May 25, 2003
DE FERRAN, TOYOTA WIN INDIANAPOLIS 500; TOYOTA TAKES SIX OF TOP SEVEN
- Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) edged Marlboro Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves to win the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500 and give Toyota a victory in its first-ever appearance at Indy.
- Gil de Ferran’s victory is his first Indianapolis 500 win, his first victory of the season and the third of his IRL career. The win marks the third consecutive victory for Marlboro Team Penske, which has registered five top-two finishing positions in the last three Indy 500s.
- Toyota-powered cars took six of the top seven and seven of the top nine spots in today’s finishing order. Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) was fourth behind the two Marlboro Team Penske teammates, with Mo Nunn Racing teammates Tora Takagi (Pioneer Toyota) and Alex Barron (Meijer Toyota) finishing fifth and sixth and Tony Renna (Cure Autism Now/HomeMed Pharmacy) in seventh.
- Toyota-powered cars led 170 of the 200 laps today including 131 of the final 133. Five different Toyota-powered cars led the race with Tomas Scheckter leading a race-high 63 laps and Helio Castroneves leading 58.
- Helio Castroneves’ bid for three consecutive wins was halted, but he now has registered two wins and a second in three Indy 500s. In addition, he’s placed in the top three in three of four races this season with seconds at Phoenix and Indy and third at Miami.
- Today’s victory marks the first for Toyota in its first attempt at the Indianapolis 500. It is the third win for Toyota in four IndyCar Series events. Toyota-powered drivers have now captured nine of the 12 ‘top-three’ finishing positions in the season’s first four races. Dating back to last season’s CART competition, Toyota has now won 13 of its last 23 races.
- Toyota-powered Tora Takagi was the top finishing rookie with a fifth-place finish today – two spots ahead of fellow Toyota rookie Tony Renna.
- By leading six laps today, Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) has now led in each of his first four IRL IndyCar Series races.
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: "We're just ecstatic to win the biggest race in the world on our first attempt. To compete in and win the Indianapolis 500 has been Toyota's goal for the past 10 years. We're fortunate to have such a terrific group of teams and drivers. This is a total team effort -- from the drivers and teams to our track support people and everyone back in the shop at Toyota Racing Development in Costa Mesa (Calif.). Winning the pole showed we had speed, but we've also really worked hard in terms of durability and fuel mileage. With a tremendous effort by Gil de Ferran and Marlboro Team Penske, all the hard work paid off today."
Toyota Drivers Start/Finish
Gil de Ferran 10/1
Helio Castroneves 1/2
Tomas Scheckter 12/4
Tora Takagi 7/5
Alex Barron 25/6
Tony Renna 8/7
Al Unser Jr. 17/9
Scott Dixon 4/17
A.J. Foyt IV 23/18
Scott Sharp 9/20
Airton Dare 33/24
Richie Hearn 28/28
Shigeaki Hattori 30/30
Felipe Giaffone 16/31
Next Race: Texas Motor Speedway, June 7, ESPN 8 p.m. EDT
May 18, 2003
FOUR MORE TOYOTAS ADDED TO INDY 500 FIELD; 14 TOYOTAS SET TO TAKE INDY GREEN FLAG
- Alex Barron (Meijer Toyota) led a contingent of four Toyota-powered cars that made the field on the final day of qualifying for the 87th Indianapolis 500. Barron’s lap of 227.274 mph was good for the 25th starting spot. Barron’s time, which was the fastest of the day, is the 15th fastest overall despite admitting that he ran a some-what conservative four laps to insure he’d be in the field.
- In addition to Barron’s effort, Richie Hearn (Contour Hardening Toyota) in 28th, Shigeaki Hattori (Epson Toyota) in 30th and Airton Dare (Conseco Toyota) in 33rd also qualified today.
- The 14 Toyota-powered entries are the most of any engine manufacturer and come in Toyota’s first-ever appearance at the Indianapolis 500. Ten Chevrolets and nine Hondas round out the field.
- Toyota driver Helio Castroneves registered each of the four fastest qualifying laps in this year’s Indianapolis 500 qualifying on his way to winning the $100,000 MBNA Pole Award last Sunday.
