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2005 INDYCAR IRL - WATKINS GLEN

2005 INDYCAR - R15 of 16, Sept. 25, 2005 Watkins Glen

UPDATE ON RYAN BRISCOE (CHIP GANASSI RACING)

• On the Road to Recovery: Target Chip Ganassi Racing's 23-year-old Australian IndyCar rookie driver Ryan Briscoe (no.33 Target Pioneer / Toyota /Panoz /Firestone) continues to progress on his road to recovery after a spectacular incident on Sunday, September 11, at Chicagoland Speedway. He was released from Indianapolis' Methodist Hospital on Monday September 19.
• After being transferred from Chicago's Advocate Christ Hospital 24 hours after the incident, Briscoe underwent further evaluation and treatment at Indianapolis' Methodist Hospital under the care of Dr. Scott Bjerke, Dr. Terry Trammell and Dr. Kevin Sheid, with the assistance of Indy Racing League medical personnel.
• Briscoe sustained a concussion, two broken collarbones, a bruised lung and contusions to his legs and arms. He also has a tiny fracture to a small bone in his right foot and several contusions on his back. All injuries are expected to heal without requiring surgery.
• Based on Briscoe's current condition, the team plans to campaign a two-car effort for each of the final two races of the 2005 IndyCar season at Watkins Glen and California Speedway.

RACE RESULT

• 1 Scott Dixon, 60 laps
• 2 Tony Kanaan +0.65
• 3 Dario Franchitti +1.1
• 4 Giorgio Pantano +1.8
• 5 Dan Wheldon +2.1 *** 2005 CHAMPION ***
• 6 Kosuke Matsuura +11.4
• 7 Sam Hornish Jr.
• 8 Bryan Herta
• 9 Scott Sharp
• 10 Patrick Carpentier
• 11 Bucknum 12 Castroneves 13 Enge 14 Carpenter 15 Yasukawa 16 Patrick 17 Barron 18 Meira 19 Rice 20 Scheckter

WHELDON / ANDRETTI GREEN RACE REPORT

• WHELDON CLINCHES INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP;
• FINISHES FIFTH IN KLEIN TOOLS/JIM BEAM CAR AT WATKINS GLEN
• WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Sept. 25, 2005) - Dan Wheldon, driver of the #26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Honda-powered Dallara, clinched the Indy Racing League® IndyCar® Series championship with a fifth-place finish at Sunday's running of the Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix.
• Wheldon became the first driver in the history of the IndyCar Series to win the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series championship in the same season.
• Initially, Wheldon fought handling issues that were resolved during the first pit stop. Wheldon exited the pits in ninth place, but the other eight cars ahead of him did not pit. As the leaders began to pit on lap 20, Wheldon was leading the race within a few laps. After another green- flag pit stop near the end of the race, Wheldon found himself in ninth place and improved his position by four spots over the remaining 15 laps.
• Wheldon has collected a record-breaking six wins in 2005, giving him nine career wins and tying him with Scott Sharp for the second-most victories in IndyCar Series history. Wheldon reached nine wins in his 47th career start while Sharp has nine wins in 113 starts.
• Scott Dixon drove to his first victory in more than two seasons. AGR drivers Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti finished second and third, respectively, followed by Giorgio Pantano and Wheldon.
• The final race on the 2005 IndyCar Series schedule takes place at California Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 16. ESPN will provide live coverage of the 400-mile event at 3:30 p.m. (EDT).
• Dan Wheldon, #26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone:
• "This is fantastic. First of all, I want to credit my teammates. I've been in the IndyCar Series for a short period of time and they have helped me a great deal. The Klein Tools/Jim Beam team has been great for two years and our association with Honda has been tremendous. As a driver, you think winning the Indianapolis 500 and the championship in the same year is asking too much, but we pulled it off. It's been a fantastic season and we've still got one race left."
• John Anderson, Team Manager, #26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/ Honda/Firestone:
• "It is a terrific day. We had some handling issues with the car early, and we had a yellow come out at the wrong time that cost us. But, Dan loves the challenge of coming through the pack. He did a great job to come in fifth. It is just a wonderful way to cap the season. The four drivers get along so well and the Klein Tools/Jim Beam team worked so hard. No one deserves it more than these guys."

