take all the good things from each one. I don't want to be greedy, but if I would have saved a set of the Firestone red tires, we probably could have run in the Top Six because I was feeling extremely confident in the No. 4 car."

RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 HP Luczo Dragon, 18^th): "There's no question this hurts us because it's difficult to pass here, so track position is very important. The car just didn't have the balance or the grip to push and move forward. We thought we had a good idea of how we would be after practice this morning, and even though we did improve, it wasn't enough to advance. We're all disappointed, but we'll just have to regroup and come up with a strategy to compete tomorrow."

BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 36 Conquest Racing RACB, 24^th): "It was not the best qualification for us. We lost half a second from the previous practice, and we are not sure why. We are really struggling with the brakes on the car, and the front wheel is locking a lot. We need to work hard because this will not work for the race."

MARIO ROMANCINI (No. 34 Conquest Racing, 23^rd): "I think more than ever we are seeing how important the details are. We definitely improved compared to the previous session, but because the cars are all running so closely I am only starting 23^rd. Qualifying is over, so we have to start focusing on tomorrow's race. Now it's up to us to look at the small details, seeing where we can improve to find these tenths that we are still missing. We will fine-tune the car overnight, using the warm-up session tomorrow to test the changes."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing, 22^nd): "It's again been a very frustrating day, and I think that pretty well caps it off. Never have I ever been the slowest one in qualifying in my entire career. It's pretty frustrating; we just can't seem to get the car to react to any changes that we make. We've tried everything; there's no lack of effort. It's quite simply the fact that overall we just can't get the car right, which leads us to question a lot of things. It's been a frustrating day, but I hope we can have a good strategy and try to get at least halfway up the field tomorrow. You never know what can happen. Stranger things have happened than people winning from the back, so we'll see tomorrow."

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co. A.J. Foyt Racing, 14^th): "It's bittersweet. It is our best qualifying run so far, but it's still not where we want to be. But at least we can be on the same strategy as the leaders and the ABC Supply car is very good on the long run, so I'm very encouraged for the race."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 FAZZT Race Team, seventh): "I'm so very proud of the FAZZT Race Team. They are just doing a fantastic job. We are right there every time we go out, and today just shows how incredibly competitive the IZOD IndyCar Series is to be only half a tenth out of the Fast Six. It's just amazing. And I have to say, I'm just very happy with what we are doing this year. I couldn't be happier with the guys, the team, everything has just been really amazing. For tomorrow's race, this track is really challenging, and it changes quite a bit from practice to qualifying to the race, so you can't really go overboard and be too worried about your car. I think you have to let the track come to you, but it also has a lot of different corners, like very slow corners on concrete and then fast corners, so you need stability. So basically, it can be very difficult to find the compromise on this track, but I think we are very close and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

E.J. VISO (No. PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KVRT, 17^th): "It has definitely been a very difficult weekend for the PDVSA - KV Racing Technology team. We have been working on some things and managed to get find some more speed for qualifying. But we are still lacking grip, which is what we are working on tonight. I am sure after talking with my engineers we will have a better car for the tomorrow."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology, 19^th): "It was a very tough and disappointing day. We tried many different things since yesterday, but unfortunately the car just isn't working well. We changed the car quite a bit for qualifying, but we still need to find more grip. We will review and analyze everything overnight for tomorrow."

MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology, 15^th): "Qualifying for the KV Racing Technology team was definitely not what we were looking for. We were hoping to get into the top 12. I was working hard with my engineer, and we had a problem with the car, which we shall fix tonight. We proved in morning practice that we have a good setup for the race, so I am looking forward to that tomorrow."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, fifth): "I'm extremely happy. It's our first Fast Six of the year. I knew coming into Long Beach that I had to step it up in qualifying, and I think we really did that today. We're making the car better in the Fast Six, but the tires are just getting older and older, and I wasn't able to improve my time. Will got through without using an extra set of reds and had a sticker set at the end, which gave him a big advantage. But we're right there, and we've got ourselves into good position to win the race on Sunday."

MIKE CONWAY (No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 16^th): "We improved the TranSystems car from yesterday, but we are still not quite there. We will work on it during the warm-up to see if we can get it better again."

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, sixth): "I was trying … trying too hard. When the field is that close, you just have to get the max out of it. So it wasn't really a problem. I was just trying to get my measurement for my fastest lap."

