Chicago Race Preview

The IndyCar Series heads to Chicago this weekend for a night race at Chicagoland Speedway. The IndyCar Series has three races remaining in their 17 race schedule, all three races will be run on 1.5 mile ovals. As the season winds, the points championship is a three driver race between two teams, Ryan Briscoe for Team Penske, and twosome combination of Dario Franchitt and Scott Dixon for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. IndyCar Garage breaks down five things to watch for heading into Saturday Night’s race.

1. Start time – Good or Bad?

Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star said in Friday’s Pit Pass section that the green flag won’t be dropped until around 10 p.m. eastern, with pre-race coverage starting at 9 p.m. on Versus. This is a late start for the IndyCar Series and could possibly mean one of two things, higher ratings for fans seeking a Saturday Night television program, or a limited audience with fans not knowing about the late start time. Let’s hope that fans make a night out of it and tune in for some great racing.

2. Keep an eye on the three drivers racing for the Championship

The Point’s Championship is down to three drivers from two different teams. Scott Dixon, Ganassi Racing, took the lead into Sonoma and left in third place after a 13th place finish. Dixon needs a strong performance to get back in the mix, and Chicago just might be the place for him to do it. Dixon has finished runner up four times at this track, including the past three years. Dario Franchitti will be the other Ganassi car involved in the championship battle, but he is only four points back on Briscoe. This race should set the tone for who is in the driver’s seat for the remaining two races.

3. Danica Announcement?

“I am just focusing on the last three races” – Danica Patrick
“We are close on an agreement” – Michael Andretti
“signs are pointing in that direction” – Danica Patrick

What does all of it mean? Danica Patrick, the most marketable driver and the most popular driver in the IndyCar Series is supposedly close to staying in the IndyCar Series with Andretti Green Racing, but no official word has been released yet. Rumors the past few weeks had this weekend as a possible announcement site, it doesn’t appear that it is likely now. All in all, the only thing that would top her announcing her stay in the IndyCar Series would be for her to take the checkered flag Saturday Night.

4. Side by Side by Side

Chicago should be the site for some of the most exciting racing of the entire season. The Kentucky race gave us an indictor that the league had fixed the passing problems, and Chicago should benefit from those changes as well. Chicago was the site of the closet 1,2,3 finish in league history back in 2003. We could possibly see three wide racing throughout the entire course of the race, and the push to pass feature should add excitement as well.

5. Sarah Fisher Racing – Back in Action

Sarah Fisher will be competing in her fifth race of the season in her Dollar General machine. Sarah recently received a new Dallara Chassis from one of her sponsors, she will use that chassis at the season finale at Homestead. Sarah finished a respectable 12th at Kentucky, and should be competitive in this race as well. Sarah is a fan favorite and a very generous driver for the fans. It’s great to see her back around the series and in a race car.

What the real schedule Tweak might look like

With the recent tweaks to the IndyCar Schedule for 2010, it appears a few things are evident. First, the chances of Milwaukee returning to the schedule look slim. Second, the Saturday night format for the Kentucky race will continue, even though it is now on Labor Day Weekend. Lastly, no one knows which national holiday Japan is observing, so moving the race is really obsolete to American fans.

The 2010 schedule was largely put together off what works well for the IRL. It was not put together with the idea that the IndyCar Series will try a location and hope it works. The IndyCar series knows that tracks on the schedule have worked before in terms of attendance, racing, promoters, and are banking on that for 2010. The global economy has put a damper on all of motorsports, and that has directly effected where and when the IndyCar Series has the means to race at. Throwing out the economy (which is hard to do) and the politics of motorsports (which is also impossible to do) IndyCarGarage put together what might appear to be a ideal 23 race schedule for the IndyCar Series.

The break down is 12 ovals and 11 road/street courses. The first idea to this schedule would be to keep the format of more ovals than road/street courses but have a competitive balance of tracks. The second idea would be to keep interest in the IndyCar Series throughout the peak months of early April to early September, this is shown by only two races being held during College Football and the NFL seasons.


23 races (12 ovals / 11 Road/Street Courses)

IndyCar Series schedule: We can dream can’t we?

