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INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – June 11, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. In Case You Missed It: Ed Carpenter and Will Power teleconference
  2. Texas race garners record rating
  3. Team E builds a winner
 
1. In Case You Missed It: Ed Carpenter and Will Power teleconference: IndyCar Series drivers Ed Carpenter and Will Power were guests on today’s Indy Racing League teleconference.
 
Background on Ed Carpenter: Ed Carpenter is in his fifth full season in the IndyCar Series, driving for Vision Racing.
·         Age: 27 (Birthday is March 3, 1981)
·         Career Starts / 2008: 72 / 7
·         Career Victories/2008: 0
·         Career Top-Five Finishes/2008: 3 / 2
·         Career Top-10 Finishes/2008: 19 / 5
·         Career Poles/2008: 0
·         Career Highlights: Debuted in the IndyCar Series in 2003 while also competing in Firestone Indy Lights. Recorded his first top-five finish at Chicagoland in 2006.
·         2008 Highlights: Ranks ninth in points. Finished fifth at Homestead-Miami and Indianapolis. Led three laps at Indianapolis.
·         Off the Track: Became a father for the first time during the offseason.
 
Background on Will Power: Will Power is a rookie in the IndyCar Series, driving for KV Racing Technology.
·         Age: 27 (Birthday is March 1, 1981)
·         Career Starts: 6
·         Career Victories: 0
·         Career Top-Five Finishes: 0
·         Career Top-10 Finishes: 1
·         Career Poles: 0
·         Career Highlights: Finished fourth in Champ Car in 2007 with two victories, eight top-five finishes and five poles.
·         2008 Highlights: Ranks 11th in points. Qualified second and finished eighth at St. Petersburg. Won the Champ Car finale at Long Beach, leading 81 of 83 laps.
·          
They said what...? Listed below are select quotes from today’s teleconference, with the approximate time code from the audio MP3 in parentheses.
 
*** Q. You've had some pretty good results so far this season. Are you happy with how things have gone?
 
ED CARPENTER (1:00): I'm happy with our performance of the race cars we've had on track. To be honest, we should have a couple more top‑five finishes than what we do. We've had some bad things happen to us so far this season. I’ve had good races going at Milwaukee and got caught up in an accident and could have had a better result than what we ended up with, in Kansas having someone stop in our pit.
 
We're having a great year. We’re really competitive on track. We just need to catch a break on some of these things and see if we can't find ourselves into victory lane or at least on the podium.
           
***Q. What do you expect at the places like Iowa and Richmond with 27 cars instead of 20 like we've seen in the past?
 
ED CARPENTER (5:15): Well, Iowa doesn’t really act like a short track, it's only an eighth of a mile, but at the same time, the only thing that's short track about it is we are running our short-track aero specifications. Other than that, it races more like the race we just had at Texas. It's going to be fast and a lot of two‑wide racing.
 
So there's probably going to be more opportunity for accidents at Iowa than what we just had at Milwaukee.
 
Then we go on to Richmond. Richmond has always been an exciting race. It's a racetrack where if you have a good car, you're going to work your way to the front and if you have a bad car, you're going to fall to the back.
 
The thing with short‑track racing in our series right now is there's 27 really good cars. You know, with all of the new teams and new drivers we have in the series, they are all great teams and great drivers and then you go to these short tracks, compared to a place like Texas, it puts everyone on a little bit more of a level playing ground, even with them not having as much time in the car. So I think you're going to see super‑competitive races at Iowa and especially Richmond.
 
***Q: Knowing where you are now and knowing what the second half has to bring, is there a goal on where you think you should be by the end?
 
WILL POWER (16:30): Well, I think coming into the season, I thought if I finished in the top 10 that's really good. But also, the Rookie of the Year would be a really big deal for me. I think that there's a couple of guys that are going to be really tough to beat, and obviously (Hideki) Mutoh is one of them, because he's on a very good team with a lot of experience on ovals and on the road courses.
 
So I think he's going to be the main competition there. And you've got some guys like Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson who are also right there.
 
So, you know, if I can win the Rookie of the Year I'll be really happy. If I finish in the top 10, that's really good, too. I'm just focusing on every single event, every individual event to get the best result possible and learn as much as I can.
 
*** Q. June is the month of short‑track racing for the Indy Car Series, first Milwaukee and then Iowa and Richmond. You had a strong qualifying run at Milwaukee, so what do you feel about the short ovals suits your driving style best?
 
WILL POWER (19:00): Well it's not only the driving style, it's also the fact that you're running maximum downforce. I think where these other guys have got us is all of the work they’ve done on wind tunnel and wheel bearings, coatings for the gear box and all of those little things that add up to the mile‑and‑a‑half or two mile‑an‑hour they have over us on the faster ovals.
 
But when you're running maximum downforce, that doesn't count. It’s more about the car balance, and that's the reason that we can run up front. And obviously shorter ovals helps me a little bit, too, because I raced in Milwaukee once in 2006, and I really enjoy running around short ovals, because when you have got full downforce, it's a lot like a road course and you go take a proper racing line, and it’s all about just holding it flat and just running the car as free as possible.
 
There’s more: The complete transcript and complete audio recording in MP3 format are available at www.indycar.com/media. Please contact Indy Racing League Public Relations for log-in information if necessary.
***
2. Texas race garners record rating: The Bombardier Learjet 550k, won by Scott Dixon on June 7, ranks as the highest-rated and most-viewed IndyCar Series race broadcast in ESPN2 history.
 
The broadcast earned a 1.0 rating and reached 939,160 households to make
it the most successful ever on ESPN2, surpassing the .85 rating for this year’s season-opening race at Homestead-Miami that previously occupied the top spot.
 
The Bombardier Learjet 550k also was the second most-viewed IndyCar Series race
in ESPN and ESPN2 history, trailing only the 2005 event at Kansas Speedway. That race
drew a 1.05 rating and attracted 970,450 households on ESPN.
 
The 1.0 rating for the Bombardier Learjet 550k represents a 44 percent increase over
last year’s race that drew a 0.7 rating and reached 639,952 households.
***
3. Team E builds a winner: On Dec. 10, 2007, Neil Enerson's Team E took delivery of its transporter. The next day, the team took delivery of its first Firestone Indy Lights Dallara chassis. Just seven month later, Enerson's team is already a race winner.
 
Enerson and driver Bobby Wilson celebrated their first victory together on June 1 when Wilson dominated the Milwaukee 100 at the Milwaukee Mile. They also took the lead in the chase for the $5,000 Mesco Building Products Building for the Future New Team Award.
 
"We had a rough start to the season," Enerson said. "For a new team to win a race means something, especially the way the series is today. There is unbelievable competition in this series and to beat the Andretti Greens and Sam Schmidt Motorsports is no small task."
 
Enerson met Wilson through his 10-year-old son, RC, a budding go-kart racer whose career has been guided by Wilson, a former national karting champion. The two formed a plan to build a race team around the Wisconsin native, who now lives in New Port Richey, Fla.
 
The result is more like a second family for Wilson. In fact when it came time to pick a number for the new team, they combined their numbers from 2007 (Wilson ran No. 1, the younger Enerson ran No. 7) and came up with 17.
 
"I'm glad to be part of Team E," Wilson said. "I'm not just a driver. I'm not just an arrive-and-drive guy. I'm not like everybody else. I'm part of that program for years to come whether I move up or not. It's a comfortable feeling sitting there and I'm always going to be part of it."
 
Wilson has been an integral part of the team. Team manager Doug Hoy worked with Wilson to assemble the team's crew, many of whom came from other teams because they believed in Wilson and wanted to continue to work with the driver.
 
"Bobby showed a lot of maturity," Enerson said. "The team has come together and we hope to keep it together for a long time."
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer on June 22 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 1 p.m. (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Jeld-Wen 100 June 21 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be telecast at 5:30 p.m. EDT June 26 on ESPN2.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – June 9, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. Dixon, Castroneves fight for every point
  2. Perera joins Guthrie Racing
  3. Public to vote for Firestone “Tire”-rific move of the race
  4. Drivers reap post-race awards
 
1. Dixon, Castroneves fight for every point: The Bombardier Learjet 550k provided a perfect snapshot of the 2008 IndyCar Series season. Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves started and finished 1-2 and battled throughout the race for not only the victory, but the three bonus points associated with leading the most laps.
 
Dixon earned the race victory, his third of the season, while Castroneves picked up the bonus points for the first time this season en route to his seventh consecutive top-five finish.
 
The fast start has allowed Dixon to increase his championship points lead from 28 to 35 over Castroneves heading into the June 22 event at Iowa Speedway to kick off a stint of six races in as many weekends. He's been the beneficiary of 12 bonus points for leading the most laps, which would have gone a long way in the 2007 championship race with Dario Franchitti.
 
"I was trying for it; those points are valuable," said Dixon, who engaged in an side-by-side duel with Castroneves for 13 laps in the first half of the 228-lap race. "If you can pick those up over the season, that can be 45 points at least. So it's something that we are definitely trying to go for, and I think probably what made both of us quite stubborn at that point of the race."
 
Castroneves said he had the car to win. He overcame a drive-thru penalty for speeding on pit lane during a Lap 104 green flag stop to put him in position.
 
"I'm kind of upset because we had a great chance," he said. "Second place is great, a lot of points for the championship and that's what we've got to focus on."
***
2. Perera joins Guthrie Racing: Frenchman Franck Perera, who began the season in the IndyCar Series, will return to the track in Firestone Indy Lights for the remainder of the 2008 season with Guthrie Racing, completing the team's four-car lineup.
 
The 23-year-old native of Montpellier, France will drive the No. 55 Guthrie Racing machine beginning at the June 10 Iowa Open Test as a teammate to current Guthrie Racing drivers Sean Guthrie, Logan Gomez and Micky Gilbert.
 
"I'm just excited to be back in the driver's seat," Perera said. "I'm very thankful to Guthrie Racing and my management company CJ Motorsport, and I am going to do the best I can for the team.
 
"I'm not really focusing on the title at this stage. I'm just looking at it race by race so I will not be holding back at any of the races. I hope to get some wins on the road courses since that's where my experience lies, but I plan on being right up there in the front on ovals as well after I get some more practice."
 
Perera began the season driving for Conquest Racing in the IndyCar Series. He finished 14th at Homestead-Miami and 20th at St. Petersburg. He also competed in the Champ Car finale at Long Beach, finishing sixth.
 
In 2007, Perera finished second in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship. He earned the Rookie of the Year title and narrowly missed out on the overall title to series returnee Raphael Matos.
 
"I have a lot to learn," Perera said. "Sean and Logan are great on ovals so I know they can teach me some techniques and hopefully I can help them on road courses in return. I think together we can make it beneficial for all of us so we can improve all season long."
 
Perera will join Guthrie Racing at Iowa on June 24 for his first race in the series.
 
"It's great to have the opportunity to work with a driver of Franck's caliber," said team owner Jim Guthrie. "I have high hopes for Franck and the Guthrie Racing team. One of our engineers, John Martin, has worked with Franck and is really excited about having him on our team. I expect once Franck gets comfortable on the ovals he will contend for many wins."
***
3. Public to vote for Firestone “Tire”-rific move of the race: Fans will have the ultimate say in who receives a $10,000 race bonus from Firestone. After each IndyCar Series race, Firestone executives pick three “Tire”-rific Moves of the Race, on-track moves where the drivers had to rely on their Firestone Firehawk tires. Fans can vote for the winner at www.indycar.com.
 
Oriol Servia won the fans’ vote from the race at Milwaukee by one vote and was awarded $10,000 during pre-race ceremonies at Texas.
 
From the Bombardier Learjet 550k, fans can choose from:
 
In past seasons, Firestone has awarded the bonus to the driver who led the lap that corresponded to the total number of races in IndyCar Series history.
***
4. Drivers reap post-race awards: Scott Dixon reaped the benefits from winning the Bombardier Learjet 550k. Dixon was presented an IndyCar Series timepiece from Ritmo Mundo, the official timepiece of the IndyCar Series. Ritmo Mundo presents a timepiece to the winner of each IndyCar Series event in 2008. He also collected $10,000 for winning the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts and $1,000 from Bosch.
 
Bruno Junqueira won the $2,000 Lincoln Welders Hard Charger Award for being the race leader who started furthest back and Vitor Meira collected the $2,000 XTrac Award.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer on June 22 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 1 p.m. (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Jeld-Wen 100 June 21 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be telecast at 5:30 p.m. EDT June 26.

 

DIXON CLAIMS BOMBARDIER LEARJET 550K FOR FIRST WIN AT TEXAS

 

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Scott Dixon claimed his first win at Texas Motor Speedway, winning the Bombardier Learjet 550k under caution after the cars driven by Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay made contact while battling for second place with five laps remaining.

Helio Castroneves finished second and his Team Penske teammate, Ryan Briscoe, was third. Dan Wheldon, who started 11th in his backup car, finished fourth and Tony Kanaan improved eight positions to finish fifth.

As Andretti and Hunter-Reay were competing on the backstretch for second place, the left tires of Hunter-Reay's No. 17 Team Ethanol car got on the racetrack apron and slid up the track into Andretti's car.

Dixon, who passed Andretti for the lead with six laps remaining, claimed his third win of the season. He leads Castroneves by 35 points (284-249) after the race.

 
DAY 3 NOTEBOOK:

            Venerable sportscaster Jim McKay, host of “ABC's Wide World of Sports” for more than 40 years, died June 7. He was 86.

            McKay anchored ABC's broadcasts of the Indianapolis 500 from 1967-74 and 1976-85. He was the host of the broadcast in 1986-87.

“Jim McKay was an icon, a legend in broadcasting,” Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George said. “He helped build ABC Sports and the Indianapolis 500 through a true partnership and always remained a friend and a fan. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway family offers its condolences to his family.”

            McKay won his 12th Emmy Award in 1988 for penning the openings of ABC's coverage of the 1987 Indianapolis 500, the British Open and the Kentucky Derby.

“He was one of the nicest, most down-to-earth and sincere sports guys I knew,” four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J Foyt said. “He was definitely the first big-time sports announcer that I ever met. From when he started doing the Indy 500 back in the 60s, he interviewed me many times and he was always a real gentleman. He did a super job for ABC Sports on TV and especially the Indy 500. They don’t make him like that anymore. I’m glad that I got to know him.”

 
BOMBARDIER LEARJET 550K POST-RACE NOTES:
           
BOMBARDIER LEARJET 550K POST-RACE QUOTES:

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, Bombardier Learjet 550k race winner): "I can't believe it. It's great for the team and great for Target. We just want to win this championship. I'm sorry to see it end under caution, but it's a great way to get some points for this championship. Dan (Wheldon) did a great job coming from the back, and I saw him looming there for a little while. I don't know what to say. We finally won at Texas, and I'm pretty happy about that." (About accident between Andretti and Hunter-Reay): "I kind of caught it a little bit in my mirror. I saw it was getting a bit crowded back there. It gets a bit desparate in the last few laps. If it had played out to a fuel-strategy race, it would have been a nice, clean finish, but when you have eight laps to go and 20 guys going for second or first spot, you're going to have something happen. It 's unfortunate that it happened, but good for us." (About fuel late in the race): "Mike Hull and (engineers) Eric (Bretzman) and Brian (Welling) do a good job getting me to aim for a number. I had to be very close to the end, but so was everyone else. I think we would have been on the edge, but I think we would have been all right."

 

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished second): (About drive-thru penalty) “For the car that I had, it was supposed to be a win. I’m upset about that; I let those guys down. Team Penske did an incredible job of putting me back on the lead lap and to finish second is great for the conditions.”

 

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished third): “I don’t know what I was thinking at the start when I missed my box. We went to the back but came through the field. The car was a missile. We had to change (front) wings and the car never felt quite as good in the second half of the race as the first, but it was a great recovery for the team and great for the points in the championship. (When lap down) The more time I spend with Team Penske you just never give up. We’ve been a lap down many times, even in the American Le Mans Series. But with Roger (Penske) on the box, he works like magic and we seem to always get that lap back and get in contention.”

 

DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished fourth): "Very good results for everybody at Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Obvisously, Scott (Dixon) is on a tear right now. Unfortunately I wasn't able to run the Polaroid car, but that's the way it goes. I want to say thank you to the (Delphi) Safety Team for the job the did this weekend. They were pretty busy. It was a little inconsistent for me, but that's part of racing. We came out with a top-five. It still didn't go my way, but we'll work on that."

 

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished fifth): "We struggled with the balance, then something broke on the last stop. I think it was the rear bar. I was all over the place. I was so dangerous. I had to apologize to Dan (Wheldon) and a bunch of guys. I couldn't keep on the track. I was hoping everybody would stay away from me. I was trying to let everyone by. It was a rough day, but having the worst day of the year and still finishing fifth, I don't think it's that bad."

 

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 27 Formula Dream Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished sixth): "It would have been great if the Formula Dream Team was able to finish in top five. If the last yellow didn’t come out I think we could’ve been able to finish in top three. I was trying to save fuel but I was sure that we could go without making another pit stop. It is little bit frustrating but that is the race. I learned so much this weekend, and I feel more comfortable in the traffic after this weekend. I enjoyed the race.”

 

VITOR MEIRA (No. 4 Delphi National Guard Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished seventh): "Our car was just awesome when we were running up front. The team made one fuel-only stop early in the race, so we were about 10 laps off-sequence. But otherwise we were really good. The car was skating on me a little bit in traffic, but everybody saw how good we were once we got to the front. I was pulling away. This is another good race for us and another step forward. The confidence level at Panther is really, really high right now."

 

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished ninth): "It was a tough race and I had a really good car early on, but then we put on a set of scuff tires. On that set, the car just got really out of control. That's really where we lost our race. We had to pit early as a result, then we lost a lap, and it all just really unraveled with that set of tires. I think we may have ended up okay in the points with Servia dropping out and Marco Andretti not finishing at the end. It was just a tough day for the No. 20 Menards/Johns Manville car. I feel like we had a lot better car than the ninth place we ended up with, but we just didn't get a chance to use it."

 

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished 10th):“I am frustrated that we did not stay up front the entire race. My car was really loose most of the race, so that made it difficult to drive in traffic. The Motorola crew is working really hard and I appreciate their efforts.”

 

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Team Ethanol Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "Marco gave me the low line on the backstretch and all day that meant that he would give me the low line in the corner as well, but he came down on me, I went low to avoid him and got down on the white line. That upset both cars and took us out. We had a great car, we pushed really hard, the guys in the pits were flawless, and we really deserved a good finish tonight. This was going to be our breakout night and we didn't get it. I can't tell you how disappointed I am."

 

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Blockbuster Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "I really feel bad for the whole Blockbuster crew. We were running so well, as was Ryan (Hunter-Reay). I feel kind of bad for both of us but the fact is, there are some guys you can run close with and some guys you can’t. He clearly hit the white line and that is that. We ran well today, but to me, that doesn’t matter. We need to bring home results. It’s very disappointing."

***

            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on June 22 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be telecast in High Definition at 1 p.m. (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Jeld-Wen 100 June 21 at Iowa Speedway.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – June 4, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. In Case You Missed It: Vitor Meira and Ana Beatriz teleconference
  2. Richmond, Nashville races moved to ESPN
  3. One point separates leaders in Firestone Indy Lights
 
1. In Case You Missed It: Vitor Meira and Ana Beatriz teleconference: IndyCar Series driver Vitor Meira and Firestone Indy Lights driver Ana Beatriz were guests on today’s Indy Racing League teleconference.
 
Background on Vitor Meira: Vitor Meira is in his sixth full season in the IndyCar Series, driving for Panther Racing.
·         Age: 31 (Birthday is March 27, 1977)
·         Career Starts / 2008: 82 / 6
·         Career Victories/2008: 0
·         Career Top-Five Finishes/2008: 26 / 1
·         Career Top-10 Finishes/2008: 51 / 2
·         Career Poles/2008: 2 / 0
·         Career Highlights: Finished in top 10 in points three times in the IndyCar Series. Has recorded eight second-place race finishes, including twice at Indianapolis.
·         2008 Highlights: Finished second at Indianapolis, leading 12 laps.
·         Off the Track: Married his girlfriend this spring.
 
Background on Ana Beatriz: Ana Beatriz is a rookie in Firestone Indy Lights, driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
·         Age: 23 (Birthday is March 18, 1985)
·         Career Starts: 6
·         Career Victories: 0
·         Career Top-Five Finishes: 2
·         Career Top-10 Finishes: 3
·         Career Poles: 0
·         Career Highlights: Competed for Team Brazil in A1GP in 2007. Competed in karts, Formula Renault and South American Formula 3.
·         2008 Highlights: Ranks eighth in points. Finished third at St. Petersburg 1 and led seven laps at St. Petersburg 2.
·          
They said what...? Listed below are select quotes from today’s teleconference, with the approximate time code from the audio MP3 in parentheses.
 
*** Q. The next stop is Texas. You've done well there personally with a pole in the past and seven top-10 finishes, four top-fives in eight starts there. Panther has five wins at that track. Seems like a pretty good combination to put together. What will it take, do you think, to get to Victory Lane on Saturday night?
VITOR MEIRA (10:30): Texas is always kind of a complicated race a little bit. It's a track that is very fast and everybody runs really close. What it's going to take is, first, good pit stops. First, actually a fast car. Second, good pit stops. And, third, putting yourself in the best position possible until the end of the race.
 
It's a race that sometimes you'll get caught up in somebody else's mistakes just because everybody runs so close and so fast. But, those three items are the ones that are going to be vital to win the race in Texas.
           
***Q. What is it like to actually fly in an IndyCar? Was it at all fun? Dario (Franchitti) did it last year.
VITOR MEIRA (17:00): The flying part was actually pretty cool. The landing part was hard. It was actually funny. When we were flying here to Texas, we were joined by Gen. Umbarger from the Indianapolis National Guard. He gave me a set of the pins that he gives the pilots, the wings that the military uses. He gave me one that says I'm approved, now I can fly.
 
***Q:You mentioned a lack of experience on ovals. What has the learning process been like for you so far?
ANA BEATRIZ (2:00): It's hard. After Homestead, I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh, that's pretty good. I think I learned a lot of things.’ Then you go to an oval that is totally different so you have to learn a lot of things again.
 
I think that's it: the lack of experience. Every oval is a different oval. Then I think I just have to put it together. Right now I kind of know a lot of things, but I think I still have a lot of things to learn.
 
There’s more: The complete transcript and complete audio recording in MP3 format are available at www.indycar.com/media. Please contact Indy Racing League Public Relations for log-in information if necessary.
***
2. Richmond, Nashville races move to ESPN: The IndyCar Series races at Richmond International Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway will be telecast on ESPN instead of ESPN2 as originally scheduled.
 
The SunTrust Indy Challenge is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET) June 28 at Richmond, and the Firestone Indy 200 is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET) July 12 at Nashville.
***
3. One point separates leaders in Firestone Indy Lights: It was a tough race weekend at Milwaukee for Richard Antinucci and Dillon Battistini. They remain 1-2 in the Firestone Indy Lights championship standings through six rounds, but the difference is one point and they have company.
 
Antinucci, who had recorded a victory and three runner-up spots in the first five races, dropped five positions to finish a season-low 16th in the Milwaukee 100 on The Milwaukee Mile on June 1.
 
Battistini advanced six spots but still finished 14th. Eight days earlier, he won the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - his second victory of the season on an oval.
 
J.R. Hildebrand is 15 points back, AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing teammates Raphael Matos (-31) and Arie Luyendyk Jr. (-50) and Team Moore Racing's Jeff Simmons (-58) are in the hunt heading to Iowa Speedway.
 
Hildebrand, who started 14th, was the biggest mover of the race by finishing fifth.
 
"I wasn't looking forward to starting mid-pack here because it's easy to get caught up in something, but the RLR/Andersen team gave me a great car," he said. "I screwed up in practice and crashed, but they fixed the Allied Building Products car and it was great for the race. To be able to put it into the top 10, let alone the top five, shows that the guys really earned their pay here this weekend."

Matos recorded his best oval finish (third), following Simmons and race winner Bobby Wilson across the line at Milwaukee.
 
"I was happy for the team; they deserve better results than we've had in the past two races," said Matos, who finished 10th in the Firestone Freedom 100 and 19th at Kansas Speedway. "We improved quite a lot from qualifying (seventh). I think the car was quite good in the end.
 
"This place is so difficult in traffic. It's very difficult to pass. Once I was in third, I just wanted to finish and collect points, which is good for the championship. Now we just have to work harder and harder trying to maximize our car to the ovals and then we'll be there in the end fighting for the championship."
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Bombardier Learjet 550k on June 7 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast in High Definition at 10 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Jeld-Wen 100 June 21 at Iowa Speedway. The Milwaukee 100 will be telecast at 1 p.m. EDT June 5.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – June 2, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. Confidence-inspiring win for Briscoe
  2. Drama ahead with 11 races in next 14 weeks
  3. Public to vote for Firestone “Tire”-rific move of the race
  4. Drivers reap post-race awards
 
(1. Confidence-inspiring win for Briscoe: While Ryan Briscoe celebrated his first career victory with Team Penske crew members, Roger Penske stood off to the side in Victory Circle at The Milwaukee Mile smiling.
 
Penske, who hired Briscoe in 2007 to drive the Porsche RS Spyder in ALMS, was happy for the young Aussie. Not only happy that Briscoe scored his first IndyCar Series victory and Team Penske’s first since last June at Texas Motor Speedway, but also genuinely happy for a race car driver who had limited success since debuting in the 2005 season. Three DNFs in the first six races of this season – including a pit lane incident with Danica Patrick a week earlier in the latter stages of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 – didn’t inspire confidence.
 
“I think first he really got the monkey off his back, and we knew how good a race driver he was when he ran for us in the Porsche program last year,” said Penske after Briscoe led Scott Dixon across the line under caution because of a late-race incident involving four cars.
 
