BRISCOE WINS PEAK MOTOR OIL POLE AT WATKINS GLEN
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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., Saturday, – Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe survived three rounds of knockout qualifications to win his first PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award in the IndyCar Series since 2005.
Briscoe survived the unique qualifying format that narrows the field from 26 to 12 to six. In the Firestone Fast Six session, Briscoe surpassed Justin Wilson in the final minute of the 10-minute session with a lap at 1 minute, 29.3456 seconds, 135.787 mph.
“It came down to the last lap,” Briscoe said. “The team was telling me on the radio how we were progressing through the lap. There were one or two quicker lap times by other drivers, then all of the sudden they said, ‘You're P2. P1 is a 1:29:38.’ I knew I had to pull it all together. I'm really happy for Team Penske and all the effort they've put in to getting the car ready. It was a great last lap, and it's great to be on the front row with Justin Wilson. After seeing how this race can play out, it's a big help to start on the pole.”
The pole is the fourth in a row for Team Penske at Watkins Glen. Helio Castroneves, who won the previous three poles, had mechanical difficulties during the first qualifying segment and did not turn a lap. He will start a career-worst 26th.
Wilson qualified a career-best second, while Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified a career-best third.
Scott Dixon, who will attempt to win a record-setting fourth consecutive race at Watkins Glen, will start fourth for the third time at the 11-turn, 3.37-mile circuit.
Oriol Servia and Tony Kanaan round out the first six starting positions for the 60-lap Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen.
Also on July 5, Raphael Matos and Richard Antinucci won the Corning Duels Firestone Indy Lights races – the first time the series has held two races on the same day.
Matos won Race 1 by 2.1290 seconds over Antinucci, passing pole sitter Franck Perera on Lap 3 and leading the final 26 laps.
Antinucci came back to win Race 2 after starting from the fifth position. He passed teammate Ana Beatriz on Lap 10 and led the final 20 laps.
The two podium finishes for Antinucci vaulted him into first place in the point standings, while Matos, who finished second in Race 2, moved into second. Dillon Battistini, who entered the weekend as the points leader, finished 17th and 20th and dropped to third in points.
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CORNING DUELS RACE 1 POST-RACE NOTES:
* This is Raphael Matos’ fourth career victory and his second this season. He also won St. Petersburg 1. * Richard Antinucci finished second, his fifth top-two finish of the season. Antinucci and Dillon Battistini both have 255 points. Battistini remains the series points leader based on three victories to one. * Jeff Simmons finished third, his third top-five finish of the season. * Ana Beatriz finished fourth, her fourth top-five finish of the season. * Pablo Donoso finished fifth, his second consecutive fifth-place finish. * Daniel Herrington finished eighth in his first race of the season. * Jonny Reid finished a career-best 10th in his fourth start.
Unofficial Driver Points
Driver
Points
Dillon Battistini
255
Richard Antinucci
255
Raphael Matos
238
J.R. Hildebrand
216
Arie Luyendyk Jr.
212
Ana Beatriz
199
Jeff Simmons
198
Brent Sherman
170
Logan Gomez
167
Andrew Prendeville
162
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CORNING DUELS RACE 1 POST-RACE QUOTES:
RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc., first): “I knew I had to get by Franck (Perera) in the beginning of the race because he was running more downforce than me. That was definitely the most important pass. It worked out pretty well, and I was able to get by him. At the end of the race, my car was good enough that I could make a big enough gap so I was comfortable in the lead, and I could bring the AFS/Andretti Green Racing car to victory lane.”
RICHARD ANTINUCCI (No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, second): “I like the challenge of a road course. It’s my background, and I love it. To be able to prove myself on left and right corners, not just left, is a great thing, it’s a nice break. We’re immediately back in the top two, so it kind of underlines that we’re pretty competitive on it. Matos, for most of the race was more competitive than us, and that’s about as good as we could have gotten. We almost got the lead up the hill in the first lap. So we really made our race in the first lap, knowing it was going to be tough to pass. And Simmons is a very good driver, he’s a professional and had pretty good speed. So we probably finished up where our speed reflected. I don’t know if we did the fastest lap of the race, but we were probably pretty close at the end there.”