•This is the second career Firestone Indy Lights pole for James Hinchcliffe. He opened this season by winning the pole for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

•James Hinchcliffe has started in the top five in each of the three races this season. He won the pole at St. Petersburg and started fifth at Barber.

•Series points leader J.K. Vernay qualified second. He has started on the front row of each of the three races this season. He started second at St. Petersburg and from the pole at Barber. He won both races.

•Charlie Kimball qualified third, his second consecutive top-three start. Kimball qualified second at Barber.

•Rookie Philip Major qualified a career-best sixth. His previous best was ninth at St. Petersburg.

•Tonis Kasemets qualified seventh for his first career Firestone Indy Lights start.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 2 TMR - Xtreme Coil Drilling, pole): "The lap was pretty good. We sort of had to take to make a compromise with the way our fuel strategy played out to be done a little bit earlier. We had to use that second set of tires a bit sooner than the other guys. We knew the track was going to be a bit better at the end, but our hands were tied. It was the longest 10 minutes of my life, just standing there. J.K. (Vernay) did put in a quicker lap, but it was under yellow. Congrats to him, but a bit of a tough break for him. But we've had some luck against us, so it's nice for us to have something go our way a bit. Really happy to be on pole."

J.K. VERNAY (No. 7 Lucas Oil/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, second): "It's OK. I have to judge the limit to where I was in the test. Now I'm qualifying, I know what I can do with the car. It's a good thing for tomorrow. It's a good thing for the start, to be in the first row." (About losing fast lap to caution period): "I'm really disappointed because we were really fast today. We had like five or six yellow flags. It was crazy, but a driver into the wall. And each time we came on track with new tires, and there was a yellow. I did only two laps with each set of tires, and it's not enough to do a good lap time. The last lap time, when I did a .4, it was my third lap. It was pretty good. The lap after would have been even better."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 26 Levemir FlexPen, third): "It was pretty busy to start with. A lot of people were trying to be aggressive early. We kind of played our game with tire strategy. We were waiting for the end to really bang the time in. We were quick on the first set and then quick again on the second set. I think we did a quick lap there that was P1 for a minute. Hinch put a second set on a little earlier, gambled that it would be clean and then there would be yellows at the end, and it paid off. When I was going for the big one on the end, right on the last lap, I caught a yellow, and it kind of messed up the flow. This morning on race-distance tires we were P4 against guys on fresh tires. Come race day tomorrow, we're in good shape."

LONG BEACH, Calif., (April 16, 2010) - The Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IZOD IndyCar Series, announced today plans to launch a Technical Review Committee, effective immediately.

The Technical Review Committee will feature league and team representatives that will meet weekly to review and discuss all technical proposals submitted to the league by IZOD IndyCar Series teams. The committee will make a recommendation to Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for the Indy Racing League, who will make the final decision on the approval of all proposals.

"Given the overwhelming positive response to the formation of the ICONIC Advisory Committee in the search for our next-generation car, we have decided to create a similar process for all technical proposals presented to the league that will allow discussion in a more transparent forum," Barnhart said.

All proposals presented by teams to the committee, along with the final ruling by Barnhart, will be posted to a participant-only Web site, giving teams equal access to rules interpretation information.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sunday, April 11, 2010 - Helio Castroneves won for the first time on a road/street course race since August 2008, taking the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union at Barber Motorsports Park.

The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner inherited the lead when Marco Andretti had to pit for fuel eight laps from the end of the 90-lap race. Castroneves held off Scott Dixon by .5703 of a second, then thanked the spectators for attending the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama with his trademark celebratory fence climb in Turn 9. Dario Franchitti, the reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion, finished third.

Castroneves also denied teammate Will Power of a series-record third consecutive victory to start the season. Power, the polesitter who had to pit for the final time on Lap 63 (dropping him to seventh), advanced to fourth and retains the championship points lead by 32 over Castroneves (104). Franchitti is third (94) as the series heads to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18.

Also April 11, Rookie J.K. Vernay picked up a $5,000 bonus from Firestone for winning two Firestone Indy Lights races in a row winning the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

Vernay, starting from the pole in the No. 7 Lucas Slick Mist/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, held off Charlie Kimball by 1.1542 seconds to win the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park.

Vernay, who won the season opener on the temporary St. Petersburg street circuit two weeks earlier, joined Junior Strous (2009) in earning the bonus. He takes a 33-point lead over Kimball in the Firestone Indy Lights championship standings heading to Long Beach. Kimball, driving the No. 26 Levemir FlexPen car for AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport, recorded a career best finish.

