2009 IRL Rd. 14--Sonoma Indy Grand Prix

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Who will win at Sonoma this weekend?

Poll ended at Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:52 am

Ryan Briscoe
0
No votes
Scott Dixon
0
No votes
Dario Franchitti
0
No votes
none of the above
1
100%
 
Total votes: 1

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2009 IRL Rd. 14--Sonoma Indy Grand Prix

Post by mlittle » Wed Aug 19, 2009 8:52 am

With four rounds to go in the 2009 IndyCar Series championship, the title couldn't be any closer at the moment with three drivers(Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe & Dario Franchitti) separated by a mere 20 pts. Whoever of the three wins here could have the inside line to the series title once they return to the ovals to conclude the 2009 season.


~~Past Race Winners at Infineon Raceway............
1970: Dan Gurney*
2005: Tony Kanaan
2006: Marco Andretti
2007: Scott Dixon
2008: Helio Castroneves
*race conducted under USAC(United States Auto Championship) sanctioning
Last edited by mlittle on Wed Aug 26, 2009 5:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by mlittle » Thu Aug 20, 2009 2:33 am

Sonoma Indy Grand Prix Entry List..............


(R)Raphael Matos, #2 United States Marine Corps
Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske
Dan Wheldon, #4 National Guard
Mario Moraes, #5 Azul Tequila/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
Will Power, #12 Penske Truck Rental
E.J. Viso, #13 PDVSA
Ryan Hunter-Reay, #14 ABC Supply Co.
Justin Wilson, #18 Z-Line Designs
Ed Carpenter, #20 WilliamRast/Lilly
Milka Duno, #23 CITGO
(R)Mike Conway, #24 Tran Systems/DRR
Franck Montagny, #25 Automatic Fire Sprinklers
Marco Andretti, #26 Venom Energy
Hideki Mutoh, #27 Formula Dream
(R)Robert Doornbos, #33 HVM/Muermans
Nelson Phillipe, #34 I Drive Green
Richard Antinucci, #98 CURB Records
Graham Rahal, #02 McDonald's
Oriol Servia, #06 NHLR
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Post by mlittle » Sun Aug 23, 2009 3:04 am

FIRESTONE
FIREHAWK FAST FACTS
IndyCar Series - Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, Calif.
August 22-23, 2009 - Round 14 of 17

Race Distance: 184.2 mi./296.4 km (80 laps on the 2.303-mi./3.706-km permanent road course).

Firestone Firehawk Race Tires Supplied:
* Primary (black-sidewall) dry-condition slicks: 646, each entry gets six sets (24 total tires);
* Alternate (red-sidewall) dry-condition slicks: 330, each entry gets three sets (12 total tires);
* Wet-condition (rain) tires with grooved tread pattern: 420, each entry has five sets available as needed.

IndyCar Series rules require that teams notify the league within one hour after qualifying as to which of the Firestone dry tire specs drivers will use at the start of the race. All cars must use at least one primary set and one new alternate set during the race, each for a minimum of two green-flag laps. While Firestone Racing is bringing an all-new primary tire specification to the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, it is designed to be similar in both grip and durability to the tire raced here last year. The softer-compound alternate tires will be used at this track for the first time. The alternate tires are identical in construction to the primaries but contain a softer tread compound which will provide more grip and faster lap times, yet will trade off some compound durability in exchange for those shorter-term advantages. If circumstances require, the Firestone rain tire for this event is the softer, "street course rain" specification.

From Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing: "Going into our final road/street course race of the 2009 season, it is fitting to look back on the success of the first year of Firestone Racing's alternate tire program in the IndyCar Series. The alternate tires have met and in some circumstances exceeded our expectations as far as contributing to the excitement of on-track action and inviting different strategies. The series' unique knock-out style qualifying procedures at road/street events really showcase the competitive edge the alternate tires can provide. As for this event, Infineon Raceway puts a premium on grip because passing maneuvers can be a challenge at times. However, the addition of the alternate tires and the overtake-assist, or 'push to pass,' button from Honda should provide more passing opportunities and pave the way for good battles on the track."

Firestone "Tire-ific" Move of the Race: Following each race, Firestone Racing nominates three drivers who best utilized their Firestone tires to make a bold, dramatic move during the event. Fans can go to www.indycar.com to vote for the nominee they believe made the most "Tire-ific" move of the race. Nominees from Mid-Ohio were Marco Andretti, Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay. The $10,000 prize winner will be announced in Sunday's pre-race activities.
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Power, Phillipe injured in Sonoma crash.........

Post by mlittle » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:23 am

quoting multiple sources

Will Power and Nelson Philippe each have sustained a concussion that will sideline them for today's qualifying. The two had a coming together in the morning practice for this weekend's Sonoma Infineon Raceway's IndyCar Series race.

