Helio Castroneves earns Verizon P1 Award at Iowa

KARAM STAYS UNBEATEN AT TRACK

Helio Castroneves knows that every point counts in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings, so the Brazilian happily accepted the nine bonus points for winning the Verizon P1 Award in a 50-lap heat race for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by DEKALB even though he'll start 11th by accepting a grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change (did not meet 2,000-mile threshold).

Castroneves is not the only one moving back on the grid because of unapproved engine change penalties: Scott Dixon, who won Race 1 and finished fifth in Race 3;  Takuma Sato, who was second in Race 1; James Jakes, Ana Beatriz and Josef Newgarden.

Castroneves, driving the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske car, led teammate Will Power across the finish line by 3.1480 seconds for his first pole since April 2012 and 38th overall. James Hinchcliffe finished third and Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti, who started from the pole at Milwaukee last week, finished fourth.

Those drivers, plus Ed Carpenter, will move up to comprise the first two rows.

The three 50-lap heat races on the .875-mile oval set the lineup for the 250-lap race. Race 3 consisted of positions 1 through 6 from single-car qualifying plus the first- and second-place finishers from Races 1 (Dixon and Sato) and 2 (Graham Rahal and Carpenter) to determine the pole winner and the first five rows of the starting grid.

The results of Race 2 determined the odd-numbered positions on the grid, starting with position 11 (Simon Pagenaud, who picked up one bonus point). The results of Race 1 determined the even-numbered positions on the grid, starting with position 12 (Alex Tagliani, who also received one bonus point).

Bonus points -- from nine awarded to the pole winner and decreasing by one to three points for seventh/eighth, two points for ninth/10th and one point for 11th/12th -- were an added attraction for the only oval race using heat races for qualifying.

Also on June 22, Sage Karam took control of the Firestone Indy Lights point standings after winning  the Sukup 100 at Iowa Speedway.

Karam, who started fifth in the No. 8 Schmidt Peterson with Curb-Agajanian car, held off the repeated charge of Gabby Chaves to win by .2660 of a second in a caution-free race on the .875-mile oval. Jack Hawksworth completed the podium sweep for the team co-owned by Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson. Firestone Freedom 100 winner Peter Dempsey placed fourth.

It was the second consecutive victory for Karam, who supplanted Carlos Munoz atop the standings by nine points. Munoz, the pole sitter for the fourth time this season, finished eighth (three laps down) in the No. 26 Dialy-Ser car for Andretti Autosport.

It also was the fourth consecutive year that Karam has won at Iowa Speedway in the Mazda Road to Indy -- USF2000 in 2010 and Pro Mazda the succeeding years.

DAY 1 NOTEBOOK:

The IZOD IndyCar Series will compete in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by DEKALB, a 250-lap race at 3:05 p.m. (ET) on Sunday. Firestone Indy Lights will compete in the Sukup 100, a 115-lap race at 8:50 p.m. (ET) tonight.***

Live timing and scoring reports from the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by DEKALB are available on the Internet at racecontrol.indycar.com.

Feature stories, reports, driver quotes and notes will be posted on the INDYCAR media website at media.indycar.com. More detailed information, including media advisories and VNF coordinates are also posted on the media website.  Hi-resolution images are available to media at www.indycarmedia.com. Media updates will also be provided on Twitter by following @indycarpr

SUNOCO POLE QUALIFYING NOTES:

         This is Carlos Munoz' fourth Sunoco Pole Award  of 2013 and his fifth pole in Firestone Indy Lights. He previously won the Sunoco Pole Award at Edmonton in 2012 and St. Petersburg, Barber and Long Beach earlier this season.

         This is Munoz first pole position on an oval. His previous best start was second at Auto Club Speedway in 2012 and Indianapolis in 2013.

         Jack Hawksworth qualified second, his fourth front-row start of 2013. It is Hawksworth's first front-row start on an oval.

         Zach Veach qualified third, his fifth top-five finish of the season.

         Jorge Goncalvez qualified fourth, his season-best qualifying performance.

