2009 IRL Rd. 8---SunTrust Indy Challenge

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:12 am

As the 2009 IndyCar Series campaign approaches its' midway point, the teams now head to the James River and the 3/4-mile Richmond International Raceway, the second of two short-ovals on the calendar. Unlike Iowa, which thinks its' a super-speedway dressed as a short oval, Richmond is a short oval and drivers must stay 10/10ths' the whole race. Throw in the sometimes humid weather of the mid-Atlantic region in late June and it almost can take on a Last Driver Standing aura.

Event Schedule...........................
note......all times US EDT(-4 hrs. GMT)

Practice Session #1, 1-1:30pm, 26 June 2009*
Practice Session #2, 1:30-2:30pm, 26 June 2009
PEAK Pole Qualifying, 5:30-7pm, 26 June 2009
Practice Session #3, 8-9pm, 26 June 2009
SunTrust Indy Challenge, 8:45pm, 27 June 2009
*---session for rookie entrants and all other entrants outside the top-10 in points

~~Domestic TV: VERSUS
~~Domestic Radio: IMS Radio Network(simulcast on Indycar.com)
~~Satellite Radio: Sirius XM Radio
~~International Simulcast: ESPN International, United States Armed Forces Network

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:50 am

Ed Carpenter, driver of the No. 20 Menards entry for Vision Racing, has top-10 finishes in four of the past five races and is 12th in the IndyCar Series standings heading to the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway this weekend.

He talks about the season so far and what it takes to win at the 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway, where he has two top-10 finishes in five starts:

Q. Have the results met your expectations.

A. It has not quite met my expectations. I made a couple of mistakes at St. Pete, Long Beach, where we could have had higher finishes. As far as our performance on the ovals, finally in Texas we had a little bit better run that we are happy about. But the other ovals really we have not been that happy with the performance we put out there; especially compared to last year, I don't feel like we have done quite as good of a job. So we have been working really hard to try to turn that around and get things going in the right direction again. My goal is definitely to be inside the Top 10. The points are definitely very tight and you're still able to make a pretty good move in the points if you have a good run.

Q. What does it take to put together a top-10 run at Richmond.

A. You have to persevere and stay out of trouble, but to be in the top five you have to have a really good car. Last year there, I had my hands full and just had to worry more about surviving than really trying to race anybody. We have put a lot of work into the setup we are going there with this year, so hopefully we'll have a car that I can be competitive and aggressive with and try to run up front.

Q. The short tracks, with such quick lap times, can be tough to stay on the lead lap. Is there any strategy.

A. First and foremost, if you have a fast car you'll stay on the lead lap. If you can be the leader or be in the lead pack, that will take care of itself. Other than that, when you are running 15‑, 16‑second lap times, if you don't get through traffic and keep moving forward, you're going to end up being last. Like I said, it's important to go there and have a really good-handling car so you can run hard the entire stint of your fuel run and stay with the lead pack.

Q. After Richmond, we go to a string of three consecutive road and street courses: Watkins Glen, Toronto and Edmonton. How do you feel you've developed as a driver on those types of circuits?

A. I feel like I've gotten better. Sometimes it's hard to see. When I started in 2005, the series wasn't quite as full as talented road course racing as it is now. Now every single guy out there is a top‑notch road racer for the most part, so it's made it that much harder for me. I haven't really been moving up the standings as far as where I'm qualifying on the grid, but the margin that I'm off is getting closer.

Q. What is contributing to your success, is it equipment or experience, or is it a combination of a few things.

A. I would say experience as much as anything, just understanding how these races work and what I want out of the car. Last year we took a step forward development‑wise. Those were some of the hurdles we were trying to get over, trying to get our performance back up, trying to do a lot with a little, and I think we are well capable of doing that. But everything has to work.

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:52 am

After a great start to the season, Tony Kanaan feels like he has driven off a cliff (figuratively with aches and bruises from two hard crashes).

That's why he's looking to the SunTrust Indy Challenge this weekend at Richmond International Raceway to turn his season in a positive direction. With four top-five finishes in six races at the 0.75-mile oval - including a dominating victory from the pole in 2008 -- Kanaan has reason to be optimistic.

