36th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach events cheatsheet

The 36th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach logo on the side of an IZOD IndyCar Series Dallara show car on display outside of V2O Nightclub & Events Center during the Committee of 300 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach KICKOFF PARTY. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

36th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach events cheatsheet

The 36th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach activities get started in earnest this week as the ticket office opens and events are firmed up for all to enjoy during race weekend "At The Beach". The Grand Prix downtown ticket office opened Monday March 22, 2010, and is located at 300 E. Seaside Way in Long Beach (near the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center box office). The office is expected to be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

One of the anticipated events that kick-off the weekend of April 16-18 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, featuring six races including the IZOD IndyCar Series, is the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame induction ceremony that happens the day before the formal activities get started - April 15, 2010 at 11:00am - Pine Avenue in front of the Long Beach Convention Center.

The City of Long Beach kicks off the 2010 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach by honoring two additional members to the 5th annual Motorsports Walk of Fame: Michael Andretti (whose father, Mario, is already honored with a medallion and whose son, Marco will be competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series race) and Danny Sullivan. The event honors motorsports stars that have either lived in Long Beach or have graced the oceanside city with their talent, along the way to a pinnacle career behind the wheel in sporting competition.

A one-of-a-kind, two-foot in diameter medallion was cast, listing the name and accomplishments of the honoree, then set in cement for all race fans and visitors to see as they walk down the east side of Pine avenue in front of the Convention Center. Past inductees include Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Brian Redman, Chris Pook, Paul Newman, Carl Haas, Al Unser, Jr., Bobby Rahal, Parnelli Jones, and Gary Gabelich. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2008)

The official three-day event, headlined with the fourth stop in the IZOD IndyCar Series 17 race season, that runs from April 16-18 also includes: the popular Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race; the technologically advanced sports cars of the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach race; Firestone Indy Lights; Team Drifting Challenge and the SCCA Pro World Challenge.

The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race will again boast a star-studded lineup that includes the return of Keanu Reeves, who will defend his 2009 race win, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk and Christian Slater tangling with professional drivers such as former CART champion Jimmy Vasser and Drifting ace Tanner Foust in an always-action-packed 10-lap dash for charity.

In addition to wheel-to-wheel racing, fans can enjoy the Tecate Light Fiesta Friday Concert Presented by Exitos 93.9 at 6:30 p.m., with the potent one-two punch of "Molotov" and "Maldita Vecindad." On Saturday, the Tecate Light Rock-N-Roar Concert Presented by KLOS at 6:30 p.m. features classic rockers "Cheap Trick."

Both concerts, held on the Convention Center outdoor stage, are free to race ticket holders.

The weekend-long Lifestyle Expo in the Convention Center - free to all ticket holders - features the alternative energy vehicles of "Green Power Prix-View" and highlights renewable energy sources and a host of energy tips for inside AND outside the home, as well as racecars, games, simulators, and BMX bike exhibitions. A new addition, Arena Jamm, will take place inside the Long Beach Arena and feature over 20 local musical acts providing a constant stream of entertainment throughout the weekend.

Of course, if paying for tickets is not your thing, and you would rather be a part of the 36th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach as opposed to just watching the show, join the Committee Of 300. Volunteer and be seen assisting on staffing for the Los Angeles and Orange County Auto Shows, the Belmont Shore Auto Classics Show, the Belmont Shore, Seal Beach, and Daisy Lane holiday parades, and are supporters of the STEEL MAGNOLIAS, an organization for the Stramski Children's Development Center at Memorial Hospital ... the C-300! Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

The famed race circuit, which includes the downtown streets of Long Beach surrounding the Long Beach Entertainment and Convention Center, is 1.97 miles in length and includes 11 turns. Grandstands lining the circuit include reserved seating, limited general admission seats, and seating for various hospitality club ticket packages.

In addition to the downtown walk-up service, tickets can be ordered via credit card by using the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 82-SPEED. Tickets can also be purchased on-line at www.gplb.com or at Ticketmaster outlets. Handicapped seating, IZOD IndyCar Paddock Passes, Super Photo tickets and a wide variety of hospitality club packages - including the all-new Vista Club atop the Hyatt Regency Hotel - are also available.

So get your tickets to the 36th annual Race at the Beach weekend, see some famous race drivers get honored, and don't forget to slap on your "SPF 500" sunscreen. It always is sunny and hot around Shoreline Drive, the Aquarium and Ocean Avenue as the sound of high-revving naturally aspirated Honda engines echo off of the buildings and fill the air.

Flowers, sunshine, SPF sunscreen, and the sound of race engines ... it MUST be spring in Southern California.

... notes from The EDJE

A DAYtona In The Life Of Dale Jr.

EARNHARDT (ON BAD LUCK.): "I think we were good, I just had some bad luck. Every time I would get in the front, some bad luck would take me to the back. Something I would do or something else. But I had a great car; I could run up in the top five all night. I had a great car. My car was ready to go -- just had some circumstances kept moving me to the back." Image Credit: Hendrick Motorsports (2009)

A DAYtona In The Life Of Dale Jr.

Good driver, good car, great racing, bad day for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

With a little more than 75 laps to go, Dale Jr. commits an aggressive driving error that takes out ten cars while he was riding on the bottom of the track one lap down to the leaders. The only good news was that even though he was involved, he skated through the melee with no damage to his car.

Brian Vickers was also a lap down and saw Dale Jr. trying to sneak around him on the inside track position. Dale Jr. was pushed beyond the double yellow marker line and could not advance. On the way back on to the racing part of the track, Dale Jr. caught Brian Vickers’ bumper and spun him up the track in front of the field taking out about 10 cars including the best running car of the day driven by Kyle Busch.

Tom Cruise in the crowd before the race. He had the honor of driving the pace car to lead off the race. Image Credit: OSPHOTO via Twitter

Brian Vickers was interviewed after the wreckage was cleared and stated that he felt that Dale Jr. had touched him on purpose. “NASCAR should penalize him” stating that a driver was penalized earlier in the week during the Bud Shootout and the cost assessed by NASCAR was five (5) laps. How come he was not penalized?, asked Vickers.

The truth for Dale Jr. was not having a good time judging many things all race long … mostly in the pits.

Weather threatens to end the race early. Image Credit: dmentd82 via Twitter

The first judgment mistake that happened early in the race was that Earnhardt overshot his pit box. This caused Dale Jr. to have to go back around and pit out of sequence placing him at the back of the field upon the restart.

Raindrops are fallin' on my head ... Image Credit: nascargirls via Twitter

His second judgment mistake happened on the round of pitstops before the Vickers accident. There, Dale Jr. placed his car at a slight angle in the pitbox and had his right front tire on the line. The NASCAR official tried to warn the pitcrew but they changed the right front tire and the official had to penalize Dale Jr. one full lap.

This had Dale Earnhardt Jr. frustrated and working hard to make up his lap before the pending rain came over the track.

Image Credit: Tinaodarby via Twitter

The Daytona 500 Race ended on Yellow Flag/Red Flag Caution due to rain with 48 laps to go.

