Category: Other Series Racing

[media-credit name=”texasmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]FORT WORTH, Texas (June 8, 2012) – Alex Tagliani earned the pole position Friday for the IZOD IndyCar Series Firestone 550, marking the second consecutive year he was the top qualifier at Texas Motor Speedway.

Tagliani (No. 98 Team Barracuda-BHA Honda) posted a two-lap average of 215.691 miles per hour (48.5695 seconds) to unseat reigning Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti for the top position and notch his first IZOD IndyCar Series pole of the season and eighth of his career. It was his first pole since being the top qualifier for the opening race of the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway last June and the first IZOD IndyCar Series career pole for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian.

Franchitti (No. 10 Energizer Honda) will start on the outside of the front row with his two-lap average of 215.646 mph, marking his third front-row start of the season. His others were a pole at Long Beach and an outside pole at Brazil.

Honda swept the first two rows as Graham Rahal (No. 38 Service Central Honda) qualified third at 215.554 mph and Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda), Franchitti’s Target Chip Ganassi teammate, was fourth at 215.331 mph. IZOD IndyCar Series championship leader Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) was the topChevrolet qualifier at 215.116 mph and will start fifth in the 25-car field.

The IZOD IndyCar Series will return to the track at 6:45 p.m. for a final 30-minute practice session in preparation for Saturday evening’s Firestone 550.

Tickets for the Firestone 550, which will start at 7:30 p.m. CT, are available by calling (817) 215-8500, visiting www.texasmotorspeedway or visiting the Texas Motor Speedwayticket office.

Panther Racing Has Led in 14 Races at TMS, Captured a Team-High Five Wins on 1.5-mile Oval

FORT WORTH, Texas – (June 8, 2012) – National Guard Panther Racing driver JR Hildebrand knew he had his hands full on this warm-up lap during qualifications for tomorrow night’s Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway, where Hildebrand will start from the 24th position. The 24-year-old American had to save his car from swapping-ends during his qualification warm-up lap and had to remain conservative for the rest of the run to bring the No. 4 car home in one piece so the team could make changes before tonight’s final practice.

Hildebrand posted lap speeds of 202.678 and 202.513 mph, for a combined two-lap average of 202.596 mph. The pole for tomorrow’s 228-lap event was captured by Alex Tagliani, who will be joined on the front row by Ganassi Racing driver Dario Franchitti.

Tomorrow’s Firestone 550k from Texas Motor Speedway will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network, with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, XM Channel 94 and Sirius Channel 212. Practice, qualifying and race coverage is also available on the new IndyCarMobile app from Verizon.

Texas Motor Speedway: Host to Some of Panther’s Best IndyCar Moments

In a career that includes 15 race victories and two IndyCar Series championships, a large chuck of Panther’s best moments have been hosted at Texas’s high-banked 1.5-mile oval. The team’s first pilot, veteran Canadian Scott Goodyear captured two victories at TMS in the No. 4 car (1999, 2000) and he was followed by Sam Hornish Jr., the 2001 Texas winner – who helped produce one of the IndyCar Series’ most thrilling races in a duel with Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves in 2002.

Hornish, who was in a tight battle with Castroneves for the league crown that year, went side-by-side with Castroneves for the final 15-laps of the race to determine both the race winner and league champion. Hornish edged Castroneves at the finish line, putting Panther’s No. 4 Pennzoil entry just ahead of the Penske machine by just 0.0096 of a second – which still ranks as the fifth-closest finish in league history.

Since its first race at Texas in 1998, Panther has collected five victories, two poles, nine Top Fives, 15 Top Tens at TMS. The team has led a total of 14 races at Texas for a combined 538 laps.

“We love this place,” Panther co-owner John Barnes said. “You can’t tell much about Panther’s history without talking about Texas Motor Speedway. I think what (TMS President) Eddie Gossage has done here speaks for itself and he’s the best promoter in our sport. He’s an unbelievable asset to IndyCar racing and we thank him for his support.”

Panther added its fifth victory at the track in 2005, when polesitter Tomas Scheckter led 119 laps en route to a dominant win at TMS. The race was also noteworthy because it was the only time in team history Panther teammates have swept the front row in qualifications, as Scheckter was joined by then-teammate Tomas Enge for the 1-2 sweep. Enge had an electrical problem in the race that dropped him from contention, but the former Formula One driver set the fastest lap of the race.

