August 28, 2005
BARRON, CARPENTIER LEAD TOYOTA AT SONOMA
Red Bull Cheever Racing teammates Alex Barron and Patrick Carpentier finished third and fourth to lead Toyota in Sunday's Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
The race began with two Toyota-powered cars pulling away from the field as rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) led Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) for the first 16 laps. Unfortunately, after dropping to sixth and seventh, respectively, after their first pit stops, both were eliminated in the same Lap 20 crash. Briscoe had won his first career pole on Saturday.
- Alex Barron's third-place finish is his best of the season, surpassing the fourth he registered at Kentucky two races ago. For the season, Barron has a pair of top-fives and six finishes within the top 10. Barron is now just 29 points out of the top-10 in points. His Red Bull Cheever team is just one of three teams in the series to have two drivers in the top-11 in points.
- With his fourth-place finish today, Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) notched his ninth top-10 finish of the season and moved into ninth-place overall in the series points race. In the last eight races, Carpentier has three top-five finishes and six top-10s. In addition, he continues to lead the series in laps completed this season.
- Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) placed seventh today to give Toyota three finishers in the top-10. It's the 2003 IRL champion's third top-10 finish in 2005.
- Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top-10 in the IRL IndyCar Series point standings. Sam Hornish Jr., who spun early and developed gearbox problems to finish 15th, dropped to third, 17 points behind second-place Tony Kanaan and 96 points behind former Toyota Atlantic grad and series leader Dan Wheldon. Helio Castroneves also fell one spot in the points chase to sixth after his day was ended early. Patrick Carpentier moved into ninth with his fourth-place finish.
- Rookie Giorgio Pantano finished 14th in his first career IndyCar Series start. The former F1 pilot was running eighth before being tapped by another car sending him off-track on Lap 78 of 80. He also is scheduled to campaign the #10 Target Toyota at Watkins Glen.
Driver, Start/Finish
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 10/3
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 12/4
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 9/7
#10 Giorgio Pantano Target Toyota (Panoz) 13/14
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 20/15
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 5/17
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 1/19
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2/21
Quotes:
Alex Barron, #51 Red Bull Toyota: "It was excellent. We had a great car all weekend. The crew made a change to the Red Bull Toyota on the second stop. We went back out and the car was solid. We were able to hang on to third. We didn't have quite enough to make a run on the leaders. I could catch Buddy (Rice) and sustain it, but I wasn't able to be offensive. We are really happy with the podium. This is positive for the team and we can build on it for our next race at Chicago"
Patrick Carpentier, #83 Red Bull Toyota: "I am happy to see that both Red Bull Cheever Racing cars had a good day today. Alex drove a great race, and I think the #83 crew did a good job as well. The car was pushing there at the end, and it wasn't as strong as it was early in the race. It's amazing. For me the weekend started really bad, we couldn't find any speed at all. By the end of the weekend we were around fourth quickest overall. The crew did a fantastic job and Toyota helped us a lot. You can really see the improvement we have made lately. It was a hot day and I didn't have any water. For some reason my water bottle broke during the race. It was getting a little bit long, but that's alright. When the car goes well it is so much fun out there."
Eddie Cheever Jr., Red Bull Cheever Racing team owner: "The drivers did a great job. The team had a good strategy. We have been working hard with Cisco and the network we have developed with them was key today in monitoring the fuel down to the pint. We are happy to be racing here in California where our partners Red Bull, Toyota and Cisco are all located. And tomorrow we visit with the folks from Izod, so I am glad to be leaving here with both cars in the top four. It was a fun weekend for all of us. The second half of the season has been very good to us and we have three more races to continue to show what we have this season."
Next: Chicagoland Indy 300, Chicagoland Speedway, Sept. 11, 1:30 p.m. EDT ? ABC
August 27, 2005
PRUETT/DIAZ LEAD LEXUS AT MID-OHIO
Scott Pruett took the lead in his #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley on Lap 76 and held the point position until a late re-start saw him surrender the top spot with just seven laps remaining on the way to a second-place finish to lead the Lexus-powered cars in Saturday’s EMCO Gears Classic at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The second-place finish by Pruett and co-driver Luis Diaz marks their eighth top-five finish of the season and moves the pair to within 19 points of the series points lead with four races remaining.
