July 31, 2005
PRUETT/DIAZ LEAD LEXUS AT BARBER
Despite battling heavy traffic, a slick race track and late rains, Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz combined for a fourth-place finish to lead Lexus in Sunday’s Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series race at the Barber Motorsports Park.
The hard fought fourth-place result marks the sixth top-five finish in eight races this season for the #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley.
“All I can say is that we gave it all we had today,” said Pruett. “We played the hand we were dealt, battled the changing weather conditions and managed to come out with a top-five. We lost a little ground in the championship with the #10 car winning the race, so hopefully we’ll be better at Watkins Glen.”
The day proved to be just as difficult for their Ganassi Racing teammates Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner, who brought their #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley home in seventh-place after qualifying 11th on Saturday.
“By the end of the race the car just wasn’t handling correctly, and it became extremely difficult to turn into the corners,” said Johansson in earning the team’s sixth top-10 finish of the campaign. “It was a very difficult weekend for us to be perfectly honest. And we capped it off by having a tough race.”
Despite the tough sledding, both Lexus-powered Ganassi entries ran in the top three in the second half of today’s caution-flag marred race.
The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series continues Aug. 12 with the CompUSA 200 at Watkins Glen International to be run in conjunction with the Nextel Cup series. The 200-mile event is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EDT with same day coverage to be shown at 8:00 p.m. that evening on SPEED.
Drivers Car Start/Finish
Pruett/Diaz CompUSA Lexus Riley 7/4
Johansson/Wagner New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley 11/7
HORNISH’S FIFTH PACES TOYOTA AT MICHIGAN
Sam Hornish Jr. (Penske Toyota) quickly moved up into the top-five in the first 15 laps today and proceeded to run in the top five throughout the day on his way to a fifth-place finish at Sunday’s Firestone Indy 400 at the Michigan International Speedway to move into sole possession of second-place in the IndyCar Series.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s fifth-place finish marks his sixth top-five finish and seventh top-10 performance of the season.
- Sam Hornish Jr. led six laps today to increase his series record total to 2,343 laps led.
- Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) earned his seventh top-10 finish of the season with a ninth showing today. It’s Carpentier’s fourth top-seven finish in the last five races. Carpentier also led his third race of the season when he took over the lead for a brief stint. Carpentier also continues to lead the IRL in laps led this season.
- Rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Toyota) secured his third top-10 finish of the season today with a 10th-place showing in his first-ever race at MIS.
- Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top-10 in the IRL IndyCar Series point standings. Sam Hornish Jr. is currently in second-place. Helio Castroneves drops to sixth-place, while Patrick Carpentier remains in 10th, but is now just eight points out of ninth.
Driver, Start/Finish
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 13/5
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 19/9
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 17/10
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 20/11
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 22/12
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 21/13
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) 15/17
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 4/19
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 16/21
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 23/23
Next Race: Amber Alert Portal Indy 300, Kentucky Speedway , Aug. 14, 3:30 p.m. EDT - ABC
July 30, 2005
DIXON PACES TOYOTA IN MICHIGAN QUALIFYING
Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) qualified a season-best fourth today to lead the Toyota-powered contingent in qualifying for Sunday’s Firestone Indy 400 at the Michigan International Speedway.
- Scott Dixon’s fourth today betters his previous season-high qualifying effort of seventh at Kansas. Dixon has five career pole positions – all coming in 2003.
- Jaques Lazier was named to replace Darren Manning in the #10 Target Toyota for Target Chip Ganassi Racing this weekend. Lazier was on pace for a top-10 lead lap finish at Indianapolis before hitting debris in a late-race incident involving Danica Patrick in his only previous start this season. Lazier qualified 15th today.
- Sunday’s Firestone Indy 400 will be televised live on ABC beginning at 3:00 p.m. EDT
Car # Driver Car Qualifying
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 4th
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 13th
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) 15th
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 16th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 17th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 20th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 21st
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 23rd
July 26, 2005
LEXUS LOOKS TO GET BACK ON TRACK AT BARBER
Following a program record three races without a victory, Lexus looks to get back on the winning track as the Rolex Sports Car Series heads to the Barber Motorsports Park 250, in Birmingham, Alabama Sunday, July 31.