QUALIFYING

GRID

• 1 Helio Castroneves 1m 30.669
  "When you go for the single lap qualifying, you want to be sure you put it in the top six. I was taking it easy, to make sure we were in the top six. But when you get to the top six, man, you're going for it. You're not messing around. When I got my pole lap, the track was getting better, and I was sure one of those guys was going to beat me. When I heard (Giorgio) Pantano was on the course for one last run, I was hoping he ate a lot of macaroni today. We worked really hard, and we got what we wanted today."
• 2 Giorgio Pantano +0.021
  "We knew we had quite a good car on the long runs. Our goal was to be in the top six for the ten-minute qualifying, and we did that. We're starting second. The important thing is to start on the front row. We did the job, and now tomorrow is the hard race. We have a very good car."
• 3 Patrick Carpentier +0.12
  "I went out there and wasn't nervous at all. We had nothing to lose coming in. We were happy with sixth, so we just went for it. We knew our car was better in the long run, so it was a really fun ride. I have never done a lap like that in my life. For us, it was by far the fastest time we've accomplished here by more than a second and a half. During my top lap, I missed the apex of the last turn by about 10 feet, so I left a little bit out there. Other than that, I got everything I could out of the car. The team and Toyota did a great job giving me a great car for this weekend. Starting in the top three is fantastic. The race is going to be very competitive, but when you're starting up front, it's a whole different game. I'm definitely looking forward to it."
• 4 Scott Dixon +0.20
• 5 Tony Kanaan +0.28
• 6 Dario Franchitti +0.55
• 7 Vitor Meira +1.8
• 8 Buddy Rice
• 9 Dan Wheldon *** 2005 champion ***
• 10 Tomas Scheckter
• 11 Sam Hornish Jr.
• 12 Tomas Enge
• 13 Alex Barron
• 14 Bryan Herta
• 15 Kosuke Matsuura
• 16 Danica Patrick
• 17 Roger Yasukawa
• 18 Scott Sharp
• 19 Jeff Bucknum
• 20 Ed Carpenter

QUALIFYING REPORT

Andretti Green Racing

• WHELDON TO START NINTH IN KLEIN TOOLS/JIM BEAM CAR; WILL CLINCH INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY
• WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Sept. 24, 2005) - Klein Tools/Jim Beam driver Dan Wheldon will start ninth in Sunday's running of the Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix from Watkins Glen International. Wheldon posted a best-lap speed of 130.493 miles per hour (1:32.9704 seconds) during his qualifying attempt.
• Wheldon will clinch the 2005 IndyCar Series championship when the 60-lap event becomes an official race at lap 31.
• Dan Wheldon, #26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone:
• "The Klein Tools/Jim Beam team has always done better in the race than in qualifying, so we should be okay. We changed the car a lot for qualifying with something we haven't run since we've been here. I think it was better, but I didn't maximize what we had. The team has done a good job all weekend and I just didn't get the best out of the car which is disappointing because you don't want to clinch a championship when you're running around in the middle of the pack. I'm sure we have a good enough car to get to the front and that's what we're working toward."
• Tony Kanaan recorded a best lap of 133.381 miles per hour (1:30.9576 seconds) in the #11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone during the six-car qualifying shootout and will start from the fifth position in Sunday's running of the Indy Racing League® IndyCar® Series Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International.
• Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone:
• "For the shootout, we chose to do something to try to get the pole. Instead of moving forward, we moved backwards. But, that is the way it is. But, I'm happy. I told the Team 7-Eleven guys that we're the only car on the team to make it into all three shootouts this year, so we tried to have some fun today. We do have a good car for the race, so we'll see what happens."
• Dario Franchitti recorded a best lap of 132.995 miles per hour (1:31.2215 seconds) in the #27 ArcaEx Dallara/Honda/Firestone during qualifying at Watkins Glen International and will start from the sixth position in Sunday's running of the Indy Racing League® IndyCar® Series Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix.
• Dario Franchitti, #27 ArcaEx Dallara/Honda/Firestone:
• "We had a tough session there with the ArcaEx car. We didn't get the balance right. We tried some changes to get the balance back to what we had it this morning, but we just didn't get it. I think the other guys in front of us just did a better job. It's unfortunate. I had a couple of good laps going, but I just couldn't get through those last two corners and that was it."
• XM Satellite Radio driver Bryan Herta will start 14th for Sunday's running of the Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix. Herta posted a speed of 129.519 miles per hour (1:33.6694 seconds) on his qualifying lap.
• Bryan Herta, #7 XM Satellite Radio Dallara/Honda/Firestone:
• "We're just off the pace. Obviously we have to work a little bit harder to get the XM Satellite Radio car more speed for the race tomorrow. It was very exciting to come to Watkins Glen and race on another road course. It takes a lot of commitment to be fast around here and you have to have confidence in your car."

