May 29, 2005
HORNISH’S DOMINANT RUN ENDS EARLY AT INDIANAPOLIS 500
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) dominated the first 60 percent of today’s 89th running of the Indianapolis 500 today as he led 77 of the first 119 laps for 172.5 miles before hitting the wall after getting in the gray to avoid contact with another car. Hornish earned the two bonus points for leading the most laps, but finished the day in a disappointing 23rd.
- Hornish’s teammate, Helio Castroneves, finished as the highest-placing Toyota in ninth with rookie Ryan Briscoe placing 10th. Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) ran in the top five, but struggled with suspension troubles after having contact with another car on an early re-start.
- Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) had a strong car and was running in the top 10 past the midway point before he was eliminated from contention when hit by another car while moving into eighth place on Lap 114.
- Ed Carpenter (Vision Racing) registered a very impressive 11th-place finish after starting 26th. Felipe Giaffone (A.J. Foyt Toyota) gained the most positions during the race, moving up 18 spots from 33rd to 15th after bumping his way into the field last Sunday.
- Toyota Atlantic Championship graduates led approximately 60 percent of the laps run today with Sam Hornish, Jr., Danica Patrick and race-winner Dan Wheldon all taking turns on the point.
- Winner Dan Wheldon becomes the second consecutive Toyota Atlantic grad to win the Indianapolis 500 after Buddy Rice was victorious last year. With Wheldon’s victory today, Toyota Atlantic grads have now won all five IndyCar Series races this season.
Driver, Start/Finish
Helio Castroneves 5/9
Ryan Briscoe 26/10
Ed Carpenter 26/11
Alex Barron 22/13
Felipe Giaffone 33/15
Jacques Lazier 27/16
Patrick Carpentier 25/21
Sam Hornish 2/23
Scott Dixon 13/24
Jeff Ward 30/27
A.J. Foyt IV 28/28
Darren Manning 19/29
Jimmy Kite 32/32
Larry Foyt 30/33
Quotes:
Sam Hornish, Jr. # 6 Marlboro Toyota: “I haven’t really seen a good replay, but from my opinion I got moved up into the gray. There was no contact. I avoided contact to try to keep us both from hitting the wall and got up into the gray.”
Next Race: Bombardier Learjet 500, June 11, ESPN
May 21, 2005
EIGHT MORE TOYOTAS ADDED TO FIELD FOR 89TH INDIANAPOLIS 500
- Ryan Briscoe led eight Toyota-powered drivers in qualifying for the 89th Indianapolis 500 today. Briscoe registered a four-lap qualifying average of more than 224 mph. The rookie becomes the third member of the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team to qualify for this year’s ‘500.”
- Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) became the second Toyota-powered rookie to make the field today with a four-lap average of more than 222 mph, including a first lap speed of more than 223 mph. Prior to a distinguished Champ Car career, Carpentier was the 1996 Toyota Atlantic Champion. A total of seven former Atlantic grads have qualified so far for this year’s race.
- Also making the field today were Ed Carpenter, Jacques Lazier, A.J. Foyt IV, Larry Foyt, Jeff Ward and Jimmy Kite.
- After earning his first-ever front row starting position last week, Sam Hornish Jr. will line-up as the top Toyota after registering a speed of more than 227.2 mph last weekend.
Toyota-powered drivers qualified for 2005 Indianapolis 500
Car # Driver Car Position
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 2nd
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 5th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 13th
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 19th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 22nd
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 24th
#25 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 25th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 26th
#21 Jaques Lazier Playa Del Racing Toyota (Panoz) 27th
#14 A.J. Foyt A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota (Dallara) 28th
#41 Larry Foyt A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota (Dallara) 30th
#22 Jeff Ward Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 31st
#91 Jimmy Kite Hemelgarn Racing Toyota (Dallara) 32nd
LEXUS PUTS TWO ON THE PODIUM AT MONT-TREMBLANT
Battling rain and treacherous conditions, both Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus-Riley entries fought their way onto the podium as Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner teamed to finish second, while Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz placed third at the 6 Heures du Circuit Mont-Tremblant Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series event on Saturday.
Starting from the pole, Pruett immediately moved the #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley into the lead amidst a heavy rain. He maintained the top spot until Johansson took over the point position on Lap 22. The New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley driver stayed in front until sliding off the wet track on Lap 39. Johansson recovered quickly and re-entered the track in fourth.