“I think from the standpoint of his confidence, there's no question that this is exactly what he needed to break the ice. I think we are going to see a real new race driver come above now as we go forward.”
 
Briscoe broke into the series in ’05 with Target Chip Ganassi Racing as a teammate to Dixon.
 
“We saw him as a good driver; Chip had him earlier on and he got himself into trouble maybe without the experience and the bad accident,” said Penske, referring to a crash at Chicagoland Speedway. “We had him come back, had a good physical with him and he passed everything we needed. There was no issue from his accident and he seemed to be confident. So we said let's try him at Indy last year, and of course he finished fifth. That was a first test, and then we put him into the ALMS series last year, and they won two or three races in that car.
 
“To win that first race at any series is so important, because there's just inches between winning or losing.”
 
Penske has been on both ends over a distinguished career. He sported a cap with “300th win” on the front after the victory – 30 years after Rick Mears delivered his first open-wheel win for Penske also at The Mile – for the landmark victory in all forms of motorsport.
 
“It shows the amount of work that has been done by so many people on the team, so many good drivers, so many good pit crews,” Penske said. “I remember when we were sitting there for a long time trying to get our 100th win. Gil de Ferran gave it to us on a short track. To see Ryan be able to race clean with the 9 car with Dixon, it's a great day. 
 
“This is a great thing not for me, but for everybody who has committed to us. There are so many people who have been with us for a long time -- 25, 30 years -- and that makes a difference.”
***
2. Drama ahead with 11 races in next 14 weeks: IndyCar Series fans might want to set their TiVos. On the cusp of 11 races in the next 14 weekends, the battle at racetracks across the United States and Canada could prove to be fiercer than last summer.
 
Already five drivers have claimed victories in the first six races, including three first-time winners. Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick and Ryan Briscoe have all added their names to the IndyCar Series history book. Scott Dixon, the only repeat winner in 2008, leads the point standings by 28 over winless Helio Castroneves.
 
What happens out of the cockpit could add to the drama. When 26 drivers race hard every weekend, tempers are bound to flare. There have already been incidents that have left drivers pointing fingers and laying blame. In the heat of the summer, there could be more.
 
Remember last year when: Danica Patrick confronted Dan Wheldon on pit lane at Milwaukee; Tomas Scheckter hurled his gloves at Marco Andretti at Texas; Six cars crashed in a single accident at Iowa; Sam Hornish confronted Tony Kanaan on pit lane at Watkins Glen; three Andretti Green cars had trouble on the first lap at Mid-Ohio; opponents accused AGR of team tactics at Infineon.
 
Summer 2008 promises to be full of drama. Stay tuned.
***
3. Public to vote for Firestone “Tire”-rific move of the race: Fans will have the ultimate say in who receives a $10,000 race bonus from Firestone. After each IndyCar Series race, Firestone executives pick three “Tire”-rific Moves of the Race, on-track moves where the drivers had to rely on their Firestone Firehawk tires. Fans can vote for the winner at www.indycar.com.
 
Vitor Meira won the fans’ vote from the race at Indianapolis and was awarded $10,000 during pre-race ceremonies at Milwaukee.
 
From the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225, fans can choose from:
 
In past seasons, Firestone has awarded the bonus to the driver who led the lap that corresponded to the total number of races in IndyCar Series history.
***
4. Drivers reap post-race awards: Ryan Briscoe reaped the benefits from winning the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225. Briscoe was presented an IndyCar Series timepiece from Ritmo Mundo, the official timepiece of the IndyCar Series. Ritmo Mundo presents a timepiece to the winner of each IndyCar Series event in 2008. He also collected the $2,000 Lincoln Welders Hard Charger Award for being the race leader who started furthest back and $1,000 from Bosch.
 
Marco Andretti earned $10,000 for winning the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award. Oriol Servia collected the $2,000 XTrac Award.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Bombardier Learjet 550k on June 7 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast in High Definition at 10 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Jeld-Wen 100 June 21 at Iowa Speedway. The Milwaukee 100 will be telecast at 1 p.m. EDT June 5.

 

BRISCOE EARNS FIRST CAREER WIN; 300TH WIN FOR ROGER PENSKE
 
            WEST ALLIS, Wis., Sunday, June 1, 2008 – Ryan Briscoe persevered through 225 laps on a crowded 1-mile oval at Milwaukee to earn his first career victory in the IndyCar Series and the 300th victory in motorsports for team owner Roger Penske.
            Briscoe started 11th in the 26-car field. He doggedly made his way through the field, finally passing Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon for the lead on Lap 177.
            Briscoe relinquished the lead on Lap 194 when he was the first car to cycle through a final round of green-flag pit stops. By the time everyone had made a stop, Briscoe was back in the lead for good on Lap 207. He took the checkered on Lap 225 under caution after pole sitter Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter made contact on Lap 223 in an accident that also collected Indy 500 runner-up Vitor Meira.
            “It feels so good to win, my first IndyCar (Series) win, and it feels so good to do it here in Milwaukee,” said Briscoe. “I’m really happy. Ever since Indianapolis, we had that get-together in pit lane, and it was really unfortunate. I was having a really good race and looking at a top-five (finish). We just had to put it behind us and move on to this race. It’s a long championship, and it’s just great. We were focused on this race. We knew we had a good car off of last year’s results of Helio (Castroneves) and (Sam) Hornish (Jr.). Just stayed focused in the race. It’s great to win my first race for Team Penske.”
            “Really, it shows the amount of work that has been done by so many people on the team, so many good drivers, so many good pit crews, all the way back,” Penske said. “When we think about winning the first Trans-Am and Indianapolis, and you just go on and think of the drivers that have been with us. It's pretty exciting. And to see Ryan be able to race clean with the 9 car with Dixon, it's a great day.”
            Dixon, who led 147 laps, finished second, while two-time defending race winner Tony Kanaan was third. Dan Wheldon was fourth and Helio Castroneves fifth.
            Dixon retains the IndyCar Series points lead with a 234-206 advantage over Castroneves as the series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the June 7 Bombardier Learjet 550k.
            Also on June 1, Bobby Wilson, a native of nearby Oconomowoc, Wis., led 88 of 100 laps to win the Milwaukee 100 Firestone Indy Lights race. Wilson became the third driver to win in three seasons. It was the first victory for Team E.
            Jeff Simmons finished second, and Raphael Matos finished third. Richard Antinucci remains the series points leader 193-192 over Dillon Battistini after the two finished 16th and 14th, respectively.
***
            Teams competing this weekend have combined for 21 Indy car wins at The Milwaukee Mile:
            Newman Haas Lanigan Racing - 7 (Sebastien Bourdais-2006, Michael Andretti-1996, 1992, 1991; Paul Tracy-1995, Nigel Mansell-1993, Mario Andretti-1985)
            Team Penske - 6 (Sam Hornish Jr.-2005, Al Unser Jr.-1994, Rick Mears-1989, 1988, 1978; Bobby Unser-1980)
            Andretti Green Racing - 3 (Tony Kanaan 2006-2007, Dario Franchitti-2004)
            Rahal Letterman Racing - 2 (Michel Jourdain Jr.-2003, Kenny Brack-2001)
            Target Chip Ganassi Racing - 2 (Juan Pablo Montoya-2000, Jimmy Vasser-1998)
            AJ Foyt Racing - 2 (A.J. Foyt-1979, 1975)
            HVM Racing - 1 (Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2004)
***
            A Rahal and an Andretti have started on the front row in 13 Indy car races. The first time that Bobby Rahal started on the front row with an Andretti was July 1, 1984 at the Meadowlands.  Bobby started second to Mario Andretti that day. Bobby sat on the front row with Mario on seven other occasions. Only once was Bobby on the pole and Mario second. That was at Michigan in September 1985. Bobby also sat on the front row five times with Michael Andretti. Rahal only started on the pole one of those times - at New Hampshire in 1992.
***
            In nine of last 10 Indy car races at The Milwaukee Mile, the race winner has dominated the race, leading a majority of laps.
            2007  Tony Kanaan - 25 of 225 (IndyCar Series)
            2006  Tony Kanaan - 127 of 225 (IndyCar Series)/Sebastien Bourdais-117 of 197
            (Champ Car)
            2005  Sam Hornish Jr.- 123 of 225 (IndyCar Series)/Paul Tracy - 195 of 221 (Champ           Car)
            2004  Dario Franchitti - 111 of 225 (IndyCar Series)/Ryan Hunter-Reay - 250 of 250           (Champ Car)
            2003  Michel Jourdain Jr. - 234 of 250 (CART)
            2002  Paul Tracy - 184 of 250 (CART)
            2001  Kenny Brack - 130 of 225 (CART)
***
            Bobby Wilson has led at least one lap in three consecutive seasons. Pablo Donoso led his first laps in Firestone Indy Lights.
***
FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS POST-RACE NOTES:
***
FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS POST-RACE QUOTES:
 
BOBBY WILSON (No. 17 Team E Patriot Bank, finished first): “The Team E guys put together a great car this weekend. Our first win together couldn’t have happened at a better place than The Milwaukee Mile. I’m just ecstatic for the team. They did such a good job and put together a good car. It was like a walk in the park for me. I just kept the tires under me the whole time and drove to victory.” (About winning at his home track): “Coming to The Milwaukee Mile as a kid, it was always a dream for me to race here one day. To win here is even better. Hats off to the guys; it’s their first win. Team E Racing and owner Neil Enerson put together a great program and gave us the tools we needed to be here.” (About the last lap): “There were cars fighting for position, and I was getting a lot of dirty air. I didn’t want to g et right in the middle of that with the potential for an accident to happen. I knew I was faster than (Jeff Simmons), and I knew the lap countdown and time intervals, so I only used as much of the car as I needed to stay up front. (Simmons) did get close at the end, but timing is everything. Jeff had a run on me, but I really wasn’t worried.”
 
JEFF SIMMONS (No 2. TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling, second): “We had a good car, especially on the long run. I had to work the tools to keep me good. We were quick. We had a shot of it there at the end. When our tires were cold, I was really, really loose. That hurt us on the first couple laps. We just came up a little bit short. I’m really happy. The guys on Team Moore Racing-Xtreme Coil Drilling do a great job. We just came up about 12 feet short.”
 
RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc., third) “It was good. I was happy for the team. They deserve better results than we’ve had in the past two races. We improved quite a lot from qualifying. I think the car was quite good in the end. This place is so difficult in traffic. It’s very difficult to pass. Once I was in third, I just wanted to finish and collect points, which is good for the championship. Now we just have to work harder and harder trying to maximize our car to the ovals, and then we’ll be there in the end fighting for the championship.”
 
ANDREW PRENDEVILLE (No. 5 Best Friends Animal Society, fourth): “The car was really good. I think we had a car capable of winning, but it’s still a good finish.”
 
J.R. HILDEBRAND (No. 25 Allied Building Products, fifth): “I definitely wasn’t looking forward to starting mid-pack for this race, but I screwed up in the first practice session and that put us behind. I owe everything to the guys for putting this car back together and being as good as it was. I had a good race car and was picking off guys one by one. It’s definitely tough to get by guys around here. You could be a couple of tenths of a second faster and never get by. I forced the issue a couple of times and made up a couple of spots late in the game. It feels good to complete another good drive.”
 
PABLO DONOSO (No. 22 TMR-Cristal-Xtreme Coil Drilling, seventh): “We were on the pole. We did an awesome job yesterday. The car today was a little bit hard to drive. It was a little bit loose, and I lost a couple positions. But then I had some slow guy bugging me for like 20 laps, and I lost more positions. Then I fought hard with some drivers. Anyway, we finished in the top 10. It was our first top-10 finish, and I'm looking forward to the next race to try to improve a bit more and try to pick up more points.” (About his post-race meeting with Tony Cotman): “It was fine. They tried to teach me about some of my mistakes. But there are some guys out there that made mistakes as well. I'm going to think about what I did bad this race so I can improve for the next one.”
***
            The No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car driven by Tony Kanaan is carrying the Direct Supply logo on its front wing this weekend as a sign of goodwill toward Sarah Fisher.
            Direct Supply is a major sponsor of Sarah Fisher Racing. Kanaan and Fisher, in her first year as an owner/driver, were involved in an accident during the Indianapolis 500 that ended an emotional month for Fisher.
            Direct Supply is based in Milwaukee, and CEO Bob Hillis was at The Milwaukee Mile today. He thanked Kanaan and Andretti Green Racing co-owner Kevin Savoree for their support.
            Andretti Green Racing also has given an underwing to Sarah Fisher Racing.
***
            Briscoe leads his first lap on an oval. He has previously led laps at St. Petersburg in April and Infineon in 2005.
***
INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE NOTES:
***
INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE QUOTES:
 
RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, finished first): “It feels so good to win, my first IndyCar (Series) win, and it feels so good to do it here in Milwaukee. I’m really happy.” (How will you celebrate): “We’ve got Texas next week, so there’s not too much time to enjoy it. I’m certainly going to enjoy it for the next few days.” (About bouncing back after incident last week at Indy): “Ever since Indianapolis, we had that get-together in pit lane, and it was really unfortunate. I was having a really good race and looking at a top-five (finish). We just had to put it behind us and move on to this race. It’s a long championship, and it’s just great. We were focused on this race. We knew we had a good car off of last year’s results of Helio (Castroneves) and (Sam) Hornish (Jr.). Just stayed focused in the race. It’s great to win my first race for Team Penske.”
 
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, second): “It was a pretty good day for Team Target. We were dominant early on, and the car was really good early on in the stint. I think where we struggled was towards the end of the stint. It didn’t seem to be a problem early on, because the other guys were falling off, too. Briscoe, you got to give him credit. He drove the wheels off that thing. He could really take advantage of the high line when I tried a couple of times and nearly ended up in the fence. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time, to be honest. It was a hell of a race towards the end. I’m just glad it didn’t come down to traffic being the deciding factor, and it almost was with Briscoe almost being taken out by those guys crashing. It was a tough race. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t come up with the win, but it’s fantastic points for the championship.”
 
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, third): “Ryan (Briscoe) was really strong, and I’m always in favor of the fast car winning the race. He deserved it from where he started. He earned every position. He passed everybody at the racetrack, so congratulations to him. We’re happy with third. When you don’t have a car to win, you have to understand what you have in your hands, and that’s what we had today. It’s good momentum for Team 7-Eleven and for the championship. To think championship, you have to finish in the top three. The way these guys are going, it’s how it has to be.” (How bad was traffic?): “The traffic was bad, but my car wasn’t behaving the way I wanted it today. I would say traffic was an issue, but it was an issue for everybody.”
 
DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, fourth): “I had a car that was just a little conservative, so that’s why it was difficult for me to run up high. For the most part, I think it was a pretty good race. (Racing) kind of swayed back and forth.”
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, fifth): “Definitely, (Ryan Briscoe’s) car was much quicker than mine. It’s good to see that he’s coming. Now it’s going to get better and better. This place is amazing; there are so many things happening. I broke the curse. Every time we were here, I’ve never been able to finish. Finally I’ve been able to finish, and fifth place is good enough for points. Not good enough for a win, but we’ll keep working hard.”
 
ORIOL SERVIA (No. 5 KV Racing Technology, sixth): “I am very happy. I have no idea what is going on. It seems like the last five races something has happened at the start. Either I stall or crash. Then we came back through the field and it was tough, especially for the KV Racing Technology crew. For me, it was great fun, a great race, but a very tiring race. I was hoping for a podium finish here, but finishing sixth with this big field and this tough competition feels like a podium. The crew did a great job, and I am just very happy for the KVRT team. The whole team really stepped up this weekend. We are getting close to the established IndyCar teams, and that is encouraging, but we still have a way to go on the bigger ovals.”
 
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team, seventh): “It was a very hectic race; I’m trying to remember everything that happened, because there was a lot. On the first lap, I had passed a load of cars, and I was coming out of the inside of Turn 4 because there was a bit of a stack-up on the outside, and (Oriol) Servia came from the outside across the front of me and into the pit lane. I had to hit the brakes and went to last, so I wasn’t too happy about that. We kept battling on, and the team did a great job; the McDonald’s car was much better in the race. I was very pleased with the progress. We got up to the front and were about seventh, and we were due to pit and had begun the countdown. That’s when Graham (Rahal) had his accident, and they closed the pits and we had to come in on a closed pit or run out of fuel. That put us last on the lead lap and at the back of the line. That got us lapped on the next stint even though we were moving forward again, because we were at the back of the line. After that, we kept pushing and trying to move forward. We did it and got back to seventh. It was a busy race, and I was expecting more yellows, but everybody did a good job.”
 
E.J. VISO (No. 33 PDVSA HVM Racing, eighth): “Today was a roller coaster of a race. We ran well early on, but the car started to go away in the third stint. It was difficult to maintain my position at the end, and I just got too close and hit the wall. Despite that, a top-10 finish is good for the team, and it’s our best so far on an oval. Now we have to face the challenge of Texas next week, and I’m definitely up for it.”
 
DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Motorola, ninth): “We started the race today with a balanced Motorola car, and as the race went on I really struggled to keep it. We were able to make improvements, but they were not able to hold the entire stint of the run. I had some understreer issues all day, and this is where we as a team need to find out what the problem is and find a solution. On a good note, we finished the race which we have not been able to do in the last two races.”
 
BUDDY RICE (No. 15 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 10th): “A pretty good day for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing. I have to thank Dennis (Reinbold), J.D. (John Dick), the Honda and Firestone guys, and all my crew guys for a great job. It was also cool to see Townsend’s (Bell) Emu car on the track for the first time. That and the William Rast car were some nice looking cars. In the race, I made a mistake coming into the pits for the first pit stop, and that cost us a bunch of track position. The crew kept working with me and the car with some small changes, and at the end, we were pretty good. We managed to keep our nose clean and pick up some spots as the race was ending. What was looking like a bad weekend turned out to be pretty good. I can’t thank my guys enough for their effort.”
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Bombardier Learjet 550k on June 7 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 10 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Jeld-Wen 100 June 21 at Iowa Speedway. The Milwaukee 100 will be telecast at 1 p.m. EDT June 5.
 

IndyCar Series

ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Indy 225
WEST ALLIS, Wis. - Results Sunday of the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Indy 225 IndyCar Series event June 1 at the 1-mile Milwaukee Mile, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (11) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 225, Running
2. (3) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 225, Running
3. (6) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 225, Running
4. (7) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 225, Running
5. (5) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 225, Running
6. (9) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 225, Running
7. (22) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 224, Running
8. (10) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 224, Running
9. (13) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 224, Running
10. (19) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 224, Running
11. (21) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 224, Running
12. (14) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 224, Running
13. (20) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 223, Running
14. (4) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 223, Running
15. (12) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 223, Running
16. (8) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, 222, Running
17. (18) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 222, Running
18. (15) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 222, Running
19. (16) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 222, Running
20. (17) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 221, Contact
21. (1) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 221, Contact
22. (26) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 220, Contact
23. (23) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 218, Running
24. (24) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 218, Running
25. (2) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 129, Contact
26. (25) Mario Dominguez, Dallara-Honda, 107, Handling
27. (DNS) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 0, Did not start
      Race Statistics
      Winner's average speed: 133.428 mph
      Time of race: 1:42:41.7387
      Margin of victory: Under caution
      Cautions: 4 caution flags for 29 laps
      Lead changes: 5 among 4 drivers
      Lap leaders: Andretti 1-40, Dixon 41-176, Briscoe 177-193,
Dixon 194-204, Castroneves 205-206, Briscoe 207-225.
      Point standings: Dixon 234, Castroneves 206, Wheldon 185,
      Kanaan 174, Patrick 144, Andretti 142, Servia 140, Briscoe
      134, Carpenter 132, Mutoh 131

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – May 29, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. Valuable gains result of Indy track time
  2. Battistini eyes third victory, Firestone Indy Lights points lead
 
1. Valuable gains result of Indy track time: For the drivers and teams competing in the IndyCar Series for their first season, the month of May at Indianapolis represented a chance for them to catch their breath – a little – and log their first significant miles in the Honda-powered Dallara.
 
Drivers for the six new full-season teams logged more than 5,700 laps and 14,300 miles at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, giving them valuable time to learn the car, oval racing, and in some instances more time to gel as a team.
 
“As a transition team, it was really good for us to have so many miles on an oval and start to understand the car a little bit more, and if anything get a little bit of time to catch up on development,” said Will Power, who logged more miles, 1,927, in the No. 8 Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia entry for KV Racing Technology than any other driver during the month. “As a driver, I gained confidence and experience on an oval. That’s what we really need at this point.”
 
Power completed all 200 laps during the 92nd Indianapolis 500 and finished 13th, second only to teammate Oriol Servia’s 11th-place finish among the new group of drivers.
 
Understanding the Dallara chassis is a key to the ability to be competitive throughout the season.
 
“The additional track time was invaluable,” said HVM Racing team manager Vince Kremer, who worked his 16th Indianapolis 500. “It not only allowed (driver E.J. Viso) the time to get acquainted with the track but also allowed him, his engineers and crew significant time to work through many of the options that are available on the Dallara chassis. Unlike a ‘normal’ race weekend where you unload from the trailer and only have a couple of practice sessions prior to qualifying, working at the Speedway affords you the time to make back-to-back changes and see how they perform on the track.”
 
For Jaime Camara and Conquest Racing, the month afforded the driver and team a chance to get to know one another. Camara debuted in the IndyCar Series with the team in late April at Kansas Speedway.
 
“It was a good month for me,” said Camara. “We had a lot of track time, and that helps you get more comfortable in the car. The more comfortable you get in the car, the more you can free it up, because you know what the car will do. I gained a lot of experience. Even though I only did (79) laps in the race, it was good experience racing.
 
“And the team and I were able to find a rhythm. With all the time in the car, I know their rhythm, they know my rhythm. That’s going to help us as we go on.”
 
The practice time also was valuable for Mario Dominguez and Pacific Coast Motorsports, which will makes its IndyCar Series debut at Milwaukee. Dominguez recorded 459 practice laps at Indianapolis before his last-minute qualifying attempt on Bump Day resulted in a crash.
 
“As a brand new team with no IndyCar Series experience and starting with the biggest and fastest oval on the circuit, it was invaluable to get as much practice time as possible,” said PCM team manager Michael Harvey. “The rain hampered that a bit, but we did a significant amount of laps. They certainly (have a lot of value) for Mario and reacquainting himself with the oval again.”
 
The extra time and miles in the car should begin to pay dividends in the 12 remaining races, seven of which are on ovals, including the June 1 ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile.
 
Driver
Practice Laps
Race Laps
Total Laps
Miles
Will Power
(KV Racing Technology)
571
200
771
1,927.5
Oriol Servia
(KV Racing Technology)
558
200
758
1,895
Justin Wilson
(Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing)
476
132
608
1,520
Enrique Bernoldi
(Conquest Racing)
405
200
605
1,512.5
Mario Moraes
(Dale Coyne Racing)
394
194
588
1,470
E.J. Viso
(HVM Racing)
412
139
551
1,377.5
Graham Rahal (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing)
485
36
521
1,302.5
Bruno Junqueira
(Dale Coyne Racing)
275
184
459
1,147.5
Mario Dominguez
(Pacific Coast Motorsports)
447
447
1,117.5
Jaime Camara
(Conquest Racing)
359
79
438
1,095
Total
4,382
1,364
5,746
14,365
***
2. Battistini eyes third victory, Firestone Indy Lights points lead: Prior to signing with Panther Racing in March, Dillon Battistini had never driven on an oval.
 
But after scoring wins in two of his first three oval starts, the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis and his Firestone Indy Lights debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Englishman has grown quite fond of the tracks and the challenges they present.
 
"I'm really enjoying this oval racing," Battistini said. "I've done three now. I've won two. If I can keep that kind of record going, hopefully I can progress to IndyCar fairly quickly and win a championship."
 
The next test for Battistini is the famed Milwaukee Mile for the Milwaukee 100 on June 1. Battistini tested at the track in the weeks before the Indianapolis race and has confidence entering his first short-oval race.
 
"I've never been on a 1-mile oval before, but I was fairly quick in the test we had there," he said.
 
And more results could signal more racing for him later in the season. Battistini hopes to make his debut in the IndyCar Series later this season, following the path the team set for Hideki Mutoh last season. The 30-year-old is due to test for the team as part of a Bonus Test at Watkins Glen next month and again before his debut.
 
"There's a plan to do two races later this year, which will let me retain my rookie status for next year," he told autosport.com. "But, for now, I'm just focusing on getting the job done in Indy Lights."
 
Results on track aren't the only thing that's been impressive for Battistini, the 2007 Asian Pacific Formula 3 champion. The fact he has grasped the ovals so quickly is credit to the support of Panther Racing, the two-time IndyCar Series-winning team, which also won the 2003 Firestone Indy Lights crown.
 
"I've been quite lucky that my team, Panther Racing, have provided me with such a great car, and I have great backup and support from my team boss, John Barnes, my spotter Pancho (Carter)," Battistini said. "They've given me fantastic advice. They've been able to guide me really well."
 
Battistini trails Richard Antinucci by 3 points heading into Milwaukee. With 23 cars competing for the win beginning with first practice on Saturday (8:15 a.m. CDT), he knows the formula for success for the race (11:30 a.m. Sunday).
 
"Everything has to be right: the car has to be right, the team support has to be right, and the driver has to be good," he said. "So it's a great challenge and I'm really enjoying it. I've realized that I really love oval racing, as well."
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 on June 1 at the Milwaukee Mile. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 4 p.m. (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Milwaukee 100 at 12:30 p.m. (EDT) on June 1 at The Milwaukee Mile. The Firestone Freedom 100 will be telecast at 1 p.m. EDT May 31.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – May 28, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. In Case You Missed It: Tony Kanaan and Dillon Battistini teleconference
  2. Ron Dixon pulled double-duty while watching his son win Indy 500
  3. IndyCar Series adds Edmonton to schedule
  4. Antinucci back in the lead
 
1. In Case You Missed It: Tony Kanaan and Dillon Battistini teleconference: IndyCar Series driver Tony Kanaan, and Firestone Indy Lights driver Dillon Battistini were guests on today’s Indy Racing League teleconference.
 