"Butch (Leitzinger) had just a little bit more than we did there at the end," Pruett said. "It's just the same situation we had in Laguna Seca, but the roles were reversed. On the restart I gave him enough room to challenge, but the racing was clean. It was a good door-to-door duel that I'm sure the fans appreciated. Our CompUSA pit stops were perfect all day, but we had to save a lot of fuel in the middle of the race which held us back."
The #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley driven by Cort Wagner and Stefan Johansson also appeared to be headed toward a top-three podium finish when an unscheduled pit stop with just five laps remaining dropped the team from third to a 13th-place finish.
The return of Michael Shank Racing to Lexus power had a promising start, but ended in a difficult weekend. After placing fourth and second in the first two practice sessions, their run to a strong starting position in Friday’s qualifying run ended when the 15-minute qualifying session was halted with just eight minutes elapsed. The team’s struggles continued on race day with an early spin dropping the #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley three laps down and into 44th place. Despite the early problems, Oswaldo Negri climbed in the car and gained 27 positions for an eventual 17th-place showing.
Next up for the Daytona Prototypes is the Phoenix 250, Saturday, Sept. 10 at Phoenix International Raceway in Round 11 of the Rolex Sports Car Series. The race will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on SPEED the following day at 4:00 pm ET.
Drivers Car Start/Finish
Pruett/Diaz CompUSA Lexus Riley 2/2
Johansson/Wagner New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley 8/13
Negri/Patterson Flight Options Lexus Riley 13/17
TOYOTA SWEEPS FRONT ROW IN SONOMA QUALIFYING
Rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) captured the pole position and Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) gave Toyota a sweep of the front row in qualifying for Sunday’s Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway. Today’s qualifying marked the second consecutive IndyCar Series race that Toyota-powered cars have captured both front-row starting positions.
- Today’s front row sweep is the fourth of the season for Toyota after recording similar feats at Richmond, Milwaukee and Pikes Peak.
- Ryan Briscoe’s pole position is the fifth for Toyota this season and the manufacturer’s 21st in IndyCar Series competition in 46 events.
- The pole is the first for Ryan Briscoe in IndyCar Series competition. The 23-year-old Australian’s previous best qualifying effort had been a third on the seven-eighths mile Richmond oval. Briscoe, who served as the Toyota Formula One test driver for the previous three seasons, has a career-best finishing mark of eighth at Nashville. He led a race-high 43 laps at St. Petersburg, where he was leading with eight laps remaining when he was spun around in an incident with another driver.
- Both Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. have qualified in the Firestone Fast Six at both road course events this season.
- Helio Castroneves has qualified on the front row for each of the two IRL road course events. He was second at St. Petersburg after registering the fastest lap in single-car qualifying. Overall, he has five front-row starting positions this season with the pole last race at Pikes Peak along with seconds at St. Petersburg, Richmond and Milwaukee. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner won six CART races on road or street courses.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s fifth today marks his eighth top-five qualifying effort of the season.
- Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) and Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) placed ninth and tenth to give Toyota five of the top-10 today. It’s the fifth top-10 for Dixon and the third for Barron.
Car # Driver Car Qualifying
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 1th
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2nd
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 5th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 9th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 10th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 12th
#10 Giorgio Pantano Target Toyota (Panoz) 13th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 20th
“Quotes”
RYAN BRISCOE, #33 Target Pioneer Toyota: “This is huge for the Target team. It’s been a tough year and it’s great to see the team’s motivation up. The no.33 Target Toyota been working really well and I put in a good clean lap for the first qualifying session. We made a slight adjustment to the front wing of the car during the shootout and improved our time. I knew we could do better and I did. The Target team came into this weekend well prepared and when you've got a good car, it makes my job driving a lot easier. We're here with good equipment and competitive equipment. Most of the credit goes to the Target team. This is a hard working crew and a winning team. They’ve won championships and a whole lot of races on road and street courses. I’d like to add another one to that list. There won’t be any room for errors in the race and I hope to put in a good show tomorrow."
SCOTT DIXON, #9 Target Toyota: “A bit of a shame really because I had a good lap going and the no.9 Target Toyota was really much better than this morning, but I put it sideways in the carrousel and that’s what cost me. It’s definitely been a much stronger weekend for the Target team and it should be a very exciting race. The track is very physical and we’re just hoping to get the job done tomorrow.”