Prior to the incident at Turn 3A, Power had clocked a best lap on his fourth tour of the circuit with a 1:18.554 (105.542 mph) in his No. 12 Penske Racing Dallara/Honda. He had completed a total of 16 tours when the incident happened.

Philippe has a best lap time just prior to the incident on his 10th tour. The Conquest Racing rookie turned a 1:20.261 (103.299 mph).

Also involved in the incident was E.J. Viso in his HVM Racing Dallara/Honda, though he was not injured. Philippe apparently lost control into a spin before Viso tagged him before Power who was coming around the corner had nowhere to go before slamming into the Dallara of Philippe that was sitting on track just past the blind crest near Turn 4.

Both Power and Philippe were taken to Med Central for evaluation before being transported to a nearby hospital. Power complaints include back pain so he was airlifted. Philippe has an injured left foot and was transported in an ambulance.

It is doubtful that the two injured drivers will be cleared to race by tomorrow. Both sustained injuries but both were awake and alert.

Dario Franchitti was fastest at the end of practice after the delay (red flag) followed by Helio Castroneves and rookie Mike Conway. This was the only practice for the teams prior to qualifying.

UPDATE: Power has been reported to have a fractured vertebrae. Philippe per his team sustained an "open fracture of the left foot and underwent surgery".
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Post by mlittle » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:24 am

Sonoma Saturday Practice Times
1. 10 Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 1:17.220 107.367
2. 3 Helio Castroneves Team Penske 1:17.513 0.293 0.293 106.960
3. 24 Mike Conway* Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 1:17.567 0.054 0.347 106.886
4. 27 Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing 1:17.583 0.016 0.363 106.863
5. 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 1:17.839 0.256 0.619 106.513
6. 02 Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 1:17.866 0.027 0.646 106.475
7. 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 1:17.876 0.010 0.656 106.461
8. 25 Franck Montagny AFS Racing/Andretti Green 1:17.879 0.003 0.659 106.457
9. 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 1:17.886 0.007 0.666 106.448
10. 5 Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology 1:18.287 0.401 1.067 105.903
11. 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 1:18.300 0.013 1.080 105.885
12. 18 Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing 1:18.306 0.006 1.086 105.877
13. 7 Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 1:18.403 0.097 1.183 105.746
14. 2 Raphael Matos* Luczo Dragon Racing 1:18.413 0.010 1.193 105.732
15. 98 Richard Antinucci CURB/Agajanian/Team 3G 1:18.462 0.049 1.242 105.666
16. 12 Will Power Team Penske 1:18.554 0.092 1.334 105.542
17. 14 Ryan Hunter-Reay AJ Foyt Enterprises 1:18.600 0.046 1.380 105.481
18. 33 Robert Doornbos* HVM Racing 1:18.795 0.195 1.575 105.220
19. 4 Dan Wheldon Panther Racing 1:19.027 0.232 1.807 104.911
20. 13 EJ Viso HVM Racing 1:19.044 0.017 1.824 104.889
21. 20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 1:19.338 0.294 2.118 104.500
22. 06 Oriol Servia Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 1:19.854 0.516 2.634 103.824
23. 34 Nelson Philippe Conquest Racing 1:20.261 0.407 3.041 103.299
24. 23 Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 1:22.315 2.054 5.095 100.720
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Franchitti wins in Sonoma..........

Post by mlittle » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:53 am

(from SU, 23 August 2009)

The points lead changed once again as Dario Franchitti led flag-to-flag from pole position en route to his fourth victory of the IndyCar Series season. The Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver avenged his prior struggles on the road courses and led home Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske in Sunday's race at Sonoma, Calif.'s Infineon Raceway.

"Track position was critical today," Franchitti said. "I did what I had to do to get out front. We stuck to our pit strategy. There were a couple hairy moments out there but this is critical and crucial for the championship."

Speaking of said championship chase between Franchitti, Briscoe, and Scott Dixon, Franchitti gained 13 points to within four markers of Briscoe for the series lead. If a coin had three sides it would be an appropriate description of this year's title chase, the championship lead changing hands for the 13th time in 14 races.

Briscoe, for his part, admitted frustration at his seventh runner-up finish of the season and said winning at least one of the final three races is crucial to capturing the crown.

"If we're going to win this championship, I'm going to have to win one of the last three," he said. "Dario got maximum points today, he's right there and Dixon stumbled. Coming in second gets old a little bit, but I know we're up there."

Dixon was a non-factor in today's race after a poor starting position and being involved in accidents at both the start and finish of the race. He was credited with a 13th-place finish.

