2009 IRL Team Reports: Dale Coyne Racing

IRL Team reports for the 2009 IRL season

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Post by mlittle » Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:11 am

Texas: Dale Coyne Racing race report


Justin Wilson Finishes 15th at Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth, Texas (June 6, 2009) -- Justin Wilson, driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs car, finished 15th today at the Bombardier LearJet 550 held at the popular Texas Motor Speedway. Wilson, who drives for Dale Coyne Racing, ran a solid and consistent race under the lights and the 24-degree turn banking.

Racing conditions were good in Texas with calm winds and warm temperatures. One exception was the beginning of the race, when the track conditions were challenging due to a NASCAR truck race that was held on the track the night before. It took about 10 laps before the rubber was cleared off the track.

A lap two crash by Graham Rahal brought out the first caution of the night. Justin pitted to make some changes as the track conditions were quite different than qualifying Friday night. "I think we overreacted on our adjustments on that first stop," commented engineer Bill Pappas. The team lost a lap with an ill handling car during that first fuel load. But Justin and the team soldiered on to make great changes the rest of the night and were rewarded with posting the fifth fastest lap of the race.

"This was an exciting run tonight," said Justin Wilson. "The dicey track at the beginning, and the side-by-side positioning of the drivers added to the intensity of the race and kept us on our toes. But the changes we made during the race were in the right direction and we were strong at the end. We are now going to focus our sights on the upcoming race in Iowa."

Justin Wilson, the Dale Coyne Racing team and the #18 Z-Line Designs car has next weekend, June 13, off and will then head to the Iowa Speedway for the June 21 race.
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Post by mlittle » Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:18 am

Justin finishes 15th in Texas

Justin and Dale Coyne Racing finished 15th in Saturday night's Bombardier LearJet 550 at Texas Motor Speedway. Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) won the race, snatching victory at the last pit-stop from team-mate Ryan Briscoe who had led most of the race. Scott Dixon was third for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Racing under the lights around the steeply banked 1.5 mile oval, most drivers found the opening laps of the race to be a real challenge. The IndyCars took to the track immediately after a NASCAR truck race and it took about 10 laps before the truck rubber was cleared off the track and the IndyCars could establish their own grip.

A Lap 2 crash by Graham Rahal (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing) brought out the first caution of the night and most of the field dived into the pits in search of more grip. The #18 Z-Line Designs team made various changes to Justin's car, but it didn't improve and Justin found himself slipping backwards as he battled major understeer during the following stint.

As the race unfolded Justin and the team soldiered on and they were able to make adjustments at each pitstop that would see the car perform more competitively. In the end Justin posted the sixth fastest lap of the race, but the turnaround came too late to mount any kind of a challenge.

"It was an exciting run tonight," said Justin. "The dicey track at the beginning, and the side-by-side positioning of the drivers, added to the intensity of the race and kept us on our toes. The first stint was a nightmare, but the changes we made during the race were in the right direction and we were strong at the end."

Justin and the team will take a welcome weekend off before heading to Iowa Speedway for the next race on June 21.

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Post by mlittle » Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:55 am

Justin Wilson Watkins Glen test notes


Justin pleased with Watkins Glen test

Justin and Dale Coyne Racing headed straight from last weekend's race in Texas to upstate New York in order to participate in a mid-week test at Watkins Glen International. The high commitment track, with its fast, sweeping turns is one of Justin's all-time favourites. He qualified on the front row for last year's race, but was forced to retire with gearbox problems.

Justin managed a full day's running around the 3.37 mile road course on Wednesday, as he and the team got a head start on preparations for the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen on 5 July. He finished the day close to last year's pole position time and is hopeful that the #18 Z-Line Designs car will be competitive come race weekend.

"I love driving the IndyCar around here - it's a lot of fun," said Justin. "We had a good day as we were able to work on the set-up for the first few hours and then try some test items before the day was done. Initially we were a good bit off the pace, but that didn't deter us and we were able to set the pace a few hours later. I'm hoping everything we learned will translate to the race weekend when conditions will probably be a lot different."

Before then Justin has two short oval races: at Iowa on Sunday 21 June and Richmond on Saturday 27 June.