The estimated three-day total attendance for the inaugural event exceeded the goals of race promoter ZOOM Motorsports, which estimated more than 86,000 fans attended the three-days of racing at Barber Motorsports Park - including an estimated record crowd of 53,555 fans on April 11.

"The attendance more than doubled the largest event ever held here previously at Barber Motorsports Park," said Gene Hallman, president and CEO of Zoom Motorsports. "The Indy Racing League product is a fast-growing and very demographically-dialed product for consumers in this market. Being the only race on the calendar in the Deep South, we were able to draw a lot of IndyCar fans into Birmingham, which helped us from a tourism perspective. The Indy Racing League is a tremendous partner and helped us immensely in this first year."

Indy Racing League officials were equally pleased with the on-track product showcased in front of the fans who attended the first-year event.

"I think our first race at Barber Motorsports Park was a very successful event. There was a lot of action down in Turn 5 and we saw quite a bit of passing in Turn 11 as well. It was a very good show and entertaining for everybody."

Taylor Hicks, the 2006 "American Idol" winner, received an up-close and (maybe too) personal view of the 2.38-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park circuit in the front seat of a Honda Accord Pace Car courtesy of Firestone Indy Lights driver James Hinchcliffe.

Hicks, a Birmingham, Ala., native, sang the national anthem before the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union.

"I've never been to an IndyCar race and this is the first IndyCar race for a lot of people in the state of Alabama," said Hicks, who is on tour in "Grease." "To be able to get out on this course and see what the IndyCars do, you feel like you're really there and feeling the turns. (Hinchcliffe) did a great job and I had a great time."

"I may have turned the notch up just a bit in some of the turns," he said. "I like to think we give everybody pretty good rides, and it's cool to be here in Alabama and give him a taste of an IndyCar race. I'm pretty sure IndyCar has a fan for life now in Taylor Hicks."

Charles Barkley, the "Round Mound of Rebound," gave the IZOD IndyCar Series driver one of those are-you-kidding-me? looks. "You don't have a shoehorn big enough," he said.

Before his duties as grand marshal of the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union at Barber Motorsports Park, the native of nearby Leeds took in the sights of the IZOD IndyCar Series paddock, pit lane and paused every few feet to oblige a spectator's photo request.

Under the canopy of KV Racing Technology, he also received a brief tutorial of the multi-button steering wheel and car aerodynamics from Viso and attempted to try on his racing gloves.

"Not my size," joked Barkley, all 6 foot 6 and maybe just a few ounces heavier than his listed playing weight of 250 pounds to the 5-5 Viso.

"I'm a racing fan and have followed a few of the guys and girl (Danica Patrick)," said Barkley, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member. "It takes a lot of courage to go out there and race at more than 200 mph. This event is great for Birmingham, great for Leeds and great for Alabama. I've been at Barber Motorsports Park a few times before, but I've never seen so many fans. It's just great."

Of note: John Brunner has joined conquest as team manager. He formerly was with Forsyth … Eddie Allison, longtime chief mechanic for brother Bobby's stock cars, was a guest of A.J. Foyt on race day.

· Rookie J.K. Vernay won his second-consecutive Firestone Indy Lights race in the Grand Prix of Alabama. He also won March 28 at St. Petersburg.

· J.K. Vernay is the fourth driver to win the first two races of a Firestone Indy Lights season, joining Mark Taylor (2003), Alex Lloyd (2007) and Junior Strous (2009).

· Vernay is the fourth driver to win his first two Firestone Indy Lights races joining Mark Taylor (2003), Raphael Matos (2006) and Junior Strous (2009) in accomplishing the feat.

· Charlie Kimball finished second, his first podium finish in Firestone Indy Lights and the best finish of his career. His previous best finish was fourth at Watkins Glen in 2009.

· Sebastian Saavedra finished third, his best finish this season, and the eighth podium finish of his Firestone Indy Lights career.

· Martin Plowman finished fourth - his career-best finish. His previous best finish was fifth at Mid-Ohio and Kansas in 2009.

· Dan Clarke finished seventh in his first Firestone Indy Lights race, while Nic LeDuc finished 11^th in his series debut.