Sunday, March 14, Brazil
NOTE: This race screams money and sponsorships, something every series needs

Sunday, March 28, St. Petersburg, Fla., 1.8-mile street course

NOTE: An AGR Promotions event , works well for the series

Sunday, April 4th - Phoenix International Raceway, Phoenix AZ, 1 mile tri-oval
NOTE: From 1950 – 2005 this was a mainstay event in open-wheel racing, it needs to return

Sunday, April 11, Barber Motorsports Park, 2.38-mile road course

NOTE: 2010 will be the first of a three year deal, early rumors about the course is that passing is limited, but 10,000 attended the test earlier in the summer.

Sunday, April 18, Long Beach, Calif., 1.968-mile street course

NOTE: Great venue, great attendance, good tradition, works for everyone involved

Saturday, May 1, Kansas Speedway, 1.5-mile oval

NOTE: The IRL has been there since 2001, an ISC track, which means it’s always questionable to return. There are better ovals to run on than Kansas

Sunday, May 30, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.5-mile oval

NOTE: 2011 will mark the 100th anniversary of the first Indy 500.

Sunday, June 6, The Milwaukee Mile – 1.0 Oval
NOTE: Lots of tradition and history at this track and a good event for the series, too bad the promoter situation is backwards right now.

Saturday Night, June 12– Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5 oval
NOTE: Some of the most exciting racing in IRL history has come at this track. Crowds are usually very good as well.

Sunday, June 20, Iowa Speedway, .875-mile oval

NOTE: Fairly new venue for the series, as the IRL has only hosted three races for open wheel. The race has sold out every year, but it only holds 42,000.

Sunday, July 4, Watkins Glen International, 3.37-mile road course

NOTE: The IRL has been there since 2005 and finally found a date that works for everyone, Independence Weekend.

Saturday/Sunday, July 9thth/11th – Cleveland Doubleheader
(Friday oval/Sunday Road Course)
NOTE: This has been talked about, and could be interesting. The road course has involved open wheel for decades, the oval part would be new. The problem with the DH format, short time in between races (five days), and teams would have to have two different cars setup, which for the smaller teams, they would need backup cars. Cleveland could return, but the DH is a long shot.

Sunday, July 18, Toronto, 1.721-mile street course

NOTE: This races along with Edmonton gives the series Canadian flavor and helps with sponsorships to the north. This is also another AGR Promotions event.

Sunday, July 25, Edmonton City Centre Airport, 1.973-mile airport course

NOTE: A Champ Car event that was added in 2008, as with Toronto, it helps sponsorship with Canadian drivers and markets.

Saturday/Sunday, July 31st/August 1st – Loudon, New Hamisphere, 1.0-mile oval
NOTE: Loudon has recently lobbied for a race, but sparse attendance is a fear of the IRL as they raced there from 1996-1998 and couldn’t fill half of the 105,000 seat racetrack. Tony Stewart won at this track in his brief open-wheel career.

Sunday, Aug. 8, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 2.258-mile road course

NOTE: Open wheel goes back to 1980 at this course and it has proved for some great crowds recently, in part due to the support race of ALMS.

Sunday, Aug. 15, Infineon Raceway 2.245-mile road course

NOTE: The IRL started racing here in 2005 and it provided Marco Andretti his first and only victory in 2006. It was the site of a horrific crash for Will Power and Nelson Phillipe this year.

Saturday, August 21st, Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5 oval
NOTE: CART started racing here in 1996 and the IRL went there in 2001. It’s an ISC track so it always seems to be on the bubble every time the schedule release comes up. Attendance has been another issue as well at this track.

Saturday, Aug. 28, Chicagoland Speedway, 1.5-mile oval

NOTE: Similar to Kansas, this is a oval that has provided some of the most exciting racing for the IRL. It like Homestead and Kansas, are ISC tracks that focus on NASCAR events. Most ticket packages revolve around purchasing a season package of the two NASCAR events and the IndyCar race. Not necessarily the way you want to promote a race, although attendance has been strong.

Saturday, Sept. 4, Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile oval

NOTE: Kentucky is another track that has provided very exciting racing throughout it’s time of fielding IndyCar races and also proved to be the site of many historic accomplishments such as Sarah Fisher’s pole in 2002. Bruton Smith has been very outspoken about the direction of the IRL.

