2009 IRL Team Reports: Team Penske

IRL Team reports for the 2009 IRL season

Moderator: mlittle

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

2009 IRL Team Reports: Team Penske

Post by mlittle » Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:43 am

Team Penske Qualifies Inside the Top Six at St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Team Penske put itself in solid position for victory Saturday with two strong qualifying performances at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Ryan Briscoe will start fourth in the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda while teammate Will Power will start sixth in the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda. Both drivers made it to the final qualifying session and flirted with the pole position but will start in the second and third rows.

"Qualifying in the Firestone Fast Six is always an accomplishment," Briscoe said. "We'll see if we can keep moving forward tomorrow in the race. It's going to be tough."

Briscoe was clocked at 1:02.5699, while Power turned a lap at 1:02.7368. Power said a few overnight adjustments could help him improve.

"We need to work on the car a little bit more, but we know we have a good car and a good team," Power said. "I'd love to be on the podium tomorrow."

The timing bodes well for Team Penske. Briscoe won on the streets of Surfers Paradise in his native Australia in the season-ending non-points event, the team hopes to begin the 2009 season with positive results Sunday.

He and the team will be tested by the IndyCar Series' new rules regarding tires. Each team will have at least one set of alternate, soft-compound red tires that has to be used during Sunday's race. The team had its first experience with the strategy created by the new rules during Saturday's qualifying session, in which each car had two sets of red Firestones at its disposal.

"We all got a taste of it today," Briscoe said,. "It seems like it had a little bit more grip, but in the Fast Six, some went slower on it."

Sunday's race begins shortly after 2 p.m. ET and will be televised live on the Versus network.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Thu Apr 16, 2009 12:17 pm

Briscoe Leads Team Penske To Victory in St. Petersburg

ST PETERSBURG,. Fla. - Team Penske opened the 2009 IndyCar Series season in style Sunday. Ryan Briscoe captured the lead with 13 laps remaining and went on to win the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, scoring his fourth overall victory in the last 14 races for Team Penske.

Briscoe passed Justin Wilson for the lead on the 87th lap of the 100-lap race, then held off Ryan Hunter-Reay on two dramatic restarts in the final seven laps to claim what, in effect, is his second consecutive victory and second in a row on a street course. He won last year's season finale, a non-points race in his home country at Surfers Paradise, Australia.

"This is a lot like Milwaukee last year," Briscoe said, referring to the trouble he had at that track before posting Roger Penske's 300th career victory last summer. "We've led laps here and had been in position to win, but we'd never gotten the job done. I saw an opportunity and went for the win."

Will Power finished sixth in his debut driving the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda in place of Helio Castroneves. Power started sixth and finished sixth after enduring some trials on pit lane early and contact on track late in the race.

"I think we were on par to have a pretty good strategy today, but just as we pulled in for our first pit stop we had some bad luck with that yellow," said Power. "Plus, I sort of made it hard on our guys by pulling into the wrong pit, but I hung in there and made sure I stayed out of trouble and kept progressing throughout the day. I think considering everything that happened out there, bringing the Team Penske car home in sixth is great."

After Briscoe's final drive to the front, he never relinquished the lead, getting his third official IndyCar Series win and fourth overall (counting the Australia exhibition) since the Milwaukee breakout victory last year. Hunter-Reay finished just .4619 of a second behind in second place while Wilson was third.

"The main objective was to get the car to the finish line, so I wasn't going to do anything desperate at the end," Briscoe said. "I knew there were important points to be scored."

The victory also marked Team Penske's 30th win in IndyCar Series competition.

"It is a great feeling to get the win," Briscoe added.

Briscoe will take the points lead into another street race, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, on April 19.

"It's great to start the season the same way we ended last year," said Tim Cindric, President of Penske Racing. " Ryan ran a great race and we had great pit stops. It was good to see Will fight his way back to sixth. We look forward to coming back to Long Beach in a couple of weeks for the first time since Helio won there in 2001."
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:32 am

STATEMENT FROM PENSKE RACING ON HELIO CASTRONEVES

Roger Penske:

"Penske Racing is very happy for Helio Castroneves and his family, following today's verdict. The team has supported Helio throughout this process and will continue to as the matter goes forward. Penske Racing is pleased and excited to have Helio in the No. 3 Team Penske car at this weekend's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach."

On Will Power: "Penske Racing thanks Will Power for his hard work in helping the team prepare and begin the 2009 IndyCar Series season. We are pleased that Will will compete for Penske Racing in the No. 12 Team Verizon Wireless Dallara/Honda at this week's Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Indianapolis 500."
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:52 am

Penske Racing Press Conference On Helio Castroneves
Friday, April 17, 2009

An interview Tim Cindric, Brian Barnhart, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power

THE MODERATOR: To my far right, Ryan Briscoe, driver from Team Penske. Next to Ryan Briscoe, Tim Cindric, the president of Penske Racing. Next to him, Will Power from Team Penske. And then nearest me, Brian Barnhart, the president of Racing Operations for the IndyCar Series, Indy Racing League.

We'll start off with Tim with a general statement and we'll take it from there.

TIM CINDRIC: Obviously our being here today is all relative to the outcome of Helio's well-publicized trial. And on behalf of Roger and our entire organization, we're ecstatic with the outcome. It's been a very, very difficult time for all of us. Obviously in particular he and his family. So we're very, very excited to know that he can go on with his life, business as usual. And as hard as that is to say about Helio, in particular.

But his usual business is sometimes a little different. And he adds a little bit of fun to everything we do. So we're certainly looking forward to having him back in the IndyCar Series and back as a driver of our organization. We've made the provisions and the decision that he'll be in a car with us tomorrow. He'll be in the 3 car tomorrow.