J.K. VERNAY (No. 7 Lucas Slick Mist/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, winner Grand Prix of Alabama): "I was trying to take care of my tires early in the race and at the end, I was able to push and the car was still very good at the end of the race. Everybody did a great job and I'm very happy. (About changes between warmup and the race) "We tried some small changes for the race. It was warmer than this morning. We had to take care of the tires, the engine and the chassis. My engineer did a great job with the setup and the crew did a great job. I couldn't be happier." (About the start of the race): "(Charlie Kimball) was in front before the start line and that's why he let me overtake him on the second lap Charlie was really fair and it was very good race."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 26 Levemir FlexPen, finished second): "I'm happy points wise. Points mean prizes at the end of the year and the NO. 26 Levemir FlexPen car ran great. It bodes well for next week at Long Beach. (About the start of the race): "I came off the brakes going full throttle and it came out of the corner as I expected it to. When (Vernay) went, I don't know if he lifted or dragged the brake, but he fell behind pretty early. I can see why (the officials) up top would say that, but it was a good, clean start. I will have to talk to the officials and see what they saw up top."

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 29 William Rast/Bryan Herta Autosport, finished third): "I'm very happy for the team. Bryan Herta Autosport deserved those points. I think we came here very conservative and tried to do our best. We had a good car all weekend long. I just wanted to finish the race, and we did. I'm very happy. Congrats to the other guys on the podium. We'll just have to get them at Long Beach."

· This is Helio Castroneves' first IZOD IndyCar Series win of the season and the 17^th win of his IZOD IndyCar Series career.

· The win gives Castroneves a record-setting 10^th season with at least one win and his 10^th consecutive season with at least one victory (also an IZOD IndyCar Series record).

· This is Team Penske's 38^th win in the IZOD IndyCar Series. It has won all three races in 2010. Will Power won at Sao Paulo and St. Petersburg.

· Scott Dixon finished a season-best second-place - his first podium finish of the season.

· Dario Franchitti finished a season-best second-place - his first podium finish of the season.

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, winner Indy Grand Prix of Alabama): "I felt like the Team Penske car was better than Marco's but, unfortunately, I just couldn't pass him. I was just patient and waiting for an opportunity, and well, I guess we were able to be smart enough to save a lot of fuel. Towards the end, we just had a yellow flag. I didn't ask for that. Especially when you have Scott Dixon and those guys behind you. So I just decided to make sure I did not give any opportunities for those guys, and that's what I did. I knew what the car was capable of doing. Sometimes you've got to count with a little luck. So today was a great day for Team Penske, and especially the No. 3 guys."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, finished second): "It was a good day for Team Target all in all with both cars in the top three. We could have been better off if we would have got around Helio. It was hard to have the team telling me to save fuel and try to manage the fuel gauge, but still push. I feel that the officials made a poor call when they said that I passed Helio at the start/finish line. I got back behind him and he went around the outside at Turn 1. This track is all about track position. It was great weekend for the team. We didn't have the fastest cars, but we made use of what we had. Standing at the podium in second and third is pretty impressive. We are looking forward to Long Beach."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Suave, finished third): "The Target team was working hard on the fuel strategy today. Will Power and I were side by side at the end there, but with so many lap cars in between us, it was really hard to fight for the positions. I am pleased to be on the podium and sit second in points after starting in seventh today. It was great to see all the fans. The atmosphere here was incredible and I am looking forward to returning to this track in the future.

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske finished fourth): "It is great having Helio win which makes it three wins to start the season for Team Penske. In the strategy meeting before the race we talked about it and we knew that a caution in the early part of the race would not be to our favor. We made the best of it though. The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car was fast today. The guys did a great job in the pits. We are still in the points lead heading into Long Beach. I think we are going to be strong there."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy, finished fifth): "We have to be happy to put the Venom car into the top five, especially after our finishes on road courses last year. I think maybe we could have stretched out each of our stints a bit longer and gained on fuel one lap at a time. Helio (Castroneves) just went longer than us each time and that was the difference at the end. He was able to go that much farther and we fell short. Now we just have to keep marching forward. The four of us are working together to keep improving our race cars; we're still a bit off pace. Overall I think this shows we're on the right track."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, finished sixth):"I am pretty happy with a top-six today in the Team Penske car. We made some key passes there at the end getting past Wilson, Kanaan and Conway. The guys did great in the pits and Roger (Penske) called a great race. We were really in great shape until the last yellow came out since a few guys in front of us were going to have to pit. If it was not for that yellow we would have been on the podium."

