Category: Other Series PR

WATERTOWN, Conn. — Oct. 6, 2013— David Gravel had his sights set pretty high heading into this year’s running of the Morgan Hughes National Open at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. After qualifying for the A-Feature in the finale of the historic event for the first time in his career last year, he repeated that achievement on Saturday, Oct. 5, and wound up finishing eighth, with a stout 62-car field in attendance for the event sanctioned by the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series.

“To finish in the top-10 with the strong field of cars that was there is a great accomplishment,” said Gravel, who drives the FMR Racing/JRC Transportation/Musco Fuel/Model Craft J&J. “We timed in the right spot and were able to get in the dash and that’s always important, especially at a place like Williams Grove. We knew we were capable of running up there, we just had to have everything work out, and it did.”

Gravel kicked off the night by turning the 18th-fastest lap in time trials, which put him on the pole of the third heat race. He won that eight-lap contest to earn a spot in the 12-car dash. He both started and finished 10th in dash, and lined up on the outside of the fifth row for the 40-lap main event.

The native of Watertown, Conn., gained a spot on the initial start and worked his way up to eighth by the eighth lap. The first caution flag of the night flew on the 13th circuit. Just three laps later, Gravel powered his way up to seventh and was running in that spot when the caution flag flew on lap-25. At that point, a red flag was displayed for a fuel stop. Gravel ran seventh until the 31st go-around when Greg Hodnett got by him. The East Coast racer would remain in the eighth position for the rest of the 40-lapper to earn his best-career finish in the National Open.

“That was a tough 40 laps,” he shared. “We had a couple of longer green flag runs where the field got strung out a bit. Williams Grove is definitely a challenging place to pass and the track very fast after the rain earlier in the night. We were able to gain a few spots and ran as high as seventh and stayed right with a number of drivers that have a ton of laps there over the years. It was a great rebound after Friday night to come home eighth.”

In the opener of the National Open on Friday, Oct. 4, Gravel just missed qualifying for the 25-lap feature event. He was 35th in time trials of the 63 drivers that took to the half-mile. He finished seventh in the fifth heat race, which put him in the B-main, where he ended up ninth.

“We were just a little off on Friday night and at a place like Williams Grove, it doesn’t take much to get behind, especially when there are that many strong cars there,” said Gravel. “We kept battling and made up some ground in the B-main and just came up a little short. Once Friday was over, we put it behind us and started to focus on Saturday.”

Both nights of the National Open were taped for broadcast next month on the CBS Sports Network. The opening night will air on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 9 p.m. Eastern, while the finale will be shown on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. Eastern.

The 21-year-old is currently 13th in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings on the strength of two wins and 25 top-10 finishes. Gravel is the leading contender for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award with the series. He returns to action next weekend at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y., for an event that is part of Super DIRT Week XLII.

Keep up-to-date with David Gravel and DDR Motorsports by visiting www.DavidGravel89.com. Follow David on Twitter @davidgravel89gand like David on Facebook.

HOUSTON (Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013) — Scott Dixon took advantage of Helio Castroneves’ discouraging race weekend to slide into the driver’s seat of the IZOD IndyCar Series championship chase.

Dixon won Race 1 of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 5 and was runner-up to Will Power in Race 2 to take a 25-point lead heading over Castroneves into the MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships on Oct. 19 at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval in Fontana, Calif.

It will mark the eighth consecutive year that the series title will be decided in the finale.

Power overtook Dixon’s No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car in Turn 3 of a Lap 40 restart and held on for his second victory of the season (20th of his Indy car career) as the yellow flag flew behind them on the final lap of the 90-lap race for heavy contact involving the cars of Dario Franchitti, Takuma Sato and E.J. Viso.

Franchitti, a four-time series champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was admitted awake and alert to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center in Houston for a concussion, spinal fracture that will not require surgery and a fracture to the right ankle.  He will be kept overnight. Sato and Viso were evaluated at the scene and released.

“On the last lap I caught the marbles and brushed the wall and lost momentum,” said Sato, the pole sitter for Race 1 in the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing. “A couple cars passed me as I was offline and in Turn 5. I got very loose and Dario and I came together.”

Dixon started next to Castroneves on Row 1 for the standing start as the starting grid was set by entrant points after a rainstorm washed out the morning 30-minute qualifying session.