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Post by mlittle » Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:47 am

Iowa: Justin Wilson preview


Justin hoping for competitive run in Iowa

Justin and Dale Coyne Racing head to Iowa Speedway this weekend for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer. The grippy, 7/8th of a mile oval is one of the most physically demanding tracks on the schedule. In his debut a year ago Justin had a strong run to finish 12th and he's hopeful that he and the team will be competitive this weekend.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to Iowa," said Justin. "The track is so short that we're turning constantly all the way round, so it's hard work in the cockpit. Passing can be pretty difficult, so we need to find a decent set-up for qualifying. The last few oval events have been tough for us, but we've learned a lot and I'm confident that we're making progress. Hopefully we can bring home a strong result this weekend for the Z-Line Designs team."

The event gets underway with practice and qualifying on Saturday. Sunday's race starts at 1.30pm EDT (6.30pm BST) with live coverage on ABC from 1pm EDT. For UK viewers, live coverage starts at 6pm on Sky Sports Xtra. Fans can find a detailed event schedule for the weekend as well as live timing and scoring and radio coverage at www.indycar.com.

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Post by mlittle » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:50 pm

Justin lines up 10th for Iowa Corn Indy 250

Justin and Dale Coyne Racing line up 10th on the grid for Sunday's Iowa Corn Indy 250 in a starting order determined by IndyCar Series entrant points standings. Qualifying at Iowa Speedway started late and was then abandoned due to moisture seeping through the track surface. Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) will start from pole position with team-mate Ryan Briscoe beside him on the front row.

"Weepers" started to appear just after the earlier Indy Lights qualifying had finished, the product of saturated ground conditions from heavy rain on Friday night on top of significant rainfall in recent weeks. Qualifying was delayed for over an hour while efforts were made to dry the surface, but only three cars managed their four-lap qualifying runs before the session was cancelled when the weepers reappeared.

Justin's #18 Z-Line Designs car was some way off the pace on Saturday morning, but ended up 14th quickest in the afternoon practice session and he's positive about the team's chances in Sunday's race.

"It's always disappointing when qualifying is cancelled, but it was obviously the right decision," said Justin. "We struggled a bit this morning, but made some good progress with the set-up in the afternoon and I was looking forward to seeing how far up the grid we could qualify. We're probably starting a little higher than we would have done, so hopefully we can make the most of that in the race and get a strong result tomorrow."

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Post by mlittle » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:51 pm

Early exit for Justin in Iowa

Justin crashed out of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Lap 34 when his #18 Z-Line Designs car got out of shape on the bumps between Turns 1 and 2 and spun into the SAFER barrier. Though he started from 10th on the grid, Justin found himself slipping backwards in the early stages of the race with an ill-handling car not helped by a front roll bar that was stuck in position. Dario Franchitti won the race for Chip Ganassi Racing, with Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske) and Hideki Mutoh (Andretti Green Racing) rounding out the podium.

"It's disappointing to go out of the race so early," said Justin. "I was hoping we could get a good result for everyone on the Z-Line Designs team, but unfortunately we had a problem with the front roll bar which was stuck in full stiff. That made the front of the car too responsive and eventually it caught me out."

The IndyCar Series now heads south to Richmond International Raceway for next Saturday night's SunTrust Indy Challenge around the ¾ mile oval.

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Post by mlittle » Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:08 pm

Justin Wilson's Day Ends Early at the Iowa Corn 250

Newton, Iowa (June 21, 2009) -- Dale Coyne Racing driver Justin Wilson had a strong run going Sunday afternoon at the Iowa Corn 250 . After starting tenth, the Brit looked for a strong finish to get him into the top 10 in the points standings for the second half of the season. Unfortunately the talented Wilson lost control of his Z-Line Designs/Nebraska Furniture Mart car in turn two and did a 180-degree spin before backing into the wall ending his day in 18th, but not ending his spirits.

"We had a good run going today," commented Wilson. "Early on the front roll bar adjuster got stuck in position five and I could not soften the front anti-roll bar," commented Justin. "I made some weight-jacker adjustments to help the handling but the car caught me out after the bump in turn two and I lost control. We did learn a lot this week and that should help us next week at Richmond."

The Indy Car® Series heads to the Richmond International Raceway June 27 in Richmond, VA for the running of the SunTrust Indy Challenge. The race can be seen live on VERSUS Network Saturday starting at 8 p.m. (EDT).
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Post by mlittle » Sat Jun 27, 2009 1:55 am

Justin ready for Richmond challenge

Justin and Dale Coyne Racing have put the disappointment of Iowa behind them as they prepare for Saturday night’s SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway. A year ago Justin emerged unscathed from a chaotic race to finish 7th at the ¾ mile oval, the shortest on the IndyCar Series schedule.

