September 23, 2003
DIXON, TOYOTA SECOND AT TOYOTA INDY 400; TOYOTA DRIVERS TIED FOR SERIES
-Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) couldn’t hold on to a late race lead, but his second-place finish powered him into a tie for the championship lead heading into the season finale at Texas, Oct. 12.
- With today’s second-place finish, Toyota extends its Manufacturer’s Championship lead to 36 points over second-place Honda. Toyota clinched the 2003 Engine Manufacturer’s Championship at Nazareth and also won last year’s CART Manufacturer’s Championship.
- Scott Dixon’s second-place finish is his seventh top-two finish of the season – the highest of any driver in the series. He has three wins and four runner-up finishes this season.
- With his second-place finish today, Scott Dixon moves into a tie for the championship lead with fellow Toyota driver Helio Castroneves at 467 points apiece heading into the season’s final race. Should either win the final race at Texas, they would win the title. Any of five drivers could win the season title – with each of the top three holding their own fate in their hands.
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) placed sixth today, giving him his 11th top-10 finish of the season.
- Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) led the most laps today on his way to finishing second. The 32 points he earned today moves him into seventh-place in points – just 11 behind Al Unser Jr. in sixth.
- Kelley Racing teammates Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) and Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) both made impressive drives through the field today to finish eighth and ninth, respectively. The ninth-place finish marks the 10th top-10 showing of the year for Unser. He currently sits sixth in points with Sharp in ninth – one of three pairs of teammates driving Toyotas in the top nine this year – with Tora Takagi the seventh Toyota driver in the top-10 in 10th.
“Quotes”
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “It was an incredibly fast-paced race with any of six drivers capable of winning. The series is so well-balanced as far as drivers, teams and engines, it’s fitting that it comes down to the last race for the big payoff. Fortunately, the top two drivers are Toyota-powered. We feel confident that one of them will bring home the drivers championship.”
Toyota Drivers Start/Finish
Scott Dixon 3/2
Tomas Scheckter 7/5
Helio Castroneves 1/6
Scott Sharp 19/8
Al Unser Jr. 15/9
Gil de Ferran 12/15
Felipe Giaffone 8/16
A.J. Foyt IV 20/17
Tora Takagi 11/18
IndyCar Series Manufacturer’s Points
1. Toyota 135
2. Honda 99
3. Chevrolet 96
IndyCar Series Driver’s Point Standings
1. Scott Dixon (Toyota) 467
2. Helio Castroneves (Toyota) 467
3. Tony Kanaan (Honda) 460
4. Sam Hornish (Chevrolet) 448
5. Gil de Ferran (Toyota) 437
Next Race: Texas 500, Texas Motor Speedway, Oct. 12, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN
September 20, 2003
CASTRONEVES PUTS TOYOTA ON POLE FOR TOYOTA INDY 400 AT CALIFORNIA
- Points leader Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) won his third pole position of the season and gave Toyota its 11th pole in 15 races this year in qualifying for Sunday’s Toyota Indy 400 at the California Speedway.
- Helio Castroneves’ pole is his third of the season and the fourth of his IndyCar Series career. He earlier won poles this season at the Indianapolis 500 and at Gateway International Raceway.
- With the top starting position today, Castroneves earned his 10th top-four start in 15 races this year. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner now has qualified in the top three six times in the last seven races with two poles, two seconds and two thirds during that span. Castroneves takes a 12-point championship lead over fellow Toyota driver Scott Dixon into the series final two races of the season.
- Today’s pole is Toyota’s 11th in the last 14 races and its 22th in the last two seasons of open-wheel competition in 34 races.
- Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) qualified third today, marking the 14th consecutive time that he’s qualified in the top six this season. He’s joined in the top-10 by fellow Target driver Tomas Scheckter, who placed seventh.
- Felipe Giaffone (Hollywood Toyota) made it four Toyota-powered drivers in the top eight in qualifying today. It's his second straight appearance in the top eight since returning to the series at Chicago after suffering an injury earlier this season.