After moving into a tie for the series points lead after Watkins Glen, Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz slipped back to second after a sixth-place finish at Daytona. The Ganassi Racing pair will look for their third win of the season this weekend in their #01 CompUSA Lexus. They previously won at Fontana and Laguna Seca.
For the season, Pruett and Diaz have finished seventh or better in each of the seven races run to date, including four podium finishes (thirds at Mont-Tremblant and Watkins Glen along with the victories). They also have a fifth-place showing at Homestead to their credit.
While Pruett and Diaz have a couple of wins to their credit this year, their teammates Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner in the #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus seem to have done everything but win. The first-year duo has qualified up front – sitting on the front row at Daytona as one of five top-four qualifying efforts, led laps and finished second at Mont-Tremblant, but they have yet to corral that break-through first victory.
Overall, Johansson and Wagner have three top-five finishes and five top-seven showings to place them fifth overall in the championship hunt.
A new full-time addition to the Lexus camp will join the series after the Barber event as Michael Shank Racing will field a Lexus-powered Riley for Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson for the remainder of the season beginning at Mid-Ohio. The team ran the same combination earlier this year at Laguna Seca with Negri capturing his first Daytona Prototype pole position.
Lexus-powered Daytona Prototypes have won seven races and registered 14 pole positions in 19 Rolex Series events to date.
Qualifying for the Barber 250 is scheduled for 1:50 p.m. EDT Saturday, July 30. Sunday’s race will get the green flag at 1:00 p.m. with SPEED providing live flag-to-flag coverage. The Rolex Sports Car Series event is planned for 250 miles or 109 laps on the 2.3-mile natural terrain road course with a time limit of two hours, 45 minutes.
FAST FACTS - MICHIGAN INDY 400
July 31, 3:00 p.m. EDT on ABC
Michigan International Speedway
200 Laps/400 miles on D-shaped oval
Race #11 of 17
MICHIGAN MEMORIES – The Michigan International Speedway has provided two of Toyota’s most memorable open-wheel victories. In 2000, Juan Montoya scored Toyota’s first-ever 500-mile victory in a Target Toyota after dueling over the final 20 laps with Michael Andretti in what many consider to be one of the greatest open-wheel races of all-time.
Three years later, Alex Barron claimed another memorable Toyota victory at MIS. While running in the top five, Barron touched wheels with Tomas Scheckter coming out of Turn 4 on Lap 165, causing Barron to spin. The Californian managed to keep the car off the wall and continued on without losing a lap. After re-starting in sixth position, he climbed up through the field and waged a classic battle with Sam Hornish Jr. over the final 10 laps – trading the lead five times. On the final lap, Barron surged ahead coming out of Turn 4 to win by the slimmest of margins, just 0.0121 seconds.
BULLISH ON MICHIGAN – Alex Barron isn’t the only member of his team to leave Michigan victorious, as both his teammate Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) and his Red Bull Cheever Racing team have won on the two-mile superspeedway.
Carpentier earned his first-ever Champ Car win on the MIS track in 2001. Just as Barron did, the French Canadian took the lead coming off Turn 4 on the race’s final lap to edge Dario Franchitti. As of late, the first-year IRL driver has earned three top-seven finishes in the last four races including two podium finishes. With his strong run, he has moved back into the top 10 in points and is currently 14 points out of seventh-place.
Rounding out the triumvirate, Red Bull Cheever Racing was triumphant at Michigan in 2002 as Tomas Scheckter led a Red Bull one-two finish along with teammate Buddy Rice. The team enters this weekend’s event on a high note as both team cars finished in the top eight at Milwaukee.
GOING UP – With his victory this past weekend at Milwaukee, Sam Hornish, Jr. (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) has now finished first or second in five of the 10 IndyCar Series events run this season. With the strong showing, the two-time IRL champion has climbed into second-place in points just 68 points behind series leader and fellow former Toyota Atlantic graduate Dan Wheldon. What makes Hornish’s climb in the points even more amazing is that he’s finished just six of the 10 races this season after a string of early season DNFs (did not finish). He was involved in unfortunate incidents at St. Petersburg, Indy and Richmond and suffered a gearbox failure at Motegi. Hornish Jr. is expected to have a large fan following this weekend as the MIS track is approximately 70 miles away from his hometown of Defiance, Ohio.