And with that, we'll add an additional entry to the Long Beach race starting tomorrow morning. Will Power will be in the No. 12 Team Verizon Wireless car, and Will Power will also drive for Penske in the Indy 500 this year in the No. 12 Verizon Wireless entry.

So today our plans are to carry on business as usual. Helio will arrive this evening. No, I don't know an exact time. But he will arrive this evening. And we'll continue to prepare everything.

The next session, Will will continue in the No. 3 car, carry out the remainder of the day. And Brian, I'll let you talk a little bit how the rest of the weekend will go technically.

BRIAN BARNHART: Great. Thanks, Tim. Obviously we couldn't be happier for Penske Racing, Helio and his family. We look forward to having Helio back on the grid here in Long Beach. Helio's played an integral part in the growth of the IndyCar Series, both on and off the racetrack the past few years and has an incredible legion of fans.

He is a true star in every sense of the word. His infectious personality, popularity and success on the racetrack is truly welcomed back to the IndyCar Series.

As Tim mentioned, we've had some contingency plans in place, both at the St. Pete event and the Long Beach event, not knowing the timing of how and when this was going to play out with regards to entries, licensing, driver physicals that kind of stuff, pit locations.

What we're going to do now with Helio switching to the 3 car, he'll remain in the 3 car pit location. And the 12 car entry, which is now the Will Power entry, will be added to the pits as a pit entry end of the pit lane. And the tires that Will uses today will go with him with our tire restrictions, which, just from a logistical standpoint, we get six primary sets of Firestone and then three alternate reds.

So the tires that Will uses today go with him to the 12 car. Helio has a full allotment of nine sets beginning in the 3 car tomorrow. As I talked about the pit locations, that type of deal. And the one thing that I'll probably make a couple of concessions on, we have split groups in practice tomorrow for two thirty-minute sessions. I'll allow Helio to run both sessions in the morning since he's not been in a car since October.

I will give Will, who has drawn the red chip, puts him in group 2, he'll be allowed to take a couple of shake down laps in the 12 car since it's the first time it's been on the track in the first session. Then he'll slide back to Group 2. And then both are in group 2 for qualifying. We did a contingency draw for Helio for the segment one of qualifying and he's in the second group from that standpoint as well.

So good communication with him and everyone at Team Penske allowing for this to happen, not knowing the timing of it. And as I said, we're certainly happy to have Helio back and look forward to having Will in the car here for Long Beach and Indianapolis as well, as he's a big member of the family as well. It's nice to have the IndyCar family back together.

THE MODERATOR: Ryan, let's start with you from a driver perspective and talk about the news with Helio.

RYAN BRISCOE: It's very exciting news for all of us here. And Helio especially. I look forward to having him back, working with him. We really built a strong relationship last year. So really excited to continue that going forward. And as far as it goes for Will, he's sort of in similar shoes as I was a couple years ago and got the opportunity with Penske Racing to run the Indy 500. And it's just a huge opportunity for him. He's done a great job for us so far this year. Really impressed us all.

And who knows where that could lead him in the future. But really good news today. Happy for Helio.

THE MODERATOR: Will, your perspective.

WILL POWER: I'm very happy for Helio and his family. I couldn't imagine what it was like going through that, especially how much success he's had in his career. But for me I'm really excited to be driving the Verizon Wireless 12 car and also in the Indy 500. So this is a great opportunity for me.

This team's made me feel very welcome. It's a first-class team. I really love working with these guys, and you never know what can happen in the future.

THE MODERATOR: We're going to open it up to questions.

Q: Tim, can you talk a little bit about adding the third car, how tough that's going to be? You guys have done it before. But not for a while. And a little bit about is Will going to have any other opportunities this year with the team? Is there any possibility that he might have other rides this year?

TIM CINDRIC: Sure. Sure. Yeah, without a doubt. You know with our organization, we haven't run three cars for quite a while. And to be able to do that, I can't say enough about the preparation and the various contingencies our guys have been able to put together. It's been a bit of a mixed bag and really a moving yardstick here for quite a while.

I appreciate everything that the league has done for us, and really everybody in the garage area. I haven't heard one negative and anything but support for Helio in the community.

And I can't say enough about Will and the approach that he's taken to, the tasks that he's had to deal with all the maybes and the what-abouts and so forth. So our position is going to be to continue to take it a race at a time.

I don't want to speculate. There's a lot of things that can happen. I said that from the beginning. And Will will be the first one to tell you it wasn't until last night that he knew he was going to drive the Indy 500.

So we talked about it from the beginning of this process, that that wasn't something that he knew going into it. So it's a big credit to him for him to take the approach that he's taken throughout the process.

And with regard to the contingencies and that type of thing, the people that you'll see here this weekend, John Ericksen, who is our general manager of our sports car program, will be the race strategist on that car. And he was also Ryan Briscoe's race strategist, along with Jay Penske in the Luczo Dragon program back when Ryan first ran Indy for us in 2007.

So we kind of have, again, a contingency, but we didn't want to be in this position this weekend and everything looked like it was leading up to a decision and at some point this week, and had we been sitting here this week without a contingency and without a way in which we could help reward Will for all the things that he's done but at the same time make sure Helio, his best medicine is going to be to get back in a race car. And I can't tell you how excited I'll be to actually see that all happen. Hopefully that answers your question there, Mike.

Q: Tim, Helio's been through a lot. As a team manager, what will you do to get his mind back on racing and stay focused on the racing and to maybe keep the media off the trial and on racing?

TIM CINDRIC: I guess if I hadn't known him -- this will be my tenth season with Helio. And if I hadn't known him as well as I do, I would question: Is this the right move or not the right move, or that type of thing.

