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INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005 – Felipe Giaffone picked the right spot to impress A.J. Foyt earlier this year, and it has paid off with a seat in Foyt’s famous No. 14 in the 90th Indianapolis 500. Giaffone will drive the No. 14 ABC Supply car for legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Foyt in the entire IndyCar® Series in 2006, including the 90th Indianapolis 500 on May 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Foyt’s team is switching to Honda engines for the 2006 season and will continue with Dallara chassis and Firestone tires. 2001 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Giaffone only made one series start in 2005, but it was a strong showing. He finished 15th after starting last in a Foyt entry in the 89th Indianapolis 500, the top performance by the three Foyt cars in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last May. The performance was even more impressive considering Giaffone made the 33-car field on Bump Day with just 30 minutes remaining in qualifying. Giaffone was shopping that afternoon in Indianapolis with his wife, Alice, when Foyt called Giaffone’s cell phone and asked Giaffone to drive his car that day. “After working with Felipe at Indy last year, I was impressed,” Foyt said. “Coming in to qualify on Bump Day for the biggest race in the world in a car you’ve never driven before for a team you’ve never worked with before, well you’re either crazy or a real race driver. He proved to me that he’s a real race driver.” Giaffone, 30, has made five career Indianapolis 500 starts, with a top finish of third in 2002. He also qualified an Indy-best fourth that year. He has one IndyCar Series victory, in 2002 at Kentucky, and 13 top-five finishes in 53 career starts. “I am glad to be coming back to the IRL with a good team that has a good engine package,” Giaffone said. “The little time that I had to work with A.J. last year, we had a good race setup. And now that we will have a strong engine, I am excited about our chances for the season, especially Indianapolis.” INDIANA LAWMAKERS HONOR INDY WINNER STEWART IN U.S. CONGRESS INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005 – Tony Stewart fulfilled a lifetime dream by winning the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Aug. 7 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he also built his racing legend with his second career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series title. Stewart’s performance was so impressive in 2005 behind the wheel of the Home Depot Chevrolet that it inspired the U.S. House of Representatives to unanimously approve a resolution Dec. 6 from U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel of Indiana recognizing Stewart for his dream season. Sodrel, who sponsored House Resolution 587, was joined by other members of the Indiana delegation – Reps. Mike Pence, Dan Burton, Mark Souder, John Hostettler and Julia Carson – as co-sponsors. Stewart grew up and lives in Columbus, Ind., which is in Indiana’s 9th Congressional District that Sodrel represents. “I am proud to honor Mr. Tony Stewart for all of his accomplishments in NASCAR and the world of motorsports by bringing this resolution to the floor of the House of Representatives,” Sodrel said. “Hoosiers and racing fans around the world are proud of Tony and his team, and we look forward to his continued success.” The resolution praised Stewart for his five 2005 victories, particularly his victory in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. He also was honored for his two NASCAR titles in seven seasons, his eight other auto racing championships, including the 1996-97 IRL IndyCar® Series title, and his top-10 ranking in each of his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup seasons. The Congressional recognition follows Stewart being awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana’s highest honor, by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels on Aug. 29. INDY RACING LEAGUE NEWS AND NOTES – Oct. 11, 2005 Today’s IRL headlines 1. Medeiros ready for IndyCar Series debut: A year ago, Thiago Medeiros ran away with the Firehawk Cup, claiming the 2004 IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series on the strength of six wins in 12 starts. But unlike previous series champions, A.J. Foyt IV and Mark Taylor, Medeiros has yet to graduate to the IndyCar Series. INDY RACING LEAGUE NEWS AND NOTES – Oct. 10, 2005 Today’s IRL headlines 1. Wheldon hopes to run No. 1 next season: Newly crowned IRL IndyCar® Series champion Dan Wheldon hopes to run the No. 1 on his Klein Tools/Jim Beam Honda-powered Dallara in 2006. 3. Tight championship fight reaches final round: With just days remaining before the final Menards Infiniti Pro Series race of the 2005 season, point leader Wade Cunningham is keeping his plans to close to the vest. INDYCAR SERIES DRIVERS, TEAMS PREPARE FOR INFINEON INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2005 – The IRL IndyCar® Series continues 10th season of competition with the inaugural Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on Aug. 28. The 2.26-mile, 12-turn natural terrain road course, with its elevation changes, blind corners and high-speed turns, will challenge IndyCar Series drivers and their cars. In the following first-person narratives, Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver Ryan Briscoe provides a virtual lap and Marlboro Team Penske race engineer Tom German discusses what’s needed for a successful race at the scenic facility. “Infineon Raceway is a great track. It reminds me of Mugello, which is near Florence in Italy. Both tracks go through the hills, everything is green and it’s very scenic. They both have some very high-speed turns. “A lap starts on the flat on the start-finish straight. You get right up to fifth gear, and then you start turning left as the track goes straight up. You start braking for the blind first corner in second gear. It’s really spectacular because you are braking up the hill. I don’t think we’ll see much passing there. “After that corner, it’s a series of S-bends that really take you up and down before you come into a blind corner at sort of a medium speed. That gets you to Turn 5, which is a heavy braking corner. You are turning right, down the hill and up to a straightaway in the middle of the circuit that leads to what they call ‘The Carousel.’ “The Carousel corner is really unbelievable. It’s very fast and the corner falls away the whole time. You’re on the edge the whole way. It’s really an amazing corner, probably the best one on the track. It may be one of the better places to pass on the circuit, because a little mistake at the exit of The Carousel and you open yourself to getting passed at Turn 7, which comes at the end of the long, flat-out straightaway at the end of The Carousel that gets you up to sixth gear. “Turn 7 is a double right-hander at the top of the hill that puts you on a straight that’s downhill and leads to another high-speed turn. You’re running sixth gear, flat out and on the edge. That’s spectacular and very fast. You then go down an S-bend to the chicane, which is a heavy braking zone and a place where you use the curb. It’s a very quick change of direction, and I think it will be a good passing zone, too. That gets you to the final hairpin, which is the slowest turn before getting back to the start-finish straight. “I think there are places to pass at Infineon, but it all depends on how people will set up their cars aerodynamically. Some people may choose to run different downforce levels to help them get through different parts of the circuit. There should be some variation there, and it will be interesting to see.” THE ENGINEER: German has worked Gil de Ferran, Andre Ribeiro with Marlboro Team Penske and with Scott Pruett at Patrick Racing. Before becoming a race engineer, German worked with Bridgestone/Firestone as a race tire development engineer. “It’s a completely different car set-up than an oval, because you’re turning left and right. The downforce becomes much more important because you don’t have banking to help you through the