From 12th on the grid Dixon was among those bottled up in a first lap fracas, and after recovering to eighth by the final lap he was punted by Marco Andretti and fell to 14th. He now drops 20 points behind Briscoe, third in the title chase. Andretti was penalized shortly after the checkered flag to behind Dixon for causing avoidable contact.

"We made a few passes on quite a few people, and he got into the back of me and spun me around," Dixon described the afternoon. "He came up after and apologized though, he said he didn't mean to do it. As far as our strategy, we tried to catch a yellow to vault up, but we ended up in the same position."

Andretti was also involved in triggering the day's biggest incident. As Graham Rahal attempted a pass for fourth place on the opening lap, at turn 2, Andretti chopped down and Rahal was stuck in the middle of the road. The bottleneck effect meant several drivers chased to the gravel to avoid the accident while others incurred some kind of damage.

When all was said and done drivers involved included Rahal, Dixon, E.J. Viso, Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick, Raphael Matos, Franck Montagny, Justin Wilson and Richard Antinucci. Viso, who rode over Kanaan's car, was the only driver eliminated from the race as a result of the incident.

The chaos also vaulted a number of drivers with poor starting positions forward, chief among them the returning Mario Moraes of KV Racing, as well as Dan Wheldon, Mike Conway, Hideki Mutoh.

Wheldon fell back to 12th by the checkers, but the other three big movers all stayed in the top five and ten for the rest of the race. In fact, after the final caution flag caused when the right front suspension broke on Helio Castroneves', Conway was on a charge.

The British rookie restarted fifth but passed both the fading Mutoh and Moraes to get onto the podium. Conway eclipsed his personal best result of sixth set earlier this year at Watkins Glen to earn Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's first podium finish since Briscoe achieved the feat at "The Glen" in 2006.

"The car worked great today," Conway said. "We had a puncture in the first corner and had to come back as fast as we could. It was the case of getting close to Mario (Moraes) and capitalizing on mistakes. I split to the inside on Mutoh and it was just enough to get by him."

For his part, Moraes was finally able to turn his blistering speed this season into a result. The best career finish for the 20-year-old Brazilian came after he missed Mid-Ohio because his father passed away. Moraes' previous best result was seventh at Watkins Glen last year, and his best this season was ninth at Milwaukee.

"I tried to be out of trouble in the first lap," Moraes said, after gaining seven positions on the first lap. "The guys did a great job today. The last two weeks have been difficult for me and it was hard to keep focused with everything going through my mind."

Mutoh completed the top five, tops in the Andretti Green Racing five-car camp. His fifth place was his second consecutive, as he also achieved the result last race at Mid-Ohio.

The rest of the top ten was Oriol Servia in his second start for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, Wilson, Kanaan, Matos and Robert Doornbos, in his second go this year for HVM Racing.

Wilson had an eventful race, starting 22nd and last in the field after a last-minute switch to start on Firestone's primary tire, the blacks. He had three sets of new alternates, the reds, available for use and worked them to his advantage. Passing cars on the notoriously difficult to pass circuit was Wilson's M.O. all day.

It almost didn't end as well as it did. Wilson dived down to Servia's inside at turn 11 only to lock up and spin out. He narrowly missed hitting Mutoh in the process, but he didn't stall and recovered as he lit up the tires.

"At that point I just wanted to get going again!" Wilson said. "It was a fun race. We felt that (starting last) was our best chance of making something happen. Maybe if we started in our usual spot, we would have got taken out on the first lap."

Others of note -- Andretti came home 11th but was penalized for his role in the Dixon accident, Antinucci ran tantalizingly close to the top ten for the underfunded Curb/Agajanian Team 3G effort but finished 15th, and last car running was unsurprisingly Milka Duno in 17th, who added only to the race as a moving chicane, nothing more.

Montagny, making his IndyCar Series debut in the fifth AGR car, struggled despite an eighth place starting position. He collided with Antinucci at one point and that set him off the road with suspension damage.

Castroneves went out with a broken suspension that likely came after contact with his countryman Kanaan earlier in the race. At the same time, Ryan Hunter-Reay went out of the race, stopping on track.

Overall it was a landmark day for Franchitti. He ended a string of poor results, by his and the team's lofty standards, on permanent road courses. He hadn't finished better than third on such a circuit this season. By leading all 75 laps, Franchitti accomplished the feat for the first time since his teammate Scott Dixon did in a rain-shortened, 206-lap race at Richmond in 2003. It is his 22nd win in his open-wheel (CART and IndyCar combined) career, tying him with Castroneves and Emerson Fittipaldi for 14th all-time.

Only the top four have a mathematical shot at the title but it is realistically three. There is no rest for the weary as the final stretch of ovals begins Saturday night at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.
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