October 16, 2005
HORNISH RALLIES FOR FIFTH IN TOYOTA INDY 400
After falling two laps down after serving a drive-through penalty for a pit-lane violation, Sam Hornish Jr. rallied to register a fifth-place finish at Sunday’s Toyota Indy 400 as the highest finishing Toyota-powered driver.
- With his fifth today, Sam Hornish Jr. earned nine top-five finishes for the season and a total of 12 top-10 placings in 17 races this year.
- On the strength of today’s showing, Sam Hornish Jr. maintained third-place overall for the season – the third time he’s placed in the top-three in the past five seasons.
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) finished ninth today, giving him 10 top-10 finishes on the season.
- Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) made it three Toyota-powered cars in the top-10 today with a 10th.
- Jaques Lazier led 11 laps today in one of his strongest runs of the season. Lazier was fighting for a top-five finish when he and Danica Patrick made contact in the race’s waning laps.
- Three Toyota-powered drivers finished to rank in the top-10 in the IRL IndyCar Series point standings. Sam Hornish Jr., placed third, with Helio Castroneves sixth and Patrick Carpentier (Red Bull Toyota) ninth.
- The 2005 season marked a banner year for Toyota Atlantic Championship graduates. Dan Wheldon earned the fourth IndyCar Series championship for TAC grads with Sam Hornish Jr. placing third and Patrick Carpentier ninth. Hornish Jr. (2001 and 2002) and Greg Ray (1999) earned the other titles,
Driver, Start/Finish
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 3/5
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 6/9
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 15/10
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 19/13
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 17/14
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 16/15
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) 14/17
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 21/20
October 15, 2005
HORNISH LEADS TOYOTA IN QUALIFYING FOR TOYOTA INDY 400
Sam Hornish Jr. qualified third and Marlboro Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves was sixth to lead the Toyota contingent in qualifying for Sunday’s Toyota Indy 400 at the California Speedway.
- Sam Hornish Jr.’s third today marks his 10th top-five qualifying effort of the season.
- With a sixth today, Helio Castroneves has now registered 11 top-10 showings in qualifying this season. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner had won the pole at each of the last two races here at Fontana.
- Toyota will be looking for its second consecutive victory on Sunday after winning the most recent event at Watkins Glen with Scott Dixon.
- Sunday’s Toyota Indy 400 will be televised live on ESPN at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
Car # Driver Car Qualifying
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 3rd
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 6th
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) 14th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 15th
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 16th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara 17th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 19th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 21st
October 12, 2005
THREE DIFFERENT SERIES; ONE VICTORIOUS RESULT - TRD STRETCHES UNIQUE WIN STREAK
From Las Vegas to Watkins Glen, NY, and all the way down to Virginia, TRD-prepared engines have a winning streak that not only stretches across the U.S. geographically, but across the span of the American racing scene as well – winning consecutive races in NASCAR, Indy cars and sports cars.
Todd Bodine began the unique three-race win streak by dominating the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sat., Sept. 24, in his No. 30 Germain Racing Tundra.
The next day it was Scott Dixon in the winner’s circle during the IRL IndyCar Series’ first trip to Watkins Glen in his No. 9 Target Toyota.
This past Sunday, the streak continued – this time with Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz combined to win the Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype race at Virginia International Raceway in the Ganassi Racing No. 01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley.
“It’s a great tribute to everyone at TRD and all of our race teams,” said Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports and TRD president and CEO. “When one of our teams wins, it drives our others to work even harder.”
TRD will attempt to increase its win streak to four this weekend at the IRL season-finale Toyota Indy 400 at the California Speedways.