SUNOCO POLE QUALIFYING QUOTES:

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 26 Dialy-Ser/Andretti Autosport, Sunoco Pole Award winner): "I know I have a really great car, we were working quite hard. The car was really good in those two laps, I have nothing to complain about. My team did an awesome job. But now, most importantly is the race. We have to be focused on the race, and try to work on the race."

***

IZOD IndyCar Series officials announced the following teams will be receiving 10-spot grid penalties for Sunday's race for unapproved engine changes:

 #14 Sato (Rule 15.5.1)

15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.

#18 Beatriz (Rule 15.5.1)

15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.

***

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES HEAT RACE SPECIFICSRace One will consist of the even numbered positions, starting with position 8. The results of Race One shall determine the even numbered positions in the starting field for the Iowa Corn Indy 250, starting with position 12. Positions 1 and 2 will transfer to Race Three and start in positions 8 and 10.Race Two will consist of the odd numbered positions, starting with position 7. The results of Race Two shall determine the odd numbered positions in the starting field, starting with position 11. Positions 1 and 2 will transfer to Race Three and start in positions 7 and 9.Race Three will consist of positions 1 through 6 plus the first and second place finishers from Race One and Two. The results of Race Three shall determine positions 1-10 in the starting field.Each Heat race is 50 laps on the .0.875-mile oval.Green flag will be shown the fourth-time by the flag stand

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES HEAT RACE #1

At 6 p.m., the ambient temperature was 89 degrees with a relative humidity of 52 percent. Skies were sunny. The track temperature was 113 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.

6:02 p.m. - Command to fire engines for Heat #2. All engines are running and the field is rolling.

Lap 1: GREEN - #9 Dixon leads the field into Turn 1.

Lap 6: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by .9851 of a second. #14 Sato, #98 Tagliani and #1 Hunter-Reay are battling for second.

            Lap 10: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by 1.6513 seconds.

            Lap 15: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by 1.7976 seconds.

            Lap 25: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by 1.1404 seconds.

            Lap 30: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by .8577 of a second.

            Lap 35: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by .9749 of a second.

            Lap 40: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by .6710 of a second.

            Lap 46: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by .5628 of a second.

            Lap 49: WHITE: #9 Dixon leads #14 Sato by .5731 of a second.

            Lap 50: CHECKERED. #9 Dixon wins Heat #1 by .7768 of a second. #9 Dixon and #14 Sato advance to Heat #3

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES HEAT RACE #2

At 6:15 p.m., the ambient temperature was 89 degrees with a relative humidity of 51 percent. Skies were sunny. The track temperature was 108 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.

6:21 p.m. - Command to fire engines for Heat #2. All engines are running and the field is rolling.

Lap 1: GREEN. #20 Carpenter leads the field into Turn 1. #55 Vautier remains second. #77 Pagenaud went from sixth to third.

            Lap 5: #20 Carpenter leads #77 Pagenaud by .6617 of a second as #77 Pagenaud and #55 Vautier run side-by-side for second.

            Lap 6: #77 Pagenaud completes pass of #55 Vautier for second at the exit of Turn 2.

            Lap 10: #15 Rahal passes #55 Vautier for third on the outside of Turn 2.  #20 Carpenter leads #77 Pagenaud by .3522 of a second

            Lap 15: #20 Carpenter leads #77 Pagenaud by .8152 of a second. #15 Rahal is third, 1.4859 seconds back.

            Lap 20: #20 Carpenter leads #77 Pagenaud by .7628 of a second. #15 Rahal is third, 1.7785 seconds back.

            Lap 25: #20 Carpenter leads #77 Pagenaud by .6957 of a second. #15 Rahal is third, 1.6653 seconds back.

            Lap 30: #20 Carpenter leads #77 Pagenaud by 1.0178 seconds.

            Lap 35: #20 Carpenter leads #77 Pagenaud by .9223 of a second. #15 Rahal is third, 1.1620 seconds back.

            Lap 40: #20 Carpenter leads #77 Pagenaud by 1.1521 of a second.

            Lap 41: #15 Rahal passes #77 Pagenaud for second place in Turn 2.

            Lap 45: #20 Carpenter leads #15 Rahal by .3133 of a second.