Background on Tony Kanaan: Tony Kanaan is in his sixth full season in the IndyCar Series, driving for Andretti Green Racing.
·         Age: 33 (Birthday is Dec. 31, 1974)
·         Career Starts / 2008: 86 / 5
·         Career Victories/2008: 12 / 0
·         Career Top-Five Finishes/2008: 58 / 3
·         Career Top-10 Finishes/2008: 68 / 4
·         Career Poles/2008: 9 / 1
·         Career Highlights: Won IndyCar Series championship in 2004, completing every lap of every race. Has never finished worse than sixth in the IndyCar Series point standings.
·         2008 Highlights: Won the pole at St. Petersburg and finished third in the race. Finished second at Kansas. Ranks fourth in points.
·         Off the Track: Son Leonardo was born during the offseason.
 
Background on Dillon Battistini: Dillon Battistini is a rookie in Firestone Indy Lights, driving for Panther Racing.
·         Age: 29 (Birthday is Dec. 3, 1977)
·         Career Starts: 2
·         Career Victories: 1
·         Career Top-Five Finishes: 1
·         Career Top-10 Finishes: 1
·         Career Poles: 0
·         Career Highlights: Won Formula 3 Asia Pacific championship in 2007, recording five wins.
·         2008 Highlights: Ranks second in points. Won the season-opening race at Homestead-Miami and won the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis. Finished fourth at St. Petersburg 2 and Kansas.
 
They said what...? Listed below are select quotes from today’s teleconference, with the approximate time code from the audio MP3 in parentheses.
 
*** Q. Have you met with Marco (Andrett), sat down and talked with him, after what happened at Indy? What came out of that?
TONY KANAAN (12:00): No, we haven't sat down yet. I think I haven't had a chance to see him. I left right after the race. We'll be fine. I think we share different opinions about what happened. But we had a little fun in the banquet on my speech and he had it on his speech. But we haven't sat down and talked about it.
 
But, like I said before, it's not a big deal. It's done. It's passed. We both lost the race. We’ve got to move on. We have a championship to win for AGR. So I don't see a problem. We don't need to sit down and talk about it to make everything square, for us to be in good terms. I don't think we have a choice here. We are going to be in good terms, no matter what, even if we agree or disagree. I think we represent a big team. We have big sponsors to report to and we have a championship to win as a team. We'll sort it out for sure.
 
But, no, I haven't talked to him yet.
           
***Q. It seemed to me in the days leading up to the Indianapolis 500 this year there was so much more buzz. Now that it's behind you, as you go away from it, was this year as different as it looked in terms of excitement, exposure, interest? How would you rate this year against past years you've raced in it?
TONY KANAAN (15:00): I'd have to say since I've been here, this was the best year for sure, as far as the people watching the race, people supporting the race, the buzz, the city. Obviously we carry a huge momentum from the unification, from Danica's (Patrick) win, from Graham Rahal's win. I understand what the Indianapolis 500 was all about when I came here since '02. But this year, now I know what they talk about the old times, the way it was.
 
Every day on the track it's full. Bump Day is crazy. Race Day, for sure it's definitely the best year I've been.
 
***Q:You led 38 of 40 laps at Indy, but it certainly wasn't as easy as it sounds. Can you talk a little bit about the race.
DILLON BATTISTINI (1:15): Well, it was a dream come true really for me. Obviously my first season in Indy Lights, it was the first time I've raced at Indy. The car was fantastic from beginning to the end of the race. I was able to capitalize and lead most of the laps. It made it look quite exciting as well with a few overtaking maneuvers. Yeah, it was a pretty close race, but I'm used to that kind of thing. I quite like the pressure. I respond well to it. I'm really enjoying this oval racing, I'd have to say. I've done three now, I’ve won two. If I can keep that kind of record going, hopefully I can progress to IndyCar fairly quickly.
 
There’s more: The complete transcript and complete audio recording in MP3 format are available at www.indycar.com/media. Please contact IRL Public Relations for log-in information if necessary.
***
2. Ron Dixon pulled double-duty while watching his son win Indy 500: If Ron Dixon was distracted while watching the Indianapolis 500, it was hard to tell. Dixon, the father of race winner Scott Dixon, was the spotter for John Andretti, who finished 16th.
 
"At times, I wish I wasn't there, but it was great," Ron Dixon said after the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration where Scott Dixon received a record $2,988,065 from a record purse of $14,406,580.
 
Dixon became the first native of New Zealand to win the Indianapolis 500. After starting from the pole position, he led seven times for a race-high 115 laps and beat Panther Racing's Vitor Meira to the finish line by 1.7498 seconds. The race featured 18 lead changes among nine drivers, and each of the eight times the yellow caution flag flew Ron Dixon scanned the venue to determine if the red and white No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car was involved.
 
"Up until the last 10 laps, I sort of listened to what was happening but I was concentrating 100 percent on John," he said. "I have to be honest that each time John disappeared down that front straight I started looking for Scott and it was sort of starting to happen at just the right time - Scott was coming into Turn 3 and John was in Turn 1.
"But it was hard. I called John until the bitter end; you have to because it's a job."
 
Ron eventually made his way through the throngs of spectators to Victory Circle to join the celebration, and it continued during the Victory Celebration that honored all 33 drivers and the Hulman-George family.
 
"When we first came up here about eight years ago it was always a dream that one day Scott would win the 500," he said. "Those emotions just burst out; it was incredible. People ask, 'How do you feel?' I don't really know. You go numb, and then you start yahooing and yelling."
***
3. IndyCar Series adds Edmonton to schedule: The Indy Racing League has signed a three-year agreement with Northlands, operator of the Rexall Edmonton Indy, to bring the excitement of IndyCar Series racing to Edmonton beginning July 24-26, 2008. The Rexall Edmonton Indy becomes the 17th race on the 2008 IndyCar Series schedule.
 
“The city of Edmonton and Northlands have put together a first-class event, and we’re excited that we can bring the IndyCar Series to such a great venue,” said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division for the Indy Racing League. “While drivers such as Justin Wilson and Will Power have raced in Edmonton before, some of our other stars – Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti and Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon – will compete there for the first time. We look forward to a long relationship with the Rexall Edmonton Indy.”
 
The 14-turn, 1.973-mile circuit is laid out on Edmonton City Centre Airport runways that reach 75-feet wide for most of the course. About 80 percent of the race course, which is five minutes from downtown, can be seen from anywhere in the grandstands.
 
“We welcome the opportunity to partner with the Indy Racing League during such an exciting time,” said Ken Knowles, Northlands President. “The Edmonton Indy has a proven track record and terrific support from our fans and partners. Under this new partnership, we expect that this year’s event will be the biggest and best to date.”
***
4. Antinucci back in the lead: Richard Antinucci didn’t hesitate when asked “What is your next step in your career?” after his runner-up finish in the Firestone Freedom 100 on May 23.
 
“Indy without Lights,” said Antinucci, who is back on top the Firestone Indy Lights point standings.
 
The way Antinucci is progressing in Firestone Indy Lights – either first or second in four of the first five races of the 16-event season – uncle Eddie Cheever Jr. might be inclined to put together a program for the 93rd Indianapolis 500 if a full-season IndyCar Series team doesn’t contract his services.
 
Antinucci, 27, driving the No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, challenged pole sitter Dillon Battistini of Panther Racing throughout the 40-lap race on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.
 
“We tried to take it easy at the beginning because I think the majority of the field was having problems already with the rubbered-in track,” said Antinucci, who started sixth. “We ran really conservative, with a lot of downforce. We were really quick in the corners. I think we were the quickest out there. I just kept hitting the (rev) limiter.
 
“But congratulations to Panther and Battistini. They did a good job. He was running those times by himself, without a tow – pretty good.”
 
After competing on road/street courses last year in the series, Antinucci has been a quick study on the ovals this season. Next up is the first short track of the season – The Milwaukee Mile on June 1.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 on June 1 at the Milwaukee Mile. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 4 p.m. (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Milwaukee 100 at 12:30 p.m. (EDT) on June 1 at The Milwaukee Mile. The Firestone Freedom 100 will be telecast at 1 p.m. EDT May 31.

 

DIXON LEADS 115 LAPS, WINS INDIANAPOLIS 500
 
            INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, May 25, 2008 – Scott Dixon capped a nearly perfect month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the biggest win of his career – the 92nd Indianapolis 500.
            Early in May, Dixon recorded the fastest practice lap. On Pole Day, he posted the best four-lap qualifying average, and on Race Day, he led 115 of 200 laps, including the final 29, to take the victory.
            “What a day, man,” said Dixon, who took over the IndyCar Series points lead. “I just couldn’t believe it. You just thought something was going to go wrong. I’ve got to thank my wife, for sure. She’s put up with my moods. What a day. We seemed to have a good car. We just had to hold on to it and stay ahead of those guys on restarts. You’re just a sitting duck. There were so many yellows. It was so hard to get into a rhythm.
            “I was trying to save fuel, and I was trying to see how the car was in traffic. We were trying to work on it the whole time. I think we had a little too much drag in it. But coming toward the end, as long as we got a good jump on those guys, I don’t think anyone was going to get past us. The Target guys did a fantastic job.”
            Dixon’s main competition early in the race was his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon. Wheldon, the 2005 Indianapolis 500 winner whose started in the middle of the front row, passed Dixon for the lead three times. Together, the Ganassi cars led 145 laps.
            After Wheldon’s car started handling poorly in the middle of the race, Dixon’s stiffest competition came from Marco Andretti and Vitor Meira.
            Andretti, who finished second as a rookie in 2006, led twice for 15 laps, and Meira took the lead on Lap 160 following a restart when he sliced between Dixon and Ed Carpenter heading into Turn 1.
            Meira led 11 laps before Dixon regained the lead for good on Lap 172.
            Meira finished second, tying his 2005 Indianapolis 500 finish, while Andretti finished third.
            Helio Castroneves, a two-time winner of the race, was fourth, and Carpenter was fifth.
            There were six crashes during the race involving seven drivers. None were injured.
***
INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE NOTES:
 
INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE QUOTES:
 
VITOR MEIRA (#4 Delphi National Guard, finished second): (No one expected you to lead. How did that happen?): “Nobody but me and the Delphi National Guard crew. We really, really prepared the car, and everything was according to plan. But things didn’t really happen our way. We finished second, but you know what, this is a very good result compared to the struggle we had last year and at the beginning of this season. Definitely, Panther Racing is back, and the big three better watch out.”
 
MARCO ANDRETTI (#26 Team Indiana Jones presented by Blockbuster, finished third):“In hindsight, it’s easy to point out mistakes in the race. I think as a team, we did an awesome job. I think the whole month, the Indiana Jones car was one of the ones to beat the whole month. It was a team decision to do what we did, but we missed. We messed up as a team. We finished third, got good points, let’s move on.” (Are you referring to decision to trim rear wing on last stop?): “Yeah, copy. That’s the thing: It’s easier said than done afterward. It’s a team decision. If you mess up, you mess up. We got good points. What are you going to do?”
 
HELIO CASTRONEVES (#3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “Well, fourth place, definitely not what we expected. We tried everything we could. We had a little issue with the debris. I was trying to avoid a slow car; I slammed on the brakes instead of hitting him. I pulled away and a piece of the debris hit my front wing so we had to stop to change that. The team, let me tell you, wow, what a team. I can’t thank enough, Team Penske. What a great strategy. Tim Cindric and all my guys, led by Rick Rinaman, they were fantastic. We were patient. Unfortunately, overall, it was very difficult to pass. We were just trying to keep gaining spots. Wow, what an incredible team. I am extremely honored to be part of it. Now, let’s think about the championship. Scott did an excellent job. Ganassi seems to be the favorite team right now, but, hey, the championship is still a long way and we ’re going to continue working hard.” (About racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) “This race is amazing. This place is magic. I remember Cindric on the radio, saying, ‘Come on, man, we have work to do.’ I’m like: ‘What do you mean, buddy? Patience! I have to be patient so you have to be patient.’ This place is amazing. I have to thank the fans for the support and the warm welcome again. To be here again and finish in the top five for me is great, so thank you everyone.”
 
RYAN BRISCOE (#6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone): (About incident with Danica Patrick): "It's a real shame. I just saw the replay, and it confirmed my thoughts. We were both out there trying to win the Indy 500 today, and when it's time to go, we have to go. But from what I can see, there was still plenty of room on the right side for her to get around and there are people pointing fingers, but that's not the way we are. We both have a brake pedal in our cars, and from what I can tell, there was still plenty of room for her to get around me. I was trying to get around Wheldon, and I was staying in the middle lane. I got ran up in the back, and it's a shame."
 
JOHN ANDRETTI (#24 Roth Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): It's like every ‘500.’ You learn something and when you get done, you wish you'd done something different. I do wish I'd dome some things different and been better. Our last in was horrible, just horrible. That came from a change because we didn't know. We just went with it, and it was way overkill. That really hurt us in the end. It would have been OK in the middle of the race, but at the end of the race, you know, we couldn't hardly keep up. But the stint before that, it was about the best the car was. We tried to make it a little better, but more practice makes all the difference in the world. The guys did a great job on pit stops. We seemed like we got in pretty good. Thank God we didn’t have any green-flag pit stops because I don't know what we would've done. So many people came off of Turn 4 and never saw pit in, so that worked out pretty good, but overall, I'm really pleased. It's frustrating because we know we could've done so much better with a little different circumstances.”
 
TOMAS SCHECKTER (#12 Symantec Luczo Dragon Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "It was just a driveshaft. It happens. I just have to thank my team and sponsors for giving me the chance to do what I love to do. It is a pity. These things sometimes happen. It is the worst time. It was the last stop of the Indy 500" (About running well all race): "I was just conserving fuel by driving at 90 percent, waiting for the last laps. When I wanted to give it a go and see what I could do, it happened. That is racing."
 
HIDEKI MUTOH (#27 Formula Dream Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "I stalled the engine once during a pit stop. I feel sorry for the guys. The team did a great job. I hope I could have finished fifth, but we didn't have enough speed. Two guys passed me, so we finished seventh. For my first Indy 500, that's not too bad."
 
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (#17 Rahal Letterman Racing Team Ethanol Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I just learned so much through the pace of the race. Like this team always does, they made the Ethanol IndyCar better through the run. I’m disappointed we didn’t get more results. I really think this was a seventh-place car, and we finished sixth. I’m happy with it.” (About how he went about learning during the race): “This place is so difficult. When the tires go off and there’s cars in front of you with the turbulence, it’s probably been one of the most difficult tracks that I’ve ever been around.”
 
BUDDY RICE (#15 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "It is good for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. We had two cars in the top 10 at the Indianapolis 500. We're a small-time little group, and we did great. It is good for our sponsors, Jordache and William Rast. I think it was a good day for us." (About his pit strategy): "I needed all the help I could get. We dug ourselves in a hole at the beginning. We led there for a little bit because of our pit strategy. We missed getting our strategy by two laps. For us to get back to where we finished, it was a huge accomplishment for the No. 15 car."
 
A.J. FOYT IV (#2 Lilly Diabetes/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “Obviously, it was terrible. I mean, we caught on fire there again, in the pits and it ruined our day. We had to get out of the car and get the car all sorted out, and it was just miserable. From there on, you're just out there riding around and trying to stay out of trouble, waiting to screw up. It was a terrible race, a miserable race. One of the worst of my life. You don't learn nothing trying to stay out of everybody's way, and that's the worst way in the world to race.”
 
DAN WHELDON (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "My issue all day was with the right rear steer in the car. It was OK in the first few stints, but it seemed to get worse and worse as the race went on. It was very difficult." (About his teammate, Scott Dixon, winning the race): "I am really happy for him. He has been really quick in all of the races leading into this. He perhaps hasn't won as many as he deserved up to now, but he's on a roll right now, and it is great for him and the team that he did so well. The team worked so hard for both cars. Only one can win, and he was the deserving one."
 
WILL POWER (#8 Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “It was a good month you know. I kept getting more and more, and it’s just good to finish the race in a good position. Yeah, whatever.” (About sounding disappointed after the race) No, I’m really happy. I’m really happy for the guys and finished in a good position for us. We moved 10 places up so, I’m just exhausted.”
 
DANICA PATRICK (#7 Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "I was going down pit lane, and as people pull out of their pit boxes if you are in the outside lane, then they have to wait to blend in. From what I know, it looked like it was pretty obvious what happened. What are you going to do? The guys worked so hard today. We worked so hard on the car all month. Unfortunately, we didn't get to show for it in the end. Congrats to (Scott) Dixon. He was strong all month and he deserves it." (About what she would like to tell Ryan Briscoe): "It is probably best I didn't get down there anyway, isn't it?" (About her day): "The unfortunate thing is we worked our butts off all month. We were creeping forward slowly, but surely. After the little mishap in the pits early and struggling with the car, but from what I can tell it seemed like it was relatively obvious what happened. You just don't come out of you r pit box and swing three lanes out. That's why there is a 'get up to speed' lane and an 'at speed' lane. I was at speed." (About what she wants to say to Ryan Briscoe): "We will see if he can find me first."
 
BUDDY LAZIER (#91 Hemelgarn Johnson Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I tried to stay out of trouble. You know, we had one day of practice. One day of practice all month. Obviously, the rain out for Carburetion Day killed us, just killed us and it showed. I don't know anybody with one day of practice that could do any better. This team did as good as anyone could expect. It just would have been nice to have a teammate, someone to share information with. We just missed. We missed today.” (About running a clean race): “That was hard. That was really hard today. That's something that people say when they don't have anything else good to say. You say, ‘Well, the wheels are still on it.’ I'm disappointed, there's no doubt, but what can you really expect with one day of practice? It's all good.”
 
ED CARPENTER (#20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “It was OK. We were kind of same way in the race as we were throughout the month of May. Just outside the very top guys. But we were right there. For the most part I had a very clean race. Had a pit stop where there is a neutral button on this new transmission to get it into neutral. It wouldn’t go to neutral on this one stop and had to go to the back of the line. Luckily we caught a break with the yellow and got back up front. Otherwise, I think we could have maybe finished in front of Helio (Castroneves). I was running in front of him at that point. Either way I am really happy for Menards, Johns Manville, Direct TV, Lilly and everyone else involved with the team. Eleventh was my best finish before this. To be in the top five at Indianapolis is a great feeling. Happy for all the people that make it happen for us. M y Mom and Tony for giving me the opportunity to go show everyone that I do belong at this stage, and really think we are going to get Vision Racing our first win this year. We’ve got good cars, and I think it’s just a matter of time.” (Is this a shot of confidence for you personally?): “It is, but I mean the whole season, I have been a top-five car all season, especially on the ovals. I just need to get a little bit better on the road courses. Then we will be a threat all the way around. I think that is just around the corner.”
 
DARREN MANNING (#14 ABC Supply Co./AJ Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "The car was real good. You know, I made a mistake in the pit stop. I didn't listen to Larry (Foyt). He was saying, 'Stop, stop, stop,' and I was thinking ‘Go, go, go.’ I clipped my front wing on another car when he went into the pits, while we were running in sixth place. I was running comfortably with those guys in the front. I think I had the car firm. It was actually harder to pass the guys in the back of the pack than it was to the guys in the front. We were running a very similar car to the guys in the front, but we had some problems. We dropped back to 24th and came all the way back to ninth. It's a credit to the team. You know, we worked hard all month and they did a good job, too, in the pits to replace the nose and some good stops. We just kept working hard, and when it was time to go a t the end, I went." (On the racing conditions overall): "Absolutely perfect. There was a bit of wind in (Turns) 1 and 2, which was making it tricky. My car was real good at the end of all the long green flag runs, but we never got any. They (the cars in front) were just starting to come back to me. Was just cruising and picking them off, then the yellow would come out. I was really annoyed that so many yellow flags kept coming out."
 
TOWNSEND BELL (#99 Dreyer & Reinbold William Rast Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “We struggled a bit on the restarts. We had a good restart there at the end to get a couple positions. It’s pretty good. We’re still a small team. Buddy (Rice) got an eighth, so two top-10s for Dreyer and Reinbold. We’re duking it out with the big guys. It’s one foot in front of the other. It’s another step toward hopefully to a better end to the season. I really wanted to finish the race. I didn’t finish when I came here in 2006. I made it three-quarters of the way, was running in the top 10 and it was painful, painful Monday morning to wake up and know, man, if we just could have had a top 10, we’d be happy. So, now we’ve got one, and we need to just stay focused, come back and do even better next time. It’s a smaller organization with big ambitio ns and you can’t get there overnight. We don’t want to do is swing too hard and fall over trying to prove too fast. It’s got to happen one step at a time. We keep doing this and keep working our way up to that next level of teams, and we’re going to be happy.”
 
ENRIQUE BERNOLDI (#36 Sangari Conquest Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “It was a very good race for me. I was quite a bit scary for me in the beginning when a piece of (Graham) Rahal's car came off and hit me in the beginning. I thought my car would be damaged, but luckily, they could repair it and I still could get the lap back. I was pushing hard all the time and was like, really racing. Real racing. Indianapolis is like a track that you can drive the car a little bit around the problems, not like other ovals. I have to thank the engineer because he gave me a good car. I never had to adjust the car on the pit stops, I could do everything myself with the bars. The race was very long and very tiring. It was difficult because it was so long. I'm relieved because I finished my first oval race and it's the Indianapolis 500, so I finished the best one out of the three I did. I was very happ y to bring the car home. I think that's a big plus for the team for the ovals. Now we can work on it and get even better.”
 
BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (#18 Z-Line Designs Dallara/Honda/Firestone): (About the frustration with losing his right mirror early in the race): "It wasn't really good for a few laps. My right mirror flew away, and the team did not have a mirror to replace. That was it. It's very frustrating to be leading the race and have to pit, and the team's not ready." (Did anything in particular happen to make the mirror come off or did it come off on its own?): "It came off on its own. It's very frustrating."
 
MILKA DUNO (#23 CITGO/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "For my second time at the Indianapolis 500, I am excited to have finished this classic race. Throughout the race, we were in good contention and made routine pit stops and tire changes. It was during Lap 168 that the No. 91 car (Buddy Lazier) essentially forced me to go on the apron. His tire made contact with my front wing and tires. I was able to control the spin, and no major damage was done to the car. The CITGO car was brought back to the garage, and I took off running through the pits to meet the team. The guys did a tremendous job to getting the car back out. Their efforts allowed us to gain two positions back on the track to finish 19th."
 
DAVEY HAMILTON (#22 Hewlett-Packard/KR Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “We had a disappointing day today. We had a right front nose wing break, I guess. We really didn’t realize it until the race was over. But just had big time understeer all day long. Just couldn’t get the car to turn. It was so much different than what it was on Carb Day and practice. But that is the reason. Well get back, find out what broke in the right front wing. With that thing flat, there is no way to turn these things.” (Do you think it failed due to fatigue or from possible contact?): “It seemed to be (bad) right off the bat, because there is no rubber on it at all. All the rest of the car and the other (front) nose wing has rubber on it. I’m pretty sure right from the get go that it was flat. We needed it, man. I thought we finally got the car out by ourselves and picked o ff some 219’s and 218’s. But as soon as I’d get traffic, I’d only go as fast as they would go. It was a pretty disappointing day.” (So how was traffic out there today. How did everyone behave?): “Well, a lot of defense. Lot of defense today.”
 
ORIOL SERVIA (#5 Angie's List Special Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “Yeah, I was so close to a top 10. I’m just really happy. Eleventh was a good race from where we started. We had a very good balance in the car, and we were just lacking a little bit of speed but, I’m just really happy. We had great stops, great restarts and good balance so, you know. We know we have a little bit of a disadvantage on development, and it is what it is but, we’re happy. We’re happy with the result and my first Indy and the team’s first Indy.” (About his most crucial moment of the race): “There were many. I mean, many restarts where we moved forward, and the pit stop that the guys put me seventh was great. We just didn’t have the speed to stay up there with those guys, but it was good. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed my first Indy.”
 
MARIO MORAES (#19 Sonny's Bar-B-Q Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “When I came driving (down the frontstretch) first time, it was amazing. I’ve never been to a place like this before. I just watch it on television sometimes. It's really impressive to be here; it's a pleasure. We made what we were looking for, finish the race. It doesn't matter what position. We work a little bit on the car. The team is brand new. The start is amazing, you know. You don't know what to do." (About what the start felt like in the turbulent air): "It's really impressive. You think it's easy in the qualifying. Then, you come to the first lap, and I need to reduce two gears, then go again, so it's quite hard. Two times, we have some problems and went into the marbles; Marco pushed me into the marbles. He was fast, so I was trying to get out of trouble. Then I need to stop to change the tires again and go. So I think they did a very good job, and we finish the race."
***
            Bobby East led all 50 laps to win the 63rd Toyota Challenge “Night Before the 500” presented by Fatheadz on Saturday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
            Chase Scott finished second and Tracy Hines third in the Mopar USAC National Midget Car Series event.
***
            Shane Cottle won the 60th Pay Less “Little 500” USAC Sprint Car special event Saturday night at Anderson Speedway. Cottle led the last 123 laps of the 500-lap feature for the victory.
            Tony Elliott finished second, with Johnny Rodriguez third.
***
            The 93rd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, 2009. Ticket information can be found in a foldout page between pages 32-33 of the 2008 Indianapolis 500 Official Program. Ticket information also can be obtained by calling the Speedway's ticket office, (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY, or by logging on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
***
            Brian Barnhart, an Indianapolis native, is the president of the competition and operation division of the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series. He is the chief official of the 92nd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
***
            Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi will drive the Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Official Pace Car leading the field to the start of the 92nd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. During caution periods in the race, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, from Fort Worth, Texas, will be the driver. Jim Haynes, from Phoenix, will serve as observer from the Pace Car. Under the caution, cars will close up behind the Pace Car.
***
            The 33-car field, aligned in the traditional 11 rows of three, will get the green flag on the third time past the flag stand. The starters for the Indy Racing League are Bryan Howard of Lomita, Calif., and Paul Blevin, of Riverside, Calif. Both are in their 12th year.
***
            In the 12 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races since the inception of the IndyCar Series, only two drivers who led at Lap 100 have won the race (16.7 percent), and only five drivers who led at Lap 190 in the races that have gone the distance have won the race (50 percent). In the last four seasons, when the same basic car and formula have been used, there has been at least one lead change in the final 10 laps three times.
 