But the guy is -- it's kind of funny to say, when you know him as well as everybody does and his enthusiasm, but his focus and his concentration, it's among the best. And I think the best way to quantify that is the trust that I have in him at a place like Indianapolis, where you're sitting there qualifying at 5:59 or whatever it is and I put him up against the best of them when it comes to being mentally prepared.

And I know he wants nothing more than to get back in that race car, and I have 100 percent confidence it will be like riding a bike for him.

Q: Tim, regardless of the time that Helio is getting back, can you take us through how you get him back here? Was it like a helicopter to MIA, Roger's plane, but my editor needs to know this?

TIM CINDRIC: Still a work in progress. We've again put together some contingencies and having Roger's resources is always beneficial in situations like that. I said long ago that when I told him something wasn't possible, I kind of reviewed my thoughts after his response to that and figured if anybody could get Air Force One it might be him because from then on I've always said everything's possible.

And given the solution and trying to figure out if he can come up with a reason why he can't get it done. So the basics are we've dispatched a plane from Detroit to pick him up whenever he's ready. Obviously I don't really know the details of what it takes to get from the courtroom to the FBO there.

But I'm expecting that he'll be here at a decent hour this evening in one of Roger's planes.

Q: Tim, have you spoken with Helio on the phone? How did that conversation go? Is there anything you can share with us on that? And I also have a follow-up.

TIM CINDRIC: I haven't spoken to him live since the verdict was given. We've exchanged text messages and so forth, and they're pretty simple. He and I are basically: Hey, we're ready for you. And his response was: I'm coming, man.

Q: Team has always been important at Team Penske. You touched on it earlier, but can you talk about the selflessness it's taken for Will to be able to come into a situation like this where he really didn't know how many races he was going to have and knowing that he was going to have to kind of prepare for a situation like this if it came out positive for Helio?

TIM CINDRIC: That was certainly one of the considerations when we looked at the candidates for who would actually drive the 3 car if Helio wasn't available. And the one thing that we continued to come back and look at when we looked at those decisions were really Will's demeanor, his commitment, his focus. And you know his understanding of the opportunity that's in front of him but at the same time his understanding of what that all means. And I hope he feels like we've been very forthright in every move we've made and I hope he feels like throughout this process he's always been on the front page with us.

Q: Can you talk about that?

WILL POWER: I mean, I knew the situation very well. And none of this is a surprise to me. So that's the Penske way. They always keep you well informed and you know what's coming. So I really appreciate the way it's all played out.

Q: Do you know if Roger is going to stay in Phoenix, or is he going to come here tomorrow?

TIM CINDRIC: Roger will be here tomorrow. Obviously there's a Nationwide race in Phoenix. He'll be here tomorrow. He's going to stay as late into qualifying as possible, then return to Phoenix for the Cup race and be back here on Sunday.

Q: Will, what's been your mindset? We didn't know when this was going to happen. It could have happened before St. Pete. It could have -- it now has happened. But you knew coming in this weekend that it could happen at any moment. What's been your thinking? How have you approached this knowing that this could happen at any time?

WILL POWER: I've been aware that this could happen at any time, and my approach has always been the same as take it day-by-day and do the best job possible for the team. And, yeah, I mean I was ready for it. So it's no big shock to me. And the team is great to work with and, like I said before, they always keep you well informed.

Q: Knowing the enthusiasm that Helio has, I imagine his feet aren't going to be on the ground for some time now. And Tim, for you, do you think he's going to sleep at all tonight?

TIM CINDRIC: I don't know if he slept at all lately. I think tonight, my guess is if he's going to sleep, it will be probably better tonight than it would have been last night or the night before or the night before that. So I think the fortunate thing about Helio is I've never seen him lacking energy. (Laughter).

Q: Tim, you talk about contingency plans. Verizon being on the car this weekend, and also Indy for Will Power, what about the rest of the season. Obviously you want to go forward or is that it?

TIM CINDRIC: Our plate has been pretty full in terms of making plans going forward. Right now really Indianapolis is as far as we've even discussed what our plans are. A lot of things can happen between now and May. So really I don't have a plan or a contingency or anything along those lines.

We'll just play it a race at a time and focus on the month of May. And I think the fortunate thing, you know, if you look at these and you look at, in Will's position what the upside of this is for him personally, it's the fact that if he were going to run Indianapolis with us the month of May, this is an opportunity for him to get to know all the guys, get to work under fire and really get through some of the basically growing pains, if you will, before we get into the month of May, because as you know with a shortened schedule there that first week, where you're on track, what, Wednesday afternoon and you have Thursday/Friday weather permitting, this is going to be a big, big advantage for all of us, I think, in terms of being prepared to run those three cars in Indy.

Q: Brian, you addressed it a little bit in the statement that was handed out. But can you talk a little bit more about what it means to the series to have Helio back?

BRIAN BARNHART: As I said, it feels good to have the family back together again. He's made such enormous contributions to the growth of our series, both on and off the track.

Obviously a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner is one of your key ingredients and very important to every race promoter and where you go. His infectious personality. And coupling that with his 2007 title winning dancing With the Stars growth off the racetrack as well has certainly raised the awareness of the IndyCar Series in circles that are not the traditional sports fan or even race fan areas. It's certainly made him more of a household name in an arena we couldn't even imagine possible.

The good news, I'm getting back in the driver's meeting, so I'm sure all the pertinent and fun questions will begin again.

Q: Tim, two questions. First, do you have any information or has there been any indication as to whether they will go forward with retrying the one count on which there was a hung jury?

TIM CINDRIC: I'm a racing guy. (Laughter) So, you know, all the technicalities and that type of thing, you know, I think that's really for somebody else to answer at another time. I don't pretend to understand it at all.

Q: And the second thing is, there's only one oval between now and Indy, Kansas. Are you going to shoot for doing the three-car team at Kansas?

