2009 IRL Rd. 7--Iowa Corn Indy 250

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With Texas in the rear-views and a week off to rest, the teams and stars of the IndyCar Series travel to the heartland of America and the 7/8ths'-mile Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Drivers liken racing on the 14-16 degree banked track to "racing inside a fishbowl" or "flying fighter jets in the shower" and a tank-slapper moment or wiggle can have bad consequences very quickly.............



WEEKEND SCHEDULE............
Rookie & Others Practice, 9:30-10:15am, 20 June 2009
All-Cars Practice Session, 10:15-11am, 20 June 2009
Afternoon Practice, 1-2:30pm, 20 June 2009
PEAK Pole Qualifying, 4:15-5:45pm, 20 June 2009
Iowa Corn Indy 250, 1pm, ABC Sports

---Domestic TV, ABC Sports
---Domestic Radio, IMS Radio Network & Indycar.com
---Satellite Radio, Sirius XM Radio
---International Simulcast courtesy of the United States Armed Forces Network

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Iowa Corn Indy 250 Entry List


(R)Raphael Matos, #2 United States Marine Corps
Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske
Dan Wheldon, #4 National Guard
Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing/Votorantim
Ryan Briscoe, #6 Team Penske
Danica Patrick, #7 Boost Mobile
Scott Dixon, #9 Target
Dario Franchitti, #10 TOM-TOM
Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11
E.J. Viso, #13 PDVSA
Ryan Hunter-Reay, #14 ABC Supply Co.
Justin Wilson, #18 Z-Line Designs
Ed Carpenter, #20 Menards
Tomas Scheckter, #23 MonaVie Energy
(R)Mike Conway, #24 Dad's Root Beer/DRR
Marco Andretti, #26 Venom Energy
Hideki Mutoh, #27 Formula Dream
Jaques Lazier, #98 CURB Records
Graham Rahal, #02 McDonald's
(R)Robert Doornbos, #06 NHLR/Trust

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Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 Boost Mobile/Motorola car for Andretti Green Racing is fifth in the IndyCar Series standings heading into the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer at Iowa Speedway this weekend. With five top-10 finishes, including a string of four top fives, Patrick will be looking to climb higher. Highlights of her participation on the Indy Racing League teleconference:

Q: Can you give us your perspective on the start of the season and what it means to be able to put together a string of consistent finishes.

A: As we say each year, it's always nice to start the season off well. It always seems to get to the end of the season when you're counting every point, so it's nice when it starts out well. It would have been nicer if we finished (the season opener) at St. Pete and we would have been looking much better in the points. Everyone has their DNFs on the year. Since then we've been doing well, having a lot of fun, and having success.

Q: There are four consecutive weekends of racing coming up. Tell us about each of those tracks, how you've done in the past and what it will take to continue finishing up at the front.

A: We have Iowa coming up this weekend. It's been OK there. It's tough to race there. It used to be a tough place to pass because everyone was just running the bottom, and the long way around was the long way around, and you couldn't make up enough ground.

Last year, you could pass a little bit better on the outside. The car did go off a little bit, and you could pick up some understeer or something like that and it would make it a little easier to pass. But still the high line is a long way around there. It's more of a traditional line than in recent times. So qualifying is really important.

Then we go to Richmond, and it's sort of the same thing. It's difficult to pass at Richmond, even more so really than Iowa I would say.

But we had a little bit of side‑by‑side racing last year because there were more cars and we took up more space on the track. Again, it's going to really, really lend to qualifying well and then just staying up there. So I would say qualifying is going to be important the next two weekends.

Then we go to the Glen. And (Watkins Glen) is a place where I haven't traditionally done well. We were testing up there last week. The tests went well, and we've made improvements and will continue to make improvements, so I think I'm looking forward to the Glen more so. I really enjoy the permanent road courses we've gone to in the past couple of years. They seem to be more of my strong suit on the road courses.

Then we go to Toronto. A place that is back on the schedule for us that is really exciting. Canadian fans are fantastic fans. They love their racing. They're very educated.

It's also a place that my boss, Mr. (Michael) Andretti has done very well at, and being (the strategist) on my car, that's nice. I look forward to going back there, but I haven't been there in a big car. The last time I was there, I was in Atlantic, so I'm sure it will be quite different.

Q: The big question is this is your contract year that you're doing better than you ever have it gives you a lot of leverage in a position. Have you given any specific instruction to the folks at IMG about what you want to do in 2010.

