Arie Luyendyk, Jr. Pre-Texas Report
October 8, 2003 INDY RACING LEAGUE MENARDS INFINITI PRO SERIES TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, FT. WORTH, TEXAS "dreamerscandles.com 100" 12th race out of 12-race season PRE-RACE REPORT DRIVER: ARIE LUYENDYK, JR. #5 SINDEN RACING SERVICE DALLARA / INFINITI / FIRESTONE Arie Luyendyk, Jr. Hopes To Lasso Win In Wild, Wild Texas "dreamerscandles.com 100" FAST FACTS Date and Time: Saturday, October 11, 2003, 5:00 pm (CDT) Track: Texas Motor Speedway (Ft. Worth, TX) 1.5-mile, asphalt oval Race Distance: 67 laps/100 miles Cars / Engines / Tires: Dallara chassis; Infiniti Q45 engines; Firestone tires "dreamerscandles.com 100" PRE-RACE QUOTES FROM ARIE LUYENDYK, JR.: Do you like racing at Texas Motor Speedway? "I like running at Texas a lot. The racing is close and it produces racing two- and three-wide the whole time we are out there. I'm excited for the opportunity to go back this year and hopefully pull out a win. It will also be exciting to run the same weekend with my dad - we had that opportunity last year at Michigan (Arie Luyendyk, Sr. will be racing in Sunday's "Heroes of Indy" race). He's not racing the big cars this time, but it will be fun watching him drive around the track." Are you going into this last race of the IPS season with the same strategy as the other races? "We've got a new engine for this race, which is a big thing. We are going with a the same setup as we had for Chicago, and that was a good weekend for us, so the car should be equally as good - we should be able to improve on the finish from California." Take me on a lap of TMS? "It's typically like the other 1.5-mile ovals, but the frontstraight has two corners. You have to be careful not to get into the grass when you are racing side by side. It goes from pretty low banking to really high banking around the track, which produces a lot of g forces in the corners." What do you expect from the IPS race this weekend? "I expect to win." "FIRESTONE HEROES OF INDY" PRE-RACE QUOTES FROM ARIE LUYENDYK, SR.: On the Firestone Heroes Of Indy race: "The group that they have assembled is an awesome group, with unbelievable history. It is good to be among them and be included in this celebration. I've looked at these guys (other "Firestone Heroes of Indy" competitors) and followed them since before I lived in the United States. They all have accomplished a lot and they are a huge part of IndyCar history. To be included as part of this group is really rewarding." About being invited to the "Heroes of Indy" race: "Eddie (Gossage) invited me to the "Heroes of Indy" race, and I accepted. But I told him that I hope he's not including me as a retired driver - I'm just there having a good time. I'm not one of the retired ones, let me make that perfectly clear." About racing on the same weekend as son Arie, Jr., who will be competing in the season-ending IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series race on Saturday: (Luyendyk was declared the winner of the inaugural 1997 IRL race at Texas over driver Billy Boat after a scoring error was discovered and Boat's apparent victory was overturned. A confrontation ensued in Victory Lane between Luyendyk and Boat's car owner, A.J. Foyt.) "I just hope he can win this race and add his name to the list of winners at Texas (Motor Speedway), just like me. I won a night race there, which was very cool to win. Let's just say it was a controversial race and leave it at that." PREVIOUS TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY EXPERIENCE Arie Luyendyk, Jr. raced in the final race of the 2002 IRL Infiniti Pro Series race at TMS, qualifying 3rd and finishing 7th. Arie Luyendyk, Sr. was declared the winner of the inaugural IRL race at TMS in 1997 over driver Billy Boat after a scoring error was discovered and Boat's apparent victory was overturned. ARIE LUYENDYK, JR. 2003 STATISTICS (after "California 100"): a.. Current IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series Point Standings: 7th b.. 2002 final IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series Point Standings: 2nd (4 2nd-place finishes in seven events); c.. Leader in IPS laps completed; d.. 5 top-5 finishes; e.. Tied with Ed Carpenter for IPS all-time consecutive starts with 18; f.. Most consecutive IPS top-10 finishes with 11; g.. Tied with Jeff Simmons for races consecutively running at the finish with 10; h.. Won pole position during the recent "Michigan 100" at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway in August (the second year in a row for this accomplishment). "dreamerscandles.com 100" ON TELEVISION Highlights will be shown on ESPN2 at 3:00 pm (EDT) on October 16, 2003. NEXT RACE: This is the final race of the 2003 IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series 12-race season. TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY RACE WEEKEND SCHEDULE, Oct. 10-12 (all times local): Thursday, October 9, 2003 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours 3:00 pm South Tunnel (gate 8) open for Infield Campers 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm Academy Sports & Outdoors Fan Jam (Infield) Friday, October 10, 2003 6:45 am NCTS Garage & Registration Opens 8:00 am Gates Open (4, 7, North & South Tunnel) 8:00 am - 9:00 am NCTS Practice 8:00 am IRL Garage Opens 8:00 am - 7:00 pm Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours 8:00 am - 7:00 pm IRL Credentials Open 9:00 am Suites only open 9:15 am - 9:45 am Firestone Heroes of Indy practice 10:00 am - 11:00 am NCTS Practice 11:15 am - 11:45 am IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series Practice 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm IndyCar Practice (Group 1) 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm IndyCar Practice (Group 2) 1:15 pm The Dallas Morning News Pole Day Qualifying - NCTS - 2 laps - all positions 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series Practice 3:15 pm - 3:45 pm IndyCar Practice (Group 1) 3:45 pm - 4:15 pm IndyCar Practice (Group 2) 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm NCTS Final Practice 5:45 pm IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series Qualifying 6:30 pm NCTS Registration Closes 6:30 pm The Dallas Morning News Pole Day Qualifying - IRL IndyCar Series 7:00 pm NCTS Garage Closes 8:00 pm IRL Garage Closes Saturday, October 11, 2003 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours 7:00 am IRL Garage Opens 7:00 am - 6:00 pm IRL Credentials Opens 8:00 am NCTS Garage & Registration Opens 9:00 am Gates Open (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, North & South Tunnel) 9:00 am - 9:30 am IndyCar Practice (Group 1) 9:30 am - 10:00 am IndyCar Practice (Group 2) 10:00 am Suites and Victory Lane Club Open 10:34 am - 11:15 am Firestone Heroes of Indy Practice 11:30 am - 11:45 am IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series Warm Up 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm IRL IndyCar Final Practice 2:00 pm Silverado 350 - NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race (146 laps, 219.5 miles) 3:00 pm NCTS Registration Closes 5:00 pm dreamerscandles.com 100 - IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series Race (67 laps, 100.5 miles) 6:00 pm IRL Garage Closes Sunday, October 12, 2003 9:00 am - 2:34 pm Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours 11:00 am IRL Garage Opens 11:00 am - 2:30 pm IRL Credentials Opens 11:00 am Suites & Victory Lane Club Opens 11:00 am Gates Open (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, North & South Tunnel) 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm Firestone Heroes Of Indy Race 2:45 pm Chevy 500 - IRL IndyCar Series Race (200 laps, 300 miles - ESPN Live) TRACK INFORMATION - TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 1.5-mile asphalt oval; 58 feet wide (minimum) Frontstraight: 2,250 feet banked at 5 degrees Backstraight: 1,330 feet banked at 5 degrees Turns: 750 feet banked at 24 degrees Texas Motor Speedway is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. The facility, which opened in 1997, features 154,861 permanent seats and 144 luxury suites. The 1.5-mile asphalt oval was repaved in the summer of 2001. NOTES Arie a Favorite both On and Off the Track in California: He's been close, but Arie has yet to visit the Winner's Circle in 2003. However, Texas Motor Speedway could very well break that streak of bad luck. A new engineering team (veterans Mark Moore and Gilbert Lage) and a focused attitude may land him that coveted 1st-place trophy before the weekend is done. Arie likes speed, that's for sure! Combine that with his heavy right foot, and Arie is surely a favorite to lead the field to the checkers on Saturday. Popular Arie: Arie led the IRL Crew's "Most Popular Driver Award" polling once again at California Speedway, making him the leader in this prestigious award category for every IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series race of 2003 (he currently has four times the votes of second-place Aaron Fike). Arie will be honored for winning the "Most Popular Driver Award" at the IRL Crew's yearly banquet in Indianapolis on November 8th. The annual IRL Crew "Salute to the IRL" will take place at the Brickyard Crossing, and is for members only. Social hour starts at 5:00 p.m., with awards scheduled to be given at 7:30 p.m., there will be a Q&A session with special guest Tom Carnegie at 8:00 p.m., and then there will be dancing to a live band at 9:00 p.m.. Tickets are $20 each per member (send check or money order made out to: IRL Crew, c/o Nancy Owens, 128 Hazy Court, Greenwood, IN 46142). For more information about the IRL Crew or their banquet, check out their website at: www.IRLCrew.com. A Model Driver: Arie signed a contract with the world-famous Ford Modeling Agency in Los Angeles and the Ford Robert Black Modeling Agency in Scottsdale, Ariz. in the last month. Look for Arie's pretty face on a billboard near you... Cataloging Arie's Career: 22-year-old Arie is featured in the Fall "Back To School" issue of the widely read Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, with a full page Q&A interview accompanied by a stunning full-page, full-color photograph. To view a portion of the A & F layout, visit Arie's website at www.ArieLuyendykJr.com, and click on the "media" link. European Flair: Scottsdale resident Arie is making waves in Europe, as the Italian version of Vogue Magazine tapped this rising star to feature in their recent July issue. To view a portion of the Vogue layout, visit Arie's website at www.ArieLuyendykJr.com, and click on the "media" link. New Title for Infiniti Pro Series: It was announced at the Chicagoland Speedway that Menards, Inc., with owner John Menard, a long-time IndyRacing Series car owner, will be the new title sponsor of the Infiniti Pro Series. The new name of the Indy Racing League's support series will now be the IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series; 2004 Series Schedule Announced: It was announced at the Chicagoland Speedway that the newly-named IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series will have a 12-race slate in 2004, with six of the events being held on the same day as IRL IndyCar Series races. The races will take place in Miami (2/29), Phoenix (3/20), Indianapolis (5/22), Kansas (7/4), Nashville (7/17), Milwaukee (7/25), Michigan (8/1), Kentucky (8/14), Pikes Peak (8/22), Chicagoland (9/11), California (10/2) and Texas (10/16). Our "Home on the Range": The Sinden Racing Service team and Arie Luyendyk, Jr. would like to welcome a new partner for the "dreamerscandles.com 100" race, as they will be making their home at the Holiday Inn North Conference in Ft. Worth! If you are headed to either Texas I or Texas II in 2004, check out the great service they'll offer you. Call Jennifer Torsleff at the Holiday Inn North Conference at (817) 625-9911 and let her know you support Arie Luyendyk, Jr. Many thanks to the Sinden Racing Service Team's 2003 supporters: Average Joe's · Bosch · Coca-Cola · DeCosta Co. · Evolution Eyes Holiday Inn North Conference · Hubbards · Meijer · Molina Jewelers · Momo Print Express · RE/MAX · Widmaier Chiropractic · Smith & Wesson · Thermos Grill-2-Go