Sunday, April 5 - 2 p.m. (EDT) - Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.Track - 100 laps / 180 milesThe IndyCar Series opens its season in St. Petersburg for the first time. The winner at St. Pete has gone on to win the series championship only one time in the four years of the event (Dan Wheldon in 2005), however, the winner of the season opener has gone on to the title five times in the last eight years. Can that season-opening magic help title contenders Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan?
Rahal returns to site of record-setting victoryThe odds were stacked against Graham Rahal last year. The 19-year-old was part of the group of drivers and teams scurrying to prepare for the season with new equipment after the unification of open-wheel racing under the IndyCar Series banner, and he had missed the season’s first race at Homestead-Miami Speedway after damaging his car in a practice crash. Rahal overcome those odds and a wet start to the race to become the youngest winner in major open wheel history. What will Rahal do with a year of experience under his belt?Hometown hero eyes return to Victory Lane
St. Petersburg resident Dan Wheldon hopes a move to Panther Racing in the offseason will spur a return to Victory Lane in St. Petersburg for the first time since 2005. After winning the inaugural Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Wheldon finished 16th in 2006, ninth in 2007 and 12th in 2008.
Matos a rookie but has three wins at St. PeteRaphael Matos is one of the rookies entered in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, but he’s not new to the St. Petersburg circuit. Matos won three Firestone Indy Lights races in St. Pete, sweeping a doubleheader in 2006 and winning again last year. Fellow rookies Mike Conway and Robert Doornbos have plenty of experience racing on road and street courses, while Stanton Barrett makes the transition from stock cars. How will the rookies fare?
Alternate tires debutIndyCar Series teams will have three sets of alternate “red” tires this weekend. The tires provide more grip but less durability, offering teams the opportunity to take short gambles on speed. Teams are required to keep one new, “sticker,” set for at least two laps in the race, but they may use the other sets during practice or the three knockout rounds of Firestone Fast Six qualifying. How will teams use the reds in their first trial with them?
Making up groundDrivers don’t need to start up front to enjoy success at St. Petersburg. In each of the four races, at least three drivers have recorded top-10 finishes after starting outside of the top 10. Last year, four drivers made big moves during the race. E.J. Viso went from 15th to fourth, Enrique Bernoldi went from 18th to fifth, Hideki Mutoh went from 14th to sixth and Danica Patrick went from 19th to 10th. In addition, two winners at St. Pete, Dan Wheldon and Graham Rahal, started ninth. Who will be the biggest mover this year?The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be the fifth IndyCar Series event conducted at St. Petersburg. Dan Wheldon won the inaugural race in 2005, Helio Castroneves won in 2006 and 2007, and Graham Rahal won last year.
Race Notes:Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Vitor Meira, Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon have competed in every race at St. Petersburg and are entered in this year’s event. Kanaan has never finished outside of the top three, finishing second in 2005 and third in 2006-08.
Fifteen drivers entered in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg have competed in previous races at St. Petersburg. Ten of those drivers led laps (Ryan Briscoe 54, Scott Dixon 36, Graham Rahal 19, Dario Franchitti 15, Tony Kanaan 15, E.J. Viso 12, Dan Wheldon 12, Ryan Hunter-Reay 4, Marco Andretti 3 and Vitor Meira 1).
• Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing filled the top spots at the preseason Open Tests. Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe was fastest on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway while teammate Will Power had the best lap on the road course at Barber Motorsports Park. Ganassi’s Scott Dixon was second at Homestead-Miami, and Dario Franchitti was second at Barber.
Season-to-Date:• Robert Doornbos was the quickest rookie during the road course test at Barber, ranking sixth overall. Mike Conway was the fastest rookie on the oval, ranking ninth overall.• Tony Kanaan will make his 98th consecutive start, the active leader among IndyCar Series drivers.Milestones & Records:• Scott Dixon needs two top-five finishes to reach 50 for his career. He ranks fifth all-time.• Andretti Green Racing’s next victory will be its 35th. The team ranksfirst in the IndyCar Series.• Team Penske’s next victory will be its 30th.• Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s next victory will be its 25th.• The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be the 100th IndyCar Series start for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and the 50th start for Conquest Racing.• A victory in 2009 will give Tony Kanaan a victory in seven consecutive seasons, becoming the fourth driver to do so.• Tony Kanaan has 66 career top-five finishes, tied for first all time in IndyCar Series history with Helio Castroneves.• Scott Dixon ranks second with 16 career victories. Sam Hornish Jr. holds the record with 19.• The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark Tony Kanaan’s 100th career start and Marco Andretti’s 50th career start.• The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be the 100th IndyCar Series start for Vision Racing.• The Indianapolis 500 will mark Scott Dixon’s 100th career start.• The race at Kansas will mark Dan Wheldon’s 100th career start.• Vitor Meira has gone 93 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.Twice as niceThe Firestone Indy Lights will contest its only doubleheader weekend of the season at St. Petersburg. Since the format debuted in 2006, the driver who won on Saturday in Race 1 has won again on Sunday twice. Raphael Matos and Alex Lloyd swept through St. Petersburg in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
Is No. 7 still lucky for Sam Schmidt?The driver of Sam Schmidt Motorsports' No. 7 car has won the drivers championship two of the last three seasons. Rookie James Hinchcliffe, a winner in Atlantics, takes over the car for 2008. Can Hinchcliffie be the third driver of the No.7 to win the title?
