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July 4: Camp Barnes Listen
July 2: Scott Daloisio, voice of Perris Auto Speedway Listen
Oriol Servia, IndyCar Series driver Listen
Will Power, IndyCar Series driver Listen
June 24: Bill Sessa, former writer Open Wheel magazine Listen
7/5 News: Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen Qualifying Results
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - Qualifying Saturday for the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen IndyCar Series event on the 3.37-mile Watkins Glen International, with starting position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine and speed:
1. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 135.787
2. (02) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 135.734
3. (17) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 135.348
4. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 135.285
5. (5) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 135.241
6. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 134.809
7. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 134.805
8. (14) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 134.729
9. (10) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 134.715
10. (4) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 134.625
11. (18) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 133.876
12. (8) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 130.656
13. (19) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 134.291
14. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 133.959
15. (33) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 133.777
16. (36) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, 133.290
17. (15) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 133.250
18. (06) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 132.968
19. (96) Mario Dominguez, Dallara-Honda, 132.791
20. (27) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 132.633
21. (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 131.529
22. (2) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 130.663
23. (34) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 128.311
24. (24) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 127.685
25. (23) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 126.332
26. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, no speed
-end-
6/27 News: IndyCar Series
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.
-end-
SunTrust Indy Challenge Qualifying Results
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
-end-
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.
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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."
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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.
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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.”
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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.
AIME 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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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."
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.”
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SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times local):
Noon
Garages open
7 p.m.
SunTrust Indy Challenge pre-race
8 p.m.
SunTrust Indy Challenge (300 laps/225 miles)
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The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the SunTrust Indy Challenge June 28 at Richmond International Raceway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN. 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 Corning Duels same-day doubleheader on July 5 at Watkins Glen International. The races will be telecast at 2 p.m. (EDT) July 10 on ESPN2 and live on www.indycar.com.
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6/26 News: Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
Servia tops rookie practice at Richmond
Dixon dominant over last 17 races
Select quotes from Danica Patrick media availability
Castroneves, Duno nominated for Tecate Sports Award
1. Servia tops rookie practice at Richmond: KV Racing Technology teammates Oriol Servia and Will Power topped a practice session at Richmond International Raceway. The practice session afforded eight rookies and drivers transitioning to the IndyCar Series with 90 minutes of practice. Four IndyCar Series drivers who have not previously raced at Richmond also received 30 minutes of practice time.
Servia lapped the .75-mile oval, the shortest on the IndyCar Series schedule, in 16.1392 seconds, 167.295 mph. Power was second at 165.185 mph while HVM Racing’s E.J. Viso was third and Conquest Racing’s Enrique Bernoldi was fourth.
“I think we were a little bit off on the lap times compared to last year for the moment, but it was our first time around,” Servia said. “The car felt comfortable. I liked the balance. I can see that the race must be really tough in traffic, because on your own already everything is narrow, and you already have issues getting your marks. I can only imagine how it’s going to be like with 26 cars and dirty air and this and that. I can see that this is a place where you can make mistakes easily, so we’re going to have to keep our brain on top of the game.”
Practice will open for all 26 drivers entered in the SunTrust Indy Challenge June 27 at noon (EDT). PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying presented by Advance Auto Parts is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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2. Dixon dominant over last 17 races: When Scott Dixon headed to Richmond International Raceway a year ago, he was coming off a 10th-place finish at Iowa that left him third in the IndyCar Series point standings, 52 points behind Dario Franchitti.
The 2007 SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond was the beginning of an incredible tear for the native New Zealander. Dixon finished second at Richmond before rattling off four victories in the final eight races of the season, outscoring Franchitti 370-331 in the nine-race stretch.
The momentum hasn’t slowed in the first eight races of 2008. The driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing entry has seven top-five finishes, including three victories, and holds a 48-point advantage over Helio Castroneves.
“A run like that for me personally is a direct reflection of the work that the team does at Target Chip Ganassi Racing,” Dixon said. “I’m fortunate enough to have a great teammate in Dan Wheldon and an owner in Chip (Ganassi) that values your opinion and puts you in the best possible position to contend for race wins. To be honest, I don’t really look at the numbers. We as a team are focused on taking one race at a time and that’s all we can do each weekend.”