JEFF SIMMONS (No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling, third): “We were trying as hard as we could to win this race. Maybe the last lap or so we kind of backed off just a little bit to try to take care of the car. There was no reason to push it, we had a big gap where we were. I’m a little disappointed. I thought we’d be a little more competitive than that. I didn’t think I drove the best race, and the car was difficult to put in a consistent lap. But all in all, it’s a podium finish and we got some good points. Unfortunately, the two guys that finished ahead of us are already ahead of us in the points. Hopefully we’ll get a good chance in the second race, try to get the car a little better, and do a better job.”
ANA BEATRIZ (No. 20 Healthy Choice/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, fourth): “It was a very good race, a crazy race in the beginning. Everybody was spinning, and people were just too anxious about it. We had a lot of yellow flags after that. I was cautious because the track doesn’t have the best grip, and it was hard to get a lot of good laps. I think I was a little bit faster than Simmons in the beginning, but I couldn’t overtake him, and after that he was just a little bit faster than me. But it was a fair race. There was a little gap between everybody, and we didn’t have much fight in the front. I think the second race will be more.”
PABLO DONOSO (No. 22 TMR-Cristal-Xtreme Coil Drilling, fifth): “It’s good, it’s not bad. We’re improving. This is my second consecutive fifth-place, so it’s not bad. The team is working hard and the team is on the podium, so we’re happy. I think we have a good chance to finish on the podium (in the second race). We’re going to try to finish in the top five again and try to move up in the championship. I think we have a good car.”
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Izod is celebrating its new affiliation as the official apparel company of the IndyCar Series by debuting a 60’ x 80’ billboard of Rahal Letterman Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay above Times Square in New York this week. The billboard, located at 42nd Street and Broadway, stands above the ESPNZone and features Hunter-Reay, who will serve as an IZOD representative as part of the league’s multi-year partnership with IZOD, and the July IndyCar Series schedule with television tune-in information. The billboard will remain up throughout the month of July.
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As the IndyCar Series heads into the second-half of its season, first-half races showed ratings increases in six of nine races. Ratings are up across the board on ABC (+4 percent), ESPN (+61 percent) and ESPN2 (+42 percent). Overall, viewership is up 17 percent season to date compared to 2007.
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PEAK MOTOR OIL POLE QUALIFYING PRESENTED BY AUTOZONE NOTES:
* Ryan Briscoe wins the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by AutoZone. This is Briscoe’s first pole of the season and the second of his career. He also won the pole at Infineon in 2005. Briscoe’s best start this season was third at Homestead-Miami, Indianapolis and Texas. * This is Team Penske’s 36th pole in the IndyCar Series and its first this season. * Justin Wilson qualified second, his career-best starting position. He qualified third at St. Petersburg. * Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified third, his career-best starting position. He qualified fifth at Belle Isle last year. * Scott Dixon qualified fourth, the third time he will start fourth at Watkins Glen in four races. * Oriol Servia qualified a career-best fifth. His previous best was seventh at St. Petersburg. * Tony Kanaan is the only driver to participate in all 12 Firestone Fast Six sessions in IndyCar Series history. Helio Castroneves failed to participate in the Firestone Fast Six for the first time. * Helio Castroneves, a three-time pole winner at Watkins Glen, will start 26th, his worst starting position in 107 career starts. His previous worst was 21st at Chicagoland in 2002. * Darren Manning qualified a season-best eighth. His previous best was 11th at St. Petersburg. He last started eighth last season at Chicagoland.
