August 29, 2004
CASTRONEVES LEADS TOYOTA AT NAZARETH
- Despite Toyota-powered cars leading 143 of the first 144 laps today, a fifth-place finish by Helio Castroneves turned out to be the top finish the manufacturer could muster in today’s Firestone Indy 225 at the Nazareth Speedway. The race was won by Toyota Atlantic Championship graduate Dan Wheldon.
- Toyota-powered cars led 143 of the first 144 laps today before surrendering the lead for good due to a pit incident on Lap 145.
- Helio Castroneves earned the three bonus points for leading the most laps today in leading 100 of the first 101 laps before handing over the top spot to Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. on Lap 102.
- Sam Hornish, Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) led 43 laps today before a pit incident while leading the race on Lap 145 dropped him well back in the field. It was the second consecutive race that Hornish has led more than 40 laps after leading for 67 circuits at Pikes Peak. Hornish recovered from the incident, as well as an accompanying drive-through penalty, to register an 11th-place.
- Helio Castroneves’ (Marlboro Toyota) fifth-place finish marks his fifth top-five finish of the season, but his first since placing third at Nashville. He also has 10 top-10 finishes this season.
- With a sixth-place finish today, Darren Manning (Target Toyota) now has a total of seven top-10 finishes in his debut season in the IndyCar ranks.
- Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top 10 in points. Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) remains in fourth-place as the highest Toyota. His Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. maintained his sixth-place standing, while Darren Manning moved up to ninth.
- Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) competed in his 95th IndyCar Series race and his 87th consecutive event – both IndyCar Series records.
Driver, Start/Finish
Helio Castroneves 1/5
Darren Manning 5/6
Scott Dixon 12/9
Sam Hornish 2/11
A.J. Foyt 17/15
Tora Takagi 20/17
Scott Sharp 21/19
Next Race: Delphi Indy 300, Chicagoland Speedway, Sept. 12, 1:30 p.m., ET, ABC
August 24, 2004
FAST FACTS - FIRESTONE INDY 225
Nazareth Speedway
August 29, 2 p.m. ET on ABC
225 laps of 1-mile oval for 225 miles
TOYOTA LOOKS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT NAZARETH WIN – Both Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) and Toyota will be looking to make it two consecutive wins at the Nazareth Speedway in Sunday’s Firestone Indy 225.
A year ago, Castroneves held off now-teammate Sam Hornish, Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) for the victory by just .1697 seconds. Castroneves led the final 173 laps of the event after taking over the top spot when pole-sitter Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) suffered gear-box problems after leading the first 52 trips around the one-mile Pennsylvania oval.
NAZARETH SUCCESS – Helio Castroneves’ and Marlboro Team Penske aren’t the only Toyota-powered competitors to win at Nazareth. In fact, current Toyota-powered drivers or teams have won both the race and the pole for the last five Nazareth events.
Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) and Kelley Racing won the IndyCar Series’ first-ever visit to Nazareth in 2002. The victory followed CART wins at the track by Scott Dixon in 2001, Marlboro Team Penske in 2000 with Gil de Ferran and Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Juan Montoya in 1999.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing has won the pole for each of its last four events at the track with Montoya taking the top spot in qualifying in 1999 and 2000, Bruno Junqueira in 2001 and Dixon a year ago. The only other team to win a pole during that time? Marlboro Team Penske with Gil de Ferran in setting the IndyCar Series track record in 2002.
THE MAIN MANNING – Darren Manning (Target Toyota) was the highest finishing Toyota this past weekend at Pikes Peak with a fourth-place finish. The first-year IndyCar Series driver has four top-five finishes this season with three of those coming on short-ovals less than 1.5-miles in length with a fourth at Nashville and a fifth at Phoenix. In addition, he was running in the top-five late in the race at Milwaukee before being sidelined due to contact. To date, Manning has raced on only one track on this year’s IndyCar Series schedule prior to this season – Milwaukee. Fortunately, he did have the opportunity to test at Nazareth earlier this month.
THREE TOYOTAS IN TOP-10 IN POINTS RACE – Heading into Nazareth, three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top 10 in points. Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) remains in fourth-place. His Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. dropped to sixth with an early retirement at Pikes Peak, while Darren Manning moved up to 10th.