TIM CINDRIC: You never say never. But sitting here right now that's not the plan. We're not planning to do that sitting here right now. But at the end of the day on Monday, with us, you never know. But right now I've said to Will and the rest of the team that that's not our plan as we sit here today. But they all know us well enough to know that it's always subject to change.

But I hope when I look back at this at this time last year we're tired of Helio and his dancing game. And this year the focus is on him. And next year, maybe something a little different, little more positive. Seems like the last few years it's been kind of a roller coaster for him obviously. But I can't say enough about how happy we are as an organization that it all turned out for the best for him.

Q: Do you tomorrow plan any sort of press conference for Helio so we can hear his reaction to all this?

TIM CINDRIC: I think we've discussed that internally. And I think it would be certainly something that we will try to do. I don't want to schedule it today, just simply because I'm not sure what time he's going to arrive, what he's going to feel like and all the different things that he's going to go through. But certainly it would be a much easier situation to do it in this type of forum.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:59 pm

Team Penske Heads to Kansas For First Oval Race of 2009

Indycar Series Track Records
Qualifying 7-6-02 Scott Dixon 218.085 mph
Race 4-29-07 Dan Wheldon 188.169 mph
Defending Polesitter: Scott Dixon 213.956 mph
Defending Race Winner: Dan Wheldon

Did You Know?
The last time the duo of Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe competed on a 1.5-mile oval was at Chicagoland Speedway last September. Briscoe won the pole that weekend and led 41 laps on his way to a third-place finish. Teammate Castroneves started from the last position (28th) and led 80 laps on his way to victory. Could history repeat itself this weekend in Kansas?

In 2003, Penske Racing made its historic 1,000th open-wheel start at Kansas Speedway. The team made its open-wheel debut on June 15, 1968, when the late Mark Donohue made the first start for the Team at Mosport.

In seven races at Kansas Speedway, Castroneves has completed every lap of competition, scored three top-three finishes (second in 2003; and third in 2002 & 2007); and he has never finished outside of the top-ten.

Local Knowledge
Team Penske Advisor Rick Mears was born in Wichita, KS.
Penske Racing celebrated its 1,000th open-wheel start at Kansas Speedway in 2003.

Track Details
Kansas is 55 ft. wide and smooth, which allows for side-by-side racing in all four turns.
High banking requires a downforce level that allows cars to run in traffic and on different lines without sacrificing speed.
Speed at start/finish is 5 mph slower than back straight due to "kink," 2 G's.
Turn 1 is flat out, speed slows due to tire scrub.
Center of Turns 1 & 2 - driver reaches 4 G's - full G-Force level.
No G-Forces on back straight, may need to shift from 5th to 6th to keep rev-limiter down.
Turn 3 is flat out, down shifting to 5th keeps engine revs and speed up, lateral G's back up to 3 G's.
Middle of Turns 3 & 4 - 4.5 G's.


Ryan Briscoe #6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda
Briscoe on Kansas:

"I think Kansas will be a very important race for Team Penske. Not only is it the first oval race of the season, but it's also the only oval on which we'll compete before the month of May. We'll use this weekend to help prepare for Indy and get focused for the month ahead. We also have a long string of ovals coming, so Kansas will help us for the next several events as well. We had a strong racecar here last year and I think we were competitive all weekend long. Hopefully we'll be even stronger this season and we'll be able to post a solid result before the Indy 500."

2009 IndyCar Series Statistics
Starts 2 Laps Completed 185/185
Front Row Starts 0 Top-Three Finishes 1
Wins 1 Average Starting Position 7
Top-Five Finishes 1 Average Finishing Position 7
Top-Ten Finishes 1 Laps Led 46
Poles 0 Championship Standing 3rd

Indy Car Career Statistics
IndyCar Seasons 5 Top-Three Finishes 7
Career Starts 40 Races Led 11
Race Wins 3 Laps Led 307
Poles 4 Top-Ten Finishes 18
Wins From the Pole 0

Helio Castroneves #3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda
Castroneves on Kansas:

"Kansas is a great place and it's a very challenging circuit. I have good memories from the track because I've done quite well there in the past. The only thing missing is a first-place finish! I think after running last weekend, I'll find myself in a better rhythm on Saturday. I'm looking forward to the race as we always seem to put on a great show for the fans. I also think that this weekend will be a great preparation for the Indy 500, because it will give us a chance to run on an oval before May begins."

2009 IndyCar Series Statistics
Starts 1 Laps Completed 85/85
Front Row Starts 0 Top-Three Finishes 0
Wins 0 Average Starting Position 8
Top-Five Finishes 0 Average Finishing Position 7
Top-Ten Finishes 1 Laps Led 3
Poles 0 Championship Finish 19th

Indy Car Career Statistics
IndyCar Seasons 12 Top-Three Finishes 56 (29%)
Career Starts 194 Races Led 95 (49%)
Race Wins 20 Laps Led 4,006
Poles 33* Top-Ten Finishes 122 (63%)
Wins From the Pole 10
* 26 in the IndyCar Series, a Series record.

Team Penske on Ovals
Team Penske Turning Left
Team Penske has earned 85 of its record 139 wins on oval tracks, including a victory at Kansas Speedway in 2006 (Sam Hornish Jr. earned the Team's first win at the 1.5-mile oval).

Roger penske:
"Team Penske is looking forward to going to Kansas for the first oval race on the IndyCar Series schedule this year. We have had a good start to the season on the street circuits, but now we will shift gears to the ovals and we expect a strong weekend in Kansas. The team is so happy to have Helio back racing with us, joining Ryan in the Team Penske cars. We are ready to move forward."