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, finished eighth): "It was a long day for us. I think we had the right strategy, but we just didn't have the kind of speed that we needed to push those guys up front. It's tough, but we have to keep working and get ready for Long Beach."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 FAZZT Race Team, finished 10^th): "We made up 11 spots so I take my hat off to the team. They did a good job. We stuck together all weekend and we made some ground and learned a lot. Until the very end of the weekend, we improved the car and I'm very proud of the boys. Even on a tough weekend, we did another top-10 so I'm very happy and very proud of our team. I'm very proud to be wearing the new colors of LaCapsule Sportive/Adonis Products and I want to remind everyone that this is the beginning of our new clothing line in LaCapsule Sportive so keep an eye on it as it is coming soon."

The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues April 18 with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at :3:30 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The race also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Grand Prix of Long Beach April 18 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif.. The race will air live on indycar.com.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Will Power topping the Timing & Scoring lap time has been a familiar sight at Barber Motorsports Park.

Let’s see, there was the IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test back in late February. Then there was practice on April 9 and the first two rounds of qualifications the next morning. Finally, the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car had the quickest lap time in the 10-minute Firestone Fast Six knockout session and Power claimed his second consecutive PEAK Performance Pole Award.

That’s all great, but what matters most to the Aussie and his crew is taking the checkered flag in the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union on April 11. It would increase his 45-point lead in the championship standings heading to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and secure an IZOD IndyCar Series record.

He'd be the first to win the first three races of the season (and tie Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon and Kenny Brack in winning three in a row overall) in the Indy Racing League. A.J. Foyt (1964 USAC), Al Unser (1971 USAC), Paul Tracy (2003 CART) and Sebastien Bourdais (2006 Champ Car) also have won three Indy car races at season's start.

It won’t be a Sunday afternoon walk through the picturesque venue, however, for Power, who recorded a quick lap of 1 minute, 10.1356 seconds on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn circuit. Five teams were represented in the Firestone Fast Six, and the competition will attempt to press Power into an uncharacteristic mistake during the 90-lap race.

“I think three wins a row is possible, but pretty tough to do,” said Power, who earned the fourth pole start of his IZOD IndyCar Series career. “I just have to keep executing in the races. I guess in a way you probably can relax a little bit more, but the schedule coming up we've got tough races."

The Long Beach event concludes the four street/road course races to start the season -- and then it's on to four ovals of varying length.

"It's a long season, and I haven't changed my approach," Power said. "I still go into every race trying to get as many points as I can and make no mistakes."

At the start at least, Mike Conway will be his chief adversary. Conway will make his first front-row start, posting a quick lap of 1:10.6501 in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car. His previous best was sixth in back-to-back races at Watkins Glen and Toronto in ’09.

“I owe a big thank you to the team who has spent a lot of time getting the car ready for this weekend,” said Conway, who posted one top-five finish (third at Infineon) in his rookie season of ‘09. “They are doing a great job, but we still have some work to do tonight before the race.”

Power’s teammate, Helio Castroneves, will share Row 2 with Marco Andretti, who will make his second consecutive top-six start in the No. 26 Team Venom Energy car for Andretti Autosport. Castroneves, also was making his second consecutive Firestone Fast Six appearance, is three shy of 100 top-five starts in the series.

Scott Dixon, who extended his series record for top-10 starts to 35, will be on Row 3 in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car. He’ll be joined by rookie Takuma Sato, who earned his highest start of the season in the No. 5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology car.

Dario Franchitti, who missed out on reaching the Firestone Fast Six by less than a tenth of a second, will be on Row 4 in the No. 10 Suave entry for Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Tony Kanaan in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven entry for Andretti Autosport.

"“We took a risk and made a change to the 7-Eleven car for our last run, and it didn't work like we were hoping," said Kanaan, who competed in the first two Firestone Fast Six sessions of the season (starting sixth and second). "If it had worked, we'd be standing here laughing but instead we're wondering why we did what we did. We are a lot better than people expected us to be and the field is very, very close. We have one car in the top five and that is great for the team."

All teams worked through the afternoon to tweak cars for the sweeping turns and narrow straights of the racetrack. Sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70s is expected for the mid-afternoon race.Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe, the third-place finisher at St. Petersburg two weeks ago (advancing 16 positions), will start ninth and E.J. Viso will start 10th in the No. 8 PDVSA-KV Racing Technology car.

Conway’s teammate, Justin Wilson, who started third and fourth in the first two races, posted a best lap of 1:10.7760 (ninth in Round 2) and will start on Row 6 with KV Racing Technology’s Mario Moraes (his highest start in three races).

“The KV Racing Technology engineers came up with a change that really improved the car from yesterday to today,” said Moraes, who didn’t participate in the Open Test. “That made all the difference in qualifying. I think we could have done a little better, but overall it was a good qualifying.”

