DIXON LEADS 115 LAPS, WINS INDIANAPOLIS 500

INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, May 25, 2008 – Scott Dixon capped a nearly perfect month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the biggest win of his career – the 92nd Indianapolis 500. Early in May, Dixon recorded the fastest practice lap. On Pole Day, he posted the best four-lap qualifying average, and on Race Day, he led 115 of 200 laps, including the final 29, to take the victory. “What a day, man,” said Dixon, who took over the IndyCar Series points lead. “I just couldn’t believe it. You just thought something was going to go wrong. I’ve got to thank my wife, for sure. She’s put up with my moods. What a day. We seemed to have a good car. We just had to hold on to it and stay ahead of those guys on restarts. You’re just a sitting duck. There were so many yellows. It was so hard to get into a rhythm. “I was trying to save fuel, and I was trying to see how the car was in traffic. We were trying to work on it the whole time. I think we had a little too much drag in it. But coming toward the end, as long as we got a good jump on those guys, I don’t think anyone was going to get past us. The Target guys did a fantastic job.” Dixon’s main competition early in the race was his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon. Wheldon, the 2005 Indianapolis 500 winner whose started in the middle of the front row, passed Dixon for the lead three times. Together, the Ganassi cars led 145 laps. After Wheldon’s car started handling poorly in the middle of the race, Dixon’s stiffest competition came from Marco Andretti and Vitor Meira. Andretti, who finished second as a rookie in 2006, led twice for 15 laps, and Meira took the lead on Lap 160 following a restart when he sliced between Dixon and Ed Carpenter heading into Turn 1. Meira led 11 laps before Dixon regained the lead for good on Lap 172. Meira finished second, tying his 2005 Indianapolis 500 finish, while Andretti finished third. Helio Castroneves, a two-time winner of the race, was fourth, and Carpenter was fifth. There were six crashes during the race involving seven drivers. None were injured. *** INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE NOTES:

* Scott Dixon wins the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in his sixth start. This is Dixon’s 12th career victory in the IndyCar Series and his second this season. He also won at Homestead-Miami Speedway. * This is the third Indianapolis 500 victory for Chip Ganassi. He is tied with Mike Boyle, Leader Card (Bob Wilkie) and Pat Patrick for the third-most ‘500’ wins in history. Roger Penske has 14, and Lou Moore has five. Ganassi won in 2000 with Juan Pablo Montoya and was co-owner with Pat Patrick of the 1989 winner driven by Emerson Fittipaldi. * This is the fourth time car #9 has won the Indianapolis 500. The last time was 2000 with Chip Ganassi driver Juan Pablo Montoya. * Dixon is the first native of New Zealand to win the Indianapolis 500. * Dixon led 115 laps, the most laps led by a race winner since Juan Pablo Montoya led 167 laps in 2000. Dan Wheldon led 148 laps in 2006 but finished fourth. * Vitor Meira finished second in the ‘500’ for the second time in his career. He also finished second in 2005. Meira has five top-10 finishes in six Indy starts. * Marco Andretti finished third, his second top-three finish in three starts. He finished second as a rookie in 2006. * Helio Castroneves finished fourth, his seventh top-10 finish in eight starts. * Ed Carpenter finished fifth, his best finish in the Indianapolis 500 and his third career fifth-place finish. Carpenter’s best ‘500’ finish was 11th in 2005 and 2006. Carpenter has fifth-place finishes at Homestead-Miami earlier this season and at Chicagoland in 2006. * Ryan Hunter-Reay finished sixth, tying his career-best finish recorded at Michigan last year. He is highest-finishing rookie. * Hideki Mutoh, the American Dairy Association Fastest Rookie, finished seventh, his third top-10 finish of the season. * 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice finished eighth. It’s his only top-10 finish other than his victory. Rice also has finished 11th in 2003 and 25th in 2006 and 2007. * Darren Manning finished ninth, his best Indianapolis 500 finish in four starts. His previous best finish was 20th last year. * Townsend Bell finished 10th in his second start in the Indianapolis 500. He finished 22nd in 2006. * 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier improved 15 positions during the race, the most of any driver. He finished 17th after starting 32nd.