Tim cindric:
"I can't say enough about last weekend in Long Beach. It was another great effort from our entire organization. It is a huge relief to have that situation behind us and now we have to focus on getting the Team Penske cars prepared for our first oval race of the season in Kansas. As much as we want to run another car for Will, we decided that we would be better prepared for Indy if we focused on running two cars with Helio and Ryan in Kansas. Hopefully, we can start our oval season in the same fashion as we ended 2008 in Chicagoland and continue the momentum into Indy."
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Team Penske Tackles First Oval of 2009 at Kansas

Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 26, 2009 7:25 pm

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 24, 2009) - After two solid performances on the street circuits to start the 2009 IndyCar Series season, Team Penske is ready for its first oval challenge of the year.

Both drivers Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe are looking forward to turning their first oval laps this weekend at the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway.

After practice and qualifying on Saturday, Team Penske will line up for Round 3 of the 17-race IndyCar Series season on Sunday afternoon at the 1.5-mile tri-oval.

Driving the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, Briscoe enters this weekend's action ranked third in the series standings. Following a victory in the season opener at St. Petersburg, Briscoe finished 13th at Long Beach last weekend. The native of Sydney, Australia, who finished seventh last season at Kansas for Team Penske, wants to start out right on the ovals this weekend.
"I think Kansas will be a very important race for Team Penske,," said Briscoe. "Not only is it the first oval race of the season, but it's also the only oval on which we'll compete before the month of May. We'll use this weekend to help prepare for Indy and get focused for the month ahead. We also have a long string of ovals coming, so Kansas will help us for the next several events as well. We had a strong race car here last year and I think we were competitive all weekend long. Hopefully we'll be even stronger this season and we'll be able to post a solid result before the Indy 500."

Last weekend was very emotional for Briscoe and everyone at Team Penske as Castroneves returned to the team after being acquitted on tax charges in Miami. The popular Brazilian racer finished seventh in his return, despite the fact that it was his first time driving a race car in over six months.

Now, last season's series runner-up is looking to get back into a normal groove at Kansas in the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda. Castroneves finished fourth last season at Kansas Speedway and he's earned three podium finishes at the track in his career.

"Kansas is a great place and it's a very challenging circuit. I have good memories from the track because I've done quite well there in the past," said Castroneves. "The only thing missing is a first-place finish! I think after running last weekend, I'll find myself in a better rhythm on Saturday. I'm looking forward to the race as we always seem to put on a great show for the fans. I also think that this weekend will be a great preparation for the Indy 500, because it will give us a chance to run on an oval before May begins."

Catch all the action from qualifying at 6 p.m. ET Saturday on VERSUS and make sure to watch the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 from Kansas Speedway on VERSUS with coverage beginning at 4 p.m ET on Sunday.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Qualifying Doesn't Reflect Team Penske's Kansas Promise

Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 26, 2009 7:26 pm

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Team Penske made the best of an unfortunate situation Saturday at Kansas Speedway.

The team was ready to celebrate two solid starting positions when it was informed that Helio Castroneves, who was third-fastest in qualifying, dropped the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda below the white line during qualifying and would be penalized. As a result, Castroneves will start 22nd in the 22-car field for the start of Sunday's RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300.

Teammate Ryan Briscoe will start seventh after his four-lap average of 210.098 mph in the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda during windy conditions early on in qualifying at the 1.5-mile tri-oval.

"I‘m not unhappy, but I definitely don‘t think we got the most out of the Team Penske car today," said Briscoe, who enters Sunday's race ranked third in the series championship point standings. "I just couldn't keep it down in Turns 3 and 4 with the wind as strong as it was. But that's OK, we should be in good shape for tomorrow."

Castroneves posted a four-lap average of 210.857 mph, but was relegated to the final starting position because his car dropped two wheels below the track's white line. Dario Franchitti will also start from the rear of the field after his car also dropped below the white line.

"Clearly, being sent to the back of the field is a major disappointment for the whole team, but we‘ve won from the back before," said Castroneves, noting his victory from last place at Chicagoland Speedway last year. "It just means we have a lot more work to do tomorrow. We're just staying positive."