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Friday, April 9, 2010 - Will Power, who has dominated the early portion of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season with his two races victories and a pole start, topped the combined practice (two sessions) time sheet as teams began preparations for the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union.

The Australian recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 11.1856 seconds in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car on the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit. Tony Kanaan, who has started sixth and second the first two races in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car for Andretti Autosport, was second (1:11.3011).

Power's teammate, Helio Castroneves, was third (1:11.3697) and Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (1:11.4243) was fourth. Another Andretti Autosport driver, Marco Andretti, was fifth quick (1:11.5446).

Sixteen drivers were within 1 second of the pace-setter, and six teams were represented in the top 10.

Also on April 9, Team PBIR rookie Niall Quinn made a strong first impression by topping the combined practice sessions in Firestone Indy Lights. The Irishman, who recorded a lap of 1:16.8500 in the afternoon session, was followed by series veterans Charlie Kimball and James Hinchcliffe.

Vitor Meira, who made his series debut in 2002 at Kentucky Speedway (finished 15th), will make his 100th start this weekend in the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Presented by Legacy Credit Union. Meira has 29 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes - including being the runner-up in eight races - with four teams. He jumped 13 positions to finish third in the season opener in Brazil on March 14 and led 12 laps at St. Petersburg on March 29 (his first laps led since Kentucky in '08) before finishing 15th.

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing): "A hundred starts is proof that I've been doing a good job because I never had to pay to drive, so I always had to prove that I could do the job that people were expecting," said Meira, who is in his second season driving the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing. "I think that (100 starts) is one way to prove that and to feel good about it. There is a lot to be done still. I have not done nearly everything that I want to do so I'm still pushing with the same will I had at my first race."

Longtime Indy car engineer Iain Watt has joined KV Racing Technology and will work with Mario Moraes and the No. 32 crew this weekend. He had most recently been crew chief for Robby Gordon's NASCAR Sprint Cup team.

IAIN WATT: "I'm looking forward to working with a new team and driver, though I've known (team co-owner) Jimmy (Vasser) for years. I liked what I saw of the team when I was at St. Petersburg, and it's a good opportunity to work with old friends again. The cars I've been working with the last few years are so different than these. I can see the evolution of changes, but I don't expect anything too surprising. An open-wheel car is an open-wheel car."

KV Racing Technology driver Mario Moraes had minor surgery in Brazil to remove a cyst from his ear canal.

MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology): "I needed to take last weekend to chill a little bit, but I'm OK. I could work a little in the gym the past few days and feel ready for the weekend."

The primary (black sidewall) tires are the same used at the Barber Motorsports Park Open Test in February, and are the same primary spec as Mid-Ohio last season. The alternate (red sidewall) tires are new for 2010. The Firehawk alternates are identical in body construction to the primaries but contain a softer tread compound that provides more grip and faster lap times, yet trades off compound durability in exchange for those shorter-term advantages.

"While all of the teams have experience here with the primary spec, no one has yet used the alternate specification we are bringing to this event," Firestone Racing executive director Al Speyer said. "Look for the red-sidewall Firestone Firehawk race tires to add a variable that will hopefully lead to more passing on the track."

Of note: Drivers will have 20 pushes of the Honda overtake assist button for 15 seconds each during the 90-lap race. There is a 10-second recharge period between pushes. … Charter Communications will be the primary sponsor this weekend of the No.22 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car driven by Justin Wilson. … Roll Coater will be the primary sponsor of the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car driven by Mike Conway. He has relocated his residence to Miami. ... Suave will be the primary sponsor of the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car driven by Dario Franchitti this weekend.

Walker Racing announced that British driver Dan Clarke will drive the team's Firestone Indy Lights #40 entry this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

DAN CLARKE (No. 40 Wasteco Deans Knight Special): " I couldn't be more thrilled to join Walker Racing and to be back racing in the USA. Since 2006 I've focused my career on the U.S. open wheel scene. After unification I feel my career is back on track and competing this year in the Firestone Indy Lights Series is a great place for me to do it."

DERRICK WALKER (owner, Walker Racing): "I have always been impressed with Dan's speed when we raced against him in the Champ Car years. Back in those days the 'Road to Indy' was not as clear as it is now, so we share the same objective in racing in the Firestone Indy Lights Series, our aim is the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500."

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Mike Conway has been running around South Florida between races in St. Petersburg and Birmingham, setting up his new home in Miami.