"Richmond is one of the most challenging ovals we race on," said Justin. "It's hot and physical and last year it was a real war of attrition. Just making it to the finish felt like a major achievement! I know what to expect this year and the extra experience should come in useful. We've had some bad luck with reliability in the last couple of races, so I'm hoping that the Z-Line Designs team can have a trouble-free run this weekend."

Practice and qualifying take place on Friday. Versus has a live qualifying show at 6pm EDT Friday as well as live coverage of the race from 8pm EDT Saturday (1am BST Sunday). Fans in the UK will find live coverage on Sky Sports 1 at 1.30am BST Sunday as well as a full repeat later the same day at 12 noon on Sky Sports Xtra. FIVE is showing the race highlights at 1am BST on Wednesday 1st July.


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Post by mlittle » Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:36 am

Justin qualifies 15th in Richmond

Justin and Dale Coyne Racing qualified 15th for Saturday night's SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway. The #18 Z-Line Designs car was 9th in line to qualify around the ¾ mile oval and Justin recorded a four-lap average speed of 163.506 mph. Pole position was won by Dario Franchitti (Chip Ganassi Racing) with a four-lap average speed of 167.315 mph and his team-mate Scott Dixon joins him on the front row.

"I'm pretty happy with our qualifying performance," said Justin. "This is a tough track to get the set-up right, but we've been getting faster and faster each time out. The Z-Line Designs team has been working really hard and I hope we can make some more improvements for the race."

Versus has live TV coverage of the race from 8pm EDT Saturday (1am BST Sunday). Fans in the UK will find live coverage on Sky Sports 1 at 1.30am BST Sunday as well as a full repeat later the same day at 12 noon on Sky Sports Xtra. FIVE is showing the race highlights at 1am BST on Wednesday 1st July.

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Post by mlittle » Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:06 am

Justin 14th in Richmond, optimistic about progress

Justin finished 14th in Saturday night's SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway in a processional race around the ¾ mile oval that left many drivers frustrated by a significant loss of grip in traffic, limiting their ability to overtake.

Although the widely predicted crash-fest didn't happen, the SAFER barrier claimed several victims. Among them were both Team Penske cars, leaving the way open for a Chip Ganassi Racing 1-2. Scott Dixon led home team-mate Dario Franchitti while Graham Rahal (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing) took 3rd place.

Justin, who set the 7th fastest lap of the race, felt the result was not a true reflection of the progress he and Dale Coyne Racing have made with their oval set-up in recent weeks.

"The whole Dale Coyne Racing team did a great job here this weekend," said Justin. "I was really happy with the Z-Line Designs car. We were fast all day, but unfortunately we were bogged down in traffic most of the night. The few laps I had in clean air we could show our true potential and it was really encouraging. This was the best car we've had on the ovals so far and we just keep making small improvements all the time. We now have to study everything and work out where the next step is so that we can keep improving our results."

After six oval events in succession, the IndyCar Series gets back to road and street course racing for the next three races. First up is the Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in a week's time on Sunday 5th July, where Justin challenged for pole a year ago.

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Post by mlittle » Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:07 am

Justin Wilson Places 14th at Richmond

Richmond, VA (June 27, 2009) -- Dale Coyne Racing driver Justin Wilson had his strongest oval speed of the year under the lights at the SunTrust Indy Challenge tonight. After starting 15th, the Brit held his own on the tough D-shaped oval at the Richmond International Speedway, where the 14-degree banking produces over four Gs in the turns. The team kept making positive adjustments on Justin's #18 Z-Line Designs car on every stop and the car was running strong laps all night long. Justin was posting the third fastest time of the race for the vast majority of the event. Richmond proved a very difficult place to pass and track position would hold down what was one of the fastest cars of the night.

"I was really happy with the Z-Line Designs car today, and the whole Dale Coyne Racing team did a great job," exclaimed Wilson. "We were fast all day, but unfortunately we were bogged down in traffic most of the night. The few laps I had in clean air we could show our true potential, and it was really encouraging. It was the best the car has done on the ovals and we had really good pit stops, which is encouraging for the future."