In an after race interview, Dale Jr. was heard saying, “Vickers should have held his ground” and “My pit sign is pink and everyone else’s is pink – next week we will probably make ours yellow and everyone else will make theirs yellow."

Dale Jr. ended up finishing in 27^th position in a field of 43 cars - on the same lap as the winner.

A bad day for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the 88 AMP sponsored Chevrolet.

A good day for open-wheel ChampCar racing veteran AJ Allmendinger driving a Valvoline sponsored Dodge with a 3^rd place podium finish in his first Daytona 500.

Matt Kenseth in a DeWalt sponsored Roush Fenway Ford won the race for the driver’s first win and team’s first ever win after 22 tries at Daytona, followed by Kevin Harvick in his Shell/Pennzoil sponsored George/Haas Chevrolet.

HOW THEY FARED

... notes from The EDJE

[autosport.com liked this post so much, they patterned their story after this posting]

COT (Car-Of-Tomorrow/Today) Nets Big Rewards For Rookie

The Car of Tomorrow (CoT), sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and makes for closer competition. /// The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup season at the Food City 500 on March 25 and ran a partial schedule of 16 races. The plan was to require all teams to use the new car in 2009, but NASCAR officials moved the date up to the 2008 season. Image Credit: NASCAR

COT (Car-Of-Tomorrow/Today) Nets Big Rewards For Rookie

This will be the real breakout year for the chassis design that is mandated for use by NASCAR.

Originally run as a test to standardize the chassis and outer skin of a NASCAR race platform back in 2007, 2008 was the first full year where the chassis was run at all tracks.

Standing at the precipice of the 2009 season, the green flag falls on the second full season using the COT this weekend, when NASCAR sets up shop on a 36-week run to November at the Daytona 500.

This is the year teams have all the knowledge of the car and because there are no real changes to the base chassis, attention is brought back to the performance of the drivers and teams. The COT delivers a lower cost chassis and allows new drivers to shine … especially if they are able to hook up with a seasoned and professional winning team.

Joey Logano, sitting in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota COT - Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway). Image Credit: Joe Gibbs Racing

This excerpted and edited from autosport.com -

Logano: Duel result earned respect
By Matt Beer, autosport.com - Saturday, February 14th 2009, 13:41 GMT

Teenage rookie Joey Logano believes he proved a point with his fourth place finish in Thursday's Gatorade Duel, and thinks other drivers will now be more willing to work with him during tomorrow's Daytona 500.

Logano has replaced double Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart at Joe Gibbs Racing this season, the 18-year-old having wowed NASCAR when he won the Kentucky Speedway Nationwide Series race last year.
----
"I think we accomplished everything we needed to," said Logano. "Our main goal was to go out there and finish the race - that was more than we got in the Shootout.
----
When asked if he felt he had now earned the experienced drivers' trust, Logano replied: "Yeah, I think I have a little bit. It's just going to take time.

"I think this run (in the Duel) helped, getting up there at the end helped a lot. But yeah, that stuff just takes time."

He said he did not necessarily expect the established drivers to help him in the draft yet.

"I understand if someone wouldn't, there's an excuse not to," said Logano. "But at the same time, I feel like I'm getting treated fairly. I'm not getting dumped out there or anything like that.

Pretty fair."
Reference Here>>

With the Car-Of-Tomorrow running on a restrictor plate, a device that slows engines down from 900 horsepower to around 450, overall speeds at Daytona will be limited.

As a result, the 43-car field will run in tight formations along Daytona's 2.4 mile high-banked oval. Drafting will be at a premium and this is where a young driver can shine if he is able to tuck in with the right “partners”.

Welcome to this first real breakout year for the Car-Of-Tomorrow/Today!

... notes from The EDJE

A Taste Of "INDY" While Traveling

The Indy 500 Grill at the Indianapolis International Airport features a motif with all of the color, tradition and pageantry of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Image Credit: Ron McQueeney

A Taste Of "INDY" While Traveling

Ever wish to immerse yourself in Indianapolis Speedway lore and connect with the IRL while having a bite to eat?

Now anyone can … if they happen to passing through the international airport at Indianapolis, Indiana.

The INDY 500 Grill has just opened with a companion store next door where once one has had a pitstop and had their fill (up), one can purchase Indianapolis Speedway gear at Brickyard Authentics.

Indy 500 Grill and Brickyard Authentics storefronts. Image Credit: Ron McQueeney

This excerpted and edited from Indianapolis Motor Speedway –

Indy 500 Grill Opens At New Indianapolis International Airport
Brickyard Authentics Location Next Door
By Eric Powell - indianapolismotorspeedway.com - Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Indy 500 Grill combines a full, eclectic menu offering a variety of appetizers, soups, small plate items, salads, burgers, entrees and desserts in an atmosphere featuring the history, pageantry and excitement of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Indy 500 Grill interior booth seating. Image Credit: Ron McQueeney

"The new Indianapolis airport terminal is the gateway to Indianapolis for millions of travelers, all of whom know about this great city because of the worldwide popularity and 97-year history of the Indianapolis 500," said Joie Chitwood, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and chief operating officer. "The Indy 500 Grill celebrates the rich tradition of 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' as IMS begins its Centennial Era, and the restaurant will be one of the focal points of the exciting, state-of-the-art terminal."
----
The restaurant and bar décor includes scores of photographs highlighting drivers from the Indianapolis 500's storied past and its current stars.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Scoring Pylon replica sits out front of the Indy 500 Grill to welcome guests. Image Credit: Ron McQueeney

A replica of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's iconic Scoring Pylon displays the top-five finishers from 1977 - the year A.J. Foyt won his record fourth Indianapolis 500, and the floor features familiar car numbers of Indy 500 champions, including Foyt, Bill Vukovich and Jim Clark. The Speedway's Brickyard Authentics retail store has been a mainstay at the Indianapolis airport for many years, and passengers and diners have easy access to the store in the new airport as it moves next door to the restaurant.

Brickyard Authentics souvenir shop interior. Image Credit: Ron McQueeney

The Brickyard Authentics airport location stocks apparel and collectibles for the Speedway's Centennial Era and its events, including the Indianapolis 500, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and Red Bull Indianapolis GP, providing the perfect opportunity for travelers to purchase souvenirs.
Reference Here>>

So take some time to take in a pitstop, sip down some coolant, and add to your sparetire while passing through the new Indianapolis International Airport midfield terminal.

... notes from The EDJE

“City Racing” Event Held In Moscow

Williams BMW's Rosberg takes a "lap" at speed during the Moscow City Racing event. Image Credit: Frits van Eldik Fotografie – BCR (2008)

“City Racing” Event Held In Moscow

Imagine, if you will, a world class city without a major professional motorsports racing event to draw fans and sponsors to the attention of itself.

Well this is a problem solved by a group of promoters in Europe known by the name of “City Racing”. It is a pretty nifty idea but it lacks one thing – one is able to attend an event that has all the racing vehicles, all the noise, all the trappings of a major motorsports event, all the promotion … without all the messy competition!