October 10, 2005
FAST FACTS - TOYOTA INDY 400
Oct. 16, 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN
California Speedway
200 laps/400 miles on 2-mile D-shaped oval
Race No.: 17 of 17
TOYOTA EYES SECOND STRAIGHT IRL WIN - After a dominating weekend that saw Toyota-powered cars sweep the top four spots in qualifying and lead 51 of 60 laps on the way to winning at Watkins Glen, Toyota will attempt to earn its second consecutive win at this weekend’s Toyota Indy 400. With the Glen victory, Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) became the third different Toyota-powered driver to win during the 2005 campaign. Overall, the manufacturer has registered four victories and six pole positions heading into the season finale.
POLE-SITTER… – Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Team Penske Toyota) will look for his third consecutive Toyota Indy 400 pole this weekend after capturing the point position in both 2003 and 2004. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner won the pole position at Watkins Glen and is the IRL’s active leader in pole positions with 11 – just two behind the series career record of 13 set by Greg Ray.
Castroneves’ qualifying efforts the past two years continues a stretch of qualifying success at Fontana for Toyota. The manufacturer has won three pole positions and notched six front-row starting positions at the track beginning with the 1999 CART race. In addition to Castroneves’ two pole positions, Scott Pruett registered Toyota’s first-ever CART pole at Fontana in 1999. Scott Dixon (2004), Bruno Junqueira (2002) and Cristiano da Matta (2001) all secured front-row starting positions with Toyota power, as well.
…AND RACE WINNER – While Helio Castroneves has dominated Toyota Indy 400 qualifying, it has been Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. who has won two of the three IndyCar Series races held at the California Speedway. Hornish Jr. edged Jaques Lazier by just .028 seconds in 2002 and then followed with a .356-second victory over Scott Dixon in 2003. Rounding out the Defiance, Ohio-native’s efforts at the two-mile, D-shaped oval was a fourth-place showing a year ago. Overall, he’s averaged a second-place finish in his three runs at Fontana.
I LOVE L.A. – Four of the seven Toyota-powered drivers racing at this weekend’s Toyota Indy 400 have earned at least one top-three podium finish at Fontana. Sam Hornish Jr. has two victories, Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon and Jaques Lazier each have a second and Red Bull Cheever Racing’s Patrick Carpentier was third in the 2002 CART event at the track. In addition, Helio Castroneves won the 2001 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach CART race.
DANICA’S NOT THE ONLY WOMAN MAKING A MARK IN IRL – While Danica Patrick has garnered numerous headlines during her successful rookie season, she’s not the only woman making her mark in the IndyCar Series this year. First-year TRD (Toyota Racing Development) engineer Tricia Wall has helped Patrick Carpentier to a top-10 points standing.
In addition to working with Costa Mesa, Calif.-based TRD, Wall is making another homecoming of sorts this weekend as a University of Southern California graduate. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and also acquired her Master’s in Aerodynamics at USC.
Among her current duties: Monitoring engine performance, making adjustments in fueling, traction and shifting control; maintaining detailed reports on engine running and performance, and working closely with the team to determine race strategy relative to the engine. Wall’s ultimate goal is to become a lead engineer for an IndyCar team. When she reaches that goal, she will become the only woman in the sport in such a capacity.
POINTS CHASE – Two Toyota-powered drivers have already clinched top-10 finishing positions for the season and a third will wrap up his spot when he takes the green flag on Sunday.
