Homestead-Miami 100 Fast Facts & Entry ListWHAT: Homestead-Miami 100, 1st race in 14-race 2005 IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ season.
WHERE: Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5-mile asphalt oval
WHEN: Noon (EST), Sunday, March 6
DISTANCE: 67 laps/100 miles
CARS: Dallara chassis; Infiniti V8 engines; Firestone tires
PREVIOUS RACE WINNERS:
2004 – Phil Giebler
2003 – Mark Taylor
2004 SERIES CHAMPION:
Thiago Medeiros
TV: ESPN2, 4 p.m. (EDT), March 17
Announcers: Dr. Jerry Punch, Robbie Buhl
Pit reporter: Cameron Steele
SCHEDULE: (all times local; subject to change)
Friday, March 4
8 a.m. – Garages open
12:15-12:45 p.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series practice
3:15-4 p.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series practice
Saturday, March 5
7 a.m. – Garages open
9-9:10 a.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series warm-up
10:30 a.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series qualifying
1:30-1:45 p.m. – Menards Infiniti Pro Series practice
Sunday, March 6
Noon – Homestead-Miami 100 Menards Infiniti Pro Series race (67 laps/100 miles)
STORY IDEAS:
• South Floridian is first woman to compete in Menards Infiniti Pro Series: Mishael Abbott will be the first woman to compete in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series when she takes the green flag for the Homestead-Miami 100. Abbott, 23, began karting when she was 14. She also has competed in USAC Midget events, Formula Mazda competition and the SCCA National Runoffs. Abbott lives in Coral Gables, Fla., and is studying elementary education at Florida Atlantic University.
• Sam Schmidt Motorsports defends title: Former IndyCar Series driver Sam Schmidt begins defense of his team’s 2004 Menards Infiniti Pro Series title with a four-car effort in the Homestead-Miami 100. The lineup includes Florida State University freshman Chris Festa and Miami resident Jaime Camara.
• Florida connections: Five Menards Infiniti Pro Series drivers boast connections to the “Sunshine” state. Mishael Abbott resides in Coral Gables and attends Florida Atlantic University. Chris Festa is a freshman at Florida State University. Jaime Camara lives in Miami. P.J. Chesson, a three-time winner in 2004, recently moved to Miami Beach. Jon Herb lives in Orlando where he is head of AERCON Industries’ residential marketing group. AERCON produces, sells, and installs Autoclaved Aerated Concrete building material
• 2005 season features road courses, two races at Indy: The Menards Infiniti Pro Series continues to grow. Just three years ago, the Menards Infiniti Pro Series staged its first event as part of a seven-race program. After expanding to 12 races for the following two seasons, the series grows to 14 races in 2005, four of which will be on road/street courses and two of which will take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Menards Infiniti Pro Series will join the IndyCar Series at St. Petersburg, Fla. for a street-course race on April 3, and at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International for road-course events on Aug. 28 and Sept. 25, respectively. The Pro Series drivers also will race on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to the United States Grand Prix on June 19, becoming the first series to compete at IMS twice in the same year since 1916.
• Drivers graduate to IndyCar Series: The Menards Infiniti Pro Series continues to graduate drivers to the IndyCar Series. Menards Infiniti Pro Series champion A.J. Foyt IV (2002) and series runner-ups Ed Carpenter (2002, 2003) and Paul Dana (2004) are regulars in the IndyCar Series.
PRE-RACE QUOTES:
MISHAEL ABBOTT (No. 91 Hemelgarn Johnson Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “Being the first woman to compete in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series means the world to me. I’ve always been proud of my accomplishments, being the first female to win a professional shifter kart race in the United States, being the first to test the Infiniti Pro Series car at Las Vegas two years ago, and now the first woman to actually compete in the series fulfills one of my life long goals.”
(About Homestead-Miami) “I’ve driven the Homestead-Miami road course more times than I can remember and now to compete on the oval fulfills a lifetime dream, especially in my own back yard. I can’t wait for the race to start.”
(About Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports) “When we found the resources to compete in the 2005 Menards Infiniti Pro Series season, we spoke with and met with several teams. We’re only committed to five races so far. The Hemelgarn Johnson team welcomed us with open arms for the partial season.
Lee Kunzman and Ron Hemelgarn were so helpful and encouraging when we approached them about the limited schedule and never once said, ‘No’ when we asked, ‘Can we do this?’ or asked, ‘What if?’ These two guys and their entire team are true ‘racers,’ and with their support, advice, experience, and encouragement we will succeed.”