Bavaria breweries "pitgirl" "promotion squad. Image Credit: Frits van Eldik Fotografie – BCR (2008)

This City Racing almost sounds like a perfect game of Baseball played in Japan … you know, where the teams intentionally play to a tie-score to allow all who participate to save face.

Lesser formula cars take to the circuit with local advertising on their sidepods. Image Credit: Read LJ via Look At Me

This promotional event sets up a temporary circuit area in a major city center where motorsport racing vehicles can attain racing speeds in a parade lap. This is done ostensibly for spectators to get a sense of what this motorsports stuff they have been watching on TV looks like in person. The event also provides an advertising and promotional platform for the organization putting on this awareness program. For those who attend, they become a captive audience in much the same way as fans who attend an actual race … without the benefit of a SCORE!

So, on July 13, 2008 London and Rotterdam passed the baton of the City Racing world series to Moscow.

The internationally renowned motorsports exhibition event, Moscow City Racing took place in the centre of the Russian capital.

F1 fans will witnessed a unique spectacle of Formula One cars from the AT&T Williams team among others, on the streets of Moscow.

Formula Drift exibition while driver sports a Russian flag. Image Credit: Frits van Eldik Fotografie – BCR (2008)

Other categories of race cars included a contingent of Drift cars for a demonstration, Formula feeder cars and custom full bodied Le Mans style cars including an Audi from Red Bull.

The circuit event itinerary took over the Kremlyovskaya and Moskvoretskaya embankments of the Moscow River and Mokhovaya Street, all located in the heart of the city centre of Moscow.

This excerpted from Bavaria City Racing press release –

Moscow City Racing powered by Bavaria; great Dutch success
Bavaria City Racing, Moscow, 13 July 2008

The first edition of Moscow City Racing powered by Bavaria is a fact. Today several international top drivers demonstrated their skills around the Kremlin, in the heart of Moscow. The 4,6 km track along the Vasilius Cathedral and the Presidential Residence was covered by e.g. the Williams and Red Bull team. It’s the first time that such a big event can take place around the Kremlin.

----
Initiator of the City Racing concept and co-organizer of Moscow City Racing powered by Bavaria, Robert Heilbron from Rotterdam Racing: “The 13th of July 2008 is, thanks to the City of Moscow and The Kremlin, a historic day for Russian motorsports. It is our second event, besides Bavaria City Racing in Rotterdam and I am very proud that we got the possibility to let this take place in the heart of Moscow. The public was really enthusiastic and I feel Russian motorsports has entered a new era today”.

Image Credit: Frits van Eldik Fotografie – BCR (2008)

Bavaria, Rotterdam Racing and Derk Sauer are the three motives behind Moscow City Racing powered by Bavaria. Today, the result of this Dutch cooperation moved hundreds of thousands spectators in Moscow. Drivers like Nico Rosberg and Michael Aleshin were surprised by the enthusiasm of all Russian fans. The interest of the (international) media was unheard. The press-conference just before the event, which was attended by Sir Frank Williams, attracted more journalist/TV crews than the visit of President Bush.
Reference Here>>

"Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"

... notes from the EDJE

Former CCWS Rookie-Of-The-Year Captures P2 Podium In Hamburg

Timo Glock with the "Sharkfin" cowling at The Hungaroring - Caption found at Atlas F1 Bulletin Board - toyota could of won this race /// used tyres glock qualified with otherwise front row start /// pit stop screw up 14 seconds losing 7 seconds extra /// 2nd place and only 7.1 secs behind the winner /// and timo lost 4 seconds behind massa, when he pitted and came right in front of glock. Image Credit: Toyota Motorsport

Former CCWS Rookie-Of-The-Year Captures P2 Podium In Hamburg

Timo Glock, Panasonic Toyota’s new #2 driver to Jarno Trulli for the 2008 Formula One open wheel racing season, had a race to remember at the Hamburg Grand Prix.

Weekend before last, Timo suffered a terrible accident at Hockenheim that sent him to the hospital for observation. He was released and cleared to race just this last Thursday and on Saturday, qualified in position five on the grid for the The Hungarian Grand Prix at The Hungaroring racing circuit, Hungary.

Timo Glock faces the press after his P5 qualifying position on the grid for The Hungarian Grand Prix. This represents the best qualifying effort in F1 by this former 2005 ChampCar World Series (CCWS) Rookie-Of-The-Year racing for Paul Gentilozzi's Rocketsports team. Image Credit: Toyota Motorsport

This excerpted from autosport.com –

Lewis Hamilton put himself in the perfect position to score a third consecutive win by claiming a commanding pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver held a comfortable 0.4-second advantage over the rest of the field after his first Q3 flying lap, and although his rivals closed in, he managed to improve to 1:20.899 to secure the 10th pole of his Formula One career.

Hamilton will lead an all-McLaren front row after his teammate Heikki Kovalainen vaulted on to the outside of the front row with his last lap, having previously languished back in ninth.

Felipe Massa salvaged Ferrari honour in third place, as Kimi Raikkonen could only manage sixth place following another low-key performance.

BMW's Robert Kubica completed the second row, but his teammate Nick Heidfeld had another disastrous qualifying session. His first Q1 flying lap was only good enough for 15th place, and he was rapidly pushed into the elimination zone and then hit traffic on his second run, leaving him 16th and gesturing in frustration at Sebastien Bourdais.

Toyota's Timo Glock was the sensation of the qualifying session - earning an F1 career-best fifth on the grid, four places clear of teammate Jarno Trulli.
Reference Here>>

This excerpted from a Panasonic Toyota press release –

Timo Glock (Car 12, Chassis TF108-06)

Summary: Quick throughout, his best ever qualifying in F1 PROVISIONAL GRID: 5th

FP3 3rd Best Lap Time: 1m 20.623s (+0.395s) Laps: 21

Q1 5th Best Lap Time: 1m 19.980s (+0.604s) Laps: 10

Q2 2nd Best Lap Time: 1m 19.246s (+0.178s) Laps: 6

Q3 5th Best Lap Time: 1m 21.326s (+0.427s) Laps: 8

"That was a very good qualifying session for me and I'm obviously delighted. We made a good start in first practice yesterday. The team did a good job overnight and we made the right choice over set-up. It wasn't easy today because we had a very tight choice over tyres so we had to make a close decision for every lap. But in the end my engineers stayed cool and got it right. In Q2 the car felt perfect. Then on the very last lap it was a bit trickier again because the tyres didn't behave quite as well, but I'm happy with P5. We are in a great situation for tomorrow. It's good for all of us and after Hockenheim this is the perfect answer for the faith I have in the whole team."
(ht: Toyota Motorsports)

The race starts, and in the first corner, Hamilton is resigned to P2 due to a fantastic start by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa from P3 to P1 in the first corner. Timo Glock following directly behind Massa passes BMW's Robert Kubica to take P4 where he maintains position until 43 laps of the 70 scheduled laps had been run. So, with 27 laps to go the race commentary notation picks up as follows:

LAP 27 / 70
Hamilton suffers a tire failure. Timo Glock is rewarded with a chance at a podium position

LAP26 / 70
Glock responds by setting fastest lap of the race (as per race announcer Bob Varsha)

LAP25 / 70
Ferrari’s Massa makes an insurance pitstop

LAP23 / 70
Toyota’s Glock makes final pitstop and is good to go to the end

LAP19 / 70
Kimi Reikonen leaps over Alonso at the final pitstop

LAP18 / 70
Radio communication to Timo Glock - “You are 50 seconds ahead of the next closest car that can go to the end on fuel” - Translation? It is all up to you to finish on the podium

LAP15 / 70
Massa, who has never finished above sixth in his previous F1 runs at Hamburg, is poised to win it all – will move into a 3 point lead over Hamilton in the driver points lead if the current running order holds

LAP12 / 70
Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren-Mercedes too far behind to challenge Massa for the lead

LAP11 / 70
Kimi M. Raikkonen is on a terror, sets fastest lap after getting by Renault’s Alonso for P4

LAP4 / 70
Hungarboring will see a great finish – Raikkonen running in fourth is setting his sights on Glock for third

LAP3 / 70
Race leader Massa has his Ferrari engine blow-up. Keiki Kovalainen in his McLaren-Mercedes inherits the lead

Final Lap / Checkered Flag
Kovalainen Wins his first F1 race, Timo Glock finishes in second after starting fifth, Kimi Raikkonen hangs on to capture third, Alonzo fourth, Hamilton fifth.

Digital camera image of Timo Glock during the post race Podium interview session from SPEED Channel cable television broadcast. Said Timo after the P2 finish, "What an incredible feeling. I couldn't believe it when I saw Felipe's engine go and I was P2. To get such a good result in my first year is fantastic so a huge thank you to all the team, including the engineers, mechanics and everyone at the factory. I knew from qualifying that we had good speed and we've looked strong all weekend. Today I made a good start and gained a place into the first corner. I had a really good car and everything went perfectly until the last stint on the soft tyres. I was struggling a lot and soon I had Kimi behind me. But I knew from last year here in GP2, when I was stuck in the midfield in a really good car, how hard it is to pass here. So when I saw him in the mirrors I knew I couldn't afford any mistakes. This result more than makes up for Hockenheim and now we must keep picking up regular points until the end of the season." Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (EDJE) 2008

This report from autosport.com -

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungaroring, Hungary;
70 laps; 306.663km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1h37:27.067
2. Glock Toyota (B) + 11.061
3. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 16.856
4. Alonso Renault (B) + 21.614
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 23.048
6. Piquet Renault (B) + 32.298
7. Trulli Toyota (B) + 36.449
8. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 48.321
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 58.834
10. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 1:07.709
11. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1:10.407
12. Button Honda (B) + 1 lap
13. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 1 lap
14. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 1 lap
15. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
16. Barrichello Honda (B) + 2 laps
17. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 3 laps
18. Massa Ferrari (B) + 3 laps

World Championship standings, round 11:

Drivers:
1. Hamilton 62
2. Raikkonen 57
3. Massa 54
4. Kubica 49
5. Heidfeld 41
6. Kovalainen 38
7. Trulli 22
8. Alonso 18
9. Webber 18
10. Glock 13
11. Piquet 13
12. Barrichello 11
13. Rosberg 8
14. Nakajima 8
15. Vettel 6
16. Coulthard 6
17. Button 3
18. Bourdais 2

Constructors:
1. Ferrari 111
2. McLaren-Mercedes 100
3. BMW Sauber 90
4. Toyota 35
5. Renault 31
6. Red Bull-Renault 24
7. Williams-Toyota 16
8. Honda 14
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
Reference Here>>

On another note, several teams experienced fuel filling and leaking problems during pitstops in the race. Some teams had fires that had to be put out and it was theorized that because the ambient temperature at the track combined with the very tight tolerances of the fueling equipment coupling itself may have led to an improper fit of the fueling mechanism to the car.

The FIA will investigate.

... notes from The EDJE

Panasonic F1 T108 Mid-Season Assessment Review

Panasonic Toyota Racing Team at the French Grand Prix – celebrating a podium finish of their T108 driven by Jarno Trulli. Image Credit: Toyota Motorsport

Panasonic F1 T108 Mid-Season Assessment Review

Toyota Motorsport releases a video review of the effort and success of the Panasonic T108 in competition in this 2008 season.

With ten of eighteen races contested, some of the projected pre-season goals have been met, but more has to be done in order to remain the leader team of the "mid-pack" teams.

This explaination of the video package from Toyota Motorsport -

Panasonic Toyota Racing - 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix Feature: MID-SEASON
[Source: Toyota Motorsport - 28-Jul-2008]

With ten Grands Prix of the 2008 FIA Formula 1 World Championship already completed, Panasonic Toyota Racing takes a look at a successful season so far.

Jarno Trulli has been in impressive form, with a best result of third in the French Grand Prix, while new team-mate Timo Glock has adjusted quickly to the TF108 and took fourth place in Canada.

With eight Grands Prix remaining, the team is fourth in the Constructors' Championship.

Available video includes soundbites of the Panasonic Toyota Racing team on the progress of the 2008 season and general views of the first half of the 2008 Formula 1 season.

... notes from The EDJE

It's Elation At Edmonton For CCWS/IRL Fans

The temporary race track at Edmonton City Centre Airport (from above) where the Rexall Edmonton Indy was contested. It was formerly called the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton and was a round of the Champ Car World Series. It was one of three Champ Car races added to the 2008 IndyCar Series following the merger of the two American open wheel racing series. Image Credit: Edmonton City Centre Airport

It's Elation At Edmonton For CCWS/IRL Fans

Welcome to Edmonton, Indy Racing League officials and race fans.

The IRL was treated to some fantastic crowds (estimate at over 200,000 for the time of the event) and a warm CCWS reception all during the three days that the IndyCar Series was in town to compete at the Rexall Edmonton Indy - the IRL's first ever race in Canada. This is what it will be like at all former ChampCar World Series venues next year under a truly unified series. All the best drivers and all the best teams with enough experience throughout the paddock to make the 2009 season fun and competitive.

Here is the transcript generated as an off-line live blogging effort at The EDJE. The weather is perfect, clear and in the low 80's, with winds between 10-20 mph from the SE.

After three warm-up laps the pace car pulls off and the Green Flag is waved to start the race.

Race Start for the race held in 2008. This race was held by the ChampCar World Series and was won by Justin Wilson. Wilson qualified in position six and finished the race the highest of all the T-Team Eleven driver competing in the race today. Image Credit: Rexall Edmonton Indy

LAP 1
Graham Rahal gets through the first couple of corners then goes off track with a broken right rear suspension. Says he was tapped by Mario Moraes started 10th but soldiered on at 22nd.

LAP 4
Briscoe baubles and Castroneves takes over the lead.