The #77 Crown Royal Special Reserve Lexus-Doran of Fabrizio Gollin and Matteo Bobbi also took a turn at the front of the pack. The Doran Racing drivers took the lead on Lap 77 and went on to open up a 21-second lead, finally giving up the lead on Lap 92 shortly before pitting. Unfortunately, after their pit stop, the #77 spun off track on Lap 98 resulting in a heavily-damaged right rear which would force them to retire prematurely with a 17th-place finish.
An intense three-car battle with 50 laps remaining between Johansson, Pruett and Christian Fittipaldi ended with Johansson regaining the lead on Lap 138, which he held until Lap 156.
After the final pit stops, Pruett climbed back into second place only to relinquish the position on Lap 180 of 188. He would eventually gain the position back only to see Johansson move past into second while Pruett was conserving fuel to make it to the finish.
The second-place finish was the best of the season for Johansson, Wagner and the New Century team, while the third-place showing allowed Pruett and Diaz to close within five points of the Rolex Series points lead after five of 14 races.
"It was a very eventful drive that's for sure," Johansson said. "After the big shunt I had in the lead, I thought the car would have been destroyed. I was just hanging on hoping that my legs were going to be all right. But those cars are incredibly durable. I just started it right back up, drove off, and believe it or not we didn't make one change to it after that. Toward the end we got into some contact with a few other cars which slowed our pace a bit. We were never able to fully recover to catch the leader."
Things didn’t go as well for Chris Bingham, Hugo and Jacques Guenette, who placed 14th in the DLGL Lexus Riley as the Guenettes served as the home-town favorites in their native Quebec.
Drivers Car Start/Finish
Johansson/Wagner New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley 4/2
Pruett/Diaz CompUSA Lexus Riley 1/3
Bingham/Guenette DLGL Lexus Riley 18/14
Bobbi/Gollin Crown Royal Special Doran Riley 5/17
May 20, 2005
ROUND AND ROUND THEY GO...
- For the second consecutive day on-track, Toyota-powered cars registered more than 1,000 trouble-free laps (1,053 laps for 2,632 miles) in preparation for the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29.
- Four different drivers logged more than 100 laps today, with Alex Barron (Red Bull Cheever) topping out with 123 laps (307 miles). Scott Dixon (Target Toyota - 112), Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota - 106) and Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota - 100) also ran at least 100 laps today as well.
- For the month, Toyota-powered cars have now run 11,755 miles without a single engine failure.
- Today marked the final full day of practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the final 11 spots of the 33-car field up for grabs in qualifying tomorrow with any potential bumps to come on Sunday.
At this point, eight Toyota-powered cars are still looking to make qualifying runs: Ryan Briscoe (Target Toyota), Jaques Lazier (Playa Del Racing Toyota), Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota), A.J. Foyt IV (ABC Supply Toyota), Larry Foyt (A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota), Jimmy Kite (Ethanol Toyota), Ed Carpenter (Vision Racing Toyota) and Jeff Ward (Vision Racing Toyota). Briscoe ran the fastest lap today among those Toyota drivers not yet qualified with a lap of more than 223.2 mph
PRUETT PUTS LEXUS ON POLE FOR FOURTH TIME IN ’05; COMPUSA LEXUS ON TOP AT MONT TREMBLANT
Defending series champion Scott Pruett put his #01 CompUSA Lexus Riley on the pole for Saturday’s 6 Heures du Circuit Mont Tremblant to give Lexus its fourth pole position in five races this season and the manufacturer’s 15th in 17 Rolex Sports Car Series races since entering the series in 2004.
The pole marks the third for the #01 car this season and gives the CompUSA Lexus team its 14th pole in 17 Grand Am starts.
While Pruett and co-driver Luis Diaz have the top spot for Saturday’s endurance run, they are just one of three Lexus-powered entries to earn top-five starting spots for the race. Ganassi Racing teammates Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner will start fourth in their #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley, while rookie Fabrizio Gollin captured the fifth starting position along with teammate Matteo Bobbi in the #77 Crown Royal Special Reserve Lexus-Doran in their first trip to the scenic Quebec road course.
Pruett not only is the series defending champion, but he’s also the defending race winner as he and then teammate Max Papis drove to the team and Lexus’ first Daytona Prototype victory from the pole a year ago at Mont Tremblant. In addition, the #77 Doran team placed second in last year’s Mont Tremblant six-hour event.
SPEED will provide live flag-to-flag coverage of Saturday’s six-hour race beginning at 11 a.m. EDT.
