Dominant Dixon wins again at Toronto, earns $100,000 bonus

Scott Dixon was dominant in Race 2 of the Honda Indy Toronto -- from the first standing start in IZOD IndyCar Series history to the completion of 85 laps.

 Dixon, who won Race 1 of the Honda Indy Toronto by 1.7 seconds over Sebastien Bourdais on July 14, won Race 2 under caution because of a late accident to sweep the weekend doubleheader and earn the $100,000 SONAX Perfect Finish Award.

"It's been a long time since I've had such a dominant day," said Dixon, who led 81 of the 85 laps in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

It was the third consecutive victory for two-time series champion Dixon, who will celebrate his 33rd birthday July 22. His last three-in-a-row stretch was in 2007 (Watkins Glen, Nashville, Mid-Ohio), and the last in the series was accomplished by Ryan Hunter-Reay (Milwaukee, Iowa, Toronto) en route to his 2012 series championship.

Dixon also earned his 32nd Indy car victory to overtake Dario Franchitti, Bourdais and Paul Tracy for seventh on the all-time list.

Al Unser Jr. is next up with 34 victories (nine on ovals, 25 of road/street courses). Dixon has won 17 races on ovals and 15 on road/street courses. He has earned 31 of his 32 victories with Target Chip Ganassi Racing, which he joined in 2003.

 "If we can get more victories, we're obviously doing something right," Dixon said. "I credit a lot of that to the team."

Helio Castroneves, who entered the race with a 39-point lead over Hunter-Reay in the championship standings, finished second and is 29 points clear of Dixon. Bourdais earned his second consecutive podium finish (his first since 2007), and Franchitti finished fourth. E.J. Viso, who started 10th, placed fifth.

Carlos Munoz, who was a race day replacement for Ryan Briscoe in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car, advanced seven positions to finish 17th in his second IZOD IndyCar Series race. Briscoe suffered a fractured right wrist in Race 1.

DAY 3 NOTEBOOK:

INDYCAR Competition update:

Tires will be in place in the apex of Turns 5 and 9 during the warm-up session and Race #2. No tires will be present in Turn 1.

Teams will be allowed to practice standing-start launches this morning during the warm-up session in the same location at the end of pit lane. Priority will be given to the car exiting the pits to the racetrack, not the car practicing a launch.

Teams must supply their own equipment and personnel required to execute the launch. An INDYCAR official will be present to assist. There will not be a lights system in the launch box.

***

2013 Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year Carlos Munoz will replace Ryan Briscoe as the driver of the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet in Race #2 this afternoon.

Briscoe suffered a broken right wrist during Race #1 on Saturday and is not cleared to drive. Briscoe placed 22nd after being eliminated in a four-car accident on Lap 65.

Munoz, 21, from Bogota, Colombia, will make his second career IZOD IndyCar Series start today. He qualified second and finished second in the 97th Indianapolis 500 in May for Andretti Autosport, leading five times for 12 laps.

Munoz is leading the Firestone Indy Lights standings this season with three victories for Andretti Autosport. He finished fourth in the Toronto 100 on Saturday.

CARLOS MUNOZ: "I have to thank John Barnes, Panther Racing and the National Guard for this opportunity. It's unfortunate that it comes as a result of Ryan being injured, but I'm excited about making the most of this opportunity. Toronto is a challenging circuit, but just watching practice and qualifications the last few days, it's obvious that the National Guard Chevy is fast, and I hope to help bring the team a great end to the weekend today."

JOHN BARNES (Managing partner, Panther Racing): "Carlos is a tremendous young driver with a great deal of talent. We're excited that he was available to drive the National Guard Chevrolet today on such short notice, and I'm sure this will be a great learning experience for him. We're obviously wishing Ryan (Briscoe) a speedy recovery, but also very happy to make the most of this opportunity with Carlos today."

***

            Matthew Brabham won the 25-lap Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires race this morning, completing a sweep of both events for the series this weekend at Toronto.

            Brabham beat Diego Ferreira to the checkered flag by 5.088 seconds for his seventh consecutive victory this season in an Andretti Autosport car. Brabham is the son of Le Mans 24 Hours winner Geoff Brabham and the grandson of three-time Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham.

***

INDYCAR Competition update #2:

            The orange restart cones are in place just after Turn 11 on the front straightaway.

