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KANAAN WINS CAUTION-FILLED RACE AT RICHMOND
RICHMOND, Va., Saturday, June 28, 2008 – Tony Kanaan claimed his first victory of the 2008 IndyCar Series season, winning the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway by 4.7691 seconds over Helio Castroneves. Kanaan, starting from the pole, led 166 of the 300 laps to claim his 13th career victory and his first since Belle Isle in September 2007. Team Penske’s Castroneves improved 16 positions to record his fourth second-place finish of the season. Scott Dixon finished third and remains atop the IndyCar Series championship point standings, with a 43-point advantage over Castroneves. Dixon’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon finished fourth, followed by KV Racing Technology’s Oriol Servia in his first start at the .75-mile oval. The race included nine cautions, with 102 laps run under yellow, the second-most in IndyCar Series history, however, the final 72 laps were run under green. *** INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE NOTES: This is Tony Kanaan’s 13th career victory and his first since Belle Isle last season. This is Andretti Green Racing’s 34th victory in the IndyCar Series and its second this season. Danica Patrick won earlier this year at Twin Ring Motegi. There were 102 laps under caution, second-most in IndyCar Series history. The 2002 race at Nazareth had 116 laps run under caution. There were 99 caution laps at Dover in 1998. Helio Castroneves improved 16 positions to finish second, his fourth second-place finish of the season (St. Petersburg, Motegi and Texas). Scott Dixon finished third, his seventh consecutive top-five finish and eighth top-five finish of the season. Oriol Servia finished fifth, his best finish in the IndyCar Series. His previous best was sixth at Milwaukee. Justin Wilson finished seventh, tying his best finish in the IndyCar Series. He also finished seventh at Milwaukee. Townsend Bell finished a season-best eighth. His previous best was 10th at Motegi and Indianapolis. Jaime Camara led his first laps in the IndyCar Series. They also were the first laps led for a Conquest Racing driver on an oval since Laurent Redon led 39 laps at Richmond in 2002. *** INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE QUOTES:
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, finished first): “It was tough race at first but once we got going, I knew we could do it with the car. The problem was we had a lot of yellows and people making mistakes. Traffic was really good; everybody did a good job trying to keep away from the leaders. It was a great race apart from all of the yellows.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, second): “We tried everything. Team Penske did a great job in our pit stops. I was driving my wheels off of it.. I was trying everything I could to make up spots. The only chance I got was mostly on restarts and the start of the race. Andretti Green seemed to be better than us. They seemed to be more consistent, especially when the tires started dropping a little bit. It’s a shame. I wanted to win so bad, especially for the folks from Philip Morris. We had a good showing.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, third): “It was a tough night. We had a very good car. Once again it was very tough to pass here. Even when the tires got old, it was very hard to get close to people. If we were out front, I think we had a car to win. TK (Tony Kanaan) definitely looked pretty strong tonight, but I think the Target car still had a good run. I think I just messed up my first pit stop and maybe the left rear or one of the rear guys had trouble getting it back on. We dropped back to about eighth or ninth, so it was good to come away with third.”
DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, fourth): “I was trying to be aggressive while trying to finish the race. It was difficult behind the other cars, and we knew there would be more than a few wrecks tonight. The car shut off on the last lap for some reason, and that's not what we need when we're trying to close the points gap.”
ORIOL SERVIA (No. 5 KV Racing Technology, fifth): “When we unloaded the car right away I said we have a top-five car, and fortunately was able to prove it. I’m very pleased with how the team performed. Everybody expected us to do well on the road and street courses, but I really wanted to prove the team is capable of doing a good job on ovals.”
DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Motorola, sixth): “It was a carnage fest out there tonight with all the wrecks and cautions. I am happy with my finish. Obviously I wish we could have finished in the top five. The Motorola crew did a great job. I am also very happy that Tony (Kannan) got his win. He totally deserved it.”
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team, seventh): “What a crazy race. There was some really good driving and some really bad driving out there. I was just trying not to get caught out and stay out of trouble and bring the car home. The McDonald’s car wasn’t the quickest car out there today, but we managed to salvage some good points, and hopefully that will help us out in the championship. The team did a good job on the pit stops. I’m not sure how many we did, maybe 10. I had a bit of a moment with E.J. (Viso) at the end. His team told him yellow at the end of Turn 3 for the checkered flag and it caused a big moment. He lifted off the throttle, and I had to also but got sucked up behind him and I was all sideways and crossed up to avoid him. I thought I had crashed and was going to cross the finish line with no wheels on the car. I thought ‘I’ve come through all this only to crash at the very end.’ ; Fortunately we were able to keep all four corners on it and bring it home.”
TOWNSEND BELL (No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold William Rast, eighth): “We just made smart decisions tonight. Great spotting by Dane (Carter). We just had the mindset of wanting to make it to the end. This race was sketchy, which is what I expected. It was a total dogfight that first half of the race. Our car was great. We’re going to continue to work on things. It’s just fun to get another top-10. I’m pleased. It’s our best finish of the year. We can’t complain about that. The guys did a great job in the pits, and I can’t wait to get back into the car again.”
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Blockbuster, ninth): “I am incredibly disapointed. The Blockbuster car was the best car on the track today.”