"I'm hoping I can jump-start my season at Richmond," said Kanaan, who gave Andretti Green Racing its last victory. "That's what I did last year and I hope we can do that again. This year has been tough because six drivers have to have a bad day in order for me to get back to the top of the points. And four of those cars belong to Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing and they don't have problems very often."

Kanaan heads to Richmond seventh in points -- 79 behind the leader Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske. He started the season with a fifth place at St. Pete followed by third-place finishes at Long Beach and Kansas. But a hard crash in the Indianapolis 500 dropped him to 27th place and he has struggled since.

The No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car dropped out at Milwaukee because of mechanical issues (19th) and finished eighth at Texas six days later. At Iowa on June 21, Kanaan crashed in Turn 2 for the third consecutive year.

Richmond is a physical and mental handful. "I think it is more of a driver's track," said Kanaan, the 2004 IndyCar Series champion. "You don't rely a lot on the car. You have to play traffic really well and be really smart about planning your race and being patient and waiting for the right time. As the night goes on, the track changes a lot.

"It's more about a driver's track and thinking about what you need to do in the race to win. I'm really looking forward to going there because it will be one year since I won a race and that is the last race that I've won."

Qualifying near the front at Richmond is important because the short oval with 14-degree banking in the turns is a high-speed traffic jam throughout the race.

"It's a tough track to pass, but if you start in the top five and play your pit stops and strategy well you can win the race," Kanaan said. "It's the busiest track we race on. You don't have time to breathe. As soon as you leave one turn it's three seconds later and you are in another turn. Richmond is definitely the busiest track. You don't get dizzy but it is really tough. You don't have time for anything - you have to focus all the time. The weather changes and you have three different handling cars in one race."

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:56 am

SunTrust Indy Challenge 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 Target
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/Muermans

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 11:50 am

The next time, Raphael Matos and Mario Moraes want to graduate to gaucho status. The IndyCar Series drivers added to the festive, family atmosphere of a churrascaria during a July 24 dinner at Texas de Brazil in Richmond, Va., by acting as hosts and explaining the menu and drinks. The Caipirinha is a great kickoff to the sumptuous meal.

"I think what's great is that everyone loved it," said Matos, a rookie driving for Luczo Dragon Racing. "It was great to open their eyes to the Brazilian culture, the Brazilian way of serving."

Brazilian steakhouses offer cuts of slow-roasted Angus beef, lamb, pork, chicken and sausage served by strolling gauchos, who carve the offerings off the spit.

"I think I better stick to race car driving for a living because I'm not a very good server," Matos said. "I enjoyed greeting the guests and explaining the menu and traditional Brazilian drinks."

Moraes' service with a smile included unfolding napkins for guests and pouring water. "I think it was good for me to have only one day working as a server," said Moraes, who drives for KV Racing Technology. "I'd rather stick to making reservations in a restaurant. It's much easier."

Both drivers will compete in the SunTrust Indy Challenge on June 27 at Richmond International Raceway.

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 11:51 am

When the green flag dropped to start the Iowa Corn Indy 250, there was no holding back for Tomas Scheckter. The IndyCar Series veteran, making his third start for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, drove the No. 23 MonaVie entry past six cars into the top 10.

Scheckter spent most of the 250 laps in the top 10, including three stints running in second. He ended up sixth, his best finish since 2007.

"It was a good race," Scheckter said. "I made up a lot of positions in the beginning, and I just have to thank everybody at MonaVie. The car looks beautiful. Everyone on the team did a great job."

The finish was the best this season for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, and coupled with Mike Conway's eighth-place finish, gave the team two cars in the top 10 for the first time since the 2008 Indianapolis 500.

"We had good cars all weekend, and it's really too bad that qualifying got rained out or we would have started up further in the cycle," team co-owner Dennis Reinbold said.

Conway, a rookie, earned his first career top-10 in his eighth start. "It was a tough race," Conway said. "We started from the back with what happened with qualifying. We kept it steady at the start, but even when you are trying to stay out of trouble and everything is happening around you, it makes it difficult. At the restart, we just tried to gain positions, but it was hard with the bumps through (Turns) 1 and 2, because your car can get really loose, so we were just trying to hang on."