GIORGIO PANTANO, #10 Target Toyota: “I’m pretty disappointed actually because the team gave me such a good car,” said Pantano who took over the helm of the no.10 Target Toyota just this weekend. “I was too late braking as I headed into the chicane and locked up the rear missing the chicane. I made a mistake and that problem cost me a second right there. I have been really enjoying this weekend and this track and I’m hoping to do well in tomorrow’s race for the Target team.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, #3 Marlboro Team Penske Toyota: “It was a tough run and we tried really hard. The track changed a little bit from the morning to the afternoon which was a little bit to our favor. We tried something in the beginning of the top-six qualifying and it didn't work, and we had to stop right away. We used the tires up and the track was better. At the end of the day, I don't think we would have been able to catch Ryan. He did a good job. Now we look forward to the race tomorrow and hopefully will do well.”
SAM HORNISH JR., #6 Marlboro Team Penske Toyota: “I’m happy with our qualifying effort today, and it’s great to have both Marlboro Team Penske cars starting at the front of the grid. I’ve always enjoyed road course racing so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. This circuit is particularly challenging with the elevation changes and blind corners, plus getting through traffic could be difficult as there aren’t a lot of places to pass. We’ve just got to stay patient and hopefully bring home a top-five finish.”
ALEX BARRON, #51 Red Bull Toyota: "I was looking forward to qualifying because we did really well in practice this morning. We were a little bit slower than we thought we would be but the track is heating up. I probably left a couple of tenths on the track, but it is a technical track, so I am pretty happy with the run. It's refreshing for me to come and run a road course like this after so many oval track races in a row. This facility is really nice. They have done a lot of work here. It's refreshing to do something different.”
PATRICK CARPENTIER, #83 Red Bull Toyota: "I left a bit of time on the table there in three and four. I went in and had the wrong angle a little bit and slid up the exit. I think we have a great racecar, but we were lacking some speed for qualifying. It (the car) seems to have great grip, and today is hot. The car seems to get up to speed pretty quickly, so I think we're going to be fast in the race. All season, we seem to improve for the race, so I'm definitely looking forward to it,”
August 26, 2005
BRISCOE, CASTRONEVES LEAD AS TOYOTAS TOP SONOMA SPEED CHARTS
Rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) registered the fastest overall practice speed, while Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) was second in Friday’s two practice sessions at Infineon Raceway in preparation for Saturday’s qualifying for the Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix.
- After registering the fastest time today, Ryan Briscoe will get to decide the qualifying order tomorrow in terms of whether the field qualifies fastest to slowest or vice versa for single-car qualifying prior to the Firestone Fast Six group qualifying.
- In addition to the top marks registered by Briscoe and Castronves, Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon (fourth) and Giorgio Pantano (fifth) also were in the top-five today, giving Toyota four of the five fastest cars on the track on Friday. Pantano is making his first IndyCar Series start this weekend.
- Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) and Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) placed ninth and tenth to give Toyota six of the top-10 spots.
- Sunday’s Argent Mortgatge Indy Grand Prix will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT
Quotes:
RYAN BRISCOE, #33 Target Chip Toyota: “It was actually a pretty good session. We didn't get any yellows like in the first session, so we were able to get a pretty good rhythm out there. The car on new tires was handling well. There were a couple of points we need to improve still, but it's definitely exciting to be back on the road course. These Target Chip Ganassi cars are certainly top cars for these road courses, so I'm looking forward to the race. Toyota has been doing a lot of work and you can feel that the engine feels much improved since testing here in April."
HELIO CASTRONEVES, #3 Marlboro Team Penske Toyota: “The car was fast right off the bat. In the second session, we had a radio problem. They were calling me in, and I kept going because I was having so much fun. We put on tires too late, and the car was experiencing oversteer and balance problems, so I kind of struggled. We want to be first, but we want to be first tomorrow. The group is tight and we want to make sure that every hundredth of the second counts.”
SCOTT DIXON, #9 Target Chip Ganassi Toyota: “I think we knew we'd be pretty strong here after the test in April. I'm pretty happy. The second session wasn't as good for us because we made some changes on the car. But the changes obviously didn't work. For this team, it's great. It's really lifted everybody's thoughts, and it makes it a lot easier to work. I think we'll have a good race car on Sunday."
GIORGIO PANTANO, #10 Target Chip Ganassi Toyota: “I think the day went quite well. I'm very excited about the car, and I'm really pleased with the team and the hard work they did. They made me comfortable in the car. I'm here, and we'll see what happens. From what I've seen, we have a good chance of being competitive this weekend. We will do our best."