KANAAN WINS PEAK MOTOR OIL POLE AWARD AT RICHMOND
RICHMOND, Va., Friday, June 27, 2008 – Tony Kanaan won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by Advance Auto Parts for Saturday’s SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway. The Andretti Green Racing driver recorded a four-lap qualifying effort of 1 minute, 4.3333 seconds, 167.876 mph in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven machine. The pole is Kanaan’s second of the season and the 10th of his IndyCar Series career. Kanaan’s teammate, Marco Andretti, will share the front row to start the 300-lap race on the .75-mile oval. Andretti’s qualifying average was 167.795 mph. Rookie Graham Rahal and series points leader Scott Dixon will start on Row 2, while past Indianapolis 500 winners Buddy Rice (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005) while start on Row 3. Rice turned in his best qualifying effort since the 2005 season finale. On the flip side, Helio Castroneves, who is second in points, qualified 18th, his lowest starting position since the middle of the 2004 season. *** Each car receives eight sets of Firestone Firehawks for the two-day weekend, however, the four drivers who received 30 minutes of practice time yesterday received one extra set, and the eight drivers who received 90 minutes of practice time yesterday received two extra sets. All tires used yesterday were returned prior to today’s practice. Firestone Racing selected the Richmond tire specification based on results from a tire at the track in March with drivers Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe. The Richmond tires feature the same left-side compounds and constructions as used at Milwaukee, paired with new right-side tires designed to add durability. Tire stagger (producing the right-rear tire with a slightly larger diameter than the left rear) also will play an important role this weekend since the cars are turning almost constantly on this shortest of ovals. Firestone tire stagger for Richmond will be approximately 0.60 of an inch, the largest stagger for any track in 2008. AL SPEYER (Executive Director, Firestone Racing): “Richmond completes the run of all three IndyCar Series short ovals in a four-race span. The drivers say these tracks, while similar in length, are very different to drive. That's quite apparent from the Firestone tires as well, as we are using differing tire specifications for each of the three short tracks. The Firehawk spec for Richmond combines part of the Milwaukee spec with a new right-side spec confirmed at the Richmond tire test in March. We could have given the teams and drivers one tire spec for all three short ovals, but that's not how we do things at Firestone. Our race tire development staff is constantly working to make an excellent product better, even if it means developing different tire specs for similar tracks. The Richmond race is always exciting; with the new Firehawk tires, the larger field and an added 50 laps, it will only be more thrilling this year." *** Each pit box is 39 feet in length. Last year at Richmond, each pit box was 45 feet in length. The pit boxes are three feet shorter than they were at Milwaukee and one foot longer than they were at Iowa. *** HVM Racing has announced the restructure and appointment of several key positions. Kevin Lee, a long-time key figure at HVM Racing, has been appointed to vice president of operations, Ali Gursoy has been added as vice president of marketing and full-service marketing agency, Breaking Limits, has been acquired to lead its public and media relations efforts. KEITH WIGGINS (Owner, HVM Racing): “These moves are a strong statement about HVM Racing, our commitment to the IndyCar Series and the direction we are taking. We are committed to growing our team in this new arena, as we did in the previous one. This restructure and additions will immediately help us build a better presence in the IndyCar Series while maintaining our focus of improving performance on the track. We’ve been satisfied with our progress in a very short time. But, by no means are we content. We are going to continue to grow off the track and maintain high expectations on the track. This is our next step for growth.” *** Jaime Camara and his wife Geovanna welcomed their first child, a son named Lucca, at 11:48 a.m. yesterday. Lucca weighed 7 ½ lbs. Lucca spent the night in intensive care after experience some breathing problems, but was released this morning. JAIME CAMARA (No. 34 Sangari): “He worried us a lot, but he was taken out of intensive care this morning. Everything is fine. (Being a dad) hit me as soon as I saw him. It’s a different feeling, hard to explain.” *** Danica Patrick will be among the presenters at the 16th annual ESPY’s in July. The show, which celebrates the best moments from the year in sports, will be taped July 16 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles and will air July 20 on ESPN. Other athletes who will participate in the show include Lance Armstrong, David Beckham, Steve Nash, David Ortiz, Candace Parker and Annika Sorenstam. *** Scott Lynch, the fueler on the #27 car driven by Hideki Mutoh, was injured in pit lane near the end of the first practice session when he was struck by Mutoh’s car. Lynch suffered a right toe fracture and a left ankle contusion. *** Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced a new sponsorship agreement with Rigid Building Systems and its partner company, COILMART, giving the companies presence on the race cars of Dreyer and Reinbold Racing throughout the 2008 season, beginning with the SunTrust Indy Challenge. Rigid Building Systems is an engineered building systems manufacturer, and COILMART is a flat rolled steel distributor. ROBBIE BUHL (Co-owner, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “This announcement says a lot about the growth of our race team and the IndyCar Series as a whole. We've been putting together a lot of deals lately, and this is the busiest we've been in doing so. We're already laying the ground work for a solid finish to 2008 and are already well ahead of where we usually are for next season's sponsorship programs. We're excited that Rigid Building Sytems and COILMART have seen the tremendous value and growth both the series and Dreyer and Reinbold Racing have in their respective futures.” *** INDYCAR SERIES POST-QUALIFYING NOTES: · Tony Kanaan wins the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by Advance Auto Parts. This is Kanaan’s second pole of the season and the 10th of his career. His last pole came at St. Petersburg. Kanaan’s last pole on an oval was last season at Kentucky. · This is the 22nd pole for Andretti Green Racing. · Marco Andretti qualified second, his second front row start of the season. He won the pole at Milwaukee. · This is the 36th time in IndyCar Series history and the third time this season that teammates have started 1-2. Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon shared the front row this season at Kansas and Indianapolis. · This is the seventh time Andretti Green Racing teammates have shared the front row. The last time was at Kentucky in 2007 when Tony Kanaan won the pole and Dario Franchitti was second. · Scott Dixon qualified fourth, his seventh consecutive top-five start, the longest active streak in the IndyCar Series. · Buddy Rice qualified fifth, his best starting position of the season. His previous best was 11th at Homestead-Miami and Motegi. This is his best starting position since fifth at California in 2005. · Bruno Junqueira qualified ninth, the best this season for him and Dale Coyne Racing. His previous best was 15th at Indianapolis and Texas. Those also marked Dale Coyne Racing’s best starts in the IndyCar Series. · Helio Castroneves qualified 18th, ending his streak of 11 consecutive top-10 starts. It was the longest active streak in the IndyCar Series. The record is 32 by Sam Hornish Jr. The last time Castroneves started 18th or lower was at Michigan in 2004 when he started 20th.