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PEAK MOTOR OIL POLE QUALIFYING PRESENTED BY AUTOZONE QUOTES:
RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, first): “It came down to the last lap. The team was telling me on the radio how we were progressing through the lap. There were one or two quicker lap times by other drivers, then all of the sudden they said, ‘You're P2. P1 is a 1:29:38.’ I knew I had to pull it all together. I'm really happy for Team Penske and all the effort they've put in to getting the car ready. It was a great last lap, and it's great to be on the front row with Justin Wilson. After seeing how this race can play out, it's a big help to start on the pole.”
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team, second): “To come back in the pits, get out of the car, see the timing, go from first to second by a couple of hundredths, that's quite frustrating. But at the same time, I'm very pleased with the performance we had in qualifying and we had this weekend, considering we came straight to this track completely blind. We haven't tested here. We haven't done any running. We still haven't tested on a road course. I think the team's done a fantastic job. I'm just very excited at being able to challenge for the pole position. My car was working really well. There was a couple of times on the last lap where I knew I had to pull something out. I think three times I thought I'd put it in the wall. But fortunately the McDonald's car was gripping well, hanging on. I was just able to get back on the power. Closed my eyes on a few of the exits.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Team Ethanol, third): “We changed the car a lot overnight to today, and it was a massive improvement. We just went with what works with me in the car rather than going with the team’s older data. We went with it, and it went great. We made the car better and better over the sessions. We kind of snuck in there. We were sixth in the first one, sixth in the second one. And like Scott (Dixon) was saying, it’s really long. By the last lap, on that last qualifying session, you’re on the ragged edge, just desperate for every half a tenth (of a second). It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it today.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, fourth): “It's a long qualifying session. I guess in the end it didn't work out too bad for us. We struggled in the first session. I just had no front grip. I couldn't turn the car. The second session wasn't too bad. And then our last one there in Q3, or whatever we want to call it, the gearbox kept locking up so we had to go to manual mode, which was a bit of a pain. I think twice it stopped. Actually I tried going back to auto again. That was one of the things that we had out there. But ultimately I think the car's pretty decent. I think we had a little bit more in it. I don't know if we had enough for pole. Those guys were pretty quick out there. But I still believe we got a pretty good car for the race.”
ORIOL SERVIA (No. 5 KV Racing Technology, fifth): “I was very happy to make the Firestone Fast Six, having just missed out in St. Petersburg last time, and to have a chance to get pole. I am really happy with how we improved the KV Racing Technology car every session. I felt the car was faster than we showed because on the third lap, in Turn 1, I ran wide and broke something in the front wing. From there I couldn’t improve, I was pushing (understeer) too much. So it was a little my fault trying to go too fast too soon. But the car was good, the team did a great job, and we still managed to be fifth.”
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, sixth): “It was pretty exciting for the fans and us. We’re not in the position we’d like to be, but it’s always good to make the top six. Up to this race it was only me and Helio (Castroneves) who had made all of them. Helio didn’t make it this time, so that makes me the only one. If there’s any consolation about not being on the front row, I guess that’s it.”
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Blockbuster, seventh): “I think we had a little bit more in the car. That's why the oso*fresh guys are all a bit disappointed. We did a good job, though. We're right there with the top six. It's not ideal, but we're in it and we have a very good race car.”
DARREN MANNING (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./AJ Foyt Racing, eighth): “We went from 20th in practice this morning to eighth this afternoon, so I’ll take that. We made some good improvements and even went back to some stuff we ran yesterday. We risked a big change between the sessions, and the car was better again, but I just needed another run on new tires, and I think we would have had enough for the top six but the full-course yellow took away that opportunity. We’re understanding the car more, so that is the most important thing we gained.”
DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, ninth): “I think compared to Scott (Dixon), my speeds through the middle of the corner were up, but it was costing me on the exit. I was losing a little bit of time in the bus stop. The car has been really competitve and very consistent all weekend, but perhaps didn't get the most out of it during qualifying. It was just a little bit off. Everything is so close now that it probably cost me.”