P.J. CHESSON (No. 36 Genoa Racing Special Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I’m excited about working with the guys at Genoa Racing. My brother James tested with them at Homestead in January so I know they’re fast. I’ve never been to Homestead-Miami Speedway before, but I think I’ll be able to adapt pretty quickly. We had good results last year in our first visits to a lot of tracks. The big question for me will be the road courses and Phoenix, but other than that, it should be clear sailing.
WADE CUNNINGHAM (No. 33 Team New Zealand Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I’m glad to be racing. It is what I wanted to do. Obviously, you’ve got to be doing ovals if you want to race in America for a career, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m happy with the team. Everyone works really well. I need a little bit more time in the car, get to know the team a little better, and get comfortable, and then I’ll be alright.”
CHRIS FESTA (No. 19 SpacePak/CareCentric/SSM Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “I think the series is going to be really tough this year. You’ve got a third-year veteran with Jeff Simmons, and the other two guys on this team (Jaime Camara and Travis Gregg) are both really good as well, and you’ve got some other drivers coming into the series that are pretty talented, so it’s going to be a tough year for us. But these guys have won the championship, and fortunately I’m in one of their cars, so that makes things a little easier, but I’m going to have to work hard. It’s definitely a realistic view for us. If not me, then the other two guys as well.”
TRAVIS GREGG (No. 7 Lucas Oil Products/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “Things are great. We did testing at Homestead and Phoenix, so we got a good basis for the season, and hopefully work toward the championship. I think anytime you’re around a race car you can learn something. How the car handles in traffic is one of the biggest things to learn and win races and contend for a championship.”
JON HERB (No. 6 AERCON Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “We hope to be really competitive right out of the box. The three races we did last year was testing the waters and getting ready for this year. That’s behind us now. We’re ready to go forward this year and be competitive and run at the front. That’s what we’re committed to and that’s what this program is about.”
JEFF SIMMONS (No. 24 Team ISI Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “This is certainly the best chance I’ve had so far to try to get multiple wins and try to run for the championship. Even the first year (2003), I ran the whole season, but I didn’t do any pre-season testing at all. We signed with the team five days before the first race, so this time we get a little bit of a chance to gel before the season starts. We expect to be competitive right off the bat, and obviously we’re looking for a championship. We’re not here to run second. We want to win races and win a championship.”
IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series™Homestead-Miami 100At Homestead-Miami SpeedwayNoon (EST) Sunday, March 6, 2005
Car Driver Hometown Car Name C/E/T Entrant Chief Mechanic
1 Jaime Camara (R) Goiania, Goias, Brazil CELG – Sam Schmidt Motorsports D/I/F Sam Schmidt Motorsports John Worth3 TBA TBA Brian Stewart Racing D/I/F Brian Stewart Racing Mo Larsen4 Marty Roth Toronto Roth Racing D/I/F Roth Racing Rick Duman6 Jon Herb Chicago AERCON D/I/F Racing Professionals Joe Barlum7 Travis Gregg (R) Camden, Ohio Lucas Oil Products/Sam Schmidt Mspt D/I/F Sam Schmidt Motorsports John Roof Jr.11 Scott Mayer (R) Franklin, Wis. ABC Supply-QPS Staffing D/I/F Sam Schmidt Motorsports TBA19 Chris Festa (R) Atlanta SpacePak/CareCentric/SSM D/I/F Sam Schmidt Motorsports Chris Griffis20 Jay Drake (R) Val Verde, Calif. Vision Racing D/I/F Vision Racing Richard Armour21 Nick Bussell (R) Ionia, Mich. JL West Motorsports D/I/F J.L. West Motorsports Tony Mizialko24 Jeff Simmons Hartford, Conn. Team ISI D/I/F Kenn Hardley Racing Butch Winkle25 TBA TBA Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. D/I/F AFS Racing Jayson Madison27 TBA TBA Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. D/I/F AFS Racing Jayson Madison33 Wade Cunningham (R) Auckland, New Zealand Team New Zealand D/I/F Brian Stewart Racing Dave Metcalf36 P.J. Chesson Miami Genoa Racing Special D/I/F Genoa Racing Mike West91 Mishael Abbott (R) Coral Gables, Fla. Hemelgarn Johnson Motorsports D/I/F Hemelgarn 91 Johnson Motorsports Chuck Buckman
Legend: Chassis: D=Dallara. Engine: I=Infiniti. Tire: F=Firestone. (R)=Rookie. Issued: 2/28/05