INDYCAR SERIES POST-QUALIFYING QUOTES:
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, qualified first): “If there was a place that I could choose to start on the pole, it’s this one. I think we did a great job. I have to thank my teammates, Danica, Marco and Hideki. Danica and Hideki came and tested here a few weeks ago, and I think it helped us a lot. Me and Marco worked really well together this morning trying to find a good setup, and it was really good. I’ve been in the front quite a lot, but I haven’t been able to accomplish things in the front. So we start all over again. The car was totally different than it was in the afternoon. But I think that with our experience, we knew what was going to happen. It helped that my teammates all qualified in front of me. It helped that I was one of the latest cars to qualify. The track is cooling off and getting better all the time. It’s a good lead for what I need in the race as well. Hopefully the luck is on my side this weekend.&r dquo;
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Blockbuster, second): “We really nailed the setup on the Blockbuster car today, especially when you consider that we didn’t get proper runs in practice because we caught traffic each time. It was a great day for Andretti Green Racing, though. It’s good to start up front, especially at this place. Tony (Kanaan) and I both have very good race cars, so I’m excited about tomorrow.”
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps, third): “Everything really came together for us in qualifying. We’ve been struggling here all weekend. Luckily if it was going to come together at one point, it’s good that it’s in qualifying. It would be even better if it came together tomorrow. Obviously it’s important to start up front here because it’s really hard to pass, so we’re pretty happy. We made a bunch of changes. The guys did a good job, because all weekend we’ve been struggling and struggling and just didn’t know what to do, so I didn’t know what to expect in qualifying. I figured we would be close to Justin’s time, but when I went out there, the car was really good. The only thing holding me back from going flat was that I couldn’t get the car to downshift mid-corner. I think that if our gearing was a little bit different, which we will know for next year because we didn’t expect to go this fast obviously, I think we would have had a shot at pole.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, fourth): “I think both of us in the Target cars left quite a bit on the line. We didn't get as much as we should have out of the car. Going earlier was a big problem for us tonight. As you can see, a lot of slower cars (in practice) went quicker than us at the end (of qualifying). It's tough but (the qualifying order) is drawn out of a hat, so maybe it will help us out later in the season. All in all, it looks pretty decent. The Target cars are quite far up, and the Penske cars are back a little bit, and we've got very good race cars.”
BUDDY RICE (No. 15 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, fifth): “We’ve been chasing that car all day. This is great for Dreyer and Reinbold, Roll Coater, Rigid, and all the guys right now. It’s disappointing that last weekend in Iowa we had a wheel bearing failure. We had a really strong car there. We wanted to come here and run strong. This is one of the places that’s kind of an equalizer. It’s good for us.”
DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, sixth): “To be honest, it was a disappointing qualifying performance on my behalf. I somewhat struggled with the car in the first and second practice, and we definitely improved it a lot for qualifying. We definitely were affected by the draw that we got, but that’s part of the new system. I just left too much on the table, and that was disappointing. I’ve done that a couple of times now just because we haven’t had a perfect weekend yet, and that’s what we need to do to make sure that we’re sitting on the pole. Because if you don’t, you’re not going to be on the pole, and that was the case today.”
HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 27 Formula Dream, seventh): “Right before we went out, we made a small change on the car, and I think we shouldn’t have made the change. It would’ve been nice if we could start from a better position, but seventh starting position is not bad, so it is OK. I will concentrate on the race, and hopefully we will be able to move up to the front.”
A.J. FOYT IV (No. 2 Lilly Diabetes/Vision Racing, eighth): “I’m happy with our qualifying after we were struggling quite a bit in practice today. The Lilly guys did a really great job making a bunch of changes and getting the car ready for qualifying. I’m happy for the team because we actually get a decent starting position for this race, and that’ll be important. I think we’re finally getting a bit of luck turning our way here, and every little bit helps. Qualifying later was definitely an advantage, but we’ll take it. It’s good to have the Lilly car and the Menards car both in two solid starting positions.”
BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (No. 18 Z-Line Designs, ninth): “I'm very pleased with how the No. 18 Z-Line Designs car qualified today. We were the fifth-fastest in the practice session before qualifying, so we knew we had a fast car and would do well in qualifying. I'm very proud of the hard work the team has put into the car all week. It should be an interesting race Saturday night as this track is sort of a one-groove track. Hopefully we can bring home a good finish. It should be a very exciting race.”
ORIOL SERVIA (No. 5 KV Racing Technology, 10th): “It was a lot of fun. These types of short ovals where you are so much on the edge, makes it always exciting. The KV Racing Technology car was really good. We just had the front a little too low, it was touching the ground. In Turn 4, I had a big moment. I almost lost it, which is why my hands are a little shaky right now, but it’s part of qualifying, part of the fun. Overall, I am quite happy with the result, and I want to thank the team for all their hard work. Hopefully, we can have a good race tomorrow, at least better than the last two, and move up a little in the standings.” *** SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times local):
SunTrust Indy Challenge RICHMOND, Va. - Results Saturday of the SunTrust Indy Challenge IndyCar Series event June 28 at the .75-mile Richmond International Raceway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any): 1. (1) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 300, Running 2. (18) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 300, Running 3. (4) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 300, Running 4. (6) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 300, Running 5. (10) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 300, Running 6. (14) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 300, Running 7. (23) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 300, Running 8. (21) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 300, Running 9. (2) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 299, Running 10. (19) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 298, Running 11. (13) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 238, Running 12. (22) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 235, Running 13. (7) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 220, Mechanical 14. (24) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 217, Contact 15. (11) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 158, Pits 16. (25) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 143, Contact 17. (20) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 143, Contact 18. (3) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 131, Contact 19. (15) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 117, Handling 20. (17) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 91, Contact 21. (12) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 91, Contact 22. (5) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 80, Contact 23. (9) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 78, Contact 24. (8) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 29, Contact 25. (16) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 8, Contact 26. (26) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, 6, Handling Race Statistics Winner's average speed: 108.790 mph Time of race: 2:04:05.5111 Margin of victory: 4.7691 seconds Cautions: 9 caution flags for 102 laps Lead changes: 3 among 3 drivers Lap leaders: Kanaan 1-71, Camara 72-115, M. Andretti 116-205, Kanaan 206-300. Point standings: Dixon 351, Castroneves 308, Wheldon 299, Kanaan 269, Patrick 220, Mutoh 216, M. Andretti 211, Briscoe 210, Servia 194, Carpenter 185.
RICHMOND, Va. - Qualifying Friday for the SunTrust Indy Challenge IndyCar Series event on the .75-mile Richmond International Raceway, with starting position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine and speed: 1. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 167.876 2. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 167.795 3. (06) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 167.250 4. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 167.120 5. (15) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 166.804 6. (10) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 166.768 7. (27) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 166.518 8. (2) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 166.126 9. (18) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 166.032 10. (5) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 165.815 11. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 165.643 12. (24) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 165.275 13. (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 164.963 14. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 164.396 15. (25) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 164.326 16. (8) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 164.321 17. (4) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 163.849 18. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 163.353 19. (33) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 163.170 20. (19) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 162.566 21. (23) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 162.517 22. (14) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 160.616 23. (02) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 159.652 24. (34) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 158.884 25. (17) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, no speed 26. (36) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, no speed
INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – July 3, 2008
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
1. Unification produces strong first half of season commercially: The IndyCar Series opens the second-half its 2008 season this weekend at Watkins Glen International, and after four months and nine races, the unification of open-wheel racing under the IndyCar Series banner is a success both on and off the track.
By all accounts and measurements, the on-track product featuring an average 26 cars per week has been a success and could reach 29 at select races later in the season.
Off-track the IndyCar Series continues to show business momentum.
“We could not be happier with what we have seen over the first half of the unified IndyCar Series season,” said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division of the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights. “Key areas like attendance, ratings and sponsorship are all pointed in the right direction, and we anticipate further growth and momentum headed into the second half of the season.”
With attendance, league officials are impressed with what they have seen everywhere the schedule has stopped to date in 2008. Tracks have reported increased attendance numbers, and the in-market and at-track “vibe” has been noticeable. Reports from tracks on the second-half of the schedule have been even more positive.
Since unification, the series has introduced a number of new sponsors including DIRECTV and Coca-Cola, and this weekend at Watkins Glen the league will formalize a new partnership with IZOD. Efforts to secure category sponsorships and entitlement of the IndyCar Series are in full swing. The league’s sales efforts have increased dramatically and now include an individual whose sole responsibility is working directly with teams to assist in their efforts.
IndyCar Series races have shown ratings increases in six of nine races to date, and ratings are up across the board on ABC (+4 percent), ESPN (+61 percent) and ESPN2 (+42 percent). Overall viewership is up 17 percent season to date compared to 2007.
Merchandise sales are way up with at-track sales increasing by 70 percent compared to 2007.
“Unification has been wonderful for the sport, and there’s a real buzz around the IndyCar Series,” said Angstadt. “Our focus now is to continue to work hard and build a broader sponsorship base for the teams, venues, media and the league.”