Toyota Indy 400 Qualifying:
1. Helio Castroneves
3. Scott Dixon
7. Tomas Scheckter
8. Felipe Giaffone
11. Tora Takagi
12. Gil de Ferran
15. Al Unser Jr.
19. Scott Sharp
20. A. J. Foyt IV
Toyota Indy 400, California Speedway, ABC, 3:30 p.m. EDT
September 16, 2003
FAST FACTS - TOYOTA INDY 400
Sept. 21, 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN
California Speedway
200 laps on the 2-mile oval
TOYOTA DRIVERS LEAD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE – With just two races remaining, a pair of Toyota-powered drivers areon top of the tight IRL IndyCar Series championship race.
Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota)and Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) are first and second in points heading into this weekend’s Toyota Indy 400, with Castroneves holding a slim 12-point margin over the 23-year-old New Zealander. Yet, no less than five drivers are still in championship contention. Castroneves’ Penske Racing teammate Gil de Ferran currently stands fourth in points, 17 points behind Castroneves and two points out of third-place.
A look at the IndyCar Series points race:
1. Helio Castroneves (Toyota) 439
2. Scott Dixon (Toyota) 427
3. Tony Kanaan (Honda) 425
4. Gil de Ferran (Toyota) 422
5. Sam Hornish (Chevrolet) 398
TITLE CHASE NO STRANGER TO PENSKE, TARGET TOYOTA TEAMS– There are no teams in open-wheel racing more experienced in a championship hunt than those of Marlboro Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Combined, the two teams won six consecutive CART championships from 1996-2001, and they have a total of 15 Indy-style championships (11 for Penske, four for Ganassi). Last year, each team finished as the championship runner-up in their respective series with Target’s Bruno Junqueira finishing second in CART (to fellow Toyota driver Cristiano da Matta), while Castroneves and de Ferran finished second and third in the IndyCar Series for Penske.
Past Penske champions include Tom Sneva (1977, 1978), RickMears (1979, 1981, 1982) Al Unser (1983, 1985), Danny Sullivan (1988), Al UnserJr. (1994) and de Ferran (2000, 2001).
Dixon will be looking to join the ranks of Jimmy Vasser (1996), Alex Zanardi (1997, 1998) and Juan Montoya as Target Ganassi champions.
SEVEN TOYOTAS IN TOP 10 IN POINTS – While Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Gil de Ferran enter the season’s final two races fighting for the driver’s championship, four other Toyota drivers currently reside in the series top 10. Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) ranks sixth, Tomas Scheckter is eighth, Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) is ninth and ToraTakagi (Pioneer Toyota) is 10th.
CHAMPIONSHIP SPOILER? – While five drivers are in the midst of the championship hunt, one non-title contender may be the man to beat in the season’s final two races. Amazingly, Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) has yet to win this season while arguably having the car to beat in no less than five races – with four of those coming on big ovals. Scheckter had the dominant car at Motegi before crashing late in the race; he led every lap at Texas before a pit incident three-quarters of the way through the race; he had sliced through the field to a commanding lead at Pikes Peak before being hit coming into the pits; was running in the top two at Kansas before a fuel pressure problem; and was leading this past race at Chicagoland before a yellow flag came out a lap after making his final pit stop, dropping him a lap down. Scheckter also won the pole at Texas and Michigan and qualified second at Kansas and Chicago. Scheckter’s made a late-season surge that has seen him move into contention for a sixth-place championship finish after three top-five finishes in the last five races.
TOYOTA BEGINS NEWEST TITLE SPONSORSHIP – This weekend’s IndyCar Series event will mark the first running of the Toyota Indy 400 at the California Speedway. While in its first year as the title sponsor of the Toyota Indy 400, Toyota’s partnership with the California Speedway dates back to the opening of the two-mile Fontana oval in 1997. Of course, Toyota’s event sponsorship in Southern California goes back much further – dating back to the original Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in 1975. Toyota also serves as the title sponsor of the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 at the Miami-Homestead Speedway.
“Quotes”
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “We’ve won 20 races over the past two seasons, but we’ve yet to win here in our own backyard in Fontana. It would be great to get our first win here in our first year as the title sponsor of the Toyota Indy 400 – and it would be even more meaningful with three Toyota-powered drivers right in the middle of a terrific championship battle.”