Sunday, Sept. 19, Twin Ring Motegi, 1.5-mile oval

NOTE: This race helps with the Honda sponsorships and also the overseas market. It gained notable popularity when Danica Patrick won in 2008.

Saturday, Oct. 2, Indianapolis Motor Speedway – 2.621-mile road course
NOTE: The biggest question out there right now, is why the season finale isn’t at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The road course was originally built for F1, but since 2007, F1 hasn’t visited the IMS. Moto GP uses a modified version of the road course, but it could easily adjusted for the IndyCars. Of course you will have people say it takes away from the tradition of the 500, and they are correct, but times have changed. The tradition of the 500 was gone when NASCAR came in 1994. People now have more of a opportunities to visit the 16th & Georgetown. Tony George original vision for the IRL was that the season concluded with the Indianapolis 500, the series première event. That isn’t possible anymore, but wouldn’t it be great to crown the series champion at IMS , at the home track of IndyCar? Attendance would probably be the second highest event of the year.

Let the debating begin…..

IndyCar Grand Prix at Sonoma Race Reactions

IndyCar Grand Prix at Sonoma Race Reactions

The IndyCar Series completed their 14th race of the 2009 season by competing in Sonoma, California at Infineon Raceway. Dario Franchitti took home the checkered flag followed by Ryan Briscoe in second place and Mike Conway to round out the podium. IndyCarGarage gives you five race reactions from Sunday’s race.

1. Danica Patrick’s pre-race comments and news surrounding her from this week.

The most anticipated driver move of the off-season will surround Danica Patrick, and most anticipated a possible move to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. News out of Indianapolis this week surrounding Michael Andretti and Andretti Green Racing may have tipped the hand of Danica and her future plans. In a pre-race conversation, Danica was quoted as saying her plans aren’t finalized right now, but things are pointed in the direction of her joining the new version of Andretti-Green Racing, which will be solely owned by Michael Andretti and branded under a new name. This is hardly the move that many people expected as Danica seemed destine for a date with NASCAR, or at least a move to the mighty Ganassi Target Cars as rumors swirled throughout the last few months that Ganassi would field a third car for her. Danica Patrick is a huge fan draw for the IndyCar series and the most marketable driver in the series. Her decision to stay in IndyCar and with a team that doesn’t field a NASCAR program is HUGE!

2. Will Power and Nelson Phillipe miss the race with injuries

Will Power and Nelson Phillipe collided in Saturday’s practice and both drivers suffered severe injuries. Power suffered similar injuries to what Vitor Miera suffered at Indianapolis earlier in the season. It’s highly likely that Power is done for the rest of the 2009 season as his recovery is estimated at three months. Phillipe injuries weren’t as severe as Power’s, so it’s possible that Phillipe might be able to make it back to the cockpit in 2009. Both drivers are good young talents, Power probably more than Phillipe, and it’s unfortunate that they weren’t able to compete this weekend.

3. Dario Franchitti’s fourth win of the season is his most dominating of 2009

Dario Franchitti had his best day of the 2009 season by qualifying first, leading every lap of the race, and capturing his fourth win of the 2009 season. Franchitti now sits four points behind Ryan Briscoe in the Point’s championship. Dario clearly has proven to be the road course ace of the IndyCar series, as three of his four wins have come on road or street courses. Dario is showing to everyone that he hasn’t lost one step from his year absence in NASCAR.

4. The point’s championship = three drivers, three races, all within 20 points.

Ryan Briscoe now sits in first place in the point’s championship race, but by a very small four points. Dario Franchitti sits in second place with his performance on Sunday, and Scott Dixon slips from first to third, but still is in contention by trailing by 20 points. The point’s race has been very exciting throughout the season as first place has changed hands in 13 of the 14 races. The last three races of the season should be exciting to watch as no driver seems to have a clear advantage over the other.