A: We've definitely had many conversations about what I'm looking for and my goals. But, really, it's kind of about collecting information at this point and seeing what our options are and then we'll talk deeper after that. But at this point in time it's about collecting the information.

Q: What kind of goals do you have in mind.

A: I think the most important thing for me is to put myself in a situation where I can win as many races as possible and run up front and be in that competitive situation. That's the most important thing. Because, at the end of the day, usually the best press comes when I'm doing things on track. That's really the most important thing for me as a driver. So that's where the ultimate focus is going to go.

Then, aside from that and after that, there has to be thoughts to the brand side of the situation, and being able to make the most of myself as an athlete and as an endorser of products and things like that and gaining exposure so that in due time I'm able to explore other things outside of racing maybe. So, all of that comes afterwards. The most important thing is kicking butt out there.

Q: I'm not sure I've read anywhere where Andretti Green has made a new contract offer to you. I wonder if they have.

A: We're working towards some things together. It's been a great situation this year with Mike, and with my new engineer, Eddie (Jones). And the crew has been having a great time. We've been getting along. It's the same crew from last year, basically. We're all working together and most importantly having a good time at it. So I think that whenever you're in a situation where you're doing well, it's always very attractive, and you don't want to lose that. So we'll just have to see where that goes.

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NEWTON, Iowa - "(This week) starts that stretch of Iowa and Richmond, two tracks that I really enjoy," Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti said.

He should. Franchitti won the inaugural IndyCar Series race at the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway in 2007. Six days later, he won on the 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway, which helped pile up points in his title pursuit. The short-track tandem - part of four consecutive weekends of racing that includes Watkins Glen International and Toronto -- again will help or hurt a driver's cause.

A third of the way through the IndyCar Series season and the championship race is as wide open as a cornfield after October harvest. The top five are separated by 32 points, and 15 competitors are within 100 points of front-runner Ryan Briscoe. Twenty-two drivers have recorded top-10 finishes and 13 have a top five. The top 10 in points represent six teams.

Dan Wheldon, who won the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer last year, sees opportunity to advance from sixth in the standings on the variably-banked Iowa Speedway oval.

"The key for us is if we've got a chance to win a race, we have to take advantage," said Wheldon, whose National Guard Panther Racing team is riding a streak of five consecutive top-10 finishes.

"It's always a nice feeling going back to a track were you've won, and Iowa is going to be a very competitive race. They key here is having a car that works well through Turns 1 and 2, and if you're good through there then Iowa is a fun place to race.

"Last year I was actually quicker with old tires if that makes sense. I was a lot slower after our pit stops so we decided to not stop late in the race and leave the old tires on."

Wheldon should be pleased to know that the Firestone tire specification for Iowa will be the same as 2008. That also should sit well with Marco Andretti, who's finished second and third on the variably-banked oval.

"It's a track where I think the No. 26 car and Andretti Green as a whole have been very strong," said Andretti, who also could receive a boost in the standings (eighth) with a high finish. "Hideki (Mutoh) and I both finished on the podium last year, and I brought home second the year before that. Hopefully, we can keep at least the podium streak alive, although maybe on the top step this year."

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Unseasonable temperatures in the inaugural Iowa Corn Indy 250 contributed to hug-the-white-line racing on the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway. "Not our best race by any stretch of the imagination," Indy Racing League senior technical director Les Mactaggart says.

In 2008, with the same aero package as the previous year and the ambient temperature 25 degrees warmer, the SRO crowd roared its approval as Dan Wheldon held off Hideki Mutoh and Marco Andretti on the final lap for the victory -- the conclusion of 228 laps of side-by-side racing and nine lead changes.

"In not changing the cars in any way, shape or form, the whole aspect to the race completely changed," Mactaggart recounts.

Perception isn't always reality in regards to oval on-track performance. Take the Bombardier Learjet 550k at the 1.5-mile, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway on June 6.

"There are many factors that play into overtaking: track conditions, atmospherics, tires, the car itself," Mactaggart says. "The situation we had at Texas was due partly to, the drivers tell me, the cars were struggling to get a half car-width up (the track) because the track felt bumpier (than a year earlier) so therefore the drivers had to run what they thought was the perfect line. If everybody runs the same line, you can't overtake.