***

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES WARM-UP:

             At 10:45 a.m., the ambient temperature was 75 degrees (24 C) with a relative humidity of 78 percent and winds from the east at 7 mph (11 km/h). Skies were sunny.

            Pole lap, Race #2: #9 Dixon, 58.9686.

10:50 a.m. - GREEN.

            11 a.m. -- #12 Power quickest at 59.6883.

            11:03 a.m. -- #11 Kanaan hits outside retaining wall with left-rear wheel of car exiting Turn 11, left tire deflates. Kanaan pulls off track in runoff area in Turn 1. Kanaan climbs from car without assistance from Holmatro Safety Team.

            11:05 a.m. -- #9 Dixon quickest at 59.4832.

            11:14 a.m. -- #9 Dixon quickest at 59.4154.

            11:19 a.m. -- #3 Castroneves quickest at 59.4075.

            11:20 a.m. - CHECKERED. #3 Castroneves quickest at 59.4075. All 24 cars participated in session and turned at least one lap.

***

Scott Dixon will earn the $100,000 SONAX Perfect Finish Award if he wins the Honda Indy Toronto 2 in T.O. Race #2 today, sweeping both races this weekend in Toronto.

SONAX, INDYCAR's Official Automobile Detail Partner, established the 2013 "SONAX Perfect Finish Award" to be presented to an IZOD IndyCar Series driver who captures both races on a doubleheader weekend at the Detroit, Toronto or Houston events.

SONAX will award $50,000 to a driver who wins both feature races during any of the doubleheader weekends. If a driver does not win both races in any weekend, the $50,000 prize will carry over to the next doubleheader weekend.

Since no driver won both Detroit events, the award jumped to $100,000 in Toronto for a driver who wins both races at the famed Exhibition Place street circuit. If no driver captures both features at Toronto, the SONAX Perfect Finish Award will be worth $150,000 at the Houston weekend.

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INDYCAR officials announced Saturday evening that a standing start will be used in the IZOD IndyCar Series' Honda Indy Toronto 2 in T.O. Race #2 today.

The standing start will follow the same procedures that were used in Race #1. The series' first attempt at a standing start was aborted during Race #1 due to a stalled car on the grid.

BRIAN BARNHART (Senior vice president of operations, INDYCAR): "The fans deserve to see a standing start, so after consultation with the promoter, we have made the decision to implement standing start for Sunday's race."

***

            Firestone Indy Lights point leader Carlos Munoz talked with the media this afternoon about replacing Ryan Briscoe as the driver of the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet today in Race #2. Briscoe suffered a broken right wrist in an accident Saturday during Race #1.

            CARLOS MUNOZ: (Were you surprised to get call from Panther?): "Yeah, I was really surprised because it was really late, and I don't any experience in an Indy car on a road course. None in my life. I don't even have my seat here from Indy car, from the Indy 500. I was surprised. I talked to Michael (Andretti), I talked to my engineers, I talked to some other guys, and they said you have to take this chance. This is an opportunity to get more experience, more laps." (Have you tested on a road course in an Indy car?): "Never. First time was today ever. The horsepower, we don't feel it as much at the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway. But with the walls and everything, it's much more difficult." (When was the last time you did a standing start): "Back in the year I raced Formula 3. It was quite nice to start with the hand brake. It wasn't tough to start. I'm not going to have a good start. I'm going to start last. The race is 85 laps. I'm going to try to make no mistakes and gain confidence lap by lap." (About using Ryan Briscoe's setup): "I knew Ryan did a great job in qualifying for today, so I knew it was more from my part than the car. We started, more or less, with the same car as Ryan." (Were you planning to stay here, and why did Panther call you?): "No, my flight was this morning at 6 a.m. So I changed my flight for yesterday, later in the night at 7 p.m., they called me and said do you want to drive Ryan's car? That's when we started calling and everything." (Do you know why they called you?): "Not really. Go and ask JB (John Barnes) about it. I don't know." (Did you talk with Ryan about the car this morning?): "Yeah, we talked a little bit. More or less, I had a question about what to expect from the car, what reference points he had." (Were you able to follow other drivers in practice?): "Not really in the beginning. I was three seconds slower, and everyone was overtaking me. I ended up only one second and something behind, so it wasn't a bad for a first experience for me." (Where did you cut time from your lap during practice?): "Everywhere. Each lap I was going quicker. I have too much to learn, especially on braking, since this was my first time on carbon brakes, and it's totally different from what I'm used to in Indy Lights." (What is your goal today): "I said (to Panther) I would go race, but don't expect me to do a great job as I did in Indy. My goal is to not make any mistakes. Yesterday there were a lot of crashes. I saw the race. So it's get me out of trouble and be quicker and quicker on each lap and not make any mistakes on pit stops and to finish the race." (How does your Indy Lights experience translate here?): "Line-wise, it's totally similar to the Indy Lights. So that helped me a lot, the Indy Lights helped me. The reference points are really similar to IndyCar." (How will this ride today help you toward your goal of reaching IndyCar?): "My goal next year is to be full time IndyCar driver. This year after the Indy 500, we were working maybe to Sonoma with the Andretti Autosport team. I was not sure because we wanted to be focused on Indy Lights title because it was more important to do one full season in IndyCar than one race in Sonoma, so I think still the goal is to win the Indy Lights championship."