Sam Hornish Jr. needs an 11th-place finish at Fontana to secure third in the series championship. Helio Castroneves is currently in fifth-place, but is in a heated battle for the position. Patrick Carpentier will cement his top-10 place in the point standings by starting the Toyota Indy 400. He’s currently in a tie for the ninth position, but could rise as high as seventh with a first or second-place finish in the race on Sunday.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Toyota Indy 400
Car # Driver Car Current Point Standings (wins)
#6 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Toyota (Dallara) 3rd (Phoenix, Milwaukee)
#3 Helio Castroneves Penske Toyota (Dallara) 5th (Richmond)
#83 Patrick Carpentier Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 9th
#51 Alex Barron Red Bull Toyota (Dallara) 11th
#9 Scott Dixon Target Toyota (Panoz) 14th (Watkins Glen)
#33 Ryan Briscoe Pioneer/Target Toyota (Panoz) 17th
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Toyota (Dallara) 17th
#91 Jimmy Kite Ethanol Toyota (Dallara) 22nd
#10 Jaques Lazier Target Toyota (Panoz) 24th
Current Toyota Drivers At California Speedway
Driver 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998
Sam Hornish Jr. 3/4 10/1 4/1 ---- ---- ---- ---
Jaques Lazier --- --- 2/2 ---- ---- ---- ---
Helio Castroneves 1/7 1/6 14/5 24/22* 4/9* 20/20* 16/10*
Alex Barron 15/18 9/10 18/12 19/9* 20/8* 14/24* 15/13*
Scott Dixon 2/8 3/2 14/6* 10/17* ---- ---- ---
Ed Carpenter 20/12 17/13 --- ---- ---- ---- ---
Patrick Carpentier ---- ---- 8/3* 25/10* 11/14* 7/25* 14/26*
Toyota Bests At California Speedway
Year Start Finish
2004 1st (Helio Castroneves) 4th (Sam Hornish Jr.)
2003 1st (Helio Castroneves) 2nd (Scott Dixon)
2002* 2nd (Bruno Junqueira) 6th (Scott Dixon)
2001* 2nd (Cristiano da Matta) 1st (Cristiano da Matta)
2000* 5th (Juan Montoya) 10th (Juan Montoya)
1999* 1st (Scott Pruett) 11th (Robby Gordon)
1998* 15th (Alex Barron) 13th (Alex Barron)
1997* 18th (Juan M. Fangio II) 10th (PJ Jones)
* CART competition
October 09, 2005
CompUSA Lexus Wins VIR 400
After Luis Diaz dominated the early-going, teammate Scott Pruett passed Matteo Bobbi for the lead on Lap 63 and then pulled away from the field to win Sunday’s VIR 400 at the Virginia International Raceway to give Lexus its third victory of the Rolex Sports Car Series season and keep themselves in contention for a second consecutive championship heading into the season finale in Mexico City.
With qualifying washed out due to persistent rains throughout the weekend, Diaz started the race on the outside of the front row, but moved the CompUSA Lexus-Riley into the lead on Lap 11. Diaz then proceeded to stretch out a 12-second lead by Lap 29. The team elected to pit and give up the lead under caution Lap 30 with Pruett climbing into the seat.
Pruett’s run to the front was slowed by a number of full-course cautions, but he eventually caught and moved past Bobbi on Lap 63 and went on to lead the final 12 laps of the race. The CompUSA drivers combined to lead a race-high 30 laps today. In addition, Pruett registered the fastest lap of the event – bettering the next fastest lap by almost a half second.
Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner teamed to place fifth in the New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley to give Ganassi Racing and Lexus two of the top-five finishers. Despite the strong finish, the team’s string of hard luck continued as a podium finish eluded the squad despite running in the top three for much of the race after starting sixth. Johansson pitted from the third position on Lap 30 with Wagner resuming the fight in sixth-place. Unfortunately, Wagner was bottled up by a number of the lower horse-power GT cars on the re-start and was shuffled back to eighth. The track position and the repetitive full-course cautions eventually led to their fifth-place finish.
Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson teamed to give Lexus a third top-10 finisher with a 10th-place showing in the Flight Options Lexus-Riley. With just three races under their belts this season, the team was banished to the 19th starting position when the field was determined by owner points. It was a hard-fought 10th as Negri was forced off-track to avoid two spinning GT cars on a Lap 16 re-start. The team lost two laps before they could get re-started. It didn’t deter Negri from turning in another sterling effort on the way to the second consecutive top-10 finish for the #60 from the Michael Shank Racing stables.
The Rolex Sports Car Series will close out its 2005 season when the Daytona Prototypes head to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Qualifying will take place on Nov. 4 and the race is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5, with live SPEED coverage at 4:00 p.m.