- In addition to winning its first pole, Toyota powered the fastest Dallara (Castroneves), the fastest G-Force (Scott Dixon), the fastest rookie (Dixon again), the fastest second-day qualifier (Barron) and six of the top 10 qualifiers.
- Three teams, Kelley Racing, Mo Nunn Racing and A.J. Foyt Enterprises, each qualified three Toyota-powered entries, while Marlboro Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi each qualified two. In a program that came together on Friday, Sam Schmidt Motorsports qualified one car for Richie Hearn on Sunday.
- Two current Toyota-powered drivers have previously won the Indianapolis 500 in Helio Castroneves and Al Unser Jr. (two each), while eight others - Scott Sharp, Gil de Ferran, Scott Dixon, Tomas Scheckter, Felipe Giaffone, Alex Barron, Richie Hearn and Airton Dare - have all been winners in IndyCar Series competition, giving Toyota 10 previous IRL winners in the field.
Toyota Indy 500 Qualifiers
1. Helio Castroneves(231.725 mph)
4. Scott Dixon
7. Tora Takagi
8. Tony Renna
9. Scott Sharp
10. Tony Renna
12. Tomas Scheckter
16. Felipe Giaffone
17. Al Unser Jr.
23. A.J. Foyt IV
25. Alex Barron
28. Richie Hearn
30. Shigeaki Hattori
33. Airton Dare
May 16, 2003
TOYOTA ON TOP FOR FIFTH DAY IN A ROW AT INDY
For the fifth consecutive day, a Toyota-powered car topped the speed charts in preparation for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500, May 25, as Scott Dixon registered a fast lap of 229.966 mph to lead a one-two Toyota finish.
On Saturday, Dixon turned the fastest lap ever at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a normally-aspirated car at 233.236 mph. In addition to his fast practice time of the day in his primary car today, he also placed third overall in his back-up Target Toyota. He qualified fourth for his first-ever Indy 500 on Sunday.
Following right behind Dixon in second was Tora Takagi at 228.657 mph. Takagi’s Pioneer Toyota was the fastest car in both Wednesday and Thursday’s practice sessions. Takagi, a rookie at the Speedway, has now been either first or second in five of the nine practice days to date this month.
Pole-sitter Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) made it three Toyota-powered cars in the top four with a lap of 228.210 mph. Castroneves won the pole Sunday with the fastest qualifying speed since the days turbo-era in 1996. He’ll be looking for an unprecedented third consecutive Indianapolis 500 win on race day.
Three more Toyotas placed in the top 10 today. Alex Barron ran more than 227 mph in race trim, good for eighth overall. He’ll be looking to qualify his Meijer Toyota on Sunday. Kelley Racing teammates Tony Renna (Cure Autism Now/HomeMed Pharmacies Toyota) and Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) rounded out the top 10 in ninth and 10th, respectively. Both qualified in the top 10 this past weekend.
At this time, three Toyota-powered drivers are scheduled to attempt to qualify this weekend. Airton Dare and Shigeaki Hattori (Epson Toyota) will look to join Barron in qualifying for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing on Sunday.
Toyota Drivers, May 16 Indianapolis 500 practice
(positions listed include only the top entry for each driver)
1. Scott Dixon
2. Tora Takagi
4. Helio Castroneves
8. Alex Barron
9. Tony Renna
10. Scott Sharp
12. Airton Dare
13. Gil de Ferran
17. A.J. Foyt IV
18. Shigeaki Hattori
19. Al Unser Jr.
May 11, 2003
CASTRONEVES, TOYOTA WIN POLE FOR INDIANAPOLIS
Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) blistered the track at a four-lap average of 231.725 mph to capture the pole for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500 and giving Toyota the pole in its first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Castroneves registered each of the four fastest qualifying laps of the day on his way to winning the $100,000 MBNA Pole Award. Castroneves will be shooting for an unprecedented third consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory on May 25.
In addition to winning its first pole, Toyota powered the fastest Dallara (Castroneves), the fastest G-Force (Scott Dixon), the fastest rookie (Dixon again) and six of the top 10 qualifiers.
Overall, 10 Toyota-powered cars qualified today with Arie Luyendyk and Shigeaki Hattori currently scheduled to attempt to make qualifying runs next weekend.