            Danilo Estrela won the 25-lap Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda race today, the second of two events for the series this weekend at Toronto.

            Estrela beat runner-up Scott Hargrove by 1.153 seconds in a Belardi Auto Racing entry. Hargrove is from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Race #1 winner Neil Alberico finished fifth today.

***

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES DRIVERS' MEETING NOTES:

Brake markers were added in Turn 3, drivers' right.

Tires are in Turns 5 and 9 so the following rule is in effect:

7.3.4.1. A Car will be credited with a lap when its timing transponder crosses the start/finish line after completing one entire lap of the Track with two wheels of the Car having remained on the Racing Surface at all times, as determined from the scoring records. Notwithstanding the foregoing:

7.3.4.1.1. If a Car returns to pit lane under its own power and retires from the Race, INDYCAR may credit the Car with completion of the lap.

7.3.4.1.2. On the last lap of a Race, a Car will be officially credited with a lap when any part of the Car under its own power crosses the finish line.

7.3.4.1.3. A Car will not be permitted to advance or maintain its position relative to other Cars due to an excursion off the Racing Surface unless the excursion was due to the Car taking evasive action.

The restart zone has been redefined, starting at Grid Row 12 to Grid Row 7 on the front stretch. Leader dictates acceleration for the restart.

If the first standing start is aborted, the field will pull away and meet up with the Pace Car. The two Safety Trucks at the back of the grid will clear the disabled car to pit road. The field will take two formation laps, re-grid and make a second attempt at a standing start. This procedure was instituted because post-race data from Race #1 showed temperatures were not reaching the point of overheating on the grid, and it only took 32 seconds to grid the 24 cars.

***

***

            #19 Justin Wilson, #83 Charlie Kimball and #4 Carlos Munoz are the only drivers who will start the Honda Indy Toronto 2 in T.O. Race #2 on Firestone primary "black" tires. The other 21 drivers will start on Firestone alternate "red" tires.

***

HONDA INDY TORONTO 2 IN T.O. RACE #2 RACE RUNNING:

            At 3:30 p.m., the ambient temperature was 83 degrees (28 C) with a relative humidity of 61 percent and winds from the west at 6 mph (10 km/h). Skies were sunny. The track temperature was 120 degrees (49 C), according to Firestone engineers.

            Race distance: 85 laps on 1.755-mile (2.824-km) course

Estimated fuel window: 30 laps

Race #1 winner, Saturday: #9 Scott Dixon, Target Chip Ganassi Racing

            3:33 p.m.: Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Clarkson gives command to start engines.

Nose off #27 Hinchcliffe car when command given to start engines due to stuck throttle pedal. #27 Hinchcliffe missed spot in formation lap and will start from rear of field. Team pushes car to pits for attempt at repairs.

#27 Hinchcliffe will start from pit stall after standing start.

            Lap 1: GREEN. Standing start. #20 Carpenter stalled on start. #9 Dixon leads into Turn 1. #10 Franchitti dropped from second to seventh on standing start. Smoke trailing from #10 Franchitti, who dives into pits at end of first lap, four tires (alternate), fuel, nose replacement. Apparent contact on first lap between #10 Franchitti, #12 Power in Turn 3.