ALEX BARRON, #51 Red Bull Toyota: “It's really nice to be back on a road course after having been on so many ovals lately. I think that the testing we did here and Watkins Glen seems to have helped us quite a bit. The engineering staff has done a lot of homework trying to find us grip. We've definitely come a long way. I'm pretty with what we did today. I'm pretty comfortable in the car, and I had a pretty good setup to start the day. Tonight we're going to make a motor change, so hopefully we'll jump up tomorrow and qualify toward the front.”
PATRICK CARPENTIER, #83 Red Bull Toyota: “It's a beautiful track, but we need to find a little bit more speed. Overall, we were a little disappointed with what we were able to do today. We started out and kind of messed up what would have been my fast lap. The car is sliding around too much right now. We're going to look at some of the data and compare it to what Alex is doing, but I think we can get it figured out tomorrow so we're able to put together a good qualifying run.”
Car # Driver Car Position
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 1st
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2nd
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 4th
#10 Giorgio Pantano Target Toyota (Panoz) 5th
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 9th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 10th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 14th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 21st
August 23, 2005
FAMILIAR FACE RE-JOINS LEXUS CAMPAIGN AT MID-OHIO
After a successful sixth-place debut campaign in 2004, Michael Shank Racing (MSR) will return to the Lexus camp this weekend for Saturday’s EMCO Gears Classic at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Beginning at Mid-Ohio, the team will field a Lexus-powered Riley for Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson for four of the final five races of the season. The duo made one start in the car earlier this year with Negri winning the pole position at Laguna Seca on the way to an eventual ninth-place finish.
The new Shank entry will join with the two Chip Ganassi Racing cars for a total of three Lexus entries in this weekend’s event.
Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz will once again team in the #01 CompUSA Lexus Riley. The duo has registered both of Lexus 2005 race wins. They will look to improve upon their current second-place standing in the points race this weekend. After a fourth-place finish at Watkins Glen, the pair has earned two wins and seven top-five finishes in the first nine events of the season.
Pruett and Diaz will be joined by their Ganassi Racing teammates Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner in the #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley. Johansson and Wagner are currently fifth overall in points heading into Mid-Ohio. They combined for a season-best second at Mont-Tremblant – one of their seven top-10 finishes on the season.
Lexus-powered Daytona Prototypes have won seven races and registered 14 pole positions in 21 Rolex Series events to date.
Qualifying for the EMCO Gears Classic 200 is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 26, 4:30 p.m. EDT. Saturday’s twi-light start will get the green flag at 5:30 p.m. with SPEED providing next-day coverage beginning at 12 noon Sunday. The Rolex Sports Car Series event is planned for 250 miles or 111 laps on the 2.4-mile road course with a time limit of two hours and forty-five minutes.
FAST FACTS - ARGENT MORTGAGE INDY GRAND PRIX
August 28, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN
Infineon Raceway
80 laps/184 miles on 2.3-mile, 12-turn road course
Race No.: 14 of 17
SAYING HELLO TO AN OLD FRIEND – While the IRL IndyCar Series will be making its first trip to Sonoma and the Infineon Raceway, it will be like saying hello to an old friend for Toyota’s motorsports program.
The last time a Toyota-powered vehicle campaigned on the northern California road course, Juan Manuel Fangio II was victorious in a Toyota Eagle HF89 for Dan Gurney’s All American Racers in 1990. Fangio’s victory was one of two collected at the track by Toyota-powered cars in IMSA competition as Willy T. Ribbs triumphed in the manufacturer’s last IMSA GTO event run at Sears Point in 1988. In addition, Toyota Celica GTO cars driven by Chris Cord and Dennis Aase placed second and third in 1986.
BRISCOE LOOKS TO TEND TO UNFINISHED BUSINESS – In returning to a road course for the first time since St. Petersburg, IndyCar Series rookie Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) will attempt to secure his first IndyCar Series win. Briscoe had a victory barely escape his grasp at St. Pete where he led a race-high 43 laps only to be spun while leading on Lap 92 of 100 in an incident with another driver.
While Briscoe may be a newcomer to the oval tracks that dominate the IRL schedule, nobody in the series has logged more miles on road courses over the past few years than the 23-year-old Aussie. He spent the past two seasons testing for the Toyota Formula One team. In the process, Briscoe logged thousands of testing miles. Prior to beginning his testing role, Briscoe won the 2003 Euro F3 championship with eight wins. He also won the 2001 Italian Formula Renault title and was signed to the Toyota Driver Academy that season. Briscoe also won karting Formula A titles in both North America (1998) and Italy (1999). Briscoe is one of four current Toyota-powered drivers to have tested or raced in Formula One along with Giorgio Pantano (Jordan), Scott Dixon (Williams) and Helio Castroneves (Toyota F1).