* Dixon won from the pole position. This is the 19th time the winning car has started from the pole position. * Dixon takes over the IndyCar Series points lead from Castroneves. Dixon also led the standings following his season-opening victory at Homestead-Miami. Castroneves had been the leader since winning at St. Petersburg, the second race of the season. * Fifteen cars finished on the lead lap. The record for most cars finishing on the lead lap is 16 in 1959. The 1931 and 1962 Indianapolis 500 races also had 15 cars finish on the lead lap. * Nine drivers led laps during the race. The Indy 500 record is 12 lap leaders in 1993. The 1980, 1995 and 1998 races had 10 lap leaders. The 1981, 2002, 2004 and 2007 races also had nine lap leaders. * Marco Andretti recorded the fastest lap of the race (224.037 mph) on Lap 161. His father, Michael (1992), and his grandfather, Mario (1978), also recorded the fastest lap of an Indianapolis 500 race. * Dixon, was the top lap leader with 115 laps led. His teammate, Dan Wheldon, led the second most laps in the race with 30 laps. * Buddy Lazier completed 195 laps. It raised his Indianapolis 500 career total to 6,665 miles completed, which moves him past Michael Andretti for eighth on the all-time mileage leader list. * Helio Castroneves finished on the lead lap for the seventh time in his eight career starts in the Indianapolis 500. The only year he did not finish on the lead lap was in 2006 due to an accident. * Two drivers led the 2008 Indianapolis 500 for the first time. Mario Moraes and Ed Carpenter each led three laps. * The 30 laps led by Dan Wheldon raised his Indianapolis 500 career total to 234 laps, the most among active drivers. * Tony Kanaan led his record seventh consecutive Indianapolis 500. He led 12 laps, raising his career total to 214 laps led.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE QUOTES:

VITOR MEIRA (#4 Delphi National Guard, finished second): (No one expected you to lead. How did that happen?): “Nobody but me and the Delphi National Guard crew. We really, really prepared the car, and everything was according to plan. But things didn’t really happen our way. We finished second, but you know what, this is a very good result compared to the struggle we had last year and at the beginning of this season. Definitely, Panther Racing is back, and the big three better watch out.”

MARCO ANDRETTI (#26 Team Indiana Jones presented by Blockbuster, finished third):“In hindsight, it’s easy to point out mistakes in the race. I think as a team, we did an awesome job. I think the whole month, the Indiana Jones car was one of the ones to beat the whole month. It was a team decision to do what we did, but we missed. We messed up as a team. We finished third, got good points, let’s move on.” (Are you referring to decision to trim rear wing on last stop?): “Yeah, copy. That’s the thing: It’s easier said than done afterward. It’s a team decision. If you mess up, you mess up. We got good points. What are you going to do?”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (#3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “Well, fourth place, definitely not what we expected. We tried everything we could. We had a little issue with the debris. I was trying to avoid a slow car; I slammed on the brakes instead of hitting him. I pulled away and a piece of the debris hit my front wing so we had to stop to change that. The team, let me tell you, wow, what a team. I can’t thank enough, Team Penske. What a great strategy. Tim Cindric and all my guys, led by Rick Rinaman, they were fantastic. We were patient. Unfortunately, overall, it was very difficult to pass. We were just trying to keep gaining spots. Wow, what an incredible team. I am extremely honored to be part of it. Now, let’s think about the championship. Scott did an excellent job. Ganassi seems to be the favorite team right now, but, hey, the championship is still a long way and we ’re going to continue working hard.” (About racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) “This race is amazing. This place is magic. I remember Cindric on the radio, saying, ‘Come on, man, we have work to do.’ I’m like: ‘What do you mean, buddy? Patience! I have to be patient so you have to be patient.’ This place is amazing. I have to thank the fans for the support and the warm welcome again. To be here again and finish in the top five for me is great, so thank you everyone.”

RYAN BRISCOE (#6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone): (About incident with Danica Patrick): "It's a real shame. I just saw the replay, and it confirmed my thoughts. We were both out there trying to win the Indy 500 today, and when it's time to go, we have to go. But from what I can see, there was still plenty of room on the right side for her to get around and there are people pointing fingers, but that's not the way we are. We both have a brake pedal in our cars, and from what I can tell, there was still plenty of room for her to get around me. I was trying to get around Wheldon, and I was staying in the middle lane. I got ran up in the back, and it's a shame."