Notes:
- Both Marlboro Team Penske and Kelley Racing qualified two cars in the top 10 today. Gil de Ferran (10th) joined Helio Castroneves, while rookie Tony Renna turned in an outstanding effort in qualifying eighth, right next to Kelley teammate Scott Sharp, who placed ninth.
- Among the 10 Toyota qualifiers today were four rookies, three of which qualified in the top 10. Tora Takagi (7th) and A.J. Foyt IV (23rd) joined Dixon and Renna as rookie qualifiers.
- Toyota holds the distinction of having four different teams qualify in the top-eight today as Marlboro Team Penske (Castroneves), Target Chip Ganassi (Scott Dixon), Mo Nunn Racing (Tora Takagi) and Kelley Racing (Tony Renna) all placed in the first three rows.
Quotes:
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “We’re thrilled to be able to win the pole in Toyota’s first-ever run at Indy in the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’ Helio (Castroneves) did an outstanding job in some very difficult conditions. We can’t say enough about the effort that he and the entire Penske team did today.”
Toyota Indy 500 Qualifiers
1. Helio Castroneves (231.725 mph)
4. Scott Dixon
7. Tora Takagi
8. Tony Renna
9. Scott Sharp
10. Gil de Ferran
12. Tomas Scheckter
16. Felipe Giaffone
17. Al Unser Jr.
23. A.J. Foyt IV
May 09, 2003
TOYOTAS DOMINATE TOP SPOTS IN FINAL INDY PRACTICE BEFORE POLE DAY
Toyota-powered cars claimed two of the top three and five of the top seven spots in the final day of practice before Saturday’s Pole Day for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) was the highest placing Toyota in the final practice times with a lap of 230.829 mph, just ahead of Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) who registered a 230.714 mph lap. Both Toyota drivers have been at or near the top of the speed charts all week in practice.
Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota), Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) and Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) finished in spots five through seven. Tora Takagi (Pioneer Toyota) grabbed the ninth spot to give Toyota six of the first nine today. In the six days of practice leading up to the Indy 500, a minimum of six Toyota-powered drivers have placed in the top 10 every day.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Dixon and Sheckter held the top spot through most of the day, both running in excess of 230 mph in the heat of the day while running by themselves. Neither was passed until the “Happy Hour” dash at the end of the day. The Target Toyota team concluded their final run of the day by 3:30 p.m. in preparation to run for the team’s second consecutive ‘500’ pole tomorrow.
Through six days of practice, Toyota-powered cars have laid claim to 14 of 18 possible top-three spots in practice.
Notable
- Four different Toyota teams (Kelley Racing, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Marlboro Team Penske and Mo Nunn Racing) all placed at least one driver in the top nine overall today.
Toyota Drivers, Day 6 Indianapolis 500 practice
(positions listed include only the top entry for each driver)
2. Scott Sharp
3. Scott Dixon
5. Helio Castroneves
6. Tomas Scheckter
7. Gil de Ferran
9. Tora Takagi
11. Tony Renna
16. Al Unser Jr.
20. A.J. Foyt IV
23. Felipe Giaffone
28. Arie Luyendyk
Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 Pole, Saturday, May 10 at 12 noon EDT, ABC
May 08, 2003
TOYOTA PLACES 3 IN THE TOP 4 AS POLE DAY NEARS AT INDY
Toyota-powered cars once again dominated the top of the charts with just one more day of practice remaining before Pole Day for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500.
For the third time this week, Tora Takagi finished the day among the top three in his Pioneer Toyota. The first-year IRL driver lapped at more than 232 mph to place second on the day. Marlboro Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran joined Takagi in the top to give Toyota three of the top four Thursday. It was the fourth straight day that de Ferran has placed in the top four overall.
Three more Toyota-powered drivers placed in the top 10, to stretch Toyota’s string of 6 or more drivers in the top 10 to five consecutive days.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon and Tomas Scheckter were seventh and eighth, respectively, while Kelley Racing’s Tony Renna (Cure Autism Now/HomeMed Pharmacy) placed 10th. Scheckter and Dixon have each been in the top 10 four times since the Speedway opened on Sunday.
Through five days of practice, Toyota-powered cars have laid claim to 12 of 15 possible top-three spots in practice.