Quotes:
Scott Pruett, #01 CompUSA Lexus Riley: “I’m having a great time running the Daytona Prototypes,” This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I guess it just goes to show that I can still teach these young guys a lesson or two every now and then. The competition is tight in Grand American, and you really have to put down a fast lap when you are limited to 15 minutes of qualifying. I think we might have even left a bit on the table. I got slowed by traffic a few times toward the end, and then the car started to get loose and slide around. I’m totally confident in the guys for the race tomorrow. The CompUSA crew is known for solid, reliable pit stops and I can’t wait to go after it again.”
May 19, 2005
INDY RAIN DAY NOT AN OFF DAY FOR TOYOTA ENGINEERS
Rain at the speedway. Cars are safely in the garage, drivers are a scarce commodity and inevitably things slow to a snail’s pace – but not in the Toyota Racing Development (TRD), U.S.A. offices.
The engines aren’t running, but most of the 22 TRD engineers and track support staff on-site keep a hectic pace. Six engines have already been changed and with the prospect of losing a day of preparation, eight teams that have yet to qualify will see their focus revert back from race set-ups to making the show and are pondering decisions to change engines again to prepare for qualifying.
“With 13 cars running the Toyota Indy V8, we continuously have meetings going on throughout the day with team owners and managers to map out plans for scheduled engine changes to maximize on-track time,” said John Faivre, TRD’s IRL program manager. “We have a plan with each team for every engine we have in terms of when it goes into the car and how many miles to run, and with changing weather conditions, accidents, etc., those plans constantly need updating.”
Sounds simple, but with approximately 90 Toyota engines that are in use this month at the race track, logistics and planning are crucial.
Throughout the first five and a half days of practice and qualifying, Toyota engines have logged 9,122 miles in practice without a single engine failure and also helped Sam Hornish Jr. earn a starting spot on the middle of the front row. During Wednesday’s practice alone, Toyota-powered cars ran 1,071 laps for more than 2,600 miles keeping TRD’s staff on the go.
And busy TRD staffers also mean busy FedEx workers as engines are shipped back to the TRD facility in Costa Mesa, Calif., for rebuilds and likewise, engines are being shipped back to the Speedway on a daily basis.
While two days - Pole Day and then race day on May 29 – get most of the attention, for TRD, the ‘500’ began with arrival into Indianapolis on May 7 and won’t conclude until the 22-man staff departs on May 30. That’s 24 days of preparation and work days that normally begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 8 p.m. all with one goal in mind – winning the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500.
And should a Toyota-powered car win the ‘500’, how will they celebrate? With one day off before heading to Richmond for a June 2 test.
May 18, 2005
OPENING WEEK AT INDY NOT JUST ABOUT SPEED
- Mention the opening week of practice for the Indianapolis 500 and the first thing that comes to mind is preparation for Indy Pole Day and pure speed. And while speed was always in the forefront last week as a Toyota engine powered Sam Hornish Jr. to the middle of the front row, reliability was never compromised as Toyota-powered drivers ran 2,578 laps trouble-free laps in practice during the first week. That’s 6,445 miles without an engine failure – all at a time when speed was at a premium.
- Speedway veteran Jimmy Kite was named as the replacement today for the injured Paul Dana in the #91 Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing Toyota.
- Toyota-powered teams logged more than 1,071 laps today as the second week began and teams began sorting out race set-ups. All 13 Toyota-powered drivers took part today, including eight drivers who have yet to qualify for this year’s 89th running of the Indianapolis 500. Helio Castroneves, Patrick Carpentier and Alex Barron each registered more than 100 laps on-track today with Carpentier running more than 300 miles as he prepares for his first ‘500’. Castroneves turned the fastest lap by a Toyota at just under 226 mph.
Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota), Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota), Scott Dixon (Target Toyota), Darren Manning (Target Toyota) and Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) all qualified on the first weekend of qualifying.
- Those yet to qualify include Jaques Lazier (Playa Del Racing Toyota), Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota), who registered the fastest time today among those Toyota drivers not yet qualified with a lap of more than 222.4 mph, Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota), A.J. Foyt IV (ABC Supply Toyota), Larry Foyt (A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota), Jimmy Kite (Ethanol Toyota), Ed Carpenter (Vision Racing Toyota) and Jeff Ward (Vision Racing Toyota).
May 17, 2005
LEXUS GRAND-AM LOOKS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE VICTORY
A year ago, the Lexus Grand-Am teams went into the 6 Heures du Circuit Mont-Tremblant looking for its first-ever victory. My how things have changed in a year.
This year, Lexus and the #01 CompUSA Ganassi Racing team will look for their third consecutive 2005 win at the track where they earned their their first-ever Rolex Series victory on the way to the 2004 Grand-Am Drivers and Team championships.
