SunTrust Indy Challenge, sixth race in 16-race 2004 season - Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va., .75-mile D-shaped asphalt oval- 7:30 p.m. (EDT), Saturday, June 26
DISTANCE: 250 laps/187.5 miles
POSTED AWARDS:More than $1 million
CARS: Dallara and Panoz G Force chassis; Chevy Indy V8, Honda H14R Indy V-8 and Toyota Indy V8 engines; Firestone tires
PREVIOUS RACE WINNERS:
2003 – Scott Dixon.; 2002 – Sam Hornish Jr.; 2001 – Buddy Lazier2003 SERIES CHAMPION: Scott Dixon
TV: Race: ESPN2 (live), 7:30 p.m. (EDT), June 26
RADIO: Race: IMS Radio Network, 7:30 p.m. (EDT), June 26
Local affiliate: WRNL-AM 910
Live coverage of MBNA Pole Qualifying and the race also will be available at indyracing.com/indycar.
SCHEDULE: (all times local; subject to change)FRIDAY, JUNE 25
8 a.m. - Garage opens11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. – IndyCar Series practice (two groups)4 p.m - 5:30 p.m. – IndyCar Series practice (two groups)7:15 p.m. – IndyCar Series MBNA Pole Qualifying
SATURDAY, JUNE 26
Noon – Garage opens3 p.m - 3:30 p.m. – IndyCar Series warmup7:55 p.m. – SunTrust Indy Challenge (250 laps/187.5 miles), ESPN2 & IMS Radio Network (live)
2004 INDYCAR SERIES STATISTICS
Driver Points1 Tony Kanaan 2102 Dan Wheldon 1753 Helio Castroneves 1464 Buddy Rice 1445 Darren Manning 124
Entrant Points1 Andretti Green Racing #11 2102 Andretti Green Racing #26 1753 Marlboro Team Penske #3 1464 Rahal Letterman Racing #15 1445 Target Chip Ganassi Racing #10 124
Manufacturers’ PointsEngine1 Honda 472 Toyota 363 Chevrolet 27
Chassis1 Dallara 472 Panoz G Force 38
Money Leaders1 Buddy Rice $1,970,8402 Tony Kanaan $1,078,8903 Dan Wheldon $915,0904 Helio Castroneves $617,1905 Bryan Herta $543,540
Wins1 Tony Kanaan 22 Sam Hornish Jr. 1= Buddy Rice 1= Dan Wheldon 1
Notes:IndyCar Series hits short-track: At .75 miles, Richmond International Raceway is the shortest oval that the IRL IndyCar Series will visit this season. The short-oval can reward the driver who has the proper setup on his car, but it can also penalize a car which is slightly off.
Can Dixon end slide?: Despite a pair of top-five finishes, reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon hasn’t led an IndyCar Series event since leading three laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February. He looks to break his bad luck at Richmond, where he led every lap in 2003.
Streaking Kanaan: With two firsts and two seconds in the first five races, Tony Kanaan is off to the best start of his IndyCar Series career. Can Kanaan stay hot at Richmond or will someone else finish up front?
Pro Series stars graduate:Ed Carpenter and Mark Taylor join 2002 Menards Infiniti Pro Series champion A.J. Foyt IV as full-time drivers in the IndyCar Series. Taylor, who drives for Panther Racing, won the 2003 Menards Infiniti Pro Series title, while Carpenter, who drives for Red Bull Cheever Racing, won the inaugural Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2003.
PRE-RACE QUOTES:
ALEX BARRON (No. 51 Red Bull Cheever Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): “The Richmond race will be a much quicker pace than last year since they repaved the track surface. I was surprised to hear that lap times from some of the IRL IndyCar Series drivers who tested on the new surface were under 16 seconds. Everything just happens so fast at Richmond because the track is a tight oval, so there will be a lot of close racing.”