            Lap 47: #15 Rahal passes #20 Carpenter for the lead in Turn 2.

            Lap 49: YELLOW. #16 Jakes spins and makes contact with the SAFER Barrier at the exit of Turn 2. Jakes climbs from the car without assistance of the Holmatro Safety Team.

            Lap 50: YELLOW and CHECKERED. Graham Rahal wins Heat #2. #15 Rahal and #20 Carpenter advance to Heat 3.

HEAT RACE WINNER QUOTES:

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Heat 1 winner): "It seemed OK. I think we overshot and messed up the balance a little bit. Started out decent, got pretty loose with 15-20 to go, and ran out of adjustments in the car. We'll work on it a little bit. Hopefully, it will get a bit better. It's just tough. I think we're good, the team's good, we're just lacking a bit of pace at the moment. Looking forward to the next heat race."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires Honda, Heat 2 winner): "I'm very proud of the guys because we've been working hard. It just hasn't been the easiest of years for us. But to get a result like this, even though it's just a heat, it means a lot to us. You know, we're going to try to work all the way forward in this next heat too and put ourselves right up front for tomorrow."

***

Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR medical director: James Jakes has been checked and released from the infield medical center. He is cleared to drive.

JAMES JAKES (No. 16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda): "We just made a mistake in Turn 2.  We struggled on our own and then the balance came to us. I could see those three cars coming up pretty quickly. I was a bit optimistic. I don't think there is too much damage so the guys won't have to stay too late. It's disappointing."

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES HEAT RACE #3

At 6:45 p.m., the ambient temperature was 88 degrees with a relative humidity of 54 percent. Skies were sunny. The track temperature was 103 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.

6:59 p.m. - Command to fire engines for Heat #2. All engines are running and the field is rolling.

Initial start is waved off.

Lap 1: GREEN. #3 Castroneves leads the field into Turn 1.

            Lap 5: #3 Castroneves leads #11 Kanaan by .3515 of a second.

            Lap 10: #3 Castroneves leads #11 Kanaan by .6299 of a second.

            Lap 15: #3 Castroneves leads #11 Kanaan by 1.4030 seconds as #11 Kanaan runs side-by-side with #27 Hinchcliffe for second place.

            Lap 17: #27 Hinchcliffe completes pass of #11 Kanaan for second place on the outside of Turn 4.

            Lap 20: #3 Castroneves leads #27 Hinchcliffe by 1.0943 seconds.

            Lap 25: #3 Castroneves leads #27 Hinchcliffe by 1.6222 seconds.

            Lap 31: #12 Power passes #27 Hinchcliffe for second on the outside of Turn 2. #3 Castroneves leads #12 Power by 1.3834 seconds.

            Lap 35: #3 Castroneves leads #12 Power by .6957 of a second.

            Lap 40: #3 Castroneves leads #12 Power by .2964 of a second.

            Lap 45: #3 Castroneves leads #12 Power by .6588 of a second.

            Lap 49: WHITE: #3 Castroneves leads #12 Power by 2.52 seconds.

            Lap 50: CHECKERED. #3 Castroneves wins Verizon P1 Award for Iowa Corn Indy 250.

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES POST-HEAT RACE NOTES:

This is the 38th pole of Helio Castroneves' Indy car career. His most recent pole was Barber 2012

Castroneves has six starts from the front two rows at Iowa in seven starts. He started from pole here in 2009 after qualifying was cancelled in 2009

Will Power qualified second, his fourth-straight top-five start.

James Hinchcliffe qualified third is a career best at Iowa.  His previous best was fourth in 2012.

Both Graham Rahal (9th) and Oriol Servia (10th) match career best starts at Iowa.

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES POST-HEAT RACE QUOTES:

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "You know, it was way off the mark.  We've been sitting on our own thumbs all day today.  We just missed it today.  No. 1 DHL team will have to regroup and come back tomorrow because we're starting buried in the pack.  We gave up points today.  An important day and we just missed it a bit.  It's to fight another day and that's tomorrow."

TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 55 coastal.com/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "We had a good qualifying run earlier today but we saw in the heat race that we're lacking some speed in race conditions. I knew racing would be harder than qualifying for me so I've got to try to learn as much as I can from this heat race to be prepared for tomorrow."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda): "I thought we had an ok day. It wasn't what we wanted, we really wanted to qualify better and hopefully run in the final heat race and then if we could have won that we would have started on pole, and that's obviously the main goal, but that's not what happened. I think we have a strong car for the whole race distance tomorrow, so it'll be interesting. It's going to be tough, it's going to be hot, drivers and teams are going to struggle with set up and you just have to grind through it."

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda): "The HP car is really good. We had a little bit too much understeer at the end, which is why we lost some ground. I think we're really close though with where we need to be with the car. We can run every lane, which is the most important thing here at Iowa Speedway. Starting from 11th is good. We started 25th in this race last year and ended fifth, so we've put ourselves in a better starting position this year." (About Rahal's pass for second):"That was a bold pass by Graham (Rahal). He didn't give me any room and I had to go up in the gray area on the track. I guess I'll just have to give him the favor back sometime."

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva KVRT Chevrolet): "I'm really disappointed. The team's been working really hard, but we've been fighting with the car since the second practice in Milwaukee. The car was great in the first practice there, but since then we haven't been able to get it back to where we need it to be. It's really frustrating. I know it's there, because it was awesome in Texas as well. We'll make some changes again tonight and hopefully get a good car for tomorrow's race. We really want to go out and put on a good show for the Nuclear Clean Air Energy sponsors that are here this weekend. Hopefully we'll be able to do that."

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Sunoco "Turbo" KVRT-SH Racing Chevrolet): "The car was good in the beginning of the race, but we developed some understeer as the laps came in. The good thing is that we found out about the problem tonight, so we have some time to work on the situation and I am confident we will be ready to race tomorrow."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires Honda): "The first heat race was great. I thought we had a good car this morning. The Midas / Big O Tires guys did a great job and we charged from seventh and got up there and won the race. We really, really felt the car was very competitive and were able to charge through the field which not a lot of the guys were seemingly able to do. And again in the second heat race, I think we could have won it.  I think we had the car but unfortunately Ed (Carpenter) and I bumped and we lost four percent front COP (center of pressure; from front wing damage) so the car didn't want to turn.  The fact that we could still run high 18's (18-second lap time) without a front wing is pretty impressive so I'm pleased with the car. I think it's going to be pretty good."

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): "We missed the balance a little bit in qualifying.  We had a little too much understeer.  It's too bad it's not a night race because it helps with the grip in the race. It will be a little more slick in the day and will probably be more of a one-groove track.  It's easier for a second groove to open up at night.  I think more people will run the second grove in the race because there is more banking.  Then the low grove won't be as good in the race.  You are drafting all of the time here.  It's non-stop drafting.  This is one of the most physical tracks that we run. Iowa is a little less physical that it used to be because the grip level isn't as high.  But it is still a very tough race.   We were not too good in our first heat race tonight.  We tried something different.  It wasn't very good and I felt fortunate to transfer to the final heat.   But the Fuzzy's Vodka crew busted their butts to make some quick changes in between the heats and the car was much better in the final heat.  We ran 100 laps today and I think we learned some things for Sunday's race.  Unfortunately, it will be in the heat of the day.  So I'm hoping our changes in the final heat will help us on Sunday.  I definitely feel better about our Fuzzy's Chevy now."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet) Verizon P1 Award:  It was great. I wish, is that over? Does that mean we don't have to race tomorrow? [Laughter] It's great. I'm very excited to be honest. The Hitachi boys did a hell of a job, again, and these points, it's always good, it's always crucial when you are fighting for the championship and every point counts. So I'm very proud. We learned a lot today, tomorrow is obviously a different ballgame, let's put it this way because we still have more traffic, it's going to be a little bit hotter. There's a lot of things going on. But I'm excited. I'm very happy to be here and have the pole position. (About how running in traffic will be tomorrow):  It's going to be tough. The good news is my car, as you could see, is really fast. Anything could happen. In the end of the day, Team Penske did a hell of a job again. Now we're going to enjoy this victory, or this pole position I should say, and tomorrow we're going to start working again.