"The same basic package that we ran at Texas has run there for more than five years. We haven't changed anything as such (aside from exhaust position and moving to a standard 122-inch wheelbase). Any number of factors - the number of yellows, duration of green, etc. - has a bearing on how the race evolves."

Still, Indy Racing League officials are reviewing what - if anything under the sanctioning body's control - can be altered or added to improve the product.

"We have always prided ourselves on doing our best to create the most entertaining and compelling on-track product in motorsports, and I think in the last several years - especially with this version of race car - we've been very successful in achieving that," says Brian Barnhart, president of the Indy Racing League's competition and operations divisions. "Somewhat surprisingly this year, it doesn't appear that we have raced as well in terms of overtaking and side-by-side opportunities as we have the last several years. And what catches us a little off-guard is we haven't changed anything aerodynamically.

"I think we're seeing a compilation of several factors that create the perfect storm of parity. It may be at a point where each team is literally maximizing the performance out of the cars. There isn't much left to learn about them, and the fact that they're all performing so closely now has created a situation that without enough disparity in the on-track speed it's difficult to get overtaking."

The Dallara chassis package has been in use since 2003, with Firestone Firehawks and Honda V-8 engines used exclusively.

"The quality of product we put on the racetrack is very important to us and it's our obligation to look at it," Barnhart says. "We'll explore all factors and maybe it's time to give some tools and options back to the teams. Now we have everyone in the same car and have Honda as the exclusive engine supplier and we're in the position where we can control the speeds easier than when we were in a competitive environment when we had multiple manufacturers.

"Maybe it's time to visit things like the tire ramps, which are an efficient form of downforce, and make them optional for teams. Maybe it's time to look at the (half-inch) rear wing end fence wickers at places like Texas or the minimum flap angle or the (one-inch) flap wicker at places like Texas. Maybe we open that up a bit and give the teams more options and tools.

"Those are the things we need to evaluate before we get to Kentucky (the next oval on the schedule after Iowa). The good news is it shouldn't introduce costs back into what we're doing because these are all things teams have had and know what their affect is."

Honda, Firestone and Dallara are partners/consultants, providing feedback and seeking a cohesive and seamless package at the variety of venues visited by the IndyCar Series. Communication is ongoing, with all the variables taken into consideration.

"You need to be careful not to overreact," Barnhart says. "We get a lot of good feedback from our teams, and I'm sure we'll be moving in the right direction."

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Practice 1 top-5
1. 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 17.713 181.692
2. 10 Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 17.750 0.037 0.037 181.320
3. 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 17.792 0.042 0.079 180.890
4. 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 17.802 0.010 0.089 180.784
5. 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 17.819 0.017 0.106 180.614

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Practice 2 top-5.......
1. 10 Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 17.680 182.031
2. 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 17.690 0.010 0.010 181.937
3. 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 17.693 0.003 0.013 181.905
4. 3 Helio Castroneves Team Penske 17.695 0.002 0.015 181.879
5. 4 Dan Wheldon Panther Racing 17.762 0.067 0.082 181.200

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Iowa Corn Indy 250 Starting Grid
note.......grid set on entrant points; qualifying was cancelled due to persistant water on track

1. 3 Helio Castroneves Team Penske 214
2. 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 199

3. 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 196
4. 10 Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 188

5. 7 Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 167
6. 4 Dan Wheldon Panther Racing 152

7. 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 146
8. 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 141

9. 02 Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 126
10. 18 Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing 107

11. 27 Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing 107
12. 2 Raphael Matos* Luczo Dragon Racing 106

13. 20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 106
14. 06 Robert Doornbos* Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 104

15. 5 Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology 95
16. 23 Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 93

17. 14 Ryan Hunter-Reay AJ Foyt Enterprises 87
18. 13 EJ Viso HVM Racing 73

19. 24 Mike Conway* Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 72
20. 98 Jaques Lazier CURB/Agajanian/Team 3G 62
*--series rookie

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Iowa captured a lot of the excitement that has been missing from the 2009 IndyCar Series season, as Dario Franchitti took a well-judged second victory of the year by navigating a series of incidents and green-flag pit stops.

It was still a driver from Chip Ganassi Racing or Team Penske that wound up in victory lane for the seventh time in as many races. Franchitti was once again in a special livery (his fifth in seven races) as opposed to the standard Target red and white, the TOM TOM lime green car that he also drove to third place at the Milwaukee Mile.