Year
Leader Lap 100
Leader Lap 190
Winner
2007
Tony Kanaan
---
Rain shortened race to 166 laps
Dario Franchitti
2006
Dan Wheldon
Tony Kanaan
Sam Hornish Jr.
2005
Tony Kanaan
Danica Patrick
Dan Wheldon
2004
Dan Wheldon
---
Rain shortened race to 180 laps
Buddy Rice
2003
Jimmy Vasser
Gil de Ferran
Gil de Ferran
2002
Tomas Scheckter
Helio Castroneves
Helio Castroneves
2001
Greg Ray
Helio Castroneves
Helio Castroneves
2000
Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya
1999
Arie Luyendyk
Robby Gordon
Kenny Brack
1998
John Paul Jr.
Eddie Cheever Jr.
Eddie Cheever Jr.
1997
Arie Luyendyk
Jeff Ward
Arie Luyendyk
1996
Davy Jones
Davy Jones
Buddy Lazier
***
            Julianne Hough, a professional ballroom dancer who teamed with two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves to win ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and a singer who recently released her first album, will perform the national anthem.
***
            Of the 33 cars starting this year's Indianapolis 500, 10 will have car numbers that have never won the race. Car numbers 10, 11, 18, 19, 22, 33, 41, 67 and 02 have never been on a winning car in the Indianapolis 500. This is the first year that car number 06 has been used on a car in the race.  Car numbers 10, 11, 18, 19, 22 and 33 have been on cars that have finished second. Car number 3 leads with the most wins at 10.
***
            Leading the field to the green flag today as Pace Car driver is two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi. This is the 26th time that a former winner has driven the Pace Car. Fittipaldi is the 13th former winner to have sat behind the wheel of the Pace Car. The last former winner to drive the Pace Car was 1963 winner Parnelli Jones for the 1998 Indianapolis 500.
***
            Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #06 Graham Rahal was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive.
            GRAHAM RAHAL: “(Alex Lloyd) was really slow, and I was trying to be patient there because (Mario) Moraes kept coming down on me. So finally I got the opportunity to get by those few guys, and I thought our car was pretty good. Lloyd, for some reason, wouldn’t stay right on the bottom and when he came up just a couple of feet, I reacted slightly and just got in the marbles.”
***
            Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #25 Marty Roth was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive.
            MARTY ROTH: “I just was going around (Buddy) Lazier on the outside of him and just got caught up in the marbles and just went for a ride.”
***
            #06 Graham Rahal, the youngest driver in the field (19), was the first car out of the race, while #25 Marty Roth, the oldest driver in the field (49), was the second car out of the race.
***
            #11 Tony Kanaan became the first driver in history to lead seven consecutive Indianapolis 500-Mile Races when he took the lead on Lap 94. Kanaan had shared the previous record of six straight with Rick Mears (1979-84). Kanaan has led every Indianapolis 500 in which he has competed.
***
            Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #34 Jaime Camara was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive.
            JAIME CAMARA: “I just had understeer in traffic, and the car wouldn’t turn in. We just tried to work that with the front wing, and I was losing pace on the track. By myself I was fine, but in traffic it was tough even to approach someone slower than me, and when I got really close, the front end just gave out, and I was in the marbles. I crossed my arms trying to turn left and I almost made it, but I didn’t make it.”
***
            #11 Tony Kanaan led Lap 100 in both the 2007 and 2008 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races. The leader at the 100-lap mark has gone on to win the race 38 times in the previous 91 runnings of the Indianapolis 500, but the Lap 100 leader has only visited victory circle on three occasions (1989, 1997, 2000) in the past 21 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races.
***
            When #26 Marco Andretti took the lead on Lap 122, it represented the third consecutive Indianapolis 500 that Andretti, 21, has led. The only other Andretti to lead three consecutive events is Marco’s grandfather, Mario, who did not lead his third consecutive Indianapolis 500 until 1993 at the age of 53. The 2008 race is Marco Andretti’s third career Indianapolis 500 start.
***
            Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #11 Tony Kanaan and #67 Sarah Fisher were checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. They are cleared to drive.
            TONY KANAAN: (About Marco Andretti’s pass of Kanaan just before Kanaan’s incident): “It was a stupid move. I think teammates shouldn't do that to teammates. I'm sure he will have a good explanation for what he did. Halfway through the race with a bunch of traffic, why are you going to dive into me like that? I will wait to see what he has to say.”
            SARAH FISHER: “It was just racing. Tony was racing real hard for the lead, and got high and just spun right there in front of me. I think I got him in the intrusion panel, so it’s a good thing they update these cars every year so he can walk away fine. It was just a terrible day. It just wasn’t our day. The guys worked so hard this month and put together such a good race car. It was great on track; we just messed up the start, messed up the parade lap. It just wasn’t our day.”
***
***
            #19 Mario Moraes took the lead on Lap 136 to become the 56th driver to the lead the Indianapolis 500 in his first start. He is the 193rd different driver to have led an Indianapolis 500.
***
            Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #41 Jeff Simmons was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive.
JEFF SIMMONS: “The car was getting pretty loose on those runs. I was trying to get the tires warm for the restart. I think it just hooked up, and I went into the wall. I’ve seen a lot of guys do it, but I never thought it would happen to me.”
***
            Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #02 Justin Wilson was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive.
            JUSTIN WILSON: “I was just running in the pack and just trying to experiment with a few different lines trying to get a run on people because you’d often come down in the corner and wash out on the exit, and you’d have to lift off and you can’t pass anyone. So I was just experimenting and learning, and I thought everything was fine. But as you start to come out of the corner, I felt the back lighten up so I was out of the throttle, and it just slowly came around. And next thing I know, I’m going backward. I tried to keep the McDonald’s car out of the wall, but just ran out of real estate.”
***
            At 19 years, 156 days of age, #19 Mario Moraes is the third-youngest driver to lead the Indianapolis 500. Only Josele Garza (1981), at 19 years 70 days of age, and Marco Andretti (2006), at 19 years 76 days of age, were younger.
***
            #33 Viso is out of the race.
            E.J. VISO: “Since we started the race, we had a problem with the gearbox. It stayed stuck in any gear. Most of the time it was third. After revving up the engine, it would go up the gears. But this time it didn’t happen; it just stayed in third. I would think there’s something inside the gearbox. It’s very frustrating because I was running 11th or 12th and was very comfortable. The car was good, and we were going to start trimming the car down. We were going to be in the top 10 easily without any risk.”
***
            Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, IRL senior director of medical services: Alex Lloyd has been checked and released from the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive.
            ALEX LLOYD: “I don’t know exactly (what happened). We had an incident early on where we slightly touched or whitewalled it on the right side. It never felt right since that. We were struggling. We were playing around with the setup, trying to get it right. We just couldn’t get it. It was hooking mid-corner, and I came through Turn 4 and it stopped turning and went straight up to the wall. I don’t know why. I hit the wall, and that was that. It was long, frustrating day, really. Something wasn’t right, right from the start. We were trying our best to fix it in the pits, but nothing was working.”
***
            #7 Danica Patrick and #6 Ryan Briscoe collided while exiting the pits on Lap 171. Patrick was eliminated from the race. This is the first time in her four Indianapolis 500 starts that she failed to finish on the lead lap.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 on June 1 at the Milwaukee Mile. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 4 p.m. (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Milwaukee 100 on June 1 at The Milwaukee Mile. The Firestone Freedom 100 will be telecast at 1 p.m. EDT May 31.

 

IndyCar Series
92nd Indianapolis 500
INDIANAPOLIS - Results Sunday of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Series event May 25 at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
2. (8) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
3. (7) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
4. (4) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
5. (10) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
6. (20) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
7. (9) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
8. (17) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
9. (14) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
10. (12) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
11. (25) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
12. (2) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
13. (23) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
14. (18) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
15. (29) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
16. (21) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
17. (32) Buddy Lazier, Dallara-Honda, 195, Running
18. (28) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 194, Running
19. (27) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 185, Running
20. (15) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 184, Running
21. (31) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 180, Running
22. (5) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 171, Contact
23. (3) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 171, Contact
24. (11) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 156, Mechanical
25. (19) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 151, Contact
26. (26) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 139, Mechanical
27. (16) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 132, Contact
28. (24) Jeff Simmons, Dallara-Honda, 112, Contact
29. (6) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 105, Contact
30. (22) Sarah Fisher, Dallara-Honda, 103, Contact
31. (30) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 79, Contact
32. (33) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 59, Contact
33. (13) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 36, Contact
      Race Statistics
      Winner's average speed: 143.567 mph
      Time of race: 3:28:57.6792
      Margin of victory: 1.7498 seconds
      Cautions: 8 caution flags for 69 laps
      Lead changes: 18 among 9 drivers
      Lap leaders: Dixon 1-2, Wheldon 3-9, Junqueira 10-11, Rice 12-
19, Wheldon 20-35, Dixon 36-74, Wheldon 75-79, Dixon 80-91,
Wheldon 92-93, Kanaan 94-105, Dixon 106-121, Andretti 122-135,
Moraes 136-138, Andretti 139, Dixon 140-155, Carpenter 156-
158, Dixon 159, Meira 160-171, Dixon 172-200.
Point standings: Dixon 191, Castroneves 176, Wheldon 153,
Kanaan 139, Andretti 130, Patrick 122, Carpenter 120, Power
114, Mutoh 113, Servia 112.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – May 20, 2008

 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. 1. Mutoh honored at annual Indianapolis 500 Rookie Luncheon
  2. 2. Ratings continue to rise for ABC, ESPN2
 
1. Mutoh honored at annual Indianapolis 500 Rookie Luncheon: Hideki Mutoh discovered a few minutes before addressing the crowd at the American Dairy Association of Indiana that he completed an Andretti Green Racing sweep of the Fastest Rookie of the Year Award.
 
“No pressure,” the driver of the No. 27 Formula Dream Honda-powered Dallara said.
 
Mutoh, who will start ninth in the 92nd Indianapolis 500, joins Marco Andretti (2006), Danica Patrick (2005), Tony Kanaan (2002) and team co-owner Michael Andretti (1984) as fastest rookies at Indianapolis.
 
“When I competed at Indianapolis in the Freedom 100 last year, I remember being surprised by the number of people in the grandstands,” said Mutoh, 25, the 2007 championship runner-up in the developmental Firestone Indy Lights series. “This year, I’m an IndyCar Series driver and racing in the Indy 500 is like a dream come true. Receiving this fastest rookie award is a great surprise.”
 
Mutoh, who received $5,000 from the American Dairy Association of Indiana among other gifts, is among the 11 rookies in the 33-car field for the May 25 race. Last year, Mutoh was the Rookie of the Year in Firestone Indy Lights and in 2006 was named Rookie of the Year in the Japanese Super GT Championship.
 
“I know it’s not going to be easy to get to the top level, but I have really good teammates that help me a lot and I learn from them,” Mutoh said. “I think the starting position is the best I could do, so I’m very happy. I’m happy to have had this much practice for the race. I’m ready.”
 
Joining Mutoh as first-time Indianapolis 500 participants are KV Racing Technology’s Oriol Servia and Will Power, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing’s Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal, Dale Coyne Racing’s Mario Moraes, Conquest Racing’s Enrique Bernoldi and Jaime Camara, HVM Racing’s E.J. Viso, Alex Lloyd of Rahal Letterman Racing with Chip Ganassi, and Rahal Letterman Racing’s Ryan Hunter-Reay.
 
“It’s a race that’s unique, and I’m happy I made the field,” said Bernoldi, who will start in the middle of Row 10. “It’s nice to do a lot of activities outside of driving, which makes it a race that is very complete. There are so many fans here, it’s just been a great month.”
 
Preparing for the race on the 2.5-mile oval, making adjustments for and experiencing changing weather and racetrack conditions, has been challenging and rewarding.
 
“It has been a lot of learning because the place is so different from anywhere I’ve ever driven,” Bernoldi said. “It was good because we drove for many, many days and it really helped me because I’m not that familiar with ovals. You can’t get a good result if you can’t race.”
 
Four Fastest Rookie of the Year recipients have won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in the 34 consecutive years the American Dairy Association of Indiana has sponsored the award (Rick Mears, Jacques Villeneuve, Eddie Cheever Jr. and Juan Montoya). There are five former Fastest Rookie winners in the field this year (the three AGR drivers plus pole sitter Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Bruno Junqueira of Dale Coyne Racing).
***
2. Ratings continue to rise for ABC, ESPN2: Ratings for ABC’s and ESPN2’s coverage of Third Day Qualifying and Bump Day at the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 showed significant gains from 2007.
 
Saturday’s coverage from 4-6:30 p.m. on ESPN2 was up 25 percent, while ESPN2’s coverage of Bump Day, which included six qualifying attempts in the final 30 minutes, registered a 50 percent increase. The overnight ratings for ABC’s Bump Day coverage, which included two hours earlier in the afternoon, was up 18 percent from 2007.
 
Earlier this season, race broadcasts from Homestead-Miami Speedway in March and Kansas Speedway in April on ESPN2 generated the two highest-rated IndyCar Series races in the network’s history.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at noon (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues May 23 with the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition as part of ESPN2's Miller Lite Carb Day coverage beginning at 11 a.m. on May 23. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network at 12:15 p.m.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – May 19, 2008
 

Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines

1. Indy 500 field seeks good fortune from New York's 'Charging Bull':

2. Reid passes Firestone Indy Lights rookie test

 

1. Indy 500 field seeks good fortune from New York's 'Charging Bull': No one wished to be without good luck, so the 33 drivers who will compete in the 92nd Indianapolis 500 rubbed the nose, horns and other anatomical parts of the bronze Charging Bull statue on Broadway.

            “Because I’m not very tall, I was in a position where I couldn’t see myself in the picture so I stood on my helmet and then I was one of the tallest,” said HVM Racing’s E.J. Viso after the starting field for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” posed in 11 rows of three in Race Day uniforms for an international media photo blitz that stopped lunch time traffic in the Financial District.

            The 7,000-pound sculpture by Arturo Di Modica depicts a flared-nostril bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, ready to charge. It’s often rubbed by investors – and tourists – seeking good luck. Now the statue – with a winner’s wreath around one of its horns – has the distinction of being rubbed by 33 IndyCar Series drivers seeking good luck in the 500-Mile Race.

            “It was great,” said Viso, the IndyCar Series rookie who will start from the middle of Row 9. “To see all the people on the sidewalks take our picture was great. I rubbed the bull’s nose, so now I’ll have good luck for my first ‘500.’ It’s part of all the things associated with the race, and I will definitely remember this.”

            Spectators on double-decker tour buses also were treated to close-up photo ops (no extra charge) as a handful of drivers posed on the open-air second deck of a tour bus. Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves, who qualified fourth in seeking his third Indianapolis 500 victory, waved to the star-struck tourists.

            “They must have seen me on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ ” said Castroneves, who soon afterward was on his way to Los Angeles for his role as an “Entertainment Tonight” special correspondent covering the finals of the top-rated ABC show that he won in November.

            Drivers then filed into the recently opened Sports Museum of America for a media luncheon and tour of the 50,000-square-foot facility that includes multiple pieces of memorabilia from past and present drivers associated with the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500.

            The Sports Museum of America is the nation's first multi-media, interactive all-sports museum experience celebrating the significance of sports in American culture. A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti are members of the museum’s Board of Trustees.

            “This event is an absolute home run,” said John Urban, president and general manager of the Sports Museum of America. “It’s the first big outdoor event we’ve done and what could be better? Thirty-three drivers, the (Borg-Warner) Trophy and having everybody here take a look at the museum.

            “The auto racing story we tell starts with walking over the original batch of bricks and we talk about the history of the ‘500’ and the great drivers, families and dynasties and moments. We hope the collection and excitement will continue to grow.”

            Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division of the sanctioning Indy Racing League added to the museum’s motorsports collection with an IndyCar Series front wing.

 

2. Reid passes Firestone Indy Lights rookie test: New Zealand's Jonny Reid successfully completed his Firestone Indy Lights rookie test on May 19 at Iowa Speedway, clearing the way for him to compete in the Firestone Freedom 100 on May 23.

            The 24-year-old native of Auckland, New Zealand completed the requirements in a car prepared by Integra Motorsports under the direction of Firestone Indy Lights Technical Director Butch Meyer.

            "Jonny Reid is a very good driver," Meyer said. "He did everything we asked of him and understood the car very well. He was smooth as glass and very impressive. He was turning laps within a few tenths of the quick time here last year and was working on getting faster."

            Reid has competed and won in various junior formulas around the world, and was lead driver for Team New Zealand's runner-up campaign in the recently completed A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.

***

            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at noon (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues May 23 with the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition as part of ESPN2's Miller Lite Carb Day coverage beginning at 11 a.m. on May 23. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network at 12:15 p.m.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – May 13, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
1. Teams have different strategies for final week of on-track preparation for Indianapolis 500
2. Patrick graces cover of Sports Illustrated
3. Dominguez honored in Mexico
4. Buckman released from hospital
 
(Note: An image of the Sports Illustrated cover is available for download at www.indycar.com/media.)
 
1. Teams have different strategies for final week of on-track preparation for Indianapolis 500: The final week of on-track preparation for the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 begins May 14. Eleven drivers have locked in starting positions for the event and can focus on preparing their cars for the race. Twenty-five drivers have a balancing act ahead of them – work on qualifying setup to earn one of the final 22 starting positions, and work on race setup to be competitive in the 500-Mile Race on May 25.
 
“You have 18 hours of practice, plus the practice time that will be available over the weekend, as well,” said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and operations for the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of the IndyCar Series. “(Teams) will have to manage it wisely. I anticipate that you will see some scenarios, maybe not on Wednesday, but on Thursday, you will have some pretty big groups of cars running, maybe eight or 10 cars running together, which is going to be cooperation between multiple teams going out there.
 
“If you are a team that is working on your qualifying setup and you see that going, you are not going to go out there and interact with that. You are going to have low downforce, and you are not going to mess with that kind of turbulence. It is just a matter of being smart of when you are doing what you are doing. You are going to work on both. If you want to focus on the full race stuff, you are going to load it up with downforce and have a run with them, but if not you are going to wait and try to find your own space on the 2.5-mile track.”
 
For rookie Graham Rahal, who found himself on the qualifying “bubble” most of Pole Day May 10, most of the work ahead will be on race setup despite the need to still qualify for the race.
 
“We're going to focus this week, I would imagine, on race setup,” said Rahal, who became the youngest race winner in IndyCar Series history at St. Petersburg in April. “And come next Saturday, I feel after (Pole Day), we feel pretty comfortable that we can solidly be in the field, so we'll take a little wing out Saturday morning and go for it. I think we really need to focus on having a good race car here. Of course, qualifying is important, but the race is what it really comes down to. I feel pretty comfortable out there. In qualifying especially, the car was really good, and I was really happy with it. Obviously, we need to find a little more speed, but I'm perfectly fine with it. I'm looking forward to the race.”
 
Other drivers, who didn’t make a qualifying attempt on Pole Day, will concentrate more on qualifying for the race.
 
“We don’t have a lot of track time left before the race, and we still have to work on qualifying,” said Jaime Camara, driver of the No. 34 Sangari entry. “I think that we will focus on our qualifying all of this week and then focus more on the race during (final practice on) Miller Lite Carb Day. That is the challenge for everybody that is going to qualify the second week, but it is what it is, and we have to do the best with what we have and just try to reach our goals now.”
 
The rainout on Second Day Qualifying May 11 could benefit the teams that are second-week programs. Drivers such as Buddy Lazier and Jeff Simmons, who didn’t get any track time during the first week, have an opportunity to qualify higher than they may have originally.
 
The drama will play out May 17-18. Twenty-two drivers will fill the starting grid on the 17th. Those on the outside looking in will have an opportunity to bump their way into the field on the 18th.
 
“It is going to be the same for everybody, except for the first 11 guys that actually can sleep soundly (this) week,” said Max Papis, driver of the No. 44 Rubicon Race Team/Lifelock entry. “For us and the other 22 guys, we are in the same boat. We will have to dedicate a little time to qualifying setup next week and most of the time to the race setup. This rain delay, definitely, it hurts a smaller team more than anything else, because a smaller team needs more time to work and get the car tuned up. You can't make it up in a short time period without possible disaster.”
***
2. Patrick graces cover of Sports Illustrated: On the heels of her first race victory and leading into the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick graces the cover of the Sports Illustrated issue that will be on newsstands May 14.
 
It’s Patrick’s second appearance on the cover of the magazine. The first came after her fourth-place finish in the 2005 Indianapolis 500. She also was featured in this year’s Swimsuit Issue.
 
Lars Anderson writes about Patrick’s star power on Pole Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, during which she qualified fifth for the May 25 race. On April 27 at Twin Ring Motegi, Patrick became the first female to win a major closed-course auto race.
 
During her first trip to the Indianapolis 500 in ’05, Patrick qualified and finished fourth. She became the first female to lead a lap (19 overall), and battled eventual winner Dan Wheldon for the point in the latter stages before fading because of fuel mileage. Her run triggered a groundswell of media and promotional opportunities that continue to this day. Winning the Indy Japan 300 in her 50th IndyCar Series race has heightened interest in the driver and the series.
 
Patrick will be joined on Row 2 in this year’s race by Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan and Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves.
***
3. Dominguez honored in Mexico: Mario Dominguez, driver of the No. 96 Visit Mexico City/PCM Racing entry, flew to Mexico after Second Day Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 was rained out May 11 to be honored by Mexico City’s government.
 
Dominguez was recognized May 13 as “Mexico City’s Official Ambassador of Sports and Tourism” by the city of 19 million in a presentation made near the National Palace.
 
“I am very honored by the designation,” said Dominguez, who is attempting to make his IndyCar Series debut in the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. “I’m looking forward to representing my country.”
***
4. Buckman released from hospital: Charles Buckman, the Dale Coyne Racing crew member who was injured in an incident on pit lane May 9, has been released from Methodist Hospital, according to Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League.
 
Buckman is recovering from a traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and a skull fracture.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at noon (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues May 23 at Indianapolis. The race will be telecast `on May 23 by ESPN2.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – May 12, 2008
 

Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines

1. Simmons to drive for Foyt at Indianapolis
2. Pecorari, Potekhen to race Freedom 100 in two-car effort:
 

1. Simmons to drive for Foyt at Indianapolis: A.J. Foyt Racing announced that it has hired Jeff Simmons to drive the No. 41 ABC Supply Honda-powered Dallara as a teammate to Darren Manning for the 92nd Indianapolis 500. Simmons will see his first track time May 14 and attempt to qualify for the 33-car field May 17.

            “A.J. is taking it on himself to put me in this car so I just want to do the best job I can for his team,” said Simmons, who will be seeking to qualify for his fourth 500-Mile Race.

            Simmons, 31, drove for Foyt in the Indy Pro Series in May 2004, finishing second in the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A few hours later, he was behind the wheel of the No. 21 Mo Nunn Racing car (Tora Takagi’s backup) for his initial practice laps. He qualified 29th the next day – Bump Day – and finished 16th in his first 500-Mile Race.

            “It’s great to be back with A.J.’s team,” said Simmons, who started 13th and finished 11th last year in the ‘500’ in the No. 17 Team Ethanol car for Rahal Letterman Racing. “I’m looking forward to working with A.J. and Darren and the whole Foyt team. Darren can help me get up to speed quickly and hopefully I can contribute something to the team as we get ready for qualifying next weekend.”

            Simmons has been competing this season with Team Moore Racing in the Firestone Indy Lights, producing two top-10 finishes in three starts. He is scheduled to compete in the Firestone Freedom 100 on May 23 in the No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car.

            “I’m glad to be working with Jeff again,” Foyt said. “I like the way he drives and the way he hustles the car pretty hard which is what I look for in young drivers.”

            In 25 IndyCar Series starts, Simmons has recorded 11 top-10 finishes. His best finish is sixth, which came last year at Texas Motor Speedway where he led twice. He was replaced in the No. 17 car by Ryan Hunter-Reay in July.

            Both A.J. Foyt Racing cars will attempt to qualify May 17 as positions 12-33 are available. Manning’s lone attempt on Pole Day was waived off.

 

2. Pecorari, Potekhen to race Freedom 100 in two-car effort: SWE Racing owner Steve Eppard announced May 10 that he will enter two cars in the Firestone Freedom 100 for Firestone Indy Lights veterans Robbie Pecorari and Mike Potekhen.

            "I'm very excited to add Robbie and Mike to our team," Eppard said. "We got to know Robbie pretty well last season when he drove for Team KMA and are happy to add a second driver the caliber of Mike to the team."

            Pecorari, who finished second to J.R. Hildebrand in the Kansas Lottery 100 on April 27, is 14th in Firestone Indy Lights points despite missing the season-opening race. Pecorari will drive the No. 43 car for the remainder of the 2008 season.

            Pecorari drove in the St. Petersburg doubleheader for Michael Crawford Motorsports, recording a finish of 10th in Race 1 before recording his runner-up finish for Guthrie Racing.

            "I'm used to getting into things and going," said the 21-year-old native of Aston, Pa. "It's the same engineer from last year, Mark Weida, and there's still a connection for me. It won't be as hard as the other teams because I already know the guys. We were different teams last year, but it was almost like it was the same team."

