The 2008 IndyCar Series Championship chase has received a curveball as
it heads to Infineon Raceway for this weekend’s PEAK Antifreeze &
Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County – with the car of Team
Penske’s Helio Castroneves destroyed in a transporter fire on-route to
the track.
Second-placed
Castroneves is currently chasing Brisbane-born Kiwi Scott Dixon by 78
points in the championship with three races remaining, and if Dixon can
extend his lead to 106 points he has the potential to clinch the title
this weekend.
With this in mind, Team Penske personnel will be scrambling to
prepare road course cars after the fire, which occurred in the early
morning of August 20 EDT and destroyed not only the primary race car of
Castroneves but also of his Aussie team-mate Ryan Briscoe who is fifth
in the championship standings.
The team’s test transporter has now been dispatched with two cars
that are prepared to oval specifications, with the team facing the task
of turning them into road course cars in a very short space of time as
first practice is scheduled for 11.00am EDT on August 22.
Castroneves needs to do well this weekend to keep his championship
alive, and although he has run strongly at Infineon in the past with
multiple top five finishes he is yet to lead a lap on the Californian
road course. His team-mate Briscoe scored his first IndyCar Series pole
position there in 2005, however with the current circumstances both
will be behind the eight ball this weekend.
With better history, and luck, heading into this weekend is
championship leader Dixon, who is the reigning winner at the Sonoma
County track and heads there fresh from his record-tying sixth win for
the season.
Dixon’s Target Chip Ganassi team-mate Dan Wheldon now shares the
record with him, and also remains in the championship chase along with
Tony Kanaan who is in fourth, although both sit on the brink of
elimination from the chase this weekend. With this on their minds, fans
would be well advised to keep their eye on the pair this weekend.
Briscoe’s ‘Down Under’ colleague Will Power of Queensland will also
be one to watch, with he and his fellow transitioning drivers showing
their strength on the road/street courses this season.
Power will be keen to get going this weekend, after a early
mechanical failure at the IndyCar Series’ last outing earlier this
month saw him put out early at Kentucky Raceway.
Australian fans can catch the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy
Grand Prix of Sonoma action live by tuning in to ESPN at 5.30am on
Monday the 25th of August, with a replay scheduled for 7.30pm that same
day.
Following the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Grand Prix of Sonoma
the unified series will continue 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 Nikon Indy
300 which is regarded as a ‘crown jewel’ in international motorsport.
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 Nikon 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 the Nikon Indy 300 Sales Team on (07) 5588 6800.
WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY…
Tim Cindric – Penske Performance Inc. President:
"About 4:30 (a.m.) Eastern, we had what we think a fire that
started from a wheel bearing about halfway between Cheyenne (Wyo.) and
Salt Lake City," said Cindric.
"It's a pretty barren area without cell phone coverage. The guys
tried to put out the fire, but couldn't do it so they unhooked the
tractor from the trailer.
"We have a destroyed trailer with a lot of burnt contents, we've
deemed from pictures that the contents aren't worth taking to
California. We'll stop in Wyoming (Aug. 21) and drop off four of our
employees to sift through the contents and we'll pick up the two truck
drivers and take them to Sonoma with us.
"Basically, they'll be parts cars for the weekend and we'll take
the two cars that are already there and make them into race cars on
(Aug. 21).
"We're certainly not going to have everything that we're used to -
all the uniforms for the team were in that (destroyed) truck, so we're
bringing all the uniforms we do have.
“Pit equipment is all kind of secondhand or non-existent. But we'll
make the most of it. There shouldn't be too much that we do without
other than race cars that are prepared in the right way, but we'll do
that at the racetrack.
"We're just moving along.”
Scott Dixon - #9 Target Chip Ganassi Honda/Dallara/Firestone:
After winning in Kentucky…
"Obviously, with a 78 point lead now, I think it's pretty healthy, but anything can happen," said Dixon.
"Helio could quite easily have gained on us and made it more of a fight.
"With Sonoma and Chicago and Belle Isle, tracks that those guys are
very good at as well, we are going to make sure we don't lose too many
points.
“But it would be nice to gain a couple on Helio in Sonoma and maybe
we only need 82 points or something to have it sewn up (heading to
Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 7). That would be nice, but in reality, I
think we'll be racing almost till the last race."
After testing at Infineon Raceway…
“It’s always nice to go back to a circuit where you’ve won,” said Dixon.
“It’s going to be a tough race, so it’s nice to get some testing in.”
Will Power - #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone:
"There are three races to go and we are really keen to finish the year in the top 10," said Power.
"These final three point scoring races are all on different types
of circuit, and when it comes to road and street circuits we know the
Aussie Vineyards car is strong.
"In Sonoma this weekend and also in Detroit our team is really keen to get our first Indycar Series victory.
"We had a really productive test last week here at Infineon
Raceway, so we can go into practice and qualifying with a good setup.
"I think we have got what it takes to be on the podium this weekend if luck goes our way.”
ENTRY LIST: PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County at Infineon Raceway
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 - !
Townsend Bell - Dreyer & Reinbold 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: 8/19/08
RACE NOTES:
- The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County will be the fourth IndyCar
Series event conducted at Infineon Raceway. All three past winners are
entered in the event: Tony Kanaan (2005), Marco Andretti (2006) and
Scott Dixon (2007). Two past pole winners are entered: Ryan Briscoe
(2005) and Dixon (2006).
- Fourteen drivers entered in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County
have raced in previous IndyCar Series events at the track. Five of
those drivers have led laps (Scott Dixon 55, Tony Kanaan 34, Marco
Andretti 32, Ryan Briscoe 16 and Dan Wheldon 11).