Sunday's race is scheduled to begin shortly after 5 p.m. ET. It will be televised live on the Versus television network.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:57 am

~~~Team Penske Scores Pair of Top-Five Finishes in Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 26, 2009) - Helio Castroneves rallied from a start at the back of the field and an early crash to lead a solid finish for Team Penske, which put both of its cars in the top four Sunday in the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway.

Castroneves finished second, while teammate Ryan Briscoe led 53 laps and caught a bad break that might have cost him victory, but still finished fourth. The result kept Briscoe in the middle of the IndyCar Series championship race -- he's now second, just one point out of the lead -- while Castroneves, who missed the season opener, is now 10th in the series standings.

Castroneves started 22nd in the 22-car field after being penalized for driving below the white line during Saturday's qualifying session. Just 15 laps into the race, his No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda ran into the back of Vitor Meira's car. The impact tore the nose wing off the car, but the crew quickly replaced it and got Castroneves back in the race.

"He had some kind of problem," Castroneves said of Meira. "All of a sudden he lifted. There was nothing I could do. The Team Penske crew did a great job on the pit stops to get me back into it."

The crew also played a major role in Briscoe's success with a quick pit stop on the 99th lap that put the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda out front.. On lap 152, however, Briscoe committed to the pits just as Dario Franchitti crashed behind him, a circumstance that gave the lead to eventual winner Scott Dixon.

"We had the track position until we got caught out with that yellow," Briscoe said. "It's really unfortunate, but I'm happy to be disappointed for that reason, that's for sure."

Penske Racing's three-car team -- with Will Power rejoining the mix in the No. 12 Team Verizon Wireless car -- will be among the favorites to win the 93rd Indianapolis 500 next month. Action begins Wednesday, May 6 with the opening day of practice with Pole Day qualifying set for Saturday, May 9. The race is scheduled for Sunday, May 25.

The Penske squad has won the Indy 500 a record 14 times, including wins by Castroneves in 2001 and 2002.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Thu May 14, 2009 10:45 am

CASTRONEVES SERVES AS SOUS CHEF FOR THE DAY FOR RENOWN CHEF STEPHAN PYLES AT HIS DALLAS RESTAURANT

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 11, 2009) IndyCar Series star Helio Castroneves added yet another title to his resume Monday sous chef for the founding father of Southwestern Cuisine, Stephan Pyles.

Castroneves was in Dallas promoting the upcoming Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway and spent the afternoon at Stephan Pyles Restaurant receiving cooking lessons from the world-renown chef. Castroneves, sporting a chef coat and officially deemed a sous chef by Pyles, learned to prepare three dishes salmon with roast banana black beans and coconut curry; chicken risotto with corn, red bell peppers and pineapple; and chocolate fondon.

"It was delicious," said Castroneves, fresh off winning the pole Saturday for the Indianapolis 500 on May 24. "I loved the coconut curry with the salmon. I'll always be a salmon fan. I love it. I think it's a great food and it's what I eat every night before I race because it's light. I loved the way Chef Stephan did it. I want the recipe!"

Castroneves, known for a sweet tooth, truly enjoyed the entrees they prepared but could not wait to taste the dessert. He was not disappointed.

"The dessert, chocolate fondon, was unbelievable. I'm not French, but it was so good even I know how to say it!" Castroneves said. "The experience was just incredible. Stephan has 25 years in the business and there is no doubt that he is absolutely phenomenal. I learned to appreciate cooking today."

Pyles is accustomed to having dignitaries and celebrities enjoying his cuisine. He has cooked for the likes of HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Mikhail Gorbachev to Mick Jagger and Sharon Stone.

"Helio shows lots of promise in cooking," Pyles said. "Just like his dancing, this is just one more thing for him to conquer."

Pyles topped off the event by presenting a chocolate birthday cake to Castroneves, who turned 34 on Sunday. Castroneves returned the gesture by presenting Pyles with a Bombardier Learjet 550k chef coat that he personalized and signed as a memento of his visit.

"The only thing I am good at making at a restaurant is reservations," Castroneves joked. "This was a really fun day for me."

In conjunction with Castroneves' visit and cooking lesson, Texas Motor Speedway had a special promotion "Helio's Blue Plate Special" in which his qualifying position for the Indianapolis 500 set the pricing on a limited amount of tickets for the Bombardier Learjet 550k on June 6. He qualified on the pole at Indy and that set the pricing at $1 for 300 (in tribute to his car number 3) frontstretch tickets that go on sale 9 a.m. CT Tuesday. These specially priced tickets can only be purchased by calling the TMS ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting in person. There is a limit of four tickets per customer.

"What a deal," Castroneves said. "Three hundred lucky fans will be able to purchase a ticket for $1, which is a great thing considering the economic crisis."

The Bombardier Learjet 550k race week kicks off Thursday, June 4 with practice and qualifying for the WinStar World Casino 400 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event as well as opening IndyCar Series practice for the Bombardier Learjet 550k. IndyCar Series qualifying will be held Friday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. CT and will be followed by the WinStar World Casino 400 race at 8 p.m. CT. The weekend culminates Saturday, June 6 with the running of the Bombardier Learjet 550k at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Castroneves is a two-time winner at Texas Motor Speedway, winning the fall IndyCar Series race in 2004 and the Bombardier Learjet 500k in 2006.

"It's always awesome to come back to a place where you succeed," Castroneves said. "I won here twice and certainly I want to win here again. You have a really strong feeling when you have a good car and we're proving that with the two ovals that we have been to so far. I'm really excited. I'm really more confident this year and everything seems to taste a little better."

Tickets are available for each day by calling the TMS ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Tue May 26, 2009 10:42 am

Helio Castroneves Leads Penske Racing to 15th Indy 500 Win

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (May 24, 2009) - Helio Castroneves paused amid the postrace mayhem Sunday and - as he has done numerous times this month - wept tears of joy. He'd just won the Indianapolis 500 for the third time in nine years, but this one was the most unlikely - and sweetest - of all. Castroneves recovered from a mid-race setback to come back and win the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500, ending an improbable month in which Castroneves faced a federal jury only to be exonerated and win the world's most famous auto race for the third time in his career.

Many people have told him in recent weeks that he's blessed, but nobody understands that sentiment better than Castroneves himself.

"This is awesome," Castroneves said over the radio between sobs during the cool-down lap on Sunday. "Thank you. Thank you guys so much. This is incredible."