ON THE ROADS AGAIN – This weekend’s Argent Indy Grand Prix will be the first permanent road course event in IRL history, but certainly not the first for Toyota in open-wheel racing. In fact, the manufacturer won its final road course event in Champ Car racing when Target Chip Ganassi Racing was victorious in Mexico City in 2002. Fourteen cars in this weekend’s field will be campaigned by teams that competed in that race.
EXPERIENCED FIELD - Seven of the eight Toyota-powered drivers in this weekend’s field came up through the road racing ranks. Only Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter came up without extensive road course experience as he honed his talents on the short tracks in the Midwest. Four Toyota drivers won championships in largely road racing series on the way to the IRL – Patrick Carpentier (1996) and Alex Barron (1997) both won the Toyota Atlantic Championship, while Scott Dixon (1999) was the Indy Lights champion and Ryan Briscoe earned his title in European F3 (2003).
PANTANO JOINS TCGR – Former Formula 1 driver turned Giorgio Pantano will make his IndyCar Series debut this weekend for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Pantano competed in 14 F1 races for Jordan Grand Prix a year. He’s currently campaigning the GP2 series with the Super Nova team and is coming off a strong second-place finish this past weekend in Turkey. He has previously won in both Formula 3 and Formula 3000 competition. The 26-year-old Pantano also is scheduled to handle the driving chores in the #10 Target Toyota at Watkins Glen next month.
NO HEMELGARN – The first-year Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing team will skip this weekend’s event along with next month’s road course event at Watkins Glen.
POINTS CHASE - Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top-10 in the IRL IndyCar Series point standings. Sam Hornish Jr. remains in second place, but has extended his second-place advantage to 23 points. Fellow Marlboro Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves moved up to fifth after registering his seventh top-five finish of the season at Pikes Peak. Red Bull driver Patrick Carpentier continues in 10th-place after placing 10th at PPIR last weekend.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Sonoma
Car # Driver Car Current Point Standings (wins)
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2nd (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) 14th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Pioneer/Target Toyota (Panoz) 15th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 18th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
#10 Giorgio Pantano Target Toyota (Panoz) 1st race
August 21, 2005
HORNISH’S SECOND LEADS TOYOTA AT PIKES PEAK
Sam Hornish Jr. (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) led more than 70 laps in dominating the early portion of today’s race on the way to a second-place finish in Sunday’s Pikes Peak Indy 225 at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s second-place finish gives him six top-two finishes in 13 races this season with wins at Phoenix and Milwaukee, and second-place showings at Pikes Peak, Homestead, Texas and Nashville. Hornish closes out the short oval portion of the schedule this season with two wins (Phoenix, Milwaukee) and two seconds (Nashville, Pikes Peak) in five races. He also was running second at Richmond before crashing.
- Helio Castroneves’ fourth-place showing gives him his seventh top-five finish and his ninth top-10 result this year. The two-time Indianapolis 500-winner has three top-five finishes on tracks of a mile or less this season.
- Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) notched his eighth top-10 finish of the season with a 10th-place today. He’s just 16 points out of ninth-place in his first IndyCar Series season.
- Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top-10 in the IRL IndyCar Series point standings. Sam Hornish Jr. extended his advantage for second-place overall to 20 points over third-place Tony Kanaan and by 34 over fourth-place Dario Franchitti. Helio Castroneves moves into a tie for fifth-place with Scott Sharp, while Patrick Carpentier continues to place in 10th
- Jaques Lazier (Target Toyota) did not start today’s race after a crash in practice on Saturday. IndyCar newcomer Giorgio Pantano will take over the #10 car next weekend at Sears Point.
Driver, Start/Finish
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2/2
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 1/4
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 17/10
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 13/16
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 21/17
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 20/18
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 18/19
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 14/20
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) DNQ/DNS
Next: Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix, Infineon Raceway, Aug. 28, 3:30 p.m. EDT – ESPN
August 16, 2005
FAST FACTS - Pikes Peak Indy 225
Aug. 21, 3:30 p.m., EDT on ABC
Pikes Peak International Raceway
225 laps/225 miles on 1-mile tri-oval
Race #13 of 17
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH – While Toyota will race in its third Pikes Peak Indy 225 this weekend, the manufacturer has competed in Colorado for more than a decade at three different racing venues – walking away victorious in each.
