10th race in 12-race 2004 IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ season - Chicagoland Speedway, 1.5-mile asphalt, D-shaped tri-oval  - 5 p.m. (EDT), Saturday, Sept. 11

PREVIOUS RACE WINNERS:

2003 – Mark Taylor; 2002 – Aaron Fike

2003 SERIES CHAMPION:

Mark Taylor

TV:

ESPN2, 3 p.m. (EDT), Sept. 16

SCHEDULE: (all times local; subject to change)

Friday, Sept. 10

8 a.m. – Garages open10:30-11 a.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series practice1:45 p.m.-2:15 p.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series practice4:15 p.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series qualifying

Saturday, Sept. 11

7 a.m. – Garages open10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series warm-up4 p.m. – Chicagoland 100 Menards Infiniti Pro Series race (67 laps/100 miles)

2004 MENARDS INFINITI PRO SERIES STATISTICS

Driver Points

1. Thiago Medeiros 3852. Paul Dana  3183. Jesse Mason  2614. Arie Luyendyk Jr. 2505. P.J. Chesson  242

Entrant Points

1. Sam Schmidt Motorsports #11  3852. Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports #91 3183. Keith Duesenberg Racing #2   2884. Brian Stewart Racing #3   2615. Brian Stewart Racing #33   248

Wins

1. Thiago Medeiros 42. P.J. Chesson  33. Paul Dana  1Phil Giebler  1

Pole Positions

1. Thiago Medeiros 52. Paul Dana  1Travis Gregg  1Jeff Simmons  1Al Unser  1

Laps Led

1. Thiago Medeiros 4302. Paul Dana  1233. Travis Gregg  574. P.J. Chesson  26

Notes & Quotes

• Close finishes mark races at Chicagoland Speedway: In two seasons of racing at Chicagoland Speedway, the margin of victory for both Menards Infiniti Pro Series races has been under one-tenth of a second. In 2002, Aaron Fike edged Arie Luyendyk Jr. by .0755 of a second, while in 2003, the series had its closest finish ever when Mark Taylor beat Ed Carpenter by .0170 of a second.

• Northwestern grad Dana still in title hunt: Paul Dana, a 1996 graduate of Northwestern University, is in second place in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series point standings, 67 points behind Thiago Medeiros. In the last six races, Dana has recorded his first victory, four second-place finishes and a fourth-place finish.

• Medeiros closes in on championship: Thiago Medeiros established an IRL record at Nashville Superspeedway July 17 when he won his fourth consecutive race. Previously, Mark Taylor and Kenny Brack had shared the record, with three consecutive victories. Medeiros has finished sixth, second, sixth and third in the last four races, but maintains a 67-point lead over Paul Dana in the point standings. Medeiros holds Menards Infiniti Pro Series records with the following current streaks: 13 consecutive top-10 finishes; 13 consecutive top-10 starts; 9 consecutive top-five starts. During his four-race winning streak, Medeiros led a series record 249 consecutive laps.

• Chesson could tie Medeiros’ record with fourth consecutive victory: Prior to July 4, P.J. Chesson had never raced on pavement. The World of Outlaws veteran debuted in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series at Kansas Speedway with an eighth-place finish. The 25-year-old has won the last three races – at Michigan (Aug. 1), Kentucky (Aug. 14) and Pikes Peak (Aug. 22) – and has risen to fifth in the point standings. Chesson will look for his fourth consecutive win, which would tie the IRL record set by Thiago Medeiros earlier this season.

• Second Chesson joins Mo Nunn Racing: James Chesson, brother of Menards Infiniti Pro Series race winner P.J. Chesson, will debut with the Mo Nunn Racing team at Chicagoland Speedway. James tested a Menards Infiniti Pro Series car at Kentucky Speedway on Aug. 16. In 2002, he earned National Midget Rookie of the Year honors. The Chessons will be the first brothers to race in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series.

• Witherill pulls double duty in return to Menards Infiniti Pro Series: Cory Witherill will return to the Menards Infiniti Pro Series and Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports at Chicagoland Speedway. Witherill drove for the team in the 2002 and 2003 seasons, recording nine top-five finishes in 19 starts, including a victory at Nashville in 2002. Witherill, a Navajo, is believed to be the only full-blooded Native American professional, open-wheel race-car driver in the United States. Witherill also will compete in the 200-mile ARCA race on Sept. 11 prior to the Chicagoland 100.

• Drivers graduate to IndyCar Series: The Menards Infiniti Pro Series is doing its job graduating drivers to the IndyCar Series. Series champions A.J. Foyt IV (2002) and Mark Taylor (2003), along with Ed Carpenter, are all regulars in the IndyCar Series.