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Toyota Indy 400
Driver SeasonPoints Standing (Race Wins)
Helio Castronves 1st(Gateway, Nazareth)
Scott Dixon 2nd(Miami, Pikes Peak, Richmond)
Gil de Ferran 4th(Indianapolis 500, Nashville)
Al Unser, Jr. 6th (Texas)
Tomas Scheckter 8th (tie)
Scott Sharp 9th(Motegi)
Tora Takagi 10th(tie)
A.J.Foyt IV 20th
Felipe Giaffone 21st
September 07, 2003
DIXON, TOYOTA NIPPED BY .009 SECONDS AT CHICAGO
- Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) made a thrilling move to dive down inside coming out of the final turn in an attempt to win the Delphi Indy 300 moving from third to second, but was nipped by Sam Hornish, Jr., by .009 seconds at the Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday.
- With today’s second-place finish, Toyota extends its Manufacturer’s Championship lead to 34 points over second-place Honda. Toyota clinched the 2003 Engine Manufacturer’s Championship at Nazareth and also won last year’s CART Manufacturer’s Championship.
- Scott Dixon’s second-place finish is his sixth top-two finish of the season – matching Helio Castroneves as the highest number in the series this season.
- Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) led late in today’s race only to see a possible victory slip away due to a yellow flag coming out just after he made his final pit stop of the race after leading Lap 184. Scheckter recovered to finish fifth to give Target Chip Ganassi Racing two cars in the top five today.
- Tomas Scheckter led the most laps of the race today with 66 – pushing Toyota’s series high total to 2,023 – more than five times as many as any other manufacturer.
- Despite retiring early in 20th place, Helio Castroneves maintains a 12-point lead over Scott Dixon, with Tony Kanaan 14 points behind the leader and Gil deFerran slipping to fourth, 17 points behind Castroneves.
-Tora Takagi (Pioneer Toyota) earned his seventh top-10 finish of the season with a ninth today.
Quotes:
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “It was a thrilling race from the most exciting racing series in the world. Tomas (Scheckter) ran an outstanding race today. It was unfortunate that the luck went against him. We thought for a second that Scott (Dixon) might steal it, but it just wasn’t meant to be. If you’re a race fan, it would be hard not to love what we saw today.”
Toyota Drivers Start/Finish
Scott Dixon 5/2
Tomas Scheckter 2/5
Tora Takagi 11/9
Scott Sharp 20/11
Gil de Ferran 12/12
Felipe Giaffone 3/15
A.J. Foyt IV 21/17
Al Unser Jr. 17/19
Helio Castroneves 9/20
IndyCar Series Manufacturer’s Points
1. Toyota 128
2. Honda 94
3. Chevrolet 86
IndyCar Series Driver’s Point Standings
1. Helio Castroneves (Toyota) 439
2. Scott Dixon (Toyota) 427
3. Tony Kanaan (Honda) 425
4. Gil de Ferran (Toyota) 422
5. Sam Hornish (Chevrolet) 398
Next Race: Toyota Indy 400, California Speedway, Sept. 21, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN
September 06, 2003
SCHECKTER PUTS TOYOTA ON FRONT ROW AT CHICAGO
- Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) qualified on the outside of the front row to lead four Toyotas in the top nine in qualifying for Sunday’s Delphi Indy 300.
- Tomas Scheckter’s second marks his fourth front row starting position of the season - all coming on tracks at a mile and a half and larger. He won poles earlier this season at Texas and Michigan, while also starting on the outside of the front row at Chicagoland’s sister track in Kansas.
- Felipe Giaffone (Hollywood Toyota) returned to the cockpit in fine fashion with a third in qualifying today. The Brazilian was injured in early July at Kansas and missed five races before returning this weekend.
- Scott Dixon qualified fifth today, giving Target Chip Ganassi Racing two cars in the top five – the onlyteam to do so today. For Dixon, it marks the 13th consecutive race he’s qualified in the top six. Dixon is the highest qualifier among the top-five in points still in the heart of the driver's championship chase.
- Series points leader Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) will start ninth tomorrow. Castroneves currently holds a 25-point leadover teammate Gil de Ferran.