Toyota’s first excursion in the Rocky Mountains came in 1994 when Rod Millen drove a specially-prepared Toyota Celica to the all-time Pikes Peak Hill Climb record as he secured the first of five Unlimited Class championships.
In 2002, Bruno Junqueira led Scott Dixon and Cristiano da Matta in a one-two-three Toyota sweep at the Denver CART street race. Toyota rounded out its triumvirate of victories when Scott Dixon dominated at Pikes Peak in 2003, Toyota’s first season of IRL competition.
TOYOTA DRIVERS CLIMB THE PEAK – All six Toyota-powered drivers that have previously competed at Pikes Peak have registered top-10 finishes on the one-mile tri-oval.
Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) won the 2003 event, while Castroneves registered a second-place finish in 2002 as part of Marlboro Team Penske one-two showing with then-teammate Gil de Ferran.
Sam Hornish Jr. (Penske Toyota) placed second in 2001, one of three top-five finishes for the Defiance, Ohio-native at Pikes Peak.
Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) notched a pair of top-10 finishes with a 10th in 2002 and 2004. Jimmy Kite (Ethanol Toyota) placed ninth in 1997, while Jaques Lazier was 10th in 1997.
SHORT-TRACKING – Penske drivers Sam Hornish Jr. and Helio Castroneves have excelled on the short ovals in IRL competition – winning each of the three races this season run on tracks of a mile or less. Hornish Jr. won at Phoenix and Milwaukee, while Castroneves was victorious at Richmond.
In their six collective starts, they have started from the pole twice, second twice, third once and sixth once. Another factor that should bode well this weekend is the team’s previous success at Pikes Peak, winning the race in 2002 and finishing third in 2003.
SHORT-TRACKING PART TWO –Penske Racing isn’t the only Toyota-powered entry to have success on the short tracks this season as Red Bull Cheever Racing has excelled on the short ovals as well. Patrick Carpentier has registered a pair of top-three podium finishes with thirds at Richmond and Nashville and a seventh at Milwaukee. In addition, Alex Barron, coming off a season-best fourth at Kentucky last week, placed sixth at Richmond and was running in the top-three late at Nashville.
TOYOTA-POWERED DRIVERS AT PIKES PEAK – The following is the best finishing position at the Pikes Peak International Raceway, along with the season it occurred for each of the Toyota-powered drivers:
Scott Dixon – 1st, 2003
Sam Hornish Jr. – 2nd, 2001
Helio Castroneves – 2nd, 2002
Jimmy Kite – 8th, 2001
Alex Barron – 10th, 2002, 2002
Jaques Lazier – 10th, 2001
Ed Carpenter – 11th, 2004
Both Patrick Carpentier and Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) will make their debut run on the Pikes Peak track this weekend.
POINTS CHASE - Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top-10 in the IRL IndyCar Series point standings. Sam Hornish Jr. extended his advantage and maintains second-place, while teammate Helio Castroneves remains in sixth-place. Red Bull driver Patrick Carpentier continues to sit in 10th
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Pikes Peak
Car # Driver Car Current Point Standings (wins)
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2nd (Phoenix, Milwaukee)
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 6th (Richmond)
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 10th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 11th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 14th
#33 Ryan Briscoe Pioneer/Target Toyota (Panoz) 14th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) 25th
August 14, 2005
BARRON’S FOURTH PACES TOYOTA AT KENTUCKY
- Alex Barron (Red Bull Toyota) earned his best finish of the season with a fourth-place showing to pace Toyota in Sunday’s Amber Alert Portal Indy 300 at the Kentucky Speedway. Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) secured fifth to give Toyota two cars in the top-five today.
- Alex Barron’s fourth-place finish exceeds his previous season-best of sixth at Richmond. He now has five top-10 finishes during the 2005 campaign. His Red Bull Cheever Racing team has now registered a top-10 finish in five of the last six races with a total of seven overall during that span. Barron moves up into 11th in points, just behind teammate Patrick Carpentier.
- Helio Castroneves’ fifth-place showing gives him his sixth top-five finish and his eighth top-10 result this year. Castroneves gained 10 positions from his 15th-starting spot, running as high as fourth during the event.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s seventh-place finish marks his eighth top-10 performance of the season. Hornish Jr. ran in the top-five for much of today’s race, but lost a lap when a yellow caution flag came out shortly after his final pit stop brought on by a blistered tire. The Marlboro Team Penske Toyota driver moved back onto the lead lap, but was forced to re-start from the back of the pack on the final re-start. He then charged back through the field gaining a number of positions in the race’s final 20 laps.