FOGARTY, DALZIEL CONTINUE TOYOTA ATLANTIC DUEL – The Toyota Atlantic Championship will take to the track in Montreal this weekend for Round 11 – the penultimate stop in the championship. Jon Fogarty, the 2000 series champion, holds just a one-point lead over Scotsman Ryan Dalziel, a protégé of IndyCar star Dario Franchitti. Danica Patrick sits third in the championship, 30 points behind Fogarty. The battle for Rookie of the Year honors is almost as close as the title chase with Ronnie Bremer just two points ahead of Canadian teen Andrew Ranger. They are fourth and fifth overall. The series concludes Sept. 12 at Laguna Seca.
SPECIAL THANKS – As a former presenting sponsor of, and long-time participant at, Nazareth, Toyota Motorsports would like to extend a special thanks to Chuck Givler, of the Easton Express-Times, for his racing coverage of Nazareth. It’s believed that Chuck is the only media member to cover every event ever run at the Nazareth Speedway.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Michigan
Car # Driver Car Season Points Standing
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 4th
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 6th (Won Homestead)
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz/G-Force) 10th
#1 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz/G-Force) 11th
#8 Scott Sharp Delphi Toyota (Dallara) 14th
#12 Tora Takagi Pioneer Toyota (Dallara) 15th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV Conseco Toyota (Dallara) 18th
“Quotes”
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “We’ve enjoyed a lot of success at Nazareth, including winning both the pole and the race last year. Our teams and drivers have really excelled there and, of course, Roger Penske was a former owner of the facility. It would be nice to close out Nazareth with a victory.”
August 22, 2004
MANNING LEADS TOYOTA AT PIKES PEAK
- Sam Hornish Jr. dominated much of the race, but it was Darren Manning (Target Toyota) who ended up as the highest-finishing Toyota with a fourth in today’s Indy 225 at the Pikes Peak International Raceway. Dario Franchitti won his second race of the season.
- With a fourth today, Darren Manning matched his career-best IndyCar finish established at Motegi and Nashville. It’s his fourth top-five finish of his debut season and his sixth top-10 showing.
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) ran in the top-two through the first part of the race on his way to an eventual sixth-place finish. It’s Castroneves’ ninth top-10 placement of the season.
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) dominated the first half of the race, leading 67 of the first 131 laps. He ran one-two with his Marlboro Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves for 61 of those laps. Hornish had built up a sizeable lead before a caution for unidentified debris as he was closing in on lapping eighth-place. After the caution, Hornish slipped back to fourth on the re-start, but moved back up to third and was quickly catching second-place before he spun in Turn Four on lap 158.
- Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top 10 in points. Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) remains in fourth-place as the highest Toyota. His Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. dropped to sixth with the early retirement, while Darren Manning moved up to 10th. Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) was forced to retire with handling problems and dropped out of the top 10,
- Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) competed in his 94th IndyCar Series race and his 86th consecutive event – both IndyCar Series records. He finished 15th.
Driver, Start/Finish
Darren Manning 8/4
Helio Castroneves 5/6
Scott Sharp 19/15
Sam Hornish 9/18
Tora Takagi 17/19
Scott Dixon 10/20
A.J. Foyt 21/21
Next Race: Firestone Indy 225, Nazareth Speedway, Aug. 29, 2:00 p.m., ET, ABC
August 17, 2004
FAST FACTS - PIKES PEAK INDY 225
Aug. 22, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Pikes Peak International Raceway
225 laps on the 1-mile oval for 225 miles
DIXON, TOYOTA LOOK FOR TWO IN A ROW AT PIKES PEAK – Scott Dixon and Toyota will look for its second consecutive victory at Pikes Peak International Raceway when the IndyCars hit the track on Sunday.
