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R1: Mar
26th, Homestead-Miami Speedway
RACE RESULT
- 1. Dan Wheldon, 50 points
- 2. Helio Castroneves, 40
- 3. Sam Hornish Jr., 38
- 4. Dario Franchitti, 32
- 5. Scott Dixon, 30
- 6. Kosuke Matsuura, 28
- 7. Scott Sharp, 26
- 8. Felipe Giaffone, 24
- 9. Tomas Scheckter, 22
- 10. Eddie Cheever Jr., 20
- 11 Tony Kanaan 12 PJ Chesson 13 Bryan Herta 14 Buddy
Lazier 15 Marco Andretti 16 Vitor Meira
- N.B: Rahal Letterman drivers (Danica Patrick, Buddy
Rice) withdrew after death of Paul Dana
RACE REPORT
Wheldon Posts Season Opening Win for Target
- Homestead, FL., Sunday, March 26, 2006--Dan Wheldon, in his first race
for Target Chip Ganassi, took the hard fought checkered flag just fourteen
thousands of a second ahead of Helio Castroneves after an exciting side
by side final 20 lap shootout at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Target teammate
Scott Dixon, also involved in the five car battle to the finish, posted
a fifth place showing and set the fastest lap of the race (215.264 mph)
with five laps to go.
- "Hopefully we put on a good race on a very sad day," said
Wheldon who along with the Target Team and racing community was saddened
by the news of the passing of driver Paul Dana following an on track
incident during the morning warm-up.
- "It was a win obviously under very difficult circumstances," Wheldon
said. "I think certainly my thoughts and prayers and everybody
here, their thoughts are with the Dana family and everybody at Rahal
Letterman Racing. It's very difficult to race under circumstances like
this. I think everybody in the community and the fans that came out
to Homestead-Miami Speedway today should be commended for the effect
that they have on the drivers to pull through under very difficult
circumstances."
- Wheldon and Castroneves were wheel to wheel for a number of laps,
rubbing tires at least twice, before the driver of the no.10 Target
car caught Castroneves coming out of turn 4 on the final lap for the
ninth closest finish in IndyCar Series history.
- "That's one of the things about the IndyCar Series; everybody respects
each other an immense amount," said Wheldon, who led eight laps
and claimed his tenth IndyCar Series win and his first for Target Team
. "Whenever you run side by side with Helio, he gives you just
enough room, and hopefully I do the same."
- "Those last twenty laps were really something," said Dixon
who battled his teammate, both Penske cars and Dario Franchitti in those
final laps. "The car was really good, a little loose for the start
but it really came around. You could see that for the restarts it was
almost better to come from behind because you could carry more momentum
but at the end there just wasn't enough space. Hornish bullied his
way through and that set me back. I'm a little disappointed because
third spot was within grasp but we'll take it."
- The Target Team will remain in Florida for another week as they prepare
for a road course test at Homestead-Miami on Tuesday then head to St.
Petersburg for the first street course race of the 2006 IndyCar Series.
DEATH OF PAUL DANA
ETHANOL INDUSTRY, RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING SADDENED BY LOSS OF INDY CAR
DRIVER PAUL DANA AT HOMESTEAD
- HOMESTEAD, Fla. (March 26, 2006) IRL IndyCar® Series
driver Paul Dana suffered fatal injuries Sunday in a practice crash
prior to the 300- mile IndyCar Series event on the Homestead- Miami
Speedway's 1.5- mile oval track. Dana, a St. Louis native who lived
in Indianapolis, was pronounced dead shortly before noon (EST)
at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, a Level 1 trauma center.
- Dana, 30, driver of the No. 17 Team Ethanol Honda Panoz Firestone
car for Rahal Letterman Racing, was involved in a two-car incident
in a practice session in preparation for the season- opening IndyCar
Series race. Ed Carpenter's car spun high in Turn 2 and made contact
with the outside wall just after 10 a.m. Carpenter's machine then slid
down the track's banking and was slowing when Dana's car struck Carpenter's
car in the left-rear section at high speed.
- Both Dana and Carpenter were airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital
trauma center. Carpenter is listed in stable condition, according to
Dr. Henry Bock, Indy Racing League director of medical services.
- Dana was preparing for his first race with the Rahal Letterman Racing
team after recording a career-high ninth place in Saturday's qualifying.
- "It is a black day for us, and on behalf of Rahal Letterman Racing,
our sponsors and associates, our prayers and sympathy go out to the entire
Dana family," said team co-owner Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis
500 winner.
- "This is a great tragedy. As a result,
and in honor of Paul, we will not run the team's No. 15 (with driver
Buddy Rice, the 2004 Indy 500 winner) and No. 16 (with driver Danica
Patrick, the 2005 Indy 500 and IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year)
cars in today's event."
- Dana, who helped bring the Team Ethanol sponsorship to the Indy Racing
League in 2004, finished second in the 2004 Indy Pro Series standings,
with a victory at Milwaukee. He debuted in the series in 2003, finishing
ninth in points. Dana moved up to the IndyCar Series in 2005 with Hemelgarn
Racing but competed in only three races due to a season-ending back
injury suffered in May during practice for the Indianapolis 500.
- "Paul was a very special guy," said David
Vander Griend, president and CEO of ICM, a primary sponsor on the Team
Ethanol car. "He demonstrated his belief in what ethanol can do
for all of America through his racing. He helped us with so many things
in bringing ethanol to the IndyCar Series. He will be missed tremendously.
Our thoughts are with his family today."
MEMORIAL SERVICES FOR INDYCAR SERIES DRIVER PAUL DANA
- SET FOR THURSDAY
AT 5:15 P.M. IN ST. PETERSBURG
- Fallen Team Ethanol Driver To Be Honored at St. Pete's Mahaffey Theatre
- HOMESTEAD, Fla. - A memorial service for Rahal
Letterman Racing's driver Paul Dana will be held at 5:15 p.m. this
Thursday, March 30, in St. Petersburg, Fla., site of the next IndyCar® Series
race. The service will take place at Mahaffey Theatre located inside
the race course for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
- Dana, the driver of the No. 17 Team Ethanol Honda
Panoz Firestone car, was fatally injured in an accident March 26 in
the final practice session for the season-opening IndyCar Series race
at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Dana, a 30-year-old St. Louis native
who lived in Indianapolis, was involved a two-car incident in Turn
2 of the 1.5-mile oval south of Miami.
- Dana's car collided with the spinning car of Ed Carpenter minutes
into the final warm-up session. Both Dana and Carpenter were airlifted
to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Dana was pronounced dead at
before noon (EST). Carpenter was released from the hospital Monday.
- PAUL DANA MEMORIAL SERVICES
- Thursday, March 30 5:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Mahaffey Theatre
400 1st St. South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
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