seventh race in 17-race 2007 season

Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile asphalt oval

9:30 p.m. (ET), Saturday, June 9

228 laps/342 miles/550 kilometers

POSTED AWARDS:

More than $1 million

CARS:

Dallara chassis; Honda Indy V-8 engines; Firestone tires; 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol

PAST RACE WINNERS:

1997 – Arie Luyendyk; 1998 – Billy Boat (June) and John Paul Jr. (September); 1999 – Scott Goodyear (June) and Mark Dismore (October); 2000 – Scott Sharp (June) and Scott Goodyear (October); 2001 – Scott Sharp (June) and Sam Hornish Jr. (October); 2002 – Jeff Ward (June) and Sam Hornish Jr. (September); 2003 – Al Unser Jr. (June) and Gil de Ferran (October); 2004 – Tony Kanaan (June) and Helio Castroneves (October); 2005 – Tomas Scheckter; 2006 Helio Castroneves.

2006 SERIES CHAMPION:

Sam Hornish Jr.

TV:

Race: ESPN2, 10 p.m. (ET), June 9

Talent: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, (announcers); Jack Arute, Brienne Pedigo, Vince Welch (pit reporters)

Note: Live streaming video coverage of AAMCO Transmissions Pole Qualifying (7 p.m. (ET), June 8) is available at indycar.com

RADIO:

Qualifying webcast: 6:45 p.m. (ET), June 8, indycar.com

Pre-race: IMS Radio Network (live), 9 p.m. (ET), June 9

Race: IMS Radio Network (live), 9:30 p.m. (ET), June 9

Talent: Mike King (host); Davey Hamilton (analyst); Dave Wilson (color commentary); Mark Jaynes (turns); Bob Jenkins and Kevin Lee (pit reporters); Kevin Olson (special assignments)

Live coverage of AAMCO Transmissions Pole Qualifying (7 p.m. ET, June 8) and the race also will be available at indycar.com. The race broadcast is also available on XM Satellite Radio channel 144 “XM Sports Nation” and XM channel 145 “IndyCar Racing”

SCHEDULE (All times local; subject to change):

Thursday, June 7

10 a.m. IndyCar Series garage opens

2:30 - 3:30 p.m. IndyCar Series practice (two groups)

4:30-5:30 p.m. IndyCar Series practice (two groups)

Friday, June 8

11 a.m. IndyCar Series garage opens

2:30-4:30 p.m. IndyCar Series practice (two groups)

6 p.m. AAMCO Transmissions Pole Qualifying

Saturday, June 9

Noon IndyCar Series garage opens

8:30 p.m. Bombardier Learjet 550k (228 laps/342 miles), ESPN2 (10 p.m.)

THE TRACK:

1.5-mile paved quad-oval

Frontstretch: 2,250 feet banked at 5 degrees

Backstretch: 1,330 feet banked at 5 degrees

Width: 58 feet

Turns are banked at 24 degrees

• Texas Motor Speedway is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. The state-of-the-art facility showcases a 1.5-mile oval with 24-degree banking in the turns, designed to accommodate stock car, truck and open-wheel racing. The speedway currently plays host to two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races, two Busch Series races, two Craftsman Truck Series events and an IndyCar Series race.

INDY-STYLE RACING IN TEXAS:

In 1969, the state’s first major racing facility in the Lone Star State, Texas World Speedway, opened in College Station, about 50 miles northwest of Houston.

The 2-mile oval hosted open-wheel racing for 10 years and counts two of the state’s biggest racing names, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt among its race winners.

Dallas played host to its first major league racing event, a Formula One race won by Keke Rosberg in 1984.

In 1997, O. Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., opened Texas Motor Speedway near the Alliance Development in Denton County. The 1.5-mile oval hosted its first IndyCar Series event that same year.

From 1998-2004, the track played host to two IndyCar Series events each year, including six of seven season finales.

INDYCAR SERIES NOTES:

•Five Indianapolis 500 champions are entered in the Bombardier Learjet 550k: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Buddy Rice (2004), Dan Wheldon (2005), Sam Hornish Jr. (2006) and Dario Franchitti (2007).

•Five IndyCar Series champions are entered in the Bombardier Learjet 550k: Scott Sharp (1996 co-champion), Sam Hornish Jr. (2001, 2002, 2006), Scott Dixon (2003), Tony Kanaan (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).