Defending series champion Scott Pruett has teamed with co-driver Luis Diaz to win the two most recent events at Fontana and Laguna Seca. The two victories have allowed the duo to climb into second-place overall, just 10 points out of the top spot in the driver’s chase. Overall, Pruett and the team have registered six wins over the past season-and-a-half.
Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner combine to give the Ganassi squad a strong one-two punch in their #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley. Despite a 17th-place showing at Laguna Seca, they sit sixth overall and will look for their first Rolex Series triumph at Mont Tremblant.
Another fast duo looking for their first win at Mont-Tremblant are the pairing of Matteo Bobbi and Fabrizio Gollin in the #77 Crown Royal Special Reserve Lexus-Doran for Doran Racing. The Rolex Series rookies have qualified on the front row twice, but have yet to finish above fifth while placing 10th in points. The Doran team was second at the Quebec road course a year ago.
Chris Bingham will combine with the father/son team of Jacques and Hugo Guenette as CB Motorsports will make their third start in their DLGL Lexus Riley. The race will mark a homecoming for the Guenettes, who are natives of Quebec.
In addition to seven victories and 14 pole positions in 16 races since entering Daytona Prototype competition, Lexus also powered Scott Pruett and Max Papis to the 2004 series title and Ganassi Racing to last year’s Team championship.
Qualifying for the 6 Heures du Circuit Mont-Tremblant is set for Friday, May 20 at 3:15 p.m. (EDT). The green flag for the Saturday May 21 race is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. (EDT) with SPEED providing live coverage of the six-hour event.
May 15, 2005
HORNISH PUTS TOYOTA ON THE FRONT ROW FOR INDIANAPOLIS 500
- Sam Hornish Jr. qualified second to put his Marlboro Toyota on the front row for the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500, falling just short of earning Toyota’s second ‘500’ pole in the past three years. The front row start is the first for the two-time IndyCar Series champion at Indianapolis and surpasses his previous best Indy qualifying mark of seventh in 2001. Making the performance even more impressive was Hornish and the Penske’s team quick turnaround after a Friday incident that saw Hornish Jr. go airborne and flip over after running over debris from Paul Dana’s practice crash.
- Today’s qualifying performance also marks the third consecutive day of running that Sam Hornish Jr. has been the fastest Toyota on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track after leading the manufacturer’s contingent in practice on both Thursday and Friday.
- Helio Castroneves made it two Marlboro Toyota’s in the top five for Penske Racing with a fifth in qualifying today. The 2001 and 2002 Indianapolis 500 winner provided one of the most exciting moments of Pole Day as the team withdrew his fourth-fastest qualifying time just minutes before the track was to close to make one last valiant effort for the pole. Castroneves moved into the second position after his first lap, but couldn’t maintain that speed and slipped to fifth overall. The Brazilian was going for his second ‘500’ pole after earning the top spot in a similar daring move in blustery conditions in 2003.
- Overcoming a difficult week, Target Chip Ganassi Racing put two of its three Toyota-powered Target cars into the field today as 2003 IRL champion Scott Dixon placed 13th, while Darren Manning qualified 19th in his first run at the track since a hard crash on Thursday. The team did suffer one setback on the day, though, as rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) made contact with the wall on his second lap of his qualifying effort.
- Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) became the fifth Toyota-powered driver in this year’s field as he bumped his way into the field in the track’s first year of day-by-day bumping to place 22nd on the day.
- Eight Toyota-powered entries are expected to attempt to qualify next weekend.
Toyota-powered drivers, Indianapolis 500 Pole Day Qualifying
Car # Driver Car Position
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 2th
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 5th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 13th
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 19th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 22nd
May 13, 2005
HORNISH FOURTH IN RAIN-SHORTENED FAST FRIDAY BEFORE INDY POLE DAY
- For the second consecutive day, two-time IRL champion Sam Hornish Jr. was the fastest Toyota-powered driver in placing fourth overall in the final day of practice before Saturday’s Pole Day qualifying for the 89th Indianapolis 500. Hornish registered a lap of more than 226.7 mph. Unfortunately, just after running his fast lap, he ran over debris from fellow Toyota pilot Paul Dana’s crash and went airborne resulting in significant damage to his #6T Marlboro Toyota Dallara. Hornish wasn’t injured in the crash, but Dana was transported to Methodist Hospital where he was listed in good condition after sustaining a spinal fracture and concussion.
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) made it two Toyota-powered cars in the top six today as he placed sixth on the day. It marks the second time in four days that Castroneves has placed in the top six after a third on the first full day of practice on Tuesday.