            Potekhen will be making his 2008 Firestone Indy Lights debut at Indianapolis in the No. 92 Miller Eads car.

            Last season, Potekhen finished fifth in Firestone Indy Lights point standings driving for Apex Racing. He recorded three top-five finishes - with a season-best second-place result at The Milwaukee Mile - and grabbed seven top 10s in the final eight races.

            Potekhen is returning to the team that gave him his start in Firestone Indy Lights competition. He scored four top 10s in five starts for SWE.

***

            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at noon (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues May 23 at Indianapolis. The race will be telecast `on May 23 by ESPN2.

 

Pacific Coast Motorsports Announces IndyCar Program with Mexican Superstar Mario Dominguez

Pacific Coast Motorsports announce their entry into the IndyCar Series, with Mario Dominguez driving the #96 Visit Mexico City/PCM/Dallara.  The Mexico City Tourism Board is the primary sponsor of the PCM entry and the program will commence with the 2008 Indy 500.

 

PCM team owner Tyler Tadevic joined Mario Dominguez and representatives of the Mexico City Tourism Board at a press conference in Mexico City this morning.  Mexico City ’s Vice Minister of Tourism, Flavio Abed commented on the program, “For the city of Mexico City , this motorsports project represents an extraordinary opportunity to promote another face of our city and to show the world everything this great city has to offer.  Mexico City is one of the more important destinations in Latin America , not only for business, but also for pleasure.  Mexico City is rich with history and features beautiful parks, theatres, museums and cultural destinations.  Mario is very important to this city and we are excited to promote our city to the IndyCar audience through this program.”

 

Formed in the fall of 2002, PCM joins the IndyCar Series from the Champ Car World Series.  Dominguez drove for the Southern California-based team in the Champ Car finale last weekend at the Long Beach Grand Prix and awarded the team with their first Champ Car podium, “We are very excited, and proud to announce our partnership with the Mexico City Tourism Board and Mario Dominguez.  We see this much more as a partnership than typical sponsorship,” said Team Owner Tyler Tadevic.  He continued, “With our recent success at the Long Beach Grand Prix and with Mario giving me my first podium as a team owner, we couldn’t be more excited, and we can’t wait to get started.  This program is an extension of our belief in the Hispanic market and of our belief the Hispanic fans have for Open-Wheel racing and Mario in-particular.  This Hispanic demographic is the fastest growing market in the United States and a very important fan-base for the IndyCar Series.”

 

Mario Dominguez, 32 is a native of Mexico City .  He was honored with the title of “Official Driver of Mexico City” last fall by Mayor Marcello Ebrard.  Dominguez will make his rookie debut in the IndyCar series at the world’s most famous motorsports event, the Indy 500.  Although he will be classified a rookie, Dominguez is one of the most successful Mexican drivers in Open-Wheel history.  He scored two victories, 11 podiums and a pole position in the Champ Car World Series.  “I am very excited about this new project. Racing in the Indy 500 is a childhood dream of mine.  I understand I have a big responsibility since I will be driving the Mexico City car.  I will be representing the colors of my city and my country in the most important racing series in North America ,” said Dominguez.  “I am very excited to continue my efforts with PCM. We just finished on the podium this weekend and that shows that we are competitive and can be champions together.  Antonio Morron my manager and I have been working on this for a long while and we are very grateful the Mexico City Tourism Board saw the potential in this opportunity to promote Mexico City as the great tourism destination that it is.  I also want to thank Mr. Alejandro Rojos, the Minister of Tourism of Mexico City, and Mr. Flavio Abed for the confidence they have placed in me. I will work as hard as I can on and off the track to give Mexico City the results that it deserves.”

 

Antonio Marron is the program director for the PCM/Visit Mexico partnership. He commented, “It is fantastic to see this program become a reality. We have been working on it a long time, but we found the right people who believe in the project and here we are.  As a native of Mexico City , I am proud of this ambitious project and I am sure that it will be successful for Mario, for PCM and most importantly, for Mexico City .”

 

Pacific Coast Motorsports has received two Dallara chassis. The team will debut the #96 entry with Dominguez at Rookie orientation at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 4, 2008.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard , California , Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline.  Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – April 24, 2008
 

Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines

  1. Camara replaces Perera at Conquest
  2. Drivers think about environment
  3. Firestone Indy Lights return to action

1. Camara replaces Perera at Conquest: Jaime Camara didn’t take the express route to the IndyCar Series, but three years of seasoning in Firestone Indy Lights will serve him well straight away.

            Conquest Racing announced that Camara will drive the No. 34 Dallara/Honda/Firestone for the remainder of the season, beginning with the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway this weekend. It also announced an extension to the sponsorship program with Sangari.

            Conquest Racing owner Eric Bachelart said the loss of sponsors Opes Prime, which recently went into receivership, and ARES necessitated the change. Franck Perera competed in three races, with a high of sixth place on the streets of Long Beach (Calif.) last weekend.

            “As much as we are happy to have Jaime join the team, we are saddened that it is at Franck’s expense,” Bachelart said. “He has done exceptionally well in his IndyCar Series debut as well as in his one and only Champ Car race and we are keeping him as our reserve driver for the remainder of the year, but he will be released should a racing seat be available for him with another team.”

            Camara, a native of Goiania, Brazil, finished fifth in his Firestone Indy Lights rookie season in 2005 for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. He recorded two victories, including the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and three pole starts. In 2006, Camara posted his third victory and set a series record by qualifying in the top 10 in 18 consecutive races while finishing sixth in the championship race.

            Last year, Camara record seven top-five finishes again finishing sixth in the standings. Overall, he set a series record with 42 consecutive starts.

            “It’s a great opportunity for me to be driving for Conquest Racing,” said Camara, who has had IndyCar Series testing seat time in the No. 11 Andretti Green Racing car. “This has always been a goal for me, to get to the IndyCar Series. It’s been hard work since 2005 when I came to the United States to race. I want to thank Eric Bachelart for giving me this opportunity as well as Sangari and Geraldo Rodrigues, my manager, that worked for this to happen.

            “It’s just a dream come true. My goal was always to go to IndyCar, I never looked at going to Europe to try different series. It was always here. It’s a good feeling that I have now, I am happy that it happened with the merger going on because now all the teams are here and the series is gaining momentum and that’s going to be great.”

            Camara is the eighth Firestone Indy Lights graduate to compete in the IndyCar Series this season and is eligible for Bombardier Learjet Rookie of the Year honors.

            “Jaime will be a great addition to our team,” Bachelart said. “With his oval experience and Enrique Bernoldi’s road and street course experience, it will be a good combination. Jaime has proved himself in Indy Lights and I think he will fare well in the IndyCar Series.”

 

            2. Drivers think about environment: From recycling to energy-efficient appliances to using ethanol-blended gasoline in their personal cars, IndyCar Series drivers are always thinking about the environment.

            It’s fitting that a group of drivers who power their IndyCar Series cars up to 230 mph on 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol would be so conscious of the environment.

            “We have a lot of recycling that we do,” 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice said. “And, my wife buys a lot of organic stuff. As you get more educated, you get more and more involved with being green.”

            Danica Patrick spent the offseason changing the lightbulbs in her house to compact flourescent bulbs while Ed Carpenter installed high-efficiency appliances. Vitor Meira uses ethanol in his personal car and contributes to a company that plants trees to offset carbon emissions.

            “Full on recycling,” said Ryan Hunter-Reay, who drives the No. 17 Team Ethanol car. “I’m a surfer, so I’m in the ocean and see the pollution and how it affects that. In every way, I’m an environmental freak.”

 

3. Firestone Indy Lights return to action: After a two-week layoff, the Firestone Indy Lights returns to action with the Kansas Lottery 100 at Kansas Speedway on April 27.

The race will be the series' first on the 1.5-mile oval since 2004 and the first time the race has been held in April.

"I just think it's going to be really close racing," said Arie Luyendyk Jr. of Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing. "We saw in Homestead the cars were pretty difficult to drive from last year for some reason, but I think Kansas is a place that will bring all of the guys together. It's a track similar to Chicago, and I think it's just going to really make it interesting for the fans to watch.

"I think a lot of cars are going to be running really close together. I think it's going to be really important to qualify well and to have a car that will run anywhere on the racetrack, low, high; so it's going to be a lot of fun."

Kansas played host to the first race of what was known as the Infiniti Pro Series in July 2002. Luyendyk, the only driver to race in the series in each of its previous six seasons, said the series has come a long way since that first race at Kansas.

"The competition level has definitely stepped up from then," he said. "You have a lot of guys trying to get to the IndyCar (Series) and now it seems to be the best route, the only route that seems to be as far as development series is concerned. And we just have a really solid field of 22 to 24 cars consistently now, and that makes the racing that much more fun. And to race with a really good group of guys is always a good thing."

The three previous winners at Kansas – A.J. Foyt IV, Mark Taylor and Thiago Medeiros --- went on to win the series title.  

***

            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 on April 27 at Kansas Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 5 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues April 27 at Kansas. The race will be telecast at 2 p.m. (EDT) on May 1 by ESPN2.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – April 23, 2008
 

Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines

  1. In Case You Missed It: Tomas Scheckter, Arie Luyendyk Jr., Kansas Speedway teleconference
  2. Danica in demand
  3. Pacific Coasts Motorsports announces IndyCar Series plans
  4. IndyCar Series community thinks green
  5. Fisher takes NYC by storm
 

1. In Case You Missed It: Tomas Scheckter, Jaime Camara, Arie Luyendyk Jr., Kansas Speedway teleconference: IndyCar Series driver Tomas Scheckter, Firestone Indy Lights driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Kansas Speedway president Jeff Boerger were guests on today’s Indy Racing League teleconference.

 

Background on Tomas Scheckter: Tomas Scheckter is competing in his seventh season in the IndyCar Series. He will make his 2008 debut with Luczo Dragon Racing at Kansas Speedway.

·         Age: 27 (Birthday is Sept. 21, 1980)

·         Career Starts / 2007: 92 / 17

·         Career Victories/2007: 2 / 0

·         Career Top-Five Finishes/2007: 18 / 2

·         Career Top-10 Finishes/2007: 40 / 9

·         Career Poles/2007: 8 / 0

·         Career Highlights: Earned a victory and three poles in 2002 during his rookie season in the IndyCar Series. Has led 148 laps in six career starts in the Indianapolis 500.

·         2007 Highlights: Finished 10th in points, recording nine top-10 finishes for Vision Racing, including fifth-place finishes at Kansas and Kentucky.

·         Off the Track: Son of Formula One champion Jody Scheckter.

 

Background on Arie Luyendyk Jr.: Arie Luyendyk Jr. is competing in his seventh season in Firestone Indy Lights, driving for AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing.

·         Age: 26 (Birthday is Sept. 18, 1981)

·         Career Starts / 2008: 49 / 3

·         Career Victories/2008: 0

·         Career Top-Five Finishes/2008: 19 / 1

·         Career Top-10 Finishes/2008: 38 / 2

·         Career Poles/2008: 3 / 0

·         Career Highlights: Only driver to have made at least one start in every Firestone Indy Lights season. Finished second in the series in 2002.

·         2008 Highlights: Opened the season with a fourth-place finish at Homestead-Miami, and finished sixth in St. Petersburg 1.

·         Off the Track: Son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk.

 

Background on Kansas Speedway: The IndyCar Series will compete at Kansas Speedway for the eighth consecutive season. Seven different drivers have won the previous seven races. Kansas Speedway is the site of the second-closest finish in IndyCar Series history – 0.0051 of a second when Buddy Rice beat Vitor Meira in 2004. Firestone Indy Lights returns to the track for the first time since 2004.

 

They said what...? Listed below are select quotes from today’s teleconference, with the approximate time code from the audio MP3 in parentheses.

 

***Q: You're coming back with a team that had only one start last year - the Indy 500. Talk about how things are coming together with the team.

TOMAS SCHECKTER (14:30): To be honest you could cancel that start out before in my eyes, because I think it was a start they did under a Penske banner, and this is really their first start as a team on their own with their own equipment in their own garages. This is a team put together by John Cummiskey, who is the team manager, and Steve Luczo and Jay Penske.

 

So this is really their own deal and their first start on their two feet.

 

What Ryan Briscoe and what I had is two different worlds. That's why I give a lot of credit for the amount of work that these guys have put in to come from a car from scratch from having no help from anybody.

 

I think our expectations of Indy, I don't really know yet, because I've got to see how we perform in Kansas. But certainly at Kansas we want to have a strong finish and make sure we don't have any mechanical problems; making sure that everybody works well together and making sure that we get our stops right and you know just get a good basis for a good working relationship within the team and move that on to Indy.

 

***Q: It's been a few years since the series was at Kansas. What should your fellow competitors expect over there?

ARIE LUYENDYK (2:00): I just think it's going to be really close racing. We saw in Homestead the cars were pretty difficult to drive from last year for some reason, but I think Kansas is a place that will bring all of the guys together.

 

I think it's a track similar to Chicago, and I think it's just going to really make it interesting for the fans to watch. I think a lot of cars are going to be running really close together. I think it's going to be really important to qualify well and to have a car that will run anywhere on the racetrack, low, high; so it's going to be a lot of fun.

 

***Q. I was wondering how much of a bump in ticket sales you guys have seen since the reunification was announced; and also in the past couple of days with Danica winning in Japan, if there's been a noticeable jump

JEFF BOERGER (17:30): Well, we've been very fortunate at Kansas. We've had a strong demand in our ticket sales from the beginning since we've opened the track in 2001, and it continues to see solid results in regards to demand.

 

Obviously it's a promoter's dream to have Danica (Patrick) winning the week prior to our race, and we have had more car counts and there's been a lot of buzz around especially in the Kansas City metro area and the region. We've seen a little bump but again, we have probably one of the highest renewal rates within this industry, and being the second‑most‑attended (IndyCar Series) race on the circuit, we continue to see strong demands in that area.

 

There’s more: The complete transcript and complete audio recording in MP3 format are available at www.indycar.com/media. Please contact IRL Public Relations for log-in information if necessary.

***

2. Danica in demand: Danica Patrick’s victory lap started in Japan, cruised through Los Angeles and is heading full steam to New York. Patrick, who claimed a spot in history with her victory April 20 at Twin Ring Motegi, is tabbed for numerous interviews while in the Big Apple April 23-24, and she will walk the red carpet for the premiere of the movie “Baby Mama.”

 

Among the stop on Patrick’s schedule are MTV, New York Times, “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The CBS Early Show,” “On The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” Bloomberg TV and “Late Night with Conan O’ Brien.”

 

Patrick’s merchandise is selling fast. Indianapolis-based MainGate Inc., which has an exclusive deal to handle licensed products for the 26-year-old driver, already is seeing major sales increases in items bearing her image. MainGate, which also operates Patrick’s Web site, had a T-shirt designed for Patrick’s first victory.

 

“DanicaRacingStore.com traffic has increased 550 percent since her victory, and sales are up 900 percent,” said David Moroknek, MainGate CEO.

 

MainGate plans to have a complete line of new products commemorating the victory for May in Indianapolis, where the company will operate three mobile trailers dedicated to Patrick.

***

3. Pacific Coasts Motorsports announces IndyCar Series plans: Pacific Coast Motorsports will begin competing in the IndyCar Series beginning with the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Open-wheel veteran Mario Dominguez will drive the team’s No. 96 Visit Mexico City/PCM entry.

 

Dominguez scored two victories, 11 podium finishes and a pole competing in the Champ Car World Series.

 

“I am very excited about this new project,” Dominguez said. “Racing in the Indy 500 is a childhood dream of mine. I understand I have a big responsibility since I will be driving the Mexico City car. I will be representing the colors of my city and my country in the most important racing series in North America. I am very excited to continue my efforts with PCM. We just finished on the podium this weekend (at Long Beach), and that shows that we are competitive and can be champions together.”

 

Said team owner Tyler Tadevic: “With our recent success at the Long Beach Grand Prix and with Mario giving me my first podium as a team owner, we couldn’t be more excited, and we can’t wait to get started. This program is an extension of our belief in the Hispanic market and of our belief the Hispanic fans have for open-wheel racing and Mario in particular. This Hispanic demographic is the fastest growing market in the United States and a very important fan base for the IndyCar Series.”

***

4. IndyCar Series community thinks green: Around the world, people are recognizing Earth Week. The IndyCar Series is the motorsports leader in green initiatives. The series was the first in motorsports to utilize 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol beginning in 2007. Other members of the IndyCar Series’ racing community have their own environmentally conscious programs.

 

Among the racetracks the IndyCar Series visits, Infineon Raceway has been a leader in enviromental causes. The facility has recycled more than 56 tons of material since 2004. Last year, they recycled more than 258,000 beverage containers.

 

The circuit, which will play host to the IndyCar Series, Aug. 22-24, created a natural habitat for the red-legged frog on its property.

 

Kansas Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course also have can/bottle recycling programs.

 

At Watkins Glen International, the track collects the oil used by competitors to use as fuel in their oil furnace while Nashville Superspeedway and Mid-Ohio have paper recycling programs in place.

***

5. Fisher takes NYC by storm: IndyCar Series driver Sarah Fisher was in New York April 23 for a series of interviews promoting the debut of Sarah Fisher Racing at the upcoming 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Fisher made stops on “The Today Show,” Fox News, ESPN The Magazine, Inc. Magazine and Forbes.

***

            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 on April 27 at Kansas Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 5 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues April 27 at Kansas. The race will be telecast at 2 p.m. (EDT) on May 1 by ESPN2.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – April 21, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. History-making season underway
  2. IndyCar Series partners help series go green
  3. Danica ‘buzz’ felt on Internet
  4. ‘AirTranica Won’ takes flight
  5. Public to vote for Firestone “Tire”-rific move of the race
  6. Drivers reap post-race awards
 
(NOTE: A transcript from today’s teleconference with Danica Patrick is available at www.indycar.com/media)
 
1. History-making season underway: American open-wheel racing unification under the IndyCar Series banner is less than a month into the season and already there have been two events that almost match the historic significance of the announcement.

First, Graham Rahal became the youngest winner of a major open-wheel racing event at 19 years, 93 days at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 6. Danica Patrick followed by becoming the first female to win a major closed-course auto racing event at the Indy Japan 300 on April 20.

There’ll be quite a vibe this weekend at the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway.

“I was asked at the Motorsports Marketing Summit if I could ask for one thing this year what would it be and the quote was ‘Danica Patrick in Victory Circle,’” said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division for the Indy Racing League.

Well, wish No. 1 granted. Next might be Marco Andretti winning the 92nd Indianapolis 500, leading a 1-2-3 finish that also would include Rahal and A.J. Foyt IV.

“It’s great for Danica and the league,” Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George said after watching Patrick prevail on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval. “Everybody has been waiting for this day to arrive and it finally has. A lot of credit is due to that team and to Danica as a driver for getting to this position.”

Rahal’s and Patrick’s accomplishments transcend open-wheel racing, and give the IndyCar Series a jolt during the final week it will be split. Rahal was the subject of dozens of media features and was a guest on David Letterman’s show. Patrick will make the rounds of interview shows this week, too.

“It’s huge,” said Brian Barnhart, president of the competition and operations divisions for the Indy Racing League and the race chief steward. “You just saw history. The first woman to win an IndyCar race is right up there with the top achievements and history-making events of all time.”
***
2. IndyCar Series partners help series go green: The world celebrates Earth Week this week with a global effort to raise environmental awareness and promote eco-friendly living. The IndyCar Series has been a leader in the greening of motorsports, becoming the first major racing series in the world to run exclusively on a renewable fuel – 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol.
 
The IndyCar Series also makes an effort to work with partners that are environmentally conscious. The following is a list of some of the greening efforts being made by IndyCar Series partners.
 
Honda – Honda’s leadership in pursuing alternative fuel technologies has led them to make investments in hydrogen fuel cell and clean-burning natural gas vehicles as well as technologies to improve fuel-efficiency for gas-burning vehicles. Honda has also undertaken green building efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their operation and production facilities. Last weekend, Honda provided a new zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle to serve as the pace car at the beginning of the Indy Japan 300 in Motegi, Japan.
 
Firestone – As the sole tire provider for the IndyCar Series, Firestone plays a huge role in the on-track performance of the teams and drivers competing each week. Off of the track, Firestone is launching a unique greening effort in its consumer tire operation. The tire manufacturer plans to transition away from lead wheel weights in its consumer tire sales and repair work in favor of more environmentally-friendly steel weights. If these new steel weights become dislodged from Firestone tires during the normal wear and tear endured over the course of a tire’s life, they will be safer for the environment than previously used lead weights.
 
EPIC and Lifeline Foods – The IndyCar Series continues to partner with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to spread the message to consumers about ethanol’s performance and environmental benefits. The IndyCar Series has partnered with EPIC and innovative ethanol producer Lifeline Foods to supply the 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol used in all cars competing in the Series in 2008. Lifeline Foods, based in St. Joseph, Mo., uses a unique ethanol production method that produces almost no waste. By marketing one portion of the corn kernel used in production to the food industry and using the rest for ethanol production and livestock feed, Lifeline is one of the most efficient and environmentally responsible ethanol producers in America.
 
Safety Kleen – Used automotive fluids are a natural byproduct of auto racing, and they can be harmful to the environment if not properly handled. The IndyCar Series partners with Safety Kleen, a leading provider of environmental services to the motorsports industry, to make sure it is doing everything possible to be a good steward of the environment while at the race track. Safety Kleen is present at all IndyCar Series races, and serves as a direct resource for teams to work with to make sure their automotive fluids are safely and responsibly handled.
***
3. Danica ‘buzz’ felt on Internet Danica Patrick’s victory in Japan led to a spike in Internet searches for the driver of the No. 7 Motorola car for Andretti Green Racing. According to Yahoo.com, searches for Patrick spiked 1,463 percent over the weekend.
***
4. ‘AirTranica Won’ takes flight: Travelers in Orlando, Fla., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Atlanta got a special glimpse of Danica Patrick April 21 – her picture at least. AirTran Airways, an official sponsor of Danica Patrick’s Andretti Green Racing team, unveiled a Boeing 717-200 aircraft featuring Danica’s picture painted on the side alongside the words ‘AirTranica.’
 
Dubbed ‘AirTranica Won,’ the plane debuted April 21 with a morning flight between Orlando and Pittsburgh followed by a flight to Atlanta.
 
"AirTran Airways would like to extend our congratulations to Danica Patrick on the occasion of her first IndyCar Series win by announcing that Monday, April 21, 2008, will be known as 'AirTranica' Day," said Bob Fornaro, AirTran Airways' president and chief executive officer. "As a proud sponsor of Danica Patrick and the Andretti Green Racing team, we couldn't be more excited about Danica's triumph."
***
5. Public to vote for Firestone “Tire”-rific move of the race: Fans will have the ultimate say in who receives a $10,000 race bonus from Firestone each week. After each IndyCar Series race, Firestone executives will pick three “Tire”-rific Moves of the Race, on-track moves where the drivers had to rely on their Firestone Firehawk tires. Fans can vote for the winner at www.indycar.com.
 
Graham Rahal won the fans’ vote from the race at St. Petersburg and was awarded $10,000 during pre-race ceremonies at Long Beach.
 
From the Indy Japan 300, fans can choose from:
 
In past seasons, Firestone has awarded the bonus to the driver who led the lap that corresponded to the total number of races in IndyCar Series history.
***
6. Drivers reap post-race awards: Danica Patrick reaped the benefits from winning the Indy Japan 300. Patrick was presented an IndyCar Series timepiece from Ritmo Mundo, the official timepiece of the IndyCar Series. Ritmo Mundo presents a timepiece to the winner of each IndyCar Series event in 2008. Patrick also collected the $2,000 XTrac Award and the $2,000 Lincoln Welders Hard Charger Award for being the race leader who started furthest back. Ed Carpenter claimed the $1,000 Bosch Award.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 on April 27 at Kansas Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 5 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues April 27 at Kansas. The race will be telecast at 2 p.m. (EDT) on May 1 by ESPN2.

 

PATRICK WINS INDY JAPAN 300 AT TWIN RING MOTEGI

 

MOTEGI, Japan, Sunday, April 20, 2008 – Since exploding into the consciousness of an international audience at the 2005 Indianapolis 500, Danica Patrick has faced questions of when she would win an IndyCar Series race.

            She answered with a flurry of a finish at Twin Ring Motegi, becoming the first female to win a major auto racing event. Patrick, who turned 26 three weeks ago, won in her 50th IndyCar Series start.

"Finally," Patrick said in victory lane. "This is a long time coming. It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I know I was on the same strategy at Helio (Castroneves) and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous."

            Helio Castroneves, making his 100th IndyCar Series start, finished 5.8594 second behind and Scott Dixon was third. Dixon's Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Dan Wheldon, finished fourth and Tony Kanaan was fifth.

            With six laps remaining, Dixon had a 3.6-second lead over Dixon. But the leader had to pit for a splash of fuel on Lap 195. Wheldon and Kanaan had to follow suit on Lap 196. That left the door open for Patrick and Castroneves, whose last pit stop came on Lap 148.

 
INDY JAPAN 300 POST-RACE NOTES:

·         This is Danica Patrick's first IndyCar Series victory. Her previous best finish was second at Detroit in September 2007.

·         Patrick is the first female driver to win an Indy Racing League event. She previously shared the record with Sarah Fisher, who finished second at Miami in 2001.

·         Helio Castroneves finished second, his third-consecutive top-five finish and second-straight runner-up finish.

·         Scott Dixon finished third, his second podium finish of the season.

·         Dan Wheldon finished fourth, the first time he finished outside the top-two at Motegi since 2003.

·         Ed Carpenter finished sixth, his best finish at Motegi in five starts.