- The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County will be the fifth race on a
road/street course in 2008. The first three races featured first time
winners (Graham Rahal at St. Petersburg, Ryan Hunter-Reay at Watkins
Glen and Ryan Briscoe at Mid-Ohio). Scott Dixon won at Edmonton. Team
Penske has dominated the Firestone Fast Six qualifying with Briscoe
winning poles at Watkins Glen and Edmonton and Helio Castroneves
winning the pole at Mid-Ohio. Tony Kanaan won the pole at St.
Petersburg.
SEASON-TO-DATE:
- Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon are the only drivers to finish in the top five in 12 of the 14 races this season.
- Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan are the only drivers with 12 top-10 finishes.
- Helio Castroneves is the only driver running at the finish of every race in 2008.
- Seven drivers have won races in 2008. The IndyCar Series record is nine drivers in 1996/97, 2002, 2003 and 2005.
- Scott Dixon has six victories this season, tying Dan Wheldon’s record set in 2005.
- Scott Dixon has established a new IndyCar Series record by
winning from the pole four times this season. The past record was two,
which had been done six times.
- Ryan Briscoe needs one more victory in 2008 to become the 13th
driver to win three or more races in a season. That has happened 18
times in IndyCar Series history.
- A.J. Foyt Racing has its most top-10 finishes (6) since Eliseo Salazar had seven for the team in 2001.
- Teammates have started 1-2 in five races this season, the fifth
time that has occurred in IndyCar Series history. The record is six in
2005.
- Helio Castroneves has finished second in three consecutive
races, tying Scott Dixon’s and Sam Hornish Jr.’s record of three
consecutive second-place finishes.
MILESTONES AND RECORDS:
- Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 112th career IndyCar
Series start. It would also be his 110th consecutive start, which will
tie Sam Hornish Jr. for the second-longest streak all time.
- Helio Castroneves can establish an IndyCar Series record for
most consecutive seasons with at least one win should he win the Indy
Grand Prix of Sonoma County. Castroneves is tied with Scott Sharp with
victories in seven consecutive seasons.
- Helio Castroneves extended his IndyCar Series record for
consecutive seasons with a pole to seven when he won the PEAK Motor Oil
Pole Award at Nashville. His pole at Mid-Ohio was the 25th of his
career.
- Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves have 63 career top-five finishes, tied for first all time in IndyCar Series history.
- Helio Castroneves has passed Scott Sharp as the all-time leader in top-10 finishes. Castroneves has 85. Sharp has 82.
- Scott Dixon has led 867 laps this season. The record for most laps led in a season is 889 by Tony Kanaan in 2004.
- Scott Dixon has become the fifth driver to lead more than 2,000
laps in his career (2,149). The others to lead at least 2,000 laps are
Sam Hornish Jr. (3,428), Helio Castroneves (2,873), Dan Wheldon (2,735)
and Tony Kanaan (2,487).
- Helio Castroneves has led laps in 68 IndyCar Series races, passing Sam Hornish Jr. (67) for the all-time record.
- Vitor Meira has gone 90 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.
- Helio Castroneves has gone 29 starts without a victory, the longest drought of his IndyCar Series career.
- Marco Andretti recorded the 20th top-10 finish of his career at Kentucky.
- Scott Dixon won his 12th career pole at Kentucky and needs one more to tie Greg Ray for second all time with 13.
- Scott Dixon has tied Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. with six career wins from the pole.
- Scott Dixon has moved into second place with 16 career victories. Sam Hornish Jr. holds the record with 19.
- Helio Castroneves holds the record for most career second-place finishes (19).
INDYCAR SERIES POINTS STANDINGS – POST RACE 14 – TOP TEN
1. Scott Dixon - 558 points
2. Helio Castroneves - 480
3. Dan Wheldon - 420
4. Tony Kanaan - 411
5. Ryan Briscoe - 350
6. Danica Patrick - 315
7. Marco Andretti - 311
8. Ryan Hunter-Reay - 298
9. Hideki Mutoh - 298
10. Oriol Servia - 298
13. Will Power - 267
BOMBARDIER ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINTS STANDINGS – POST RACE 14
1. Hideki Mutoh - 298 points
2. Will Power - 267
3. Justin Wilson - 249
4. Graham Rahal - 235
5. E.J. Viso - 234
6. Enrique Bernoldi - 208
7. Mario Moraes - 197
8. Jaime Camara - 140
INFORMATION FOR NEWS BROADCASTERS:
The Indy Racing League will provide Video News Feeds featuring
material from the IndyCar® Series. The video news feeds will preview
and recap the IndyCar Series' PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy
Grand Prix of Sonoma County on Aug. 24 at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma,
California.
The weekend feeds will include b-roll of on-track activity and
sound from various drivers following PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying and
the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County.
About the Nikon Indy 300
The annual Nikon Indy 300 is a partnership between the
Queensland Government and IMG. The Nikon 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.
More information about IMG is available at www.imgworld.com, www.darlowsmithson.com and www.tigeraspect.co.uk
The Team Penske crew will be racing against time for this weekend's Infineon Raceway event (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)
Ryan Briscoe (left) and Helio Castroneves will be behind the eight ball at Infineon (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)
If
Scott Dixon can extend his lead to 106 points - not an impossible feat
- he could be the first IndyCar Series driver to clinch the title at
the third-to-last race (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)
Queensland's
Will Power will be looking to make up for Kentucky's mechanical failure
this weekend (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)
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