- Jimmy Kite (Ethanol Toyota) logged his best finish of the season with a 10th here today. After joining the team in mid-season, Kite has now finished 14th or better in each of the last four races.
- Three Toyota-powered drivers continue to rank in the top-10 in the IRL IndyCar Series point standings. Sam Hornish Jr. extended his advantage for second-place overall to 10 points over third-place Tony Kanaan and by 15 over fourth-place Dario Franchitti. Helio Castroneves remains in sixth-place, while Patrick Carpentier continues to sit in 10th
Driver, Start/Finish
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 18/4
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 15/5
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 3/7
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 20/10
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 19/12
#33 Ryan Briscoe Target Pioneer Toyota (Panoz) 13/13
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) 17/15
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 21/22
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 4/23
Next Race: Pikes Peak Indy 225, Pikes Peak International, Aug. 21, 3:30 p.m. EDT - ABC
August 12, 2005
PRUETT/DIAZ UNABLE TO HOLD ON FOR VICTORY AT THE GLEN
Luis Diaz and Scott Pruett combined to put their CompUSA Lexus-Riley into the lead at the midway point at Friday night’s CompUSA 200, but just couldn’t hold on for the victory on the way to a fourth-place finish in the ninth round of the Rolex Sports Car Series at Watkins Glen.
After starting fourth, Diaz had moved up into second-place on Lap 40 when the team made its driver change and Pruett took over the driving duties. The defending Daytona Prototype champion left the pit lane in first place and maintained the lead for the next 14 circuits. Unfortunately, Pruett was caught up in traffic on Lap 56 and pushed off the racing line, resulting in him giving up the lead and falling to fourth-place overall.
The fourth-place result marks the seventh top-five finish of the season for Pruett and Diaz. They continue to hold down second place overall in the points chase, 21 points down with five races remaining.
“Of course it’s disappointing because we all put a lot of effort into this race,” said Diaz, after losing a shot at the victory. “But the (positive) thing I come away with today is our position in the championship. We keep fighting hard each round, and with the points so close, each and every position will make a difference in the end.”
Their Ganassi Racing teammates Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner had a much more difficult run Friday evening as they battled electrical problems. After climbing into the top-five at the midway point, Johansson battled power steering problems the rest of the way, but was able to hold on for a solid seventh-place showing. The performance was strong enough to move the duo into fourth-place overall in the championship.
“We didn’t have a bad race car by any means, it’s just that the power steering issue made for an interesting race” said Johansson, “Every time I entered a turn I was guessing whether I’d have power or not. It basically held us at bay for the final laps due to the fact that I never knew when the steering would surge back on and jolt the car around.”
Next up for the Daytona Prototypes is the EMCO Gears Classic, Saturday, Aug. 27 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where Pruett co-drove the #01 CompUSA Lexus to victory a year ago, in Round 10 of the Rolex Sports Car Series The race will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on SPEED the following day at 12:00 pm ET.
Drivers Car Start/Finish
Pruett/Diaz CompUSA Lexus Riley 4/4
Johansson/Wagner New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley 9/7
August 11, 2005
FAST FACTS - AMBER ALERT PORTAL INDY 300
3:30 p.m. EDT on ABC
Kentucky Speedway
200 Laps/300 Miles on 1.5-mile tri-oval
Race #12 of 17
HORNISH ARMY SET TO INVADE KENTUCKY - Just as they did at the neighboring Michigan International Speedway a week ago, scores of Ohio fans are once again expected to pour across the border to cheer on their native son Sam Hornish Jr. at this weekend’s Amber Alert Portal Indy 300 at the Kentucky Speedway.
Fortunately, Hornish Jr. has provided his legions with plenty to cheer about on the 1.5 mile tri-oval with a track record three top-five finishes and four top-10 finishes to his credit. His most memorable run in the Bluegrass State came in 2003 when he and Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) ran away from the field in a two-car battle that saw Hornish Jr. lead an impressive 181 of 200 laps. Overall, Hornish Jr. has qualified in the top eight in each of the last four races at the track and has a second (2002) and a third (2001) to go along with his 2003 victory.