*** 2. What they’re saying: Halfway through the 2008 IndyCar Series season, the drivers talk about the unification, the transition into the IndyCar Series and their season to date:
On Unification:
JUSTIN WILSON: “It’s great. We’ve got everyone back together and we’ve got everyone working in the same direction. It’s great to race every weekend, especially if you have a bad weekend you don’t get a chance to dwell on it.”
ED CARPENTER: “I think it’s awesome. Everywhere we go, it’s super competitive and there is a lot of good racing. It’s a better series for everyone now.”
WILL POWER: “I think what’s good about this is you’ve got the best teams and best drivers all in one series.”
RYAN BRISCOE: “Great. I don’t think it could be better. I think this year there are some compromises. Not everyone’s happy. Some guys are getting a bit more testing, some less, but I think if that’s what it takes to keep everyone on board and to keep everyone together then that’s the way it’s got to be. I think next year it’s going to be the best it’s ever been. It’s going to be a level playing field next year. We’re going to know all the tracks. It’s so competitive.”
BUDDY RICE: “It’s been great. You can see by the number of people showing up that’s it great for the sport, the teams and the sponsors. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
HIDEKI MUTOH: “The good news is there is very high competition. It’s the highest championship in America, so that’s good.”
MARTY ROTH: “I love the unification.” I’m a Canadian and we don’t have to explain the differences between Champ Car and the IndyCar Series anymore. I love it.”
Transitioning from Champ Car World Series to the IndyCar Series:
ORIOL SERVIA: “Every race we are just trying our best. Some races come out better than others. I’m quite happy. We are still trying very hard to catch up with the other guys.”
MARIO MORAES: “It’s quite tough for me. I’m working out a lot.”
BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: “It’s been good and difficult. It has been a big challenge for us. We’re getting better every race.”
Thoughts on the season up to now and any “surprises” of the season:
WILL POWER: “This year our strengths are on the road courses, but we’re catching up on the ovals. We seem to be running more competitively. I think the second half of the season will be good for us.”
ED CARPENTER: “Graham Rahal is obviously going to be a very good driver. Hideki Mutoh is coming out strong as a rookie, but he’s with a great team.”
RYAN BRISCOE: “I’m pretty happy. My goal has been from the start to be in the top five consistently. It’s tough. It’s so competitive; it’s difficult to be in the top five every race. We recovered well from a couple of non-finishes early in the season. Now, we’ve got to keep the momentum going, keep racing at the front.”
DANICA PATRICK: “It’s been challenging, not as good as I expected. I think it would’ve looked a little bit better if I would have had the finishes at Kansas and Indy. I think they both would have both been top-fives.”
VITOR MEIRA: “So far we have done very well. We came from a very difficult year last year. The Delphi National Guard car really stepped up this year, mostly from Indianapolis on.”
MARCO ANDRETTI: “It’s been up and down, but we’ve been able to be in the top five every time we’ve finished. Maybe a bit snake-bitten, but we’ve got to keep working.”
A.J. FOYT IV: “The start of it was good and then we hit a couple rough spots. We’re starting to turn it around with a top-five (finish) at Iowa.”
TONY KANAAN: “There have been a lot of ups and downs this season, people trying to tear down our team, but we sat down and we’re working well together. This is a good team effort.”
MARTY ROTH: “I’ve had a horrible season, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Starting up a new team, you don’t think it plays on you, you think you can clear your head and just drive, but it wears on you a little bit. We’ve been doing a lot of tapping the walls lately. Hopefully we’ve climbed over that hump.” *** 3. Pros-G.I. Joes battle yields phone reunion: A media stunt Thursday with IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights drivers at the Corning Museum of Glass created an opportunity for a Rochester, N.Y., couple to speak with their son in Kuwait.
Jim Thaden fielded three phone calls from his wife in Rochester before and after he spoke with their son via an Internet hook-up with Camp Virginia in Kuwait.
“He looks and sounds great,” Thaden reported back home. “I told him when he comes home we’ll do some fishing. I did have to hold back the tears, though, a little.”
PFC Kevin Thaden of the 101st Airborne Division was among U.S. Army personnel, including Sgt. Filberto Reyes from the Tenth Mountain Division based at Fort Drum (N.Y.), flown to Camp Virginia from Baghdad to participate in the Pro vs. G.I. Joe Challenge.
The event – the first of its kind pairing servicemen stationed in a combat theater with IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights drivers in a theater at the Corning Museum of Glass – utilized the Halo 3 video game for Xbox. The servicemen had the decided advantage; they had been practicing for hours.
“Hey, next year we’ll use a racing game,” said Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing’s Justin Wilson, who competes against drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger often in an online auto racing game.
The driver lineup, which also included Graham Rahal, Vitor Meira, Brent Sherman and Dillon Battistini, played in front of a live audience with a real-time, large-screen video and audio hook-up to the troops at Camp Virginia. Before the competition, the drivers hand-crafted (with considerable assistance from the Corning Museum of Glass staff) glass flowers to be included in a gift package sent to the Army participants. All will be competing this weekend at Watkins Glen International.
“I can see the longer you play the game the better you become,” said Sherman, a U.S. Air Force veteran whose Firestone Indy Lights car for Panther Racing is sponsored by the National Guard. “Maybe I’ll have to buy an Xbox 360 and start training for next year.
