MENARDS INFINITI PRO SERIES RETURNS TO INDY - Series to contest second race at IMS in 22 days
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the next spot for a showdown between Wade Cunningham and Travis Gregg when the Indy Racing League Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ drivers compete for the series points lead in the Liberty Challenge June 18 on the facility’s 2.605-mile road course.
The Menards Infiniti Pro Series will become the first racing series in the world to compete on both the Indianapolis oval and road course when it returns to the facility 22 days after competing on the oval in the Futaba Freedom 100 on May 27.
The Menards Infiniti Pro Series, the top ladder series for the Indy Racing League IndyCar® Series, also will be the first series to compete at Indianapolis twice in the same year since 1916.
Gregg leads Cunningham by four points after five of 14 rounds, with the two swapping the points lead in the past two races. Gregg, 27, regained the points lead for the third time this season with a victory June 11 in the Firestone 100 at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval.
“The Indy road course is a first-class track,” Gregg said. “Since we are racing the same weekend as F1, it will be very exciting, especially with all the international fans watching the event.
“At the (March 24) Open Test for the road course, things went well, and hopefully we will be stronger for the race. There are many drivers in the series with more road-course experience than I have, so it’s my goal to steer clear of trouble and get a top-five finish.”
The advantage at Indianapolis may lie with Cunningham, a former world karting champion with much more road-racing experience than Gregg, who has competed primarily on ovals.
Cunningham, 20, has recorded three consecutive second-place finishes, including St. Petersburg, the series’ first-ever non-oval event; Indianapolis, where he took the series points lead; and Texas.
“It’s going to be great,” Cunningham said. “It’s not going to be a big oval, so it’s going to give some of us other drivers an opportunity to do well over there. I think it will be a good race, for sure.
“Some more drivers will come back. (Marco) Andretti and some others will be there, so it should be a good race.”
Andretti, 18, and Jaime Camara, 24, also hope to be front-runners in the Liberty Challenge. Andretti won his series debut on the streets of St. Petersburg and was third quickest at the Open Test. He is the grandson of 1978 Formula One World Champion Mario Andretti and son of IndyCar Series team owner Michael Andretti.
Camara, who won the Futaba Freedom 100 on the oval at IMS, previously competed in South American Formula 3.
“I’ll do my best to win there again because if I do, that’s going to be a really good win, two times in the same year,” Camara said. “But it’s going to be very competitive. If I can do a good job there, it's going to be perfect.”
IndyCar Series regular Ed Carpenter also will compete in the Liberty Challenge. Carpenter, who competed in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series in 2002 and 2003, winning the inaugural Futaba Freedom 100 in 2003 at Indianapolis, will miss the practice/qualifying sessions due to a manufacturer’s test in Richmond, Va.
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Tickets: Tickets for the United States Grand Prix can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, or by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ Liberty Challenge At Indianapolis Motor Speedway 5:45 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, June 18, 2005
Car/Driver/Hometown/Car Name-C/E/T-Entrant/Chief Mechanic
1
Jaime Camara (R)
Goiania, Goias, Brazil
CELG – Sam Schmidt Motorsports
D/I/F
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
John Worth
3
Arie Luyendyk Jr.
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Firestone Special
D/I/F
Brian Stewart Racing
Mo Larsen
4
Marty Roth
Toronto
Roth Racing
D/I/F
Roth Racing
Rick Duman
6
Jon Herb
Orlando, Fla.
AERCON
D/I/F
Racing Professionals
Joe Barlum
7
Travis Gregg (R)
Camden, Ohio
Lucas Oil Products/Sam Schmidt Mspt
D/I/F
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
John Roof Jr.
9
Ed Carpenter
Indianapolis
Vision Racing
D/I/F
Vision Racing
Richard Armour
19
Chris Festa (R)
Atlanta
Western Union – CareCentric - SSM
D/I/F
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Chris Griffis
20
Jay Drake (R)
Val Verde, Calif.
Vision Racing
D/I/F
Vision Racing
Richard Armour
21
Nick Bussell (R)
Ionia, Mich.
JL West Motorsports
D/I/F
J.L. West Motorsports
Tony Mizialko
24
Jeff Simmons
Hartford, Conn.
Team ISI
D/I/F
Kenn Hardley Racing
Butch Winkle
26
Marco Andretti (R)
Nazareth, Pa.
Vonage
D/I/F
Andretti Green Racing
TBA
33
Wade Cunningham (R)
Auckland, New Zealand
New Zealand Automobile Club
D/I/F
Brian Stewart Racing
Dave Metcalf
36
Larry Connor (R)
Bellbrook, Ohio
Genoa Racing/The Connor Group
D/I/F
Genoa Racing
Mike West
91
Mishael Abbott (R)
Coral Springs, Fla.
Hemelgarn Johnson Motorsports
D/I/F
Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports
Dave Taylor
Legend: Chassis: D=Dallara. Engine: I=Infiniti. Tire: F=Firestone. (R)=Rookie. Issued: 6/13/05