Chip Ganassi Racing

• All six drivers in Firestone Fast Six qualifying, Castroneves, Giorgio Pantano, Patrick Carpentier, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti, improved their time as all six positions changed.
• #9 Scott Dixon- Toyota / Panoz /Firestone
• Top Six Shootout position determining starting spot: 4th (133.497 mph / 1min 30.8783 seconds)
• Main Qualifying session: 1st
• After posting the fastest time in the initial qualifying session, Dixon participated in the Top Six Shootout and finished 4th and will start from the second row for the inaugural Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix.
• "It was great to be first in the initial qualifying session but in the shootout I struggled for front grip and just could put in that prefect lap. It's unfortunate because we have the car to do it but being on the second row in fourth and having Giorgio (Pantano) in second spot is very good for the team morale. Just from the get-go, we decided to do one long run with the car. We didn't really think we could make any time up after the tires had one (heat) cycle in them. We weren't quite as good as we'd have liked. We had a lot of understeer and the more I pushed on it, to try and get more time, the more I was waiting for the front end to hook up. I think it's pretty good for the race. Nobody has done any really long runs, so we should be all right. It was a good day for the team with two in the top four, which is nice for a change. The car seems strong. The cars for the first six or seven laps seemed to get quicker and quicker. The no.9 Target Toyota is very consistent and by staying in the front will make in easier to have opportunities to pass. The start should present a good opportunity for passing especially. This is a big momentum circuit with fast corners so one little mistake can cost you. It should be a very interesting race."
• #10 Giorgio Pantano- Toyota / Panoz /Firestone
• Top Six Shootout position determining starting spot: 2nd (133.497 mph / 1min 30.8783 seconds)
• Main Qualifying session: 5th (133.774 mph / 1min 30.6903seconds)
• Pantano was fifth in the initial qualifying session which put him in the Top Six Shootout where he posted the second fastest time, just 3/ 100th of a second behind the pole winning time of Helio Castroneves. Pantano will start from the front row in just his second IndyCar race.
• "I've very pleased with the Target team's effort today but a bit disappointed we didn't get the pole because we were so close (3/ 100th of a second). We knew we had quite a good car on the long runs. Our goal was to be in the top six for the ten-minute qualifying, and we did that. We're starting second. The important thing is to start on the front row. We did the job, and now tomorrow is the hard race. The Target team have given me a very good car and put me out front now I have a job to do tomorrow."
• Let's Get Ready to Rumble--For his feisty nature and stature, Giorgio Pantano (pronounced George-io Pant-anoh) has carried the nickname "Tyson" (after the boxer) for the past few years in his native Italy. Upon hearing that, the no.10 Target Crew has named the car "Tyson" in honour of its driver who will be starting from the front row in just his second IndyCar Series race.
• Foggy Friday's Fast & Furious Fight for First--Just as he had done at Infineon Raceway in California last month, Giorgio Pantano, driver of the no.10 Target Toyota, set the fastest time in Friday morning practice with a quick lap of 1 minute, 52.1348 seconds (108.191 mph) despite the rainy and foggy conditions on the historic Watkins Glen International long course. Scott Dixon was tenth in that first session.
• I Can See Clearly Now...-- With the rain gone and the track dry, the second practice session on Friday saw lap times fall quickly. BUT... the track was anything but clear as the entire field took the track for the session causing traffic and some difficulties in being able to put together a proper lap time without being hampered by a slower car of yellow falg. Scott Dixon turned in a lap time of 1 min 33.2028 seconds to take the third spot on the timing sheet, while teammate Giorgio Pantano was sixth overall.
• Road Trip--Target Chip Ganassi Racing hits the road for a third and final time this season as they get set to race on Sunday in the Finger Lakes region of New York at the historic 3.37-mile undulating road circuit of Watkins Glen International. Target Chip Ganassi Racing will field two cars this weekend with Scott Dixon and Giorgio Pantano at the helm. This will be the 16th of 17 races on the IndyCar Series season schedule.
• The Road to Success-- Target Chip Ganassi Racing has working all year for that elusive win and Watkins Glen track looks to be their best hope as the 2005 IndyCar season begins to draw to a close with just one more race in Fontana in October. The Target drivers have tested here twice this season on the racetrack which features 11 turns on the long course with varied banking between 6 and 10 degrees, 115 feet between the lowest point and the highest point of the track, and highlighted by "The Boot," "The Loop" and "The Chute". This weekend's race will be the first major open-wheel series race at the facility since 1981.
• King of the Road- Target Chip Ganassi Racing has had a long history of success on road courses. The team boast a total of 45 wins since 1994 (IRL and Champ Car) and 26 of those have come on road or street courses. Their last road course win was at Mexico City in 2002 with driver Kenny Brack.