5. Three races remain in the 2009 season and they are require many left turns.

The 2009 season will wind down with three 1.5 mile ovals, and it starts next Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway. The IndyCar Series enjoyed a huge jump in competitive racing at Kentucky and that was largely due to the aero-dynamic package improvements, along with the push to pass button insert. Chicago has produced some of the most exciting racing in series history, Motegi is the site of Danica Patrick’s lone IndyCar win from a year ago, and Homestead will close out the season on October 10th. Look for the racing to be competitive and exciting down to the last lap.

2010 Indy Lights Schedule Released

The Firestone Indy Light Series recently released their 2010 schedule. The 2010 schedule includes five ovals, four temporary street circuits and four permanent road courses. New to the schedule is the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. All races will be held as a support race to the IndyCar Series.

"Our goal is to prepare Firestone Indy Lights drivers to become successful IndyCar Series drivers, and to reach that goal they must gain experience and succeed on all types of racing circuits," said Roger Bailey, executive director of the Firestone Indy Lights. "The schedule offers that challenge to our drivers each year."

The first oval of the season will be the series' premier event - the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28 two days before the Indianapolis 500. The Freedom 100 has run in conjunction with the annual Miller Light Carb Day.

"The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights schedule has great balance," said Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing. "It provides the perfect blend of ovals, street circuits and road courses necessary to prepare these talented and developing drivers for the rigors of the IndyCar Series. If they can master the diversity of tracks on the Firestone Indy Lights schedule, it will have them well prepared to take that next step. Competing on this array of venues also allows Firestone Racing to more finely develop and advance the technology of the Firehawk race tires. We're looking forward to another great season of exciting Firestone Indy Lights racing in 2010."The Firestone Indy Lights is the ladder series for drivers and teams striving to compete in the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. Former drivers of the Lights Series include Marco Andretti, Richard Antinucci, Ed Carpenter, Raphael Matos and Hideki Mutoh.

The complete 2010 Firestone Indy Lights schedule:

Date, Track

March 27 or 28, Streets of St. Petersburg

April 10 or 11, Barber Motorsports Park

April 17 or 18, Streets of Long Beach

May 28, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

June 19 or 20, Iowa Speedway

July 3 or 4, Watkins Glen International

July 17 or 18, Streets of Toronto

July 24 or 25, Edmonton City Centre Airport

Aug. 7 or 8, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Aug. 21 or 22, Infineon Raceway

Aug. 27 or 28, Chicagoland Speedway

Sept. 4 or 5, Kentucky Speedway

Oct. 1 or 2, Homestead-Miami Speedway

Michael Andretti takes Control

News from the Indianapolis Star today and what has been rumored for awhile, is that Michael Andretti had broken away from co-owners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree. This will mean that Andretti will be the full-time owner behind the soon to be non AGR Racing. Andretti has said the race team will be renamed and that he plans to retain a four-car lineup next year. The most amazing news out of Indianapolis is that Andretti is quoted as saying “Getting close” in reference to attempts to retain popular IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick. An announcement could come as early as next week, as her sponsor is based around Schaumburg, Ill.

Green and Savoree will focus strictly on race promotions at Toronto and St. Pete. They will have no direct influence on the race team.

Stay tuned!

AGR to field a fifth car

Andretti Green to field a fifth car for Franck Montagy. Below is the press release from Andretti Green Racing about their fifth car for Sonoma.

Andretti Green Racing announced today it will
team with Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. (AFS), to run Franck Montagny in a fifth entry later this month in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway.

Montagny, who made seven starts for Andretti Green’s American Le Mans Series program
in 2008, will pilot the #25 AFS Dallara/Honda/Firestone alongside Andretti Green’s existing fourdriver lineup that includes Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Hideki Mutoh and Danica Patrick.
AFS is one of the nation’s largest multi-family automatic fire sprinkler contractors and is
familiar to Firestone Indy Lights fans through AFS Racing, which teamed with Andretti Green
Racing to win the 2008 series title. AFS/Andretti Green currently holds down the top two spots in the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights championship standings with drivers J.R. Hildebrand and Sebastian Saavedra.

During his stint with Andretti Green last year, Montagny teamed with a variety of co-drivers
and piloted the team’s LMP2-class Acura to an overall ALMS victory at Belle Isle and an additional LMP2 win at Laguna Seca. Montagny’s racing resume also features seven Formula 1 starts, all in 2006 with Super Aguri, and stints as a Formula 1 test driver and third driver.