            #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by .6051 of a second after first lap.

            Lap 3: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 1.3552 seconds.

            Lap 5: #27 Hinchcliffe joins race from pits after repair of stuck throttle pedal. #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 1.4927 seconds.

            Lap 7: #18 Conway up to 14th after starting 23rd.

            Lap 8: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 2.0476 seconds.

            Lap 10: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 2.5424 seconds. Top 10 - #9 Dixon, #3 Castroneves, #12 Power, #1 Hunter-Reay, #7 Bourdais, #11 Kanaan, #5 Viso, #98 Tagliani, #78 De Silvestro, #14 Sato.

            Lap 12: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 3.2203 seconds. #12 Power third, 8.2418 seconds behind leader.

            Lap 14: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 3.4851 seconds.

            Lap 16: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 4.1970 seconds. #12 Power third, 10.3947 seconds behind leader.

            Lap 17: #11 Kanaan, #67 Newgarden to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. Tire pressure adjustment for #67 Newgarden.

            Lap 18: #15 Rahal, #16 Jakes to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 19: #55 Vautier to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. Crew for #6 Saavedra reports radio malfunction.

            Lap 20: #98 Tagliani to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 21: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 3.8626 seconds.

            Lap 22: #77 Pagenaud, #18 Conway to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. Slow stop for #77 Pagenaud but still exited pits in front of Conway.

            Lap 24: #6 Saavedra black-flagged due to radio failure. #6 Saavedra to pits to repair radio, returns to race.  #9 Dixon, #78 De Silvestro to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. #3 Castroneves takes lead.

            Lap 25: #14 Sato, #25 Andretti to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 26: #3 Castroneves to pits, four tires (primary), fuel and front-wing adjustment. #7 Bourdais to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. #12 Power takes lead.

            Will Power has led in 10 of 13 races this season.

            Lap 28: #12 Power, #5 Viso to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. #9 Dixon takes lead.

            Lap 29: #20 Carpenter to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 30: #19 Wilson, #4 Munoz to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 31: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 8.1115 seconds. #83 Kimball to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. All 24 cars on primary tires.

            Lap 34: #10 Franchitti, #11 Kanaan to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 36: #11 Kanaan hits inside pit wall exiting Turn 1 with right-rear side of car, damaging right-rear wheel and suspension. Kanaan slows on front straightway and stops in runoff area in Turn 1. Kanaan climbs from car without assistance from Holmatro Safety Team.

            This is the first race Tony Kanaan has failed to finish since Long Beach in April.

            Lap 37: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 7.0426 seconds.

            Lap 40: #10 Franchitti up to 13th after unscheduled pit stop on Lap 1 that dropped him to 23rd.

            Lap 42: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 6.3616 seconds.

            Lap 43: #77 Pagenaud to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 45: Top 10 - #9 Dixon, #3 Castroneves, #12 Power, #1 Hunter-Reay, #7 Bourdais, #5 Viso, #14 Sato, #98 Tagliani, #55 Vautier, #19 Wilson.

            Lap 46: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 7.2980 seconds.

            Lap 48: #55 Vautier to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 49: #15 Rahal, #16 Jakes to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 50: #67 Newgarden to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 52: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 9.5565 seconds.

            Lap 53: #98 Tagliani to pits, four tires (primary), fuel and front wing adjustment.

            Lap 54: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 10.9422 seconds. #55 Vautier broke front wing after contact with #98 Tagliani. #55 Vautier, #18 Conway, #6 Saavedra to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. Front-wing replacement for #55 Vautier. Crew of #6 Saavedra reports recurring problem with radio.

            Lap 55: #78 De Silvestro, #25 Andretti to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel. Front wing adjustment for #78 De Silvestro.

            Lap 56: #3 Castroneves to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 57: #9 Dixon, #14 Sato to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 58: #12 Power, #7 Bourdais, #1 Hunter-Reay to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 59: #5 Viso to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 60: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 15.0907 seconds.

            Lap 61: #19 Wilson, #4 Munoz to pits, four tires (alternate) and fuel.

            Lap 62: #4 Munoz to pits, four tires (alternate) and fuel. #10 Franchitti turns quickest lap of race, 59.7982 seconds.