“Texas Motor Speedway has obviously been a track where Panther has had plenty of success,” Hildebrand added. “And even with the new car and the new formula, we can certainly take some things we’ve learned from year’s past and hopefully have another successful run with Panther, the National Guard and Chevrolet.”

QUOTABLE:

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Chevrolet:

“Speed isn’t the problem in the National Guard Chevy, we’re just jammed up here without a lot of time and we made a bunch of adjustments to make the car better and I had a huge moment on the warm-up lap. It’s a tough deal, but we’ll go back and figure out what’s going on. It’s obviously just a one-time thing. We’ve certainly got our work cut out for us tomorrow, but the National Guard car has always been good at Texas and the guys at Panther Racing do a greatjob. It’s certainly frustrating to have qualifying go down like that but we’ve got some time to figure it out.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

[media-credit name=”texasmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – June 7, 2012 – KV Racing Technology drivers Tony Kanaan, Rubens Barrichello and E. J. Viso will contest just their second oval race of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season when they compete in the Firestone 550, June 8-9 on the 1.5-mile D-shaped Texas Motor Speedway oval in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Kanaan, in the No. 11 MOUSER ELECTRONICS | GEICO – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone machine, is coming off a sixth place showing last weekend in Detroit.  The 37-year-old Brazilian will be making his 13^th start at TMS where he has qualified in the top-10 a total eight times with a pole which he drew for race No. 2 last year (started second in 2008 and third in 2004 race No. 1).  He has finished in the top-10 nine times including a remarkable seven top-five showings with a win in 2004 (second in 2003 race No. 1; 2004 race No. 2 and 2007).  In his only other oval race this year, the Indy 500, Kanaan had qualified eighth and then drove an outstanding race, leading seven laps and eventually finishing third.   Kanaan has earned three top-six finishes in the first six races this season.  In addition to the sixth in Detroit and the third at Indy, he finished fourth at Long Beach.  Kanaan currently sits ninth in the championship race with 141 points.

Barrichello, in the No. 8 BMC | EMBRASE – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone entry, is coming off a disappointing event in Detroit where a problem with the car ended his race after just 11 laps.  The 40-year-old Brazilian, a veteran of 19 Formula One seasons, will be competing in just his second oval race and although he has tested at TMS it will be his first race on a 1.5-mile oval.  In his only oval start, the Indianapolis 500, Barrichello started 10^th and finished 11^th winning the Chase Rookie of the Year honors.  Barrichello, who has finished five of the six races this year, has three top-10 performances (Barber, eighth; Long Beach, ninth; Brazil, 10^th) and is 14^th in the championship standings with 112 points.

“Texas will be once again a new experience,” Barrichello said.  “I must say that I liked Indy and although I know Texas is a completely different experience I hope it is a safe and competitive one on our side.”

Viso, driving the No. 5 CITGO | PDVSA – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone car, also had a tough race in Detroit.  He qualified a team-high fifth and ran in fourth during the first stint.  He dropped back after the first pit stop, but was sitting in eighth after the delay and restart when he was hit from behind by MarcoAndretti.  After getting his car restarted Viso finished 18^th.  The 27-year-old Venezuelan will be contesting his sixth race at TMS.  In five previous visits he has a best qualifying position of 14^th in 2010 and a best finished of seventh in race No. 1 last year (placed 10^th in race No. 2).  Viso, who has finished every race so far this season, has had two top-10 finishes (St. Petersburg, eighth and Brazil, 10^th) and is 16^th in the standings with 106 points.

“I am looking forward to going back to Texas,” Viso said.  “It is a nice oval track.   I am happy about the changes to the apron on pit out and I am also looking forward to the new aerodynamic level changes for the race.”

The Firestone 550 will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network Saturday, June 9 starting at 8:00 p.m. ET.

KV Racing Technology was founded in January 2003 and joined the IndyCar Series in 2008.  The Indianapolis based team is owned by successful venture capitalist Kevin Kalkhoven and 1996 IndyCar Champion Jimmy Vasser.  Veteran Motorsports manager, Mark Johnson, is the team’s General Manager.  Johnson is assisted by Team Manager Tom Wurtz, Technical Director Eric Cowdin and Operations Manager Steve Moore.