LAP 7
Will Power started 5th came into the pits while running 13th for adjustments, fuel, and tires.

LAP 9
Will Power retires – left front wishbone is bent. Rolled the car back to the garage to see about replacement.

LAP 11
Tracy moves up to 10th position after starting 16th. Paul Tracy is making his first start of the IRL season even though he did run at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

LAP 14
Castroneves leads Briscoe by 3.2 seconds

LAP 19
Vitor Meira slides into the corner tires in turn one – brings out a full course Yellow and pit stops.

LAP 21
In the pits, Dixon skunks Servia to take over third position.

LAP 25
Restart – The Red & White parade is disrupted when Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, and Buddy Rice stay out to assume the lead over Penske (Castroneves and Briscoe), and Target Chip Ganassi’s Scott Dixon.

LAP 28
Right Rear wishbone of Dale Coyne Racing’s Mario Moraes breaks.

LAP 29
Andretti Green Racing’s Hideki Mutoh spins and crashes badly – Full Course Yellow.

LAP 31
Buddy Rice and Tony Kanaan come in to pit – Marco stays out.
LAP 34
Restart, Paul Tracy pulls up to position 11 behind Bruno Junqueira. Helio jumps all over Andretti and passes for the lead in to turn one.

LAP 36
Paul Tracy also jumps up a few positions on the restart to position 9.

LAP 40
Marco Andretti in the pits. Castroneves, Briscoe, Dixon, Servia, and Wilson round out the top five. Weldon, Bernoldi, Tracy, Hunter-Reay, and Junqueira make up the top ten.

LAP 49
Townsend Bell hits the tire barrier; it’s a tow – Full Course Yellow

LAP 51
Field takes a pit stop – Full fill up leaves a car about 7 laps short of making it to the end on Green.

Scott Dixon skunks both Penske cars off pit lane. Tony Kanaan stays out and assumes the lead. Other that stayed out include Foyt IV, Rice, and Carpenter.

Mario Dominguez climbed up to 14th at one time in the Pacific Coast Motorsports/Visit Mexico City Dallara, but had to retire due to mechanical problems. Image Credit: Covy Moore (2008)

LAP 52
Mario Dominguez of Pacific Coast Motorsports looses a right rear tire as a result of an improper tire change.

LAP 54
Dixon ordered behind Castroneves before restart.

LAP 55
Green, Green, Green – Kanaan leads the pack with 25 laps since his last pit stop.

LAP 56
Briscoe spins and looses places to the leaders – Ed Carpenter taps Briscoe and sends him to 17th.

AJ Foyt IV, passes Tony Kanaan for the lead. Tony spins and opens the door.

LAP 57
Briscoe in the pits, gets topped off on fuel and check for damage – can make it to the end.

LAP 60
Kanaan regains the lead on a driving miscue by AJ Foyt IV. EJ Viso punts Graham Rahal into the tires after Graham rejoins the race. Full Course Yellow

LAP 61
Dixon, Castroneves, Weldon, Tracy, and Wilson round out the top five at restart by staying out during pit open. Kanaan pitted.

LAP 64
Green Flag. Viso called in to the pits for a 15 second stop and go penalty.

LAP 65
Bernoldi spins and drops a couple of places from 12th place.

LAP 67
The top eight places will need a splash and go to complete the race if it remains Green. Ryan Briscoe riding in position 9 can make it all the way. Tracy is up to position 4 followed by Wilson, Servia, and Junqueira.

LAP 70
Servia passes Tracy for fourth. There is speculation that some of the top seven might make it to the end … laps will tell. Briscoe passed Danica Patrick to break into the top eight.

LAP 75
Wilson passes Tracy for fifth place. Twenty laps to go. Who will make it on gas to the end?

LAP 77
Marco taps tires with Danica Patrick and pushes her off of the track. Danica has a flat tire, Marco has a hurt wing and drops back to 15th. Local caution only.

LAP 80
Briscoe passes Junqueira for seventh position. The race is announced to become a timed race – to be run less than the 95 original laps.

LAP 83
Wilson assumes 3rd, Weldon drops back to 6th. Fourteen cars on the lead lap.

LAP 85
Castroneves locks his brakes and looses time behind leader Scott Dixon.

LAP 86
Junqueira passes Weldon for 6th.

LAP 87
Bruno Junqueira sputters and drops back to 11th. Briscoe up to 6th.

LAP 91
White Flag – Dixon, Weldon, Wilson, Servia, and Tracy in the top five for the last lap. Paul Tracy passes Oriol Servia for 4th place on this last lap!

Major thanks has to given to Tony George for clearing the way for Forsythe Racing to race under the Vision Racing banner with a Forsythe prepared SubWay Restruants sponsored Dallara. Image Credit: Covy Moore (2008)

The T-Team Eleven is bolstered by the presence of Paul Tracy who raced his first ever race in a Dallara all the way to the end.

Here is how the transition team drivers fared:

Pos. Driver/Car No C/E/T S Qual Speed Laps XL LL Status Pts

3 Justin Wilson McDonald's Racing Team 02 D/H/F 6 0.000 91 0 0 Running 35

4 Paul Tracy Subway/ Vision 22 D/H/F 15 114.122 91 0 0 Running 32

5 Oriol Servia KV Racing Technology 5 D/H/F 3 116.710 91 0 0 Running 30

14 Bruno Junqueira Z-Line Designs 18 D/H/F 7 115.871 91 0 0 Running 16

15 E.J. Viso PDVSA HVM Racing 33 D/H/F 20 112.879 90 0 0 Running 15

16 Enrique Bernoldi Sangari Conquest Racing 36 D/H/F 11 114.519 90 0 0 Running 14

20 Mario Moraes Sonny's Bar-B-Q 19 D/H/F 10 115.015 85 0 0 Running 12

22 Will Power Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia 8 D/H/F 5 116.410 72 0 0 Running 12

23 Jaime Camara Sangari 34 D/H/F 26 111.229 68 0 0 Mechanical 12

24 Mario Dominguez Visit Mexico City/PCM Racing 96 D/H/F 19 112.500 51 0 0 Off Course 12

26 Graham Rahal Rexall-Oilers 06 D/H/F 8 115.573 44 0 0 Contact 10
Reference Here>>

A really good race in general - not a great race for the overall advancement in the Rookie-Of-The-Year points race due to the fact Will Power could not take advantage of a last place finish by Hideki Mutoh, the current points leader (moved from 31 to 29 points behind).

... notes from The EDJE

German GP 2008 – A Home Run For Timo

Since the season began back in March, Timo has developed a great relationship with the team, who of course work hand in hand with him to get maximum performance from the TF108. Timo won at the circuit as recently as 2006, in his first season of GP2. He has already shown everyone at Panasonic Toyota Racing the talent which saw him crowned GP2 champion in 2007 and his ability and work rate has quickly impressed his team-mates. Image Credit: Panasonic Toyota Racing

German GP 2008 – A Home Run For Timo

Please excuse the baseball reference, but the fact that Timo Glock has had a history driving in ChampCar throughout North America it just felt appropriate.