TOYOTA DRIVERS IN THE POINTS – While Sam Hornish Jr. enters this weekend’s event in second-place in the points chase, two other Toyota-powered drivers also currently sit in the top-10 overall. Marlboro Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves is fifth in points and Patrick Carpentier is 10th.
MIS NEWCOMERS – Both former Toyota F1 test driver Ryan Briscoe (Target Toyota) and veteran Jimmy Kite (Ethanol Toyota) are scheduled to make their first appearances at MIS in an Indy car.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Michigan
Car # Driver Car Current Point Standings (wins)
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2th (Phoenix, Milwaukee)
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 5th (Richmond)
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 10th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 12th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 15th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Pioneer/Target Toyota (Panoz) 17th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 18th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
July 24, 2005
HORNISH JR. WINS THRILLER AT MILWAUKEE MILE
After dominating the first half of the race, Sam Hornish Jr. (Penske Toyota) fell back to as far as fifth on Lap 170 and then climbed through the field, passing for the lead not once, but twice in the race’s final 15 laps to win Sunday’s ABC Supply A.J. Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile.
- Today’s victory is the third for Toyota this season and the manufacturer’s 16th in 42 IndyCar Series events. Toyota also scored 21 CART victories for a total of 37 major open-wheel racing victories over the past five-plus seasons.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s win is his second of the season and an IndyCar Series record 14th career victory. It also marks his third victory with Marlboro Team Penske and Toyota. Hornish Jr. now has two wins and a second in four short ovals this season. The Ohio native has placed in the top two in five of 10 2005 IndyCar Series events with wins at Phoenix and Milwaukee and second-place finishes at Homestead, Texas and Nashville.
- Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) earned his sixth top-10 finish of the season with a seventh-place showing today. It’s Carpentier’s third top-seven finish in the last four races and closes him to within just 14 points of seventh-place in the points chase.
- With a strong eighth-place finish, Alex Barron gave Red Bull Cheever Racing two cars in the top eight today.
- Helio Castroneves ran in the top five throughout today’s race before touching wheels with teammate Sam Hornish Jr. and hitting the wall while running fourth late in the race.
- Ed Carpenter (Vision Racing Toyota) followed up on a top-10 finish last week with a solid 12th-place finish today.
- After 10 races, Sam Hornish Jr. has climbed into second-place in the IndyCar point standings. Helio Castroneves dropped to fifth after today’s 16th-place finish, while Patrick Carpentier remains in 10th.
Driver, Start/Finish
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 1/1
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 14/7
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 7/8
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 16/12
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 18/13
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 17/14
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2/16
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 21/20
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 19/21
Next Race: Firestone Indy 400, Michigan International Speedway , July 31, 3:00 p.m. EDT - ABC
July 23, 2005
TOYOTA SWEEPS FRONT ROW AT MILWAUKEE
Sam Hornish Jr. and Marlboro Team Penske Racing teammate Helio Castroneves qualified first and second to make up an all-Toyota front row for tomorrow’s ABC Supply A.J. Foyt 225. It’s the second time that Toyota has swept the front row this season after capturing the top four spots in qualifying at Richmond.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s pole position is the third for Toyota this season and the manufacturer’s 19th in IndyCar Series competition. The pole is the first for a Toyota-powered car at Milwaukee since Juan Montoya won the pole here in CART competition in 2001.
- The pole is the sixth for Sam Hornish Jr. during his IndyCar Series career (he also has started first on two other occasions due to rain wiping out qualifying) and his third of the season after logging the fastest qualifying speeds at Motegi and Richmond earlier this year.
- Sam Hornish Jr. will be looking for his looking for his second short oval win of the season after coming out victorious at Phoenix in March. He also placed second at Nashville and was running second at Richmond when he made contact with the wall.
- Helio Castroneves’ front-row start is his third of the season – after qualifying second at both St. Petersburg and Richmond. He has finished in the top five in each of the three short oval races this season with a win at Richmond, second at Phoenix and a fifth at Nashville.
- Marlboro Team Penske heads into tomorrow’s ABC Supply A.J. Foyt 225 with two wins and a pair of seconds in the three short oval races this season.
- Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) earned his top qualifying effort of the season with a strong seventh place showing today.
- Ryan Briscoe (Target Toyota) was cleared to drive after a morning practice accident, but has been withdrawn from the weekend’s action.
Car # Driver Car Qualifying
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 1st
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2nd
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 7th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 14th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 16th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 17th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 18th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 21st
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) Withdrew
July 22, 2005
CASTRONEVES’ TOYOTA TOPS MILWAUKEE CHARTS
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) registered the fastest practice lap in preparation for Sunday’s ABC Supply A.J. Foyt 225 at the Milwaukee Mile. Castroneves was the only driver to record a lap of under 22 seconds with a top lap of 166. 293 mph. In addition to notching the day’s fastest time in today’s second practice session, Castroneves also had the third-quickest time in the morning.
- Overall, three Toyota drivers finished the day in the top eight overall as Castroneves’ Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) placed fifth and Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Darren Manning was eighth.
- The ABC Supply A.J. Foyt 225 will be televised live on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) July 24. The race can also be heard on the IMS Radio Network, as well as on XM Satellite Radio channel 152, “XM Extreme.”
Quotes:
HELIO CASTRONEVES, #3 Marlboro Toyota: "We struggled this morning and seemed to struggle a little bit this afternoon, but suddenly we found some stuff that was wrong with the car. We kept working on the race car. We are just going to keep working the race pace. Its seems a little bit fast right now. I don't think we're going to go that fast (in the race). We're very confident."
PATRICK CARPENTIER, #83 Red Bull Cheever Toyota: “I'm pretty happy with the work we got in today. We struggled a bit early in the second session, but we got it figured out and put up our best lap of the day. The car is decent, but it needs some work. We were pushing at times and a little bit loose right now, but we've got some time tomorrow to make the final changes before qualifying. We're definitely going in the right direction, but we just need to keep going.”
ALEX BARRON #51 Red Bull Cheever Toyota: "It was a really good day for us. The track changed a lot from the first practice session to the second, so that posed some challenges. However, all of the adjustments we made on the car between the sessions made us quicker. I think we have a pretty good car for qualifying as well as the race. With a three-day event, you get a lot of track time, and everything is going very smoothly right now."
SAM HORNISH JR. #6 Marlboro Toyota: “We worked on our race setup all day, and overall I’m happy with the car. It handles well in and out of traffic, which is key for the race. Tomorrow we’ll focus on our qualifying setup. It’s always nice to be up front to avoid any problems on the start, but you can win this race from anywhere on the grid. I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend if things continue to go this well.”
July 19, 2005
FAST FACTS - ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225
Sunday, July 24, 2:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN
The Milwaukee Mile
225 laps on the 1-mile oval for 225 miles
WAXING NOSTALGIC ABOUT MILWAUKEE – This weekend’s ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 marks Toyota’s return to the track where the manufacturer claimed its first open-wheel victory. Juan Montoya drove a Target Toyota to victory in dominating fashion at the Milwaukee Mile in the 2000 CART race to claim Toyota’s inaugural victory in major open-wheel racing competition. After starting from the pole, the current F1 star led 179 of the 225 laps, setting a new track record in averaging over 146 miles per hour.
The historic victory followed a pair of races that Montoya’s Toyota dominated from the start only to see victory slip away after a fluke pit incident in Motegi, Japan, and being caught up in a lapped car’s debris at Nazareth.
The win marked the first of five Toyota victories that season and 21 overall wins in CART from 2000-2002. The manufacturer has accumulated 15 additional wins in IRL competition for a total of 36 major open-wheel racing victories from 2000-2005.
IT’S PAT – Fresh off a pair of third-place finishes in the last three races, Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) will arrive at one of his favorite race tracks this weekend.
In seven previous races, Carpentier registered a second last year, a third in 2003 and a third in 2000 while racing at the Milwaukee Mile in CART/Champ Car competition. Overall, he has recorded five top-10 finishes in seven races on the track. In addition, the French Canadian sat on the pole there in his second CART season. He’s qualified in the top five in five of his seven previous races at Milwaukee and in the top 10 in six of the seven.