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet): "Tenth is definitely good for us, and you've seen the way things can go here with people going back and forth, so it's not a bad place to start. Today we really accomplished what we wanted in the National Guard Chevy with a little bit of a race sim to see where the car is going to go. I felt very good in qualifying and in practice, we were just a little bit off (in the heat race) but that's what this is good for; it gives us a chance to get it better for tomorrow. Honestly, the car felt good it just had a little too much understeer, which is the better evil to have and to solve. So I feel pretty good about tomorrow."

E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA Citgo Chevrolet): "Very difficult day for me today. I believe we didn't get all of our factors together. Qualifying was really not the best, and then in the Heat we were lacking plenty of grip so we lost some positions. That is not a huge issue - I started from the same place in the back and have made it all the way to the front in the past, and that could also happen tomorrow."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "It was a good day I think considering that we had to change the engine. We still qualified in the top 10. In the qualifying heat, the  race was quite productive for the ABC Supply team. I think we still need to find a little bit more speed for tomorrow but I think running the two heat races worked well for us in terms of understanding the car better than if we had just run the final heat race."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet):  "I think we were a little conservative in the Heat Race with the RC (Cola) car. We ran a little more of a (race day) car and we could have been more aggressive - that kind of hurt us. In the end of the stint we would have started moving forward but it was too late. Starting fourth isn't all bad though... we've done it (won) here from 17th."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "The GoDaddy car was great. Huge credit to the Andretti (Autosport) guys because they gave us a car we could move up. We didn't see a lot of guys making passes today, and we were able to move up from where we started. It's a shame we lost that position to Will (Power) there with about 20 (laps) to go - I would have liked an outside starting spot (for tomorrow's race). We're certainly in the ballpark. Helio (Castroneves) has been quick all weekend, and we know where we are relative to him so we just have to keep our heads down, make a couple changes for tomorrow and hopefully we can be there."

***

IZOD IndyCar Series officials announced the following cars are changing engines after the heat races and will receive 10 grid-spot penalties for unapproved engine changes for Sunday's race

#3 Castroneves (Rule 15.5.4b)

15.5.4b (Indy 500 engine) Full-Season Entrants have the choice to use up the changed-out Engine or to use up the Indianapolis  500 Mile Race Engine first. Should the changed-out Engine be refitted before the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Engine reaches its Change-Out Mileage, it must remain in the Car for the balance of its Change-Out Mileage. Both Engines must reach their Change-Out Mileages before another Engine can be fitted to the Car.

#9 Dixon (Rule 15.5.1)

15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.

#16 Jakes (Rule 15.5.1)

15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.

#67 Newgarden (Rule 15.5.1

15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.

SUKUP 100 RACE SPECIFICS

The race is 115 laps, 100 miles on .875-mile oval.

The pit road speed limit is 45 mph.

The green flag to start the race will be shown the third time by the start-finish line.

Pole sitter Carlos Munoz will grid driver's left for today's race

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford will drive the Chevrolet Corvette Safety Car.

SUKUP 100 PRE-RACE

            At 7:45 p.m., the ambient temperature was 87 degrees with a relative humidity of 60 percent. Skies were cloudy. The track temperature was 98 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.

            At 7:45 p.m., Steve Sukup, CFO of Sukup Manufacturing, gave the command, "Drivers, start your engines." All cars are running and rolling on the grid.

SUKUP 100 RACE RUNNING:

Initial Start waived off

Lap 1: GREEN. #77 Hawksworth leads the field into Turn 1.

Lap 10: #77 Hawksworth continues to lead; #8 Karam is in 2nd place.

Lap 20: #77 Hawksworth continues to lead; #8 Karam is running 2nd and #7 Gabby Chaves

Lap 30: #77 Hawksworth leads, #8 Karam  remains  2nd and #7 Gabby Chaves is third

Lap 40: #77 Hawksworth leads, #8 Karam  remains 2nd and #7 Gabby Chaves is third

Lap 48: #8 Karam  passes #77 Hawksworth for the lead between Turns 3 and 4

Lap 50: #8 Karam  leads, #77 Hawksworth in 2nd and #7 Gabby Chaves remains 3rd

Lap 60: #8 Karam  leads, #77 Hawksworth in 2nd and #7 Gabby Chaves remains 3rd

Lap 70: #8 Karam  leads, #77 Hawksworth in 2nd and #7 Gabby Chaves remains 3rd

Lap 80: #8 Karam  leads, #77 Hawksworth in 2nd and #7 Gabby Chaves remains 3rd

Lap 85: #8 Karam leads #77 Hawksworth by.2808 of a second.