Notable
- Marlboro Team Penske has now placed two Toyotas in the top 10 in each of the last four days
Toyota Drivers, Day 5 Indianapolis 500 practice
(positions listed include only the top entry for each driver)
2. Tora Takagi
3. Helio Castroneves
4. Gil de Ferran
7. Scott Dixon
8. Tomas Scheckter .
10. Tony Renna
12. Scott Sharp
13. Felipe Giaffone
15. Al Unser Jr.
17. A.J. Foyt IV
20. Arie Luyendyk
Practice continues Friday, May 9 at 12 noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
May 07, 2003
TOYOTA PUTS 2 IN TOP 3 IN WEDNESDAY INDY 500 PRACTICE
For the fourth consecutive day, Toyota earned at least two of the top three spots in today’s practice in preparation for the Indianapolis 500, May 25. Toyota-powered cars have now earned 10 of the possible 12 top-three spots in the four practice days to date.
For the third time in four days, Scott Sharp placed in the top two with a second today while lapping in excess of 230 mph. Sharp was fastest on Sunday and second-quick on Monday.
Sharp was joined in the top three today by Gil de Ferran, who was second-quickest on Tuesday. After running only a handful of laps on Sunday, de Ferran is quickly emerging as a threat for the top spot on Pole Day this Saturday, despite missing the most recent IndyCar Series event at Motegi due to injury.
Once again, Toyota showed the depth of its teams with seven Toyota-powered cars finishing in the top-10 overall today. Tora Takagi, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Tomas Scheckter and Felipe Giaffone also placed among the top 10 drivers of the day. In addition, 10 Toyota-powered drivers placed in the top 14 overall.
Notable
- Marlboro Team Penske, Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Mo Nunn Racing all placed two cars in the top 10 today.
Toyota Drivers, Day 4 Indianapolis 500 practice
(positions listed include only the top entry for each driver)
2. Scott Sharp
3. Gil de Ferran
6. Tora Takagi
7. Scott Dixon
8. Helio Castroneves
9. Tomas Scheckter
10. Felipe Giaffone
12. Tony Renna
13. A.J. Foyt IV
14. Arie Luyendyk
16. Al Unser Jr.
Practice continues Thursday, May 8 at 12 noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
May 06, 2003
TOYOTAS TAKE 3 OF TOP 4 SPOTS IN TUESDAY’S INDY 500 PRACTICE
Toyota powered cars took three of the top four spots in Tuesday’s practice for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) placed second on the day, just ahead of the Target Toyotas of Tomas Scheckter and Scott Dixon. All three drivers eclipsed 230 mph with de Ferran registering the fastest Toyota time of the day with a lap of 230.874 mph, just fractions ahead of his two fellow Toyota drivers.
Three more Toyotas landed in the top 10, with Tora Takagi (Pioneer Toyota), Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) and Felipe Giaffone (Hollywood Toyota) all placing among the 10 fastest. Takagi logged the fastest time of the day on Monday and was third-quick on Sunday’s opening day.
Toyota-powered drivers also landed in the next three places in spots 11-13 with Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota), Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) and A.J. Foyt IV (Conseco Toyota) giving Toyota nine of the first 13 cars today.
Notable -Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Marlboro Team Penske and Mo Nunn Racing all placed two cars in the top 10 with three more days on the practice schedule before Indianapolis 500 Pole Qualifying on Saturday.
-Gil de Ferran registered the rare feat of taking three different cars out on to the track today in practice. He ran laps in his #6 G-Force, his #6T Dallara and his #66T G-Force.
Toyota Drivers, Day 3 Indianapolis 500 practice
2. Gil de Ferran (230.874mph)
3. Tomas Scheckter (230.824mph)
4. Scott Dixon (230.476mph)
7. Tora Takagi (230.140mph)
9. Helio Castroneves(229.893 mph)
10. Felipe Giaffone(229.287 mph)
11. Scott Sharp (228.969 mph)
12. Al Unser Jr. (228.742 mph)
13. A.J. Foyt IV (228.308 mph)
16. Arie Luyendyk (228.205 mph)
20. Tony Renna (226.062 mph)
24. Shigeaki Hattori (224.187 mph)
Practice continues Wednesday, May 6 at 12 noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
May 05, 2003
TOYOTAS TAKE TOP FOUR IN DAY 2 AT INDY 500 PRACTICE; TAKAGI GOES OVER 229 MPH
- The Toyota-powered cars of Tora Takagi, Scott Sharp, Scott Dixon and Gil de Ferran placed first through fourth today in the second day of practice for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500.