A look at Dixon’s 17-race “season” since Richmond last year:
Races: 17
Wins: 7
Second place: 4
Third: 2
Top 10: 16
Laps led: 823
Points since last year’s race at Richmond:
Scott Dixon – 686
Tony Kanaan – 537
Helio Castroneves – 489
Danica Patrick – 431
Dan Wheldon – 431
Marco Andretti - 390
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3. Select quotes from Danica Patrick media availability: Danica Patrick met with members of the media at Richmond International Raceway. Below are select quotes:
Q: The extra 50 laps (at Richmond) does that add a little bit more strategy, because in the past we saw guys like Scott Dixon and Dario (Franchitti) last year, just kind of run away with it.
DANICA PATRICK: Yeah, I've been asking, I was asking Dan (Grabski), who does all the fuel calculations and plays a big role in that part of the strategy, and I asked him how this is going to affect it. And that's usually a question I'll ask before the race starts: Is this a no‑brainer, you must stop three times, or this like a save fuel stop two times kind of a race. That's what I was asking him last week. And he said I don't know I'll have to look into that.
So I don't have my answer yet. I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking like that. I can only imagine, the longer the race goes the more strategy plays into it. The Indy 500 is the perfect example.
So this is the situation. So I'm sure, yeah, it's going to lend to strategy, for sure.
Q: Would you embrace the role of maybe being the bad guy? Because it's worked for Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart in NASCAR, you could probably make that ‑‑
DANICA PATRICK: I don't think that it's ever a route that you choose to be the bad guy. I think that in an ideal world I would win over everyone's heart and be a sweetheart and be tough on the track and have great finishes, that would be ideal and that people would like me from that standpoint.
But, unfortunately, when you're popular, you get, again, positive and negative attention. There's just no ‑‑ I have no control over that.
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4. Castroneves, Duno nominated for Tecate Sports Award: IndyCar Series drivers Helio Castroneves and Milka Duno represent two-third of the nominees for Auto Racer of the Year in the first annual “Tecate Premios Deportes” (Tecate Sports Awards).
The nominees, comprised of Hispanic athletes in 10 categories, have been selected for their talent, character and perseverance, as well as their contributions to and impact on the Hispanic community. The "Tecate Premios Deportes" awards will be presented during a celebrity-filled "red carpet" celebration at the historic Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., and will be broadcast July 20 on the Univision Network.
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The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the SunTrust Indy Challenge June 28 at Richmond International Raceway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN. 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 Corning Duels same-day doubleheader on July 5 at Watkins Glen International. The races will be telecast at 2 p.m. (EDT) July 10 on ESPN2 and live on www.indycar.com.
6/23 News:
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
Dixon adds to points lead, Wheldon closes on second
Battistini takes over Firestone Indy Lights points lead
Keepsakes available from Danica’s victory
Public to vote for Firestone “Tire”-rific move of the race
Drivers reap post-race awards
1. Dixon adds to points lead, Wheldon closes on second: With six podium finishes in the season’s first seven races, Scott Dixon is no stranger to Victory Lane. His visit following the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer was strictly in a congratulatory role, however. For the first time since April, when he finished 22nd at St. Petersburg, Dixon finished outside the top three.
Dixon finished fourth at Iowa Speedway and visited Victory Lane merely to congratulate Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon, who won the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer by .1430 of a second over Hideki Mutoh.
Dixon was only ninth-fastest in practice on the .875-mile oval, but started from the pole after qualifying was canceled due to rain. Dixon failed to lead a lap, however, as Helio Castroneves passed him after the green flag.
“Early on, the car was definitely not working the way I wanted,” Dixon said. “It was very loose, especially on the low line. I started using the high line and it came together better. The high line was definitely the choice of the day. When you had three or four guys in front of you trying to do the same thing, it was difficult to pass.”
Despite his absence from the podium, Dixon increased his lead in the point standings to 48 over Castroneves, who finished a season-low 14th.
“The Team Penske car was great, and we led the most laps, but after our final pit stop, I felt a change in the way the car was handling and thought we might have a tire problem,” said Castroneves, who led a field-high 92 laps. “Unfortunately, the car became too much to handle, and we had to stop for new tires.”
Wheldon, meanwhile, gained ground on both drivers. He trails Castroneves by one and Dixon by 49 as the drivers prepare for another short track battle June 28 on the .75-mile oval at Richmond International Raceway. All three drivers have won at Richmond.
