2008 IRL Rd. 1--Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300..........

[mlittle]

How does the saying go? The sky is blue, the grass is green.......it's time to go racing once again!!!

With all the buzz over the merger between ChampCar and the IRL, one might forget that the season starts in a week-and-a-half down in sunny south Florida, Homestead to be exact, and the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway. With its' variable-banked turns and the cool conditions expected for the March 29th evening race, where else would one want to be to see the start of a new era in NA motorsports?


Here is the event schedule for the first round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season........................
~~Practice Session #1, 11:30 am-1:15 pm, 28 March 2008
~~Practice Session #2, 4-5 pm, 28 March 2008
~~Qualifying Session, 6:30-8 pm, 28 March 2008
~~Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300, 8 pm, 29 March 2008(ESPN-2)

Broadcast coverage for the 2008 IRL IndyCar Series season....................
~~domestic TV: ESPN, ESPN-2 and ABC Sports
~~domestic AM radio: IMS Radio Network
~~satellite radio: XM Satellite Radio Chs. 143(XM Sports Nation) and 144(IndyCar Racing)
~~international shortwave: United States Armed Forces Network
~~international TV(selected list of countries): Australia--ESPN Australia; Belgium--MotorsTV; Brazil--TV Bandeirantes; Canada--TSN/RDS; France--AB Moteurs; Germany--MotorsTV; India--ESPN India; Italy--Nuvolari TV; Ireland--SkySports; Mexico--ESPN Desportes; New Zealand--ESPN Pacific Rim; Russia--7TV; South Africa--ESPN Atlantic; Spain--Canal+; United Kingdom--SkySports and Channel 5

[mlittle]

Entry List--Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300....................


A.J. Foyt, IV, #2 Joost/Indy Vision
Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske
Vitor Meira, #4 National Guard/Delphi
Oriol Servia, #5 KV Racing Technology
Ryan Briscoe, #6 Team Penske
Danica Patrick, #7 Motorola
Will Power, #8 Aussie Vineyards
Scott Dixon, #9 Target
Dan Wheldon, #10 Target
Darren Manning, #14 ABC Supply Co.
Buddy Rice, #15 A1 Team USA/Racing for Kids
Ryan Hunter-Reay, #17 Ethanol
Bruno Junquiera, #18 Z-Line Designs
(R)Mario Moraes, #19 Sonny's Real Pit BBQ
Ed Carpenter, #20 Menards
Milka Duno, #23 CITGO
(R)Jay Howard, #24 Cirrus Aircraft
Marty Roth, #25 Cirrus Aircraft
Marco Andretti, #26 Meijer
(R)Hideki Mutoh, #27 Panasonic/Formula Dream
(R)Ernesto Viso, #33 PDVSA
(R)Franck Perera, #34 ARES
(R)Enrique Bernoldi, #36 Opes Prime
Justin Wilson, #02 McDonald's
Graham Rahal, #06 Hole in the Wall Camps**
**--team withdrew entry due to crash during Tuesday's transitional practice at Homestead

note--entry list subject to change prior to beginning of event weekend

[cmlean]

Will Power, #8 Aussie Vineyards

But not Walker Racing.
Craig Gore has taken his money, his driver and chief engineer and gone elsewhere.

[mlittle]

Will Power, #8 Aussie Vineyards

But not Walker Racing.
Craig Gore has taken his money, his driver and chief engineer and gone elsewhere.

You'd be correct; reports are that there was some kind of a falling out over monies owed to Mr. Walker by Mr. Gore and that, unless I've read the reports wrong, Derrick Walker intends to take Gore to court to try to get those monies back. By all accounts Gore took (a)the Aussie Vineyards sponsorship, (b)Power and (c)all the crew/engineers that worked on that team when they were w/Walker and headed over to KV Racing Technology. FWIW, the case btwn. Walker and Gore has the potential to get very ugly very quickly......... .....I'll try to find out more; I get the feeling there's a commentary coming on this topic.....

[mlittle]

~~Event: Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300, round 1--2008 IRL IndyCar Series
~~When: SA 29 March 2008, 8 pm(live, ESPN-2)
~~Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.