For more information about KV Racing Technology visit: www.kvracingtechnology.com or follow us on Twitter:www.twitter.com/kvracing and Facebook: www.facebook.com/kvracingtechnology

[media-credit name=”texasmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]RUBENS BARRICHELLO, NO. 8 BMC/EMBRASE KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET AND RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, met with member of the media at Texas Motor Speedway to discuss preparations for Saturday’s running of the Firestone 500 for the IZOD IndyCar Series. Quotes from press conference:

BARRICHELLO:

ON HIS FIRST RACE AT TEXAS: “Apart from the little running I had in May, I’ve been watching videos and watching all the data, and everything to see how—to see what the racing’s like. The drivers are all very, VERY concerned not to have any pack racing for our safety, and I’m just learning from everything that is quite new, and I hope that we have a safe and very good race. I think that everyone likes being here.”

ON EVER SEEING ANYTHING LIKE TMS BEFORE IN HIS CAREER: “The only thing I’ve seen in my life was when we were in traffic getting out of the Monza Circuit (Italy). We were diverted to the old banking. (SMILES) I don’t know how many degrees was that. When I got here, and TK (Tony Kanaan) took me around in a normal car; we took a picture of the track off of turn one. It is amazing. It’s amazing. Take a picture from the top, and you can hardly see you. It’s really neat. Honestly, I don’t know anything about the racing.”

ON HIS SEASON SO FAR: “If you look at the six weeks, you have to include Indy. I think Indy was quite good. I don’t think I had a fast car. I had a rookie sensation there. I was driving with every car the way I like to ride. It was a good ride. I wasn’t taking myself to being in danger. I had to learn things. I could have been different into that last 20 laps that would have given me a top-six spot very clearly. Like I said, I didn’t have the car to win, but probably had a top-six, and it was good enough. With my sense from Formula 1 just a year ago, watching Indy and thinking ‘Yes, we can do this; we can do that’, we know nothing. It is unbelievable how different it is from the other cars. Downforce wise. Just working with somebody to pull away from other people. Overtaking on the outside is just so different. It was really, really different. It took me by surprise, somewhat. Some of that happened in the last 20 laps. We move on to Detroit. It was a very sad weekend in a way, because I wasn’t competitive. I was having trouble, not just with the setup, but with the car. We took a gamble and change chassis. I started in the back. I was running quite ok because it was the very first time I was able to overtake people until I had some problems with the electronics and the car started to misfire. We tried to go back out and it didn’t work. I was quite happy with the car at that time. The thing that I am saying I could have 70 years of experience when you come into a different series, and different tracks, and different so on; especially with Detroit being so bumpy. It was hard to get a read on everything. Just need more time.”

ON HOW DIFFERENT INDYCAR IS FROM F1: “It’s so different. So so different. If people had told me I would have got out of the car and feel sick…I didn’t feel sick, but I saw the world moving a little bit. It’s different. It’s just different. Like I said before, if the IndyCar Series were done in Europe or the races I had done, I’m pretty sure I was going to be a lot more competitive because it is a new thing. From the setup to the lines to everything that these guys have been doing for such a long time. It is very different. I’m very competitive as a person, and as a driver. I’m trying my best to conform with everything. Texas still does not rank, because I do not know what to expect.” 

 

ON HIS HUGE FOLLOWING ON TWITTER (1,692,273 as of now): “I never entered the Twitter thing thinking that I needed to have more followers than others. Probably that’s what happened. That’s why I end up having them. I do think that fans want that. I didn’t do that because of the sponsors. I didn’t do that because I wanted just to give TV the kind of thing people do to have fans follow them. Probably that is why I have a lot of followers, because I just have their respect. We just have conversations and things like this. This weekend, for example, people in Brazil is yesterday and today days off, and they are having easy time. For them, to watch a race on a Saturday night is probably going to be a really nice evening with a bit of pizza, some soft drinks and just watch. I guess they are following the Twitter very closely this weekend. I might work on the Twitter in the future in terms of getting more publicity, and I do {have} my sponsors on my page just to make obviously a happening for them. But, it’s not like I use the Twitter for anything more than getting this relationship with the fans, which I think is great.”

BRISCOE

ON RETURNING TO TEXAS: “I’ve always enjoyed racing here, it’s one of those tracks that you always look forward to coming to and you’re happy to leave. It’s just fast, big banking, it’s always exciting racing, pretty hair-raising and part of the beauty of the diversity of this series.”