            Lap 64: YELLOW. #16 Jakes hit wall in Turn 5 with right side of car after clipping curb on inside of corner. Moderate damage to right side of car. Jakes climbs from car with assistance from Holmatro Safety Team.

            #10 Franchitti pitted before caution period started, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 66: #77 Pagenaud, #67 Newgarden to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 67: #67 Newgarden, #20 Carpenter to pits, four tires (primary) and fuel.

            Lap 69: #18 Wilson, #83 Kimball, #4 Munoz only cars on alternate tires.

            Lap 71: GREEN. Restart order: #9 Dixon, #3 Castroneves, #12 Power, #1 Hunter-Reay, #7 Bourdais, #10 Franchitti. Side-by-sid restart, with four lapped cars between #9 Dixon and #3 Castroneves.

            Lap 72: #9 Dixon leads into Turn 1 on restart. #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 2.0086 seconds after first full lap after restart.

            Lap 73: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 2.7317 seconds.

            Lap 74: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 4.1573 seconds.

            Lap 75: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 4.9767 seconds. Top 10 - #9 Dixon, #3 Castroneves, #12 Power, #7 Bourdais, #1 Hunter-Reay, #10 Franchitti, #5 Viso, #19 Wilson, #83 Kimball, #14 Sato.

            Lap 77: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 5.4916 seconds.

            Lap 79: #9 Dixon leads #3 Castroneves by 6.2879 seconds.

            Lap 81: YELLOW. #20 Carpenter hits wall at exit of Turn 5 with right front and right side of car. Carpenter climbs from pits with assistance from Holmatro Safety Team.

Lapped cars #15 Rahal, #78 De Silvestro, #6 Saavedra, #55 Vautier, #4 Munoz, #27 Hinchcliffe to drive through pits and re-join race at rear of field so only leaders will be at front of field on restart during last 10 laps of race, per INDYCAR rules.

            #6 Saavedra black-flagged for not moving to rear of field as lapped car.

            Lap 83: GREEN. Restart order: #9 Dixon, #3 Castroneves, #12 Power, #7 Bourdais, #1 Hunter-Reay, #10 Franchitti. Double-file restart.

            Lap 84: YELLOW. #7 Bourdais passes #12 Power for third on restart. #12 Power, #1 Hunter-Reay collide in Turn 2. #12 Power continues with wing damage, #1 Hunter-Reay stops, pinched against wall. #14 Sato runs into rear of #1 Hunter-Reay against wall. #12 Power stops on course. All three drivers climb from car without assistance from Holmatro Safety Team.

            Lap 85: CHECKERED. #9 Scott Dixon wins Honda Indy Toronto 2 in T.O. Race #2 under caution. #3 Helio Castroneves second, #7 Sebastien Bourdais third.

Dixon sweeps both races this weekend at Toronto and wins $100,000 SONAX Perfect Finish Award.

***

HONDA INDY TORONTO 2 IN T.O. RACE #2 QUICK QUOTES:

 SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, winner): "Once again, I want to thank everyone for coming out today. Toronto fans are something special. A little hotter today. The race was a little faster pace today, so we were definitely trying to hang on there. I think it's been since, '03 or '08, I don't know, since we've had that kind of run. I'm just so happy for the team. Second place in the points now. What a turnaround in a couple of weeks. It's a big difference."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, second): "The car was better today. They were in a different league, Scott and Ganassi guys. I was pushing. Whatever he is taking for breakfast, I want it. Scott, tell me what you're having for breakfast. Let's be realistic: The guy was leading the whole race, 13 seconds ahead."

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 7 Dragon Racing Chevrolet, third): (About racing without push-to-pass, which malfunctioned on his car): "It was really hard, and it was from seventh place. I thought I was a sitting duck. Things just turned our way. I had a really good car on the restart. I was hooked up. I knew as soon as Ryan (Hunter-Reay) passed me, I had to get him back. I went for it, and it worked out."

***

HONDA INDY TORONTO 2 IN T.O. RACE #2 POST-RACE NOTES:

Scott Dixon earned the $100,000 SONAX Perfect Finish Award for sweeping both races of the IZOD IndyCar Series doubleheader weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto.

Scott Dixon earned his third victory of the season. He also won Saturday in Toronto and last Sunday, July 7 on the oval at Pocono.