Hornish’s Marlboro Team Penske Toyota has been strong on the 1.5-mile tracks this season with seconds at Homestead and Texas, and a pole at Motegi, Japan. For the season, the Defiance, Ohio-native is second overall in point standings, with five top-two finishes and six top-five showings in 11 races.
FINDING A HOME IN THE IRL – After making the move to the IndyCar Series this year, Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) has found a home and has quietly climbed in the point standings. With four top-10 finishes in the last five races, including a pair of thirds at Richmond and Milwaukee, Carpentier is 10th in the points chase – just eight points out of the ninth position.
This weekend’s action will mark Carpentier’s first race in Kentucky. He has found a great deal of success in neighboring Ohio – having won a few hours north in 2002 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as well as in Cleveland.
THREE RACES IN THREE DAYS – The upcoming weekend will mark one of the busiest of the year for TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) and Toyota Motorsports with three races in three days beginning at Watkins Glen and concluding Sunday in Kentucky.
On Friday night, the Lexus Daytona Prototypes will take to the track in Watkins Glen, N.Y., for the CompUSA 200 to be run in conjunction with the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. On Saturday night, it’s off to the Nashville Superspeedway for the Toyota Tundra 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event and the weekend comes to a close on Sunday with the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.
TOYOTA-POWERED DRIVERS AT KENTUCKY – The following is the best finishing position at the Kentucky Speedway, along with the season it occurred for each of the Toyota-powered drivers:
Sam Hornish Jr. – 1st, 2003
Scott Dixon – 2nd, 2003
Helio Castroneves – 5th 2002/2003
Ed Carpenter – 8th, 2004 (career-best finish)
Alex Barron – 9th, 2002
Jaques Lazier – 12th, 2001
Jimmy Kite – 17th, 2002
Both Patrick Carpentier and Ryan Briscoe (Target Pioneer Toyota) will make their debut run on the Kentucky track this weekend.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Kentucky
Car # Driver Car Current Point Standings (wins)
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 2nd (Phoenix, Milwaukee)
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 6th (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) 16th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) 25th
August 09, 2005
LEXUS DRIVER PRUETT LOOKS TO MAKE HISTORY AT WATKINS GLEN
When most of the drivers in the Rolex Sports Car Series complete this Friday night’s CompUSA 200 at Watkins Glen, they will pack their bags and get ready to move on to the next race on the Grand American schedule. For Scott Pruett (CompUSA Lexus-Riley), his weekend’s work will have just begun.
Pruett, the series defending champion, will attempt to make history by running in all three major races on this weekend’s event schedule at “The Glen.” In addition, to his primary role as the co-driver along with Luis Diaz in his Lexus-powered Daytona Prototype for Ganassi Racing, Pruett also is entered into the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Nextel Cup events.
“It’s going to be a busy weekend for sure,” said Pruett. “Our first objective is to regain some of the ground we’ve lost to the number 10 car in prototypes the last two races. After that, we hold the track record in the Busch Series and we believe we can challenge again. As for the Cup race, well it’s always tough. We’ve got to run at the front, which we have done in the past. If we can do that, then we’ll be in a position to go for the win.”
One thing is certain, Pruett should have no problem finding his way around the upstate New York road course as he’s raced at the track in no less than eight different major racing series – NASCAR Nextel Cup, Busch, Grand American Rolex Series, IROC, IMSA GTP, IMSA GTO, IMSA GTU and Trans-Am. Amazingly enough, he’s had at least one top-five finish at Watkins Glen in every one of those series, except Busch, where he placed eighth in 2001 after setting the track record in qualifying.
The weekend kicks off with the CompUSA 200, where Pruett and Diaz will look to improve upon their current second-place standing in the points race. To date, they’ve earned two wins and four podium finishes in the season’s first eight events, including a third on the Glen’s “long course” in June. The pair is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.
They’ll be joined in the Lexus camp by their Ganassi Racing teammates Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner in the #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley. Johansson and Wagner are currently sixth overall in points heading into Watkins Glen.
Lexus-powered Daytona Prototypes have won seven races and registered 14 pole positions in 20 Rolex Series events to date.
Qualifying for the CompUSA 200 is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 11, 3:15 p.m. EDT. Friday night’s race will get the green flag at 6:00 p.m. with SPEED providing same-day coverage beginning at 10 p.m. The Rolex Sports Car Series event is planned for 200 miles or 82 laps on the 2.45-mile “short” course with a time limit of two hours.