“Obviously they have a mission over there but this is a perfect opportunity to raise the morale of the troops over there. There isn’t much to do over there other than fight the war. When you have something to do on your downtime, it builds morale. This is a benefit for them.”
Autographed IndyCar Series hats, “i am INDY” flags and other items will be included in the care packages to each of the participating servicemen. They also will receive an autographed Xbox game.
“It was cool to connect with these guys,” said Rahal, whose video game of choice is Tiger Woods Golf. “It’s great to give back in any way we can. They are the ones who allow us to go out and put on a good show every week.”
The connection remained open after the friendly competition for the Thadens to catch up, with Kevin wishing everyone in attendance a happy Fourth of July.
“Obviously, we won’t have fireworks over here,” he said.
“I appreciate this opportunity to keep in closer contact,” said Jim Thaden, who drove from Rochester after a 12-hour overnight shift at Eastman Kodak. “I do send packages and talk to him on the phone occasionally. It’s an opportunity to see that they get to relax over there.
“The guys who are driving have a tough job to do, too. I grew up with the Foyts, the Mears and the Andrettis and have followed the racing ever since. A race team is a lot like what they guys face over there. You have to learn to work together.” *** 4. Duel Dilemma: Two races in one day poses unique challenge: A standard doubleheader weekend on a road course is a test for most Firestone Indy Lights drivers and teams. What limited track time there is, is usually spent trying to perfect the car for the races and there is little margin for error.
This weekend's Corning Duels at Watkins Glen International may be more like a trial by fire as the scheduled is compressed into two days. The future stars of the IndyCar Series racing will race twice on July 5 on the 11-turn, 3.4-mile road course. The goal for most drivers may be to survive the first race, but finish up front so you have a chance in the second.
"I expect the races to be quite challenging," said Team E driver Bobby Wilson, who won at Watkins Glen in 2006. "You have to make it through Race 1 so you can make it to Race 2. If something bad happens, you're going to be sitting out. It's a crucial point in the season. It's an area where you can make big gains, but you could also have some big losses."
Big losses are what most drivers will be trying to avoid during the twin 29-lap races. With 56 points separating the top-five drivers in the point standings, the races could go a long way in determining which driver will see their name inscribed on Firestone Firehawk Cup as the series champion.
"It's going to come down to how quickly you can get a feel out what everyone else is doing," said RLR/Andersen Racing's J.R. Hildebrand, who trails points leader Dillon Battistini by 40 points. "You can't afford to lose points in the first race just to make sure you're going to be there for the second race. I have every bit of confidence in the guys on the crew and myself that we can put together a good package and be battling for the win in both races.
"As competitive as this series has been so far, I don't think anyone is going to be holding back in the first race just because we have another one in a couple of hours."
And competitive is what most drivers expect the races to be, though the aggression level may be turned down a notch. Smart driving and patience may be the key to success this weekend over outright speed.
"The cars are very difficult to setup for all conditions, so you need to get a good balance to be strong for both races," said James Davison, who drives for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. "I think the big thing will be if you're running fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth. Not knowing where the grid will be reversed, you may have to play it safe and not try anything stupid." Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
1. In case you missed
it: Servia, Simmons, Rust guests on teleconference
1. In case you missed it: IndyCar Series driver Oriol Servia, Firestone Indy Lights driver Jeff Simmons and Watkins Glen International president Craig Rust were guests on today’s Indy Racing League teleconference in advance of the weekend races at Watkins Glen International.
Oriol Servia: In first season competing in the IndyCar Series, driving for KV Racing Technology. He finished a season-high fifth at Richmond International Raceway on June 28 – his fourth top 10. He turns 34 on July 13.
Jeff Simmons: Has posted five top-10 finishes, with a best of second at The Milwaukee Mile, and four top-five starts in six Firestone Indy Lights races with Team Moore Racing. He competed in the 92nd Indianapolis 500 for A.J. Foyt Racing. He won at Watkins Glen International in Firestone Indy Lights in 2005.
They said what...? Listed below are select quotes from today’s teleconference.
***Q: Did The Glen remind you of ‑‑ I know you didn't get a lot of seat time during the (June 24) test -- but did The Glen remind you of any circuits you raced on before?
ORIOL SERVIA: I would say it's very special. I really liked it. To me, it has a little bit the taste of an older or more historic racetrack like in Europe. At first I thought it was going to be a little bit like between Mid‑Ohio and Elkhart Lake. But, to be honest, the racetrack that it reminded me of most is the old Nurburgring. The way the fast corners are, the asphalt, concrete patches here and there, and even the mountains around it. It reminded me of the old Nurburgring racetrack.
***Q: Talk about the development of the team, KV Racing Technology.
ORIOL SERVIA: I'm not going to get tired of saying how good of a job I believe the team is doing, from engineers to the crew to management, because, honestly, it's really tough. We got the cars two weeks before the first race. You know, if that wasn't big enough for any team on any championship, at the end of the day we were fighting other teams that have big budgets and they had this car for four years. … I think really we're showing that we are extremely competitive and that we're going to be contenders as soon as we have time to learn and prepare for the full season the way we should.
*** Q. Jeff, you've turned a lot of laps at Watkins Glen throughout your career. You know how to win at this track in a Firestone Indy Lights car. What will it take for you to give Team Moore Racing its first victory this year?