The entire Dale Coyne Racing team is looking forward to the upcoming schedule, where the next five out of six races are on road and street courses where both car and driver have performed extremely well this year. The team completed testing at Watkins Glen earlier this month and now prepares for the next round of the championship at the historic New York track.
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Post by mlittle » Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:34 am

Justin aiming high at Watkins Glen

After six ovals in succession the IndyCar Series now tackles a mix of road and street course events starting with Sunday's Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. The 3.37 mile permanent road course in upstate New York is a favourite of Justin's. He narrowly missed out on pole position in 2008 and was forced to retire with gearbox problems in the race. In a recent test he was just one tenth of a second off last year's pole time and he's keen to show what he and Dale Coyne Racing can do this weekend.

"I've been looking forward to Watkins Glen for weeks!" said Justin. "It's a real driver's track - quite technical, very fast and satisfying when you get it right. We know that in the next few road and street races we can remind people what this team is really capable of. We don't have much practice time here, but our test a few weeks ago went very well. We're definitely aiming for a podium finish for the Z-Line Designs team this weekend."

Justin has a lot more to say about Watkins Glen in the Track Guides section of www.justinwilson.co.uk, while a new interview with Justin on JW TV provides an insight into some of his recent oval experiences.

Practice and qualifying at Watkins Glen take place on Saturday, with live TV coverage of Sunday's race from 1pm (6pm BST) on ABC in the US and on Sky Sports 2 in the UK.

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Post by mlittle » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:05 pm

Justin qualifies 2nd at Watkins Glen

Justin achieved his second front row start this year by qualifying 2nd for Sunday's Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International (1:29.3106s/135.841mph). He lines up beside polesitter Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske, 1:28.5970/136.935mph), repeating last year's front row at the renowned road course.

"It's been a good day," said Justin. "I'm really pleased with qualifying second. It's great for Dale Coyne Racing and Z-Line Designs Furniture to be on the front row again. Ryan did a great job out there today. He was very fast and I don't know if we had enough to match that."

After six oval races, Justin and Dale Coyne Racing had no trouble regaining their early season road course form. The #18 Z-Line Designs car was 6th fastest in the morning practice session and after a few lunch-time set-up changes the car was clearly to Justin's liking as they began the three round qualifying session.

A first round gamble to run Justin on the harder compound Firestones for both stints paid off, although with every other driver running at least one stint on the softer, faster, red-sidewalled tyres it was a close call. But Justin hung on to 6th fastest in his qualifying group to make it through to the second round with two new sets of reds still available.

With the field whittled down to 12 competitors for round 2, Justin was 3rd quickest, setting a fast lap of 1:28.8214s on reds to make it through to the Firestone Fast Six. And so the stage was set for a final 10 minutes of qualifying with Justin battling it out against Briscoe, both Chip Ganassi Racing drivers (Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon), Graham Rahal (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing) and Mario Moraes (KV Racing). Justin ran two timed laps on scrubbed reds before pitting for a new set of reds, hoping to be able to take advantage and edge ahead of Briscoe in the five minutes remaining. But as he pulled out of his pit box to make his final run, Dario spun hard into the tyre barriers at the last corner bringing out a full course caution. When the track went green the IRL allowed one flying lap, but while Justin was quickest on that one circuit of the 3.37 mile track, there was too little time to beat Briscoe's pole time.

"We were a little bit brave in the first run to not use a set of reds when everyone else did, but we got away with it!" said Justin. "That should have helped us later on, but unfortunately we never got a chance to use them when it counted. It definitely seems like the reds are faster, so having an extra set gives us some options tomorrow. Hopefully we can have a good race - if we stay mistake-free we should be in good shape."

The race starts at 1.30pm EDT on Sunday, with live TV coverage in the US on ABC, and in the UK on Sky Sports 2 from 1 pm ET/6pm BST. Live timing and scoring, radio coverage and video streaming is available at www.indycar.com.


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Post by mlittle » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:06 pm

Justin Wilson Qualifies on the Front Row at Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen, NY (July 4, 2009) -- Dale Coyne Racing driver Justin Wilson performed his road course magic today qualifying the #18 Z-Line Designs/Sixth Avenue Electronics IndyCar on the front row while not even using new tires. The first session was a telltale sign that the car was performing extremely well when the team took a big gamble running two sets of primary tires. Every other team working to get to the top 12 and advance to the next stage of qualifying ran one set of Firestone primary and one set of the softer, faster, "alternate" tires. Wilson was the fastest car in the first qualifying session on the Firestone "primary" tires posting a lap time of 89.76 seconds.