corners. “The things like the aero balance, the differential change dramatically. All your alignment settings – cambers, toes – change quite a bit. Because most of the corners are considerably slower than a Pikes Peak or Michigan, you run a lot softer springs to try to enhance the grip to improve your low-speed performance. There are a lot of blind corners and pulling uphill at reasonably high speeds, so you need good power and good gearing. You have to choose the right gear to accelerate out of the corner and up the hill before you go into the next corner. “The testing (in April) helps tremendously because it gives the team and driver the opportunity to learn the track -- where to accelerate, where the bumps are and those things. We’re anxious to race there. In practice, we’re constantly working on the set-up, trying to improve the balance and grip of the car and getting the driver focused on what’s important.” WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD: According to Firestone engineers, the permanent road course at Infineon Raceway requires the softest Firehawk tires designed for road course racing. The tire used this weekend is similar to the tire used on the temporary street circuit in St. Petersburg, Fla. WHAT: WHERE: WHEN: DISTANCE: PAST RACE WINNERS: TV: RADIO: INDY RACING LEAGUE NEWS AND NOTES – Aug. 24, 2005 Today’s IRL headlines 1. Unser, Rutherford remember last time at Infineon: When Al Unser and Johnny Rutherford start talking racing – especially about their competitive heyday – the banter is quick, often comical and always educational. You’d expect as much from legendary drivers who have seven Indianapolis 500 victories between them and now serve as Indy Racing League consultants. Broach the subject of the USAC Indy 150 (also called the Golden State 150 and the USAC Sears Point 150) – the first and only major open-wheel racing event at Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point) on April 4, 1970 – and memories flow through the conversation like a storm-swollen river. And the barbs are ever-present. Both were part of a stellar field that included 1969 Indianapolis 500 champion Mario Andretti, who started alongside pole winner Mark Donohue; Dick Simon, who started 13th and finished sixth; Gordon Johncock, who qualified eighth and finished fourth; Bobby Unser (finished 18th); Bill Vukovich (20th); Gary Bettenhausen (21st); and Jerry Grant (22nd). Donohue didn’t make it through the race and finished dead last (25th). Everyone was left in the road dust of Dan Gurney, who arted third on the grid in his final open-wheel race. Andretti was runner-up. The next month, the track closed for a year and USAC did not return when it reopened. “The car I drove was a ‘67 Gurney Eagle that we put a wedge-type body on,” said Rutherford, who started ninth and finished fifth in the race. “Mike Devin was my crew chief and Pat Patrick was the owner of the team in 1970. Al and I ran for the pole position at the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway. We were a sleeper because we had this old car and Al had this state-of-the-art car, which was the Johnny Lightning car. We came very close – one-1,0000ths mile of an hour. They said if we started our runs together at the start-finish line and gone the four laps and ended at the start-finish line, Al would have been 2½ feet ahead of me. It was the closest run for the pole position in the history of the Speedway. “That’s the same car I drove at Sears Point, and Al was in the Johnny Lightning car. Al was the consummate road racer and I was the old sprint car hard head who charged the corners too hard. We had a good time. The area is beautiful, and I understand that with all the improvements that (Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman) Bruton Smith has done the facility is really something.” Unser, who qualified fourth and finished third in the race, visited the natural terrain track in April when IndyCar Series teams conducted an Open Test in preparation for this weekend’s Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix – the first road course event in series history and the first major open-wheel race at the facility in Sonoma, Calif., since 1970. He will be the grand marshal of the event. “It’s a very competitive racetrack,” said Unser, who the next month won the first of his four Indianapolis 500s and also won the 1970 USAC national championship. “It’s like any; you have to get your car working. We made some changes we shouldn’t have made for race day, and all it takes is just a little bit and you get off. We couldn’t outrun Gurney or Mario. “It was one of those days; I should have but I didn’t and Gurney says he should have and he did. That’s a course that is very demanding on you and your car. You have to make it handle well. All the ups and downs and the different types of corners; it’s a demanding place.” Rutherford, who didn’t attend the Open Test, concurred. “The intensity is the same anywhere you go,” he said. “You have to really concentrate and get into learning the course. There are many different ways around a racetrack like that, and you have to find the one that fits you and your car.” Gurney’s victory came in a car of his own design, the Eagle-Gurney, with Ford power. Andretti also had Ford power in his McNamara and neither was turbo-charged like the power plants run by most of the other road-course winners in the 1970 season. He also won the Belgian Grand Prix that year in a car that his All American Racers produced. Gurney retired from open-wheel racing in 1970, but his All American Eagle was the most successful Indy-style car of the ’70s. “In the end, I had the respect of my peers and I think that is most important,” he said. The 26-year-old native of Padua, Italy drove the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Toyota-powered Panoz that he will race at both Infineon Raceway this weekend and the Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix Presented by Argent Mortgage on Sept. 25. He was evaluated by IndyCar® Series technical manager Kevin Blanch. Pantano, who stands seventh in the FIA GP2 Championship standings following a pair of points-scoring finishes during the Turkish Grand Prix weekend in Istanbul, will race in the U.S. for the first time since he competed in the 2004 U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sneva, who serves as spotter and driver coach for Bombardier Rookie of the Year candidate Tomas Enge of Panther Racing, was enshrined along with NASCAR champion Benny Parsons, road racer Hurley Haywood, drag racer Tommy Ivo, motorcyclist Jay Springsteen, powerboat racer Danny Foster, car owners/builders John Holman and Ralph Moody and 1952 Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman. Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IRL CEO Tony George presented the award to Sneva. Known as the “Gas Man,” Sneva won 13 Indy-style races during his racing career, including the 1983 Indianapolis 500. He earned 14 pole positions and was the first driver to crack the 200-mph barrier at Indianapolis. Sneva also was the first at the Speedway to eclipse 210 mph. Sneva won national championships in 1977 and 1978 driving for Roger Penske. Jeff Bucknum, who earlier this season competed in two oval races for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, will replace Foyt in the No. 14 ABC Supply Co. Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone in the Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway this weekend. Foyt will return to the seat for the race at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway oval on Sept. 11. “We didn’t test with Anthony at Infineon at the IRL Open Test in April, and I decided it wouldn’t be fair to run him since everyone else has tested there,” team owner A.J. Foyt said. “It’s a tricky course, especially running the (2.26-mile, 12-turn) long course. I think it’d be even harder for him than St. Pete where we struggled. “Jeff Bucknum called last week offering to help Anthony out there. But I decided it would make more sense to put Jeff in the car. Jeff’s familiar with the course, he’s run there quite a bit in smaller cars and was an instructor there for a couple years. Also, he did a half-day in a Dreyer & Reinbold car at the test there in April and impressed them. I’m looking forward to having him drive for me this weekend. I knew his daddy (Ronnie Bucknum) way back when, and I never thought his son would be driving for me. It’s a small world.” Foyt would have been Bucknum’s teammate in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, but Foyt was seriously burned in an Indy-style practice the week before at Milwaukee. Dick Hutcherson was called to team with Bucknum and they finished third. Bucknum was the first Honda factory driver in Formula One and competed in three Indianapolis 500s. He died on April 25, 1992, the year before his son drove in his first amateur race at the then-Sears Point International Raceway (Infineon). “I’m pretty excited to be driving the 14 car for A.J.,” Bucknum said. “It feels like things have come full circle for my family because my dad and A.J. raced together in the ‘60s. When I told my mom that I was driving for A.J., I think it brought back so many memories of my dad that it brought a tear to her eye and became really special for her, too. “As far as driving at Infineon, my first-ever racing experience was the Skip Barber School there. I’ve driven quite a few races at Infineon so I’m real familiar with the track. With my knowledge of the track and A.J.’s experience in setting up Indy cars, I think we’ll be able to get a good balance on the car and ultimately have a good weekend.” A.J. Foyt IV said he broached the idea of a replacement driver about a month ago. “At first he said no, but then I think he thought about it,” said Foyt, 21. “He didn’t say anything about it until we came home from Colorado (21st-place finish in the Honda Indy 225 at Pikes Peak International Raceway). I’m actually relieved because it would have been hard to be competitive -- I’ve never even seen the track. I’ll learn a lot by watching and hearing the feedback between Jeff and the crew.” INDY RACING LEAGUE NEWS AND NOTES – July 29, 2005 Today’s IRL headlines 1. Jaques Lazier join Target Chip Ganassi Racing for Michigan: Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced that IRL IndyCar® Series veteran Jaques Lazier to drive the No.10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Toyota-powered Panoz in the Firestone Indy 400 on July 31 at Michigan International Speedway. “We were very glad that a driver of Jaques Lazier’s caliber was available to the Target team this weekend,” Target Chip Ganassi Racing owner Chip Ganassi said. “We look forward to working with him on a race-to-race basis and getting him to the front.” Lazier, who has made 45 career IndyCar Series starts, finished 16th in the Indianapolis 500 in May. Lazier, who won in the series at Chicagoland Speedway in 2001, is the younger brother of 2000 IndyCar Series champion and 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier, who also entered in this weekend’s event. “Being given the chance to drive for Target Chip Ganassi Racing is obviously a dream come true,” said Lazier. “Since the first day they joined the Indy Racing League, it was a team you looked at with a degree of envy. I’d always wanted to be part of a team like this, and I feel like the first 45 races of my career have been the testing ground for this kind of opportunity. It’s not often that I have been in a situation to be able to share information with teammates and be part of something bigger. I look forward to being a team player and hopefully I can help ignite a spark to get momentum back on the team’s side. I hope to make the best of this chance the team has given me here at Michigan.” Lazier is not new to the Panoz-Toyota combination. The Vail, Colo., native also competed with the Toyota engine and Panoz chassis earlier this season at Indianapolis should make for an easy transition into the Target team-prepared machine. “We’re happy to be able to add an American driver with a wealth of oval racing experience to our arsenal,” said team Managing Director Mike Hull. “The Target team is looking forward and we hope the introduction of Jaques into our racing program will help stimulate our team’s performance.” Lazier will be available to the media following the first practice session on July 30 at MIS. Toyota, Bridgestone/Firestone and CARA combined in April to produce the bracelet, or ‘racelet’ as they have become known in racing community. The bands, which are sold for $2 at most major open-wheel racing events, supports CARA Charities’ “Buckle Up Baby” program. “We are thrilled with the reception of the ‘Buckle Up Bracelet’ throughout the racing community,” said Barbara Butz, president of CARA Charities. “With the popularlity of the silicone bracelets around the world, we felt a checkered ‘racelet’ would be a great addition for racing fans, as well as creating more revenue for our successful Bridgestone/Firestone Trust Fund Buckle Up Baby program. We’re excited to give more money to needy families.” Since 1993, CARA Charities and the Bridgestone/Firestone Trust Fund have donated more $700,000 worth of child safety seats to needy families across the U.S. through the “Buckle Up Baby” program. The program donates safety seats to hospitals, medical centers and clinics across North America. CLEANEVENT 100 WHAT: WHERE: WHEN: DISTANCE: CARS: PREVIOUS RACE WINNERS: 2004 SERIES CHAMPION: TV: SCHEDULE: (all times local; subject to change) Friday, July 15 Saturday, July 16 2005 MENARDS INFINITI PRO SERIES STATISTICS Driver Points Entrant Points Wins Pole Positions Laps Led STORY IDEAS: Cunningham seeks first win: Cunningham, a former world karting champion, holds the series points lead on the strength of four consecutive second-place finishes. He is still seeking his first victory in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series. Cunningham’s qualifying efforts have improved in each of his last three races on ovals, including a fourth-place start at Texas on June 11. Cunningham is the first driver in IRL history to finish second in four consecutive races. In 2001, IndyCar Series driver Sam Hornish Jr. recorded three consecutive second-place finishes. Sam Schmidt drivers rank second, third and fourth in points: Sam Schmidt Motorsports established itself as the team to beat in 2004 when driver Thiago Medeiros dominated the Menards Infiniti Pro Series with six victories in 12 races. This year, the Schmidt camp boasts three drivers fighting for the series championship. Travis Gregg ranks second. Jaime Camara, winner of the Futaba Freedom 100 at Indianapolis, is third, and Chris Festa, an Atlanta native who recently completed his freshman year at Florida State University, ranks fourth. Sam Schmidt serves as inspiration: Team owner Sam Schmidt continues to serve as an inspiration to many people inside and outside of racing. A former IndyCar Series driver, Schmidt was paralyzed in a practice crash in 2000. He came back one year later as a team owner. Last year, his team dominated the Menards Infiniti Pro Series winning the championship with driver Thiago Medeiros. Medeiros led all 77 laps at Nashville in 2004. PRE-RACE QUOTES: JAIME CAMARA (No. 1 CELG-Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “The race at Nashville Superspeedway should be very good. Last year, Sam Schmidt’s car dominated the race, and I think everyone at the team is really excited to get back to the track. I’m hoping the weekend will be very successful for me and for the race team. Every track Sam had success last year, we’ve had really good cars this year. I feel we’ll all three be ready to go. “They’ve been giving me a hard time over going to a Southern racetrack but, hey, I’m the southernest Southerner in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series. Anybody from further south than Brazil or live further south than Miami? Hey, in my neighborhood (Miami), Nashville is ‘up North.’ Now all I need to do is figure out how to say, ‘Ya’ll’ in Portuguese.” WADE CUNNINGHAM (No. 33 Visit New Zealand Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “We were really, really quick at Nashville when we tested there. We went there with a really good setup. The team did a reasonable job there last year. We went there and improved it some more. I was really happy with how the day ended up, and we’ve got a little bit more coming.” “There are no surprises coming up, which is really good. We’ve got two road courses, two tracks that we’ve tested at. Kentucky I’ve been to, and Chicago and California are just like the other mile-and-a-half, two-mile ovals, so the rest of the season is pretty panned out, which is good.” (About the importance of qualifying well) “I was really happy with how we qualified at Texas, which was fourth. We were so close to the front. If I would have run just slightly different we could have improved two positions, so to be on the front row would have made the race a lot easier. For sure on these small tracks, it’s going to be important to qualify really well.” CHRIS FESTA (No. 19 SpacePak/CareCentric/SSM Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “This weekend will almost be like a hometown race for me. It’s a short trip - it’s only about three and a half hours to drive from Atlanta. Maybe some of my friends will get to see me race so they’ll know what I’ve been trying to tell them all these years about why I like open-wheel racing better than stock cars. I’m looking forward to racing at Nashville. It’ll be interesting to deal with the concrete track surface and the high speeds. Sam (Schmidt) has had a lot of success racing at Nashville, so I know I’ll have a great car − that means I’ll be able to focus on racing the track and working on the best line around the track.” TRAVIS GREGG (No. 7 Lucas Oil Products Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “Nashville Superspeedway hasn’t been around for a long time, but it’s already starting to build a tradition. I know the people in the area are great fans of motorsports, and that makes you feel pretty good. The racing in the IRL and Menards Infiniti Pro Series has been great all year. True, it won’t be like the old slam, bang stock car races they used to have at the track at the Fairgrounds, but I think the folks who come out are going to see a great race. The competition in the Pro Series and IndyCar Series is pretty stout – if you like passing, you’re going to see a lot of it. “I’m really looking forward to it. I was able to get a couple hours of track time a few weeks ago to familiarize myself with the track. Being a concrete oval, it has some bumps and a slightly different grip level than the asphalt tracks. Car setup is going to be key. I’m ready for the challenge, and I’m ready to fight to regain the points lead.” ARIE LUYENDYK JR. (No. 3 Karcher Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I think the biggest thing about Nashville is the surface. It’s concrete, so it reacts differently to the cars. I think it will be a pretty challenging race, because it’s going to be late in the afternoon. It’ll probably be pretty hot. It differs a lot from the small tracks and the big tracks, because it’s kind of in between, so you can get flat there for qualifying, but for the race, it’s pretty difficult. You’re going to see a lot of cars going away towards the end of the race, so I think it’s going to be a question of how hot it is, and if your car is good enough to deal with all the conditions of the track.” BUSCH FASTEST IN ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD TUNE-UP INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, July 6, 2005 – NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers Kurt Busch and Ricky Rudd improved upon their test speeds from July 5 during testing of race setups July 6, putting the wrap on a two-day Allstate 400 at the Brickyard test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Reigning series champion Busch set the fastest lap of the test July 6 at 180.208 mph in the No. 97 Crown Royal Ford. Rudd’s fastest lap of the day in the No. 21 Motorcraft Genuine Parts Ford was 178.999, slightly faster than his July 5 top speed of 178.937. The second day’s higher speeds came despite more sunshine and higher temperatures and humidity. The drivers are testing in anticipation of the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 7 at the legendary 2.5-mile oval. “We’ve got one car that we put away, and we’re pretty happy with it,” Rudd said. “We’ve been working with another car, just to have two good cars. We’ll figure out which one is best when we come back. We struggled a little bit today with it, getting it to stay where the speeds stay quick.” Busch and 1997 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Rudd took advantage of the two full days of testing at the Speedway while Busch’s Roush Racing teammate, Carl Edwards, tested only July 5. Edwards was fastest Tuesday at 179.165 in the No. 99 AAA Ford. Jimmy Spencer also joined the group July 5 in the No. 50 Arnold Motorsports Dodge, but crashed in Turn 1 in the afternoon, causing heavy rear-end damage to the only car the team brought to Indianapolis. While Busch said he’s antsy to see how his car and tires react in traffic on the Speedway’s newly repaved surface, he was content to take advantage of a day at IMS virtually to himself. “There’s pros and cons to (a small test),” Busch said. “It gives us more track time; you don’t have to worry about people blowing up motors or getting into accidents. It gives us plenty of track time, really. It’s so hot out; it’s hard for us to gauge the kind of speeds we’ll be able to obtain next month. We’re just fine and dandy all by ourselves.” Private testing continues July 11-12 at IMS, when 23 cars are scheduled to turn laps. Drivers schedule to test include current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points leader Greg Biffle, his Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth, Rusty Wallace, and former Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winners Bobby Labonte and Kevin Harvick. More of NEXTEL Cup’s “heavy hitters” are scheduled to test July 18-19. A total of 17 teams and drivers will turn laps, including four-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon, fellow former race winners Dale Jarrett and Bill Elliott, and Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart and Gordon are scheduled to test only July 19. UNOFFICIAL SPEED REPORT, NASCAR NEXTEL CUP TESTING INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2005 QUOTEBOOK RICKY RUDD (No. 21 Motorcraft Genuine Parts Ford): “We’ve got one car that we put away, and we’re pretty happy with it. We’ve been working with another car, just to have two good cars – we’ll figure out which one is best when we come back. We struggled a little bit today with it, getting it to stay where the speeds stay quick. It’s one of those deals where you could use three days with it.” (What about qualifying setup work?): “The track’s going to be quite a bit different when we come back. The race setup tends to be much more consistent than your qualifying setup. One of the nice luxuries with the top 35 points is you can focus on things that are more important to the race. Qualifying is not quite as important, even though track position is very important here. I don’t think you’ll see track conditions change as drastically as they have in the past. The last time we were here (IMS) had a ground surface, and it seems to be more consistent than it was without a ground surface.” KURT BUSCH (No. 97 Crown Royal Ford): “There’s pros and cons to both sides. It gives us more track time; you don’t have to worry about people blowing up motors or getting into accidents. It gives us plenty of track time, really. It’s so hot out; it’s hard for us to gauge the kind of speeds we’ll be able to obtain next month. We’re just fine and dandy all by ourselves.” (You had cooler temperatures yesterday, and it’s more hot and humid today. So at least you’re getting a range of conditions): “You never know. Sometimes we come here and it’s 60 degrees in the mornings, and the track’s nice a cool, very fast. Then it goes to 100 degrees in the afternoon and the asphalt will go up to 140, so that’s when it really changes, when the asphalt temperature changes.” (At least you can keep the secrets all to yourselves?): “This is great. Normally when you come to Indy you’ve got a big group of cars, but this feels like we rented the place out for a private test all by ourselves.” (How are the