JOHN ANDRETTI (#24 Roth Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): It's like every ‘500.’ You learn something and when you get done, you wish you'd done something different. I do wish I'd dome some things different and been better. Our last in was horrible, just horrible. That came from a change because we didn't know. We just went with it, and it was way overkill. That really hurt us in the end. It would have been OK in the middle of the race, but at the end of the race, you know, we couldn't hardly keep up. But the stint before that, it was about the best the car was. We tried to make it a little better, but more practice makes all the difference in the world. The guys did a great job on pit stops. We seemed like we got in pretty good. Thank God we didn’t have any green-flag pit stops because I don't know what we would've done. So many people came off of Turn 4 and never saw pit in, so that worked out pretty good, but overall, I'm really pleased. It's frustrating because we know we could've done so much better with a little different circumstances.”

TOMAS SCHECKTER (#12 Symantec Luczo Dragon Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "It was just a driveshaft. It happens. I just have to thank my team and sponsors for giving me the chance to do what I love to do. It is a pity. These things sometimes happen. It is the worst time. It was the last stop of the Indy 500" (About running well all race): "I was just conserving fuel by driving at 90 percent, waiting for the last laps. When I wanted to give it a go and see what I could do, it happened. That is racing."

HIDEKI MUTOH (#27 Formula Dream Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "I stalled the engine once during a pit stop. I feel sorry for the guys. The team did a great job. I hope I could have finished fifth, but we didn't have enough speed. Two guys passed me, so we finished seventh. For my first Indy 500, that's not too bad."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (#17 Rahal Letterman Racing Team Ethanol Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I just learned so much through the pace of the race. Like this team always does, they made the Ethanol IndyCar better through the run. I’m disappointed we didn’t get more results. I really think this was a seventh-place car, and we finished sixth. I’m happy with it.” (About how he went about learning during the race): “This place is so difficult. When the tires go off and there’s cars in front of you with the turbulence, it’s probably been one of the most difficult tracks that I’ve ever been around.”

BUDDY RICE (#15 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "It is good for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. We had two cars in the top 10 at the Indianapolis 500. We're a small-time little group, and we did great. It is good for our sponsors, Jordache and William Rast. I think it was a good day for us." (About his pit strategy): "I needed all the help I could get. We dug ourselves in a hole at the beginning. We led there for a little bit because of our pit strategy. We missed getting our strategy by two laps. For us to get back to where we finished, it was a huge accomplishment for the No. 15 car."

A.J. FOYT IV (#2 Lilly Diabetes/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “Obviously, it was terrible. I mean, we caught on fire there again, in the pits and it ruined our day. We had to get out of the car and get the car all sorted out, and it was just miserable. From there on, you're just out there riding around and trying to stay out of trouble, waiting to screw up. It was a terrible race, a miserable race. One of the worst of my life. You don't learn nothing trying to stay out of everybody's way, and that's the worst way in the world to race.”

DAN WHELDON (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "My issue all day was with the right rear steer in the car. It was OK in the first few stints, but it seemed to get worse and worse as the race went on. It was very difficult." (About his teammate, Scott Dixon, winning the race): "I am really happy for him. He has been really quick in all of the races leading into this. He perhaps hasn't won as many as he deserved up to now, but he's on a roll right now, and it is great for him and the team that he did so well. The team worked so hard for both cars. Only one can win, and he was the deserving one."

WILL POWER (#8 Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “It was a good month you know. I kept getting more and more, and it’s just good to finish the race in a good position. Yeah, whatever.” (About sounding disappointed after the race) No, I’m really happy. I’m really happy for the guys and finished in a good position for us. We moved 10 places up so, I’m just exhausted.”

DANICA PATRICK (#7 Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "I was going down pit lane, and as people pull out of their pit boxes if you are in the outside lane, then they have to wait to blend in. From what I know, it looked like it was pretty obvious what happened. What are you going to do? The guys worked so hard today. We worked so hard on the car all month. Unfortunately, we didn't get to show for it in the end. Congrats to (Scott) Dixon. He was strong all month and he deserves it." (About what she would like to tell Ryan Briscoe): "It is probably best I didn't get down there anyway, isn't it?" (About her day): "The unfortunate thing is we worked our butts off all month. We were creeping forward slowly, but surely. After the little mishap in the pits early and struggling with the car, but from what I can tell it seemed like it was relatively obvious what happened. You just don't come out of you r pit box and swing three lanes out. That's why there is a 'get up to speed' lane and an 'at speed' lane. I was at speed." (About what she wants to say to Ryan Briscoe): "We will see if he can find me first."