PRE-RACE QUOTES:

JAMES CHESSON (No. 67 Mo Nunn Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I’m definitely looking forward to getting more seat time this weekend in Chicago. Unfortunately, due to poor weather, we’ve been limited to only one day of testing so far. As a result, I’m not entirely sure what to expect out there, but I’ve gained confidence based upon my initial comfort level with the car. The concept of drafting will certainly be new to me, but it will be nice to have my brother (P.J. Chesson) as a teammate. Hopefully, I can keep up with him.”

P.J. CHESSON (No. 76 Mo Nunn Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I’m anxious to get back in the car in Chicago, as I’ve never been used to sitting out for two weeks at a time. Where I come from, you rarely would go without racing for two or three days, max. I anticipate that our team will pick up quickly where we left off, and I’m looking forward to my brother (James Chesson) joining the team this weekend. James did quite well several weeks back during his first test, and we’ll have to see how he adapts to racing these cars in traffic. I have no doubt he will do just fine.”

PAUL DANA (No. 91 Ethanol/Hemelgarn Johnson Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I think the Chicago race will be a lot like the one we saw in Kentucky, with one big pack and a lot of side-by-side racing. The Ethanol car has been strong on the 1.5-mile tracks, and we've got a string of good finishes recently. We're just looking to keep the pressure up, keep the momentum up, and hopefully notch a few more wins before the year is over.”

THIAGO MEDEIROS (No. 11 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I think we’ll be in good shape for the 1.5-mile track at Chicagoland Speedway. There’s a lot of good side-by-side racing there. We want to win, but we also want to earn as many points as possible for the championship.”

AL UNSER (No. 2 Western Union Speed Team Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I’m looking for my first victory this weekend. Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile track with a good degree of banking. It’s a lot like Kentucky, where we had a really good car. The Western Union Speed Team will give me another good setup this weekend. Hopefully, we’ll qualify well, be a bit more patient during the race and get a good result. I’m really looking forward to it.”

CORY WITHERILL (No. 92 Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I like the track in Chicago. I’ll be doing double duty this weekend because I’m running the ARCA race, as well. I’m looking forward to getting out there and racing with my old team and hopefully winning the race for Hemelgarn Johnson.”

Car - Driver - Hometown - Car Name - C/E/T - Entrant - Chief Mechanic

2 Al Unser (R) Albuquerque, N.M. Western Union Speed Team D/I/F Keith Duesenberg Racing Nelson Eves3 Jesse Mason (R) Niagara Falls, Ontario Pure Pendulum Putting System D/I/F Brian Stewart Racing Mo Larsen5 Travis Gregg (R) Camden, Ohio AVS-Sam Schmidt Motorsports D/I/F Sam Schmidt Motorsports John Roof Jr.10 Rolando Quintanilla Nuevo Laredo, Mexico Roquin Motorsports D/I/F Roquin Motorsports Jose Benavides11 Thiago Medeiros Sao Paulo, Brazil Sam Schmidt Motorsports  D/I/F Sam Schmidt Motorsports Chris Griffis21 Taylor Fletcher (R) San Clemente, Calif. World Vision & Olive Crest Foundation D/I/F Roquin Motorsports John Jones22 TBA TBA Western Union Speed Team D/I/F Keith Duesenberg Racing Gilbert Lage24 Jeff Simmons Hartford, Conn. Team ISI D/I/F Kenn Hardley Racing Mark Olson25 Gary Peterson Huntington Beach, Calif. Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. D/I/F AFS Racing Jayson Madison27 Arie Luyendyk Jr. Scottsdale, Ariz. Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. D/I/F AFS Racing Jayson Madison33 Leonardo Maia (R) Miami Skip Barber Racing School D/I/F Brian Stewart Racing Dave Metcalf64 Scott Mayer (R) Franklin, Wis. QPS Staffing-Sam Schmidt Motorsports D/I/F Sam Schmidt Motorsports Tim Whiting67 James Chesson (R) Far Hills, N.J. Mo Nunn Racing D/I/F Mo Nunn Racing Butch Winkle76 P.J. Chesson (R) Far Hills, N.J. Mo Nunn Racing D/I/F Mo Nunn Racing Butch Winkle91 Paul Dana St. Louis Ethanol/Hemelgarn Johnson D/I/F Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports Matt Dove92 Cory Witherill Los Angeles Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports D/I/F Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports Mark Shambarger

Legend: Chassis: D=Dallara. Engine: I=Infiniti. Tire: F=Firestone.

 (R)=Rookie.