tires reacting to the new surface?): “The track is a bit abrasive and that provides for great speeds, but right now it’s so hot out, it’s hard to get that speed out of it. The track is just so green; there’s not enough cars out here. When we show up for the race, we’ll have 55 cars out here trying to make the race. Then the track will fill in, and we’ll be ready to go.” SCHECKTER CLAIMS VICTORY IN BOMBARDIER LEARJET 500k; GREGG WINS SECOND RACE OF SEASON FORT WORTH, Texas, Saturday, June 11, 2005 –Tomas Scheckter claimed his first IndyCar Series victory since 2002, beating two-time race winner and IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. to the checkered flag by 0.0534 of a second – the 10th-closest finish in the IndyCar Series’ 10 years. Gregg, who leads Cunningham by four points in the series point standings, won by .0424 of a second – the third closest finish in Menards Infiniti Pro Series history. SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone), finished second: “It was a great race out there tonight. We didn't have quite enough power on our own so we kept trying to radio the No. 4 car and tell them we'll go wherever they go. We knew they were fast. Out here it's really tough to be able to pass on your own cause you got to go on the high side, so you need to have someone push you. So I said I'll push. We'll follow along. The whole Marlboro Team Penske crew did an awesome job. We had a car that we could run right in behind people, which is what you really need to have here. The pit stops were awesome as usual. We just kind of went about our day, and we were in the right place at the right time and worked with the right people." TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone), finished third: “I think it was exciting for you guys. We didn’t quite have the speed to win the race tonight. I think Scheckter deserved to win. He had the best car all weekend. He drove a smart race. You have to know how to lose if there is any good way. We did the best we could today.” SCOTT SHARP (No. 8 Delphi Panoz/Honda/Firestone), finished fourth: “I am really ecstatic. We were pretty loose early in the race and for the first couple of stints. I really had to fight the car a bit in traffic. The Delphi Fernandez team just did an awesome job. They did a great job in the pits and that catapulted us forward. Chris (Finch) and John (Ward), our engineers, made some great changes on the car and really dialed us in. It was a great finish for us. I tried to get Tony (Kanaan) there at the end. I got a couple of runs up, but I just didn’t have enough speed to get around him.” HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone), finished fifth: “I’m really happy with our performance today. We definitely bounced back from a few tough races and I’m happy with our finish. We didn’t have the fastest car out there, but we did what we needed to do. The Marlboro Team Penske crew did a great job tonight. I wish we could have caught the lead pack in the end, but again I’m satisfied with fifth, and I can’t wait to go to Richmond in a few weeks.” DANICA PATRICK (No. 16 Rahal Letterman Racing Argent Pioneer Panoz/Honda/Firestone), finished 16th: "It's one thing running by yourself, but you put a bunch of other cars out there in different elements. Like I've said all along all year, the car moves around a lot. You have to understand and have a grasp of what is going to happen. I'm still not used to it and still not sure always of what it's going to do. Practicing yesterday, I think we were running in front of people and the car was kind of oversteering. Then I went and filled up with fuel. I would get into a run and we would have understeer behind people. It was just changing all the time. We're still figuring things out." VITOR MEIRA (No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Menards Johns Manville Panoz/Honda/Firestone), finished ninth: “We had a good car tonight, but we lost contact with the lead pack in the middle of the race. We couldn’t get back in touch with that lead pack. The bigger pack was able to pull away from the smaller pack of Dan (Wheldon), Dario (Franchitti) and me. Tomas (Scheckter) had a very fast car tonight. He was pushing that lead pack too. I was surprised by so many green flag laps too. It wasn’t like a normal Texas race with yellow flags in the middle of the race. I think we ran the last 120 laps under green. That is very surprising. My car felt very good all race. In fact, I ran flat (on the throttle) for one and a half stints (fuel runs). Actually, my right foot was getting a sore from stomping on the throttle. But I don’t know why we couldn’t race with the leaders. Timing is something that happens in a race like that. We just had some bad timing. I was able to stay in fifth in points right now, and we are going to Richmond next. I was second there last year so maybe we can be better this time around.” KOSUKE MATSUURA (No. 55 Panasonic ARTA Panoz/Honda/Firestone), finished seventh: “It was an outstanding race for us. Except for the last pit stop, our strategy, our car, our setup, just everything was perfect. On the last pit stop, when I entered the pit lane, there was another car in front of me and I lost of couple of seconds there. On the out lap, I lost front wheel grip and nearly went onto the race track. It was really scary. The car was really good for the last stint. On the last lap, I was in sixth place but Dan Wheldon was a little bit quicker than me so I had to give up a position. I think we did a great race, and I am looking forward to Richmond.” ROGER YASUKAWA (No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone), finished 15th: “It sounds strange, but this was really our first decent finish for Dreyer & Reinbold. The car was quick at the start, but picked up a lot of push midway through the race, and we lost the draft. After that, we didn't get the yellows we needed to pack us up together again. We just needed to finish the race to show we could be in the hunt. Now, we have to keep the rhythm because we're capable of a top-10 finish and even a top-five." SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz/Toyota/Firestone), finished 11th: “It wasn’t too bad a race for us actually as the Target Toyota Panoz was very decent all race long, and we were able to race with the leaders and put in some really good runs. It was loose at first, but we put in a bit of front wing and it settled down. It was another good Texas race under the lights, and while we had hoped to be a bit stronger, we’ll take the result and build on it.” RYAN BRISCOE (No. 33 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz/Toyota/Firestone), finished 12th: “This is an unreal track and racing under the lights and in front of a great crowd was really something. It was definitely a tough race with not much time to take a breather. The car was loose in traffic at first, but we made changes in the first stop and the Target Toyota was much stronger but by then we had lost the lead pack and it was very difficult to make it up. The Target crew did a great job on the stops, and I feel like I’ve gained a lot of valuable experience today so I feel pretty positive about tonight’s result as a whole.” FIRESTONE 100 POST-RACE QUOTES: TRAVIS GREGG (No. 7 Lucas Oil Producs/Sam Schmidt Mspt Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone), Firestone 100 winner: “I’m really excited. Starting from the pole, I was going to make it really hard for people to pass me. That’s what my strategy was. Chris (Festa) and I were going to work together, and he’s was going to try make a run for it and get around me. I’m really happy for the Sam Schmidt team. They did a great job this weekend.” (About Festa’s move for the lead): “He got next to me, but it’s hard to make a high-line pass. We had to keep it low, and that’s what we did today.” CHRIS FESTA (No. 19 Western Union-CareCentric-SSM Dallara/Infiniti/ Firestone), finished third: “There was some good battles going on today. Our strategy Travis (Gregg) and I set up before the race, I would just tuck in behind him if I didn't get him at the start. He and I would just draft each other for most of the race. We tried to open up a little bit of a gap on them, but unfortunately the other guys had good cars too, so they were able to stay right with us and just battle the whole time.” WADE CUNNINGHAM (No. 33 Visit New Zealand Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone), finished second: “I think one person would have always gone to the front down the inside, but two people wouldn't have gone around two Sam Schmidt cars on one go. He probably didn't want to help me and I didn't want to help him. We were kind of backwards and forwards through it swapping out the third for quite awhile. I was kind of hoping that Chris (Festa) would overtake Travis (Gregg) again, but he never got quite past them.” (About Indy next week): “It’s going to be great. It’s not going to be a big oval, so it’s going to give some of us other drivers an opportunity to do well over there. I think it will be a good race for sure. Some more drivers will come back. (Marco) Andretti and some others will be there, so it should be a good race.”