"You can be based anywhere in America because we race all over America," he says. "You don't have to be based when the team is located (Indianapolis for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing). I was lucky enough to have a chance to live where I wanted to be, which is by water and somewhere warm.

"I literally got the keys (April 1) and my stuff arrived earlier this week. I'm settled in, near some friends and making new ones. (Marco Andretti) is a stone's throw away."

NIALL QUINN (No. 37 Team PBIR, fastest of the day): "It feels pretty good. I came here with no testing and never been in the car before. It was pretty difficult, but I got comfortable on old tires and we tried new tires to simulate a qualifying run and I'm pretty happy. P1 is a good place to be and I want to stay there now. (On being on pace right away): "It was a surprise. I've race against a lot of these guys in junior formulas and I knew how competitive it would be. The team did a great job. We're low on staff this weekend, but to do this shows how good they are."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 26 Levemir FlexPen, second-fastest): "Today was really good. We were quickest this morning, and this afternoon we had a problem with track grip a bit. We ended up P4 in this session, though I know some of the other guys changed to new tires. As hot as it is and the way the track takes the grip out of the tires, that's a big advantage. We're looking forward to qualifying tomorrow morning. The #26 Levemir FlexPlen car has been solid all day, and I think that'll make the difference when it comes to race time on Sunday."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 2 Xtreme Coil Drilling - TMR, third-fastest): "The track is actually a little bit difficult right now. It is a lot hotter here than when we tested back in February since Grand Am hadn't been running then. It took us a little bit of time to lay down some Firestone rubber, but we are getting there and the track is coming to us. Second is obviously not a bad place to be in and the guy who was at the top ended up putting on new tires at the end. It's a small victory and I think we have a great car for qualifying tomorrow. Let's just hope I can do one position better. "

Charlie Kimball spent time this week at Long Beach participating in Toyota Celebrity Race Media Day at the Long Beach street circuit. Among the celebrities he met were Keanu Reeves, Tony Hawk and Zachary Levi, star of one Kimball's favorite shows "Chuck."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 26 Levemir FlexPen): "I really enjoyed being in Long Beach for the media day. Getting to drive the track in the pace cars was a lot of fun especially because all of my passengers were enjoying it so much. Also, getting to see some big name celebrities in MY natural environment was really neat! I can't wait to get back there for the race as I know the #26 Levemir® FlexPen® car will be fast- faster than the pace car and the pro celebrity cars for sure!"

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske, fastest of the day): "The Verizon Wireless car definitely felt better during the second practice session. I think the fact that everyone was running around the track was better, because after the first practice session we were running on Grand Am rubble and it wasn't real compatible. This was a good start to the weekend, but I am really aware that qualifying means everything around here. This track is very physical and demanding. To me it's really a drivers track because there is a lot of commitment and technicality involved. The blind corners leading into fast entries require commitment if you want to be quick. I have a new group of guys this year and as the season progresses things keep getting better. My approach to this season has been to get points and keep finishing races, that's how you win a championship."

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, second fastest): "I am very pleased. It feels good to be in the top five. Tomorrow is going to be very different. It will be a lot cooler and many things can change, but I will sleep well tonight. We just have to make the right changes for the morning. Today was a good day."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, third fastest): "We are working very hard and I give a lot of credit to my guys. We made some big changes to get the car right for me and we made gains. We will continue to improve the No. 3 car and we will see what we can do tomorrow for qualifying."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy, fifth fastest): "We're definitely making gains and improvements, especially over where we were during testing here back in February. We've made the Venom car better today and are only a couple minor changes away from being a pole contender. I think we're looking good as far as getting out of the first qualifying session tomorrow and from there it's all about making the right decisions. The field is so close that everyone has to be on the ball and make good decisions."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, seventh fastest): "I think we are in good shape. We did not quite find the balance that we were looking for today. We did find a good direction for tomorrow. The No. 6 Team Penske car should be fast tomorrow."