The team will look to continue its success June 27 at Richmond where it finished eighth last year. "We go to Richmond next weekend, and our setups are good on short tracks, so I'm looking forward to it," Reinbold said.

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 6:29 am

Richmond Practice Session #1 results..................
1. 10 Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 16.252 166.135
2. 2 Raphael Matos* Luczo Dragon Racing 16.283 0.031 0.031 165.816
3. 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 16.357 0.074 0.105 165.067
4. 3 Helio Castroneves Team Penske 16.362 0.005 0.110 165.019
5. 23 Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 16.369 0.007 0.117 164.941
6. 13 EJ Viso HVM Racing 16.372 0.003 0.120 164.920
7. 4 Dan Wheldon Panther Racing 16.436 0.064 0.184 164.279
8. 27 Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing 16.451 0.015 0.199 164.119
9. 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 16.503 0.052 0.251 163.602
10. 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 16.513 0.010 0.261 163.504
11. 7 Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 16.539 0.026 0.287 163.252
12. 02 Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 16.600 0.061 0.348 162.649
13. 18 Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing 16.630 0.030 0.378 162.362
14. 24 Mike Conway* Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 16.631 0.001 0.379 162.343
15. 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 16.653 0.022 0.401 162.137
16. 06 Robert Doornbos* Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 16.664 0.011 0.412 162.029
17. 5 Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology 16.762 0.098 0.510 161.079
18. 14 Ryan Hunter-Reay AJ Foyt Enterprises 16.831 0.069 0.579 160.418
19. 20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 17.022 0.191 0.770 158.618
20. 98 Jaques Lazier CURB/Agajanian/Team 3G 17.643 0.621 1.391 153.039
* Series rookie
L-R: position, car #, driver, team, fastest time, gap to next position/gap to 1st, speed[mph]

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:32 am

Moraes first to attempt a qualifying run................
Lap 1, 161.082 mph
Lap 2, 160.344 mph
Lap 3, 161.757 mph
Lap 4, 160.406 mph
4-lap avg., 160.895 mph

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:34 am

Kanaan next in line...................
Lap 1, 160.658 mph
Lap 2, 162.877 mph
Lap 3, 163.264 mph
Lap 4, 163.771 mph
4-lap avg., 162.634 mph

TK on the provisional pole at the moment...........

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:36 am

Marco next to make a qualifying run..................
Lap 1, 160.506 mph
Lap 2, 163.162 mph
Lap 3, 163.665 mph
Lap 4, 163.861 mph
4-lap avg., 162.780 mph

Marco knocks his teammate from P1...........

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:38 am

The first of the Penske cars, the #6 of Ryan Briscoe, is out on track............
Lap 1, 166.077 mph
Lap 2, 165.945 mph
Lap 3, 166.280 mph
Lap 4, 164.703 mph
4-lap avg., 165.749 mph

Briscoe on point at the moment............

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:41 am

Mutoh next out on-track.......................
Lap 1, 163.838 mph
Lap 2, 164.868 mph
Lap 3, 165.055 mph
Lap 4, 164.543 mph
4-lap avg., 164.575 mph

Mutoh provisionally sits P2.............

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:43 am

Scheckter next to make a qualifying run....................
Lap 1, 164.714 mph
Lap 2, 164.606 mph
Lap 3, 164.560 mph
Lap 4, 163.888 mph
4-lap avg., 164.441 mph

Scheckter slots into P3 for now.....................

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:45 am

First of the Target cars, the #9 of Scott Dixon, begins his run................
Lap 1, 165.418 mph
Lap 2, 165.959 mph
Lap 3, 167.765 mph

Lap 4, 167.434 mph
4-lap avg., 166.638 mph

The Kiwi displaces the Aussie for provisional pole................

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:47 am

Graham Rahal now on-track.................................
Lap 1, 164.465 mph
Lap 2, 165.398 mph
Lap 3, 165.456 mph
Lap 4, 165.557 mph
4-lap avg., 165.218 mph

Graham provisionally qualifies P3...................

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