Carpentier has risen to 10th in the IndyCar Series point standings after third-place finishes on the short ovals at Richmond and Nashville. The Red Bull Cheever Racing driver came up just short of his first IRL victory last weekend when he led 25 laps before giving up the lead on Lap 194 of 200. He also has a ninth-place finish at the other short oval run this season at Phoenix.
…AND ALEX, TOO – Patrick Carpentier isn’t the only Red Bull Cheever Racing driver to have success on the short ovals as teammate Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) has proven to be strong on the smaller ovals as well. Barron was running in the top three in the last 20 laps this past weekend at Nashville before getting together with Vitor Meira while dueling for the third spot. The 1997 Toyota Atlantic champion also placed sixth at Richmond. He placed seventh last season at Milwaukee.
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM – Sam Hornish, Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) kept up his strong run on the short ovals this past weekend with a second-place finish at Nashville. Hornish won this season’s event at Phoenix and was running second at Richmond behind teammate Helio Castroneves before making contact with the wall. Hornish Jr. finished third a year ago at Milwaukee.
AUSSIE SHORT-TRACKER – After never having driven on an oval track before this season, Australian rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) has taken to the American short tracks quickly. After having qualified a career-best third at Richmond, Briscoe notched a career-best eighth-place finish this past weekend at Nashville.
The 23-year-old may have had his first top-five finish at Nashville had he not been involved in an incident with fellow Toyota driver Patrick Carpentier. He had run as high as fifth before a restart on Lap 137 that saw him get high on the track after attempting a passing maneuver. As Briscoe slowed while moving into the gray area on the track, Carpentier’s front right tire ran up over Briscoe’s left-rear lifting the front end of the Canadian’s car at least two feet into the air. Both were forced to pit and amazingly each continued and finished in the top eight.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Milwaukee
Car # Driver Car Current Point Standing (wins)
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 4th (Richmond)
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 5th (Phoenix)
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 10th
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 12th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 13th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 15th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Pioneer/Target Toyota (Panoz) 17th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 18th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
July 16, 2005
TOYOTA PUTS TWO ON THE PODIUM AT NASHVILLE
- Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) held the lead from Lap 169 until Lap 194 before being passed by eventual winner Dario Franchitti and then Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) on Lap 198 as Toyota had two of the top three finishers at Saturday night's Firestone Indy 200 at the Nashville Superspeedway.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s second-place finish is his second consecutive runner-up showing here at the Nashville Superspeedway and marks his third top-three finish in the last four years on the 1.33-mile oval. He appeared to have a shot at the victory before a pit miscommunication on Lap 162 dropped him a number of spots and then he drifted high on the re-start to fall to 10th. He then charged back through the field to finish second before eventually running out of laps while reeling in the leader.
- Patrick Carpentier’s third-place finish tonight is his second in the last three races as he also placed third at Richmond. In addition to finishing third, he also led a personal season-high 25 laps today. The result moved Carpentier back into the top-10 overall in points. Carpentier’s Red Bull Cheever Racing teammate Alex Barron ran as high as second and was battling for third on Lap 175 when he was involved in an incident with Vitor Meira.
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) gave Toyota three cars in the top five with a fifth-place finish tonight. He has now finished in the top 10 in five consecutive races and has a total of four top-five finishes this season.
- Target Chip Ganassi Racing placed two cars in the top eight today as Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) matched a season-best sixth, while rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) placed a career-best eighth. After starting 10th, Briscoe climbed as high as fifth during the event.
- Ed Carpenter (Vision Racing Toyota) made it six Toyota-powered cars in the top 10 with a strong 10th tonight. The result marks the best finish ever for the first-year Vision Racing team.
- After nine races, Helio Castroneves currently sits fourth in the points chase. He’s joined in the top-10 by Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. in fifth and Patrick Carpentier in 10th.
Driver, Start/Finish
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 13/2
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 17/3
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 15/5
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 12/6
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 10/8
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 22/10
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 20/12
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 23/13
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 19/15
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 9/20
Next Race: ABC Supply 225, Milwaukee Mile, July 24, 2:30 p.m. EDT - ESPN
July 11, 2005
FAST FACTS - FIRESTONE INDY 200
July 16, 7:00 p.m., EDT on ESPN
Nashville Superspeedway
200 laps/266 miles on 1.33-mile oval
TOYOTA LOOKS TO CONTINUE NASHVILLE SUCCESS – When the IndyCars roll into the Nashville Superspeedway for the Firestone Indy 200, Toyota will be attempting to continue a string of success that has seen the manufacturer earn five of a possible six podium finishes over the past two seasons.