The 31-year old Frenchman owns four top-five finishes in his last four starts in the 24 Hoursof Le Mans including a runner-up finish earlier this summer.

FRANCK MONTAGNY, #25 AFS DALLARA/HONDA/FIRESTONE:

“I am certainly looking forward to my IndyCar debut in Sonoma with AFS and AndrettiGreen Racing. I was able to test one of the team’s Indy cars last year and very much enjoyeddriving it. Being able to test the track this week will be very helpful for me to learn the circuit andprepare for the race. We have a lot of work to do to get ready, but I believe we are up to thechallenge.”

GARY PETERSON, PRESIDENT, AUTOMATIC FIRE SPRINKLERS, INC.:“This is an exciting announcement for AFS/Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. California is animportant market for our company and we believe Franck will give us a good shot at competing fora win.“In the midst of this economic downturn, it’s important for AFS/Automatic Fire Sprinklers,Inc., to keep our name out there to attract new customers and the Indy Racing League alsoprovides an excellent venue for entertaining current customers.“We’re proud of our Firestone Indy Lights program and this is a great opportunity to be aprimary sponsor in the IndyCar Series. It will be exciting to see our traditional red-and-yellow colorscheme out there competing with the best.”

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN, ANDRETTI GREEN RACING:“We’re very excited to see this come together for Sonoma. This is a good opportunity forGary to showcase AFS at the IndyCar level and we think Franck will do a great job in the car thatweekend.”- AGR -Contact: Al

Mid-Ohio Race Reactions

The IndyCar Series completed their 13th race of the 2009 season at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this past Sunday. Scott Dixon won his fourth race of the 2009 season by outlasting Ryan Briscoe and his teammate Dario Franchitti. Dixon’s win spring boarded him into first place in the point’s championship race, but only by very small margin of four points. IndyCarGarage breaks down four race reactions from Sunday’s Race.

1. Dixon’s dominating day leads to IRL history

Scott Dixon led 51 laps in Sunday’s race and crossed the finish line 30 seconds before Ryan Briscoe. Dixon’s dominating performance moved him into first place in the point’s championship and made him the career all-time win leader in the IndyCar Series, breaking the record held by Sam Hornish Jr. Dixon’s record only dates back to 1996 as the career win leader in open wheel history would be A.J. Foyt, who won 67 open wheel events. Dixon now finds himself in prime position for his third career IndyCar Series Championship.

2. Ryan Hunter-Reay great day

Ryan Hunter-Reay had his best performance of the 2009 season in the A.J. Foyt A.B.C Supply Machine. Hunter-Reay started in eighth position and finished a season high fourth. Hunter-Reay was quoted in the pre-race interviews as saying Mid-Ohio was one of his favorite places to run and it showed on Sunday. For all the bad luck that Hunter-Reay has experienced this season, he was long overdue for a top five finish.

3. Danica’s luck runs out

Danica Patrick finished in 19th position in Sunday’s race, her worst finish of the 2009 season. Mike Conway made contact with Patrick mid-way through the race on lap 45, which brought out the second full course caution. Danica has been a model of consistency this year, as she has recorded the most top five finishes of any season in her career. Sunday’s bad break was hardly her fault as Mike Conway nudge sent her flying into the sand trap. Keep an eye on Danica on the last three ovals, as those three tracks will give her best chance of reaching a podium and possibly scoring another victory.

4. One more road course and then back to ovals

The IndyCar Series will run one more road course this year, at Infineon road course in Sonoma California. The IRL will then finish off the season with three straight ovals, Chicagoland, Motegi, and Homestead. The Mid-Ohio race offered some excitement, but nothing compared to what was served up last week at Kentucky. The IndyCar Series needs the type of excitement that Kentucky generated in the last four races of the year to generate momentum into the 2010 season and quite the doubters of American Open Wheel Racing.

Mid-Ohio Race Preview

The IndyCar Series heads to Columbus, Ohio this weekend for the Honda 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Course. The last time we saw the IndyCar Series, they were finishing off the most exciting race of the 2009 season at the Kentucky Motor Speedway. IndyCarGarage breaks down five things to watch for at Mid-Ohio and for the remainder of the 2009 Season.