- Tora Takagi (Pioneer Toyota) became the first driver over the 229 mph mark in earning the fastest time of the day. Takagi placed third overall in Sunday’s opening practice day. Takagi’s Mo Nunn Racing team placed two cars in the top four in qualifying for last year’s Indy 500.
- After being fastest on opening day, Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) placed second today. Sharp is coming off a victory in the most recent IndyCar Series event at Motegi and currently tops the series points standings. He’ll be shooting for his second Indianapolis 500 pole on Saturday after securing the top spot in 2001.
- Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) was the fastest for much of today’s practice and had the top spot before sitting out most of Happy Hour and dropping to third overall. It was just the second day ever at the Speedway for the 22-year-old New Zealander.
- Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) placed fourth today and was the first of two Marlboro Team Penske cars in the top sixth along with Helio Castroneves.
- In addition to the top four, Toyota-powered cars took seven of the top 10 and 12 of the top 16 spots overall today. Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) was sixth, while Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) and Tony Renna (Cure Autism Now/HomeMed Toyota) rounded out the top 10 in ninth and 10th, respectively.
- Kelley Racing placed three cars in the top 10 with Sharp (2nd), Unser Jr. (9th) and Tony Renna (10th).
Quotes:
Tora Takagi, #12 Pioneer Toyota: “The Toyota engine was very good today and everything was almost perfect. In Formula One, I really liked the high-speed corners on the road courses and ovals are just four high-speed corners, so I like the ovals and the progression has come fairly quickly.”
Toyota Drivers, Day 2 Indianapolis 500 practice
1. Tora Takagi (229.019 mph)
2. Scott Sharp (228.766 mph)
3. Scott Dixon (228.427 mph)
4. Gil de Ferran (228.417 mph)
6. Helio Castroneves (227.953 mph)
9. Al Unser, Jr.(227.116 mph)
10. Tony Renna (226.741 mph)
11. Tomas Scheckter (226.615 mph)
13. Shigeaki Hattori (226.506 mph)
14. Arie Luyendyk (226.380 mph)
15. Felipe Giaffone (226.329 mph)
16. A.J. Foyt IV (226.009 mph)
Practice continues Tuesday, May 6 at 12 noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
May 04, 2003
TOYOTAS 1-2-3 ON OPENING DAY FOR INDIANAPOLIS 500; TAKE 8 OF THE TOP 10
- The Toyota-powered cars of Scott Sharp, two-time defending champ Helio Castroneves and rookie Tora Takagi topped the speed charts on the opening day of practice for the 2003 Indianapolis 500.
- Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) and Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) were the only drivers to go over 228 miles-per-hour on the day. Sharp enters the event as the Indy Racing League Indy Car Series points leader, while Castroneves is looking to become the first driver in history to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500s.
- In addition to the top three, Toyota-powered cars took eight of the top 10 spots in today’s first practice. Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota), Felipe Giaffone (Hollywood Toyota), Arie Luyendyk (Meijer Toyota), Sharp’s 8T and Shigeaki Hattori (Epson Toyota) rounded out the top-10.
- Mo Nunn Racing placed three cars in the top eight with Takagi, Giaffone and Luyendyk all fast out of the box. Luyendyk is looking for his third Indianapolis 500 crown after winning in 1990 and 1997.
- Mo Nunn Racing teammates Tora Takagi and Felipe Giaffone ranked second and third in laps run today with 57 and 54 respectively. Only Billy Boat ran more laps with 60.
- Scott Dixon ran his first-ever laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today. Previously, the only time that Dixon had gone around the track was after paying $1 to ride the Speedway tour bus.
Quotes:
Scott Sharp, #8 Delphi Toyota: “Right out of the box, the Toyota engine ran flawlessly today. The power running into the head-wind really impressed me.”
Helio Castroneves, #3 Marlboro Toyota: “The Toyota engine was certainly showing a lot of potential today. Now we need to keep working to stay ahead of the rest that are going to be pushing hard and making improvements as well.