"I'm completely dizzy right now," Franchitti admitted after a quick second half of the race. "We worked hard on certain parts of the setup, and it changed a lot. We did a couple little tweaks, plus the stops were great for track position."

Franchitti led home Ryan Briscoe, with Hideki Mutoh scoring his best result since finishing runner-up at this race last season in third. Dan Wheldon finished fourth and was the only other driver to finish on the lead lap, while Scott Dixon had a fraught but conservative race finishing fifth.

Franchitti got the jump on Briscoe through the final pit stop sequence, all under green flag conditions between laps 195 and 200. He had a good idea of how to handle his car on cold tires after a private test two weeks ago at the Iowa Speedway. He then jetted off to Le Mans to catch up with brother Marino, who was driving for Drayson Racing in last week's 24-hour race.

Briscoe led the most laps, as he did in Milwaukee and Texas, but once again failed to win. Still, he was gracious in still recording a runner-up result and the points that come with it.

"It was hard work out there," Briscoe said. "Dario was better on cold tires, and out of the pits; that's where we were hurting. It was still really good fun." Briscoe continues to lead the standings by three points (241-238) over Franchitti; Dixon is third on 226 points.

Mutoh, now 10th in the points, might argue every IndyCar race should be run at the 0.875-mile short track oval that races like a super-speedway in the middle of the country. "I'm very happy and a lot of things happened," Mutoh observed. "I just had to stay out of trouble and the guys did well on the pit stops."

There were seven different race leaders and 12 lead changes, a sincere change from the norm at oval events at Kansas, Indianapolis, and Texas where the races were more or less devoid of side-by-side action and lead changes. There were also five cautions, all in the first half of the 250-lap race.

A couple drivers earned finishes unrepresentative of where they raced. The passing star on this day was Tomas Scheckter of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Scheckter's never been accused of lacking aggression during his time in IndyCar and on this day he drove like a man possessed, passing cars left and right on the outside.

He ran as high as second and finished sixth at day's end, earning Dreyer & Reinbold's best result since Buddy Rice finished fourth at last year's Watkins Glen race. Icing on the cake for the smaller team was its rookie driver Mike Conway in eighth, his best result yet by ten positions and only his third finish of the season.

Danica Patrick finished ninth, several spots behind Dixon and Helio Castroneves. Patrick, the headline-maker in recent weeks for her rumored switch to NASCAR, was last of the leaders to pit during the final sequence and fell to her final finishing position. It says something of her season, a contract year, when ninth is her second worst result of the year.

Accidents took place early and often in the event. On the first lap, E.J. Viso lost control of his HVM Racing entry out of turn four while just behind Robert Doornbos did likewise in his Newman/Haas/Lanigan car. Ryan Hunter-Reay, now driving for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, contacted Doornbos' suspension and he joined them out of the race. Viso still has yet to finish a race in seven starts this season.

Dixon and Castroneves, battling for the lead, made contact in turn two on lap 18. Castroneves' right front wing shredded Dixon's left rear tire and it was thanks to great driving by both of them neither crashed further, though their races were compromised from that point. Dixon was fifth and Castroneves seventh at the checkers.

Justin Wilson had a single-car accident, while later Brazilian drivers Raphael Matos and Mario Moraes had a dustup off turn two. Completing the incidents on this day was Tony Kanaan, whose spell of bad luck at this track continued. Kanaan crashed off turn two on lap 111, only five laps after a green-flag stop. "It stepped out on me," Kanaan said. "I think it was my fault. But at least this was on my left side, my right side is still sore." Kanaan had led 48 laps before that, and was still wearing a brace on the right side from his massive accident at Indianapolis.

A busy stretch for the series continues next week in Richmond with further events on the road and street courses in Watkins Glen and Toronto the two weeks after that. Richmond concludes a stretch of six consecutive ovals.

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Top-10 from Iowa.........................
1} #10 Dario Franchitti, 250 laps
2} #6 Ryan Briscoe, -5.013 sec
3} #27 Hideki Mutoh, -10.977 sec
4} #4 Dan Wheldon, -17.581 sec
5} #9 Scott Dixon, -1 lap
6} #23 Tomas Scheckter, -1 lap
7} #3 Helio Castroneves, -1 lap
8}(R)#24 Mike Conway, -1 lap
9} #7 Danica Patrick, -1 lap
10} #20 Ed Carpenter, -2 laps