           
INDY JAPAN 300 POST-RACE QUOTES:
 

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone, winner Indy Japan 300): "Finally! This is a long time coming. It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I know I was on the same strategy at Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous."

 

MICHAEL ANDRETTI (Team co-owner, Andretti Green Racing): "I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I’m thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back.  We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner.  Frankly, I think this is the first of many.

 

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished second): "I'm again part of history. The car was really good in the beginning, then we started picking up a vibration. It looks like we pitted a little bit long. We were having problem in the pits. I'm disappointed with that, With five laps to go, I was saving fuel. When Danica passed me, I realized she was the leader. She did a great job, passed me fair and square and that shows you how competitive our series is.''

 

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished third): "It's just one of those races where anything you tried, you didn't know exactly what to do. You had people in the back who were pitting and taking fuel under yellows. If we had had a yellow, we would have been stuck back there. But it worked out perfectly for the guys who made it a fuel race. Really frustrating because we had the car to beat, but I guess that's the way it goes."

 

DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/honda/Firestone, finished fourth): “It became a fuel mileage race, and we had a really good car. To be quite honest, we have some work to do on our pit stops. It was a good day for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, but not what we wanted.”

 

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished fifth): “The Team 7-Eleven car was good today but we seemed to miss on the strategy.  It’s pretty frustrating but it is what it is.”

IndyCar Series Indy Japan 300
MOTEGI, Japan - Results Sunday of the Indy Japan 300 IndyCar Series event April 20 at the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any): 
1. (6) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
2. (1) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
3. (2) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
4. (5) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
5. (3) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
6. (7) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
7. (10) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
8. (12) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
9. (15) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
10. (16) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
11. (9) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
12. (11) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running
13. (14) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 192, Running
14. (18) Roger Yasukawa, Dallara-Honda, 134, Mechanical
15. (8) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 103, Contact
16. (13) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 92, Contact
17. (17) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 44, Contact
18. (4) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact         

Race Statistics      
Winner's average speed: 164.258 mph     
Time of race: 1:51:02.6739      
Margin of victory: 5.8594 seconds      
Cautions: 4 caution flags for 29 laps      
Lead changes: 5 among 4 drivers       
Lap leaders: Castroneves 1-93, Dixon 94-194, Wheldon 195-196, Castroneves 197-197, Patrick 198-200.      
Point standings: Castroneves 112, Dixon 100, Patrick 98, Kanaan 89, Wheldon 85, Carpenter 70, Andretti 65, Hunter-Reay 65, Mutoh 59, Manning 58.

 

Solid Finish for Walker Racing and Alex Tagliani in Long Beach

 Long Beach, CA (April 20, 2008)- Walker Racing and Alex Tagliani (No.15 CEC Wheels) proved this weekend ‘they were the team that could’.  As the Champ Car World Series drew to an end today, the team showed they were up for the fight and could be competitive. 

 Tagliani had a slow start from the front row, as Will Power passed him at the beginning, putting him in third place.  However that did not set the Canadian back.  Tagliani passed Justin Wilson putting him in second place to fight with Power. 

 After two solid pit stops, Walker Racing took a gamble on the second stop and opted to go on the Bridgestone alternate tires and then was forced to use ‘power to pass’ to get past back markers, which was costly.  Alex went from second to seventh in the last 15 minutes of the race, making it the first time all weekend that the Canadian was out of the top three.

 Walker Racing and Alex Tagliani say farewell to Champ Car and they thank all of their loyal supporters for the good times.  For more updates on the team please visit www.walker <http://www.walker/> racing.com .

 What they had to say…

 Derrick Walker, Walker Racing Owner: “Looking back on the weekend, I think the team accomplished a lot.  It’s a pity that in the final analysis in the race we didn’t maximize our potential in the race, but it certainly wasn’t for the lack of trying.  That’s why we were here, we came to give it our all and whatever we got , we got.  It’s a credit to the team and I’m happy with what we did. I don’t have anything other than positive feelings about the weekend, it was fun.”

 Alex Tagliani (No. 15 CEC Wheels):  “We had a great weekend with the Walker Racing organization. It was fantastic for me to drive such a quick car.  I had fun, everyone was really supportive and hard workers and everything was great.  We had a good race, we were competitive and unfortunately at the end, when we realized on the middle stint when we were catching Will (Power) a little bit, we said maybe what we need is the reds and unfortunately we decided to go with the reds and it was the wrong way to go, because of the degradation on the reds were really bad.  We just lost the tires and all the grip in the car and we couldn’t compete.  Unfortunately that is what happened on the last segment and it was our last chance to finish on the podium or even contend for the win.  Overall, a one off like this, we were not there to score points or be happy with second.  We threw the dice and went with the reds and it didn’t work, sometimes that happens.  We showed that with the last minute decision to come here that we could be up front and we were.”

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – April 16, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. In Case You Missed It: Enrique Bernoldi, Franck Perera, Sean Guthrie teleconference
  2. HPD delivers Indy 500 package for charity
  3. Wilson welcomes first child
 
1. In Case You Missed It: Enrique Bernoldi, Franck Perera, Sean Guthrie teleconference: IndyCar Series drivers Enrique Bernoldi and Franck Perera, and Firestone Indy Lights driver Sean Guthrie were guests on today’s Indy Racing League teleconference.
 
Background on Enrique Bernoldi: Enrique Bernoldi is competing in his first season in the IndyCar Series, driving for Conquest Racing.
·         Age: 29 (Birthday is Oct. 19, 1978)
·         Career Starts / 2008: 2 / 2
·         Career Victories/2008: 0
·         Career Top-Five Finishes/2008: 1 / 1
·         Career Top-10 Finishes/2008: 1 / 1
·         Career Poles/2008: 0 / 0
·         Career Highlights: Competed in Formula One for two seasons following success in European Formula Renault, British F3 and F3000.
·         2008 Highlights: Finished fifth at St. Petersburg, leading three laps. Ranks 10th in points after two races.
 
Background on Franck Perera: Franck Perera is competing in his first season in the IndyCar Series, driving for Conquest Racing.
·         Age: 24 (Birthday is March 21, 1984)
·         Career Starts / 2008: 2 / 2
·         Career Victories/2008: 0
·         Career Top-Five Finishes/2008: 0 / 0
·         Career Top-10 Finishes/2008: 0 / 0
·         Career Poles/2008: 0 / 0
·         Career Highlights: Finished second in Champ Car Atlantics in 2007, his first year racing in the United States. Won the Formula Renault Italian title in 2003 and the F3 Euro Series rookie title in 2004.
·         2008 Highlights: Qualified 13th in his oval debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished 14th. Qualified 10th at St. Petersburg and ran as high as second before contact ended his race.
 
Background on Sean Guthrie: Sean Guthrie is competing in his second full season in Firestone Indy Lights, driving for Guthrie Racing.
·         Age: 19 (Birthday is April 18, 1988)
·         Career Starts / 2008: 24 / 3
·         Career Victories/2008: 0 / 0
·         Career Top-Five Finishes/2008: 3 / 1
·         Career Top-10 Finishes/2008: 6 / 1
·         Career Poles/2008: 0 / 0
·         Career Highlights: Finished 14th overall in Firestone Indy Lights in 2007, recording a career-best fourth-place finish at Milwaukee. Won national karting championships in 2002 and 2003.
·         2008 Highlights: Qualified third on the 1.5-mile-oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Moved up 10 spots during St. Petersburg 2 to finish fifth.
·         Off the track: Son of 1997 IndyCar Series rookie of the year Jim Guthrie. Enjoys racing remote-control cars.
 
They said what...? Listed below are select quotes from today’s teleconference, with the approximate time code from the audio MP3 in parentheses.
 
Q: Enrique, your team owner, Eric Bachelart, he made two Indianapolis 500 starts as a driver. Has he started talking about the month of May and passed along any advice or is that too far down the road still?
ENRIQUE BERNOLDI (11:00): We spoke a bit about Indy. I know that it's also an experience that will be very new for me. I heard I'm going to be testing there for almost the whole month. I have the rookie orientation. It's a different format of qualifying. We qualify maybe some weeks before the race.
 
I think we are going step by step at the moment. At the moment we are focused on doing a good race here at Long Beach. Then to get really experienced at Kansas, that will help us at Indianapolis. I know Indianapolis is a different way of oval where we don't have limitations for downforce. And it is faster, it is bigger.
 
I hope to race this race. Even when I was racing in Formula One, I wanted to do the Indy 500. It has been always in my mind. And now I have the chance to race a second time at Indianapolis. First I raced 2001 with Formula One there. Now I'm going to go the opposite direction, so I'm looking forward to that.
 
Q: After Long Beach, we go back to the oval at Kansas. Can you talk a little bit about some of the things you learned at Homestead and maybe do you have a little bit more confidence now heading into Kansas than maybe you did going into Homestead.
FRANCK PERERA (8:30): Yeah, I have a different point of view of ovals now. I was really taking it slowly before Homestead. But everything came so good for no experience for both the drivers and the team, too. We had a perfect qualifying and a good race. I was keeping good lap times and everything. I was doing things good. I could finish in a good position for the first race.
 
So, yeah, I'm looking for more confidence, especially for next time. But for sure it will be, again, very difficult because we are still in the back compared to IndyCar drivers. I think now we can come close to the top 10 even in ovals, so that will be the target for us.
 
Q: Does it help at all that you and your teammate Logan Gomez are so close in age? I think Logan now is 19, as well, compared to other teammates you may have had in the past that maybe the age difference was bigger. Is it a help that you are almost the same age?
SEAN GUTHRIE (21:30): I'm sure that is a little bit of a benefit. I think the biggest difference is that just our overall racing experience is very similar. You know, he's in his second year in (Indy Lights) and he did the Mazdas before that, just as I did, a lot of go-karting before that. So really the way we've been brought up in racing is very similar. That kind of gives us an idea of where each other is coming from, kind of be able to help each other.
 
I think he has a little bit more road course experience and I have a little bit more oval experience. Just kind of a little bit bouncing ideas off of each other and helping each other out. So definitely a big help.
 
There’s more: The complete transcript and complete audio recording in MP3 format are available at www.indycar.com/media. Please contact IRL Public Relations for log-in information if necessary.
***
2. HPD delivers Indy 500 package for charity: Honda Performance Development has donated two suite tickets for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 and a three-night hotel stay as part of an auction that will benefit American Honda Supported Charities and Clothes Off Our Back’s charities.
 
The Indy 500 package also includes two Pace Car ride tickets, two paddock tickets for Carb Day and $15,000 toward Express Jet’s private charter flight.
 
The package is one of many IndyCar Series auction items on the Clothes Off Our Back Web site through April 21.
 
Other items include Helio Castroneves' autographed racing shoes, a Nomex undershirt autographed and personalized by Danica Patrick, a helmet worn by Buddy Rice, Darren Manning's autographed racing gloves, Will Power's autographed race helmet visor and more.
 
Among the charities that will benefit are America's Second Harvest, The Art of Elysium, World Education and autism research.
***
3. Wilson welcomes first child: Newman/Haas/Lanigan driver Justin Wilson and his wife Julia welcomed their first child, a daughter named Jane Louise Wilson, on April 12 at Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, Colo. Initially expected on June 1, Jane weighed 4.4 pounds and measured 17-1/4 inches long. Both mother and daughter are doing well.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with a unique weekend - two races on two continents - the Indy Japan 300 on April 19 at Twin Ring Motegi and the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 20 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. Points will be awarded for both races with IndyCar Series drivers participating in Japan and Champ Car World Series competitors in Long Beach. The Motegi race will be telecast in High Definition at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2 on April 18 and re-aired at 3 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, April 18 at 11:30 p.m. (EDT). A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The Long Beach race will air on April 20 at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues April 27 with the Kansas Lottery 100 at Kansas Speedway.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – April 14, 2008

 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. One weekend, two races in two hemispheres
  2. Rahal’s win broke three-team, 37-race streak
  3. Web traffic spikes at indycar.com
 
1. One weekend, two races in two hemispheres: IndyCar Series fans will have their attention divided between two races on two hemispheres April 19-20.
 
Eighteen IndyCar Series drivers will compete in the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi on April 19. Thanks to a 13-hour time difference between Japan and the east coast of the United States, that race begins at midnight.
 
Thirty-six hours later, at 4 p.m. ET on April 20, 20 drivers, including nine who have started the first two IndyCar Series races of the 2008 season, are expected to compete in the Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.), the final event of the Champ Car World Series.
 
“It's going to be a great weekend, and we're going to make the most of ensuring that both events come off in world-class fashion,” said Indy Racing League CEO Tony George.
 
Drivers from both events will earn points towards the IndyCar Series championship, and both races will be televised in High Definition on ESPN2.
 
ESPN’s Jack Arute will literally travel the globe to cover both events.
 
"This actually started as a lark, like 'wouldn't it be funny to do both Motegi and Long Beach,'" said Arute, a regular member of ESPN's IndyCar Series coverage team. "But then we started looking into it and saw that it could be done.
 
"Fortunately, I can sleep on airplanes with no problem. But I've asked one of the teams to have a cot in their pit at Long Beach, just in case I need it. And lots of coffee."
***
2. Rahal’s win broke three-team, 37-race streak: Graham Rahal’s victory in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg April 6 for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing was the first by a driver for a team other than Andretti Green Racing, Target Chip Ganassi Racing or Team Penske since Aug. 14, 2005 – a span of 37 IndyCar Series races. Fernandez Racing’s Scott Sharp won the race at Kentucky Speedway in 2005 before the streak started.
 
A look back at some key numbers from the streak of race wins by those three teams:
***
3. Web traffic spikes at indycar.com: The unification of open-wheel racing under the IndyCar Series banner has already resulted in increased car counts and a renewed interest among sponsors and fans. Another sign of the growing excitement surrounding the unified IndyCar Series is the drastic increase in web traffic at the series’ official Web site, www.indycar.com.  The site, which unveiled a new, improved design in March, has seen tremendous growth since the beginning of the year.
 
Unique visits, the most accurate statistical measurement of a Web site’s visitation, have increased dramatically in every major section of indycar.com. The home page has seen at least a 90 percent increase in unique visits each month since January. Visits to the 2008 IndyCar Series schedule section have more than doubled each month. IndyCar Nation, a popular feature on the site that allows fans to connect to the series by designing paint schemes, submitting fan photos, and discussing the series in IndyCar Nation Talkback, saw a 243 percent increase in unique visits from February to March alone.
 
Statistics show that a solid portion of the increased site activity is comprised of first-time visitors to the site, a healthy indicator of growing interest in IndyCar Series racing.  At least a quarter of the total visitors to the Web site each month in 2008 have been new visitors.
 
The growth in web traffic to the site has also provided a great platform for IndyCar Series sponsors to gain exposure to a growing fan base. IndyCar Race Control, a dynamic new way for fans to watch IndyCar Series racing online, is being presented by DirecTV. Firestone is sponsoring the “Tire-ific Move of the Race” fan pole, and PEAK Motor Oil is sponsoring the “Speed Read” feature on the Web site. The growing readership statistics are generating interest in future sponsorship opportunities as well.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with a unique weekend - two races on two continents - the Indy Japan 300 on April 19 at Twin Ring Motegi and the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 20 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. Points will be awarded for both races with IndyCar Series drivers participating in Japan and Champ Car World Series competitors in Long Beach. The Motegi race will be telecast in High Definition at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2 on April 18 and re-aired at 3 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, April 18 at 11:30 p.m. (EDT). A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The Long Beach race will air on April 20 at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues April 27 with the Kansas Lottery 100 at Kansas Speedway.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – April 10, 2008

 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. Teams set for 6,400-mile trip to Japan
  2. Firestone Indy Lights teams to test at Indianapolis April 11
  3. IndyCar Series forms promotional partnership with Mac Tools
  4. Sarah Fisher Racing announces three-race schedule
  5. Helio, Julianne to reunite at Indianapolis 500
 
1. Teams set for 6,400-mile trip to Japan: IndyCar Series teams are packed and ready to go for their 6,400-mile trip to Japan. After returning from the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, teams had just four days at their race shops to prepare their equipment for the trip to Japan, which will culminate with the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi on April 19. Two Boeing 747 cargo planes will depart from Indianapolis International Airport for Japan on April 12.
 
By the numbers:
***
2. Firestone Indy Lights teams to test at Indianapolis April 11: With a two-week break between the street racing doubleheader at St. Petersburg and the superspeedway event at Kansas Speedway, Firestone Indy Lights teams have turned their attention to the series' biggest stage, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
More than 20 drivers are scheduled to participate in an April 11 Open Test on the famed 2.5-mile oval. That is, if Mother Nature doesn't interfere with the only on-track activity prior to the Firestone Freedom 100 on May 25.
 
"I'm really hoping we do get to test," said Sean Guthrie, who finished 11th in his Firestone Indy Lights debut at Indianapolis in 2006. "We think we have a good car for the oval at Indy."
 
The test is a chance for drivers such as Guthrie and his Guthrie Racing teammate Logan Gomez, Andrew Prendeville, Chris Festa, Marc Williams and Al Unser III to reacquaint themselves with the track.
 
"It's a prestigious track. It's such an awesome race to be involved with," said Williams, who will participate with Integra Motorsports, which won a Formula BMW event on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course as Team Apex USA in 2006. "(Last year's Freedom 100) was my first ever oval. I feel as though I was trying to build confidence then and just picked up the laps then. Now I can't wait to have a test there and get myself prepared for this event. It will just be great to do it properly."
 
While some drivers will be re-acclimating to the track, several drivers, including points leader Richard Antinucci, will be seeing the oval for the first time. In all, 11 Indianapolis newcomers will get their first chance at the oval.
 
"I'm psyched. I've come to Indy three or four times for racing, but it's always been down the road at O'Reilly Raceway Park," said Panther Racing's Brent Sherman. "So to finally be able to roll into town and run at the big track is exciting for me. I was close to running at the Brickyard (in NASCAR) a few years ago but that didn't work out. So this is going to be interesting. Obviously, every race driver wants to run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in this series or any series, and now I'm psyched at the opportunity to do that for the first time Friday."
 
Sherman's teammate, Dillon Battistini, who won his oval debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway, hopes to repeat the feat at Indianapolis.
 
"I'm really looking forward to my first test at Indianapolis," he said. "It means a lot to me to have the opportunity to drive on such a historic racetrack. This will be the fastest I've ever driven anywhere, and I'm extremely excited about that. I know Indy is going to be a lot different than Homestead, but I just hope that our team can have as much success here as we did a few weeks ago in Miami."
***
3. IndyCar Series forms promotional partnership with Mac Tools: IndyCar Series officials announced a promotional partnership with Mac Tools, an industry-leading professional tool and equipment company. The agreement will give Mac Tools a presence at IndyCar Series races around the country in 2008.
            A key aspect of the partnership will be the Mac Tools “Lap Leader Award.” The award program will track laps led by all IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights entries displaying the Mac Tools logo on their cars over the course of the season. The IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights entry that has led the most laps at the end of the season will be awarded an allotment of Mac Tools products at the season-ending Indy Racing League award banquet. 
            In addition to the “Lap Leader Award,” Mac Tools will supply the IndyCar Series with tools to use during the season, and provide teams with a discount on Mac Tools product purchases. Mac Tools also plans to produce a limited-edition Indianapolis 500 toolbox.
***
4. Sarah Fisher Racing announces three-race schedule: Sarah Fisher Racing will debut at the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in May and also will compete at Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway in 2008.
 
Team co-owner Sarah Fisher, a veteran of 67 IndyCar Series starts since her debut in 1999, will drive the No. 67 Honda-powered Dallara for the team she helped form during the offseason. The team recently secured sponsorship from ResQ Pure Power Energy Drink, a cold-packaged, non-alcoholic, sports and energy drink with all natural ingredients that can be found in convenient stores, grocery stores and other outlets that sell energy drink products.
 
“ResQ is an all natural energy drink and that aligns perfectly with what my brand represents,” Fisher said. “ResQ is very big-picture orientated and understands the value of the IndyCar Series and we are happy to provide that platform to them for their marketing efforts.”
 
Fisher will be attempting her sixth start in the Indianapolis 500 in May. She was the third woman to qualify for the event when she debuted in 2000. That same season, Fisher became the first woman to lead laps in the IndyCar Series, when she paced the field for nine laps at Kentucky en route to a third-place finish. Kentucky also was the site of Fisher’s only career pole – also the first for a female driver – in 2002.
***
5. Helio, Julianne to reunite at Indianapolis 500: “Dancing with the Stars” champions Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough will be reunited at the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25. Before Hough can cheer on Castroneves as he attempts to win his third Indianapolis 500, Castroneves will cheer on Hough as she performs the National Anthem.
 
“I’m excited to have Julianne play such a key role at the Indianapolis 500, especially since so many of the fans that are going to be at the race enjoyed watching us on “Dancing with the Stars,” Castroneves said. “We had the opportunity to visit the Speedway while taping the show last year, and I got to show her my face on the Borg-Warner Trophy and the yard of bricks. After that brief introduction, I’m really excited Julianne will finally have the opportunity to experience everything the Indy 500 has to offer.”
 
Hough will release her first country music album May 20 and will go on tour with country superstar Brad Paisley beginning June 11.
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with a unique weekend - two races on two continents - the Indy Japan 300 on April 19 at Twin Ring Motegi and the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 20 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. Points will be awarded for both races with IndyCar Series drivers participating in Japan and Champ Car World Series competitors in Long Beach. The Motegi race will be telecast in High Definition at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN2 on April 18 and re-aired at 3 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, April 18 at 11:30 p.m. (EDT). A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The Long Beach race will air on April 20 at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues April 27 with the Kansas Lottery 100 at Kansas Speedway. T he St. Pete 100 doubleheader will be telecast at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on April 10 by ESPN2.

 

DIRECTV BRINGS HD TO INDY AS PREMIERE OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF THE INDYCAR SERIES

 
Major Partnership with Series Includes Official HD Sponsorship
 
El Segundo, Calif. and Indianapolis – (April 3, 2008) - DIRECTV, the nation's leading satellite television provider, adds another notch in its HD belt as the Premiere Official Sponsor of the IndyCar Series. Beginning with the April 6 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, all IndyCar Series events will be carried in DIRECTV HD, delivering unprecedented detail and realism to a sport already defined by speed, history and pulse-quickening close finishes.
As the Premiere Official Sponsor for the IndyCar Series, DIRECTV will be recognized in the series logo to reinforce that each respective race event is carried "in DIRECTV HD". DIRECTV will also receive extensive branding placements throughout each IndyCar Series race, including in-car camera mounts, placement on all driver uniforms and cars, and branding throughout pit road. The Fan Zone at each track will also feature DIRECTV co-branded interactive kiosks where race fans can learn about the racing history, components of each car, and get updated stats on each driver and race.
Furthermore, the multi-year sponsorship gives DIRECTV a large presence on the IndyCar website (www.indycar.com) including, branding on the IndyCar Race Control feature, the daily poll, and IndyCar Fantasy Racing.
"The addition of DIRECTV and their superb HD programming is great news for the IndyCar Series and our intensely loyal fans," said Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League's commercial division. "DIRECTV is an excellent and very significant addition to our sport as they share many of our brand attributes including speed, technology and innovation. They are precisely the caliber of corporation being attracted to our series in increasingly growing numbers."
The 2008 season marks the first full-season of the IndyCar Series being presented in HD. Further, IndyCar Series broadcasts will feature onboard cameras able to pan 360 degrees utilizing HD technology, a motorsports first.
"No one can come close to DIRECTV in terms of the depth of sports and HD programming we offer our customers, and the IndyCar Series is a fantastic addition to our portfolio" said Jon Gieselman, DIRECTV's senior vice president of advertising and PR.  "We are honored to be part of the rebirth of this sport and helping to bring a now unified IndyCar series to fans everywhere."
The 2008 season marks the 13th year that the IndyCar Series will be telecast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.
In addition to its league sponsorship, DIRECTV has also become an IndyCar Series team sponsor. Vision Racing will prominently fly the DIRECTV logo throughout the 2008 season.
Indiana-based Just Marketing International, which provides activation support for DIRECTV in other sports, in addition to brokering the IndyCar sponsorship, will oversee its activation. 
 
 
About IndyCar Series
 
The IndyCar Series is the premier open-wheel series in the United States, competing on a challenging combination of superspeedways, short ovals, scenic road courses and temporary street circuits. All 2008 IndyCar Series races will be available worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term broadcast agreement with ABC Sports/ESPN. A leader in motorsports technology, the IndyCar Series is the first racing series to power its Honda engines on 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol, a renewable and environmentally-friendly fuel. The IndyCar Series continues to be the fastest and most competitive racing series, attracting a diverse lineup of drivers including Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti, Dan Wheldon, and Helio Castroneves. For more information on the IndyCar Series, please visit www.indycar.com.
 
 
About DIRECTV
DIRECTV, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTV - News), the nation’s leading satellite television service provider, presents the finest television experience available to more than 16.8 million customers in the United States and is leading the HD revolution with 95 national HD channels – more quality HD channels than any other television provider. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy access to over 265 channels of 100% digital picture and sound, exclusive programming, industry-leading customer satisfaction (which has surpassed cable for seven years running) and superior technologies that include advanced DVR and HD-DVR services and the most state-of-the-art interactive sports packages available anywhere. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit directv.com.
 