RACE PREVIEW:

• WHELDON: "Watkins Glen is probably my favorite road course that I've ever been on. It's a fast track that's flowing and I think it suits my style of driving. The Klein Tools/Jim Beam team had a difficult test there, and we didn't do many laps, so we've got a little catching up to do. It's a great track and I'm hoping to do well."
• KANAAN: "Watkins Glen is a very challenging race course, and one with a lot of history. It is also our second natural road circuit. Team 7-Eleven won the last time we raced on a true road course, so hopefully we will enjoy the same type of weekend that we had at Infineon."
• CHIP GANASSI RACING: Target Team Looks Forward to Road Trip at Watkin Glen
• Road Trip; Target Chip Ganassi Racing hits the road for a third and final time this season as they head to the Finger Lakes region of New York at the historic 3.37-mile undulating road circuit of Watkins Glen International. Target Chip Ganassi Racing will field two cars this weekend with Scott Dixon and Giorgio Pantano at the helm. This will be the 16th of 17 races on the IndyCar Series season schedule.
• The Road to Success; Target Chip Ganassi Racing has working all year for that elusive win and Watkins Glen track looks to be their best hope as the 2005 IndyCar season begins to draw to a close with just one more race in Fontana in October. The Target drivers have tested here twice this season on the racetrack which features 11 turns on the long course with varied banking between 6 and 10 degrees, 115 feet between the lowest point and the highest point of the track, and highlighted by "The Boot," "The Loop" and "The Chute". This weekend's race will be the first major open-wheel series race at the facility since 1981.
• King of the Road; Target Chip Ganassi Racing has had a long history of success on road courses. The team boast a total of 45 wins since 1994 (IRL and Champ Car) and 26 of those have come on road or street courses. Their last road course win was at Mexico City in 2002 with driver Kenny Brack.
• On the Road to Recovery; Target Chip Ganassi Racing's 23-year-old Australian IndyCar rookie driver Ryan Briscoe (no.33 Target Pioneer / Toyota /Panoz /Firestone) continues to progress on his road to recovery after a spectacular incident on Sunday, September 11, at Chicagoland Speedway. He was released from Indianapolis' Methodist Hospital on Monday September 19.
• After being transferred from Chicago's Advocate Christ Hospital 24 hours after the incident, Briscoe underwent further evaluation and treatment at Indianapolis' Methodist Hospital under the care of Dr. Scott Bjerke, Dr. Terry Trammell and Dr. Kevin Sheid, with the assistance of Indy Racing League medical personnel.
• Briscoe sustained a concussion, two broken collarbones, a bruised lung and contusions to his legs and arms. He also has a tiny fracture to a small bone in his right foot and several contusions on his back. All injuries are expected to heal without requiring surgery.
• Based on Briscoe's current condition, the team plans to campaign a two-car effort for each of the final two races of the 2005 IndyCar season at Watkins Glen and California Speedway.
• Fast & Furious; At Infineon Raceway, the previous road course on the schedule, driver of the no.10 Target Toyota, Giorgio Pantano, topped the chart in Friday morning practice at, while teammate Scott Dixon was second and Ryan Briscoe, had the fourth-quick time of the session. All three cars made major set up changes in the afternoon session where Briscoe took over top spot for the day with both his Target teammates in the top five. Briscoe went on to top the charts in qualifying the following day to pocket his first pole position of his IndyCar career.

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