ON GETTING RIGHT SETUP UNDER CARS FOR THIS WEEKEND: “When we were here back in February with TK (Tony Kanaan), we came with the downforce level that we went away from saying we need to have less. IndyCar made changes. We came back here with the group, the whole field basically. I think it was close then. In Detroit, we all put our heads together again, and it was unanimous decision to reduce the downforce further for this weekend just so we are sort of getting out of that mentality of coming to this circuit and just being wide open. I’ve never been here and thought I am going to have to start work on the racing line, and breathe it going into the corners, whatever. When you get the whole field going out and running wide open for at least 20 laps in a stint; that creates pack racing. We are on a bit of a mission as drivers to try to improve the safety of the Series. Certainly after Vegas, this is the next mile-and-a-half oval we’re doing, and we want to make the right steps towards making it safer. Getting cars off of running right on top of one another. I think we’ll have to see. We’ll run this (practice) session out here and see how the cars are. I expect there to be a little bit of a spread between cars. It is probably going to change our philosophy of how you win a race around this track. It’s going to be kind of a new event for us all; I think they way we are going to race. I am pretty excited about that. It’s been good to see all the drivers working together to improve the safety.”

About Chevrolet: 

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignright” width=”170″][/media-credit](LONG POND, Pa. – June 8, 2012) – For nearly a decade, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards qualifying record had stood without a true challenge at Pocono Raceway. New pavement on the 2.5-mile surface, though, ended that run this afternoon.

Brennan Poole, who also earned the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell in his first and only other Pocono attempt last June, drove a qualifying lap in 51.857 seconds, or 173.554 mph, shattering Kyle Busch’s 2003 speed of 170.849 mph over the 2.5-mile triangle.

Poole’s time also topped the current NASCAR qualifying record at Pocono, set by Kasey Kahne at 172.533 mph in 2004. He will start first in tomorrow’s Pocono ARCA 200, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. and air on SPEED at 2:30 p.m., on a same-day delay basis.

Jason Kokoszka of Ansell’s headquarters in Red Bank, N.J. presented the pole award to Poole in Pocono’s Victory Lane.

“My car’s just strong,” Poole said. “We had a good lap and everything went right. We hit our marks. It was a lot faster than I thought it was going to be, but it was a lot of fun – sideways through the tunnel (second) turn, and I was holding my breath there. It was a blast.”

Kevin Swindell, Poole’s Venturini Motorsports teammate and the three-time defending champion of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, will start second in one of his eight starts in 2012. Chad Hackenbracht, who had been the only driver to make laps at Pocono in an ARCA car through a private Hoosier tire test, will roll off third.

Poole is a man with momentum after winning last weekend at Elko Speedway in Minnesota to take back the series points lead, and momentum through Pocono’s sharp turns was what he said put him at the top of the speed chart.

“Having the tapered spacer, a lot of your speed has to do with momentum. When you have that clean air and you’re out front, you don’t have to work in and out of traffic and you can keep your momentum up. You don’t have to race other people as much. Sitting on the pole tomorrow, I hope we can stay out front and keep the clean air.”

Several weeks ago, ARCA instituted a change in the spoiler size and added the requirement of a tapered spacer for Saturday’s race and several others on the schedule. Poole thinks the changes will bring the field closer together and create more action and more passing.

Matt Lofton will start fourth in a backup car after crashing early in practice, just ahead of three-time Pocono winner Frank Kimmel. Ryan Reed, Alex Bowman, Jared Marks, Chris Buescher, and Nelson Canache will fill the remainder of the first five rows.

[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignright” width=”170″][/media-credit](LONG POND, Pa. – June 8, 2012) – Alex Bowman, who has won three Menards Pole Awards presented by Ansell this season, led the first practice at Pocono Raceway this morning.

Bowman (No. 22 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Dodge) appears to be in strong position to start first for the fourth time this year, but for the first time on a speedway. Bowman previously won his poles on short tracks at Mobile, Toledo, and Elko.

Chad Hackenbracht, the only driver to have turned laps on Pocono Raceway’s new pavement in an ARCA car before this weekend, finished the session just behind Bowman. Hackenbracht participated in a Hoosier tire test at the track earlier this spring, just after crews finished work on repaving the 2.5-mile triangle.

Bowman’s top lap of 52.321 seconds (172.015 mph) was slightly faster than the current track qualifying record for the ARCA Racing Series, set by Kyle Busch in 2003 at 170.849 mph.

Points leader Brennan Poole, three-time Pocono winner Frank Kimmel, and Matt Lofton completed the top five for the session, which featured 32 drivers. Hackenbracht and Poole, like Bowman, drove faster than Busch’s qualifying high from nine seasons ago. Lofton and Will Kimmel both suffered damage during the session.