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic, eighth fastest): "We made improvements to the Formula Dream / Panasonic car today. Lap-time-wise the field is very close. There are eight cars within five-tenths of a second. If you make a small gain, it might put you in the top-three, but if you lose one-tenth it would put you maybe 15th. The field is very close. Between the first session and second session, we made gains and the car was better. I am now working more on how to drive better instead of how to improve the car. We are still working on that, but I think we are in the ballpark, so we will just keep working. As everyone is saying, qualifying is almost everything this weekend. It's very important to have a good grid spot. I think the only passing zone is entering Turn 5. It is very narrow and high-speed, so you lose a lot of downforce if you get behind somebody. I woke up at 6:30 a.m. this morning so I could get used to getting up so early tomorrow to qualify. On race weekends, I try to go to bed by 11 p.m. but tonight, since I need to be at top performance for qualifying so early, maybe I need to go to bed at 9:30 p.m. like kids."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology): "The track conditions were so different from the last time we were here (for the Feb. test) It was so much warmer today. And that made it so much different with the balance of the car. It changed the whole grip level. In the first session, I wasn't particularly happy with the car. It was a handful. So I sat down with the engineers and looked over the data. We then tried several different things and the car was better. I was pleased with the overall balance of the car in the second session. It was a very productive day. We won't any practice before our qualifying run on Saturday. So, having a good second session in today's practice, will be good entering Saturday's qualifying."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD, 11^th fastest): "We were alright, but we've got a big chunk to go yet with the IZOD car. We could really use a practice tomorrow morning before qualifying. We just need to go make some good changes to the car. This is when it pays to have great teammates. We'll look at what Tony and Marco liked in their cars and apply it for tomorrow. We should be in the ballpark."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 FAZZT Race Team, 14^th fastest): "I'm very happy about the second session. This morning I was worried a little bit. I think in the first session our car was the worst it has felt since the beginning of the season actually even in testing so I was quite nervous going into the second session. But the crew did a fantastic job. The challenge was since we hadn't run here we were coming here a little bit blind but we recovered well and now we are in the window. I think we've gotten the car where it needed to be this morning and now we just need to try to make it happen for qualifying. The engineers and crew have done a great job and now we know where the issues of the car are and hopefully we can fix them tonight and be good in qualifying tomorrow."

RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 HP Luczo Dragon, 16^th fastest): "It was a tough day today, starting with a set-up we weren't sure about. We made some good progress during the afternoon session. It was good for the team to see what direction we need to go for qualifying tomorrow. I had some trouble getting a clean run. I think we would definitely have been in the top ten if I could have gotten some clean laps. We'll go over all of the data overnight and be ready for qualifying tomorrow."

DANICA PATRICK: (No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com, 19^thfastest): "We learned a lot from both practice sessions today. I'm not too far off on where we need to be but we do have some work to do tonight. Tomorrow's qualifying session will be tight so I hope we get the GoDaddy car dialed in by tomorrow morning."

E.J. VISO, (No. 8 PDVSA-Jet Aviation KV Racing Technology): "Today's was a pretty difficult day for us. We were a little out of the ball park. We tried various things and we know what doesn't work in the car. We are going to go back to a setup we had at the test (in February) here. Qualifying is very important at this track, with the narrow pavement. And it is very difficult to overtake. Your starting position will be important here as well as strategy and pit stops. We have get through qualifying and then work on getting a good race car."

MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology): "I haven't been here in over a year. So I needed to get used to the track. I have a new engineer this weekend with Ian (Watt). And we are working pretty well together. At the end of the second session, the car was a little loose. But I hope we can make it better for qualifying."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing): "Overall it was quite a challenging day for us. We really struggled this morning and tried to improve as much as we could this afternoon. I think we got closer, but there is still a lot of work to be done. I feel like we're headed in the right direction, it's just taking a lot of effort to get there and quite frankly the reactions of the car to the changes we're making are very little, so it's pretty frustrating. Obviously, by no means, are we giving up."

The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues April 11 with the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union at Barber Motorsports Park. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 3 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The race also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Grand Prix of Alabama April 11 at Barber Motorsports Park. The race will air live on indycar.com.

6 a.m.	Garages open
8-8:15 a.m.	Firestone Indy Lights warm-up (all cars)
9:15-9:45 a.m.	IZOD IndyCar Series practice (all cars)
10:40 a.m.	Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of Long Beach (45 laps)
1:15 p.m.	IZOD IndyCar Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (85 laps)

8:15-9 a.m.	Firestone Indy Lights qualifying
9:20 -10:50 am.	IZOD IndyCar Series qualifying
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Autograph Session

1.	J.K. Vernay	245
2.	James Hinchcliffe	204
3.	Sebastian Saavedra	195
4.	Martin Plowman	192
5.	Charlie Kimball	188

1.	Will Power	327
2.	Dario Franchitti	295
3.	Scott Dixon	287
4.	Ryan Briscoe	280
5.	Helio Castroneves	273