THE LINE
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 09:03AM April 29, 2009
Scott Dixon, Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone) captured his first victory of the 2009 season, taking the checkered flag in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway .7104 of a second ahead of Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske D/H/F) who came back from the last row. It was Dixon's first win since Kentucky last year. After Ryan Briscoe (No. 6 Team Penske D/H/F) got caught out in the pits during a caution, Dixon lead 134 of 200 laps for his 17th career victory. The win moved Dixon to fourth in the point standings as the IndyCar Series prepares for the Indianapolis 500. Tony Kanaan (No. 11 Andretti Green Racing Team 7-Eleven D/H/F) finished third and remains the only driver to record top-five finishes in each of the first three races this season. Kanaan is now the points leader going to Indy, one point ahead of Briscoe, who ended up fourth. All four Andretti Green Racing cars finished in the top 10 (Danica Patrick was fifth, Marco Andretti was sixth, and Hideki Mutoh was eighth) for the first time since Milwaukee 2006. “I think we were expecting the race to be a lot more difficult as far as the wind conditions in Turns 3 and 4 and maybe more cautions," Dixon said. "Our team was definitely talking about a lot of cautions and making sure we saved fuel. All-in-all for me it was a pretty smooth race. We had a great car. We jumped straight to second then about 10 laps later we got Graham (Rahal) when he slid up the track a bit in Turns 3 and 4. We got out front and started saving fuel. The Target car was really good all day. We had a bit of a fumble in the pits, which dropped us back to third at one point and made it quite difficult to get past (Ryan) Briscoe. I think we were trimmed to win as they say. The car was maybe not as good as it should have been in traffic. Luckily enough, we were saving enough fuel and caught the caution that catapulted us to the front.”
(Shawn Payne/IRL)
Scott Dixon gets service from his crack Target Chip Ganassi Racing crew on his way to victory in Kansas.
(Shawn Payne/IRL)
Sebastian Saavedra (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc.) earned his first career victory in Firestone Indy Lights last Sunday when he won the Kansas Lottery 100. The race finished under caution with Saavedra ahead of 2005 series champion Wade Cunningham (No. 11 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports). Saavedra passed Cunningham on a Lap 10 restart and led the remainder of the 67 laps. Mario Romancini (No. 5 Revita/Win Brazil/Allied) finished third. “It’s unbelievable," Saavedra said. "I cannot be happier than I am right now. AFS/Andretti Green did an incredible job, and I have to thank the guys. They were just unbelievable. The key was the restarts. I just had perfect timing behind Wade. I’m very happy for me but also the team. It’s a win for Colombia, but hopefully the first of many more.”
(Photo©2009 - Tyler Barrick - Autostock)
Carl Edwards pulls a "Ricky Bobby" as he crosses the finish line on foot at the end of the Aaron's 499 at Talladega last Sunday afternoon. Edwards' Ford Fusion came to a rest after flying into the catch fencing and careening down the front stretch at the end of the race.
The Indianapolis 500. 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier was added to the field for the 2009 Indianapolis 500, as 31 drivers are now named to the 41 entries for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Also added were Milka Duno and rookie Nelson Philippe. Lazier, from Vail, Colo., will drive the No. 91 Hemelgarn Johnson entry in an attempt to make his 17th career Indianapolis 500 start. It will be his second consecutive year at Indy with that team (he started 32nd and finished 17th in 2008). But it will be his 13th year at Indy with team owner Ron Hemelgarn, for whom he won the “500” in 1996 and the IndyCar Series title in 2000. Duno, from Caracas, Venezuela, will attempt to make her third Indy 500 start in the No. 23 CITGO/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry. She recorded a career-best Indy finish of 19th last year in a Dreyer & Reinbold entry. Philippe, from Valence, France, will attempt to make his first “500” start in the No. 31 i drive green HVM Racing entry. Philippe competed in Champ Car from 2004-07, winning in 2006 at Surfers Paradise in a car fielded by CTE-HVM Racing, which is now HVM Racing. Philippe will drive a new entry, increasing the total to 41 comprised of 77 cars. The Rookie Orientation Program starts Tuesday, May 5 and continues Wednesday, May 6 at IMS. Opening Day at The Speedway is Wednesday, May 6. The 2009 Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24.
The Official drivers list for this year's Indianapolis 500:
Former race winners (5): Buddy Lazier (1996), Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Dan Wheldon (2005), Dario Franchitti (2007), Scott Dixon (2008).
Former pole winners (4): Helio Castroneves (2003, 2007), Scott Sharp (2001), Tony Kanaan (2005), Scott Dixon (2008).
