Dan Wheldon/Honda Wins Toyota 200; Accident Ends Chevy's Run in Miami IRL Race

ACCIDENT ENDS SHECKTER’S CHARGE IN IRL SEASON-OPENING RACE

MIAMI, March 6, 2005 – Tomas Scheckter was on a mission at
Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first race of the 2005 IRL IndyCar
Series. Starting on the pole in Pennzoil Panther Racing’s Chevrolet
Dallara, Scheckter proved that he could lead laps, run at the front, and
contend for the victory with Chevy power. Scheckter’s race was cut short
when he was caught up in an eight-car accident on a restart on Lap 159
in the 200-lap event. Scheckter was unhurt, but he was fuming after the
incident, which was triggered when Kosuke Matsuura went three-wide in an
outside passing attempt and spun into the racing lane.

“The 55 came outside of me on the restart and lost it,” said Scheckter,
referring to Matsuura’s car. “It’s really unnecessary. People’s lives
are at stake, and this guy takes out half the field.”

Scheckter led 13 laps and was running in the lead pack before the accident.

“We had perfect weekend until then,” Scheckter declared. “Everybody at
Chevrolet has worked hard, and I was taking it easy in the race. We were
just getting ready to crank up the fuel mixture and make a run for the win.”

The disappointment in the Panther Racing pit was palpable after the
driver, engine, car, and crew had performed flawlessly for
three-quarters of the race.

“It’s clear that Chevrolet was competitive, but the outcome confirmed
what we already knew,” said GM Racing IRL program manager Joe Negri.
“When you have two cars in the field, any incident or misfortune can
take you out of the race. Accidents happen, gearboxes fail, and that’s
all part of racing.

“We’re leaving this race disappointed with the final result, but we’re
very encouraged by the outstanding performance of the Chevy Indy V-8 and
the entire Panther Racing team this weekend,” said Negri. “The
competition knows Chevy’s racing to win, and we’ll be ready for the next
event in Phoenix.”

Tomas Enge’s Rockstar Chevrolet Dallara was sidelined by a gearbox
problem that hampered the talented Czech driver at the drop of the green
flag.

“I had to stay in fifth gear all the time at one point and I was losing
so much speed on the backstretch,” Enge explained. “We had a great time
in the Rockstar Chevy on Friday and yesterday, and Chevy has improved so
much that I know we will run up front very often this year.

“In racing, you have days like this,” he said. “We will be back.”

The second round of the 17-race IndyCar Series will be contested on
Phoenix International Raceway’s challenging 1-mile oval on March 19. The
race will be televised live on ABC at 3 p.m. ET.

RACE SUMMARY
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Winner: Dan Wheldon, Andretti Green Racing Honda
Margin of Victory: 3.6936 seconds
Average Speed: 142.033 mph
Pole: Tomas Scheckter/Chevrolet, 215.115 mph

RESULTS
Pos./Driver/Engine/Laps
1. Dan Wheldon/Honda, 200
2. Sam Hornish Jr./Toyota, 200
3. Tony Kanaan/Honda, 200
4. Vitor Meira/Honda, 200
5. Helio Castroneves/Toyota, 200

11. Tomas Scheckter/Chevrolet, 158 (accident)
21. Tomas Enge/Chevrolet, 41 (mechanical)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (Unofficial after 1 of 17 events)
Driver/Engine/Points (victories in parentheses)
1. Dan Wheldon/Honda, 53 (1)
2. Sam Hornish Jr./Toyota, 40
3. Tony Kanaan/Honda, 35
4. Vitor Meira/Honda, 32
5. Helio Castroneves/Toyota, 30

11. Tomas Scheckter/Chevrolet, 19
21. Tomas Enge/Chevrolet, 12

Manufacturer/Points (victories in parentheses)
1. Honda, 10 (1)
2. Toyota, 7
3. Chevrolet, 5

NEXT EVENT
March 19, 2005, XM Satellite Radio Indy 200, Phoenix International
Raceway, Phoenix, 1-mile oval
TV: ABC, 3 p.m. ET