BUDDY LAZIER (#91 Hemelgarn Johnson Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I tried to stay out of trouble. You know, we had one day of practice. One day of practice all month. Obviously, the rain out for Carburetion Day killed us, just killed us and it showed. I don't know anybody with one day of practice that could do any better. This team did as good as anyone could expect. It just would have been nice to have a teammate, someone to share information with. We just missed. We missed today.” (About running a clean race): “That was hard. That was really hard today. That's something that people say when they don't have anything else good to say. You say, ‘Well, the wheels are still on it.’ I'm disappointed, there's no doubt, but what can you really expect with one day of practice? It's all good.”

ED CARPENTER (#20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “It was OK. We were kind of same way in the race as we were throughout the month of May. Just outside the very top guys. But we were right there. For the most part I had a very clean race. Had a pit stop where there is a neutral button on this new transmission to get it into neutral. It wouldn’t go to neutral on this one stop and had to go to the back of the line. Luckily we caught a break with the yellow and got back up front. Otherwise, I think we could have maybe finished in front of Helio (Castroneves). I was running in front of him at that point. Either way I am really happy for Menards, Johns Manville, Direct TV, Lilly and everyone else involved with the team. Eleventh was my best finish before this. To be in the top five at Indianapolis is a great feeling. Happy for all the people that make it happen for us. M y Mom and Tony for giving me the opportunity to go show everyone that I do belong at this stage, and really think we are going to get Vision Racing our first win this year. We’ve got good cars, and I think it’s just a matter of time.” (Is this a shot of confidence for you personally?): “It is, but I mean the whole season, I have been a top-five car all season, especially on the ovals. I just need to get a little bit better on the road courses. Then we will be a threat all the way around. I think that is just around the corner.”

DARREN MANNING (#14 ABC Supply Co./AJ Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "The car was real good. You know, I made a mistake in the pit stop. I didn't listen to Larry (Foyt). He was saying, 'Stop, stop, stop,' and I was thinking ‘Go, go, go.’ I clipped my front wing on another car when he went into the pits, while we were running in sixth place. I was running comfortably with those guys in the front. I think I had the car firm. It was actually harder to pass the guys in the back of the pack than it was to the guys in the front. We were running a very similar car to the guys in the front, but we had some problems. We dropped back to 24th and came all the way back to ninth. It's a credit to the team. You know, we worked hard all month and they did a good job, too, in the pits to replace the nose and some good stops. We just kept working hard, and when it was time to go a t the end, I went." (On the racing conditions overall): "Absolutely perfect. There was a bit of wind in (Turns) 1 and 2, which was making it tricky. My car was real good at the end of all the long green flag runs, but we never got any. They (the cars in front) were just starting to come back to me. Was just cruising and picking them off, then the yellow would come out. I was really annoyed that so many yellow flags kept coming out."

TOWNSEND BELL (#99 Dreyer & Reinbold William Rast Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “We struggled a bit on the restarts. We had a good restart there at the end to get a couple positions. It’s pretty good. We’re still a small team. Buddy (Rice) got an eighth, so two top-10s for Dreyer and Reinbold. We’re duking it out with the big guys. It’s one foot in front of the other. It’s another step toward hopefully to a better end to the season. I really wanted to finish the race. I didn’t finish when I came here in 2006. I made it three-quarters of the way, was running in the top 10 and it was painful, painful Monday morning to wake up and know, man, if we just could have had a top 10, we’d be happy. So, now we’ve got one, and we need to just stay focused, come back and do even better next time. It’s a smaller organization with big ambitio ns and you can’t get there overnight. We don’t want to do is swing too hard and fall over trying to prove too fast. It’s got to happen one step at a time. We keep doing this and keep working our way up to that next level of teams, and we’re going to be happy.”