Dixon led 89 of the 225 laps a year ago on his way to the victory, which would be the first of three consecutive wins for the New Zealander. In addition to Dixon’s time up front, fellow Toyota-powered drivers Gil de Ferran (72 laps), Helio Castroneves (46 laps) and Tomas Scheckter (16 laps) all took the lead at the 2003 event. Overall, Toyotas led 223 of the 225 laps.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH – Toyota’s success in the Rockies started long before last year’s triumph at PPIR. In 2002, Target Chip Ganassi Racing led a 1-2-3 Toyota podium sweep at the CART Denver Grand Prix. Prior to that, Rod Millen provided one of the most successful runs in the history of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where he won the overall title five times in six years and set the all-time course record in a Toyota Celica.
TOYOTA DRIVERS IN THE POINTS - Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top 10 in points. Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) remains in fourth-place as the highest Toyota. His Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. is fifth, while Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) is 10th.
SHARP LOOKS TO EXTEND RECORD AT PPIR - Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) can extend a pair of IndyCar Series records at Pikes Peak. The Kelley Racing driver is set to compete in his 94th IndyCar Series race and his 86th consecutive event when he takes to the track at PPIR.
FOGARTY HOLDS SLIMMEST OF LEADS IN TOYOTA ATLANTIC TITLE CHASE – One of the closest battles in the history of the Toyota Atlantic Championship became a little bit closer this past weekend at Denver. Series point leader Jon Fogarty started on the pole and led the majority of the race on the1.657-mile street circuit. On Lap 32, however, rookie Ronnie Bremer and series runner-up Ryan Dalziel both caught up to Fogarty and the three battled for the lead. Fogarty made a defensive move in Turn 9 that race officials determined to be a block and was penalized with a drive-through penalty on pit lane.
The 2002 series champion wound up finishing sixth after serving the penalty, while Bremer took his first Toyota Atlantic victory with Dalziel finishing second.
Fogarty maintains the series lead, but the gap is now just one point as Dalziel closed to within 261-260 with two races remaining. The Toyota Atlantic cars will be in action, August 27-29, in Montreal for Round 11 of the 12-race championship.
LEXUS TAKES GRAND-AM POINTS LEAD – On the strength of a one-two finish last weekend at Watkins Glen, Lexus has moved into the lead in the Daytona Prototype Manufacturer’s Championship in Grand American Rolex Series competition. Last weekend’s win by Jan Magnussen and Didier Theys for Doran-Lista Racing gave Lexus its fourth win in the past five races.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Pikes Peak
Car # Driver Car Season Points Standing
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 4th
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 5th (Won Homestead)
#1 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz/G-Force) 10th
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz/G-Force) 11th
#8 Scott Sharp Delphi Toyota (Dallara) 14th
#12 Tora Takagi Pioneer Toyota (Dallara) 15th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV Conseco Toyota (Dallara) 18th
“Quotes”
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “We’ve enjoyed a lot of success in Colorado the past few years and would love to add to it this weekend at Pikes Peak. It’s a beautiful facility that makes handling a premium.”
August 15, 2004
MANNING LEADS TOYOTA AT KENTUCKY
- Darren Manning (Target Toyota) was the highest-placing Toyota today with a tenth in today’s Belterra Casino Indy 300 at the Kentucky Speedway. Adrian Fernandez won his first race of the year as the first five cars were separated by just 0.9766 seconds.
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) appeared to be a contender for the victory through much of the race before another stroke of bad luck hit the two-time IndyCar Series champion. Hornish was running in the front group when he entered into the pits shortly after race leader Tomas Scheckter. Unfortunately, a pit incident started a fire on the Scheckter car as he was leaving the pits to bring out a full-course caution. Caught in the pit lane at the time, Hornish lost a lap and any chance at the victory.
- Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top 10 in points. Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) remains in fourth-place as the highest Toyota. His Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. is fifth, while Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) is 10th.
- Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) competed in his 93rd IndyCar Series race and his 85th consecutive event – both IndyCar Series records.
Driver, Start/Finish
Darren Manning 8/10
Helio Castroneves 6/12
Scott Dixon 9/13
Sam Hornish 3/14
Scott Sharp 16/17
A.J. Foyt 15/18
Tora Takagi 20/20
Next Race: Indy 225, Pikes Peak International Raceway, Aug. 22, 3:30 p.m., ET, ABC
August 14, 2004
HORNISH’S THIRD LEADS FOUR TOYOTAS IN TOP-10 IN KENTUCKY QUALIFYING
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) missed a spot on the front row by just. .0160 seconds, but his third-place effort led all Toyota-powered cars in qualifying for Sunday’s Belterra Casino Indy 300 at the Kentucky Speedway.