            Scott Dixon earned his 32nd career Indy car victory, gaining sole possession of seventh place on the all-time list.

Scott Dixon became the winningest active Indy-car driver with his victory today. Drivers ahead of Dixon on the all-time list: A.J. Foyt (67), Mario Andretti (52), Michael Andretti (42), Al Unser (39), Bobby Unser (35), Al Unser Jr. (34).

            This is Scott Dixon's second career victory at Toronto. His other victory was Saturday. His previous best here before this weekend was second in 2011.

Scott Dixon won three consecutive IZOD IndyCar Series races for the first time since 2007, when he won at Watkins Glen (road course), Nashville (oval) and Mid-Ohio (road course).

Scott Dixon became the first IZOD IndyCar Series driver to win three consecutive races since Ryan Hunter-Reay won consecutively in 2012 at Milwaukee, Iowa and Toronto. Hunter-Reay won the season championship in 2012.

Helio Castroneves finished second, his fifth podium finish of the season. He won at Texas, finished second today and at St. Petersburg and Milwaukee, and finished third at Barber.

Helio Castroneves has finished in the top-10 at 12 of 13 races this season. His only finish outside of the top-10 was 13th at Sao Paulo.

Sebastien Bourdais finished third today and second Saturday, his first consecutive podium finishes since winning at Australia and Mexico City to close the 2007 Champ Car season.

            Alex Tagliani finished 10th, his first top-10 result this season since finishing 10th in the season opener in March at St. Petersburg.

            James Jakes failed to finish an IZOD IndyCar Series race for the first time Baltimore in 2012.

***

HONDA INDY TORONTO 2 IN T.O. RACE #2 POST-RACE QUOTES:

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Hydroxycut KVRT-SH Racing Chevrolet): "I want to thank my crew for getting the car ready for the race after what happened this morning. I was pushing hard in the race, got a little loose and tapped the wall ending our day. I feel bad for the guys and my sponsor Hydroxycut. This is a home race for them, and a lot of the employees came out to cheer me on. I just wish we could have put on a better show for them and the fans."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch Honda): "What a great day for the NovoRapid FlexTouch car. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing guys did a great job in strategy and a great job in pit lane. All I had to do was drive, again, just like Pocono last weekend. They gave me a great car. We didn't have the greatest of starts, but we stuck with our strategy, we stuck with the fuel mileage, and all we had to do was get spots while they were there. The No. 83 Honda was great. It was pretty tough out there today with the amount of marbles on the track. It was a hot day, so for a doubleheader it was hard work, but we're already looking forward to heading to Mid-Ohio for the next round."

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): "That was a rough day. I hit the throttle and the car moved, but it just stalled. That put us behind the 8-ball immediately. The heat made the track very slippery today. At the end, I slid right into the wall pretty hard. I'm OK but frustrated right now. We had good car yesterday and could have been top-10 but took 13th. Today, I was hoping to get to the checkered flag after the tough start, and that didn't happen. We have to go to Indy and regroup over the next few weeks."

E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA Citgo Chevrolet): "Well, finishing P5 after starting 11th, I think, is a pretty consistent job. The team, the crew, the strategy - they helped me put it all together. I think it's about time that all these results start coming. I believe that performance has been there every single race, just lacking some results. Now, heading back into street and road courses, I think the results will start coming again. We needed to stay on top of the game the whole race. The heat in Toronto today was pretty intense; we needed to battle with the tires degrading pretty fast. I'm very thankful for the car that my team gave me today. I was able to do a pretty good job. They had great pit stops, and I'm just looking forward to the next street and road courses. Thanks to all of my supporters."

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet): "It was a long race and a hard race for me. It was basically my first time in an Indy car on a street course, and I didn't know what to expect to be in a race here with so many cars out there. We continued to drop lap times and I got more and more comfortable with each lap, and by the end we put together quite a good lap, which are all positive things. It's good work from the National Guard crew and my goal was to finish, and I finished, and I'm very happy to have this opportunity today."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "The throttle stuck (on the start) - it's pretty simple. I was just going through the routine of the standing start, and as soon as I put my thumb on the throttle, it stuck 100 percent, and that was about a minute before they gave the command (to start engines). We tried WD-40, but unfortunately that wasn't the magic fix, and we had to replace the pedal and went three laps down right off the bat. Then we had no yellows to help us out; we ran around in the back all day. Obviously gutted for the team and for GoDaddy, but more than anyone for the fans. It sucks for everyone that came out today. I was hoping for better in my hometown. But we weren't going to give up - I wanted to go out, finish the race and get any points we could."