ENRIQUE BERNOLDI (#36 Sangari Conquest Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “It was a very good race for me. I was quite a bit scary for me in the beginning when a piece of (Graham) Rahal's car came off and hit me in the beginning. I thought my car would be damaged, but luckily, they could repair it and I still could get the lap back. I was pushing hard all the time and was like, really racing. Real racing. Indianapolis is like a track that you can drive the car a little bit around the problems, not like other ovals. I have to thank the engineer because he gave me a good car. I never had to adjust the car on the pit stops, I could do everything myself with the bars. The race was very long and very tiring. It was difficult because it was so long. I'm relieved because I finished my first oval race and it's the Indianapolis 500, so I finished the best one out of the three I did. I was very happ y to bring the car home. I think that's a big plus for the team for the ovals. Now we can work on it and get even better.”

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (#18 Z-Line Designs Dallara/Honda/Firestone): (About the frustration with losing his right mirror early in the race): "It wasn't really good for a few laps. My right mirror flew away, and the team did not have a mirror to replace. That was it. It's very frustrating to be leading the race and have to pit, and the team's not ready." (Did anything in particular happen to make the mirror come off or did it come off on its own?): "It came off on its own. It's very frustrating."

MILKA DUNO (#23 CITGO/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "For my second time at the Indianapolis 500, I am excited to have finished this classic race. Throughout the race, we were in good contention and made routine pit stops and tire changes. It was during Lap 168 that the No. 91 car (Buddy Lazier) essentially forced me to go on the apron. His tire made contact with my front wing and tires. I was able to control the spin, and no major damage was done to the car. The CITGO car was brought back to the garage, and I took off running through the pits to meet the team. The guys did a tremendous job to getting the car back out. Their efforts allowed us to gain two positions back on the track to finish 19th."

DAVEY HAMILTON (#22 Hewlett-Packard/KR Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “We had a disappointing day today. We had a right front nose wing break, I guess. We really didn’t realize it until the race was over. But just had big time understeer all day long. Just couldn’t get the car to turn. It was so much different than what it was on Carb Day and practice. But that is the reason. Well get back, find out what broke in the right front wing. With that thing flat, there is no way to turn these things.” (Do you think it failed due to fatigue or from possible contact?): “It seemed to be (bad) right off the bat, because there is no rubber on it at all. All the rest of the car and the other (front) nose wing has rubber on it. I’m pretty sure right from the get go that it was flat. We needed it, man. I thought we finally got the car out by ourselves and picked o ff some 219’s and 218’s. But as soon as I’d get traffic, I’d only go as fast as they would go. It was a pretty disappointing day.” (So how was traffic out there today. How did everyone behave?): “Well, a lot of defense. Lot of defense today.”

ORIOL SERVIA (#5 Angie's List Special Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “Yeah, I was so close to a top 10. I’m just really happy. Eleventh was a good race from where we started. We had a very good balance in the car, and we were just lacking a little bit of speed but, I’m just really happy. We had great stops, great restarts and good balance so, you know. We know we have a little bit of a disadvantage on development, and it is what it is but, we’re happy. We’re happy with the result and my first Indy and the team’s first Indy.” (About his most crucial moment of the race): “There were many. I mean, many restarts where we moved forward, and the pit stop that the guys put me seventh was great. We just didn’t have the speed to stay up there with those guys, but it was good. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed my first Indy.”

MARIO MORAES (#19 Sonny's Bar-B-Q Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “When I came driving (down the frontstretch) first time, it was amazing. I’ve never been to a place like this before. I just watch it on television sometimes. It's really impressive to be here; it's a pleasure. We made what we were looking for, finish the race. It doesn't matter what position. We work a little bit on the car. The team is brand new. The start is amazing, you know. You don't know what to do." (About what the start felt like in the turbulent air): "It's really impressive. You think it's easy in the qualifying. Then, you come to the first lap, and I need to reduce two gears, then go again, so it's quite hard. Two times, we have some problems and went into the marbles; Marco pushed me into the marbles. He was fast, so I was trying to get out of trouble. Then I need to stop to change the tires again and go. So I think they did a very good job, and we finish the race." *** Bobby East led all 50 laps to win the 63rd Toyota Challenge “Night Before the 500” presented by Fatheadz on Saturday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Chase Scott finished second and Tracy Hines third in the Mopar USAC National Midget Car Series event. *** Shane Cottle won the 60th Pay Less “Little 500” USAC Sprint Car special event Saturday night at Anderson Speedway. Cottle led the last 123 laps of the 500-lap feature for the victory. Tony Elliott finished second, with Johnny Rodriguez third. *** The 93rd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, 2009. Ticket information can be found in a foldout page between pages 32-33 of the 2008 Indianapolis 500 Official Program. Ticket information also can be obtained by calling the Speedway's ticket office, (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY, or by logging on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. *** Brian Barnhart, an Indianapolis native, is the president of the competition and operation division of the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series. He is the chief official of the 92nd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. *** Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi will drive the Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Official Pace Car leading the field to the start of the 92nd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. During caution periods in the race, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, from Fort Worth, Texas, will be the driver. Jim Haynes, from Phoenix, will serve as observer from the Pace Car. Under the caution, cars will close up behind the Pace Car. *** The 33-car field, aligned in the traditional 11 rows of three, will get the green flag on the third time past the flag stand. The starters for the Indy Racing League are Bryan Howard of Lomita, Calif., and Paul Blevin, of Riverside, Calif. Both are in their 12th year. *** In the 12 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races since the inception of the IndyCar Series, only two drivers who led at Lap 100 have won the race (16.7 percent), and only five drivers who led at Lap 190 in the races that have gone the distance have won the race (50 percent). In the last four seasons, when the same basic car and formula have been used, there has been at least one lead change in the final 10 laps three times.