“Another win would have been nice,” Dixon said, “but a decent weekend and a good turnaround for us in terms of points. It’s still going to be a tough weekend at Fontana. Twenty-five points, it can go anybody’s way.”

Castroneves entered the third doubleheader of the season with a 49-point advantage. After qualifying a season-low 21st and finishing 18th in Race 1, combined with Dixon’s victory, Castroneves’ lead was sliced to eight. A shifter issue early in Race 1 required repairs on pit lane that dropped Castroneves nine laps down. In Race 2, a broken gearbox housing left Castroneves’ No. 3 entry stranded in Turn 6 of the 1.634-mile, 10-turn circuit.

The crew returned the car to its temporary garage area to replace the gearbox and rear suspension, and Castroneves rejoined the race on Lap 47 (36 laps down to race leader Power) and finished 23rd.

“We’ve had great luck for most of the season. Now, in a weekend, everybody’s dream has become an interesting scenario,” said Castroneves, who had a streak of 12 consecutive top-10 finishes end in Race 1. “I will tell you one thing, this team is a testament to never giving up and I have faith in these guys that they are going to do everything they can to make it happen in Fontana.”

Castroneves was among 23 drivers who tested at the venue Sept. 24 in preparation for the 200-lap twilight race.

“The good news is we had a test there and it was extremely good,” Castroneves continued. “It’s going to be a heck of a race.”

James Hinchcliffe finished third for his first podium since Iowa in June and Justin Wilson followed up on his fourth podium of the season with a fourth-place finish. Sebastien Bourdais advanced from the 13th starting position to finish fifth. Oriol Servia gained the most positions, climbing from 21st to finish seventh in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car.

HOUSTON (Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013) — Scott Dixon won for the fourth time – the third on a street circuit – in Race 1 of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston to slice Helio Castroneves’ championship points lead from 49 to eight heading into the penultimate race of the IZOD IndyCar Series season.

The second 90-lap race on the 1.683-mile, 10-turn course is at 1 p.m. (ET) Oct. 6. The final race Oct. 19 at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval in Fontana, Calif., will mark the eighth consecutive year that the series title has been decided in the finale.

Castroneves started a season-low 21st and finished 18th in the No. 3 Shell Pennzoil Team Penske car. He developed a shifter issue early in the race and dropped nine laps behind during repairs on pit lane. He had been the only driver to complete all 2,003 laps entering the race.

Dixon has an average finish of 2.2 through five of the six races that constitute doubleheaders and 7.1 on street circuits. He can earn another SONAX Perfect Finish Award, adding $50,000 to the $100,000 he earned by sweeping the races at Exhibition Place in Toronto in July, with a victory in Race 2. Dixon’s next victory will tie Al Unser Jr. for sixth on the all-time Indy car list with 34.

Dixon, who started third, pitted on Lap 64 just before a full-course caution for the stopped car of Oriol Servia. Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car regained the point on the exchange, but he had to pit for the final time on Lap 73, which put Dixon back at the front of the field for the duration. He won under caution.

Simona De Silvestro finished a career-high second and Justin Wilson earned his fourth podium finish of the season.

Also on Oct. 5, Sage Karam held off Schmidt Peterson with Curb-Agajanian teammate Gabby Chaves to win the Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of Houston.

Karam’s first road/street circuit victory, while three of the four fellow title contenders faltered in the penultimate race of the season, set up a winner-take-all scenario with Chaves at Auto Club Speedway on Oct. 19. Karam leads by 16 points.

Karam, who started from the pole in the No. 8 Schmidt Peterson with Curb Agajanian after the lineup was set by entrant points, led every lap in the timed race on the 1.683-mile, 10-turn course.

Carlos Munoz, who entered the race two points behind Karam, finished a season-low 12th and was eliminated from title contention. So was Jack Hawksworth, who was 11 points behind but finished sixth. Peter Dempsey also was eliminated.

Kansas City, KS (October 5, 2013) – Baltimore, Maryland native Justin Boston concluded his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards rookie campaign Friday night at Kansas Speedway with a fifth place finish, four spots ahead of fellow rookie contender Mason Mingus to secure the top spot in the series’ SCOTT Rookie Challenge standings.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1. Two teams face grid penalty at Houston 

2. Drivers serve up native cuisine 

3. Will anyone pick up SONAX Perfect Finish Award?

4. Viso and Hunter-Reay to mark milestones

5. Home race on historic site 

6. Race 1 standing start procedure the same as Toronto  

7. Drivers get behind disc-throwing robots

1. Two teams face grid penalty at Houston: IZOD IndyCar Series officials have penalized the No. 10 car of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and No. 15 car of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 10 grid spots each for unapproved engine changes prior to the doubleheader event at Houston’s Reliant Park.

