Prior to Briscoe’s win at the Milwaukee Mile, Team Penske’s last victory came at
Texas in 2007 – one of four team wins at the 1.5 mile oval including the last
two. Castroneves, a two-time winner at Texas, has led 214 laps in nine starts,
while Briscoe has headed to the track with a history for side-by-side finishes
only once (2005) finishing twelfth.
Briscoe’s Trans-Tasman counterparts,
Brisbane-born Kiwi Scott Dixon – the Indy 500 winner – and Queensland’s Will
Power will also be worth fans keeping their eye on as the trio have had an
extremely strong run of late with Dixon winning the Indy 500 and extending his
points lead on Castroneves, while Power enjoyed a career best oval start in
Milwaukee.
While Briscoe and Team Penske will be looking for their third
consecutive win, Panther Racing with Vitor Meira – the Indy 500 runner-up with
seven top-10 finishes in eight starts at Texas, including four top-fives – will
be hoping to keep their Texas race win record alive – they currently have five
wins at Texas.
Also one to watch will be Tomas Scheckter, with the
three-time pole winner, the most of any driver at Texas, returning to the track
as part of a limited 2008 race program with Luczo Dragon Racing. Scheckter has
led 371 laps at Texas and won the event in 2005 and has had a solid run so far
with a fourth qualifying spot at Kansas and 11th position at the Indy 500.
Australian fans can catch the Bombardier Learjet 550k action at the
Texas Motor Speedway live by tuning into ESPN at 12noon Australian Eastern
Standard Time this Sunday, with a re-run scheduled for 7.00pm that same day.
Following the Bombardier Learjet 550k the unified series continues on a
schedule that is the most diverse in world motorsports.
The 2008
schedule will take the teams and drivers to short ovals, superspeedways, and
road and street courses including the Gold Coast Indy 300 which is regarded as a
‘crown jewel’ in international motorsport.
Now regarded as one of the
world’s iconic motorsport events, the Gold Coast Indy 300 will now continue
until and including 2013 with major plans already underway for a massive 20th
anniversary celebration in 2010.
With 96 hours of non-stop excitement
over October 23-26 as the Gold Coast comes alive to the sound of the IndyCars
burning up the track and Australia’s own V8 Supercars scorching around one of
the most famous beach-side cities in the world, the event is the hottest ticket
in town.
Tickets are now on sale for the Gold Coast Indy 300 with ticket
options to suit everyone's needs. Four day Grandstand passes are available for
those who prefer to watch the racing from the comfort of their own reserved seat
or for those who prefer to wander around and soak up the atmosphere then a four
day, weekend or single day General Admission pass might be more their style. For
more information on ticket options go to indy.com.au. For information on
Corporate Hospitality packages please call our Sales Team on (07) 5588 6800.
WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY…
Ryan Briscoe - #6 Team Penske
Racing Honda/Dallara/Firestone
“It’s been a couple of years since I’ve
raced at Texas Motor Speedway, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting
back there," said Briscoe.
"I only have one race under my belt at this
track, but I remember it to be one of the most intense races I’ve ever been in,
and it produces a great show for the fans.
"Team Penske has had
considerable success in Texas, and I’m looking forward to trying to make it
three wins in a row for us and two in a row for the #6 car.”
Will
Power - #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone
It’s fair to say that Texas is going to be my biggest challenge for the
year,” said Power.
“The track has a reputation of being pretty daunting.
There are obviously very high speeds with the steep banking and that’s something
I am still learning, the oval track racing. But I’m enjoying the challenge and
the goal is to improve from week to week.
“The racing at Texas is
extremely tough. It’s three wide there through the banking in the turns and
there is always something happening. You have to be concentrating literally
every second of the race.
“Our car development is improving from race to
race and there are new parts coming with every week.
“Texas will be an
enormous test for both me and the Aussie Vineyards team, but we are all looking
forward to the challenge.”
ENTRY LIST: IndyCar® Series – Bombardier
Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway
Car - Driver - Entrant
2
- A.J. Foyt IV - Vision Racing
3 - Helio Castroneves - Team Penske
4 -
Vitor Meira - Panther Racing
5 - Oriol Servia - KV Racing Technology
6 -
Ryan Briscoe - Team Penske
7 - Danica Patrick - Andretti Green Racing
8
- Will Power (R) - KV Racing Technology
9 - Scott Dixon - Target Chip
Ganassi Racing
10 - Dan Wheldon - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
11 - Tony
Kanaan - Andretti Green Racing
12 - Tomas Scheckter - Luczo Dragon Racing
14 - Darren Manning - A.J. Foyt Enterprises
15 - Buddy Rice - Dreyer
& Reinbold Racing
17 - Ryan Hunter-Reay - Rahal Letterman Racing
18
- Bruno Junqueira - Dale Coyne Racing
19 - Mario Moraes (R) - Dale Coyne
Racing
20 - Ed Carpenter - Vision Racing
23 - Milka Duno - Dreyer &
Reinbold Racing
2! 4 - John Andretti - Roth Racing
25 - Marty Roth -
Roth Racing
26 - Marco Andretti - Andretti Green Racing
27 - Hideki
Mutoh (R) - Andretti Green Racing
33 - E.J. Viso (R) - HVM Racing
34 -
Jaime Camara (R) - Conquest Racing
36 - Enrique Bernoldi (R) - Conquest
Racing
96 - Mario Dominguez (R) - Pacific Coast Motorsports
02 - Justin
Wilson (R) - Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
06 - Graham Rahal (R) -
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
All cars use Dallara chassis, Honda engines
and Firestone tires. Issued: 6/3/08
RACE NOTES
- The
Bombardier Learjet 550k will be the 19th IndyCar Series event conducted at Texas
Motor Speedway, the most of any track on the IndyCar Series schedule. Helio
Castroneves (2004, 2006) is a two-time winner of the event. Tony Kanaan (2004)
and Tomas Scheckter (2005) also are past winners at Texas.