1. The Point’s Championship race is great battle to watch

Dixon, Franchitti, Briscoe, back to Dixon, then Briscoe, back to Franchitti, get the drift? The point’s championship leader has been changing race to race and that’s great for the fans and the series. The race remains between three drivers Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, and Dario Franchitti. Helio Castroneves needs a hail marry pass, and Danica Patrick is going to have to settle for fifth. It’s anybody game as we head into the last five races and the three extra bonus points, one for pole and two for most laps lead, will be very important in every race.

2. Driver Changes, Driver Changes, Driver Changes

WOW, a lot has happened in the last seven days. Let’s start at the beginning, first Nelson Phillipe signed with Conquest racing for two of the five races left in the 2009 season. Second, Robert Doornbos moves from N/H/L to HVM racing where had some success in 2007 with Champ Car. Third, Oriol Servia moves into Doornbos spot at N/H/L for the remainder of the 2009 season. Just recently, Mario Moraes will miss Mid-Ohio to attend his father’s funeral, who recently passed from cancer. Paul Tracy will fill in for Moraes and starts a respectable 10th. Kosuke Matsuura will drive for Conquest Racing at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. Stanton Barrett will be in the 3G car in Motegi. Jacque Lazier is expected to be at Chicagoland for 3G. All in all, a lot of shuffling in the cockpits for several drivers, the biggest of them all will come when Danica Patrick announces her fate after the season.

3. Two street courses and three ovals left

The schedule dynamical of the 2009 season leaves the IndyCar Series with two more road/street courses and three ovals to finish off the season. The IndyCar Series had its best race in a long time at Kentucky, in the form of a 1.5 oval. It would be great if they carry that over into another oval this weekend, but they are stuck with a road course. The strong four of Briscoe, Castroneves, Dixon and Franchitti should be a force at all five races, but don’t expect the Ed Carpenter stories to come out at the next two races. Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson have the best shot of unseating the Ganassi/Penske duos on the road courses. .

4. Where does the racing go from here?

The push to pass button will be in place for this weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio and for the remainder of the season as well. The device seemed to help the last 20 laps of the Kentucky race and it should be interesting to see how the device plays in the road courses. The aero changes, most notably the removal of the two inch wicker on the rear wing, along with the improved compound in the Firestone tires, gives the IRL the best package for the remainder of the season on the ovals. The push to pass along with the aero changes could provide for the best IndyCar Series racing we have seen in a few years.

5. The 2010 Schedule will be in headlines throughout the remainder of the season.

The 2010 schedule announcement last weekend at Kentucky as stirred a media frenzy among die-hard IRL fans and most motor sports fans. The schedule which favors more street/road courses than ovals is a far contrast from the 2003 schedule which featured 16 oval races. The IRL is striving for a balanced schedule, that was unsuccessful with the financial situation at Milwaukee. American open wheel racing was fairly popular back in the mid 1990’s with a similar schedule, until the spilt in 1996. It remains to be seen if the IRL can get back to that popularity with this type of schedule.

6. Ryan Briscoe on the Pole for Mid-Ohio

Ryan Briscoe earned one bonus point for his performance on Saturday, while earning the pole position and setting a new course record in the process. Briscoe is well on his way to earning his first series championship for Team Penske, something that his teammate Helio Castroneves has yet to accomplish in his lengthy tenure at Team Penske. Justin Wilson will seek win number two for Dale Coyne Racing by starting in position number two. Scott Dixon will be the first of the Ganassi cars, by starting in third position; Dixon is a very close second in the points behind Briscoe. Graham Rahal will start fourth along side Dixon and will seek his first win of the 2010 season at his home town track. Helio Castroneves, the pole sitter the last two years at Mid-Ohio will start fifth. Dario Franchitti rounds out the firestone fast six, by starting in position six.

Notables include, Ryan Hunter-Rhea in 7th, Paul Tracy in 10th, Danica Patrick in 12th, Marco Andretti in 14th, and Ed Carpenter fresh off his second place finish will round out the field in 21st position.