JEFF SIMMONS: I love Watkins Glen. I love the whole area. It brings a big smile to my face every time I drive into the front gate there. It's going to be difficult. There's some strong competition for sure. It's also going to be quite a day when we have the doubleheader there on Saturday because we don't have a whole lot of time in between races. It's really going to be physically and mentally taxing because we're not going to have much time to recover after the first race, so you got to make sure you get through that pretty clean and hope your fitness is good enough to do a 200‑mile race instead of just 100 miles as we usually do.
*** Q: Give us your thoughts about that doubleheader format as far as how does that play into strategy.
JEFF SIMMONS: You are going to have to be very careful in that first race, because if you have any sort of damage to your car it's going to be difficult to fix that and get back out there for the second one. We've done the doubleheaders before, but usually it's kind of one race on Saturday, one on Sunday, or a lot more time in between. It's going to be very important to take care of your car in the first race.
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. IndyCar Series rookie class distinguishes itself: At the halfway point of the IndyCar Series season, the largest class of rookies in the series in years is making its mark, including Graham Rahal’s historic victory on the streets of St. Petersburg and 11 rookies qualifying for the 92nd Indianapolis 500.
Ten full-time drivers are in the race for the Bombardier Learjet Rookie of the Year award.
Hideki Mutoh, currently fifth overall in IndyCar Series points, leads the charge. The driver of the No. 27 Formula Dream entry for Andretti Green Racing has five top-10 finishes in nine races, including a second place at the Iowa Speedway.
“Hideki Mutoh is coming out strong as a rookie, but he’s with a great team,” Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter said.
Australian Will Power closed the books on the Champ Car World Series with a victory on Long Beach’s winding streets and is 11th in IndyCar Series points. Power is second in the rookie title search, sitting 37 points behind Mutoh.
“This year, our strengths are on the road courses, but we’re catching up on the ovals now and we seem to be running more competitively,” said Power, driver of the No. 8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia car for KV Racing Technology. “I think the second half of the season will be good for us.”
Justin Wilson, driver of the No. 2 McDonald’s car for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, is competing in his first year as an IndyCar Series driver, but he is no stranger to the sport. Wilson was a two-time Champ Car title runner-up. He is fourth in the rookie standings.
“It’s great that unification has taken place. We’ve got everyone back together and we’ve got everyone working in the same direction,” said Wilson, who has posted four top-10 finishes.
Rahal, son of racing champion Bobby Rahal, made history as the youngest IndyCar Series winner at 19 years old in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Rahal has two top-10 finishes and a career-best starting position of second at The Milwaukee Mile. In his first IndyCar Series oval start at Kansas, he moved from 20th to 12th place in the No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps car for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. He is fifth in the standings.
INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – July 1, 2008
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines Dominant Dixon knows race for title is anything but overPatrick, Dixon earn ESPY nods Reid hopes to emulate Dixon's success 1. Dominant Dixon knows race for title is anything but over: Scott Dixon need only look at the second half of the 2007 IndyCar Series season to make him alternately smile and shudder as it relates to this year’s championship race. He was 65 points behind Franchitti exiting the Richmond race, but rattled off four victories in the final eight to outscore Franchitti 370-331 and set up a season-ending duel for the series title. The momentum hasn’t slowed. The driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda-powered Dallara has eight top-five finishes in nine races, including three victories, and holds a 43-point advantage over Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves at the halfway point of the season. Dixon’s teammate, Dan Wheldon, is 52 points behind. Dixon isn’t comfortable with the cushion, especially with six of the final nine races on road/street courses. First up is the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen on July 6 at the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International circuit. “It’s been one of those seasons when things seem to go your way more often than not, from the end of last season and through to this year” said Dixon, who’s won the past three years at The Glen. “It’s even little things like Iowa when we didn’t have the correct car, and we got rained out and got pole (based on entrant points). That definitely helped. Thank God we kind of sorted the car through the race and we were somewhat competitive (finished fourth). “Hopefully we keep the ball rolling, but I think if you talk about how fantastic you are too much it’s going to fall over on you. It can turn on you pretty quick, so you have to try to ride the wave as long as you can and hopefully it never falls off until we win another championship.” Dixon’s steady results netted the 2003 title when he was a newcomer to the series, and similar results have bred confidence throughout the No. 9 car crew. “It does help your confidence going into the weekend,” he said. “There’s a long way to go, so we have to treat each weekend as it is until you get down to those last few to determine where you work out for the championship. Now it’s the time to press on and gain as many points as you can. “At the moment, I really feel I have to push on the ovals because Helio is extremely strong on the road courses. I think both of us are going to be fairly well-matched at a lot of those places, and that’s almost half of the remainder of the season. It’s those things you put into your mind as well to try to work out where you need to be better than other people. I think you still have to treat it race by race and go for the race win but if you can’t win don’t push it too much that