This excerpted from Wikipedia –

In 2005, Glock shifted his racing career to the United States, racing in the Champ Car World Series with Paul Gentilozzi's Rocketsports team.

His best finish of the year was a second place finish at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on August 28, where he was defeated by Oriol Servia.

In the closing laps of the race Glock twice managed to retain the lead over Servia by missing the track's final chicane. As the rules require drivers who blatantly gain or retain a position by driving off the racing surface to give way, Timo was asked to move over by Champ Car officials, and let Servia take the lead. Timo obliged midway through the final lap, giving him enough time to try and take the lead back, but to no avail.

Glock went on to finish 8th in the final season points standings and win Champ Car World Series Rookie of the Year honors.
Reference Here>>

This weekend, Timo returns home for the Formula 1 German Grand Prix. Timo Glock (born March 18, 1982 in Lindenfels, Germany) considers Hockenheim a home race for him, and that means not only will he be on familiar territory, he will have plenty of familiar faces to cheer him on as he looks for another points finish. “A lot of friends are coming down and a lot of people I know,” he says. “That makes it quite a special race.”

Of course, the ambition for any racing driver is to win, so it is no surprise Hockenheim is one of Timo’s favorite tracks, with a victory and third place on his last visits, as a GP2 Series driver in 2006 and 2007, adding to an expanding collection of happy memories.

“Every time I’ve been to Hockenheim I have had really good races and I’ve won a few times,” he adds. “It’s one of the best races of the year for me, not just because it’s my local track but also because I have been strong there.”

Not only is Hockenheim a home race for Timo, it is the start of the second half of his first full season as a Formula 1 racer.

So far the balance sheet says nine races and five points, but bare statistics only tell a fraction of the story. Timo has shown strong performance since the very start of the season and only bad luck denied him points on his Panasonic Toyota Racing debut in Australia.

A points finish was also looking certain in Bahrain until gearbox gremlins struck but in Canada he got the break his consistent performances deserved, capping a battling drive with fourth place.

The fight for points is fiercer than ever this season, making it tough for a young driver to regularly finish in the top eight when he must compete against a grid filled with 10 Grand Prix winners, including his experienced and brilliantly quick team-mate Jarno Trulli.

That is a formidable challenge, but one which Timo has risen to since joining the team at the beginning of the year. Formula 1 is more complex than a driver simply sitting behind the wheel and letting his talent do the talking; much more work is required to compete at the top – and that suits Timo the “terrier”.
(ht: Toyota Motorsport GmbH)

... notes from The EDJE

Tale Of The Tape Through 11 Sessions – No Top 10

ORIOL SERVIA In The Pits (No. 5 KV Racing Technology): Quoted after the FIRESTONE INDY 200 at Nashville Superspeedway - "It was not really a great finish for the No. 5 KV Racing Technology car. Placing 16th is not what we were hoping for, but we definitely wanted to bring the car home. We had a little misfortune with our first pit stop, a gun failure, and lost any chance we had to do anything. I am looking forward to the next round of road courses where, hopefully, we will be performing up front again." Servia is in the lead on Championship points for the season – out of the top ten, in eleventh place with seven races remaining. Image Credit: Dana Garrett - IRL (2008)

Tale Of The Tape Through 11 Sessions – No Top 10

Nashville showed the weakness of the way the merger between ChampCar and IndyCar has been handled. It’s racing but not at its best primarily because the playing field has not been leveled enough to allow ANY of the former ChampCar teams to be competitive … not even where these teams would normally shine.

It all comes down to timing, equipment transition, and the desire to have a truly competitive series. What with the series through eleven races having primarily small ovals and little variance in the level of support (few aero parts for ovals early on, equipment settings for consistent and progressive speed runs) the very best the T-Teams can muster as it relates to the points championship is 11th .

Nashville was especially disheartening. Poor qualifying and only eight drivers competing with the best showing put in by Mario Moraes (Dale Coyne Racing) at tenth (his best oval race so far), one lap down in a rain shortened race on ESPN was anything but exciting for a longtime CART/CCWS fan. The “Elite Eight” were anything but elite.

Yes, there was some pretty decent driving and risky passes by the established team drivers … but this is to be expected when nothing has changed much in seven years in terms of tracks, top teams, and equipment. The winner did not listen to the radio communications from the team pit captain and won by rain default. The ESPN broadcast announcing team thought that the reason Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) won at Nashville for the third time (yawn) was due to great pit strategy, but the truth came out making the whole affaire just another “round-and-round” IRL small oval production.

The IRL had a chance to invigorate the BRAND … but through 11 races has done little to get the maximum benefit from the situation. If I were a driver from a T-Team, I would have wished I had the mumps like EJ Viso (HVM Racing) and pulled out, or had the guts not to show up at all as did Mario Dominguez (Pacific Coast Motorsports) if it meant going around in small circles while being placed at a disadvantage as it relates to having an improvement on the increase of speed (and limited set-up options) in the existing equipment. In this first transition year, there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel (on small ovals anyway).

Honestly, small ovals can be exciting … but NOT as a steady diet. Here is hoping that the final seven races get a little better for the T-Team Ten and that they are able to creep back into the top ten in the point standings by years end. Mid-Ohio can not get here fast enough.

MARIO MORAES (No. 19 Sonny's Bar-B-Q, 10th): Dale Coyne Racing also kept Moraes on track during the final yellow, allowing the improving rookie to leap ahead of the rest of the midfield and take 10th after his best oval race so far. Said Mario of the race, "I'm very happy with a 10th-place finish tonight. The car was great, and the team did an excellent job. I was able to improve 12 positions in the race, which shows how good we did tonight. This is my best oval finish of my career. It would have been interesting to see if the race wasn't ended early because I really think I could have passed a few more cars." Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

How the Elite Eight Fared:

Pos. Driver>Team +Time

10. Mario Moraes>Dale Coyne +1 lap

11. Will Power>KV +1 lap

12. Graham Rahal>Newman/Haas/Lanigan +1 lap

15. Bruno Junqueira>Dale Coyne +2 laps

16. Oriol Servia>KV +2 laps

18. Justin Wilson>Newman/Haas/Lanigan +28 laps

20. Enrique Bernoldi>Conquest +105 laps

21. Jaime Camara>Conquest +121 laps


T-Team Ten Point Standings Through 11 of 18 Races

Pos. Driver - - - - - - Points –Points Behind Leader

11. Oriol Servia - - - - - - 220 -200

13. Will Power - - - - - - 213 -207

16. Graham Rahal - - - - - - 201 -219

17. E.J. Viso - - - - - - - 190 -230

19. Justin Wilson - - - - - - 183 -237

20. Enrique Bernoldi - - - - - - 172 -248

21. Mario Moraes - - - - - - 160 -260

22. Bruno Junqueira - - - - - - 156 -264

24. Jaime Camara - - - - - - 98 -322

27. Mario Dominguez - - - - - - - 74 -346

... notes from The EDJE

Former ChampCar Driver Wins First IRL Race At Watkins Glen

“AN AMERICAN KID WINS, IN AN ETHANOL CAR RUNNING ON ETHANOL, DRIVING FOR AN AMERICAN RACING LEGEND: BOBBY RAHAL, WITH AN AMERICAN CLOTHING BRAND: IZOD, ON FORTH OF JULY WEEKEND IN NEW YORK ... DOESN'T GET ANY MORE "AMERICAN!" … than that. Caption Credit: Modified from quote given by Ryan Hunter-Reay after his well driven win. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Former ChampCar Driver Wins First IRL Race At Watkins Glen

No, it is not what one would think given a headline posted here at The EDJE. We have had a focus in our posts on the teams and drivers that have merged and transitioned into the Indy Racing League and the IndyCar Series from the ChampCar World Series season for 2008.