- Rains moved in shortly after Dana’s practice crash and the track never went back to green resulting in approximately four valuable hours lost today. Toyota-powered drivers registered just 202 laps today after running a week-long high of 770 laps on Thursday.
Toyota-powered drivers, Day 3 Practice for the Indianapolis 500
Car # Driver Car Position
#6T Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 4th
#3T Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 6th
#33T Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 11th
#9T Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 12th
#10T Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 13th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 17th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 18th
#48 Larry Foyt A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota (Panoz) 19th
#20T Jeff Ward Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 20th
#91 Paul Dana Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
#21 Jaques Lazier Playa DEL Racing Toyota (Panoz) 23rd
Quotable
SCOTT DIXON, #9 Target Toyota: “It’s been a productive week and the atmosphere has been more fun too. I think because there seems to be a lot more people this year probably because they are more excited with format in general. It will certainly make this weekend more intense. Hard to tell where we were at today as we found ourselves chasing the track a bit. We did make some really good gains this week, and the car is really decent. All three of the Target cars are pretty even so we do expect to make the top 11 in qualifying tomorrow. I think we’ll see the top speed in the mid-227 mph range.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, #3 Marlboro Toyota: “Our time was improving, and we were looking forward to continue working on our qualifying setup this afternoon. It is too bad the rain shortened the day. Hopefully tomorrow the weather will be clear and we will be able to put the Marlboro Team Penske car in the show.”
LARRY FOYT, #48 A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota: “We’re going in the right direction, but we were pretty far off on the setup when we started. We’re gaining on it, and we have a long way to go but the good thing is that all the changes were the right changes.”
DARREN MANNING, #10 Target Toyota: “Well the weather buggered us a bit today as I was hoping to run later in the afternoon. Losing the #10T Target Toyota back-up car in the accident on Thursday was a small setback, but we’ve gotten a lot of good work done and we’re looking forward to qualifying. With the new format it certainly will make things interesting for all involved.”
RYAN BRISCOE, #33 Target Toyota: “It’s been a really good week. You can really feel the build up this week. It’s been fun to get to know the history of this place, meet some of the interesting characters and fans and hear the stories associated with this race. On track, the Target team has done a lot of work fine tuning the car for qualifying. I feel really confident with the car. I got to test it in all kinds of different conditions; hot, cool, wind coming at various directions and intensities. I certainly learned a lot, and it’s great to get all the time to test on the oval. I feel like I have a lot of the tools now to be much more comfortable out there. Working with Arie Luyendyk has given me lots of valuable information and has had the effect of keeping everyone on the crew a little more relaxed. The only expectations I have for qualifying is to exercise patience while waiting to qualifying, and maybe re-qualify, and then on track be smooth and fast. I’m confident that Toyota will provide us with a good engine so we just have to go out there and get the job done.”
ALEX BARRON, #51 Red Bull Toyota: “We got out there early and got some quality laps in. I felt like we were heading in the right direction, but we weren’t able to really tell because of the rain. We’re going to make some additional adjustments to the car tonight so we’re ready for qualifying tomorrow.”
PATRICK CARPENTIER, #83 Red Bull Toyota: “It was a difficult day because we weren’t able to determine whether the adjustments we made have us going in the right direction. We’re just going to have to get the cars ready for qualifications, and hope the work we’ve been doing pays off.”
SAM HORNISH JR., #6 Marlboro Toyota: I came around the corner there, saw the yellow, I was on the brakes, trying to slow down. One of the half-shafts came out of Paul’s (Dana) car and was cart-wheeling down the track. I thought, ‘That’s going to hurt a lot worse if I hit that,’ because you clip the bottom of that you don’t know which direction it’s going to go. It’s a long piece of steel rod that’s going to come back into the cockpit, so I thought I’ll go over there and as soon as I look over I thought, ‘Well, I’d better center that (piece of debris), whatever it is, and I hit it. I thought, ‘That’s going to tear up the bottom of the car,’ and I hit it, but I hit it hard enough that it shook my head so I was looking down, and I thought, ‘That’s going to hurt the car.’ Then I looked up and all I could see was the fence, so then I was like, ‘Maybe the car’s not that big of a deal right now.’ Definitely the wildest ride that I can say I’ve ever taken in one of these cars, but probably the least amount of injury you can have, too.”
May 12, 2005
HORNISH THIRD DIFFERENT DRIVER TO LOG TOP TOYOTA TIME IN INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE
- Two-time IRL champion Sam Hornish Jr. became the third different driver to register the fastest time among the Toyota-powered drivers as he placed seventh overall in preparation for the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500. Hornish lapped at more than 226.7 mph while running alone during the afternoon. He did not take part in the late Happy Hour runs. Helio Castroneves was the top Toyota-powered driver on Tuesday, while Scott Dixon took those honors on Wednesday.