“One of the engineers in the engineering group at Target Chip Ganassi Racing said that if we did a certain something for the race, it would only lose us two-hundredths of a second, but it would do something in another area,” said Wheldon, who claimed the team’s fifth win of the season. “When you're talking hundredths of seconds and you've got the guys working all the time to give us competitive equipment, it really does make a difference.
“I think Scott and I really kind of feed off that. There's still a long way to go in the championship. I've been around this business long enough to know now if you get on a roll, everything's great. But if you're not on that roll, it's really difficult. We've got to kind of maintain that momentum. There are going to be a lot of cars that are going to be competitive. (Team) Penske is renowned for being competitive at Richmond. We have to work real hard in our practice sessions to make sure we can try and be the competitive cars and race out front because it's much easier out front than it is in the middle of the pack.”
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2. Battistini takes over Firestone Indy Lights points lead: For a driver who had never competed on an oval racetrack before February, Dillon Battistini is adapting quite nicely.
The driver of the No. 15 AlexP car for Panther Racing won for the third time in his inaugural Firestone Indy Lights season June 21 in the Jeld-Wen 100 on the Iowa Speedway tri-oval. In fact, all of his victories have been on ovals – the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway, 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway.
"I have to admit, when I first started driving at Homestead, it felt really quick," said Battistini, who took over the championship points lead by 27 over Richard Antinucci with a racing doubleheader July 5 on the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International road course up next. "It felt quite dangerous running so close to other cars.
"Once you get into race mode, it kind of goes out the window. You just put your head down and drive. Because you want to go faster, you actually feel slower after awhile. It's just come to me naturally I guess. It helps when the car's great. The Panther team has given me a fantastic car at each of the oval circuits that we've been to."
Battistini started second and hung close behind pole sitter Arie Luyendyk Jr. for 100 of the 115 laps until an opportunity of lapped traffic presented itself. The 20-year-old native of Ewell, England, didn't hesitate.
"I knew that I had to make the most of the situations when we were coming to pass the lapped cars," he said. "I knew that it was my best chance to get past. I tried staying right on his gearbox when we were catching traffic. Even if I could get a slight run, it was difficult to find space to get past. So I tried just hanging back slightly. My hope was that he'd have to back off and I would be able to stay flat. That's, luckily for me, how it worked out."
Luck, skill, patience all play a part in racing and have been a part of Battistini's season with the Panther team.
"The Panther team has given me a fantastic car at each of the oval circuits that we've been to," he said. "We got a bit unlucky at Milwaukee. I was flying in the test there. Unfortunately, it didn't work out in the race (advanced six positions to finish 14th). Aside from that, I've had a car capable of winning every time out. I'm just really pleased with how it's gone."
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3. Keepsakes available from Danica’s victory: Fans have the opportunity to own a piece of history with a Mounted Memories Danica Patrick First Victory collectible available exclusively through QVC’s “For Race Fans Only” show from 8-9 p.m. (EDT) June 27.
The framed and autographed collectible features pieces of the green and checkered flags from Patrick’s IndyCar Series victory in April at Twin Ring Motegi, in which she became the first woman to win a major closed-course automobile race.
Only 300 of these keepsakes are available.
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4. 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.
Ryan Briscoe won the fans’ vote from the race at Texas by one vote and was awarded $10,000 during pre-race ceremonies at Iowa.
From the Iowa Corn Indy 250, fans can choose from:
Dan Wheldon for running 90 laps on a single set of Firehawks
A.J. Foyt IV for moving from 18th on the grid to fifth.
John Andretti for charging from 23rd on the grid to run with the leaders most of the race.
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.
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5. Drivers reap post-race awards: Dan Wheldon reaped the benefits from winning the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Wheldon 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. Wheldon won the $5,000 DirecTV Crystal Clear Moment of the Race, and he also collected $1,000 from Bosch.
Scott Dixon collected $10,000 for the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by Boyer Petroleum. Marco Andretti won the $2,000 Lincoln Welders Hard Charger Award for being the race leader who started furthest back and A.J. Foyt IV collected the $2,000 XTrac Award.
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The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the SunTrust Indy Challenge June 28 at Richmond International Raceway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN. 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 Corning Duels same-day doubleheader on July 5 at Watkins Glen International. The Jeld-Wen 100 will be telecast at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) June 26 on ESPN2 and live on www.indycar.com.
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