Super Aguri Fernandez Racing Post-Race Notes Matsuura Claims Seventh at Texas Bombardier Learjet 500™ Results: Kosuke Matsuura, #55 Panasonic ARTA Panoz/Honda/Firestone: KOSUKE MATSUURA FAST FACTS: This was his third appearance at Texas… was sidelined from finishing both 2004 Texas events due to mechanical problems (electrical and gearbox)… led the first laps of his IndyCar Series career at Texas last June… this was his 22nd IndyCar Series career start… best starting position to date this season was seventh in St. Petersburg… best finish to date this season was ninth in Japan… is in his second season of IndyCar Series competition… earned 2004 Bombardier Rookie of the Year honors… named Bank One Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500… recorded his IndyCar Series career-best finish of fourth at Kentucky Speedway last season, and claimed his career-best starting position of second at Michigan… 25 years old from Aichi, Japan… finished third in the 2003 Formula Renault V6 Eurocup Championship with three wins and eight podiums… finished second in German F3 competition in 2002 with two wins and six pole positions… won the 2000 Japanese Formula Dream Championship with six wins and eight pole positions… currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tom Anderson, Managing Director: IRL IndyCar Series Bombardier Learjet 500k Fort Worth, Texas - Results Saturday of the Bombardier Learjet 500k IRL IndyCar Series event June 11 at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any) and money earned: 1. (1) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Chevrolet, 200, $121,400 2. (4) Sam Hornish Jr., Dallara-Toyota, 200, $83,650 3. (13) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 200, $69,600 4. (16) Scott Sharp, Panoz-Honda, 200, $58,500 5. (10) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Toyota, 200, $51,600 6. (8) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, $45,600 7. (14) Kosuke Matsuura, Panoz-Honda, 200, $44,400 8. (6) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 200, $43,300 9. (5) Vitor Meira, Panoz-Honda, 200, $43,300 10. (11) Bryan Herta, Dallara-Honda, 200, $42,000 11. (15) Scott Dixon, Panoz-Toyota, 200, $40,800 12. (12) Ryan Briscoe, Panoz-Toyota, 200, $39,600 13. (3) Danica Patrick, Panoz-Honda, 200, $38,500 14. (20) Alex Barron, Dallara-Toyota, 199, $37,100 15. (18) Roger Yasukawa, Dallara-Honda, 199, $36,000 16. (21) Patrick Carpentier, Dallara-Toyota, 199, $34,900 17. (9) Darren Manning, Panoz-Toyota, 199, $33,600 18. (22) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Toyota, 198, $33,600 19. (2) Tomas Enge, Dallara-Chevrolet, 194, $32,400 20. (19) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Toyota, 63, Accident, $31,300 21. (7) Buddy Rice, Panoz-Honda, 25, Mechanical, $31,300 RICE CLEARED TO COMPETE AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, June 1, 2005 – Rahal Letterman Racing driver Buddy Rice will be back on the track next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. HIT ROCK BAND 3 DOORS DOWN TO PERFORM ON INDY 500 RACE DAY INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, May 24, 2005 – Chart-topping rock band 3 Doors Down will perform two songs during pre-race ceremonies for the 89th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The band will play their hit single, “Let Me Go,” from their latest album and their 2000 smash hit, “Kryptonite.” 3 Doors Down has sold more than 12 million records since their debut in 2000, their third studio album, “Seventeen Days,” was released in February on the Republic/Universal label. “Let Me Go,” the first single from the new album, has earned top-10 status on most rock radio stations and has landed in the top 20 on the various Billboard rock charts since its release in December 2004. The national popularity of “Let Me Go” is yet another success for 3 Doors Down, which has had six No. 1 singles since 2000 – “Kryptonite,” “Duck & Run,” “Loser,” “Be Like That,” “When I’m Gone” and “Here Without You,” making it one of the most popular and consistently successful rock bands in recent history. 3 Doors Down was the first debut act ever to have had a No. 1 single at four different radio formats simultaneously with “Kryptonite,” according to Billboard magazine, and the quintet went on to win the 2003 Billboard Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Group and Best Hot 100 Single, as well as earning the distinction of seeing “When I’m Gone” become the most played song on the radio in 2003 according to the Nielson ratings. The band has gone on to win other awards including the 2005 BMI Songwriters Award for “Here Without You.” A mix of aggressive rock and plaintive ballads has helped 3 Doors Down become one of the top live concert draws in North America, performing more than 300 sold-out live shows per year. The band’s last release, the live EP “Another 700 Miles,” earned gold status in 2003. The band, from Escatawpa, Miss., consists of Brad Arnold (lead vocals), Matt Roberts (guitar), Todd Harrell (bass) and Chris Henderson (guitar). 89th INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT – MBNA POLE Tony Kanaan, Michael Andretti, Kim Green, Kevin Savoree Sunday, May 15, 2005 MODERATOR: If you could, Michael, talk about the entire day. You have four drivers, all talented. You have to balance the needs of all. Interesting situation. Q: Michael, Tony put up some pretty impressive laps earlier in the week. But it seemed all anybody was interested in talking about was Danica. Was that a situation you liked, having the spotlight on somebody else? Q: Michael, as Kevin touched upon, you came here so many times with competitive machinery, led a lot of laps. Now as co-owner of a top team, where does it stand ticking off one of the goals of having a pole? What does that do as an owner? Q: This hasn't been the easiest month for Andretti Green Racing because of the accident that occurred in San Francisco, with two of your longest-lived employees. How do you rally around this and how do you overcome these difficulties? Has this been something that's motivated the rest of the crew? Q: Michael, when you talk about, as others have, about Danica being good for the sport, being up there, good for the series, did that feeling extend to when you saw her car wiggle a little bit on that first lap and saw that it was going to be a flawed lap? Did that feeling extend to being disappointed a little bit for her or a little bit of a thrill of she's going to have a flawed lap? Q: Michael and Kim, this month we've seen a couple of flying cars. Obviously, for you that's pretty close to the heart because you've seen that before. A comment from you about the cars flying. Then also from Kim, if there's anything that can be done. Is it because the cars are so finely balanced now? Q: Michael, Kim talked about how the car stayed in a pretty good groove. How tough was that to do the last couple of days with the change in weather? And, Tony, kind of pick up on that, as well. What was your feeling when you realized you didn't have to go back on the track, you were able to take your helmet off? Q: Tony? Q: What was it like when you realized you didn't have to go back out? Q: Your resume now has the IRL series championship