 
About Just Marketing International
 
Just Marketing International (JMI) is the global leader in motorsports marketing. JMI is an independent, full-service agency representing corporations in all forms of motorsports worldwide. With more than 125 staff globally, JMI operates six offices in four countries and manages over $300 million in annual motorsports investments.  JMI's client list is comprised of leading corporations, some of which include DIRECTV, Crown Royal, Lenovo, BMW, Hilton International, Johnnie Walker, IRWIN Industrial Tools, SUBWAY® Restaurants, Remington Products and UPS, among others. Just Marketing International's clients participate in all major motorsports series, including NASCAR, Formula One World Championship, IndyCar Series, Grand-Am, NHRA, World Rally Championship, and the American Le Mans Series. For more information, please visit Just Marketing International on the worldwide web at www.justmarketing.c om <http://www.justmarketing.com/>

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – April 3, 2008

 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. Transition drivers back to more comfortable setting
  2. Mix of veterans, rookies ready for Firestone Indy Lights doubleheader weekend
  3. Select quotes from Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg media luncheon
 
1. Transition drivers back to more comfortable setting: The nine drivers transitioning to the IndyCar Series should feel a bit more comfortable this weekend. Gone is the wide open, side-by-side racing at 210 mph on a high-banked oval. Back is the quick acceleration and heavy braking on the twists and turns of a narrow street course.
 
The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be a fresh opportunity for transitioning teams and drivers to measure themselves against the competition in the Honda-Dallara combination used by all cars in the IndyCar Series.
 
“I'm excited about going to St. Pete,” said Oriol Servia, who finished 12th at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 29 to lead all of the transitioning drivers. “I think there's a little bit too high expectations for the transition guys just because it's our kind of track. At the end of the day, we're still fighting these big teams that know this car for five years. We're still quite a bit behind. The lap times we did at (an Open Test at) Sebring, what we learned in the car was very promising. At least we know in a street race, when we go soft at the front what it means to a car. Still we're here kind of guessing a lot.”
 
Servia and Bruno Junqueira competed at St. Petersburg in 2003. Junqueira drove to a third-place finish with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing while Servia finished 12th driving for Patrick Racing. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who joined the IndyCar Series midway through the 2007 season, also competed at St. Petersburg that season, finishing 16th.
 
As for the teams, Conquest Racing and Dale Coyne Racing fielded cars in the 2003 race at St. Petersburg, finishing fourth and ninth, respectively. Hunter-Reay’s current team, Rahal Letterman Racing, finished second in the inaugural race.
 
“On the road courses, I was very surprised (at the Open Test),” Junqueira said. “Oriol’s time, even Will Power and my time, we were competitive to the (IndyCar Series) teams. So, let’s see what happens in St. Pete. We’ll still be a little bit behind, but closer.”
***
2. Mix of veterans, rookies ready for Firestone Indy Lights doubleheader weekend: When it comes to racing on the only temporary street circuit on the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights schedule, there is a mixed bag of experience.
 
Twelve rookies are entered in the event, while six-race veteran Marc Williams, who debuts with Integra Motorsports this weekend, also has never seen the circuit.
 
Of the drivers with experience on the track, only Chris Festa has started the five previous races, but that doesn't mean that the field lacks success at the track.
 
Raphael Matos scored his first two Firestone Indy Lights victories on the streets of St. Petersburg, sweeping the doubleheader in 2006 for Guthrie Racing. The AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing driver hopes to duplicate the feat this weekend.
 
"I won those two races back in 2006 so I want to see if history can repeat itself," Matos said. "We race twice this weekend.  I cannot wait to race in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this weekend."
 
Matos' teammate Arie Luyendyk Jr. finished second in his only start at St. Pete, while Jeff Simmons, who has never qualified worse than third on the 1.8-mile street course, returns to the series with Team Moore Racing. Team E's Bobby Wilson has also recorded a podium finish at St. Petersburg, finishing third in last year's race No. 2.
 
"Right now, my deal is just for this weekend, but we'll see what happens from there" said Simmons, whose last Firestone Indy Lights race was at St. Petersburg in 2006. "It's hard to say if the car feels different since it's been so long since I was in a (Firestone Indy Lights) car. I could tell that the aero was a lot more powerful than I remembered. But we had a different setup from the car I drove (Tuesday) then, so it's hard to compare."
***
3. Select quotes from Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg media luncheon:
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske): “It's a place that I enjoy very much. Since unification there are more cars on the racetrack, which can create a different strategy during a race like St. Pete, depending on yellows and other things like that.  We need to keep doing our homework. As a team with a successful history at this track, we don't want to change too much because we want to keep winning.”
 
DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “It’s great to be back. It’s important for me to do very well in this race because it is my home race. I want to do well just because of the home crowd support, and the last couple of years have been somewhat of a weak race for me. I think I finished seventh or eighth here the last couple of years (actually 9th and 16th) after a crash in practice right before qualifying last year and a bad qualifying the year before that. For me, it’s important to do well. And to kick start your championship campaign, it’s very important also to get as many points in the bag and really work on going all out for Indianapolis.”
 
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps): “We went to Sebring (this week), but it started to pour, so we only got about 16 laps in. It’s going to be tough for us, but again this is just another race car. We keep telling ourselves that. In only 16 laps, our times were only about a second off the quickest of the (IndyCar Series) test, so i think we should be OK. I certainly don’t expect to run first this weekend, but I think a top-five is a reasonable finish for us.”
 
(About starting his first IndyCar Series race) “I’m looking forward to being part of this. It feels like it’s been a long time coming. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but we’re really looking forward to it. It’s going to be quite the challenge this weekend, but we should be there. I think qualifying is a good new format. If we can continue on through qualifying and get through the first couple of sessions, there’s quite a bit of track time, so hopefully we can do that and get a little more familiar with these cars.”
 
RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc.): “It’s a very special place for me. I’m hoping to keep my record here. We had a very successful test at Sebring last week. We were able to improve the car quite a lot and were quickest. There’s a lot of things we learned at Sebring that we can translate to this track. It’s also a very special place for Andretti Green. The whole team feels really, really good about this weekend. We’re just expecting big things from this weekend. We definitely need to push on it, because we need to make up some of the points we lost in Homestead.
 
(About depth of the Firestone Indy Lights field) “It’s definitely a deeper field this year. I would say there are probably six or seven guys in the field with a chance of winning races. The performance, at least for our team, is there. We just have to put all the pieces together and do a good job in qualifying, try to start up front and keep your nose clean.”
***
           The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 6 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The race will be telecast in High Definition live at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues April 5-6 with a doubleheader weekend at St. Petersburg. The race will be telecast at 2 p.m. (EDT) on April 10 by ESPN2.

 

IndyCar Series Teams Up With Coca-Cola 
Coca-Cola to Become Official Sponsor of IndyCar Series Through 2010

INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, April 1, 2008 – The IndyCar Series today announced a major multi-year agreement with Coca-Cola North America that will make Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized brands, an official sponsor of the IndyCar Series through 2010. 

The agreement builds on Coca-Cola North America’s relationship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500, which dates back decades. Through this expanded association, Coca-Cola will develop retail-marketing programs to help enhance the IndyCar racing experience for fans throughout the season.

This new partnership follows the announcement last year of a 10-year sponsorship agreement between Coca-Cola North America and International Speedway Corporation (ISC), owner of five tracks on the IndyCar Series schedule. Coca-Cola also has relationships with several other tracks on the schedule, making it the leading soft drink at the majority of the tracks where the IndyCar Series will race in 2008. 

“Coca-Cola is truly a global brand, and we’re thrilled to have them on board with the IndyCar Series,” said Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League’s Commercial Division. “Coca-Cola’s enormous brand recognition and marketing capabilities create some very exciting activation opportunities as we go forward. This announcement also adds to the sponsorship momentum that we’ve been building over the last several months. The growing number of partnerships we’re making with quality organizations like Coca-Cola and others is really helping to build an exciting future for the IndyCar Series.” 

“This new association with the IndyCar Series allows Coca-Cola to build on our long and successful history with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500,” said Beatriz Perez, senior vice president, Integrated Marketing, Coca-Cola North America. “By joining forces with the entire IndyCar Series, Coca-Cola will be able to create customized programs designed to bring IndyCar fans closer to their favorite sport.” 

More on The Coca-Cola Company 

The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company markets four of the world's top five nonalcoholic sparkling beverage brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light beverages, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees, energy and sports drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1.5 billion servings each day. For more information about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com. 

More on the IndyCar Series 

The IndyCar Series is the premier open-wheel series in the United States, competing on a challenging combination of superspeedways, short ovals, scenic road courses and temporary street circuits. All 2008 IndyCar Series races will be available worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term broadcast agreement with ABC Sports/ESPN. A leader in motorsports technology, the IndyCar Series is the first racing series to power its Honda engines on 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol, a renewable and environmentally-friendly fuel. The IndyCar Series continues to be the fastest and most competitive racing series, attracting a diverse lineup of drivers including Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti, Dan Wheldon, and Helio Castroneves. For more information on the IndyCar Series, please visit www.indycar.com.

 

 

GEORGE, BARNHART, ANGSTADT DISCUSS STATE OF THE SERIES
IndyCar Series leadership excited about 2008 season
 
            HOMESTEAD, FLA., Friday, March 28, 2008 – Indy Racing League founder Tony George, President, Operations and Competition Brian Barnhart and President, Commercial Division Terry Angstadt discussed the state of a unified IndyCar Series on the eve of the 2008 season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
            Highlights of the press conference included:
 
            Select quotes are listed below. A complete transcript is available at www.indycar.com/media.
 
      TONY GEORGE (Founder, Indy Racing League): “It's been about 30 days since we were here to announce, officially announce, unification. Since that time, it's been going pretty well, I think. I don't know what more we could possibly do. I know everybody involved with the league has worked very hard to try and help manage the traffic and the logistics involved in trying to get the equipment to the Champ Car teams coming on board. I know the Champ Car teams have had a really big challenge in trying to organize themselves to be here this weekend.
            It's been tough on everybody. But it's going pretty well. I think that by May things will start to really find the right level, and I think everyone's anxieties will start to leave them and we'll be able to get on with a great Indianapolis 500.
            It's going to be challenging and interesting, though, I think in the next few weeks, going from this superspeedway to the streets of St. Petersburg. Then we try to pull off the Motegi, Long Beach weekend, then we'll be pulling it all back together and focusing on the rest of the season.”
 
      BRIAN BARNHART (President, Operations and Competition): “We're still very much an oval-based racing series that centers around the Indianapolis 500. We looked at the backgrounds of the drivers that are joining us. With the exception of Bruno Junqueira and Oriol Servia, who have started somewhere between 20 and 27 oval track races themselves, none of the other seven had started more than five. I believe Justin Wilson had five ovals and I think Will Power and Graham Rahal had one or two. Everything else was a zero. So based on sheer numbers of oval experience, we decided it makes sense, based on what our series is, that we would classify them as rookies.
            I think consistent with what they experienced Monday and Tuesday, and what they experienced for an hour and 45 minutes this afternoon, I don't think any of them would dispute their classification. It's not done in any way to demean their performances or their experiences or where they're at; it's simply a fact of what we are and what we're going to do for the 2008 season.”
            (About possibly limiting car counts) “I think we're OK at most races, I think every track on the schedule. You have 33 at Indy, we're at 28 at all the other tracks with the exception of Milwaukee, Iowa and Richmond, I think we're 26. So even at that point, I think if we're 26 full-time, we should be good most everywhere we run.”
 
      TERRY ANGSTADT (President, Commercial Division): “It has been pretty busy. Just lots of good energy and developments within the commercial activities of what we do. I think everyone in this room recognizes and would agree that sponsorship is pretty critically important at every level, amongst all constituencies. That has been a lot of the focus.
            In terms of the branding, we really felt like there was a lot of equity in the 'I am Indy' tag line. It is not our series name. At the same time we like that message. And especially when we're in markets outside of Indianapolis, it's a good connection.
            We looked at a lot of different options and alternatives and thought that being very literal and clear and pretty simple and straightforward makes sense in a broad consumer message and thought that one series, all the stars, says a lot. So that's where we are, and like that for now.
            In terms of the other mark you see in front of us, we could not be more proud with continuing to grow and evolve the Firestone relationship. When you start to list our key partners, they're always right at the top. They could not be a better partner. And when we approached Firestone and said, How can we grow this year, and especially post unification? This really came to the top of the list.
            They enjoy investing in the future development of teams and drivers. And we, again, like the look of the mark. We like expanding Firestone's role. And they just could not be a better partner. We're continuing to look at other ways they can help. And they've offered additional assistance.”

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – March 27, 2008
 
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
  1. Castroneves, Nalbandian trade strokes at Homestead-Miami Speedway
  2. Firestone Indy Lights season preview
  3. IndyCar Series fun facts from Homestead-Miami Speedway
  4. Select quotes from drivers transitioning to the unified IndyCar Series
  5. Select quotes from Danica Patrick press conference
 
1. Castroneves, Nalbandian trade strokes at Homestead-Miami Speedway: Helio Castroneves is a race car driver who plays tennis for fun and exercise. David Nalbandian is a professional tennis player who owns a race car team.
 
This was the perfect friendly match – the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and the seventh-ranked men's player in the world -- on a makeshift court on the Homestead-Miami Speedway frontstretch.
 
"I'm going to play (toward Turn 1) so he might feel the power of my serve," Castroneves joked beforehand. "With that, I don't want to injure him because he's going to be playing (March 28) and I'll be racing."
 
Nalbandian, who won two ATP Masters Series tournaments in 2007, is competing in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami this weekend. Castroneves, who much to the chagrin of the crowd didn't perform a few Foxtrot steps on his backhand, is competing in the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300.
 
"I felt relatively safe today, because even though we were playing tennis we were on the racetrack, where I’m most comfortable," said Castroneves, who has previously played exhibition matches against other top-ranked ATP and WTA players. "David is an incredible athlete, and it's great we had this opportunity with both our race and the ATP in town this weekend. I had a fantastic time, and I hope he does well this weekend."
 
Nalbandian also took a ride in the IndyCar Series two-seater on the 1.5-mile, variably banked oval with driver Davey Hamilton.
 
"I really enjoyed it," said Nalbandian, who owns the Tango Rally Team that competes in the World Rally Championships with driver Marco Ligato. "I'd like to drive one of the (IndyCar Series) cars. It's tough to do what these guys do on the course. You have to practice. You have to be able to spend hours here."
 
He wasn't able to; it was back to the practice court.
 
"It's great to see someone who appreciates our sport the same way I appreciate his sport," Castroneves said.
***
2. Firestone Indy Lights season preview: In 2006, Firestone Indy Lights witnessed the closest championship battle in its history. In 2007, the series enjoyed a 48 percent increase in the number of cars on track. All indications are that 2008 will provide additional growth and intense battles on the track.
 
“Firestone Indy Lights is definitely one of the first places people look to further their racing careers,” said Roger Bailey, executive director of Firestone Indy Lights. “We offer a balanced schedule of races on ovals and road courses, almost $4 million in prize money and a stringent cost containment program.”
 
On the track, 2008 promises to be much more like 2006, when the championship was decided by two points.
 
Sam Schmidt Motorsports, which fielded championship-winning entries for Jay Howard in 2006 and Alex Lloyd in 2007, knows all to well the process of reloading for another championship run.
 
For 2008, the powerhouse team has signed three full-time drivers with legitimate chances at the Firestone Firehawk Cup.
 
Richard Antinucci, the nephew of 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever and a two-time race winner in 2007, will drive the No. 7 car formerly occupied by Howard and Lloyd. In addition, the team signed Australian James Davison, who finished second in Star Mazda in 2007, and Brazilian Ana Beatriz, a Formula Renault veteran.
 
Another Brazilian, Raphael Matos, figures to play a significant role in the championship race. The 26-year-old, who makes his home in Miami, won two Firestone Indy Lights races in 2006 and won the Champ Car Atlantic title in 2007.
 
He is set to drive for Andretti Green Racing, the winningest IndyCar Series team that fields Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick and Firestone Indy Lights graduates Marco Andretti and Hideki Mutoh.
 
Firestone Indy Lights veteran Bobby Wilson, who has finished fourth the past two seasons, also has his sights set on a championship. Wilson has teamed with Florida businessman Neil Enerson in a new venture, Team E.
 
Team E, based near Ocala, Fla., is one of two new teams taking the grid in Firestone Indy Lights in 2008, continuing the growth of the series off the track.
The championship will be fought in a record-tying 16 races, including eight on ovals and eight on road/street courses.
 
The series returns to Kansas Speedway in April, site of the series’ first race in 2002, and includes the sixth annual Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway two days before the 92nd Indianapolis 500.
 
“I’m very excited about the 2008 season,” Bailey said. “We should see more cars on track, and in turn it should lead to highly competitive racing.”
***
3. IndyCar Series fun facts from Homestead-Miami Speedway:
 
7 - IndyCar Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, including the last six as the season opener
 
4 - Homestead-Miami race winners who went on to win the IndyCar Series championship the same season
 
25 - Starters entered for the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300
 
6 - Drivers entered who have won an IndyCar Series race (totaling 51 race victories)
 
8 - Drivers entered who will be attempting their first IndyCar Series start
 
55 – Career oval starts by eight drivers transitioning into the IndyCar Series (Servia 27, Junqueira 21, Wilson 5, Power 2)
 
86 – IndyCar Series oval starts by Helio Castroneves
 
3 – Consecutive races won by Dan Wheldon at Homestead-Miami Speedway
 
103 - Laps Dan Wheldon must lead to become the IndyCar Series all-time lap leader at Homestead-Miami
 
80th - Career start for Scott Dixon
 
94th - Consecutive start for Helio Castroneves, the reigning IndyCar Series “Iron Man”
***
4. Select quotes from drivers transitioning to the unified IndyCar Series:
BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing): “Since I came to America in 2001, all the drivers really wanted to get both series together, so I’m very happy about that. I’m delighted. That’s the way to go, that’s the way people can recognize us better as IndyCar Series drivers and the series can start to grow again. We have a full field of 26 cars. For the Champ Car teams, it was really hard. We got the cars three weeks ago. It’s a completely different car. You had to not just build the car for the ovals or the road courses, you had to build for both for the test at Sebring and for Homestead. Our guys did a good job to prepare the cars. At Sebring, we were very competitive. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much track time here. We lost Monday and just went on the track at 8:30 on Tuesday. I did just over 50 laps, so I didn’t get much experience with the car, but I certainly have some experience on ovals. I try to ada pt myself and try to find a good setup tomorrow so we can be reasonable. I don’t think any Champ Car teams are going to be competitive this year, especially on the ovals. We are competing against very good (IndyCar Series) teams that have had this car for five years. So to have three weeks with the car we’re going to be behind. I think we’ll catch up and be really close the second half of the season. On the road courses, I was very surprised. Oriol’s time, even Will Power and my time, we were competitive to the (IndyCar Series) teams. So, let’s see what happens in St. Pete. We’ll still be a little bit behind, but closer.”
 
FRANCK PERERA (No. 34 Ares/Opes Prime): “For me, it’s an experience. I’ve never raced on ovals. In Europe, it’s not what we do and what we learn for. It’s not even something we see on TV. I don’t even have any experience in Champ Car. I just had a test two months ago. It was my first time with Conquest. When I heard about the merger, it’s very good for the series. I’m also going to be the only French driver this year in this series. The team did a very good job to bring the car.”
 
WILL POWER (No. 8 Aussie Vineyard-Team Australia): “It’s all come together very late. It’s like Oriol says, it’s going to be a test session for the first half of the year on ovals for us. We’re going to try and be really strong on all the road courses and get as many points as we can. On the ovals, my plan is just to finish the race, get as many miles and understand the car as much as possible. It became quite evident at the end of the two days of testing here that we’re lacking quite a bit of speed in comparison to the (IndyCar Series) guys. We’re learning, and we’ve got a few more things to put on the car. By the time we get to the Indy 500, we’ll be starting to get up there a little bit.”
 
(About working with Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “I don’t know the extent that they’ve helped us, because that’s Jimmy’s deal, but we went straight out at Sebring and seemed to be reasonably competitive. The car had a nice balance. We came here and we had a pretty safe car, and easy to drive. I can’t thank them enough.”
 
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps): “For us at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, it’s been very busy, especially after I crashed on Tuesday. The unification was a great thing for us. I think everybody here is looking forward to it, but certainly the situation wasn’t really ideal because of how quickly we had to get ready for this weekend. We missed last week’s test at Sebring. Obviously going into this weekend and also St. Pete, it was going to be quite the challenge. I think out of the box on Monday things went pretty well, we were running pretty quick, and also on Tuesday until my shunt. Unfortunately, I won’t be racing this weekend, but overall I think the team has done a great job preparing these cars. We’re looking forward to next week and building the car for St. Pete. I think we all have a shot at winning one of the first two races it was going to be St. Pete. So, we’re going to work on that now.”
 
ORIOL SERVIA (No. 5 KV Racing Technology): “I’m excited to get back on the ovals. I was missing them a little bit the late years in Champ Car when we didn’t have any. This was actually my first oval ever in 1998. I liked it right away. These last couple of days were very helpful to be on the oval. We had two full days to learn the car and to fight against the other teams that have had these cars for five years. We have a great group of engineers that did a great job figuring the setup for Sebring – the car worked really well. It was quite good here. We’re just missing speed that will come with time. Hopefully, we’ll finish the race and add more miles to our testing, because this is the way it is for all of us here – the first few races are actually testing, learning the cars.”
 
(About perspective of Indy car racing overseas): “I think the Indianapolis 500 is great around the world. It’s well regarded everywhere as a race. It’s one of the top three races ever with Monaco and Le Mans. They respect ovals, but you don’t get to see it that much on TV. Hopefully now they’ll be showing it in Spain. Oval racing is something you don’t really appreciate until you come and you see it live. Then you have fans for life. I’ve found people from Spain have come in the past when I was doing Indy Lights. They saw and they realized it’s a good show, good driving, a lot of skill. But it takes for them to come and watch.”
 
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team): “I’m very grateful for the team and the effort they’ve put in over the last four weeks to get the cars prepared and to get them to a standard that is very high and the usual Newman/Haas/Lanigan standard. It’s going to be a tough season. The main thing is being realistic, staying calm and trying not to rush things. We’ll see what happens, but I’m very excited about being one series, the merger. It gives everybody a good opportunity for the future.”
 
(About weight rules) “I think it’s very important. I feel it’s the first step in making things fair. In every form of motorsport I’ve come across, especially Formula One, the weight is so critical. The combined package of the car and driver, usually on a road course 10 pounds equals one-tenth of a second, so if you’re 100 pounds heavier than somebody it’s a second a lap you’re giving away. I’m fortunate, and quite a lot of the drivers here are fortunate, that the IRL has seen that and made some adjustments to help make it equal. They haven’t gone all the way, but it definitely it gets closer in line with the rest of the world on weight.”
 
ERNESTO VISO (No. 33 HVM Racing): “Everything happened in a very strange way in the last two or three weeks. My plan was almost done with Minardi, but then the merger came on and everything changed. On the 19th, it was my birthday and I wasn’t driving. Everything came together that day. I was in Barcelona and spoke with my manager. He told me I needed to fly the next day, to do a seat and go racing the next weekend. It’s my first time in an oval, and it’s amazing. I never expected it to be that way. It’s just a different mentality of racing, you have to think a different way than what you do in normal racing. You need to depend on the other cars. You have to have a long plan. I’m very excited.”
***
5. Select quotes from Danica Patrick press conference: (About being fastest at last month’s Open Test at Homestead-Miami Speedway): “It’s always nice to have a good run, but I think this oval racing is so tempermental that one weekend you’re on, one weekend you’re off, and sometimes you don’t know exactly why. I’ll take it. I don’t think it’s the magic pill that all of the sudden unlocks the season. I think it’s a good thing, and it’s a good sign. I’m happy with it, and I think ultimately what it does is give us some confidence. Confidence can take you a lot further than anything sometimes. We all feel pretty anxious and ready for this to start.”
 
(About racing against so many new drivers): “The drivers who are more aggressive and take more chances I think it’s going to be a little bit more of a rollercoaster maybe for that style of driving with more accidents probably, and also to be able to leap forward quicker (after pit stops) and get back to the front. It’s probably all going to balance out in the end, but you’re going to have to be really careful, especially until we get to know the tendencies of these drivers and who plays fair and who doesn’t. I think it’s going to be a tiptoe game at the beginning a little bit if you want to stay in the race, if you want to make sure you keep clean and stay in the race, which is the only way that you’re going to win it at the end anyway. I think you’re just going to have to be careful. On the other hand, we’re going to show them the ropes. They’re going to see what it’s like out there. They’re going to see in practice what it’s like, how chaotic it can be and close we run and how often we run that close. It’s probably going to be an eye-opener for us.”
***
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season begins under the lights with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 schedule, one of the most diverse in all of motorsports, features races on ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits, all broadcast worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ESPN. All races in 2008 will be telecast in High Definition. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season also begins on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.

 

WALKER RACING WITHDRAWS INDYCAR PROGRAM
Indianapolis, Indiana – Sunday, March 9, 2008

By: Elizabeth Cannon
       Media Representative

    Reluctantly, Walker Racing has been forced to withdraw its attempt to join the IndyCar Series for 2008.  The racing partnership of "Team Australia" and the association with Australian businessman Craig Gore, drivers Will Power and Simon Pagenaud, has also come to an end.
    Notwithstanding a commitment for 2008, it came down to the lack of funding. A lengthy search for new sponsorship partners drew a blank, so Walker Racing had to close the program officially on Friday.
    “It's a great pity that the team has had to abandon our IndyCar program.  So much work by so many has gone into the Team Australia program over the last three and a half years, but now it will remain unfinished business for us.  I wish my co-partner well with his new venture and so to Will and Simon and all the employees, associates and fans who have given me the opportunity. Many thanks,” said Walker Racing Owner, Derrick Walker.
    Totally Racing Website Editors Note:
    Unfortunately Walker Racing is down, they're not out of the racing business, Derrick Walker. has full intentions of continuing on in the IRL. Walker is continuing efforts to find sponsorship for the up-coming IRL racing season.