Both cars failed to comply with rules 15.1.4 and 15.5.1.

15.1.4. Each Full-Season Entrant may use no more than five fresh built Engines from the first Open Test until the end of the Race season. Using more than five fresh Engines in this period will result in a penalty. Engines beyond the fifth fresh Engine may be fresh or part-used.

15.5.1. The minimum mileage threshold (“Change-Out Mileage”) is 2,000 miles.

The No. 20 entry of Ed Carpenter Racing will utilize a fresh engine this weekend but is not subject to penalty under Rule 15.5.5, which allows for a penalty-free engine change when it’s brought on by circumstances beyond the control of the team and manufacturer. The team’s car and engine suffered smoke damage in a transporter fire coming back from a test at Auto Club Speedway on Sept. 25.

15.5.5. An Engine that has experienced a problem deemed sufficient to require change-out as mutually agreed by INDYCAR and Engine Manufacturer that is beyond the reasonable control of either the Entrant or Engine Manufacturer (such as faulty fuel, damage to the Engines caused by act of God, etc.) may be replaced  with an Engine from the pool without penalty.

Click  HERE  for the latest Fresh Engine Update

2. Drivers serve up native cuisine: “I’ve found my winter internship,” Simona De Silvestro said as she put the finishing touches on another layer of a Swiss Cremeschnitten during a culinary kickoff event Oct. 3 at Reliant Center for the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston.

De Silvestro, of Switzerland, was joined by fellow IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Takuma Sato of Japan and Sebastien Bourdais of France in assisting in the creation of dishes representing their homelands.

Sato, of Tokyo, helped ground wasabi for the autumn-inspired appetizer of chef Hori of Kata Robata, which included Alaskan king crab and sea urchin with caviar; Japanese eggplant with sweet miso; hay-smoked Hamachi; and Matsutake mushrooms with duck breast tataki.

“Japan has four different seasons so these dishes are from the sea, the forest and the farm,” Sato said. “Japan food is diverse.”

Bourdais, who won the past two Indy car races in Houston in 2006 and ’07, assisted chef Philippe Gaston of the Cove and Haven restaurant in preparing a French country style lunch of pan-seared veal sweet breads with wild mushroom sauce, roasted garlic potatoes and rocket salad.

“French cuisine is actually very diverse, very much owing its roots to its surroundings,” said Bourdais, of Le Mans. “So you have influences from Spain and Italy and Germany, among other countries, and their traditional dishes. With the sea, the forests and the grazing lands, you get a lot of different dishes that are very flavorful.”

De Silvestro and chef Gerhard Schaefer of Roland’s Swiss Bakery handled dessert.

“Most people when they think of Switzerland think of chocolate and other sweets, but we do have pretty normal food, too,” De Silvestro said. “The problem, as a race car driver, when I go home it’s kind of difficult not to go crazy (on the sweets). My go-to thing is a tart or a slice of black forest cake.

“If I wasn’t a race car driver, I definitely could see myself as a pastry chef.”

3. Will anyone pick up SONAX Perfect Finish Award?: Scott Dixon accepted a $100,000 check for earning the SONAX Perfect Finish Award at Toronto. Will a driver collect the $50,000 prize this weekend in Houston?

SONAX, a global leader in the manufacturing of premium car care products, will pay a $50,000 bonus if a driver can sweep the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader. The 90-lap races on the 1.683-mile, 10-turn street circuit are Oct. 5-6.

Dixon won both races on the Exhibition Place street course in July. The SONAX Perfect Finish Award rolled over the first $50,000 to Toronto after Mike Conway and Simon Pagenaud split the doubleheader in Detroit in early June.

“It was nice for me but it is extra special for the crew guys who work hard and get a portion of this prize money,” Dixon said. “It’s great for SONAX to post such a big check for the weekend and to have them in the sport.”

4. Viso and Hunter-Reay to mark milestones: Andretti Autosport teammates E.J. Viso and Ryan Hunter-Reay will mark Indy car milestones in Race 2 on Oct. 6.