~~Track Facts......................
--turns 650 ft.(ea.) banked 18 to 20 degrees from track apron to outside wall
--front-straight 1760 ft. banked at 4 degrees
--back-straight 1760 ft. banked at 4 degrees


~~Past Winners(dating from 1996-present)
--Jimmy Vasser, 1996*
--Michael Andretti, 1997-1998*
--Greg Moore, 1999*
--Max Papis, 2000*
--Sam Hornish, Jr., 2001-2002, 2004
--Scott Dixon, 2003
--Dan Wheldon, 2005-2007
*--race was held under CART sanction from 1996-2000

~~Miscellaneous Firestone Facts.......................
--this will be the 8th visit by the IndyCar Series to Homestead and the 13th open-wheel race at Homestead
--three Indy 500 winners will compete at Homestead: Helio Castroneves(2001-2002), Buddy Rice(2004) and Dan Wheldon(2005)
--three IndyCar Series champions will compete at Homestead: Scott Dixon(2003), Tony Kanaan(2004) and Dan Wheldon(2005)

Homestead Storylines....................................
1} Under the same banner..........For the first time since 1995, American Open-Wheel Racing's top-level drivers will be competing under a unified banner following the merger of ChampCar w/the IRL back in late Feb.

2} Old Names Hoping to Renew New Rivalries...........In their heyday, names like Rahal, Andretti and Foyt were ones to be feared on the open-wheel scene in NA motorsports; Saturday night brings those names back as three of the series' more recognizable names, Rahal(Graham), Foyt(A.J. IV) and Andretti(Marco) will race under the lights in the same series

3} Four-in-a-Row? Say what you want about England's "cheeky little b------", a/k/a Dan Wheldon, but currently he reigns at Homestead as "King Dan" with three consecutive wins on the Homestead tarmac......can he do the unthinkable in IndyCar Series competition and string a 4th onto that list?

[mlittle]

Practice Groups for Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300...............................

~~(Group 1)--Manning, Roth, Meira, Wilson, Castroneves, Junquiera, Briscoe, Power, Hunter-Reay, Patrick, Dixon, Howard and Wheldon
~~(Group 2)--Kanaan, Duno, Perera, Servia, Mutoh, Bernoldi, Andretti, Moraes, Foyt IV, Viso, Rice and Carpenter

note..........qualifying order is based on the above list, starting w/Manning and proceeding through down to Carpenter

[mlittle]

Homestead Practice Session #1 top-5....................
1} Dan Wheldon, Target/Ganassi Racing.........................25.004 sec/213.808 mph
2} Scott Dixon, Target/Ganassi Racing............................25.021 sec/213.660 mph
3} Ryan Briscoe, Team Penske.......................................25.110 sec/212.903 mph
4} Helio Castroneves, Team Penske................................25.120 sec/212.817 mph
5} Marco Andretti, Andretti-Green Racing.........................25.138 sec/212.667 mph


Homestead Practice Session #2 top-5......................
1} Scott Dixon, Target/Ganassi Racing............................25.207 sec/212.082 mph
2} Tony Kanaan, Andretti-Green Racing..........................25.273 sec/211.529 mph
3} Ryan Briscoe, Team Penske.......................................25.289 sec/211.395 mph
4} Helio Castroneves, Team Penske................................25.299 sec/211.311 mph
5} A.J. Foyt, IV, Vision Racing.........................................25.313 sec/211.198 mph

[mlittle]

Starting Grid, Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300.........................
note........qual. speeds based on 4-lap qual. average


1} Scott Dixon, #9 Target................................................213.341 mph
2} Danica Patrick, #7 Motorola.........................................212.129 mph

3} Ryan Briscoe, #6 Team Penske....................................212.108 mph
4} Marco Andretti, #26 Meijer...........................................211.838 mph

5} Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske.............................211.581 mph
6} Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11......................................211.580 mph

7}(R)Hideki Mutoh, #27 Panasonic/Formula Dream.............211.508 mph
8} Marty Roth, #25 Cirrus Aircraft.....................................211.458 mph

9} Ryan Hunter-Reay, #17 Ethanol....................................210.744 mph
10} Vitor Meira, #4 National Guard/Delphi..........................210.315 mph

11} Buddy Rice, #15 A1 Team USA/Racing for Kids.............209.486 mph
12} Darren Manning, #14 ABC Supply Co...........................209.319 mph

13}(R)Franck Perera, #34 Sangari/ARES............................209.230 mph
14} Oriol Servia, #5 Plantronics.........................................209.021 mph

15}(R)Justin Wilson, #02 McDonald's..................................208.757 mph
16} Milka Duno, #23 CITGO..............................................208.308 mph