What with Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing qualifying so high on the grid at position #2 (just being bumped from the pole in the last minute by Penske’s Ryan Briscoe) for the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen, and good a showing from KV Racing Technology’s Oriol Servia at position #5, one would think the headline would relate to them but, no … after competing for IRL established team Rahal Letterman Racing for the last part of 2007, and all of 2008, Ryan Hunter-Reay notches his first win.

As for the T-Team Ten (the transition teams and drivers from the CCWS) they managed to capture four of the top ten finishing positions. The big surprise came from teammates for the Dale Coyne Racing organization, with Bruno Junqueira and Mario Moraes notching in at positions #6 and #7 respectively (Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing #8 and EJ Viso of HVM Racing #10 round out the places).

Bruno Junqueira - Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar.com –

Newly-minted Coyne
By Dave Lewandowski - indycar.com

Junqueira, driving the No. 18 Z-Line Designs entry advanced five positions to finish an IndyCar Series career-high sixth in the 60-lap race on the 3.37-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen International circuit.

The veteran open-wheel racing team owner and former driver [Dale Coyne] also put a headlock on series rookie Mario Moraes, who jumped six positions to finish a career-high seventh in the No. 19 Sonny's Bar-B-Q car.

Both cars in the top 10 - two weeks after Junqueira's car couldn't answer the bell to start the race at Iowa Speedway because of a practice crash and eight days after both cars were eliminated from the race at Richmond International Raceway because of contact?

"Being in the top six is better than being in the wall," Coyne laughed. "It's a compliment to all the guys on the team because we had four crashes in six days (at Iowa and Richmond) and to get all the cars ready and be here and be competitive."
----
Junqueira ran as high as third on Lap 38.
----
"The No. 18 Z-Line Designs car was great all weekend long. The team did a fantastic job. I love this track as it is a great course to drive on. I can't wait to go to Mid-Ohio in two weeks." [said Junqueira]

Mario Moraes - Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Moraes started a season-high 13th and overtook the No. 27 car of Hideki Mutoh on Lap 55 to score the seventh place.

"On the first lap of the race I was able to overtake six cars and jump to seventh," he said. "We ran up in the top five at times, but we lost a couple spots during a pit stop, which I think kept us from a higher finish. The car was fast all weekend and the team deserves credit for that. Hopefully we can get more top-10 finishes." [said Moraes].
Reference Here>>

Winners Podium: 1-Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2-Darren Manning, 3-Tony Kanaan. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

This excerpted and edited from Speed Channel -

Hunter-Reay Triumphs at The Glen
Written by: Jeff Olson - Senior writer, RACER Magazine 07/06/2008 - 06:03 PM

Ryan Hunter-Reay took advantage of a rare mistake by Scott Dixon to score his first IndyCar Series victory.

Dixon was in second place and poised to win at Watkins Glen International for a fourth consecutive time when he spun under caution, collecting third-place Ryan Briscoe and putting Hunter-Reay and the No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Honda/Dallara in position to win.

Hunter-Reay, who narrowly missed the wreckage from Dixon’s spin, passed leader Darren Manning on the restart with nine laps remaining and went on to score Rahal Letterman Racing’s first win since Buddy Rice won at Michigan in 2004.

“For something to finally go our way is great,” Hunter-Reay said. “It didn’t land in our lap; we had to go out there and earn it. Then we just checked out at the end, which was the best. We put an exclamation on the end of that one. It was a beautiful deal.”
----
Hunter-Reay said he couldn’t see anything, just chose a spot and made it work.

“It was like a scene out of Days of Thunder,” Hunter-Reay said. “I couldn’t see where they were or where the opening was. I couldn’t see any cars, just a dirt cloud. I picked left, and luckily it was open. I got through there, and then I immediately thought, ‘This is the point where I get paid back for all the bad luck.’”
----
“This is vindication,” team co-owner Bobby Rahal said. “Some guys who have driven for us in the past said this team doesn’t have the will to win. It’s all about having the right driver.”

Manning held off Tony Kanaan for second place, scoring the best finish since he joined A.J. Foyt’s team two years ago.

“We’re a small team,” Manning said. “My only teammate is A.J., and he’s a tough taskmaster. He sets a high standard. It’s extremely difficult by ourselves, but with the resources we have, we’re doing pretty well. We validated ourselves with this drive.”
----
The results benefited Kanaan most, moving him to within 66 points of Dixon in the standings after 10 of 17 races. The other two drivers in the championship battle, Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon, also encountered trouble, with Castroneves falling behind early because of an electrical problem and finishing 16th, and Wheldon getting clipped by Manning on the first lap and breaking his rear suspension for a 24th-place finish.

The race began cleanly but ended otherwise. Aside from Wheldon’s opening-lap problem and Castroneves’ issues with his paddle shift on the sixth lap, the first 40 laps were uneventful, with Briscoe and Vitor Meira exchanging the lead. On the 40th lap, though, Meira was run off course by E.J. Viso, sending the No. 4 Panther Racing Honda/Dallara into the tires and leaving Meira fuming.

“The IRL should do something about it,” Meira said. “He just took us out. He’s a guy who’s had a problem with every driver out there. It’s a shame.”
----
During [a] round of stops, Manning chose to stay on track and assume the lead, having pitted just four laps before. The decision, coupled with a rash of caution flags over the final 18 laps, proved to be a wise one.

“I was quick enough to hold my own,” Manning said. “It’s just a testament to the team.”
----
On the next restart on the 51st lap, Hunter-Reay passed Manning heading into Turn 1. Moments later, Jaime Camara crashed, bringing out the sixth caution flag of the race.

On the restart, Hunter-Reay pulled away to a large lead and held it to the checkered flag for his first IndyCar Series and a triumphant reprieve to a promising career that, at this time last year, appeared to have stalled in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
----
Rice also scored a solid finish, bringing the No. 15 Dreyer & Reinbold Honda/Dallara home fourth for his best finish of the year.

“The last two races we've had stuff falling off the car and I've screwed up,” Rice said. “We‘re just trying to wipe that stuff out, get back in the points and have a solid finish to the season.”

Marco Andretti finished fifth, Bruno Junqueira sixth and Mario Moraes seventh. Graham Rahal, Hideki Mutoh and E.J. Viso rounded out the top 10.