ARCARacing.com will have more information from the first practice session shortly. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell will begin at 2:05 p.m., with live timing and scoring coverage available at ARCARacing.com.

[media-credit name=”texasmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]Target Chip Ganassi Racing Texas Advance Notes

Race: Firestone 550, Saturday June 9 (8:00 PM ET, NBC Sports)
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

NOTES/NEWS

Follow Team Target on Twitter: Continue to follow @TCGRTeams for official updates from Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR).

Making History Together: Minneapolis-based Target celebrates its 23rd anniversary in motorsports with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2012. Since its formation, Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR) has amassed 88 victories and nine titles (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), including four Indianapolis 500 victories (2000, 2008, 2010, 2012). The 2012 season includes two full-time entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series with Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti and a full-time entry in the NASCAR Sprint Car Series (NSCS) for 1999 CART Champion and 2000 Indianapolis 500 Winner Juan Pablo Montoya. Team Target continues to feature some of the world’s most accomplished race car drivers.

Managing Director Mike Hull on Texas: “It’s great to be back at an oval at the Texas Motor Speedway with our Target Cars. TMS represents a great deal of INDYCAR history as oval racing and INDYCAR are synonymous. Texas is a 1.5-mile oval with 24 degrees of banking, so it provides the opportunity of close racing for 200 laps on Saturday night. Our team works on having good cars for an entire fuel run; Dario and Scott will most likely stop for service at least four times; and, matching the downforce level from twilight to the finish, will make the difference. If you can’t be with the big crowd there, hope to see you on NBC Sports Network this week.”

Off to a good start: In 25 starts at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS), TCGR drivers have rolled off the grid in the top-three 10 times.

TCGR at Texas: TCGR drivers have made 25 starts at TMS, earning three wins (2002: Jeff Ward; 2008: Dixon; 2011: Franchitti), three poles, nine podiums, 13 top-fives and 16 top-10 finishes. In those 25 starts, Team Target drivers have led 698 of 5,070 laps (13.7%).

Running circles: Since 1990, Indy cars have visited oval tracks 212 times. TCGR has accumulated 45 victories, 43 poles, 162 top-fives and 264 top-10s on ovals. Out of a possible 83,340 laps for all Team Target starts on ovals, TCGR drivers have completed 73,858 laps (88.6%).

 

Leading the pack: In 212 visits to oval tracks since 1990, TCGR has led in 127 of those races (59.9%). Of the 43,657 laps run on ovals in that time frame, Team Target drivers have led 9,993 laps (22.8%).

Number Won: Last week’s race at Belle Isle marked another first for TCGR as Dixon and Franchitti earned back-to-back 1-2 finishes for the first time in the team history. That 1-2 finish marked the team’s 32nd double podium finish and the 15th time TCGR drivers have finished first and second.

Did you Know?: TCGR won in its first start at TMS with Jeff Ward in 2002. Ward started seventh and led just the final lap en route to victory.

Honda Power: Honda remains second in the manufacturer point standings with 42, closing in on Chevrolet with 48. Lotus remains third with 24 points.

Honda at the front: Dixon has led more laps this season, 196, than any other driver, including all 60 laps at Detroit, and race-high totals of 37 laps at St. Pete and 38 at Barber. Honda-powered drivers have led 330 laps this season, which is 204 more laps than the next closest manufacturer.

There’s an App for that: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) and SapientNitro SM recently re-launched an updated mobile application, which is one of the first for the high-velocity world of racing. The application brings fans updated driver and event information, and exclusive content in one centralized and expansive mobile experience, bringing to life the rich heritage and legendary success of CGRT. The unique mobile applicationconveys the high-octane rush of the racing experience for a team that competes at the highest levels in three series – NSCS, IZOD IndyCar Series and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Click here to visit the iTunesApplication store and download the CGRT mobile app.

[media-credit name=”texasmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Texas Advance Notes

Race: Firestone 550, Saturday June 9 (8:00 PM ET, NBC Sports Network)
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5 mile oval)
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

NOTES/NEWS

Follow CGR on Twitter: Follow @CGRTeams for official updates from Chip Ganassi Racing’s IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Charlie Kimball and Graham Rahal.

Team Manager Mitch Davis on Texas: “Racing at the Texas Motor Speedway is always a great show. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is looking forward to some great side-by-side racing. Charlie has had three top-10 finishes in the last three events and we are getting close to a win. The track at Texas Motor Speedway is a great place to showcase the Honda V6 Twin-Turbo.”