you’re going to lose a ton of points by crashing.” Castroneves hasn’t forfeited many points though he’s looking for his first victory since April 2007 and his first IndyCar Series title. The No. 3 Team Penske entry has finished in the top five in eight of the nine events, including runner-up four times. Castroneves advanced from 18th on the starting grid to finish second to Andretti Green Racing’s Tony Kanaan at Richmond on June 28. Kanaan is fourth in the title search (82 points back) and teammate Danica Patrick is fifth (131 behind). AGR driver Hideki Mutoh leads the Bombardier Learjet Rookie of the Year standings and is sixth overall. Marco Andretti, Ryan Briscoe, Oriol Servia and Ed Carpenter also are in the top 10. As Dixon notes, anyone can put together a run similar to his last year and quickly close the gap. At Watkins Glen in ’07, Castroneves was the pole sitter and led the initial 19 laps before crashing in Turn 11. Dixon, who started second, led the final 17 laps (and 23 overall) to post the victory. “I want to redeem myself from last year, and we know that we have more competitors,” Castroneves said. “We know we are going to have a lot of guys doing good on road courses -- that was proved in St. Petersburg. It's good for the championship to mix it up a little bit.” *** 2. Patrick, Dixon earn ESPY nods: IndyCar Series drivers Danica Patrick and Scott Dixon are among the nominees for ESPY awards to be presented July 20 (9 p.m. ET on ESPN). Patrick, the Andretti Green Racing driver who is fifth in the standings heading into the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen this weekend, is nominated in the Best Female Athlete category along with Lorena Ochoa (LPGA), Candace Parker (WNBA) and Lindsey Vonn (skiing). Patrick also is nominated in the Best Moment category for her IndyCar Series victory at Twin Ring Motegi in April, when she became the first female to win an IndyCar Series race. Patrick also will be an award presenter at the show, hosted by Justin Timberlake, in Los Angeles. Dixon, the IndyCar Series points leader, joins Lewis Hamilton (Formula One), Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Dario Franchitti (NASCAR) and Tony Schumacher (NHRA) as nominees for Best Driver. Dixon has three victories this season, including the 92nd Indianapolis 500. Online voting is open through July 12 at ESPYS.tv. Nominees were announced in 37 categories in which fans will determine the winner. *** 3. Reid hopes to emulate Dixon's success: After winning numerous championships in his native New Zealand, Scott Dixon left his hometown of Auckland for the United States. to further his racing career. Earlier this year, another young driver from Auckland, Jonny Reid, ventured across the globe to follow in the footsteps of New Zealand's first Indianapolis 500 winner. Reid, like Dixon, was a champion of New Zealand's Formula Ford series, but chose to compete in Europe and A1GP before switching to the oval-based racing. He made his Firestone Indy Lights and oval debut at Indianapolis, finishing 20th in the Firestone Freedom 100 in a car prepared by Integra Motorsports. A week later at Milwaukee, he was 15th. At Iowa, Reid showed signs of his racing potential, running as high as sixth place before crashing out of the event 10 laps from the finish. "Iowa was obviously my best oval even though I had a mishap," said Reid, whose grandfather was an oval racer in New Zealand. "I was quite satisfied because we were probably the third-quickest car on the track. We had started 16th and had improved the car a lot from qualifying for the race. Everybody kept positive and worked really hard. It was great to work with such a team of guys and pull forward in the race." Now Reid returns to his roots – road racing. He'll make his first start on a road course at the Corning Duels. Reid got his first glimpse of the famed road course's 11-turn, 3.4-mile layout during a test last week. "We were quick as anyone and didn't use all of our tires, which is quite pleasing," he said following the test. "We know we have a good car over the race distance. I think we can be very strong during the race weekend." But while racing on road courses is familiar, racing a pair of 100-mile races on the same day may be a new experience. "I haven't done anything like it really," he said. "I did Japanese F3 and they race twice in the same day, but the races are much shorter than this. I come from A1GP. It's quite a physical car and much longer races. They race twice in the weekend, but one is a feature and one is a sprint. I think physically I can handle racing two in one day. You just have to be careful in the first one. But you always try to be a little bit careful when it comes to racing." 
March 29 Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5-mile oval (Night) April 6 Streets of St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile street course April 19 Twin Ring Motegi, 1.5-mile oval April 27 Kansas Speedway, 1.5-mile oval May 25 Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.5-mile oval June 1 The Milwaukee Mile, 1-mile oval June 7 Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval (Night) June 22 Iowa Speedway, .875-mile oval June 28 Richmond International Raceway, .75-mile oval (Night) July 6 Watkins Glen International, 3.37-mile road course July 12 Nashville Superspeedway, 1.33-mile oval (Night) July 20 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 2.258-mile road course Aug. 9 Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile oval (Night) Aug. 24 Infineon Raceway, 2.4-mile road course Aug. 31 The Raceway at Belle Isle Park, 2.096-mile street course Sept. 7 Chicagoland Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
March 29 Homestead-Miami Speedway April 5 Streets of St. Petersburg April 6 Streets of St. Petersburg April 27 Kansas Speedway May 23 Indianapolis Motor Speedway June 1 Milwaukee Mile June 21 Iowa Speedway July 5 Watkins Glen International July 5 Watkins Glen International (same-day doubleheader) July 12 Nashville Superspeedway July 19 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course July 20 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Aug. 9 Kentucky Speedway Aug. 23 Infineon Raceway Aug. 24 Infineon Raceway Sept. 7 Chicagoland Speedway
2007 Alex Lloyd 2006 Jay Howard 2005 Wade Cunningham 2004 Thiago Medeiros 2003 Mark Taylor 2002 A.J. Foyt IV
2007 DARIO FRANCHITTI |
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