The IndyCar Series season resumes Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway.
Reference Here>>

Mario Dominguez moves from an IRL best ninteenth starting position to finish at an IRL best position #13 in his third IRL start. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

The final T-Team Ten Tally:

POS DRIVER NO DIFF BEST TIME BEST SPEED LAPS C/E/T STATUS

6 Bruno Junqueira 18 5.8084 01:32.1 131.661 60 D/H/F Finished

7 Mario Moraes 19 8.6248 01:32.9 130.586 60 D/H/F Finished

8 Graham Rahal 6 9.4563 01:32.6 130.962 60 D/H/F Finished

10 EJ Viso 33 10.8602 01:32.4 131.235 60 D/H/F Finished

13 Mario Dominguez 96 12.7773 01:33.1 130.258 60 D/H/F Finished

15 Will Power 8 1 lap 01:31.8 132.145 59 D/H/F Finished

18 Jaime Camara 34 9 laps 01:34.7 128.151 51 D/H/F Contact

21 Enrique Bernoldi 36 16 laps 01:34.0 129.044 44 D/H/F Contact

23 Oriol Servia 5 24.7973 01:32.0 131.824 38 D/H/F Mechanical

25 Justin Wilson 2 44 laps 01:32.1 131.758 16 D/H/F Mechanical

... notes from The EDJE

Destruction Derby On The Bullring At Richmond

Kanaan kept the Honda-powered Dallara clear of multiple mishaps to claim his first victory since Belle Isle last September and his first on an oval since Kentucky in August. He held off Team Penske's Helio Castroneves, who advanced 16 positions through a combination of furious driving and attrition for his fourth second place of the season, in the SunTrust Indy Challenge. Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon overtook teammate Dan Wheldon on the final lap for third. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Destruction Derby On The Bullring At Richmond

Tony Kanaan knew it would be tough to win on the Richmond International Raceway with 26 starters - half of whom were making their first appearance on the 0.75-mile oval. But this tough?

The race in Richmond was, let’s be honest … a destruction derby. The race felt as though it would run a couple of laps and have to go to yellow flag conditions (105 laps of the 300 run) to clear up yet, another car getting light in the rear (I believe the term Jaime Camara used was “neutral”), swing around, and hit the SAFER barrier.

The Fine Nine (the drivers fielded by teams transitioning into the IRL from the CCWS) did not do fine here in Richmond. The ones who finished, did well … but the rest of the T-Team field checked out early and/or often.

The three drivers who did finish the race all finished in the top ten with Oriol Servia of KV Racing Technology posting a personal best fifth out of twenty-six cars who were entered in the race.

The Fine Nine drivers checked out in the following order on this, the shortest oval the IRL competes on all season.

OUT - POS./Qual./Car# - Driver - Hometown - Car - Name – Entrant

Lap 6 - 25/26/36 - Enrique Bernoldi - Curitiba, Brazil - Sangari - Conquest Racing

Lap 8 - 24/16/8 - Will Power - Toowoomba, Australia - Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia - KV Racing Technology

Lap 78 - 23/9/18 Bruno Junqueira Belo Horizonte, Brazil Z-Line Designs Dale Coyne Racing

Lap 131 - 18/10/16/06 - Graham Rahal - Columbus, Ohio - Hole in the Wall Camps - Newman Haas Lanigan Racing

Lap 143 - 17/19/24/19 - Mario Moraes - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Sonny's Bar-B-Q - Dale Coyne Racing

Lap 217 - 14/20/21/34 - Jaime Camara - Goiania, Brazil – Sangari - Conquest Racing

In the final laps, only twelve of the 26 cars were running on the track. As far as Rookie Of The Year honors race is concerned, Heideki Mutoh of Andretti Green Racing (out on lap 220 and finished in position 13) still leads in the points but lost a little ground back to Servia, Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (position 7) and EJ Viso of HVM Racing (position 10).

Out On Lap 78 - #18 Bruno Junqueira Belo Horizonte, Brazil Z-Line Designs Dale Coyne Racing - Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

This excerpted and edited from Indycar.com -


Kanaan Prevails
By Dave Lewandowski - indycar.com
Kanaan kept the No. 11 7-Eleven car clear of multiple potential mishaps to claim his first victory since Belle Isle last September and his first on an oval since Kentucky in August. The pole sitter held off Team Penske's Helio Castroneves, who advanced 16 positions through furious driving and attrition for his fourth second place of the season.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon overtook teammate Dan Wheldon on the final laps for third and score valuable championship points. KV Racing Technology's Oriol Servia finished a career-best fifth on an oval.

"It was a tough night," said Dixon, who takes a 43-point lead over Castroneves into the race at Watkins Glen International on July 6. "TK definitely looked pretty strong tonight."

Wheldon is third in the standings (299 points) and Kanaan (269) is fourth.

A.J. Foyt IV of Vision Racing gets taken out by John Andretti early in the race at RIR. On lap 29, AJ's Lilly sponsored car hits the wall after his left rear tire comes in contact with John's unsponsored Roth Racing Dallara right front tire (series of four photos - #1). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

The 300-lap race (lengthened 50 laps from '07) under the lights was marred by 105 caution laps. The IndyCar Series record is 116 at Nazareth Speedway in 2002.

A.J. Foyt IV of Vision Racing gets taken out by Roth Racing’s John Andretti early in the race at RIR. On lap 29 (series of four photos - #2). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Andretti Green Racing's Danica Patrick finished sixth and Justin Wilson moved up 16 spots to seventh (tying his career best on an oval). Townsend Bell in the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car finished eighth and Marco Andretti was ninth. Andretti completed 135 laps (many under caution) on one 22-gallon load of ethanol.
----
A.J. Foyt IV of Vision Racing gets taken out by Roth Racing’s John Andretti early in the race at RIR. On lap 29 (series of four photos - #3). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

"What a crazy race," said Wilson, who started 23rd. "There was some really good driving and some really bad driving out there. I was just trying not to get caught out and stay out of trouble and bring the car home. The McDonald's car wasn't the quickest car out there today but we managed to salvage some good points and hopefully that will help us out in the championship."
Reference Here>>

A.J. Foyt IV of Vision Racing gets taken out by Roth Racing’s John Andretti early in the race at RIR. On lap 29 (series of four photos - #4). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Final Results

Finally, next week the former ChampCar teams get some meat to chew on and they will be at full strength. Pacific Coast Motorsports will be re-joining the competition for the rest of the season. Mario Donimguez driving the Visit Mexico City Dallara will be backed by a group of PCM team members that have experience racing at Watkins Glen.

This, from a recent press release; Veterans of Champ Car and Sports Cars, PCM looks forward to their return to road courses. The historic Watkins Glen track is familiar to PCM; they raced there while competing in the Rolex Grand Am Series in 2006.

Next weekend, the T-Team Ten will be looking to score points and show that they are the measure of any driver/team combination competing in the ICS in 2008.

… notes from The EDJE