Honda Power: Honda remains second in the manufacturer point standings with 42, closing in on Chevrolet with 48. Lotus remains third with 24 points. Honda-powered drivers have led 330 laps this season, while Chevrolet drivers have led a total of 126 laps. Race lap leaders for Honda include Scott Dixon (196), Takuma Sato (58), Dario Franchitti (29), Simon Pagenaud (26), Justin Wilson (15), Charlie Kimball (3), Alex Tagliani (2) and Graham Rahal (1).

Don’t Mess With Texas: Honda has won eight times in 12 IZOD IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, both as the single engine supplier to the series and against other engine manufacturers.

There’s an App for that: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) and SapientNitro SM recently re-launched an updated mobile application, which is one of the first for the high-velocity world of racing. The application brings fans updated driver and event information, and exclusive content in one centralized and expansive mobile experience, bringing to life the rich heritage and legendary success of CGRT. The unique mobile applicationconveys the high-octane rush of the racing experience for a team that competes at the highest levels in three series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS), IZOD IndyCar Series and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports CarSeries. Click here to visit the iTunes Application store and download the CGRT mobile app.

CHARLIE KIMBALL AND THE NO. 83 NOVO NORDISK TEAM

Follow Charlie on Twitter: Follow @racewithinsulin for updates as the driver of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda completes his sophomore year with Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

INDYCAR 36 Follows Charlie: The sixth episode of the show “IndyCar 36” will feature Kimball and the Novo Nordisk team and will debut in Iowa as the lead-in to the Iowa Corn Indy 250 race coverage at 7:30pm ET on Saturday, June, 23. The NBC Sports Network original series “IndyCar 36”, produced by IMS Productions, gives viewers an all-access pass into the life of a world-class driver in the middle of race season. The “IndyCar 36” cameras will follow a driver for thirty-six hours during a race weekend providing a behind-the-scenes look at the on and off-track activities of the stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series. The programs are a must watch for any racing fan to understand the high-pressure environment of professional racing, even before the starting positions are earned and victory laps are completed.

Belle Isle Recap: Kimball matched his career-best finish of eighth in the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. He previously matched the career-best finish at both the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and at the Indianapolis 500, making Belle Isle the third consecutive race he has hit his career-best finish of eighth. The finish came in his 23rd career IZOD IndyCar Series start and his first-ever start on the Streets of Belle Isle. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team started from 21st position and worked the No.83 NovoLog FlexPen car into the top-10 within the first 28 laps. Due to deteriorating track conditions, the race was red flagged 45 laps into the 90-lap event for track repair. After a two-hour delay, the race was resumed for 15 laps, taking the race to a final 60-lap distance. Coming out of the delay, Kimball would advance three positions from 11th to eighth within the first five laps.

 

Heating Up: The “Heat Index” measures the advancement of drivers in each IZOD IndyCar Series race. Last weekend, at Belle Isle, Kimball was one of four drivers to advance 12 positions relative to their starting spot. In moving up those 12 positions, Kimball matched his career-best finish of eighth for the third consecutive race at a track he was competing on for the first time.

Living in the Fast Lane with Diabetes: Follow Kimball’s live blog at www.CharlieKimball.com for race weekend schedules, post-practice thoughts, race day preparations, and behind-the-scenes photos.

Social Media History: Throughout the month of May, Kimball served as the first-ever Twitter reporter for Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As IMS’ only Twitter reporter for the month, Kimball offered fans an exclusive, all-access pass to the Indianapolis 500 from a driver’s perspective. The driver of the No.83 answered fanquestions and shared behind-the-scenes photos for a peek into the life of a driver. Kimball’s Twitter reporter duties for the Indy 500 are over, but it’s not too late to follow him at: @racewithinsulin.

Kimball Behind-the-Scenes: Kimball and the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew is featured in a 60-second national television spot, which began running during the week of February 27 and will continue to air for several months. In addition, Novo Nordisk will be running videos about NovoLog FlexPen featuring Kimball and the NNCGR team at track-side events throughout the season.

Welcome to the Team: Novo Nordisk, recently expanded its motorsports initiatives to include an official partnership with INDYCAR as the official diabetes care sponsor of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Novo Nordisk entered the sport in 2009 as the primary sponsor of Kimball in Firestone Indy Lights and advanced to the IZOD IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011, where Kimball became the first licensed INDYCAR driver with diabetes to finish the Indianapolis 500.

In the Points: Following Belle Isle, Kimball moved from 15th position to 11th in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with 120 markers, -112 points behind the leader.