 

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES
Indianapolis, Indiana - March 6, 2008

By: John Griffin, Amy Konrath.
      Public Relations

    Today's IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series headlines
1. Briscoe still on top at Sebring
2. Season Preview: AJ Foyt Racing
3. Dreyer & Reinbold signs Townsend Bell
4. RLR/Andersen Racing signs J.R. Hildebrand
5. Kanaan out and about in Miami

    1. Briscoe still on top at Sebring: Heavy rain brought an end to the final day of an Open Test at Sebring International Raceway about 45 minutes early, but not before Ryan Briscoe turned in a quick lap of 52.4202 seconds, 114.689 mph to top the speed chart. He edged Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves by three-hundredths of a second.
Together the two Team Penske drivers were more than a half second quicker than anyone else. Briscoe also led testing on March 5 as the second group of IndyCar Series drivers completed a day and a half of testing. A previous group of drivers tested on the 1.7-mile, 11-turn circuit March 3-4.
    "The track was really quick this afternoon; Helio turned a fast lap mid-session, so we had something to shoot for," Briscoe said. "We went out on new tires, but we weren't quite happy with the car, so I had to come in. We made a change, which proved to be very effective. It is amazing what a small adjustment can do to lap times around this circuit. The Team Penske car was performing very well at the end of the session and I think we made a lot of progress today."
    Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon were third and fourth, respectively.
    Overall, eight drivers combined for 790 laps.
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    2. Season Preview: A.J. Foyt Racing: Consider 2007 a learning year for A.J. Foyt Racing. The team, guided by legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, partnered for the first time with driver Darren Manning.
    The results in 17 IndyCar Series starts were two top-five finishes, five top-10 finishes and 13 races running at the finish.
    Manning and Foyt are together again in 2008, working towards additional successes on the racetrack.
    "As a team and a relationship, Darren Manning and A.J. Foyt Racing, there's still a lot to come in our partnership," said Manning, who has 41 career starts in the IndyCar Series. "(Last year), it wasn't until the end of every race that we figured out what we needed. Then every time I was really happy with the car by a couple of stops into the race, and I was generally then right with the leaders. If we can start off where we finished last year on that front, we've done a lot of work over the winter, our little package there, there's still a lot to come. Maybe you won't even see the full potential this year, but I'm still saying we can win races, just like I did last year."
    The top-five finishes came on the short oval at Iowa Speedway and the street course at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park. At Mid-Ohio, Manning was sixth, and Manning was running in the top-five late in the race at St. Petersburg.
    "I'm really looking forward to the new season," said Foyt, who last year enlisted his son Larry as team director. "It'll be our second year with Darren Manning, and I believe we'll just get better and better. During the offseason we did some shaker rig and wind tunnel testing, and we have more scheduled. We hired some new people who will strengthen our program overall. With there just being one series, it will be even more competitive, but we'll capitalize on what we learned last year with Darren. We have the tools in place to make this season one of our best in quite a while."

A.J. Foyt Racing Capsule
Car Number: 14
Driver: Darren Manning, 32, North Yorkshire, England
Team Director: Larry Foyt
Team Manager: Craig Baranouski
Team Engineer: Mike Colliver

2007 Review
Starts: 18
Victories: 0
Top 5: 2
Top 10: 5
Poles: 0
Laps Led: 0
Best Start: 5th (St. Petersburg)
Best Finish: 4th (Belle Isle)
Running at Finish: 14
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3. Dreyer & Reinbold signs Townsend Bell: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has signed IndyCar Series veteran driver Townsend Bell to drive in selected races for the 2008 racing season, including the Indianapolis 500.
    Bell, 32, who will drive the No. 23 car in races that Milka Duno is not scheduled to race,  hasn't been in the IndyCar Series since the 2006 Indianapolis 500.
     "I'm ready to get going," Bell said from Sebring International Raceway where he participated in the IndyCar Series Open Test. "There are a few new things (associated with the car), and obviously the driver has a lot of rust. That showed up on the very first lap. I've done 15 laps in one of these cars on a road course at Sonoma a year and a half ago, and prior to that I hadn't been on a road course in three years. This is just a lot of cobwebs getting out of the system. The first couple of laps when the track was green it was like, 'Oh, yeah, these things are pretty fast.' ''
    Bell's first race for Dreyer & Reinbold will be the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 6.
    "Townsend fits right into the Dreyer and Reinbold mold," team co-owner Dennis Reinbold said. "We've seen what he's done in the past in this series, and we're excited to see him in one of our race cars for this year.
    "We're confident that we're making great strides with our race team.  To bring in someone like Townsend allows us to gather information from an experienced driver, and at the same time, he can help share information with Milka and help her continue to improve and gain."
    Bell has a total of 12 IndyCar Series starts dating back to 2004. His best finish came in 2004 when he finished fifth at the Nashville Superspeedway with Panther Racing.
    Buddy Rice has participated in pre-season testing with the team in the No. 15 Dreyer & Reinbold entry, but final plans for the car are still in the works.
************************************
    4. RLR/Andersen Racing signs J.R. Hildebrand: RLR/Andersen Racing will campaign J.R. Hildebrand in its No. 25 Indy Pro Series car this season. Hildebrand, 20, joins Andrew Prendeville in the RLR/Andersen Racing Indy Pro Series lineup and reunites with engineers Dominic and Nicholas Cape, who guided him to the Cooper Tires Formula Ford 2000 championship in 2006.
    "I can't begin to express how excited I am to be racing for RLR/Andersen Racing this year in the Indy Pro Series," Hildebrand said. "(Team co-owners) Dan and John (Andersen) have given me a great opportunity and have been fantastic in working everything out. Reuniting with Dominic and Nicholas Cape, who I won the Formula Ford 2000 Championship with, is going to be a real treat."
    Hildebrand drove for Newman Wachs Racing in the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic series, finishing seventh overall as the top American rookie. His best finish was second at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland in June.
    Hildebrand also drove in the Indy Pro Series doubleheader at Infineon Raceway with RLR/Andersen Racing last August. He suffered a wrist injury on lap two of the first race that spoiled his chances for good results.
    "I've known J.R. and his family for almost three years," John Andersen said. "I think he's a very talented driver; he showed that talent at Infineon last year. Before that, I watched him in 2006 when he won the Cooper Tires F2000 Championship, and I was the director of competition for that series. The Capes worked with him that year, and they all got along very well and were very successful. He seems to work extraordinarily well with both Dominic and Nicholas Cape.
    "I've been impressed with J.R.'s ability to adapt quickly to changing conditions. He's very calm and very analytical. He's well adapted to going to a track and knowing what he needs to go fast there, and then coming up with solutions with his engineers."
*******************************************
    5. Kanaan out and about in Miami: Tony Kanaan will be a busy man in the weeks leading up to the season opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 29. Kanaan, who resides in the Miami area, is slated to be a guest at several functions.
    On March 7, Kanaan will make a celebrity appearance at Miami Metrozoo's "Feast with the Beasts." The annual fundraiser allows guests to walk through the zoo while sampling food from 40 area restaurants.
    On March 11, Kanaan's firesuit from the 2007 IndyCar Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be auctioned off as part of Make-A-Wish Foundation's Ultimate Sports Auction. Tickets to the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 are also part of the package.
****************************************
            The 2008 IndyCar Series season begins under the lights with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 schedule, one of the most diverse in all of motorsports, features races on ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits, all broadcast worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ESPN. All races in 2008 will be telecast in High Definition. The 2008 Indy Pro Series season also begins on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.

 

INDYCAR SERIES COMMUNITY HELPS NEW TEAMS TRANSITION
Team pairings provide guidance, expertise under unification
INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, March 6, 2008

By: John Griffin, Amy Konrath.
      Public Relations

   The clock is ticking for teams preparing for the 2008 IndyCar Series season that begins on March 29 under the lights at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
    No teams are feeling the deadline as much as the teams from the Champ Car World Series that will be joining the IndyCar Series following the recent announcement of unification. To facilitate a smooth transition, the IndyCar Series has paired existing teams with the former Champ Car World Series teams to provide technical and logistical support.
    "The difficulty for any new team to come along at this point, so late in the game, is information or lack of information," said Tony Cotman, vice president of competition for the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series. "If we can give them a starting point, whether it be on a speedway, short oval or road course, just a basic starting point, as a series it's so much better for us because we have less of a split in the field as far as the haves and have nots. In the long run, it's best for us. We'd like to see the whole field within a second. If we can help them get to a point to do that by sharing information through partnering teams, that's what we'll do. The current IndyCar Series teams have been very good about giving the teams information to get them going."
    The present pairings*, based on factors such as previous relationships, geographical proximity and similar team size, are:
o Andretti Green Racing-Dale Coyne Racing
o Target Chip Ganassi Racing-KV Racing
o Rahal Letterman Racing-Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
o Vision Racing-Conquest Racing
o A.J. Foyt Racing-Pacific Coast Motorsports
o Team Penske-Walker Racing
o Roth Racing-Team Minardi.
    *Note: Not all former CCWS teams listed have committed to the IndyCar Series. When they do commit, this will be their partner team.
    "We're working with KV Racing, and that's been a great relationship," Target Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull said. "Certainly a lot of it had to do originally with (KV Racing co-owner) Jimmy Vasser, because (he) has a great history with Chip Ganassi Racing. We won a lot of races together, we won a championship together. We remained friends over the years, so it's a pleasure to work with those guys. That organization is a quality organization, so it blends well for both of us.
    "It's tough to define proprietary versus standard information whenever you do anything. We worked with them on delivering a car, building a car to a Ganassi spec to begin to with, and our guys have sat down with their guys on the management level and the engineering level to try to define for them a direction, to help them at Sebring, for the test that they're going to have as well as for the race at Homestead, we'll help to support and answer their questions all the way through the process."
    Teams transitioning to the IndyCar Series will test at Sebring International Raceway on March 19-20 and on the Homestead-Miami Speedway under the lights March 24-25.
********************************
The 2008 IndyCar Series season begins under the lights with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 schedule, one of the most diverse in all of motorsports, features races on ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits, all broadcast worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ESPN. All races in 2008 will be telecast in High Definition. The 2008 Indy Pro Series season also begins on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.

 

INDYCAR SERIES TEAMS PREPARE FOR OPEN TEST AT SEBRING
Indianapolis, Indiana - Friday, Feb. 29, 2008

By: John Griffin, Amy Konrath.
      Public Relations

    One down, one to go.
    The IndyCar Series completed its first Open Test of 2008 with two days of testing on the 1.5-mile, high-banked Homestead-Miami Speedway oval. Drivers got 10 hours of practice time under the lights, recording 3,463 laps in preparation for the season that includes 11 oval races, beginning with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 29.
    With the oval warm-up completed, IndyCar Series drivers turn their attention to road courses with a four-day Open Test at Sebring International Raceway. Half the field will test March 3-4 while the other half will run March 5-6.
    The tests are equally important for newcomers and veterans alike. For Andretti Green Racing rookie Hideki Mutoh, who finished second in the Indy Pro Series in 2007, every opportunity to get laps in the IndyCar Series car is critical.
    "These tests are important for me," said Mutoh, whose IndyCar Series debut came with Panther Racing in the 2007 season finale at Chicagoland Speedway. "I only had two days of testing at Phoenix and one day at Sebring in the offseason, so I'm still working on getting to know the team, learning how to communicate with them and learning how to set up the IndyCar Series car. It's totally different from the Indy Pro Series car. The two days at Homestead have been good. I've gained more confidence and am more comfortable with the team."
    Veteran drivers such as 2003 IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon know that every minute of testing can lead to an advantage once the season starts.
    "There's a limited amount of time to try and do qualifying sims (on race weekends)," said Dixon, who was second fastest at Homestead-Miami with a best lap of 213.277 mph in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing machine. "We just wanted consistency. From the race last year, you saw a lot of people go from the front straight to the back within the first 15-20 laps. Both our cars were decent, and that's what we concentrated on."
    The test at Sebring will mark the first time that the IndyCar Series has conducted an Open Test at the facility. An 11-turn, 1.7-mile circuit will be used. It also will mark the first time that all of the IndyCar Series drivers use the new paddle shift system on a road course.
    "I look forward to seeing what the paddle shifting will be like at Sebring where you've got your hair on fire and you're really driving aggressive as opposed to (Homestead-Miami) where you're really not shifting that much," said Rahal Letterman Racing's Ryan Hunter-Reay. "At Sebring, you can really dial yourself into the Sebring trap, and we've just got to be sure that we don't do that. We need to go about our changes, stick to our plan and get some feedback on the car and go to St. Pete. We know we can a get a good job done on road courses."
    Said Andretti Green Racing's Tony Kanaan: "(At the tests) we try to put everything into the car that we had studied over the winter that looks really good in the computer and in the simulations and see if it really works. It's the only two tracks and four days of testing we have before the season starts, so we're counting everything on this."

******************************

    The 2008 IndyCar Series season begins under the lights with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 schedule, one of the most diverse in all of motorsports, features races on ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits, all broadcast worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ESPN. All races in 2008 will be telecast in High Definition. The 2008 Indy Pro Series season also begins on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.

 

INDYCAR SERIES, INDY PRO SERIES WRAP UP OPEN TEST AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
Homestead, Florida - Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008

By: Amy Konrath.
      Public Relations

    Danica Patrick made an abbreviated appearance on media day at Homestead-Miami Speedway Feb. 26, didn't turn a lap on the first day of an IndyCar Series Open Test Feb. 27, then came out feeling less than 100 percent on Feb. 28 but still set the pace on the final day of testing.
    Despite feeling ill, Patrick was the quickest of 16 drivers on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval, recording a best lap of 25.0772 seconds, 213.182 mph.
    "I was sicker than I've ever been before on a day when I had to do something," said Patrick. "I was dizzy and my head was full of pressure. I didn't feel balanced - on top of other things. For me, it would have been silly to try and push it and go out there and try and feel the edge at a place like Homestead where the grip and the intensity level is pretty high compared to the rest of the mile-and-a-half's.
    "Today was a good day. It's kind of nice to go out there, skip a day, go out and be quickest. We were definitely struggling with the race car. Until the very end of the day we were really pushing to figure it out. We definitely didn't have it down. At the end of the day, we're all walking away pretty happy. The team did a good job of working in the offseason."
    Team Penske newcomer Ryan Briscoe was second-fastest with a best lap of 213.056 mph, while Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dan Wheldon, who has won the past three 300-mile races at the track, was third-fastest with a lap of 212.980 mph.
    Wheldon, who led the first night of testing with a lap at 213.312 mph, will look for his fourth consecutive victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway when the IndyCar Series opens the 2008 season on March 29.
    Overall, drivers completed 3,463 laps through the course of two evenings under the lights.
    Also on Feb. 28, AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing's Raphael Matos was the quickest driver in Indy Pro Series testing. Twenty drivers completed 2,576 laps in six hours of on-track activity. Matos paced the field with a quick lap of 28.5528 seconds, 187.232 mph. The test was the only pre-season Open Test for the Indy Pro Series, which will open the season March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

**************************

OPEN TEST NOTES:
    Help wanted: Apex Racing had an interesting sign outside of its garage during the test. The sign read: "2008 Indy Pro Series Ride Available. Inquire within." Team owner/driver Ken Losch, who fields cars for himself and Mike Potekhen, could sit out the season if a sponsored driver is available.
    "Ken's got a lot of things going on," Potekhen said referring to Losch's real estate development business in the Phoenix area. "If there's someone out there, he's not going to drive. Of course, that could all change if the team finds a sponsor."

**************************

    Looking for work: Several drivers who have not secured drives for the 2008 season were at Homestead-Miami Speedway turning some laps for potential teams.
    Matt Lee tested for RLR/Andersen Racing, which is looking for a driver to pair with returning driver Andrew Prendeville. Lee finished the day fifth on the speed chart. Indy Pro Series veteran Chris Festa drove for Guthrie Racing, while Arie Luyendyk Jr. was investigating opportunities with Apex Racing.

**************************

    Crunch: Rookie James Davison missed much of the morning session after making contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2. The Australian driver was not injured, but his car sustained damage to the rear of his Sam Schmidt Motorsports car.
    "I was going into Turn 1 and real slowly the rear started to come around on me," Davison said. "There's nothing I felt that I could have done to prevent it. As a result I slid up, went backwards and touched the wall. It's disappointing but I don't feel that there was anything I could have done to prevent it. The rear just came out in a spin."
    Rookie Jake Slotten also made contact with the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier, damaging his car enough to end his test session early.
    "I entered Turn 1 on the bottom and it just started pushing (up the track)," said Slotten, a veteran of Wisconsin short-track racing."

*****************************

INDY PRO SERIES QUOTES:
    RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 27 AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing, fastest): "Practice doesn't count, but it definitely makes you feel good, and I think it definitely makes the team work even harder. The team is coming along great. I'm working really, really nicely with my engineer Blair (Perschbacher), and all the mechanics are doing such an amazing job. I'm just very happy that we're able to put this great team together. I can't thank AGR and AFS enough for this great support.
    "The goals today were to simulate qualifying runs and to run in traffic. I have almost no experience running in traffic on ovals, and we were able to accomplish everything that we were planning on for the test. We were able to do qualifying runs, we were able to run in the middle of traffic quite a bit, especially in the afternoon when the weather was really hot and it's really difficult. I'm very happy."

    BOBBY WILSON (No. 17 Team E, second quick): (About accident): "What happened? A rookie driver just trying to keep his foot in it. I was making a pass on the outside and got drove into by the car that was below me. He took out my tire and I got very lucky. I can come away with a smile because we have minimal damage. We know we were fast. The team did a great job. Hats off to the guys at Team E that put in a lot of hours of hard work on the car. I'm really looking forward to the race."

    LOGAN GOMEZ (No. 41 Guthrie Racing, third quick): "The day went well. I'm just getting used to being in a car again. I haven't been in a car since Chicago (at the end of last season), so it's getting back into the car and getting used to a new team with Guthrie Racing. It's great to be with them. We're just working a few kinks out of the car. The hardest thing about today is finding someone to run with you. I towed Sean (Guthrie) around and that worked out. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to return the favor because he had some mechanical problems."

    SEAN GUTHRIE (No. 4 Guthrie Racing, fourth quick): "It was a short day. We were trying to get (Chris) Festa some time in the car today. We were here for a test about a month ago, so we just went out with the setup we found there. It took a little bit of time to build speed this morning because it was a little cool, but once we got that fast lap, we decided to stop and let Festa get some laps in."

    MATT LEE (No. 25 RLR/Andersen Racing, fourth quick): "With the exception of a clutch problem that made us have a bit of late start - we didn't get on the track until after lunch -- it went really well. It was a productive day. I got my first time mixing it up with the guys in traffic and it felt really nice. The car was good. The engineering staff did a great job with the car." (About possibility of racing in series): "We're working out some last minute sponsorship stuff. Hopefully I will be in the car at Homestead."

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INDYCAR SERIES QUOTES:
    RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske): "It was pretty exciting to run in traffic and just to find my own out there with all the cars. It was a good start.  It was a real good test for us at Team Penske. I'm looking forward to getting some more running out there with the guys and learning more at the first race, but we're really happy with how this test went. I was ready to go racing here by the end of the night."
    DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): "Well it's great to get back in the car obviously, and everybody in the race shop at Target Chip Ganassi has been working hard to make sure we can improve on last season. Judging by the test, it's gone very well. There's some room for improvement, but for our test back into the swing of things, and to be back at Homestead, I think we're in pretty good shape."

*****************************

    The 2008 IndyCar Series season begins under the lights with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 schedule, one of the most diverse in all of motorsports, features races on ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits, all broadcast worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ESPN. All races in 2008 will be telecast in High Definition. The 2008 Indy Pro Series season also begins on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.

 

BRIGHT FUTURE AWAITS UNIFIED OPEN WHEEL RACING SERIES
Champ Car, Indy Racing League Work Together To Form Unified ICS, IndyCar Series

By: John Griffin
      VP of Public Relations

            The future of open wheel racing is bright, according to the owners of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League who stood together publicly Wednesday for the first time since signing an historic agreement in principle to unify the sport.
            "Our whole racing community is excited and energized about unification and everybody is working hard toward the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 29," said Tony George, CEO and founder of the Indy Racing League. 
            "I'm thrilled we now have a unified open wheel racing series that will feature great drivers, a diversity of world-class venues and numerous top-notch teams," said Kevin Kalkhoven, co-owner of the Champ Car World Series and PKV Racing team. "I applaud Tony George for his commitment to the sport, and join him in now focusing solely on the future of open wheel racing in North America. I'm eager for our team to race this season, and certainly will do all that I can to help advance our sport in the short- and long-term."
            The two men appeared at a news conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway Wednesday where the ICS starts its season Saturday night, March 29. 
            Joining them were several owners and drivers as well as industry representatives who support unifying the sport. Champ Car owners present along with Kalkhoven included Eric Bachelart, Dale Coyne, Paul Stoddart, Keith Wiggins and Derrick Walker.  Champ Car drivers present included Franck Perera, Bruno Junqueira, Graham Rahal, Alex Tagliani, Oriol Servia, Simon Pagenaud, Nelson Philippe, Robert Doornbos and Will Power.  The Champ Car teams and drivers did not have time to prepare for this practice session so the ICS will add an additional practice session dedicated to them in March.

IndyCar owners present included Michael Andretti, Kim Green, Kevin Savoree, .  IndyCar drivers present included Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick. 
            ICS, IndyCar Series, officials expect several teams from Champ Car to join the series this season, some as early as the first race, while others should join by the time practice starts for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 4. 
             Race venues from the Champ Car Series will be added to the ICS schedule in 2008.  Discussions are proceeding to add events in Edmonton, Canada and Surfers Paradise Australia to the current 16 race schedule.
            The historic Grand Prix of Long Beach Champ Car race finale will be run the same weekend as the already scheduled ICS race in Motegi, Japan.   Champ Car will operate the Long Beach race and Champ Car teams will compete.  IndyCar Series points and prize money will be awarded for both races to teams who are participating in the IndyCar Series.  Beginning in 2009, the Grand Prix of Long Beach will be part of the ICS schedule.
            As the 2009 schedule is prepared, the IndyCar Series intends to review all recent Champ Car and current IndyCar Series races, as well as other opportunities to produce the most viable schedule of short ovals, super speedways, street courses and road courses that will be of interest to fans, promoters, sponsors and racers. 
            The ICS will use Dallara chassis and Honda engines in the 2008 season, and George thanked representatives of each company for their help in unifying the sport.
            "I want to especially thank Al Speyer of Bridgestone-Firestone and Robert Clarke and Erik Berkman of Honda Performance Development for their overwhelming support of this initiative to unify our sport... 
            "Finally, it is due to the efforts of Kevin and Gerald Forsythe that we are able to stand together today looking forward to the growth of the sport that we all love,"  George said.

UNIFICATION ELEMENTS
*  Champ Car teams committing to the IndyCar Series and demonstrating the ability to fund operating budgets will be provided:
        * One-year Honda basic engine lease
        *  Two Dallara chassis from a pool of new and used cars to the extent of the pool available for up to two seasons
        *  $1.2 million per car from the IndyCar TEAM program
        *  At least two race venues from the Champ Car World Series schedule will be added to the ICS schedule in 2008 if the parties reach agreement. Discussions are proceeding to add events in Edmonton, Canada and Surfers Paradise, Australia to this year's current 16-race schedule. The IndyCar Series has scheduled meetings with both of these venues to discuss the
2008 schedule.
        * The historic Grand Prix of Long Beach Champ Car race finale will be run the same weekend as the already scheduled IndyCar Series race at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan. The 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach will be Champ Car's final race. Champ Car will promote the race as its "Finale." Champ Car will conduct the race and the IndyCar Series will require any teams taking advantage of the incentives offered by the Indy Car Series to compete at Long Beach. Since these teams will be missing the Motegi race, they will be awarded points and prize money as if they were competing at Motegi. Beginning in 2009, the Grand Prix of Long Beach will be part of the IndyCar Series schedule.
        *  IndyCar Series officials met with Champ Car World Series teams at an IndyCar Series "orientation" held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday. The nine Champ Car teams that participated in the 2007 season were all in attendance.
        *  IndyCar Series officials developed an assistance program that assigned an IndyCar Series team to work directly with a Champ Car World Series team (i.e.  Rahal Letterman Racing will work with Newman/Haas/Lanigan.)
        *  IndyCar Series officials have scheduled individual meetings with Champ Car  World Series teams.
        * IndyCar Series officials began preliminary discussions with ESPN/ABC regarding the expanded 2008 IndyCar Series schedule.
        *  In the agreement in principle, the IndyCar Series will purchase various non-tangible assets such as intellectual property and historical records from Champ Car.  In addition, the IndyCar Series will purchase the Champ Car Medical transporter.

IndyCar TEAM Primer

        IndyCar TEAM (Team Enhancement/Allocation Matrix) was introduced last October and was designed to be an expansion of the IndyCar Series Leader's Circle Program while further enhancing the value of racing in the IndyCar Series. The Leader's Circle Program was established in 2002 to provide incentives to teams which participate in the series full time. The program leverages relationships built by the Indy Racing League with its partners, sponsors and suppliers to provide benefits directly to the teams.
        Beginning in 2008, the program will award a minimum of $1.2 million to each car entered to compete the entire season, including the Indianapolis 500. By implementing IndyCar TEAM, the Indy Racing League is dissolving its existing event purse formula.
        The rollout of IndyCar TEAM was designed to be a baseline program designed to increase as the series grows and is successful in attracting sponsors.

 

 

CHAMP CAR, INDY RACING LEAGUE SIGN
AGREEMENT TO UNIFY OPEN WHEEL RACING
Indianapolis, Indiana -Friday, Feb. 22, 2008

By: John Griffin
Indy Racing League

   Owners of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League completed an agreement in principle Friday that will unify the sport for 2008.
    Gerald Forsythe, co-owner of Champ Car, signed an agreement in principle in Chicago, joining his partner Kevin Kalkhoven and Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George who had signed late Thursday in Indianapolis.
    Details of a press conference about the agreement will be forthcoming.