Viso will make his 100th Indy car start while Hunter-Reay, the reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion, will compete in his 150th Indy car race.

“It’s gone by super fast,” said Viso, driver of the No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA CITGO car. “I never really stopped to think about how many races I’ve done. It’s easy to say, 100 races, but it seems like yesterday that I moved to the States. I’m grateful that my career has always been stable here and hopefully it will stay that way.”

5. Home race on historic site: Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Houston native A.J. Foyt, the grand marshal of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, won his first Midget race at Playland Park in 1953.

The dirt oval was on the site of Reliant Park, where the IZOD IndyCar Series doubleheader will be contested this weekend. A.J. Foyt Racing is entered with the No. 14 ABC Supply car for driver Takuma Sato.

6. Race 1 standing start procedure the same as Toronto:  A standing start, with procedures and the lighting system the same as Toronto, will be utilized in Race 1 at Houston. 

It was in Race 2 at Toronto that Dixon, the pole sitter, got a clean getaway from the standing start and went on to the victory.

Firestone Racing will provide primary and alternate tire specifications used this season at St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Detroit, Toronto and Baltimore. Each entry receives nine sets of primary (black) Firehawks and three sets of alternate (red sidewall) Firehawks for the race weekend.

7. Drivers get behind disc-throwing robots: Drivers Charlie Kimball and Josef Newgarden will pair with Texas high school teams and their disc-throwing robots for a competition Oct. 5. 

The driver-controlled robots, Viper and Apex, try to hit as many goals in an allotted time. The higher the goal, the more points scored. 

The robotics teams from Greenville, Texas, and League City, Texas, are part of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a competitive robotics group for K-12 students created by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders.

***

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston presented by the Greater Houston Honda Dealers doubleheader on Oct. 5 and 6 at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at Reliant Park. Both races will be televised live by NBC Sports Network (3 p.m. ET on Oct. 5 and 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 6) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 5 at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at Reliant Park. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. (ET) on Oct. 6.

Charity Race Will Raise Money for Alzheimer’s Association

Indianapolis (October 3, 2013) – Drivers from various racing backgrounds will come together on Oct. 26 to compete in The Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Karting Challenge at New Castle Motorsports Park.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association, a cause Wheldon fought to raise awareness for after his mother was diagnosed with the illness in 2008. 

“The Alzheimer’s Association and its Greater Indiana Chapter are honored to be the recipients of proceeds raised through The Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Karting Challenge,” said Heather Hershberger, Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter.  “It’s a fitting tribute as Dan was a great champion of our work and took great interest in the programs for individuals in the early-stages of the disease.  While saddened that Alzheimer’s has personally touched his family, we are inspired by this generous and moving tribute.” 

The challenge will consist of 12 corporate sponsored teams in a timed 2-hour race beginning at 12:30 p.m.  Each team will have one pro driver paired with three amateurs.  Gates open at 7 a.m. and admission is free.  The pro drivers will also take part in an autograph session before the start of the race.

“I’m thrilled to be taking part in this race,” said James Hinchcliffe, who will be driving for the Firestone-sponsored team.  “It’s such a cool way to do it, by combining two of Dan’s passions, karting and Alzheimer’s awareness.   I’m honored to get to participate.” 

The challenge will be part of the RoboPong race weekend, an endurance event Wheldon loved to compete in during the off-season.  In fact, Wheldon was often seen in the go-kart paddock competing in various races during his downtime from the IndyCar Series.

“An event like this is just great because we’re continuing to carry the flame of something he started,” said Alex Tagliani, who will be the pro driver for the IMS-sponsored team.  “And it’s karting.  I definitely had the chance to spend some time karting at the Florida Winter Tour with him.  I know it was a location where we hang out in the winter to have fun away from the serious business and so karting always makes me remember him and this even more.  I’m so glad to take part in it.”

Drivers and sponsors were quick to sign up for the race when asked to participate by Wheldon’s widow Susie, including three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti, who was also a teammate of Wheldon during the start of his IndyCar career.

“I’m really looking forward to competing in the race,” said Franchitti who will be driving for Big Machine Records.   “It’ll be fun to get back in a kart for the first time in a long time and most importantly to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s, something which Dan was so passionate about.”

Franchitti’s teammate Scott Dixon, also a former teammate of Wheldon, will be driving for Target in the event.

