2011 IndyCar Rd.6--Texas Twin 275's

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2011 IndyCar Rd.6--Texas Twin 275's

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:39 am

With Memorial Day Weekend now in the rear-views, the stars of the IndyCar Series now head to the Lone Star State............and the always challenging, always exciting Texas Motor Speedway. Arguably the fastest 1.5-mile oval on the schedule, Texas Motor Speedway, its' a track that requires both cast-iron nerves and stones the size of Texas, a track where a wrong twitch or a tank-slapper moment can have very bad results, very quickly. The racing, though, is some of the most exciting in the series, and drivers who win here will have earned their victory here.

Or I should say this year, victories.........for the first time since the early 1980's there will be a twin-bill of races on the calendar and the high-banks of Texas are the first chance to see an IndyCar twin-bill in over 30 years. 8)



Past Texas IndyCar Series winners................................
~~1997: Arie Luyendyk
~~1998: Billy Boat(1), John Paul, Jr.(2)
~~1999: Scott Goodyear(1), Mark Dismore(2)
~~2000: Scott Sharp(1), Scott Goodyear(2)
~~2001: Scott Sharp(1), Sam Hornish, Jr.(2)
~~2002: Jeff Ward(1), Sam Hornish, Jr.(2)
~~2003: Al Unser, Jr.(1), Gil de Ferran(2)
~~2004: Tony Kanaan(1), Helio Castroneves(2)
~~2005: Tomas Scheckter
~~2006: Helio Castroneves
~~2007: Sam Hornish, Jr.
~~2008: Scott Dixon
~~2009: Helio Castroneves
~~2010: Ryan Briscoe
Last edited by mlittle on Tue Jun 14, 2011 4:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:40 am

Image
Aerial photo, Texas Motor Speedway


Texas Motor Speedway Track Facts...
--Width - 58 feet
--Frontstretch - 2,250 feet
--Backstretch - 1,330 feet
--Total Distance -1.5 Mile oval
--Banking - 24 degree turns & 5 degree straights
--Total Permanent Seating - 138,122
--Total Estimated Capacity - 191,122
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Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:55 am

Texas Twin 275 Entrant List
Oriol Servia, #2 Telemundo-NH Racing
Helio Castroneves, #3 AAA Insurance
(R)J.R. Hildebrand, #4 National Guard
Takuma Sato, #5 Lotus--KV Racing
Ryan Briscoe, #6 Guidepoint Systems
Danica Patrick, #7 GoDaddy.com
Paul Tracy, #8 Motegi Wheels
Scott Dixon, #9 Target
Dario Franchitti, #10 Huggies
Davey Hamilton, #11 HP-Kingdom Racing
Will Power, #12 Verizon Wireless
Vitor Meira, #14 ABC Supply Co.
(R)James Jakes, #18 Acorn Stairlifts
Alex Lloyd, #19 Boy Scouts of America
Justin Wilson, #22 Z-Line Designs
(R)Ana Beatriz, #24 Ipiranga-DRR
Marco Andretti, #26 Venom Energy
Mike Conway, #27 Window World
Ryan Hunter-Reay, #28 DHL/SunDrop
(R)Sebastien Saavedra, #34 Conquest Racing
Graham Rahal, #38 Service Central
E.J. Viso, #59 PDVSA-KV Racing
Ed Carpenter, #67 Dollar General
Alex Tagliani, #77 Bowers & Wilkins
Simona de Silvestro, #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy
Tony Kanaan, #82 GEICO-KV Racing
(R)Charlie Kimball, #83 NovoLog-Levemir FlexPen
Jay Howard, #88 Service Central-RLL
Wade Cunningham, #99 Creatherm-SSM
(R)James Hinchcliffe, #06 Sprotts-NH Racing
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Twin Texas 275 FAQ

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:03 am

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---INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard and Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage announced last August that almost 30 years after Rick Mears won both races at Atlanta Motor Speedway that the IZOD IndyCar Series would revisit the twin race format. Excitement for the Firestone Twin 275s (formerly the Firestone 550k) on June 11 –consisting of two full-field races on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval – has been building ever since.

“IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have never disappointed, and with a record 30 cars on the track the excitement of the Firestone Twin 275s will reach a whole new level,” Gossage said. “Texas Motor Speedway hosting the first twin races in IndyCar Series history makes it big and this only enhances the significance.”