- After placing third yesterday, 2003 IRL champion Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) had another strong run today while logging the ninth-fastest time overall.
- Larry Foyt (A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota) ran his first laps of the month today. While preparing for his second Indianapolis 500, Foyt has been in attendance at every ‘500’ since his birth.
- Today’s practice session marked the first time during the month of May that all 13 Toyota-powered cars ran on the same day. In total, Toyota-powered drivers registered a week-long high of 770 laps – 263 higher than the previous high total of 507 set on Tuesday.
Toyota-powered drivers, Day 3 Practice for the Indianapolis 500
Car # Driver Car Position
#6T Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 7th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 9th
#10T Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 13th
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 15th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 18th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 21st
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 23rd
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 24th
#21 Jaques Lazier Playa DEL Racing Toyota (Panoz) 25th
#20T Jeff Ward Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 26th
#91 Paul Dana Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 27th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV ABC Supply Toyota (Dallara) 28th
#48 Larry Foyt A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota (Panoz) 30th
Quotable
Scott Dixon, #9 Target Toyota: “We didn’t do a lot running today but we did trim out the #9 Target Toyota a bit more and it was pretty quick on its own. We’re working on getting a bit more stability in the rear on entry to the turns. We found some positive things today that we’ll test out tomorrow.”
May 11, 2005
DIXON TOP TOYOTA IN WEDNESDAY’S INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE
- Scott Dixon, the 2003 IndyCar Series champion, registered a lap of more than 226 mph in his Target Toyota to place third overall as the highest Toyota during Wednesday’s practice in preparation for Saturday’s pole qualifying for the 2005 Indianapolis 500.
- After placing seventh yesterday, rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) lost some track time today when his #33T Dallara was damaged while running over debris from Buddy Rice’s crash early in today’s practice session. Briscoe was able to climb into his #33 car and log enough laps to place 19th overall on the day.
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) was sixth overall until today’s “Happy Hour,” after the team decided against running during the last hour of today’s practice.
- After missing the past two days of practice due to illness, rookie Paul Dana (Ethanol Toyota) made it back on the track today and placed 26th in his first full practice day at the Speedway.
- After registering 507 laps in Tuesday’s practice, Toyota-powered cars logged 498 laps in practice today for a two-day total of 1,005.
- Nine Toyota Atlantic Championship graduates participated in practice today including Danica Patrick, Daniel Wheldon, Sam Hornish, Jr., Buddy Rice, Alex Barron, Patrick Carpentier, Roger Yasukawa and Richie Hearn. Three of the nine, Patrick, Wheldon and Hearn, placed in the top-seven overall.
Toyota-powered drivers, Day 2 Practice for the Indianapolis 500
Car # Driver Car Position
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 3rd
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 13th
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 15th
#10T Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 16th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 19th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 23rd
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 24th
#21 Jaques Lazier Playa DEL Racing Toyota (Panoz) 25th
#91 Paul Dana Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 26th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 27th
#22 Jeff Ward Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 28th
May 10, 2005
CASTRONEVES LEADS TOYOTA ON FIRST FULL DAY OF INDY 500 PRACTICE
- Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) led the Toyota-powered contingent on the first full day of practice for the 2005 Indianapolis 500 today with a lap in excess of 226 mph to place third overall among the 38 cars that took to the track today.
- Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) registered an impressive seventh overall as the top rookie. Briscoe was the first driver to exceed 225 mph and was the fastest of the day until “Happy Hour.”
- Darren Manning (Target Toyota) and Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) made it four Toyota-powered cars under last year’s pole time as each lapped at more than 222 mph.
- Rookies Paul Dana (Ethanol Toyota) and Scott Mayer (ABC Supply Toyota) did not run today.
- Toyota-powered cars logged 507 laps in practice today.
Toyota-powered drivers, Day 1 Practice for the Indianapolis 500
Car # Driver Car Position
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 3rd
#33T Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 7th
#10T Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 17th
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 20th
#6T Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 27th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 28th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 29th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 30th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 32nd
#83T Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 33rd
#51T Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 35th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 36th
#21 Jeff Ward Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 38th
May 09, 2005
FAST FACTS - Indianapolis 500
May 29, Noon EDT on ABC
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
200 laps of 2.5 mile oval for 500 miles
FIVE INDY-WINNING TEAMS LEAD TOYOTA ‘500’ CHARGE – No less than five Indianapolis 500-winning teams will use Toyota power at this year’s Indianapolis 500. With victories in three of the last four Indianapolis 500s, Marlboro Team Penske will lead the Toyota charge. They are joined by fellow Indy winners Target Chip Ganassi Racing (Juan Montoya in 2000), A.J. Foyt Enterprises (Kenny Brack in 1999), Red Bull Cheever Racing (Eddie Cheever in 1997) and Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing (Buddy Lazier in 1996) to give Toyota seven of the past nine Indianapolis 500-winning teams.