Year

Leader Lap 100

Leader Lap 190

Winner 2007

Tony Kanaan

--- Rain shortened race to 166 laps

Dario Franchitti 2006

Dan Wheldon

Tony Kanaan

Sam Hornish Jr. 2005

Tony Kanaan

Danica Patrick

Dan Wheldon 2004

Dan Wheldon

--- Rain shortened race to 180 laps

Buddy Rice 2003

Jimmy Vasser

Gil de Ferran

Gil de Ferran 2002

Tomas Scheckter

Helio Castroneves

Helio Castroneves 2001

Greg Ray

Helio Castroneves

Helio Castroneves 2000

Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya 1999

Arie Luyendyk

Robby Gordon

Kenny Brack 1998

John Paul Jr.

Eddie Cheever Jr.

Eddie Cheever Jr. 1997

Arie Luyendyk

Jeff Ward

Arie Luyendyk 1996

Davy Jones

Buddy Lazier *** Julianne Hough, a professional ballroom dancer who teamed with two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves to win ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and a singer who recently released her first album, will perform the national anthem. *** Of the 33 cars starting this year's Indianapolis 500, 10 will have car numbers that have never won the race. Car numbers 10, 11, 18, 19, 22, 33, 41, 67 and 02 have never been on a winning car in the Indianapolis 500. This is the first year that car number 06 has been used on a car in the race. Car numbers 10, 11, 18, 19, 22 and 33 have been on cars that have finished second. Car number 3 leads with the most wins at 10. *** Leading the field to the green flag today as Pace Car driver is two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi. This is the 26th time that a former winner has driven the Pace Car. Fittipaldi is the 13th former winner to have sat behind the wheel of the Pace Car. The last former winner to drive the Pace Car was 1963 winner Parnelli Jones for the 1998 Indianapolis 500. *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #06 Graham Rahal was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive. GRAHAM RAHAL: “(Alex Lloyd) was really slow, and I was trying to be patient there because (Mario) Moraes kept coming down on me. So finally I got the opportunity to get by those few guys, and I thought our car was pretty good. Lloyd, for some reason, wouldn’t stay right on the bottom and when he came up just a couple of feet, I reacted slightly and just got in the marbles.” *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #25 Marty Roth was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive. MARTY ROTH: “I just was going around (Buddy) Lazier on the outside of him and just got caught up in the marbles and just went for a ride.” *** #06 Graham Rahal, the youngest driver in the field (19), was the first car out of the race, while #25 Marty Roth, the oldest driver in the field (49), was the second car out of the race. *** #11 Tony Kanaan became the first driver in history to lead seven consecutive Indianapolis 500-Mile Races when he took the lead on Lap 94. Kanaan had shared the previous record of six straight with Rick Mears (1979-84). Kanaan has led every Indianapolis 500 in which he has competed. *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #34 Jaime Camara was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive. JAIME CAMARA: “I just had understeer in traffic, and the car wouldn’t turn in. We just tried to work that with the front wing, and I was losing pace on the track. By myself I was fine, but in traffic it was tough even to approach someone slower than me, and when I got really close, the front end just gave out, and I was in the marbles. I crossed my arms trying to turn left and I almost made it, but I didn’t make it.” *** #11 Tony Kanaan led Lap 100 in both the 2007 and 2008 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races. The leader at the 100-lap mark has gone on to win the race 38 times in the previous 91 runnings of the Indianapolis 500, but the Lap 100 leader has only visited victory circle on three occasions (1989, 1997, 2000) in the past 21 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races. *** When #26 Marco Andretti took the lead on Lap 122, it represented the third consecutive Indianapolis 500 that Andretti, 21, has led. The only other Andretti to lead three consecutive events is Marco’s grandfather, Mario, who did not lead his third consecutive Indianapolis 500 until 1993 at the age of 53. The 2008 race is Marco Andretti’s third career Indianapolis 500 start. *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #11 Tony Kanaan