- With today’s third, Penske Racing has now been the top qualifying Toyota in nine of the 11 races run this season. Helio Castroneves has been the top Toyota in five of those nine with Sam Hornish Jr. now the top qualifying Toyota in four races after today’s effort.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s third marks his fifth top-five qualifying performance in the last six races. During the last six events, Hornish has finished in the top-four four times and has finished second, third and fourth in his three most recent races. With his recent run, he has climbed comfortably into the top-five in points after falling to ninth overall after the Indianapolis 500.
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) made it two Marlboro Team Penske cars in the top six with a sixth-place showing today. Castroneves has qualified in the top-six in five of his last six events.
- With an eighth today, Darren Manning (Target Toyota) registered the fourth top-10 qualifying effort of his debut season in the IndyCar Series.
- Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) made it four Toyotas and two Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars in the top-10 with a ninth today.
- Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) qualified for his 93rd IndyCar Series race and his 85th consecutive event – both IndyCar Series records.
Toyota Kentucky Qualifying:
3. Sam Hornish, Jr.
6. Helio Castroneves
8. Darren Manning
9. Scott Dixon
15. A.J. Foyt IV
16. Scott Sharp
20. Tora Takagi
Belterra Casino Indy 400, Kentucky Speedway, ABC, 3:30 p.m. EDT
LEXUS FINISHES 1-2 AT THE GLEN; MAGNUSSEN, FRISSELLE BEAT THE RAIN
Amidst changing conditions late in Friday’s Sahlen’s 200 at the Glen, only two drivers, Lexus-powered Jan Magnussen and Burt Frisselle, opted for racing slicks on the wet track and the risk paid off with a victory for Magnussen, a second for Frisselle and Lexus’ first-ever one-two finish in Grand-American Rolex Series Daytona Prototype competition.
The victory was the first of the season for Magnussen and teammate Didier Theys, along with their Doran-Lista Racing team after a pair of seconds earlier this year. For Frisselle and Oswaldo Negri, the second-place finish marked the best showing to date for the first-year Michael Shank Racing (MSR) team.
The triumph was Lexus’ fourth win in the last five races and gives Lexus a two-point lead in the Rolex Series Manufacturer’s Championship. This marks the first time that Lexus has led the championship in its debut season of racing in America’s premiere sports car series.
Magnussen had been running just outside of the top five when he changed from rain tires to slicks on Lap 59. Carving his way through the field, the Dane finally passed for the lead on Lap 67 of the 72-lap contest. One circuit after Magnussen made his change, the MSR team also decided to make the switch to slciks, allowing Frisselle to make a similar charge up to second.
Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Pruett and Max Papis combined to finish fifth in their #01 CompUSA Lexus. They led a race-high 25 laps before the rain arrived. The final result stopped a streak of five consecutive top-two finishes for the duo. Pruett and Papis maintain a 19-point lead in their quest for the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series championship. In addition, their #01 CompUSA Ganassi Racing Lexus entry remains in the top spot in the team standings by a similar margin with just four races remaining on the 2004 schedule.
The second Ganassi entry of Jimmy Morales and Luis Diaz didn’t fare as well in the #02 CompUSA Lexus. They suffered an off-track excursion early in the event and struggled to a 12th-place finish.
The first half of the race was run in dry conditions before the sky opened up and sent cars scurrying to the pits. The rain eventually cleared later in the race, but the racing line remained wet until the final few laps.
The Rolex Sports Car Series and the Lexus Daytona Prototype program return to action for the Miami 250 September 12 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, which can be seen live on SPEED at 1 p.m. The Homestead weekend also will feature the next round of the Grand-Am Cup, featuring the Team Lexus IS 300s.