and an Indy 500 pole. Can you put this in perspective? Q: Tony, Bryan Herta said earlier this week that the race – this is a race where generally the fastest car finds its way to the front and it often wins. The key is to have the fastest car. After today, you've got the fastest car. Talk little bit about the advantage that is to be able to know that. Q: Tony, do you think things are coming together to the point, being on the pole, with a few years of experience here now, that this could be the year? What gives you the confidence to believe this could be the year? Q: Tony, to ask you what I asked Mike, what were your thoughts when you saw Danica's car wiggle a little bit in the first corner and realized she was going to have a flawed lap? Were you disappointed for her or was there a thrill there? Q: Was it a thrill? Q: Tony, you were joking you were going to have a beer while you waited. How did you actually kill your time for those five hours? Q: How much more intense would this format have been if they had been able to run yesterday, slugging it out with 11 cars instead of down to 22? Q: Michael? Q: Kim or Michael, after Dario's practice lap this morning, everyone seemed really happy and really excited. I kind of caught the feeling that you thought maybe he'd be the guy on the pole today. After he went out in that first attempt, had to come back in, he told us he had a fuel cell problem, did you feel going into that that he might have been the guy, perhaps not Tony? Q: Dario said going out three times today was nerve-wracking. During the day, Tony, did you have any desire to go out and practice and see what was missing? Were you bugging anybody on your team about going out and practicing? Q: Tony, come race day, what is the biggest advantage in your mind starting up front and starting from the pole? Q: For the owners, obviously you have a situation that we've talked about where you pulled together, it's been so important to your success. In any good organization, internal competition is also good. You have some very talented race car drivers. You appear to have a couple of race drivers, one that is very happy, one that's reasonably happy, and a couple that may not be so happy. How do you deal with that internally? That would strike me as something that is a little bit difficult to juggle. Q: We know nobody has ever picked on anybody else. INDIANAPOLIS - Qualifying Sunday for the 89th Indianapolis 500 IRL IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with starting position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine and four-lap average speed. Top 22 positions filled today; final 11 positions to be filled May 21-22: 1. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 227.566 2. (6) Sam Hornish Jr., Dallara-Toyota, 227.273 3. (8) Scott Sharp, Panoz-Honda, 227.126 4. (16) Danica Patrick, Panoz-Honda, 227.004 5. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Toyota, 226.927 6. (27) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 226.873 7. (17) Vitor Meira, Panoz-Honda, 226.848 8. (55) Kosuke Matsuura, Panoz-Honda, 226.397 9. (95) Buddy Lazier, Dallara-Chevrolet, 226.353 10. (2) Tomas Enge, Dallara-Chevrolet, 226.107 11. (4) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Chevrolet, 226.031 12. (36) Bruno Junqueira, Panoz-Honda, 225.704 13. (9T) Scott Dixon, Panoz-Toyota, 225.215 14. (5) Adrian Fernandez, Panoz-Honda, 225.120 15. (37) Sebastien Bourdais, Panoz-Honda, 224.955 16. (26) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 224.308 17. (24) Roger Yasukawa, Dallara-Honda, 224.131 18. (7) Bryan Herta, Dallara-Honda, 223.972 19. (10) Darren Manning, Panoz-Toyota, 223.943 20. (70) Richie Hearn, Panoz-Chevrolet, 222.707 21. (44) Jeff Bucknum, Dallara-Honda, 221.521 22. (51) Alex Barron, Dallara-Toyota, 221.053 KANAAN WINS MBNA POLE AWARD AT INDIANAPOLIS 500INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, May 15, 2005 – 2004 IRL IndyCar® Series champion Tony Kanaan went out early in qualifying, posted the best time and then waited. And waited. His patience was finally rewarded. Kanaan, third in the qualifying line, won the MBNA Pole Award for the 89th Indianapolis 500 after recording a four-lap average of 227.566 mph (2 minutes, 38.1961 seconds) on a cool and breezy day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sam Hornish Jr., who had the 10th-best speed through the initial round of qualifiers, withdrew the car per the qualifying rules and made a second run at 4:30 p.m. (EDT). Hornish improved to second after a four-lap average of 227.273 mph. That bumped Scott Sharp, who kicked off qualifying with a four-lap average of 227.126 mph, to third. “We made a couple adjustments to pick up more downforce so we’d have more grip around the track," said Kanaan, who posted qualifying laps of 227.821 mph, 227.771, 227.459 and 227.212. "I’m pleased with my run. I think I pushed too hard too soon, but I’m pleased with the run." The front row for the May 29 classic is comprised of IndyCar Series champions (Kanaan, 2004; Hornish, 2001 and '02; and Sharp, 1996 co-champion). It is Kanaan's sixth career pole, and his first for the 500-Mile Race. IndyCar Series rookie Danica Patrick also had consistent lap speeds -- on her final three (227.638, 227.623 and 227.860). But the first lap of 224.940 mph (she had to lift when the car developed a wiggle coming out of Turn 1) prevented her from challenging for the pole. She will start on the inside of Row 2. "We just missed it a little bit," Patrick said. Patrick, the highest-placed woman in “500” history, will be joined by two-time race winner Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti. Castroneves had posted the fourth-best time earlier in the session, but Marlboro Team Penske owner Roger Penske withdrew the time at 5:50 p.m. for Castroneves to make a run at the pole. Driving the No. 3 Toyota-powered Dallara, Castroneves started strong with a lap of 227.330 mph. But he fell off the pace and fell one spot to fifth on the grid. Twenty-two cars qualified under the new procedure, with the No. 51 Red Bull Cheever Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone driven by Alex Barron checking in at No. 22. Barron's time had been bumped by Franchitti's time, but he returned for an attempt with 35 minutes remaining. He posted a four-lap average of 221.053 mph. Rookie Ryan Briscoe's No. 33 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz/Toyota/Firestone made contact with the retaining wall between Turns 1 and 2 on his third warm-up lap. He climbed from the car without assistance and was checked and cleared to drive. RUBBERQUEEN QUALIFYING FOR THE MBNA POLE QUOTES Sunday, May 15, 2005 ALEX BARRON (#51 Red Bull Cheever Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): (About qualifying time and conditions): “We were a little slow, but we backed up what we thought we were going to do, within half of a mile an hour. We hit the gearing right. Conditions changed some from what they were this morning.” (About his setup): “We have focused mainly on qualifying during practice, so we knew kind of what we had coming into today.” DARREN MANNING (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz/Toyota/Firestone): (About conditions): “(With) these cold conditions, there’s a lot of downforce and a lot of horsepower. These are pretty good conditions and pretty stable.” (About starting position): “This race is so long. Anything can happen from anywhere on the grid.” (About his run): “This was the best I could do at the moment with the downforce level that we have on the car. This was the first time I’ve been in the car since the accident on Thursday, so I just wanted to make sure I had a good, confident car underneath me – something that wasn’t going to put me in the wall again. I know we’ve got a bit of downforce we can take out of the car to go a little bit faster. So, we’ll just see if we need it. We’ve got two more attempts also if we need it. We were quite lucky to go out pretty early on. We can definitely get one or two more runs in that. This morning in the practice session, it took me a while to get up to speed, just getting back up to speed in qualifying trim. So we know we’ve got a lot of downforce to take