TOYOTA AT INDY – This year’s Indianapolis 500 will mark Toyota’s third appearance at the fabled Brickyard. The manufacturer won its first-ever attempt at Indy when Gil de Ferran led a Toyota one-two finish in 2003. In addition to the top two finishers, Toyota powered six of the top seven in 2003. In Toyota. Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) was the highest-finishing Toyota last season with an eighth-place effort in an event that saw five Toyota-powered cars eliminated by early accidents.
THE HUNT FOR A THIRD 500 – Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) will attempt to become just the eighth three-time winner in Indianapolis 500 history this month. Castroneves won the race in 2001 and 2002 and placed second in 2003. He also won the pole in 2003. He can join A.J. Foyt (four), Rick Mears (four), Al Unser (four), Louis Meyer (three), Johnny Rutherford (three), Wilbur Shaw (three) and Bobby Unser (three) by winning a third Indy title.
Castroneves’ chances should be enhanced by driving for Marlboro Team Penske. Roger Penske’s squad has won three of the last four ‘500s’ and has a record 13 overall Indianapolis 500 victories.
INDY NEWCOMERS – Four Toyota-powered drivers will be making their first Indianapolis 500 run this year. Patrick Carpentier, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Mayer and Paul Dana all will be looking to earn this year’s Rookie-of-the-Year honors. Current Toyota veterans Alex Barron (2002), Helio Castroneves (2001) and Jeff Ward (1997) all previously won Speedway Rookie of the Year honors. In addition, Tora Takagi won the rookie award in 2003 with Toyota.
TOYOTA SET TO POWER AN ALL-TIME HIGH – A record 14 Toyota-powered cars are entered in this year’s Indianapolis 500. In addition to the 10 entries that campaign the full IndyCar Series schedule, Toyota-powered entries have been filed by A.J. Foyt Enterprises for Scott Mayer and Larry Foyt, Vision Racing for Jeff Ward and Playa Del Racing for Jaques Lazier.
STEADY AS HE GOES – Darren Manning (Target Toyota) is one of just three drivers in the series to finish in the top 10 in each of the season’s first four races. Manning has finished sixth at Homestead, eighth at Phoenix, ninth at St. Petersburg and eighth at Motegi.
FOUR TOYOTA-POWERED DRIVERS RANK IN TOP 10 IN POINTS – Four Toyota-powered drivers currently rank in the top-10 in the IndyCar Series points race. Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) is the highest-Toyota-powered driver in third. He’s followed by Penske teammate Helio Castroneves in fifth, Darren Manning in seventh and Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) in 10th.
TOYOTA ATLANTIC GRADS OFF TO A FAST START – Toyota Atlantic Championship graduates have swept all four of the season’s first IndyCar Series events heading into the Indianapolis 500. Dan Wheldon, the 2000 TAC series runner-up, has earned victories at Homestead, St. Petersburg and Motegi, while 1999 Atlantic Rookie of the Year Sam Hornish Jr. registered the win at Phoenix.
Wheldon currently leads the IRL point standings while Hornish is third. They are joined by former Toyota Atlantic champions Patrick Carpentier (1996), who is 10th in points, and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice (2000), who is currently in 11th place.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Indianapolis 500
Car # Driver Car Current Point Standing (wins)
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 3rd (Phoenix)
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 5th
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 7th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 10th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 14th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 15th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 16th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Pioneer/Target Toyota (Panoz) 18th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 20th
#91 Paul Dana Ethanol Toyota 22nd
#21 Jacques Lazier Playa Del Racing Toyota (Panoz) 1st 2005 start
#22 Jeff Ward Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 1st 2005 start
#41 Scott Mayer ABC Supply Toyota (Dallara) 1st 2005 start
#48 Larry Foyt A.J. Foyt Racing Toyota 1st 2005 start
May 01, 2005
PRUETT/DIAZ GIVE LEXUS SECOND STRAIGHT ROLEX SERIES WIN
Scott Pruett took the lead with 50 minutes to go and never relinquished the top spot as he and co-driver Luis Diaz won the Road and Track 250 at Laguna Seca to give Lexus its second consecutive Rolex Sports Car Series victory Sunday.