August 13, 2004
RAINS WASH OUT WATKINS GLEN QUALIFYING; LEXUS ON POLE FOR SEVENTH TIME IN EIGHT RACES
Rain washed-out qualifying for Friday’s Grand-American Rolex Series Sahlen’s 200 at The Glen, but the starting grid will have a very familiar look with Max Papis and Scott Pruett’s CompUSA Lexus starting from the pole position for the seventh time in eight 2004 races. Due to the rain, the grid was based on Daytona Prototype team points with series co-leaders Papis and Pruett taking the honors.
The duo will be going for their second consecutive win following last weekend's victory at Mid-Ohio and their fourth win in the last four races. The pair also won earlier this year at Watkins Glen, but the June triumph came on the longer 3.4-mile course, while Friday’s race will take place on the 2.45-mile short course. Ironically, the earlier Watkins Glen race was the only event this season that Papis and Pruett haven’t started from the pole position.
The Ganassi drivers will have a pair of Lexus-powered cars joining them in the top-five with Michael Shank Racing’s Oswaldo Negri and Burt Frisselle starting fourth and Doran-Lista Racing’s Didier Theys and Jan Magnussen in the fifth position. Magnussen’s return should give the Doran-Lista team a boost this weekend as the team has been in contention in each of the three races he’s co-driven in this year with a second at Mont-Tremblant and a fifth at Watkins Glen. Friday’s race will mark his first time back in the car since six-hour race at Watkins Glen in June.
In addition to his Rolex Series efforts, Pruett will also be looking for his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory this weekend at Watkins Glen. He finished second in the race a year ago.
The Sahlen's 200 at The Glen takes the green flag shortly after NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying concludes on Friday. The race will feature same-day coverage on SPEED Channel beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
August 10, 2004
LEXUS LOOKS TO KEEP HOT STREAK INTACT AT WATKINS GLEN
With three wins in the last four races, the Lexus Grand-American Rolex Series program will be looking to maintain status quo at this weekend’s Sahlen’s 200 at Watkins Glen International.
The upcoming action will mark the series second race at Watkins Glen with the Lexus duo of Max Papis and Scott Pruett victorious in the first event – the Sahlens Six Hours back in June. Yet, the CompUSA Ganassi Racing pair won’t gain any advantage from the first trip as this weekend’s contest will be held on the circuit’s short course rather than the long course, which was run in June.
Then again, the series-leading pairing may not need any advantage as they arrive in upstate New York on the strength of a victory this past weekend at Mid-Ohio. In addition, they’ve registered three wins and a pair of seconds in their last five races. With that impressive stretch dating back to Phoenix in April, Papis and Pruett now hold a 22-point lead in the drivers championship.
Providing a potent one-two punch for the CompUSA Ganassi camp are Jimmy Morales and Luis Diaz in the #02 Lexus, who have notched two third-place finishes in the last three races.
Another formidable challenge should come from the Doran-Lista Racing team that will enjoy the return of team driver Jan Magnussen after two races away due to other commitments. While 22-year-old Ben Leuenberger did an able job as a substitute, Magnussen has established himself as one of the premiere sports car racers in the world. In three races with the team this season, Magnussen has helped co-drive to second (Mont-Tremblant) and fifth-place finishes (Watkins Glen). He also dueled Papis for the lead late in the race at Homestead only to see the two make contact and snatch away what appeared to be a certain victory for one of the Lexus-powered entries with just a handful of laps remaining.
After a stretch of six consecutive top-eight finishes, Michael Shank Racing will be looking to bounce back at “The Glen.” Team drivers Oswaldo Negri and Burt Frisselle co-drive to an eighth on the team’s trip to the Watkins Glen long course in June.
The Sahlens 200 will be run in conjunction with this weekend’s Nextel Cup event and is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start on Friday evening. SPEED will provide same-day coverage beginning at 10 p.m.
August 09, 2004
BELTERRA CASINO INDY 300 - Fast Facts
Aug. 15, 3:00 p.m. EDT on ABC
Kentucky Speedway
200 laps on the 1.5-mile oval for 300 miles
HORNISH JR. RETURNS TO DEFEND KENTUCKY TITLE – Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) will return to the site of his first win of the 2003 season at this weekend’s Belterra Casino Indy 300 at the Kentucky Speedway. The victory came in record fashion as the race set new IRL standards for the fastest race ever ran (197.897 mph – Hornish then established a new record later that year at the Toyota Indy 400 at Fontana), most consecutive green flag laps and most consecutive green flag laps to begin a race (146). In addition, the two-time IndyCar Series champion used the victory to catapult himself back into the championship hunt after beginning the event in seventh place and moving up to fifth with the triumph. Admidst the glory, thousands of Hornish Jr.’s fellow Ohioans crossed over the state line to cheer him to victory.