The excitement of qualifying was multiplied today in the three sessions that make up the Firestone Fast Six and pole position for tomorrow's Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.

"It was a gamble that paid off, but it was close," commented team owner Dale Coyne. "Justin did a great job of squeezing the last couple of tenths out of that second set of primaries keeping us in the last transfer position of 12th."

The number 18 car would go on to the second stage of qualifying and run one set of primaries and one set of alternate and place third amongst the 12 cars, easily transferring into the final stage of six cars.

The final Firestone Fast Six would have high drama. Justin's Dale Coyne Racing car was the only car in the pit to have one new set of option tires ready for the final qualifying giving them a strong advantage for the pole position. The experienced team decided to only run two timed laps on the old set of options and placed second in that first three minutes of qualifying. As the team put on their new alternate red tires for the final seven minutes, Dario Franchitti hit the wall in turn 11 and brought out a lengthy caution flag. As time was short after the caution period, the team had no choice but to keep the used tires, as there would not be enough laps to get the new tires hot. Everyone only got one lap at the end on their warm tires to improve, which would not be enough and all of the earlier times held. Justin's time of 88.82 seconds on an earlier lap on used tires placed him second overall. This is Justin's second front row start of the year.

Wilson will have the advantage of having two sets of the alternate Firestone tires for the race tomorrow and the team is optimistic about their chances.

"The Z-Line Designs/Sixth Avenue Electronics car was really fast today, and the whole Dale Coyne Racing team did a great job," exclaimed Wilson. "Obviously, staying on the Firestone primary black tires during the first session was the right thing to do and the car felt good. I think we had a great shot at the pole today but the full course caution put a bit of a damper on that. I'm really looking forward to the race and I think the car is performing extremely well."

The IndyCar® Series will be televised live on ABC-TV and coverage will begin for the Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen on Sunday, July 5th at 1:00 p.m. (EDT).
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Post by mlittle » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:07 pm

"We Win!" Signed, Justin Wilson and Dale Coyne

Watkins Glen, NY (July 5, 2009) -- Dale Coyne Racing driver Justin Wilson driving the #18 Z-Line Designs/Sixth Avenue Electronics car won the Camping World Grand Prix today in a display of force that classed the field. Wilson passed Ryan Briscoe in the third lap, and never looked back. The closing laps drama unfolded when a full-course caution flag flew with six laps to go. The lanky Brit was not going to let anyone by on the restart and surged to his first victory of the 2009 IndyCar Series season and his second overall. Wilson gave team owner Dale Coyne his first victory in open-wheel racing in 25 years and did it with style, outrunning Ryan Briscoe and the Penske team with a 4.9 second margin of victory.

When team owner Dale Coyne made key decisions to add Justin Wilson and engineer Bill Pappas to the team in the pre-season he knew he was setting the stage for a win this year and in the first race of the season in St. Pete, Wilson placed a solid third. Coyne knew it was only a matter of time before the team raced to its first victory.

"We worked hard to put all the right pieces together for the team and today was the first step in achieving those goals," exclaimed team owner Dale Coyne. "I want to thank and remember everyone who touched this team throughout the years to achieve this goal. We are looking forward to a very bright future."

Wilson drove a flawless race and the Dale Coyne crew was outstanding with their quick and efficient pit work. This is the first time that a team other than Penske or Ganassi has visited victory lane in the 2009 season.

"The Z-Line Designs/Sixth Avenue Electronics car was really fun to drive today, and the whole Dale Coyne Racing team did a great job," exclaimed Wilson. "I had a smile from ear-to-ear on the final lap and I'm so happy to give Dale his first victory. I can't thank them and Z-Line Designs enough for their support this year. This is definitely the most important victory of my career."

Justin Wilson's victory today vaulted him five places to 10th in the IndyCar Series Championship point standings and with two street courses on the schedule in the next two weeks, Wilson is poised to make tremendous strides in the points.

The IndyCar® Series will head to Toronto on July 12, 2009. Live coverage begins on ABC-TV at 1:00 p.m. (EST) for the Honda Indy Toronto race.
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