out of the car. Maybe not as much as what Ryan (Briscoe) did. I think 2 mile an hour later on this afternoon might be something to go for.” (About going out after the accident): “Going through Turn 2 this morning, it took me a while to put my foot to the floor through there, I’ll tell you. That SAFER wall is definitely not soft. Whatever anybody tells you, it’s not soft, but it’s safe, so that’s good.” (About going out to qualify again): “I know there’s more time in the car. I know there’s a couple more miles per hour. We’ve got to sit down with Chip and the engineers. The only way to go faster for me now is to take downforce out of the car, and that’s obviously risky, given what Ryan’s just done. I’m in the show now, I think, pretty much guaranteed, I would say, in the top 22. So, is it going to be worth while taking another 2 mph to get two places further up the grid? We’ll have to wait ‘til the line’s gone through once.” SAM HORNISH JR. (#6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): “We were not really happy with our run, but we’re glad to be back out there. It wasn’t very good. It wasn’t what we’d thought it could be. The weather has changed a little bit, and the wind’s picked up. It’s turned just a little bit. We were obviously much quicker on our fast lap. We ran around 226.6. I don’t know why we slowed down quite as much as we did. It’s a pretty big deal to pull a car out of the field. You never know. You could pull the car out and it could rain or hit the wall. We’re going to see where we’re at. We know we don’t have to be on the pole or in the first two rows to win this race. You just have to be patient and have a good-handling race car. We’ll just go out there and do the best we can. We’ll just have to make sure our race car is good. That’s about all we can do.” BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (#36 Newman Haas Racing Team Centrix Panoz/Honda/Firestone): “I’m happy. I knew that was the speeds that the car could do. We worked on the car a little. We ran really consistent laps. Maybe not the fastest position that we wanted, but we’re going to be ready for the race. I think the cooler track makes it really fast. It’s windy, but my car is good handling-wise, so we were flat all the way around for four laps. We tested race setup most of the week. We were going to go for the qualifying setup Friday, but we didn’t get much because of the rain. We didn’t have that great of qualifying knowledge, and that’s why we’re not that fast.” (About the new qualifying format): “I think it’s going to be a lot more exciting for the fans. With the rain yesterday and qualifying for three days, it’s going to be very exciting. Especially next weekend.” SCOTT SHARP (#8 Delphi Panoz/Honda/Firestone): “The cold air makes more downforce, but more drag on the car, so it’s pretty impressive. Really, unless the conditions change, I don’t see why we’d come back out. Historically, later in the day, sometimes the winds do die down, the sun peeks out and warms the track up a little bit. If we have a little window of being faster, unless that happens, I wouldn’t see us coming back out. We’ve all seen what other guys have done, we all saw the speeds this morning, a lot of those guys got those times by drafting. Everyone knows, pretty much, what they can do, and I think only if someone is a surprising amount off, maybe then they’ll come back out. The run that we’re running, the speeds that we’re running, the car’s pretty edgy. It’s a bit of a handful, so I don’t think people are dying to do that again.” TONY KANAAN (#11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “We had a chance to try the car this morning, and I liked it. We made a couple adjustments to pick up more downforce so we’d have more grip around the track. I’m pleased with my run. I think I pushed too hard too soon, but I’m pleased with the run. I don’t know if it’s going to be good enough to sit on the pole. I’m going for the pole, but you have to be realistic. I think the first two rows would be good.” (About new qualifying format): “I like it. It makes it exciting. I have two more chances right now. The car is running good, and I could go out two more times and go quicker.” TOMAS ENGE (#2 ROCKSTAR Panther Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): “We found some small things to improve on the car this morning. Overall, I’m happy with the run, and happy for the guys. Now we can just focus preparing for the race.” (On the Chevy engine): “They have made a great improvement from last year. The engine is very strong and we are very happy to be with Chevy.” (On having veteran teammates): “They are great to work with. It helps us to improve our car even more. Buddy and Tomas are very knowledgeable. I try to gain as much information from them as possible.” KOSUKE MATSUURA (#55 Panasonic ARTA Panoz/Honda/Firestone): “I was pretty happy. This time, this is what we were expecting. We expected the same time. Low 226 (mph), which is not bad. I think we can be second or third row. My teammate Scott (Sharp), Tony (Kanaan), and Danica (Patrick)—those guys a little bit faster than me. I think we did our best. I don’t think will go back to the track in a little while. We are done today.” (Is there more speed in car?): “I don’t think we can have any speed.” (About his second year): “Of course, every race is getting comfortable and comfortable. The second time at the Indy 500 race is a lot comfortable. Very comfortable to get up speed. This year, the track surface is different. It is just a different drive, but the racetrack is good.” SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (#37 Newman Haas Racing Team Centrix Panoz/Honda/Firestone): “This morning, we were faster than that, and we were a bit faster than Bruno (Junqueira) pretty much the whole time. I definitely said that the Centrix car #37 was going to put 25.8 or 25.7 as Bruno (Junqueira) did. We are going to be in the show. It is the most important thing for the Centrix car, but it is always disappointing when you don’t know why you are not fast enough.” (About qualifying effort): “It was flat all away around. Not much I can do. The Centrix car was good. It was just lacking some speed. Bruno Junqueira had a better package. Now we are in the show I think, hopefully.” (About weather): “It was very cold, so it gives you a bit more downforce. I don’t know quite what to say about all of that. I thought we were going to be a lot faster than that, but we are in the show.” (Are you satisfied?): “I am not satisfied with the speed. The Centrix car is in the field. I did five laps in a row. We took even more downforce out of the car than Bruno did, so I don’t really feel that we had anything left on the racetrack. We worked very hard on the race setup, and the Centrix car is pretty good. We were really able to follow nose to tail, and we will see if it is good enough. We spent three days on race setup and nothing on the qualifying setup, so we were not expecting to be on the pole.” TOMAS SCHECKTER (#4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): “It’s good enough as long as we’re in the field, but I’m not satisfied. Sometimes you go out on a hot and windy day, and you post some unbelievable times. Sometimes you go out on another day, and it just doesn’t come. Before we were a lot stronger. I expected a little bit more, but we’ll take what we can get. We don’t know why we didn’t go as quick. We’ll have a look at it. I’d like to maybe have another go at it, but I’m not sure. The Chevy’s done a great job. I’m a little disappointed with my time, but that’s the way it goes. I have to thank everybody at Panther, Pennzoil, and Chevrolet. They’ve worked very hard. Hopefully, we can be sort of stuck in the field and not have to worry about it and just concentrate on the race car.” (Regarding new qualifying procedure): “It is great pressure. You’re taking time off, so you’ve got the potential to go worse. And that’s the risk you’ve got to take. It’s the gamble you take.” (About Danica Patrick): “My sense is she’s very comfortable. She’s got her head screwed on straight. I think she can do well. She’s got a great package and good people around her. I think she’s going to be on top of it.” |