- Three drivers
entered have won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award at Texas: Tomas Scheckter (2002,
2003 and 2005), Helio Castroneves (2004) and Vitor Meira (2002).
- Fourteen
drivers entered in the Bombardier Learjet 550k have raced in previous IndyCar
Series events at the track. Eight of those drivers have led laps (Tomas
Scheckter 371, Tony Kanaan 266, Dan Wheldon 246, Helio Castroneves 216, Scott
Dixon 63, Vitor Meira 12, Buddy Rice 7, and Danica Patrick 2).
- Four
Indianapolis 500 champions are expected to participate in the Bombardier Learjet
550k: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Buddy Rice (2004), Dan Wheldon (2005) and
Scott Dixon (2008).
- Three IndyCar Series champions are scheduled to
participate in the Bombardier Learjet 550k: Scott Dixon (2003), Tony Kanaan
(2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).
SEASON-T0-DATE
- Helio
Castroneves is the only driver to finish in the top five in all six races this
season. Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan are the only other driver to finish in the
top 10 in five races.
- Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon are the only
drivers to complete all 1,108 laps in 2008.
- Helio Castroneves, Ryan
Hunter-Reay and Dan Wheldon are the only drivers running at the finish of every
race in 2008.
MILESTONES AND RECORDS
- Helio Castroneves will
attempt to make his 104th career IndyCar Series start. It would also be his
102nd consecutive start.
- Helio Castroneves can establish an IndyCar Series
record for most consecutive seasons with at least one win should he win the
Bombardier Learjet 550k. Castroneves is tied with Scott Sharp with victories in
seven consecutive seasons.
- Helio Castroneves can extend his IndyCar Series
record for consecutive seasons with a pole to seven if he can win the PEAK Motor
Oil Pole Award.
- Vitor Meira has gone 82 starts without a victory in the
IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver
2008
INDYCAR SERIES POINTS STANDINGS - AFTER RACE 6
1. #9 Scott Dixon 234
2. #3 Helio Castroneves 206
3. #10 Dan Wheldon 185
4. #11 Tony
Kanaan 174
5. #7 Danica Patrick 144
6. #26 Marco Andretti 142
7. #5
Oriol Servia 140
8. #6 Ryan Briscoe 134
9. #20 Ed Carpenter 132
10.
#27 Hideki Mutoh 131
2008 BOMBARDIER ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS -
AFTER RACE 6
1. #27 Hideki Mutoh 131
2. #8 Will Power 130
3. #33
EJ Viso 117
4. #36 Enrique Bernoldi 113
5. #06 Graham Rahal 108
About the Gold
Coast Indy 300
The annual Gold Coast Indy 300 is a partnership
between the Queensland Government and IMG. The Gold Coast Indy 300 will be held
from October 23 to 26 in 2008.
IMG is the world's premier Sports,
Entertainment and Media Company. IMG is a diversified global business with two
major business segments: IMG Sports & Entertainment, and IMG Media. IMG
employs over 2,300 people in 30 countries. Forstmann Little & Co. purchased
IMG in 2004.
IMG Sports & Entertainment includes: consulting
services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models
representation; licensing; golf course design; client representation in golf,
tennis, broadcasting, European football, rugby, cricket, motorsports, coaching,
Olympic sports and action sports. In addition, IMG Academies are the world's
largest and most advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport training and
educational facility, delivering world-class sports training experiences to over
12,000 junior, collegiate, adult and professional athletes each year.
IMG Media, which includes our content production subsidiaries TWI,
Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP) and Tiger Aspect Productions (TAP), is
recognized as a global leader in the delivery of traditional and new media
content and services, with Internet, broadband and mobile expertise,
transforming how audiences access and interact with content.
IMG Media
produces and distributes over 10,000 hours of sports, documentary, drama,
comedy, entertainment, popular factual and children’s content annually, over
multiple platforms across 200 countries, including award-winning television and
radio programming. It also represents the broadcast rights to many of the
world’s premier sporting events and has the world’s biggest sports archive with
more than 200,000 hours of footage.
|
Briscoe stands atop the Milwaukee
Mile podium with second-place getter Scott Dixon and third-placed Tony Kanaan
(Credit - IndyCar Series Media)
Briscoe won at the Milwaukee Mile
after starting from 11th position on the grid (Credit - IndyCar Series
Media)
Dixon burns out of the pits at the
ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 at Milwaukee (Credit - IndyCar Series
Media)
Queensand's Will Power secured his best ever
oval starting position by posting the fourth fastest time during qualifying at
the Milwaukee Mile (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)
|
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