Toyota Chicago Qualifying:
2. Tomas Scheckter
3. Felipe Giaffone
5. Scott Dixon
9. Helio Castroneves
11. Tora Takagi
12. Gil de Ferran
17. Al Unser Jr.
20. Scott Sharp
21. A. J. Foyt IV
Delphi Indy 300, Chicagoland Speedway, ABC, 2:00 p.m. EDT
September 02, 2003
FAST FACTS - Delphi Indy 300
Sunday, Sept.7, at 2 p.m. EDT on ABC
Chicagoland Speedway
200 laps on the 1.5-mile oval for 300 miles
ONE TITLE IN HAND, ONE TO GO – After officially clinching the IRL IndyCar Series Engine Manufacturer’s Championship at the last race in Nazareth, Toyota is now focused on powering a driver to the 2003 IndyCar Series championship. With three races remaining including Chicago, Toyota-powered drivers occupy three of the top four places in the points race. Marlboro TeamPenske teammates Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran are first and second, while Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon is fourth. Castroneves currently holds a 25-point lead over de Ferran, a 32-point lead over third-place Tony Kanaan, and a 42-point lead over Dixon.
NO TALK OF SLUMPS ANYMORE –As the dog days of summer started to set in, talk of a “slump” was becoming common-place among journalists when discussing two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves. While the “Spiderman” had gone 20 races without a win-inspired “fence climb,” many overlooked his seven runner-up finishes and 13 top-five finishes in those 20 events. Following wins at Gateway and Nazareth (as well as six top-fives in the last seven races), he has moved into the largest lead in the championship race seen in some time. For the season, Castroneves’ consistency has been unmatched with eight top-three finishes among 10 top-10 finishes in 13 races.
A TALE OF TWO SEASONS – If it is possible to lead a series in wins, poles and laps led and still be star-crossed, then Scott Dixon is your man. The 23-year-old has been the dominant driver in the IndyCar Series this year, yet he still sits fourth in points. Dixon has three victories, five pole positions (just one shy of the IndyCar Series single-season record) and has led 677 laps – almost 300 more than the next highest driver, Helio Castroneves. However, finishing results have proven to be feast or famine for the third-year Toyota driver. He has finished 13th or lower on five occasions to match his five top-two finishes, four of which he was leading when sidelined. It is not a stretch to suggest that he could easily have seven or eight wins this season.
TOYOTA SEEKS 11th WIN OF THE SEASON AT CHICAGO – After 10 wins in the first 13 events of the 2003 campaign, Toyota will be looking for its 11th win of the season at this weekend’s Delphi Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. The 10 victories this season match Toyota’s10 wins in 2002 en route to the CART Manufacturer’s Championship. A victory this weekend would establish a new single-season high for Toyota in open-wheel racing. Overall, the manufacturer has won 20 of the 32 open-wheel races it has run over the past two seasons.
GIAFFONE RETURNS – Felipe Giaffone is scheduled to return to the Mo Nunn Racing Hollywood Toyota seat this weekend at Chicago. The Brazilian was injured earlier this season at Kansas. He will reclaim his piloting duties from Alex Barron, who served as a substitute for Giaffone beginning at Nashville in July. Giaffone was solidly in the top 10 before being injured. He registered a pair of third-place finishes, at Phoenix and Motegi, earlier this season.
“QUOTES”
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of Motorsports: “Toyota established five goals for our first season in the IndyCar Series, and we’ve now accomplished four of the five: winning our first race, winning at Motegi, winning the Indianapolis 500, and winning the Manufacturer’s Championship. We’ve had a little time to celebrate our Manufacturer’s Championship and now it’s time to get back to work toward helping a Toyota-powered driver win the 2003 Driver’s Championship.”
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Chicago
Driver Season Points Standing (Victories)
Helio Castronves 1st (2 – Gateway, Nazareth)
Gil de Ferran 2nd (2 – Indianapolis 500, Nashville)
Scott Dixon 4th (3 – Miami, Pikes Peak, Richmond)
Al Unser, Jr. 6th (1 – Texas)
Scott Sharp 8th (1 – Motegi)
Tomas Scheckter 9th
Tora Takagi 10th
A.J.Foyt IV 19th
Felipe Giaffone 21st