Four of the 21 IZOD IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have featured 28-car fields. Fourteen of those 21 races have had a margin of victory of less than one second, and seven have been decided by less than one-tenth of a second.

There were 17 doubleheaders (nine on ovals) under USAC and CART sanction from 1967-81, with a driver sweeping both races 10 times. The grid for the second race was determined by finishing order in the first contest in all 17 events.


Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
How will the grids be set?
Traditional oval qualifying (combined time of two green flag laps) will be employed for the first race, and the starting positions for the second race will be determined by a blind draw conducted 15 minutes after the checkered flag for Race 1. Each driver will draw his/her starting position for Race 2 on the frontstretch stage. The draw will be conducted in reverse order of Race 1 finish. If entrants won't compete in Race 2, corresponding number of positions -- starting from 30 backward -- will be removed from draw. All drivers will sign a Firestone tire that will be presented to Gossage to auction, with proceeds going to Speedway Children's Charities.

How are championship and bonus points/prizes awarded?
Each race winner will receive 25 points through 5 points for the 25th-place and subsequent finishers (all half points). The driver leading the most laps in each race will earn the two bonus points, but the driver starting on the pole in Race 2 won’t receive the one point that the first race pole winner receives through PEAK Performance Pole qualifying. Half bonus money -- $17,500 for first place through $5,000 for fifth – also will be allocated for each race.

Will teams have to switch pit locations between races?
Entrants will utilize the same pit locations, based upon qualification results for the Indianapolis 500, for both races. The No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins car, driven by Alex Tagliani for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, will occupy the first pit stall (closest to pit out).

Can crews work on their cars between races?
At the conclusion of Race 1, all cars other than the race winner’s proceed to their pit boxes and are held until the winner’s car returns to its pit box from Victory Circle. Teams will be given a signal that they can work on their cars until the “all drivers to your cars” command is given about 5 minutes to rollout.

What about technical inspection?
All primary cars will undergo technical inspection for Race 1 in starting grid order. After a car has successfully completed inspection, it will be escorted to the fuel depot for filling and then will be placed in impound until “push out” (about 35 minutes to green flag). Only changes permitted on the grid are front wing adjustment, changing of tires, tire pressure adjustments, and plugging in the probe after final warm-up. All cars will go through technical inspection following Race 2.

Will teams have access to extra engines?
Honda Performance Development will make available one spare engine per team, which can be installed in a backup car and fired up for leak checks for potential use in Race 2. If an engine is installed in a backup car, it will go through technical inspection on race day. After a backup car has successfully completed technical inspection, it will be placed in impound. Backup cars are not included on the entry for the Texas event so an entry change form is required to be submitted to INDYCAR for Race 2. The sanctioning body in its discretion may permit an entry to remain in its starting grid position through the blind draw for Race 2 (not assign it to the rear of the field) though it will use a backup car because of crash or other circumstance in Race 1. If a driver change for Race 2 is necessary for any reason, that car will start at the rear of the field.

How much track time do drivers get?
Track activity gets underway with a 75-minute session at 12:30 p.m. (local time) that leads into PEAK Performance Pole qualifying at 3:45 p.m. A 30-minute practice begins at 6:45 p.m. There is not a race day warm-up session.

What’s the fuel limit and the overtake assist numbers?
Each entry will have 125 gallons of 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol for both 171-mile (114-lap) races. Drivers will have 20 uses of the Honda overtake assist at their disposal -- each of 12-second duration and a 10-second recharge period. One overtake assist will be available for the final practice session (6:45-7:15 p.m. June 10).
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2 In A Row For Tag!

Post by mlittle » Sat Jun 11, 2011 6:22 pm

Image

----No Allen McDonald, no problem. Alex Tagliani lost engineer McDonald to Andretti Autosport last week but it didn't stop the Canadian veteran from winning his second straight pole position on Friday afternoon.

The Indianapolis 500 polesitter stuck it to the Ganassi/Penske bullies again by averaging 215.186 mph in Sam Schmidt's car to earn the catbird seat for the first of a pair of 114-lap races Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway. "Allen was family and it's a loss but this is a very good team and they never quit working these past couple weeks after Indianapolis,'' said Tagliani, who knocked Dario Franchitti off the top spot on a 95-degree day in his Bowers & Wilkins Special. "We had a good car at Indianapolis and we've got a good car here and I'm not that surprised we're on pole.''