In 2003, Toyota-powered cars swept the first six spots in qualifying on the way to earning four of the top five finishing positions. Gil de Ferran took the victory for Penske Racing, while Scott Dixon (Target Toyota), Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) and Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) placed second, third and fifth.
Last season, Toyota drivers registered three of the top four spots in the race with Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) finishing second, just ahead of teammate Castroneves and Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Darren Manning.
TOYOTA AND NASHVILLE – Toyota is currently in its second season as the Official Vehicle of the Nashville Superspeedway and once again will serve as the title sponsor of August’s Toyota Tundra 200. Last year, Toyota played host to what is believed to be the largest on-site hospitality event in American racing history when the manufacturer entertained more than 9,000 Toyota associates and guests for the Toyota Tundra 200. The track holds the distinction of being within driving distance of Toyota manufacturing facilities in Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and up the road in Jackson, Tenn.
BARRON RETURNS TO SITE OF FIRST IRL WIN – Red Bull Cheever Racing driver Alex Barron will be returning to the site of his first IndyCar Series victory at Nashville this weekend. Barron, then driving for Blair Racing, took the checkered flag in the 2002 event on the 1.33-mile oval. He has two top five finishes in three races at the track. The California native recently registered his best finish of the season (sixth) on another short oval at Richmond.
PENSKE LIKES NASHVILLE – No team has had more success in recent years at Nashville than Penske Racing. In the three races the team has entered at the Tennessee facility, five of the squad’s six entries have finished on the podium and all six have finished in the top 10. Penske cars finished second and ninth in its debut run in Music City in 2002, placed first and third in 2003 and notched second-and third-place finishes a year ago.
Current team drivers Sam Hornish Jr. and Helio Castroneves each have enjoyed a great deal of success in Nashville. Hornish Jr. has registered three top-six finishes including a second and a third in four appearances, while two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Castroneves has logged a pair of thirds to go along with a ninth.
A QUALIFIER – After eight races, Sam Hornish Jr. continues to hold the IndyCar Series’ top averaging qualifying mark. The Toyota-powered driver has averaged a 4.5 starting position this season. He is one of only two drivers in the series to have qualified in the top 10 in each race this year.
Teammate Helio Castroneves saw his season-long streak of top-10 qualifying performances halted at the most recent race at Kansas. He’s currently third in overall qualifying this season with an average of 5.8.
FIRST-TIMERS – Three Toyota-powered drivers will be making their IndyCar debut performance at Nashville this weekend. Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota), Ryan Briscoe (Target Toyota) and Jimmy Kite (Ethanol Toyota) all will be racing at the track for the first time. In addition, none of the Toyota-powered teams have tested at the track at Nashville this year.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Nashville
Car # Driver Car Current Point Standing (wins)
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 3rd (Richmond)
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 5th (Phoenix)
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 11th
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 12th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 13th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 16th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Pioneer/Target Toyota (Panoz) 17th
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 20th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
July 03, 2005
MANNING LEADS TOYOTA AT KANSAS
- After registering a season-high fifth in qualifying, Darren Manning (Target Toyota) registered a seventh-place finish as the highest-placing Toyota at the Argent Mortgage 300 at the Kansas Speedway Sunday.
- Darren Manning’s showing as the top finishing Toyota marked the first time since St. Petersburg that a non-Penske car registered that feat. Manning’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon placed sixth at St. Petersburg as the last to register that achievement.
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) consistently ran in the top-five today before appearing the car stalled while exiting the pits on Lap 137. Hornish Jr. had an impressive run going and climbed to as high as second during the 300-mile event. After his pit woes, he fell all the way to 18th-place, but fought back to finish 12th. With the result, he drops one spot in the point standings from fourth to fifth.
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) finished eighth today, giving him six top-10 finishes in eight races this season. With the eighth, the Penske driver remains in third-place overall.
- Rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Toyota) continued a string of impressive performances gaining seven spots today during the event before suffering a gear-box failure on Lap 114.
Quote:
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “It was a difficult day for the Toyota-powered teams. We would have liked to have a better finish, but we need to put this one behind us and move on to Nashville, where we’ve enjoyed a great deal of success in the past.”
Driver, Start/Finish
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 5/7
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 14/8
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 10/12
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 18/13
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 20/14
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 22/16
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 19/17
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 7/18
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 21/19
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 11/21
###
Next Race: Firestone Indy 200, Nashville Superspeedway, July 16, 7 p.m. EDT - ESPN
July 02, 2005
MANNING, TARGET CARS LEAD THE WAY FOR TOYOTA IN KANSAS QUALIFYING
Darren Manning (Target Toyota) fell just .0413 seconds shy of winning his first career IndyCar Series pole positions as he matched a career-best fifth in qualifying for Sunday’s Argent Mortgage Indy 300 at the Kansas Speedway.
- Scott Dixon, the 2003 IndyCar Series champion, made it two Target Toyotas in the top-10 with a seventh in qualifying today. The qualifying mark is the highest of the season for the New Zealander. Dixon was just over one-tenth off the pole position.
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Toyota) continued his streak of consecutive top-10 qualifying efforts with a 10th. Hornish and Dario Franchitti are the only two drivers in the series to qualify in the top 10 in every race this season. In contrast, teammate Helio Castroneves qualified outside of the top 10 for the first time this season in 14th.
- Rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) continued a strong mid-season run as he placed just outside of the top-10 in 11th today. Briscoe had an IndyCar career-best qualifying run of third at Richmond.
Argent Mortgage Indy 300, Sunday July 3, 1 p.m. EDT, ESPN
Car # Driver Car Qualifying
#10 Darren Manning Target Toyota (Panoz) 5th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 7th
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 10th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 11th
#3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Toyota (Dallara) 14th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 18th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 20th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 21st
#14 A.J. Foyt IV A.J. Foyt Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
July 01, 2005
ON-TRACK PENALTY DE-RAILS LEXUS HOPES AT DAYTONA
A some-what controversial penalty thwarted any chance for a Lexus podium finish in Thursday night’s Brumos 250 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series event at the Daytona International Speedway as Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz (#01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley) eventually finished sixth overall as the highest finishing Lexus-powered machine.
Pruett, who had previously led nine laps, was running a hard-charging sixth with less than 15 laps remaining when he made contact with one of the lapped GT cars. The unintentional contact took place after Pruett had thought he had cleared the slower car in traffic. Unfortunately, the reigning Daytona Prototype champion was black-flagged and given a drive-through penalty, dropping him to 13th. He recovered to gain seven spots in the final 13 laps for a sixth-place finish. The result dropped Pruett and Diaz to second in the series point standings.
Changing weather conditions throughout the day made the one-day event a challenging one for the teams. Race strategies and set-ups also were altered by a number of yellow flag caution periods run through the middle of the race. The outcome of the cautions proved to be a contest that would largely be determined by fuel conservation.
The race proved to be a struggle for the #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley of Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner. After qualifying second, the team’s fortunes turned downward after a lengthy pit stop/driver change. Shortly after returning to the track, the car had an off-course excursion that seemed to affect the remainder of the evening’s run and they combined for a 13th-place finish.
After struggling the past few races, the #77 Crown Royal Special Reserve Lexus-Doran of Matteo Bobbi and Fabrizio Gollin appeared to be on their way to their best finish since placing fifth at the season-opener in Daytona. Sadly, the team appeared to suffer a suspension failure in the waning stages of the event that cost them a probable top-10 finish.
Chris Bingham and Hugo Jacques Guenette (DLGL Lexus-Riley) rounded out the Lexus contingent with a 20th-place finish Thursday evening.
The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series continues July 31 at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The 250-mile sprint race can be seen live on SPEED at 1 p.m. EDT.
Drivers Car Start/Finish
Pruett/Diaz CompUSA Lexus Riley 4/6
Johansson/Wagner New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley 2/13
Bobbi/Gollin Crown Royal Special Doran Riley 8/22
Bingham/Guenette DLGL Lexus Riley 17/20