ED CARPENTER (No. 52 Red Bull Cheever Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): “I’ve raced at Richmond several times in (USAC) Silver Crown cars, and I have finished in second and third there, so I really like the track. I’m sure it will be a lot different in an IndyCar (Series car), but it’s a fun track. Since the surface is smoother now, it opens it up for more racing. It will be exciting and a lot better with the resurfacing.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): “We had a really good test there, and I think the new surface was incredible. They did a really good job. Richmond is a tough track. You are constantly turning. Even though there’s a little straightaway, you are still turning. It’s very fast now, and it’s going to be extremely exciting and very interesting.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 1 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone): “I’m looking forward to going back to Richmond. These shorter tracks are going to be a good chance for us to win, and hopefully we can make the most of the race, as we did last year. It’s exciting to go back there, especially since we were so dominant there last year. We’ll see how we fare. Toyota had a good test there with all of us guys and we should be right on top of it.”
ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (No. 5 Quaker State Telmex Tecate Panoz G Force/Toyota/ Firestone): “I hear from every driver that Richmond is quite a special place - that it is a fun track and very difficult at three-quarters of a mile. I watched last year's race and it looks like a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to racing there. I am pretty confident after having two good results in the last two races and a good test at Milwaukee. I think we are looking good.”
DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 27 ArcaEx Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I watched the race last year. As for my experience at Richmond, I've never been there, never driven on a track as small as that. A lot of these tracks this year I'm coming up to see them for the first time with the new tech rules in the IRL. That's the way it is. Two-day weekend - we're going to be very busy trying to get used to the track, trying to get the most of the car, all those different things. I expect a hectic weekend. There's so many things going on, so many first time things, it's going to keep me busy.”
A.J. FOYT IV (No. 14 Conseco/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): “We had a pretty good run going there last year in the Conseco car. I made a rookie mistake and even a small mistake at a track like Richmond can cost you big. I want to run like we did last year but stay out of trouble and be there at the end.”
FELIPE GIAFFONE (No. 24 Team Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara/Chevrolet/ Firestone): “I think it should be very good. I guess they have repaved the track. We haven’t tested there, but a couple of the teams have already been there. I’ve heard that the track has a lot more grip. It’s going to be fun, but it will be tough on everybody. If we’re pulling the G’s that they said they were running at the test, it will be tough on the drivers physically.”
BRYAN HERTA (No. 7 XM Satellite Radio Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “It's all new pavement. It's a lot faster, from what I've heard, so it's going to be interesting. And it's a two-day weekend which is always difficult because you don't have a lot of time to set the car up. On top of that, my sponsor, XM Satellite Radio, is based not too far from there so we'll have a lot of people there. We definitely want to have a good weekend for them.”
SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): “I always look forward to going back to Richmond. Everybody wants to know if it’s one of my favorite track, and I don’t have a track on the circuit that I dislike. Each track presents its own unique opportunity and characteristics, and Richmond has a lot of those. You have to have a car that handles well through traffic, and you have to be willing to sit up there and drive it the whole race. If you start falling back a little bit, you can find yourself a lap down in no time at all. (About the track resurfacing): “They had sealer on the track, and that made it a lot slicker. When you grind that down and repave (the track), it makes (the track) a lot smoother and it has a lot more grip. We’re going faster this year than we went last year, even with 100 less horsepower. We’re going faster in the corners and having the same speeds on the straights. It’s a really fun racetrack and should be a really fun race.”
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “There is a long way to go in the season, so we have to take it one race at a time and Richmond is the next one in front of us. It's a tough race track, but I'll certainly give it everything I have there. We need to have a good run there, for sure, and stay on top of the championship battle.”
DARREN MANNING (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/ Firestone): “We tested there for a Toyota test for a couple days and put in like 350 laps around the track. It’s been resurfaced, and with the banking on that little track, it makes it something really individual. It’s unlike any other short track that I’ve done. If you have a little bit of a problem there, you can go backwards very quickly, but if you have a good car, you can go forward. It should be really exciting.”
KOSUKE MATSUURA (No. 55 Panasonic ARTA Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone): “My sponsor is coming to the Richmond race and I want to get a good result, especially after the Texas race. I was very disappointed after the last race, but I have a lot of motivation to do well at Richmond. If we have a good setup like we did in Texas, I think we can have a good result. I am going to try to win this race.”