HORNISH JR. SURGING AGAIN – After early season struggles forced Sam Hornish Jr. to retire early in three consecutive races due to on-track incidents, the 25-year-old Defiance, Ohio native appears to be ready to duplicate his late-season surge from a year ago. Much like he did last year when he rebounded from ninth-place heading into Michigan to have a shot to win the series title in the season finale, Hornish has used a late July/early August run to put himself back into the 2004 championship hunt. With a second at Nashville, a third at Milwaukee and a fourth at Michigan in his last three races, he now sits in fifth place, just 13 points behind teammate Helio Castroneves who’s currently in fourth. Of the remaining six races on the schedule, Hornish won at three of the tracks (Kentucky, Chicago and Fontana) last season and placed second at a fourth (Nazareth).
KENTUCKY BUILT TOYOTAS – While the Toyota-powered IndyCars take to the Kentucky Speedway only once a year, there is Toyota activity going on in the Bluegrass State all-year round. Toyota’s North American Manufacturing headquarters are located approximately 30 minutes away from the Sparta track in Erlanger, Ky. Additionally, the auto-maker’s largest North American manufacturing facility, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky is located in Georgetown. Included among the makes built in Georgetown is American’s best-selling car, the Toyota Camry, as well as the Toyota Avalon.
CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE IN TOYOTA ATLANTIC – Just a month ago it seemed like 2002 series champion Jon Fogarty would run away with his second Toyota Atlantic Championship title in three years. Since that time, Scotsman Ryan Dalziel has won three of the last four races and has moved to within just six points in the title chase with only three races remaining. Dalziel, a protégé of IndyCar Series driver Dario Franchitti, won the most recent round from the pole this past weekend at Road America. With her eighth top-five finish in nine races this season, Danica Patrick remains third in the points battle, only 30 points behind Fogarty. The series resumes this weekend at the Denver Grand Prix.
LEXUS PROTOTYPES WIN THIRD RACE IN LAST FOUR – While the Ganassi Racing Toyota IndyCars were off last weekend, the Ganassi Lexus Daytona Prototypes were definitely on – with Max Papis and Scott Pruett combining to win their third race in the last four Grand-American Rolex Series events at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. With this victory, the Lexus-powered drivers have now extended their championship lead to 22 points with five races remaining on the 2004 schedule.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Kentucky
Car # Driver Car Season Points Standing
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 4th
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 5th (Won Homestead)
#1 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz/G-Force) 9th
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz/G-Force) 10th
#8 Scott Sharp Delphi Toyota (Dallara) 14th
#12 Tora Takagi Pioneer Toyota (Dallara) 15th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV Conseco Toyota (Dallara) 17th
“Quotes”
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “We made some progress with the engine at Michigan and hopefully that will pay off for us at Kentucky this weekend. The season hasn’t gone quite as we hoped, but there are six races remaining and we’ll keep working toward winning each of those races. You always have to keep moving forward in the IndyCar Series.”
August 07, 2004
CompUSA LEXUS DOMINATES MID-OHIO IN ROLEX SERIES WIN; LEXUS PUTS TWO ON PODIUM
In a dominating performance, the #01 CompUSA Lexus driven by Max Papis and Scott Pruett led all but a handful of the 95 race laps to win from the pole in Saturday’s Grand American Rolex Series’ EMCO Gears Road Racing Classic at Mid-Ohio on Saturday.
After winning the pole on Friday, Papis led the first 33 laps around the Ohio road course before giving up the lead shortly before the first round of pit stops. The Lexus-powered machine didn’t stay in second long, though, as five laps later, the CompUSA Ganassi Racing team won the race out of the pits. Included in the stop was a driver change and once Pruett emerged from the pit-lane with the lead, he would never relinquish the top spot again in winning the duo’s series-high third race of the season. The triumph marked the team’s fifth consecutive top-two finish.