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva KVRT Chevrolet): "It was a pretty painful race. We were struggling from the beginning. We didn't quite have the pace and couldn't really get the grip we needed to get out onto the straightaways smoothly, so it was a big struggle. Not super-happy, but hopefully we can turn it around for the next one."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 Dr Pepper Chevrolet): "We did what we had to today; I just wanted to finish. I think we messed the car up this morning in the warm-up. What I thought was going to be a good car in warm-up turned out to be less grip than yesterday, so we were just hanging on. The Dr Pepper car couldn't charge anywhere. We hurt the car on the brakes, so I was really tentative with braking. I couldn't make the passes I made yesterday, so we just hung in there. We managed a top-10 and will move on to Mid-Ohio in a couple weeks."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "Will (Power) was coming out from the bottom. I had a good run going on the outside, I was right next to him and he just - he was sliding across the patch. I talked to him, and he just said he got loose on the bottom and he just drove right up into us. There's two lanes going through (Turn 1), everybody kind of respects that and ... I don't think he drove into me on purpose, but we were taken out of the race. We had a good day going and had a decent car. We hung on today; that's what I was doing. I think we had a chance at a podium, maybe a fourth (place finish). I would have been happy with that. The DHL Chevy was a little lacking grip this weekend, and we were just trying to hang out. Had a good race; I tried really hard to just keep it right there; got up to third at one point. But we got taken out again."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was a disappointing end for the Verizon team. We worked so hard all day and had a good run throughout most of the race. Then for it to come to an end like it did on the last restart is such a heartbreaker. We will just look ahead and work for a better result at Mid-Ohio."

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda): "It was a weekend for us to forget for us with results, but I think we learned a lot. I'm not pleased with 12th, but if you consider all of the things that went wrong for us, it wasn't bad. I think we made the best of our situation, so I'll take that positive away from the weekend. Today told us exactly what we need to test in the HP car at Mid-Ohio, so that's good. It's certainly nice to get a break after this race, though. It will give us a breather to take a look over things as a team and for me as a driver to improve. Some of the other teams are excelling right now, and we need to be right there with them."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda): "It's been an eventful weekend. Very hot and physically demanding for everyone out there with all of the heat and humidity. We had a long day but we got through the start good, ran some clean laps, probably got a little unlucky with the fueling. But other than that, we fought to the end. We brought some decent points home. Not a stellar day, but something that we can build off at the next race."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 98 Barracuda Racing Honda): ""I gave it everything I had out there for the Barracuda Racing boys."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires Honda): "The standing start was OK. The traditional rolling start was more fun for me, to be honest, but I think the fans enjoyed it. It really didn't change Turn 1 at all. We just struggled again for a little bit of pace, a little bit of grip. We lost a little ground in those middle stints when we were stuck in traffic, but we went quick at the very end, so I'm pretty happy with that. But certainly we want to finish better than we did. It was really physical. This was probably the most physical weekend of racing I have ever had. I'm going to need to drink a lot of fluid tonight."

JAMES JAKES (No. 16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda): "I just hit the curb, and it ripped the wheel straight out of my hands. I've seen some wrist injuries in the last few days, and hopefully we can sort that out. The kick-back is unbelievable in these things, and when you aren't quite dialed in with the dampers, it's a nightmare. It was a frustrating day. It was up about 10 (degrees) ambient, so it was obviously going to be a bit more physical and hot. I had a good standing start, but I got blocked in again in Turn 1, which is the same story as yesterday. I went to the inside and got hosed. It's frustrating. The weekend started well. We qualified fifth for the first race but had the penalty, but it ended bad for us. We'll just head on to Mid-O. My wrist is OK."

JUSTIN WILSON (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda): "We had a good race going as we were picking cars off one by one. I was able to work my way up to sixth before my last pit stop. We put a set of red Firestone tires on, and I thought we could pass a few more cars since the reds come in a lot better. I had a lap car that started racing me into Turn 1, and then it slid into me, taking my front wing off. Then I got hit in the back of the car, not once, but twice. And they were big hits that did some damage to the rear of the car. I was just happy to finish the race, as it was a little crazy out there today. It was a long-fought race today, and we were able to get another top-10 finish for the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda. Thanks to the team for a fast car and some great pit stops today."