VITOR MEIRA (No. 4 Delphi National Guard, 10th): “I felt like that was about all we had in our car. We made a few changes during the qualifications to see if we could squeeze everything out of it, but we’re happy with where we’re starting. It would have been nice to start closer to the front, but there are a lot of great drivers and teams out here, and that makes it a bigger challenge for us. It’s better for the fans too. The race car is good, and I feel like we’re ready to make a run for it tomorrow.”
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CORNING DUELS RACE 2 POST-RACE NOTES:
* This is Richard Antinucci’s fourth career victory and his second this season. He also won St. Petersburg 2. Antinucci now leads the Firestone Indy Lights point standings. * Raphael Matos finished second and moves into second in the point standings, 29 points back. * Ana Beatriz finished third for the third time this season. She also was third at St. Petersburg 1 and Iowa. * Pablo Donoso finished fifth, his third consecutive fifth-place finish.
Unofficial Driver Points
Driver
Points
Richard Antinucci
307
Raphael Matos
278
Dillon Battistini
265
J.R. Hildebrand
238
Arie Luyendyk Jr.
238
Ana Beatriz
234
Jeff Simmons
226
Logan Gomez
199
Brent Sherman
186
Pablo Donoso
184
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CORNING DUELS RACE 2 POST-RACE QUOTES:
RICHARD ANTINUCCI (No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, first): “We were good on cold tires. During the first few laps of the morning race, I noticed we were quicker than (Raphael) Matos on cold tires. We had a really good car. We had new tires while Matos and (Jeff) Simmons had scuffed tires. That might have helped us with the hotter tempratures. In the long run it hurt us, but it was enough at the end to win.”
RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc., second): “I don't think we had a strong car on the restarts. I almost spun on the last restart in Turn 10, and Ana Beatriz got a run on me. It's just too bad because I think AFS/Andretti Green Racing gave me a strong car. I was catching Richard (Antinucci) at the end, but we just ran out of time.”
ANA BEATRIZ (No. 20 Healthy Choice/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, third): “Unfortunately, I had oversteer in the race car and lost the first position. It was really very good to lead a race again. I have to thank the Healthy Choice crew and all the Healthy Choice guys that came here to watch me today. And, for sure, my managers that couldn’t be here this time. Another podium – I wish they were here with me celebrating.”
LOGAN GOMEZ (No. 23 Menards Guthrie Racing, fourth): “I think it went pretty well. We started the day 10th in the first race and moved up to sixth, and they inverted our position and put us on pole and we were able to hold onto fourth, so it’s definitely the right direction that we want to go. We weren’t involved in any accidents, which seemed pretty easy to do. Other than that, the team was great. Darrell Soppe has been working on the setup and improved it throughout the weekend, so I’m really happy with that. It’s great to have IZOD on board, this is their big race. It’s good to get a top-five in front of them. Hopefully we’ll go into the next race, Nashville - I got second there last year, so maybe we can win a guitar, who knows.”
PABLO DONOSO (No. 22 TMR-Cristal-Xtreme Coil Drilling, fifth): “I started second. I think I did the correct thing. I gave a space to Logan (Gomez), and he was more focused on me than on the inside so we got Ana (Beatriz) and Antinnuci on the inside. I gave a space to Antinnuci, but I don’t know why he put me on the curb. He made me lose three spots. Now I know how he runs. He doesn’t need to run with me like that because I gave a space to him. But anyway, a top-five is good for the team, and I was fighting hard with Jeff (Simmons). It was a good race, and it’s more points for the championship, so we’re going to see what happens.”
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SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times local):
7 a.m.
Garages open
10:30-11 a.m.
IndyCar Series warm-up
2:30 p.m.
Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen pre-race
3:30 p.m.
Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen (60 laps/204 miles)
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The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen July 6 at Watkins Glen International. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 3:30 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 Sunbelt Rentals 100 on July 12 at Nashville Superspeedway. The Corning Duels will be telecast at 2 p.m. (EDT) July 10 on ESPN2 and live on www.indycar.com.