Castroneves and his No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda pulled away from Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick on a restart with 17 laps remaining and won the race by 1.9819 seconds. He's now one victory away from tying Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser for the most Indy 500 victories in a career, and Roger Penske's team extended its record to 15 victories in the storied race.

"These guys gave me my life back," Castroneves said of his Penske Racing colleagues. "I'm here today because of these guys. And obviously the fans. The fans kept me strong. They are the best. I'm honored to have fans like these."

Castroneves wasn't the only Penske Racing driver to perform well. Ryan Briscoe led 11 laps in the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda before a tire issue dropped him back in the running order, but he recovered to run second behind Castroneves late in the race. Briscoe eventually was forced to stop for fuel and finished 15th, but he was thrilled by his teammate's victory.

"What a story Helio is," Briscoe said. "It's just incredible. It's just unbelievable for him. I'm so happy for Helio. It's just a Cinderella story. He's like a newborn kid on top of the world."

Will Power, who filled in for Castroneves when he was unavailable to drive to start the season, also contended for the victory and eventually finished fifth in the No. 12 Team Verizon Wireless Dallara/Honda.

"It was a good result," Power said. "I could see the win there within our reach. That certainly would have made my situation easier. I think Roger (Penske) will be happy with a top-five. I haven't hit the wall or anything. I'm happy. Helio did a good job. He deserves that win. He worked very hard, and he's a good driver. It couldn't have gone to a better guy."

Indeed. The remarkable story of Castroneves and his determination won over a crowd of nearly 300,000 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "On the surface he has that outgoing personality," team owner Roger Penske said. "He might climb the fence, but inside he's as tough of nails. He had to be to go through what he went through the last six months. It's really a credit to the team."

And a credit to a talented racer who's counting his blessings.

"To be here talking about this is very special," said Castroneves, fighting tears. "This place is magic."

With the victory, Castroneves improved to second in the IndyCar Series standings, as he now trails series leader Dario Franchitti by just five points, despite missing the first race of the year. Briscoe is ranked third, just eight points behind the leader, while Power - who also missed a race this season - is eighth in the standings.

Team Penske returns to action next weekend at the Milwaukee Mile.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Sun May 31, 2009 11:44 am

Milwaukee: Team Penske preview


Team Penske Focuses on Milwaukee Mile

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (May 29, 2009) - Entering the Milwaukee Mile for this weekend's running of the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225, it's safe to say Team Penske is on a roll.

After claiming its 15th Indianapolis 500 victory last weekend, Team Penske to hoping to continue its hot streak this weekend at the historic one-mile oval. With the talent it posses in pit lane and behind the wheel in the IndyCar Series, the team is well positioned to build on its momentum.

Driver Helio Castroneves is coming off a dominant month at Indianapolis that saw him capture his third pole position and third victory in the world's biggest race. His teammate, Ryan Briscoe, also ran well at Indy but this weekend he returns to the site of his first IndyCar Series win last year at Milwaukee.

Both Team Penske drivers have made their presence felt in the series standings entering the fifth of 17 races this season. Despite missing the first race of the season at St. Petersburg, Castroneves has risen to second in the driver rankings, trailing series leader Dario Franchitti by just five points. Briscoe, who won at St. Pete to start the season, is third in the standings, just eight points off the leader. Each driver hopes to increase their respective totals this weekend in the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225.

"I always enjoy racing in Milwaukee," said Castroneves. "The track is challenging and the fans are always so enthusiastic. I won my first career Indy car pole at the Milwaukee Mile in 1999 and in 1998 I earned my first-ever podium finish (Castroneves finished second); so the circuit will always hold a special place in my heart. I also have to say, I'm looking forward to coming to Wisconsin as the 2009 Indianapolis 500 winner. We certainly have the momentum, so hopefully Team Penske will have another successful weekend."

In addition to scoring his first victory for the team at this venue last year, Briscoe's Milwaukee win was a milestone as it marked the 300th all-time win for Penske Racing.

"I can't wait to get back to Milwaukee. It's the one-year anniversary of my first IndyCar Series win and I'm definitely looking forward to going for two in a row this weekend. The Milwaukee Mile is a great track and it's a lot of fun to drive. We always put on a good show for the fans and hopefully, with a little luck Team Penske can find Victory Lane once again."
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Sun May 31, 2009 11:45 am

Ryan Briscoe Wins Pole for Team Penske in Milwaukee

WEST ALLIS, Wis. - Less than a week after his Team Penske teammate made headlines around the globe, Ryan Briscoe garnered some attention of his own Saturday by winning the pole position for the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile.

Briscoe recorded a record four-lap time of 1:26.7966 seconds - and average of 168.394 mph - around the historic oval in the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda shortly before his teammate, Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, crashed during his qualifying run.

The effort put Briscoe, who started second at Indy and led his first laps in the race before being forced to pit late in the 500, 0.14 seconds ahead of Saturday's next-fastest qualifier, Graham Rahal. Briscoe posted his first IndyCar Series win when he captured the checkered flag at the Milwaukee race last year, giving Roger Penske his 300th all-time victory as a car owner.

"I came into this race last year not having had good experiences with this place, so getting the win was awesome," Briscoe said. "I learned a lot from my race last year. I didn't qualify very well. My car has been a lot better in qualifying this year, so hopefully we can replicate a good race setup as well."

Castroneves says he was pressing hard when the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda spun early in his qualifying run. "I was just going for it," he said. "Sometimes you've just got to try. The car snapped a little bit. I thought I had saved it, but then it just slid and brushed the wall, and unfortunately that was the end of qualifying."

Briscoe's four-lap run broke the track record of 1:26.9591 set last year by Marco Andretti. It was the fifth pole of Briscoe's career and his first since starting first at Chicagoland Speedway last September.

"We won from 11th last year, so hopefully starting up front can keep me away from the chaos that always happens the first couple of laps," Briscoe said.

Castroneves, who stands second in the IndyCar Series point standings despite missing the season opener at St. Petersburg, will attempt to advance through the field from his 20th starting position when the race begins Sunday shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET.

"It's a shame," said Castroneves, still celebrating his third Indy 500 win. "The car didn't seem bad but when you're going for it, sometimes these things can happen. We're just going to try to have good pit stops and score some points. We have a good chance in the championship and we can't just give it away."