Todd Malloy, who engineered Dan Wheldon's Indy win, is working with Tag this weekend and obviously it's been a smooth transition. "We're both Candian and we speak the same language,'' chuckled Tagliani.

Franchitti, who trails Will Power by 16 points in his quest for a third consecutive IZOD INDYCAR title, appeared to have settled things when he knocked Power off pole with a lap of 214.801 mph. "Good laps, just not good enough but we've got a good car for the race,'' said Franchitti.

Power, quickest during morning practice, lines up third and Takuma Sato turned in the fourth fastest run of the 29 cars posting speeds. "It's going to be crazy tomorrow night so starting up front will help,'' said Power, still seeking his initial oval-track victory. Ed Carpenter posted another strong effort in Sarah Fisher's car and starts fifth while Tony Kanaan was sixth fastest.

The doubleheader format, the first for Indy cars in 30 years, figures to be wilder than usual since there will be a couple of sprints on the 1.5-mile oval and the lineup for the nightcap will come on a blind draw. "It's going to be crazy but I think if I was a fan I'd make sure to be watching,'' said Helio Castroneves, a three-time winner here who lines up 16th.

Qualifying Friday for the Firestone Twin 275s IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.455-mile Texas Motor Speedway, with starting position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, and speed:

1. (77) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 215.186
2. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 214.801

3. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 214.716
4. (5) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 214.470

5. (67) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 214.373
6. (82) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 214.252

7. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 214.021
8. (99) Wade Cunningham, Dallara-Honda, 214.013

9. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 213.891
10. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 213.850

11. (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 213.458
12. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 213.429

13. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 213.232
14. (2) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 213.023

15. (06) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 212.970
16. [28] Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 212.938

17. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 212.797
18. (11) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 212.555

19. (59) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 212.494
20. [38] Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 212.404

21. [8] Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 212.305
22. (27) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 212.260

23. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 212.223
24. (24) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 212.221

25. (19) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 212.091
26. (34) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 212.033

27. (22) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 211.762
28. [88] Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 211.691

29. [78] Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 210.855
30. [18] James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, no speed
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Franchitti Wins Race 1 at Texas

Post by mlittle » Tue Jun 14, 2011 4:08 pm

(from SA, 11 June 2011)


Image

----Dario Franchitti held off Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon by 0.0527 of a second to win the first of the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway.

Franchitti, who started second in the No. 10 Huggies car, pass pole sitter Alex Tagliani before Lap 1 was complete and earned the two bonus points for leading the most laps.

Twenty-eight cars took the green flag for a Lap 104 double-file restart following a Lap 94 incident involving the Nos. 83 and 99 cars of Charlie Kimball and Wade Cunningham, respectively, in Turn 4. Neither were injured. Up to that point, the race was on pace to be the quickest in IZOD IndyCar Series history.

Franchitti led Dixon by 0.0800 of a second and the closing Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car by 0.1312 of a second after Lap 109. Dixon attempted moves to the high side and inside on the final two laps, but Franchitti's car was hugging the bottom of the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval.

“What can I say about that one? From the first lap I was able to get in the lead, and the biggest problem was fighting through traffic," said Franchitti, who moved into ninth on the all-time Indy car racing victory list with 28 (breaking a tie with Johnny Rutherford and one behind Rick Mears).

"The Huggies car is pretty quick so we’ll see where we draw for this next one. I think that will make a lot of difference with the setup – running in clean air rather than traffic.”

Power, who retained the series points lead, finished third and Tagliani was fourth in the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins car for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Takuma Sato recorded a career-best fifth place on an oval in the No. 5 KV Racing Technology-Lotus car.

“It’s tough when cars on are bottom and have new tires, but I didn’t try to (pass Franchitti) until the last lap," Dixon said. "Dario’s car, the Huggies car, is quick and was the class of the field. The race just blows by. It’s hard to keep count how many laps are left.”

The margin of victory was the fourth-closest at Texas Motor Speedway (15 of 22 races have been decided by less than a second).

The drivers drew for their starting position for the 114-lap Race 2.