The Pruett/Papis effort wasn’t the only highlight of the day for the CompUSA team. The Ganassi team car of Jimmy Morales and Luis Diaz placed third to give the squad and Lexus two cars on the post-race victory podium. The third matches the best finish of the season for Morales and Diaz.
The Lebanon, Ohio-based Doran-Lista Racing team made it three Lexus’ in the top-10 with a seventh-place finish by drivers Didier Theys and Ben Leuenberger.
Things didn’t go quite as well for Michael Shank Racing, the other Ohio-based Lexus squad. After running in the top three in the early going, the #6 Lexus went off track on Lap 44 and lost a number of laps. The team soldiered on and returned to finish 12th in class.
With the victory, Pruett and Papis have opened up a 23-point lead in the driver’s championship with just five races remaining. In addition, Lexus pulls within three points of the Manufacturer’s Championship lead in its first season of Daytona Prototype competition.
The Rolex Series returns to action next Friday at Watkins Glen International with The Glen 200. SPEED will provide same-day coverage beginning at 10 p.m.
August 06, 2004
PAPIS TAKES LEXUS’ SIXTH POLE IN SEVEN ROLEX SERIES RACES; THREE LEXUS IN TOP FIVE
With co-driver Scott Pruett absent while qualifying for Sunday’s Brickyard 400, teammate Max Papis didn’t skip a beat as he gave Lexus and the CompUSA Ganassi Racing team its sixth pole in seven Grand American Rolex Series races this season in preparation for Saturday’s EMCO Gears Mid-Ohio Road Racing Classic.
The pole marks the second time Papis has earned the top spot in qualifying this year as he set a new track record in the process. Papis and Pruett own an 11-point lead in the championship race heading into this weekend’s action.
“We are very, very pleased with the balance in our race car," Papis said. "We worked very hard on race setup, but we didn't work that hard with getting the best out of the car. We are pleased with how well we did in qualifying. We are pleased with both cars. With the (team's) No. 02 (car), Jimmy (Morales) is making a lot of progress. As usual, I think it's going to be a very close battle."
Among those making up that close battle will be local favorites, Michael Shank Racing (MSR). Competing an hour from the team’s shop in Columbus, Oswaldo Negri registered the fourth-fastest lap to qualify on the outside of Row 2. The #6 MSR Lexus also was second in Friday’s first practice session.
Rounding out the top five was the #02 CompUSA Lexus of Jimmy Morales and Luis Diaz – the Ganassi team car to the Papis/Pruett entry. The fifth-place qualifying effort marked the fifth time this season that the #02 has qualified in the top five.
Another other Ohio-based Lexus team, Doran-Lista Racing, registered an eighth today to make it four Lexus-powered entries in the first eight cars. Veteran road racing champion Didier Theys qualified the car and will team with 22-year-old Swiss driver Benjamin Leuenberger. Both regular team driver Fredy Lienhard and the team’s third driver, Jan Magnussen, had other commitments, but Magnussen will return to drive next weekend at Watkins Glen.
The EMCO Gears Mid-Ohio Road Racing Classic is tentatively scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start on Saturday, with SPEED’s tape-delayed coverage beginning while the event is still in progress at 8:00 p.m.
August 03, 2004
MID-OHIO MARKS A HOMECOMING FOR LEXUS TEAMS, DRIVERS
Summer always seems to be the time of year for family reunions and get-togethers. For two Ohio-based teams and a pair of drivers who help make up the Lexus Daytona Prototype sports car program, this weekend’s EMCO Gears Mid-Ohio Road Racing Classic may be the closest thing they’ll have this season for a homecoming.
After opening the season with races stretching from Daytona to Phoenix, and Quebec to Miami, for first-year sports car team Michael Shank Racing (MSR), Mid-Ohio doesn’t mark a return home as much as it does simply remaining at home. Based less than an hour away in Columbus, Ohio, the squad has established itself as a consistent contender in the first half of the season with six consecutive top-eight finishes including third place at Homestead with drivers Oswaldo Negri and Burt Frisselle.