•Drivers entered in the Bombardier Learjet 550k have combined for 78 IndyCar Series victories, 75 IndyCar Series pole positions and 1,140 IndyCar Series starts.

•The Bombardier Learjet 550k will be the 18th IndyCar Series event conducted at Texas Motor Speedway. Arie Luyendyk was the inaugural winner in 1997. Previous winners at Texas expected to compete in the Bombardier Learjet 500k are: Scott Sharp (June 2000, June 2001), Sam Hornish Jr. (October 2001, September 2002), Tony Kanaan (June 2004), Helio Castroneves (October 2004, June 2006) and Tomas Scheckter (2005).

• In six races thus far in 2007, there have been four winners. Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan are the only multiple winners. Wheldon won at Homestead-Miami and Kansas. Kanaan won at Twin Ring Motegi and Milwaukee. Other winners in 2007: Helio Castroneves at St. Petersburg, and Dario Franchitti at Indianapolis. In those six races, 10 drivers have finished in the top five in at least one event.

• Milka Duno (SAMAX Motorsport) is the only Bombardier Rookie of the Year candidate expected to compete in the Bombardier Learjet 550k. Duno leads the Bombardier Rookie of the Year point standings over Phil Giebler (Playa Del Racing) 26-10.

• Bigger in Texas: Everything is bigger in Texas, including the IndyCar Series’ stop at Texas Motor Speedway. Fifty kilometers have been added to this year’s race, which means teams will have to account for 28 more laps around the 1.5 mile high-banked tri-oval. Will the new race distance affect the way teams call the race?

• Franchitti in Front: Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti leads the IndyCar Series point standings for the first time in his career, but with six drivers within 50 points of his lead, the championship race could turn into a season-long battle between three teams. Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dan Wheldon trails by three points, while his teammate Scott Dixon is five points back. Milwaukee race winner Tony Kanaan is just 20 points behind his Andretti Green Racing teammate, Franchitti, while Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves (33 back) and defending IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. (48 points back) remain in the mix.

• Another close finish?: Texas Motor Speedway’s unique 24-degree banked turns have produced some of the tight racing that has been the hallmark of the IndyCar Series over the last 10 seasons. Six of the 25-closest finishes in IndyCar Series history, including two of the five-closest races have occurred at Texas.

• Lone Star links: Several native Texans are members of teams that will compete at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Vision Racing’s A.J. Foyt IV, of Waller, will race at Texas Motor Speedway for the fifth time, while his grandfather, the legendary A.J. Foyt, enters England’s Darren Manning in his famed No. 14 machine. Foyt’s son, Larry, a graduate of nearby Texas Christian University, serves as team director of Foyt’s Texas-based team. Two crew members hail from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex: Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Danny Hunter (Jackman for No. 10 Dan Wheldon) and Andretti Green Racing’s Dave Rodgers (spotter for No. 7 Danica Patrick) are Dallas natives. 7-Eleven, the primary sponsor of Tony Kanaan’s Andretti-Green Racing entry, is based in Dallas.

• Ethanol Power: The 2007 IndyCar Series season marks the first year where the full field will be fueled by ethanol. All IndyCar Series competitors will employ the 3.5-liter Honda Indy V-8 engine fueled by 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol. The IndyCar Series is the first in motorsports to embrace a renewable fuel source. Ethanol is an environmentally-friendly fuel, distilled from high-starch crops (primarily corn) grown in the United States.

MILESTONES:

• Tony Kanaan won his ninth IndyCar Series race at The Milwaukee Mile, tying Scott Sharp for fouth place on the IndyCar Series all-time victory list.

• Tony Kanaan’s win at The Milwaukee Mile was Andretti Green Racing 26th IndyCar Series victory, the most IndyCar Series wins of any entrant.

• Through six races, Dan Wheldon has led 521 of 1,091 laps this season or 47.8 percent of all laps. Tony Kanaan holds the IndyCar Series record for most-laps led with 889 during the 2004 season.

• Sam Hornish Jr. can tie the record that Helio Castroneves and Scott Sharp share for most consecutive seasons with at least one win (seven) should he win at Texas Motor Speedway. Sharp claimed at least one win from 1997-2003 while Castroneves has won in every season since 2001.

• Scott Sharp needs one win to earn his 10th IndyCar Series victory.

• Scott Sharp can extend his series record for consecutive starts to 128 straight races at Texas Motor Speedway.

• Scott Sharp needs to earn $265,537 to surpass $10,000,000 in career earnings.

• Vitor Meira has gone 65 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.