MIKE CONWAY (No. 18 Sonny's Honda): "We had a very interesting race today. We started 23rd and were able to work are way up quickly at the start of the race. It was a little strange as we could overtake some cars in certain turns, and then in other turns we would give the spots right back. I'm really interested to see what the data shows from the race. We were able to score another top-10 finish for the No. 18 Sonny's Bar-B-Q Honda today. I must thank Dale Coyne for giving me this opportunity and a great race car this weekend. I am looking forward to being back with the team for the last doubleheader of the season in Houston, but maybe I will be able to be back sooner for Mid-Ohio or Sonoma. Who knows? A big thanks to the entire No. 18 for giving me another great car this weekend in Toronto."

CHIP GANASSI (Owner, Target Chip Ganassi Racing): "Not bad, three in row. We were 92 points out in Pocono, and now we're 29 out of the lead. That's pretty fired up there. The kid is on a roll. It means a lot to us. It's good for Honda. It's good for the team, every employee we have in Indianapolis and Charlotte. It pumps everyone up. We're looking good for Mid-Ohio."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "We were running in the top-10 today all day. It was a lot of work for a very disappointing result in the end. The standing start was great - enjoyed it and moved up a couple places. We didn't have a yellow until the very end, and we were looking at a good top-10 because the car was much better. Thankfully all the boys and engineers did a great job to get back our speed, but we need to work harder because we're still behind from the top group. The very last restart was just hectic. I went to Turn 1 very clean on the outside, and a lot of cars in front and on the side and I was boxed in. There was a concertina effect, and I was hit and there was nowhere to go. Very unfortunate."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): (About Lap 1 incident): "I was trying not to lose too many positions, and I was on the outside in Turn 1, and we kind of checked up. I just got in the back of Helio, and I couldn't avoid it. It was just a racing incident - my mistake. After that, qualifying lap was every lap. I came in the pits with the Target boys, and then I was off. It was just as hard as I could go every lap. I mean, the car was really, really good. It's a real shame because I had a car. It's been a bit tough today, but I think we had a better car than yesterday. I would've liked to have a better go, but I messed it up in the first lap. It was some pretty tough racing out there." (About two races in two days, with increased heat today): "It's very tough. I just don't think that anyone puts any thought in how tough it's going to be for the drivers to drive these cars. It's tough, but it's the same for everybody. I think we've all worked a little bit harder to be able to do it." (About standing start): "Obviously, it sucked because Helio came past both Scott and I. I just thought it was a gimmick. You know, the history of INDYCAR is known for rolling starts. I'm a purist, and I think that's the way it should be."

TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "We had another good start and run going but had an issue with fueling, which meant I had to pit very early for my second stop and went a lap down. Then I misjudged a pass on the back straight, which took a small piece of the front wing. Then our next stop was earlier than scheduled, as well, to change the wing. I do think our pace was good, though, and we ran so well in the first part of the race. It's just a shame for the team and VisitFlorida.com. I'm really anxious to put a good result together, but I think maybe I need to stop trying so hard and let the race come to me. We're going to keep pushing as hard as we can, though."

***

                Scott Dixon has won three races in eight days, a rare feat in Indy-car history.

Mario Andretti won three races from July 30 to Aug. 6, 1968. On July 30, he won at Langhorne, Pa., and won a double-header Aug. 6 at St. Jovite, Quebec.

Al Unser won five races from July 13 to July 28, 1969. He won July 13 at Nazareth, Pa., won a double-header July 21 at Indianapolis Raceway Park and won a double-header July 28 at Langhorne.

UNOFFICIAL IZOD INDYCAR SERIES STANDINGS (after 13 of 19 races):

1. Helio Castroneves 4252.Scott Dixon 3963.Ryan Hunter-Reay 3564.Marco Andretti 3555.Simon Pagenaud 3096.Tony Kanaan 3077.Dario Franchitti 3068.James Hinchcliffe 3059.Justin Wilson 29610.Will Power 273

***

            The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.


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