MSR won’t be the only ones claiming the Mid-Ohio home-field advantage among the Lexus contingent. While not based quite as close to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, fellow Lexus-powered team Doran-Lista Racing hails from Lebanon, Ohio (just outside of Cincinnati). Like his fellow team owner Michael Shank, Doran-Lista’s Kevin Doran also is a life-long Ohioan. Unlike the newcomers from Columbus, Doran-Lista lists a sports car resume that can match almost any in the sport – including wins at the Daytona 24 Hours and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Not ones to rest on their laurels, driver Didier Theys has led the team to a pair of second-place finishes and been a consistent threat for the top spot on the podium. Theys will join with Ben Leuenberger this weekend in the cockpit of the #27 Lexus.
The ties that bind to Mid-Ohio run even deeper for the Lexus corps as series co-leaders Scott Pruett and Max Papis each used to call Columbus home during their Champ Car days. Pruett began his full-time open-wheel career driving for the Truesports team founded by the legendary Jim Trueman, whose family still owns Mid-Ohio today. Papis stint in Columbus came while driving for Trueman protégé and Indy star Bobby Rahal. In addition to driving for the local team, Papis also made his Champ Car debut at Mid-Ohio in 1996.
Of course, you might find a number of current Rolex Series competitors who wish both were still campaigning the open-wheelers as the Chip Ganassi Racing duo have driven their #01 CompUSA Lexus to a pair of wins (Mont-Tremblant and Watkins Glen) and two second-place finishes in their last four events to assume the top spot in the Daytona Prototype drivers championship. Pruett and Papis are just one-half of the Ganassi Racing Lexus stable as Jimmy Morales (currently seventh in points) will team with Luis Diaz in the #02 CompUSA Lexus.
The Mid-Ohio Grand Am is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start on Saturday evening. The race will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on SPEED later that night at 8 p.m.
August 01, 2004
HORNISH JR.’S FOURTH LEADS TOYOTA AT MICHIGAN
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) placed fourth to lead the Toyota contingent in today’s Michigan Indy 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. Former Toyota Atlantic champion Buddy Rice won his third race of the year as much of the field went into a fuel conservation mode to finish the 400-mile event.
- Today’s fourth-place finish is Sam Hornish Jr.’s fifth top-five finish of the season and gives him a second, a third and a fourth-place finish in his last three races. Today’s race also marks Hornish’s fourth top-five showing in the last six events.
- After registering his best qualifying performance of the year, reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon ran in the top-five for much of the latter part of the race. Dixon had climbed into third, but then was caught up behind a car that slowed quickly on the penultimate lap. The end result was a somewhat disappointing seventh-place finish for Dixon. To compound those woes, Target teammate Darren Manning was trapped in the bottleneck and appeared to make slight contact with Dixon. After consistently running in the top-five through the last half of the race, Manning was forced to retire in 13th place.
- Four Toyotas finished in the top-10 today, in addition to Hornish’s fourth and Dixon’s seventh, Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) earned his fourth top-10 placement of the season with a ninth. Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) finished 10th.
- Castroneves suffered through an up-and-down weekend. After qualifying on the outside of the front row on Saturday, he was placed at the back of the field after replacing his engine. He quickly regrouped during today’s race and climbed into the top-five. As he made a move to go into third-place, the car he was passing came down on him, forcing him down on the apron and bent Castroneves’ front wing. A lengthy pit-stop to replace the wing dropped him back into the field, but he came storming back into the top five during the last 40-lap run only to get shuffled back in a late-race incident to place 10th.
- Four Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top 10 in points. Helio Castroneves remains in fourth-place as the highest Toyota. His Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. is fifth, having closed the gap on Castroneves to just 13 points. Scott Dixon fell from seventh to ninth and Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Darren Manning is 10th.
Driver, Start/Finish
Sam Hornish 4/4
Scott Dixon 3/7
Scott Sharp 18/9
Helio Castroneves 21/10
Darren Manning 12/13
A.J. Foyt 16/15
Tora Takagi 20/20
Next Race: Belterra Casino Indy 300, Kentucky Speedway, Aug. 15, 3:30 p.m., ET, ABC