“I’m very excited to be a part of The Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Karting Challenge,” said Dixon.  “Dan was a much loved friend and teammate.  This race will be a great addition to Dan’s lasting legacy and helping the Alzheimer’s Association, an organization Dan was very passionate about.  The cross between regular top tier drivers, up and comers, and racing enthusiasts is going to make for quite the race!  I hope everyone comes out to support.”

Three drivers from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports will take part in the race, including Simon Pagenaud, Tristan Vautier and Sage Karam.

“Dan was a tremendous driver and a good friend to many of us,” said Pagenaud, who will drive for Bowers & Wilkins.  “It’s important for us to show that IndyCar is a close family, and this event is our way of showing support to Susie.  I’m very happy to be participating.”

Wheldon, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was one of IndyCar’s most popular drivers and is remembered not only for his success on the track, but as much for his charismatic personality and devotion to his beloved fans, as well as the up and coming drivers in the Series.

“When Michael Fux (Comfort Revolution) decided to sponsor a team in the event and asked me to drive, I became filled with emotion,” said Indy Lights driver Karam.  “Dan was one of the drivers that always made time to talk to the young guys like me on race weekends.  He left quite a positive impression on me and I am honored to be a participant in this event.”

Ed Carpenter, Martin Plowman, Josef Newgarden-Honda, Jay Howard-Bell Helmets, and Bryan Herta-William Rast/Global Rallycross round out the 12 teams entered in the race.

This is the first event that Wheldon has officially organized and hosted in her late husband’s name, following his passing at the Las Vegas season finale in 2011.   

“I feel so blessed to have had such an overwhelming response from people wanting to contribute,” said Wheldon, who will be attending the event with her two small children Sebastian and Oliver, as well as their father’s family from England.   “The outpouring of support goes to show what kind of person Dan was and how he affected those he met.  I couldn’t be more proud.  Being able to carry on his legacy with an event like this, benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association, is something very special.”

A piece of racing memorabilia from Wheldon’s personal collection will also be auctioned off at the event, by way of silent auction.

Each winning team member will receive a 221 Rose Gold watch, with special engraving, from Ritmo Mundo and a room package compliments of the Conrad Indianapolis. 

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HOUSTON (Friday, Oct. 4, 2013) – IZOD IndyCar Series championship contenders Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon displayed their cars will be fast in the first practice session for the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader, while Justin Wilson and Will Power significantly lowered lap times in the second 45-minute session.

Wilson, driving the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car for Dale Coyne Racing, posted the fastest lap of the day of 1 minute, 04.4237 seconds on the 1.683-mile, 10-turn circuit at Reliant Park. Power, fastest in the first practice (1:06.3983) in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, was .3790 of a second behind Wilson, who is seeking to become the record-tying 11th different winner this season.

Dixon, who enters the weekend doubleheader 49 points behind Castroneves, was second fast in the initial practice session and sixth in the second session (1:05.7512). Castroneves followed placing third on the time sheet in the first practice with 11th place (1:05.7512) in the No. 3 Shell Pennzoil Team Penske car.

Practice sessions and qualifications for the IZOD IndyCar Series were revised because of a surface issue in Turn 1. A temporary chicane to slow the cars was employed until grinding of the racing surface at Turn 1 could take place overnight. That area of Reliant Park is utilized to store the grass field for Reliant Stadium.

Qualifying for Race 1, scheduled for Oct. 4, will be held at 11:45 a.m. (ET) Oct. 5. The three rounds of qualifying for road/street circuits, including the Firestone Fast Six, were forfeited for a 30-minute session split into two groups for 12 minutes each of track time. The 90-lap Race 1 with a standing start will proceed as planned at 3:30 p.m. (ET). Race 2 is at 1:30 p.m. (ET) Oct. 6.

Also on Oct. 4, Firestone Indy Lights championship points leader Sage Karam recorded the fastest lap in the lone practice before a 45-minute qualifying session for the same-day Grand Prix of Houston.

Karam’s lap of 1 minute, 0.3931 seconds in the No. 8 Schmidt Peterson with Curb-Agajanian car on the 1.683-mile, 10-turn MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway was .1118 of a second quicker than teammate Jack Hawksworth, who has won three of the four street course races this season.

Karam enters the 50-lap race with a two-point lead over Carlos Munoz. Gabby Chaves is four points back and Hawksworth is 11 points behind.