After qualifying third, Diaz ran solidly in the top five before turning the car over to Pruett on Lap 26. After falling back to eighth during the pit stop, the reigning series champion then maneuvered through the field before finally passing Butch Leitzinger for the lead on Lap 69 of the 97-lap race on the way to the victory.
The win was the second of the season and the sixth in 17 Rolex Series races for the #01 CompUSA Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley. In addition, it was Lexus’ seventh win in a season and a half of Grand American competition.
The #60 MatlinPatterson Asset Management Lexus-Riley of Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson started from the pole position and held the lead for the first five laps before getting caught up in slower traffic, which shuffled the Michael Shank Racing entry back to sixth. An inopportune yellow dropped the car a lap down, but Patterson and Negri fought their way back on to the lead lap on the way to a ninth-place finish.
It was a roller-coaster day for Doran Racing’s Matteo Bobbi and Fabrizio Gollin in the #77 Crown Royal Special Reserve Lexus Doran. After a solid eighth-place showing in qualifying, Bobbi moved the car into the top five. The outlook for the day turned sour on Lap 46, though, when contact was made with the #10 car driven by Max Angelelli. Race officials ruled that the contact between the two cars was avoidable by both drivers and each was given a drive-through penalty, effectively taking the #77 out of contention on the way to an 11th-place finish.
Things didn’t go as well for the remaining two Lexus-powered entries. Stefan Johansson qualified the New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley fourth and moved up to second on Lap 6, but a punctured tire resulted in an un-scheduled pit stop on Lap 17 and dropped the Johansson/Cort Wagner mount a lap down. They would eventually place 17th. The DLGL Lexus Riley entry of Chris Bingham and Hugo Guenette rounded out the Lexus contingent with a 20th-place finish.
After four consecutive sprint races, the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Lexus Daytona Prototype program will return to action May 21 for the 6 Hours of Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada. Live SPEED coverage will begin at 11 a.m. EDT.
Drivers Car Start/Finish
Pruett/Diaz CompUSA Lexus Riley 3/1
Negri/Patterson MatlinPatterson Lexus Riley 1/9
Bobbi/Gollin Crown Royal Special Doran Riley 8/11
Johansson/Wagner New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley 4/17
Bingham/Guenette DLGL Lexus Riley 17/20
Quotes:
Scott Pruett, #01 CompUSA Lexus Riley: “It was just an awesome day for the CompUSA team and Lexus. To get two straight wins in this series is an accomplishment in itself. I just hate it for the fans though. I was hoping for a green-white-checkered for all the people that showed up to see a great race today. This one had it all. A little bit of everything. Hopefully it was as fun to watch as it was to drive in. Luis did a fantastic job again today, getting the car to me in one piece and working his way through traffic. You had to be aggressive out there, but also be aware of going three and four-wide at times. I guess the cream of the crop rises to the top, and that’s how it unfolded.”
Luis Diaz, #01 CompUSA Lexus Riley: “The entire team put together a great race. Scott fought hard all day and we were able to do it again in California (after winning the most recent event at the California Speedway). It’s my job to get things going and turn the car over to Scott to close it out, and I think we combined to do that today.”
Oswaldo Negri, #60 MatlinPatterson Lexus Riley: “Mark did a great job when he took the car over, and I am really happy for him here today. Of course, the Michael Shank Racing guys did another outstanding job and it was great to be working with the Lexus guys again, so I am pretty pleased. Our hope this weekend was to finish the race in the top 10, and to have got the pole yesterday was very special, so overall it was a good weekend for all of us.”
Mark Patterson, #60 MatlinPatterson Lexus Riley: “What a thrill! It was so competitive out there and everybody was just driving ‘elbows up’ fighting for every inch of track and it was pretty much full contact. But it was a great race and the dedication of this Michael Shank Racing team is just amazing and to get a top 10 in our first start is really something else, because we saw how easy it was to get into trouble with other cars, so to get out of here with the race car in one piece and get a solid finish - it was a good weekend for us.”
Stefan Johansson, #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley: “We had another rough day for some reason. The car was fast and performing quite well. The tire that was going down early in the race really hurt us though. I’m not sure what happened exactly, but the guys did a good job on pit stops all day and we gave it our best shot.”
Cort Wagner, #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley: “Mechanical gremlins got to us again. I guess you can say it’s another victory left behind for us. We were very strong all weekend and Stefan got us in a great position to contend from the start. This New Century team will not get down though. We’ll continue to fight and we’ll get the results. It’s just a matter of time.”