and #67 Sarah Fisher were checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. They are cleared to drive. TONY KANAAN: (About Marco Andretti’s pass of Kanaan just before Kanaan’s incident): “It was a stupid move. I think teammates shouldn't do that to teammates. I'm sure he will have a good explanation for what he did. Halfway through the race with a bunch of traffic, why are you going to dive into me like that? I will wait to see what he has to say.” SARAH FISHER: “It was just racing. Tony was racing real hard for the lead, and got high and just spun right there in front of me. I think I got him in the intrusion panel, so it’s a good thing they update these cars every year so he can walk away fine. It was just a terrible day. It just wasn’t our day. The guys worked so hard this month and put together such a good race car. It was great on track; we just messed up the start, messed up the parade lap. It just wasn’t our day.” *** *** #19 Mario Moraes took the lead on Lap 136 to become the 56th driver to the lead the Indianapolis 500 in his first start. He is the 193rd different driver to have led an Indianapolis 500. *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #41 Jeff Simmons was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive. JEFF SIMMONS: “The car was getting pretty loose on those runs. I was trying to get the tires warm for the restart. I think it just hooked up, and I went into the wall. I’ve seen a lot of guys do it, but I never thought it would happen to me.” *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #02 Justin Wilson was checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive. JUSTIN WILSON: “I was just running in the pack and just trying to experiment with a few different lines trying to get a run on people because you’d often come down in the corner and wash out on the exit, and you’d have to lift off and you can’t pass anyone. So I was just experimenting and learning, and I thought everything was fine. But as you start to come out of the corner, I felt the back lighten up so I was out of the throttle, and it just slowly came around. And next thing I know, I’m going backward. I tried to keep the McDonald’s car out of the wall, but just ran out of real estate.” *** At 19 years, 156 days of age, #19 Mario Moraes is the third-youngest driver to lead the Indianapolis 500. Only Josele Garza (1981), at 19 years 70 days of age, and Marco Andretti (2006), at 19 years 76 days of age, were younger. *** #33 Viso is out of the race. E.J. VISO: “Since we started the race, we had a problem with the gearbox. It stayed stuck in any gear. Most of the time it was third. After revving up the engine, it would go up the gears. But this time it didn’t happen; it just stayed in third. I would think there’s something inside the gearbox. It’s very frustrating because I was running 11th or 12th and was very comfortable. The car was good, and we were going to start trimming the car down. We were going to be in the top 10 easily without any risk.” *** Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, IRL senior director of medical services: Alex Lloyd has been checked and released from the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive. ALEX LLOYD: “I don’t know exactly (what happened). We had an incident early on where we slightly touched or whitewalled it on the right side. It never felt right since that. We were struggling. We were playing around with the setup, trying to get it right. We just couldn’t get it. It was hooking mid-corner, and I came through Turn 4 and it stopped turning and went straight up to the wall. I don’t know why. I hit the wall, and that was that. It was long, frustrating day, really. Something wasn’t right, right from the start. We were trying our best to fix it in the pits, but nothing was working.” *** #7 Danica Patrick and #6 Ryan Briscoe collided while exiting the pits on Lap 171. Patrick was eliminated from the race. This is the first time in her four Indianapolis 500 starts that she failed to finish on the lead lap. *** The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 on June 1 at the Milwaukee Mile. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 4 p.m. (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and www.indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Milwaukee 100 on June 1 at The Milwaukee Mile. The Firestone Freedom 100 will be telecast at 1 p.m. EDT May 31.