Drivers Car Start/Finish
Pruett/Diaz CompUSA Lexus Riley 2/1
Johansson/Wagner New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley 6/5
Negri/Patterson Flight Options Lexus Riley 19/10
“Quotes”:
SCOTT PRUETT, #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley: “This CompUSA car was just really awesome today. I had great pit stops from my guys, and that’s what got it done for us. We were able to pick our spots on the track and make our moves in a very calculating fashion. We felt we had all of our bases covered coming into the race, and it paid off this afternoon. Luis did a fabulous job again and I can’t wait to get to Mexico City to what I think will be a ground-breaking event for the Rolex Sports Car Series.”
LUIS DIAZ, #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley: “I can’t tell you how happy I am for this result today. We have a championship battle heading into the season finale, and that’s all I could have hoped for. It’s great for CompUSA, Telmex and our sponsors to be a part of the Mexico City race, and having a shot at the championship will bring that much more excitement to the race. You can expect about half a million people for the weekend, so be prepared for a great show if you’ve never seen a race in my country.”
STEFAN JOHANSSON, #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley: “I think Cort and I both were obviously a little disappointed with what we thought could have been a podium today. The New Century Lexus was strong, and in my stint I was able to drive hard and pick up spots. The bottom line is that track position is everything here, and we got shuffled back on that restart and never recovered.”
OSWALDO NEGRI, #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley: “I didn’t have any option (on a Lap 30 off-road excursion on a re-start). There were cars spinning right in front of me and I had to go in the grass. It’s such a shame because we were very fast today and had been having a very good weekend. But we were able to at least make up some places and get back into the top-10.”
October 06, 2005
LEXUS TAKES MOMENTUM TO VIR 400
After sweeping the front row in qualifying and then capturing two of the three podium positions at the Crown Royal 250, the Lexus Grand-Am program takes a great deal of momentum into this weekend’s VIR 400 at the Virginia International Raceway.
Luis Diaz won the pole at Watkins Glen, with he and co-driver Scott Pruett following that up with a strong second-place finish. The duo has enjoyed an impressive 2005 campaign with two victories among nine top-five finishes. Their Ganassi Racing #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley currently second overall in points.
Joining Pruett and Diaz on the podium at Watkins Glen were the Michael Shank Racing (MSR) combination of Luis Diaz and Mark Patterson. In just their third race of the season together for MSR, they logged their best finish of the year with a third. Negri was particularly impressive as he took over in 16th-place and sliced through the field up to the third spot – just a few hundred yards behind the leaders at the race’s conclusion. The pairing also captured the pole earlier this year at Laguna Seca and will be attempting to earn the team’s first-ever Daytona Prototype victory in the #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley.
With a front-row starting spot at the Glen, the #02 New Century Mortgage Lexus-Riley of Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner were in a position to join their Ganassi Racing teammates on the podium. Unfortunately, Johansson was knocked into the fence in a wild mid-race crash that involved at least a quarter of the field. They recovered to finish sixth, but are left with unfinished business to handle in Virginia. Despite nine top-10 finishes including a second at Mont Tremblant, they’re still looking for their first victory of the year. They stand fifth overall in points heading into the season’s final two races.
Lexus-powered Daytona Prototypes have won seven races and registered 15 pole positions in 24 Rolex Series events to date.
Qualifying for the VIR 400 is scheduled for Saturday at 12:45 p.m. EDT. Sunday’s race will get the green flag at 1:00 p.m. with SPEED providing live flag-to-flag coverage. The event is scheduled for 77 laps on the 3.27-mile road course with a time limit of two hours and 45-minutes.
Drivers Car Points Position (Wins)
Pruett/Diaz CompUSA Lexus Riley 2nd (California, Laguna Seca)
Johansson/Wagner New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley 5th
Negri/Patterson Flight Options Lexus Riley 24th