VITOR MEIRA (No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Team Centrix Panoz G Force/Honda/ Firestone): “Richmond is so much different than the last three races at Japan, Indy and Texas. We'll have to make some adjustments to handle the tight turns. I'm anxious to run there with the Rahal Letterman team because of their experience on short tracks. There is a fine line to get the proper setup on a track like Richmond. If your car is good, you can fly around that track, but if your car is off, it is very tough to race. It will be an interesting race that will be great for the fans. But for the drivers, it will be tough. The G-forces will be high going that fast on such a small track.”
GREG RAY (No. 13 Renovac Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone): “We've run good there in the past. I've led laps there in 2002 and ran third a lot of the race last year. I'm looking forward to it. I know some of the other teams have tested there, and maybe have a leg up, but I think we have a pretty good baseline setup, and I think we've made a lot of improvements to our program since last year. It's a fun, fast little racetrack. It's exciting for the fans and exciting for the drivers.”
BUDDY RICE (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Racing Pioneer/Argent Mortgage Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone): “Obviously, Richmond is a big contrast from Indy and Texas in terms of size of track, speed and closeness of racing. Richmond is fast and only three-quarters of a mile, so things happen so fast on that track. Plus they repaved it, and we'll try to be flat (on the throttle) all the way around. I know Kenny (Brack) was fast and under the track record when he tested there a couple of weeks ago. I think we'll have a strong car, but we'll have to give each other room at Richmond or contact will be a regular occurrence. I expect another exciting and wild race.”
TOMAS SCHECKTER (No. 4 Pennzoil Panther Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): “I'm really looking forward to racing under the lights at Richmond International Raceway this Saturday night. It's the shortest track we race on, just three-quarters of a mile, so the action is tight, fast and exciting. I think it's one of the best, most exciting races of the year for our fans as well. I remember the great crowd last year cheering and yelling for their favorites. Richmond fans know their racing. They've made some changes to the track including repaving it since we raced there last year, and I hear it's even faster with our cars than it was. The Pennzoil Panther guys are ready to go. We had a very good test in Milwaukee, which is only a mile long, and we made some good gains on chassis set-up there so we're looking forward to a great race in Richmond.”
SCOTT SHARP (No. 8 Delphi Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): “Each year, Richmond International Raceway is our most exciting short track race. When you first arrive at the ¾-mile track, you wonder what type of race it is going to be for the IndyCar Series on our shortest circuit. Once it starts to get dark, the lights come on and the action really begins – 16-second laps, wheel-to-wheel, side-by-side for 250 laps. As a driver you know that it will be our busiest race of the year. The Delphi team tested well a couple of weeks ago at Richmond, so I'm looking forward to a good event for the No. 8 team. I applaud (International Speedway Corportation) for repaving the track and installing the (SAFER Barrier). The surface has much more grip and should really intensify the action."
TORA TAGAKI (No. 12 Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): "As we head to Richmond, we're pretty optimistic about our chances. The Pioneer Mo Nunn team had a successful manufacturer's test there earlier this month where we gained some confidence. We followed that up with the Open Test in Milwaukee last week. While we would have liked to have that second day of practice to continue to fine tune our operation, we did discover a few things that should help improve the No. 12 car on the shorter tracks. We're still missing some of the speed we enjoyed last year, but continue to focus on consistent top-10 results that allow us to be competitive with the other leaders.”
MARK TAYLOR (No. 2 Menards/Johns Manville Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/ Firestone): “It’s going to be tough. I haven’t been there, so I’m going to try to learn as much as possible, as quick as possible. I’m sure we’ll have a great car there. Panther always works on the car quite well and (teammate) Tomas (Scheckter) has been there before and knows what to expect. Just trying to gain time, and I think we’ll do quite well.”
DAN WHELDON (No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “Obviously, the track has changed at Richmond. It's a lot smoother now. Apparently it's going to be grippier than what it has been. We're just going to go with the same approach that we've had. We're going to try to do our best, and if we're able to win, that's what we're going to try and do. If not, we'll score the best possible points finish we can.”
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