A Perfect 10: Kimball has scored top-10 finishes in four of the six IZOD IndyCar Series races this season, which is already double the total of top-10 finishes he had in his whole rookie season last year.

Oval Strength: After giving Chip Ganassi Racing and Honda a sweep of the fastest laps during the IZOD IndyCar Series open test at Texas Motor Speedway earlier in the season, Kimball scored his best finish on an oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as leading laps for the first time in his IndyCar Series career.

Texas History: Last season Kimball completed his first doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway finishing 30th and 23rd-place in the two races. Kimball started 17th in the first of the 114-lap two-race event on the 1.5-mile oval, marking the best qualifying result of the season for the IZOD IndyCar Series rookie. During the first race, the No.83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen car would maintain a steady pace inside of the top-25 until contact with another car would cause Kimball to hit the wall and end his run in the initial duel. The Firestone Twin 275s halftime show highlighted a random draw to determine the starting grid for the second duel which put Kimball eighth in the line-up. Kimball took the green flag for the finale and would find a solid, consistent line in the No. 83 car while lacking radio communication to his Novo Nordisk team. The 114-lap sprint would end without any cautions allowing Kimball to cross the finish line in 23rd-place.

Career at Texas: The Firestone 550 will mark Kimball’s third start at Texas Motor Speedway. His best finish of 23rd came at the Firestone Twin 275s in 2011.

Kimball on Texas: “I’m looking forward to going back to Texas Motor Speedway for the race this weekend. We had a really good test there, before the Indianapolis 500, and we’re building momentum this season. Every race we’ve seen the checkered flag we’ve finished within the top-10 so we plan on keeping the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car up front. After being in the top-10, now I’m ready for the top-five. From there it’s easy to make the next step to the podium and eventually a race win, but we have to stay smart. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is working hard and we’ll carry that positive energy on to this weekend.”

 

About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four in the IZOD IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Overall his teams have 14 championships and 147 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and four Rolex 24 At Daytonas. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.

For more information log onto chipganassiracing.com

[media-credit name=”texasmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing Texas Advance Notes

Race: Firestone 550, Saturday June 9 (8:00 PM ET, NBC Sports Network)
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5 mile oval)
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

NOTES/NEWS

Follow CGR on Twitter: Follow @CGRTeams for official updates from Chip Ganassi Racing’s IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball.

Team Manager John Cummiskey on Texas: “The Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing team is looking forward to being back in Texas. We’ve had a really goodrace car these past couple races but just haven’t been able to show that in the results. At some point we’re going to break through that, so we’re looking to go there and get some points. Texas Motor Speedway is a great track with a good crowd and great fans so it’s great to be back.”

Honda Power: Honda remains second in the manufacturer point standings with 42, closing in on Chevrolet with 48. Lotus remains third with 24 points. Honda-powered drivers have led 330 laps this season, while Chevrolet drivers have led a total of 126 laps. Race lap leaders for Honda include Scott Dixon (196), Takuma Sato (58), Dario Franchitti (29), Simon Pagenaud (26), Justin Wilson (15), Charlie Kimball (3), Alex Tagliani (2) and Graham Rahal (1).

Don’t Mess With Texas: Honda has won eight times in 12 IZOD IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, both as the single engine supplier to the series and against other engine manufacturers.

There’s an App for that: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) and SapientNitro SM recently re-launched an updated mobile application, which is one of the first for the high-velocity world of racing. The application brings fans updated driver and event information, and exclusive content in one centralized and expansive mobile experience, bringing to life the rich heritage and legendary success of CGRT. The unique mobile applicationconveys the high-octane rush of the racing experience for a team that competes at the highest levels in three series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS), IZOD IndyCar Series and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports CarSeries. Click here to visit the iTunes Application store and download the CGRT mobile app.