Talented field for 2009The 2009 season features one of the deepest fields in series history with race winners such as J.R. Hildebrand, Ana Beatriz, Wade Cunningham, James Davison Pablo Donoso and Logan Gomez joining a promising rookie class that includes Junior Strous (Atlantics), Pippa Mann (World Series by Renault), Martin Plowman (F3 Euroseries), Stefan Wilson (British F3), Gustavo Yacaman (Spanish F3) and Sebastian Saavedra (German F3). Others newcomers include Jonathan Summerton, James Hinchcliffe Charlie Kimball and Mario Romancini.
Ladies first?For the second consecutive season, two female drivers will compete for the championship. Brazil's Ana Beatriz, the first female to win in Firestone Indy Lights, and England’s Pippa Mann each have a legitimate shot to walk away with the Firestone Firehawk Cup. Beatriz, who finished third in the point standings in 2008, benefits from the championship experience of Sam Schmidt Motorsports, while Mann drives for Panther Racing, which claimed four wins in 2008.
Race Notes:Another debut winner?Only six drivers have won their Firestone Indy Lights debut, but two of them won their first career race on the streets of St. Petersburg. Will another first-timer join Marco Andretti and Raphael Matos as a first-time Firestone Indy Lights winner at St. Pete?Local LightsTwo Firestone Indy Lights teams will be racing in what is virtually a home race this weekend. Team E, which is based in Odessa, Fla., fields the entry for Jan Heylen, who makes his home in Tampa. FIRST Motorsports, owned by Jon Lewis of Cape Coral, Fla., fields a car for rookie Stefan Wilson. RLR/Andersen Racing’s Jonathan Summerton is also a hometown driver. Summerton lives in Kissimmee, Fla.Season To Date:• Six drivers who have won races in Firestone Indy Lights – Ana Beatriz, Wade Cunningham, James Davison, J.R. Hildebrand, James Davison, Logan Gomez and Pablo Donoso are entered in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.• Eighteen rookie drivers are entered in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Fifteen will be making their series debut. Only Daniel Herrington and Brandon Wagner have made previous starts in the series.Milestones:• Sean Guthrie, the series’ active Ironman with 33 consecutive starts, is scheduled to make his 34th and 35th consecutive start at St. Petersburg. Jaime Camara made 42 consecutive starts from 2005-2007.• A win in 2009 for Wade Cunningham would give him a record-setting fourth season with at least one win. Cunningham won races from 2005-2007. He failed to win a race in 2008 running selected events.• Vision Racing will make its 25th start in Firestone Indy Lights if James Davison starts both races at St. Petersburg.
Friday, April 37 a.m. – Garages open9:25-10:25 a.m. – Firestone Indy Lights practice10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – IndyCar Series practice3:25-4:25 p.m. – IndyCar Series practice4:40 p.m. – Press conference (Fastest 2 IndyCar Series drivers)4:45-5:30 p.m. – Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying (Race 1)5:45 p.m. – Press conference (Front row)
Saturday, April 46 a.m. – Garages open8:05-9:05 a.m. – IndyCar Series practice (two groups)9:55-10:35 a.m. – Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying (Race 2)10:50 a.m. -12:20 p.m. – PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying12:45 p.m. – Press conference (IndyCar Series front row)4:45 p.m. – Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Race 1 (40 laps,72 miles)6 p.m. – Press conference (Firestone Indy Lights top three finishers)
Sunday, April 56 a.m. – Garages open8:30-9 a.m. – IndyCar Series practice10 a.m. – Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Race 2 (40 laps,72 miles)11:20 a.m. – Press conference (Firestone Indy Lights top three finishers)2:45 p.m. – Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (100 laps, 180 miles)5:30 p.m. – Press conference (1st, 2nd, story of the day)