Results Saturday of the Firestone Twin 275s IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.455 mile Texas Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (2) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
2. (7) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
3. (3) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
4. (1) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
5. (4) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
6. (9) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
7. (19) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
8. (12) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
9. (20) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
10. (13) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
11. (6) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
12. (21) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
13. (23) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
14. (25) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
15. (28) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
16. (10) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
17. (27) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
18. (5) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
19. (16) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
20. (15) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
21. (14) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
22. (24) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
23. (11) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
24. (22) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
25. (30) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
26. (29) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 111, Running
27. (18) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 109, Running
28. (26) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 97, Running
29. (8) Wade Cunningham, Dallara-Honda, 92, Contact
30. (17) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 91, Contact

Race Statistics

--Winners average speed: 181.649
--Time of Race: 00:54:47.2787
--Margin of victory: 0527 of a second.
--Cautions: 1 for 10 laps
--Lead changes: 6 among 5 drivers
--Lap Leaders: Franchitti 1, Tagliani 2,, Franchitti 3-50, Dixon 51, Castroneves 52, Meira 53, Franchitti 54-114
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Power Notches First Oval Win at Texas 2

Post by mlittle » Tue Jun 14, 2011 4:20 pm

(from SA, 11 June 2011)
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----Will Power finally scored his first win on an oval after Dario Franchitti captured the opener in Saturday night's IZOD INDYCAR doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway in a pair of races that were as clean as they were fast.

Power, who finished third in the opening 114-lap sprint, started third in the second show, led 68 laps and held off Scott Dixon to get that elusive victory on an oval.

Franchitti, who dominated the opener by leading 110 laps, really didn't have a chance to go back-to-back because he started 28th in the nightcap -- where drivers drew for starting positions.

"I don't mind if they invert the whole field because that's fair, but this was a crap shoot that didn't involve any talent and we're running for a championship,'' said Franchitti, who charged through the 30-car pack to take seventh but lost five points to Power in his quest for a third straight title.

"It was the worst case scenario for me because Will drew a good number and I got stuck with 28th. This isn't an all-star race and I hope it doesn't have any serious ramifications down the road.''

Power, whose prowess at road racing nearly earned him the championship in 2010, enjoyed getting that oval monkey off his back and opened up a 21-point advantage but agreed with his rival.

"I think the fans liked it but it wasn't fair to Dario and I understand his frustration,'' said Power, whose average speed of 206.396 mph was the second fastest run in INDYCAR history.

"But we had a good car in both races and I always felt it was just a matter of time because we were close a couple times last year and just didn't have any luck.''

Dixon was nothing short of sensational as he stormed from 18th to second in the second show following his runner-up showing in Race 1.

"Just didn't quite have enough for Dario in the first one or Will in the second,'' he said. "Considering I drew such a bad number, I guess second is pretty good but if we do this again next year we need to invert the field or start how we finished in the first one.''

A track that usually features lots of cautions only had one yellow flag in 228 laps of action around the 1.5-mile oval as Charlie Kimball ran into Wade Cunningham. But both cars were repaired in time for the second race.

"It was still crazy, people changing lanes all the time, but it was fun and I enjoyed stopping, adjusting my car and going back out for a second race,'' said Ryan Briscoe, who came home third in the second race after running sixth in the first one.

Alex Tagliani, who captured the pole position on Friday, finished fourth in the first sprint and 14th in the second after starting 16th.

Helio Castroneves finally got a decent finish with a fourth in the second race.

Results Saturday of the Firestone Twin 275s - Race 2 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.455 mile Texas Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (3) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
2. (18) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
3. (12) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
4. (6) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
5. (1) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
6. (27) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
7. (28) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
8. (20) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
9. (5) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
10. (29) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
11. (7) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 114, Running
12. (25) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
13. (14) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
14. (16) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
15. (17) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
16. (10) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
17. (26) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
18. (21) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
19. (9) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
20. (13) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
21. (30) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
22. (15) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 113, Running
23. (8) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
24. (19) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
25. (24) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
26. (2) Wade Cunningham, Dallara-Honda, 112, Running
27. (22) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 111, Running
28. (23) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 111, Running
29. (11) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 111, Running
30. (4) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 104, Running

Race Statistics
-Winners average speed: 206.693
-Time of Race: 00:48:08.9739
-Margin of victory: .9466 of a second
-Cautions: 0
-Lead changes: 8 among six drivers
-Lap Leaders: Kanaan 1-38, Power 39-50, Kanaan 51, Castroneves 52, Viso 53-54, Power 55-104, Dixon 105, Briscoe 106-108, Power 109-114.
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