17}(R)Enrique Bernoldi, #36 Opes Prime............................208.130 mph
18}(R)Ernesto Viso, #33 PDVSA........................................208.101 mph

19}(R)Will Power, #8 Aussie Vineyards...............................208.029 mph
20} Bruno Junquiera, #18 Z-Line Designs...........................207.434 mph

21}(R)Mario Moraes, #19 Sonny's Real Pit BBQ...................207.067 mph
22} Dan Wheldon, #10 Target..........................................no posted time

23}(R)Jay Howard, #24 Cirrus Aircraft..............................no posted time
24} Ed Carpenter, #20 Menards/DirecTV..........................213.311 mph*

25} A.J. Foyt, IV, #2 Joost/Indy Vision.............................212.211 mph*
*--Carpenter and Foyt, IV were moved to the rear as both entries failed post-qualifying tech inspection

[mlittle]

[mlittle]

2008 IndyCar Series Rookie Class........................
~~Jay Howard, Roth Racing
~~Hideki Mutoh, Andretti-Green Racing
~~Justin Wilson, Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing
~~Graham Rahal, Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing
~~Ernesto Viso, CTE-HVM Racing
~~Enrique Bernoldi, Conquest Racing
~~Franck Perera, Conquest Racing
~~Will Power, KV Racing Technology
~~Mario Moraes, Dale Coyne Racing

[Southernman]

First of all I like to say that it is good that the merger between champ cars and IRL has happened. I didn't know which to follow before hand and ended up only following bits of IRL because of Scott Dixon.

Dixon He should have finished second but for Kanaan's bad luck hitting a backmarker who spun in front of him. I felt sorry for Briscoe after being hit by Duno. What has Duno done in motor racing to keep getting a drive.

[mlittle]

For the third consecutive year a Target/Ganassi Racing car visited Victory Lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway; unlike the past 2 times, it wasn't Dan Wheldon who won but his teammate, Scott Dixon, who gave team owner Chip Ganassi his 2nd win at Homestead Saturday, following Ganassi Racing's Grand-Am win earlier in the day.

Notes on the race..............
~~The hard charger award for this race goes to Dan Wheldon, who earned it the hard way; he crashed during qualifying, had to start 22nd at the drop of the green......then charged his way up to the front and stayed there for the bulk of the race, eventually rounding out the podium in 3rd
~~How did the incoming teams do? IMO, they did what they needed to do......most of the incoming ICS teams simply wanted, at the end of the night, to be able to roll the cars back onto the haulers in one piece and ready to take on the concrete canyons of St. Pete. Make no mistake, though......by the time the month of May rolls around, don't be surprised to see some of these teams near the top of the speed charts at the Brickyard
~~A clean race.......with the exception of the 2-car schmozzle btwn. Milka Duno and Ryan Briscoe(Duno spun in turn 2, caught the left-rear of Briscoe's car and sent him into the SAFER barrier), it was a clean race, especially when one looked at the incoming teams and their performances on what, for many of them, was their first superspeedway oval race
~~The "I got screwed" award for this race goes to Ryan Hunter-Reay..........late in the race, rookie Ernesto Viso had just pitted and was on his out-lap when the tire came loose and caused him to spin; in the resulting confusion, the tire hit the right-front of Tony Kanaan's car, causing a little bit of damage..........now, how does this tie in to RHR? On the last restart, RHR was 5th...Kanaan, damaged as it were, led the restart......or we all thought he did; being unable to accelerate quickly, TK's restart bunched up the field, and several drivers used the confusion to slip past RHR, who fell from 5th back to 8th in all the late-race confusion(now, to be fair, he did manage to pass TK for 7th..... )....suffice it to say, Hunter-Reay wasn't happy over what happened....

Top-10 from a unified series opener at Homestead..................................
1st} #9 Scott Dixon..................................200 laps
2nd} #26 Marco Andretti...........................-0.583 sec
3rd} #10 Dan Wheldon.............................-1.428 sec
4th} #3 Helio Castroneves........................-8.034 sec
5th} #20 Ed Carpenter.............................-1 lap
6th} #7 Danica Patrick.............................-1 lap
7th} #17 Ryan Hunter-Reay.....................-1 lap
8th} #11 Tony Kanaan.............................-2 laps
9th} #2 A.J. Foyt, IV................................-2 laps
10th} #4 Vitor Meira................................-2 laps