Lap 90: #77 Hawksworth gets loose in traffic and #7 Chaves passes for second.

Lap 91: #8 Karam leads #7 Chaves by .2344 of a second.

Lap 95: #8 Karam leads #7 Chaves by .3347 of a second. #77 Hawksworth is third, .5957 behind.

Lap 100: #8 Karam leads #7 Chaves by .3728 of a second. #77 Hawksworth is third, .6011 of a second behind.

Lap 105: #8 Karam leads #7 Chaves by .3287 of a second. #77 Hawksworth is third, .5718 of a second behind.

Lap 110: #8 Karam leads #7 Chaves by .4848 of a second. #77 Hawksworth is third, .7779 of a second behind.

Lap 114: WHITE: #8 Karam leads #7 Chaves by .2201 of a second. #77 Hawksworth is third, .4172 of a second behind.

Lap 115: CHECKERED: #8 Sage Karam wins the Sukup 100 by .2660 of a second over #7 Chaves.

SUKUP 100 POST-RACE NOTES

This is the second career Firestone Indy Lights victory for Sage Karam and his second consecutive oval win.

This is Karam's fourth consecutive victory at Iowa (USF2000, Pro Mazda, Firestone Indy Lights)

This is Karam's fifth podium finish of the season (St. Pete, Long Beach, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Iowa).

Today's win moves Karam into the championship standings. He leads Carlos Munoz by nine points.

Gabby Chaves finished second. It is the fourth podium finish this season (Barber, Long Beach, Indianapolis, Iowa)

Jack Hawksworth finished third. It's his third podium finish of the season (St. Pete, Barber, Iowa).

SUKUP 100 POST-RACE QUOTES

SAGE KARAM (No. 8 Schmidt Peterson c/w Curb Agajanian): "I saw the opportunity, took it and that was it.  We had a good race.  I will tell you what, that was one of the hardest victories I've had to work for.  That definitely goes down as the best drive I've ever had."

GABBY CHAVES (No. 7 Schmidt Peterson c/w Curb Agajanian): I felt that we had the strongest car at the end of the race.  It's just a shame.  It's a bit hard running in dirty air.  I had a good run on Sage (Karam) and he defended.  It's just hard keeping the car down on the racing line when you're so close to the car in front as well as trying to keep another car behind you.  You're working twice as hard.  Another points finish, another podium.  Disappointed we didn't get the win because we definitely had the car.  We'll just put our heads down and keep working forward.

JACK HAWKSWORTH (No. 77 Schmidt Peterson c/w Curb Agajanian): "We finished third after leading the race for a long time today. I think I shifted to sixth a little too early in the race because when I did Sage (Karam) was able to drive past me. He was using fifth gear then which obviously helped him and hindered us. After that I got back into it and was able to start racing my teammate Gabby (Chaves) hard. It's great to have a solid finish on an oval because I've been working toward that for several races now!"

PETER DEMPSEY (No. 5 Belardi Auto Racing): "Obviously starting last was going to make it a tough race for us. The car came in to where I needed it about half way through and we started to pick up the pace and I was flat out every lap but we were dropping too much speed. To look at the big picture we finished in front of who we were fighting in the points for so it wasn't a disaster for us today considering where we started from. We were the fastest car on the track for more than the last 20 laps so we just have to learn how to find that speed earlier in the race."

JORGE GONCALVEZ (No 4. Belardi Auto Racing): "I'm pretty happy with where I finished. I think that I had a great start because I was in the front of the field. The first couple laps I had understeer because the track conditions had changed a lot from our earlier sessions. This morning was so hot and now it has cooled down a little so it definitely changed the track. I did the best I could on track and I ended up fifth, so I'm pretty happy with that."


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