But Briscoe, who won the IndyCar Series season opener at St. Petersburg and stands third in points, is the one in the spotlight after leading qualifying at Milwaukee's tricky flat oval. "We talk about confidence a lot, and it does help," Briscoe said. "But confidence comes from experience. They go together."
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:24 am

Milwaukee: Team Penske race report


Briscoe Finishes Second, Castroneves 11th at Milwaukee

WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe led 154 of 225 laps, eventually settled for second place Sunday in the ABC Suppy/A.J. Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile, but remained within four points of the lead in the IndyCar Series standings.

Briscoe, who started from the pole position, got hung up behind a lapped car just 24 laps from the finish, giving defending series champion Scott Dixon an opening. Briscoe chased Dixon to the finish, but wound up second and he is now four points behind Dixon in the championship race.

Briscoe said his No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda didn't have as much momentum as Dixon's car as the race wore on. "Scott was just a little bit better than me at the end there," Briscoe said. "He got me in traffic. I was struggling with a little bit of understeer, and whenever I'd get on the inside I'd really lose momentum. He was there all day long and took the opportunity to pass me when I got slowed up."

Briscoe, who won at Milwaukee last year for his first IndyCar Series victory, said he saw the bigger picture in Sunday's result. While he didn't necessarily have the fastest car, he did have the patience to hold on to second place and score valuable points.

"Scott got the better of us, but we scored some points and we're still in it," Briscoe said. "That's the important part. If you can't win them, you've got to take what you can get. I thought we did a good job this week."

Helio Castroneves, who won his third Indy 500 last week, then crashed in qualifying and had to start last in the 20-car race, drove to an 11th-place finish in the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda. "This is one of those days when it feels like there are 700 laps to go," he joked.

Despite Sunday's finish and the fact that he didn't compete in the season opener at St. Petersburg, Castroneves remains fifth in the standings, just 21 points behind his teammate.

"The good news is that we finished," Castroneves said. "Our goal was to finish in the top-10, and we just missed that. All things considered, it was a positive performance."

Briscoe recorded his third top-five finish of the season.

"It was a great effort by Team Penske today," Briscoe said. "My pit stops were awesome. I don't think I've lost a spot in the pits this year, so it's a great credit to Team Penske."

The season resumes Saturday night with the Bombardier Learjet Indy 550 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race begins at 9:40 p.m. ET and will be televised live by Versus.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Sun Jun 07, 2009 6:47 am

Team Penske Qualifies Both Cars Inside The Top Four at Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe will start from the front row and his teammate Helio Castroneves will be right behind him for the start of Saturday night's Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway.

Briscoe recorded a four-lap qualifying run of 1:37.7179 -- an average of 214.513 mph -- just 0.25 seconds behind pole-winner Dario Franchitti Friday and he will start on the outside front-row position in the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda.

"I like being called the outside pole-sitter," said Briscoe. "It's like you almost won the pole. Starting on the front row is important. If you've got a fast car here, you'll be in good shape."

Meanwhile, Castroneves posted the fourth-fastest average of the evening qualifying -- 214.228 mph -- in the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda.

"I put the pedal to the metal, but it was just one of those days where there wasn't much happening," said Castroneves. "It was too bad because we had a quick car, but we didn't qualify as well as I thought we would."

The starting position represented Briscoe's third consecutive front row start -- he won the pole last week at Milwaukee and started next to his pole-winning teammate before Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 two weeks ago. It also is Briscoe's best starting spot at Texas.

"It was a pretty good run," said Briscoe. "We just weren't quick enough over four laps and were a few tenths off. We always treat qualifying as the first race of the weekend, so it's always good to go for the pole."

Saturday's race is scheduled to begin at 9:40 p.m. ET and will be televised live by Versus.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:22 am

Castroneves, Briscoe Finish 1-2 for Team Penske at Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas (June 6, 2009) - Helio Castroneves pulled out of the pits ahead of teammate Ryan Briscoe on the final stop Saturday night and went on to win the Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway, completing a 1-2 sweep by Team Penske.

Driving the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, Castroneves was trailing Briscoe heading into the final round of pit stops on the 176th lap of the 228-lap race, but he used the first stall on pit lane to his advantage to beat Briscoe and the No. 6 Team Penske car out of the pits. Castroneves has now won at TMS three times, tying fellow Penske Racing driver Sam Hornish Jr. for the most IndyCar Series wins at Texas.

The win was Castroneves' second in his last three races this season, following his dramatic Indy 500 victory two weeks ago, and the 16th of his IndyCar Series career and his 22nd in American open-wheel racing. It also represented Team Penske's third win of the season and the team's fifth victory at Texas overall.

"We knew we had good cars, so I told the team that we had to finish 1-2 in this race," said Castroneves "When you have cars like this, you have to execute. In the race, Ryan got very comfortable in his car and just took off. We were saving fuel and figuring out our car. Later on, these (No. 3 car) guys were incredible."

Briscoe led 160 laps and posted his second consecutive runner-up finish, as he worked to secure the IndyCar Series points lead after six of 17 races this season.

"We did the best we could, but I just didn't have enough for Helio in the final stages," said Briscoe. "The last 20 laps were some of the most frustrating I've ever driven. I led the whole race and had the quickest car out there, but I just couldn't pass Helio."

Castroneves credited his Team Penske crew, led by strategist Tim Cindric and crew chief Rick Rinaman, for helping bring home the win. "The last pit stop was all theirs," Castroneves said. "They were just incredible. They won the Pit Stop Competition at Indianapolis. They deserve this. They practice all the time. Today it was the No. 3 group that gave this victory to me."

Team Penske has now finished first and second in 10 IndyCar Series races and has gone 1-2 in 37 open-wheel races overall. Castroneves also holds the record for most consecutive seasons with an IndyCar Series win at nine. He has finished among the top three a remarkable 41 percent of the time in his 119 IndyCar Series races.

"It was a great night for Team Penske," said Roger Penske. "We had the best cars we have had here at Texas in a long time and both drivers ran great races. The team worked very hard and we are happy to see that pay off with a 1-2 finish. It is terrific to come out of here with Ryan leading the championship."

Castroneves is now fourth in the IndyCar Series championship standings, just 13 points behind Briscoe. Both drivers have momentum on their side heading into the next IndyCar Series race, June 21 at Iowa Speedway.

"We're just looking toward Iowa now," Castroneves added. "That's the next step."
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

Post Reply