Toyota Drivers Opening Day
1. Scott Sharp
2. Helio Castroneves
3. Tora Takagi
6. Tomas Scheckter
7. Felipe Giaffone
8. Arie Luyendyk
9. Scott Sharp (8T)
10. Shigeaki Hattori
14. Tomas Scheckter (10T)
15. Gil de Ferran
16. Scott Dixon
17. Tony Renna
18. Al Unser Jr.
29. A.J. Foyt IV
Practice continues Monday, May 5 at 12 noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
May 02, 2003
LONG JOURNEY ENDS AS TOYOTA HEADS TO THE INDY 500
It took almost 10 years, but Toyota has finally made it to the Indianapolis 500 as 12 Toyota-powered IndyCars will take to the track this Sunday, May 4, on the opening day of practice for the 87th running of the event.
After the IMSA GTP series ended in late 1993, Toyota made the decision to go open-wheel racing with the Indianapolis 500 as its ultimate goal. Unfortunately, after two years of engine design and development, a split in open-wheel racing developed just as Toyota prepared to enter the CART series in 1996. With the Indianapolis 500 now a part of the Indy Racing League, Toyota’s journey to the Brickyard hit a detour that would not be rectified until April 2001, when the manufacturer announced that it would enter the Indy Racing League as an engine supplier in 2003.
“We enjoyed our time in CART, but the driving force for Toyota to enter open-wheel racing was the opportunity to run in the Indianapolis 500,” said Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports. “Everyone at Toyota is thrilled to be able to realize that opportunity. Of course, getting to Indianapolis is just the first step. Our true destination is Victory Circle with a Toyota-powered driver.”
Five teams and 12 drivers comprise Toyota’s 2003 line-up, including three multiple Indianapolis 500 winners and the current IndyCar Series points leader. The Toyota contingent also includes two teams that have combined to win the last three Indianapolis 500 races. Marlboro Team Penske won in 2001 and 2002 with Helio Castroneves, while Target Chip Ganassi Racing won the 2000 event with Juan Montoya, and last year’s pole position with Bruno Junqueira.
Back-to-back defending champion Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota), Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) and Arie Luyendyk (Meijers Toyota) look to claim immortality by becoming just the ninth driver in history to win three Indy 500 titles. Castroneves already holds the distinction of being the only driver to win his first two starts at Indianapolis. This May, he will attempt to become the first driver in history to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500 races.
For Unser Jr., winning a third Indy 500 would not only make him the ninth driver to do so, but it would also make him the third member of the Unser family to accomplish the feat. His father, Al Unser Sr., is a four-time winner, while his uncle Bobby is a three-time champion.
While the three Toyota-powered drivers look to at add another Indianapolis 500 triumph, two other Toyota pilots have already claimed victory this season. Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) and Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) have each won once in the season’s first three races. Dixon, who sits eighth in points, won his first-ever IndyCar Series start in the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Sharp was triumphant in the IndyCar Series’ most recent event in Motegi, Japan. With the victory, Sharp enters the month of May as the series’ points leader, and the triumph tied him for the most wins in IRL history with eight. In contrast to Dixon, who will be making his first Indy 500 start, Sharp – who earned the 2001 Indy 500 pole position – will be making his eighth career start at Indianapolis.
Three more proven IndyCar Series winners make the Toyota line-up even deeper. Two-time CART champion Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) won twice last season and finished second in the Toyota Indy 300 season-opener prior to being sidelined for one race after a crash in Phoenix. Felipe Giaffone (Hollywood Toyota) and Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) each won IndyCar Series races a year ago and have run up front again in 2003. Giaffone is currently third in the championship after consecutive third-place finishes in Phoenix and Motegi.
While Toyota features a host of experienced racers, four drivers are looking to make their first Indianapolis 500 start this year. A.J. Foyt IV (Conseco Toyota), grandson of four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt and the inaugural Infiniti Pro Series champion, will run for his famous grandfather’s team alongside Shigeaki Hattori (Epson Toyota). Tony Renna (Cure Autism Now/HomeMed Pharmacy Toyota) – who shined in a limited stint with Kelley Racing last season – joins Foyt, Tora Takagi and Dixon as first-timers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.