Rookies (5): Stanton Barrett, Mike Conway, Robert Doornbos, Raphael Matos, Nelson Philippe.
U.S. born (12): John Andretti, Marco Andretti, Stanton Barrett, Ed Carpenter, Sarah Fisher, A.J. Foyt IV, Davey Hamilton, Buddy Lazier, Graham Rahal, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Danica Patrick, Scott Sharp.
Foreign born (19): Ryan Briscoe, Australia; Helio Castroneves, Brazil; Mike Conway, England; Scott Dixon, New Zealand; Robert Doornbos, Netherlands; Milka Duno, Venezuela; Dario Franchitti, Scotland; Tony Kanaan, Brazil; Alex Lloyd, England; Raphael Matos, Brazil; Vitor Meira, Brazil; Mario Moraes, Brazil; Hideki Mutoh, Japan; Nelson Phillippe, France; Will Power, Australia; Paul Tracy, Canada; E.J. Viso, Venezuela; Dan Wheldon, England, Justin Wilson, England.
Youngest: Graham Rahal, 20.
Oldest: Davey Hamilton, 46.
Most previous starts: Buddy Lazier, 16.
Disabled American Veterans, The Indianapolis 500. Two vintage B-25 Mitchell bombers will conduct a special flyover before the 2009 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 24, to honor the Disabled American Veterans, the non-profit organization dedicated to helping wounded veterans. The B-25s, named Special Delivery and Take Off Time, are fully restored, World War II-era aircraft. These warbirds will pass over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway twice during the National Anthem just prior to the beginning of the race. Though modern military aircraft are standard for such flyovers, the IMS chose the venerable B-25 “War Dog” as a symbol of the courage and can-do spirit of our veterans and active duty military throughout history. The B-25 Mitchell is a twin-engine, medium bomber that saw extensive action in all theaters of World War II. The aircraft is perhaps best known for the Doolittle Raid, America’s first counterstrike after Pearl Harbor during which Lt. Col. James “Jimmy” Doolittle led a squadron of sixteen B-25s from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet on a daring, top-secret daytime raid on Japan. “It’s a rare opportunity for folks to see one of these aircraft flying, let alone two at the same time,” said Larry Kelley, a warbird owner and enthusiast who will pilot Take Off Time. “This truly is a unique tribute to the brave men and women from all wars who have been injured in defense of our freedom.”
Publisher's Note: Paul Tracy discussed the upcoming Indianapolis 500 on today's Indy Racing League teleconference. Tracy - a 39-year-old veteran of parts of 18 seasons in major league open-wheel racing - returns for the first time since 2002 to drive the No. 15 GEICO/KV Racing Technology D-H-F entry co-owned by Jimmy Vasser and Kevin Kalkhoven. Tracy has made five starts in the Indianapolis 500, recording a best qualifying effort of seventh in 1993 driving for Team Penske. He has made two official starts in the IndyCar Series, finishing second in the 2002 Indianapolis 500 and fourth in the 2008 Rexall Edmonton Indy. Tracy, a native Canadian who now resides in Las Vegas, has won 31 races in CART/Champ Car and won the 2003 series title. Thanks to the IndyCar Series for sharing this interview with us. - PMD PAUL TRACY: I think it's great. I've known Kevin since he got into the car. Then Jimmy got involved with him. We've been competitors. But Kevin has always been very friendly with me, has said to me on a couple of different occasions that at some point he would like me to drive for him. So we've finally got that opportunity to do that. I couldn't be happier. Obviously the team is doing a good job this year. I think Mario (Moraes) is just lacking a little bit of experience. That only comes with time. But the team, I feel they've got competitive cars. A lot of the guys on the team, the mechanics and engineers, I've worked with in the past. Quite a few of them are from Forsythe. My championship year at Forsythe, the guys on the team were on my crew, you know, three, so it should make the transition to getting there and getting up to speed fairly easy 'cause it's pretty comfortable surroundings really. Q: Let's talk about the month of May and the race. What type of goals and expectations have you set for yourself heading into the month? PAUL TRACY: For me, the only reason I want to go there is to try to win. It's not to go there to qualify and make the field and have a good day. I said at the press conference in Long Beach the reason I'm going there is to win. If we can do that and generate a lot of media for our sponsor with GEICO, hopefully we can grow this into something bigger and better. Right now the focus is just on Indianapolis. If that goes well enough, then maybe we can get into the races in Canada or maybe more.
Q: Paul, you've known your team owners Jimmy Vasser and Kevin Kalkhoven on and off the track for years. Tell us about the chance to work with those guys for the month.
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