GRAHAM RAHAL AND THE NO. 38 SERVICE CENTRAL TEAM

Follow Graham on Twitter:Follow @grahamrahal for updates as the driver of the No. 38 Service Central Honda completes his second season with Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

 

Strictly Bus’iness: Rahal is offering race fans two exclusive tour bus packages from Indianapolis to the Milwaukee IndyFest, June 15 and 16 at the Milwaukee Mile, in conjunction with Andretti Sports Marketing, promoter of the IZOD IndyCar Series race at the track. Each package includes transportation from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Milwaukee IndyFest, a reserved seat for Saturday’s 225-lap IndyCar race, a paddock pass to access the garage area and more. The packages can be purchased from the Milwaukee IndyFest website at www.MilwaukeeIndyFest.com

Helmet of Hope: The Graham Rahal Foundation was selected as one of the 12 charities that will be featured on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Champion Jimmie Johnson’s helmet, through the Helmet of Hope program. Johnson will wear the helmet in the NSCS race at Infineon Raceway on June 24 in Sonoma, California. In addition to being featured on Johnson’s helmet, the Graham Rahal Foundation will receive a $10,000 grant as well as a Blue Bunny ice cream party. The program, which is part of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, allows fans and media members across the country to nominate their favorite charities, which are then selected at random.

Belle Isle Recap: Rahal finished 19th at the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix in his 83rd IZOD IndyCar Series career start. The first time he competed on the course was the series’ last trip to Detroit in 2008, where he started sixth and finished 13th. Going into Sunday’s race, Rahal posted the quickest time in the final warm-up session on the 2.07-mile street circuit. He started the race from the 17th position, ran as high as sixth within the first 28 laps and spent 12 laps running in the top-10 for the initial stages. Due to deteriorating track conditions, the race was red flagged 45 laps into the 90-lap event for track repair. After a two-hour delay, the race was resumed for 15-laps, taking the race to a final 60-lap distance. Coming out of the delay, the No.38 Service Central car suffered a mechanical issue, causing the team to lose two laps and ultimately finish 19th.

In the Points: Following Belle Isle, Rahal is now 15th in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with 109 markers, -123 points out of the top spot.

Texas History: Last season, Rahal completed his first doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway finishing ninth and 30th in the two races. He started 20th in the first of the 114-lap two-race event marking his third-start on the 1.5-mile oval. The No.38 Service Central Honda found a comfortable groove on the superspeedway and battled its way to the top-10 before the halfway point. Rahal crossed the finish line for the first duel in ninth-place. The Firestone Twin 275s halftime show highlighted a random draw to determine the starting grid for the second duel which put Rahal fourth in the line-up. He took the green flag for the final 114-lap sprint and would maintain a top-10 run for the first 100 laps. The No.38 car came in for its last pit stop of the night and encountered a fuel-related issue leaving the Service Central team unable to restart the engine and ended their run resulting in a 30th-place finish.

Career at Texas: The Firestone 550 will mark Rahal’s fifth start at Texas Motor Speedway. His best finish at the track is ninth at the Firestone Twin 275 in 2011. Rahal has an average start of 13.5 and an average finish of 18.0 on the 1.5-mile oval.

 

Rahal on Texas: “I’m really looking forward to getting back on the track this weekend. Our team has workedvery hard this year and has little to show for it, so the hope is that we can break through in Texas this weekend. We raced well there last year and think we can build on our recent performances going into the race.”

About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four in the IZOD IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Overall his teams have 14 championships and 147 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and four Rolex 24 At Daytonas. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.

For more information log onto chipganassiracing.com

[media-credit name=”IZOD IndyCar Series” align=”alignright” width=”360″][/media-credit]Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1.      Kanaan enjoys Prelude experience

2.      Ebrahim, Fan Force United part ways

3.      Mayors meet in Toronto

4.      Of note

1. Kanaan enjoys Prelude experience: Finishing fourth in his heat race at the eighth Prelude To The Dream at Eldora (Ohio) Speedway on June 6 bolstered Tony Kanaan’s confidence heading into the 40-lap feature.

Unfortunately for the KV Racing Technology driver, other drivers had difficulty handling the Dirt Late Modelstock cars on the half-mile, 24-degree-banked oval. Kanaan, competing in the charity event at the Tony Stewart-owned racetrack for the third consecutive year, placed 22^nd after being taken out early. Only 15 of the 26 starter were running at the finish.

“As usual, we received great hospitality from Tony (Stewart) and everybody there,” said Kanaan, who was one spot behind Stewart in his qualifying heat (Danica Patrick crashed in the heat). “It was for a good cause. We were doing much better this year. It’s too bad we got caught up in someone else’s wreck, but overall it was fun.”

Kanaan had finished 24^th and 27^th the past two years.

Kyle Busch became the sixth different winner, and Stewart was runner-up. Net proceeds from the HBO pay-per-view telecast will support Feed The Children, a U.S.-based charity that domestically has helped more than 365,000 families since 2009 through its Americans Feeding Americans Caravan.

For the top-10 finishers, Feed The Children will send a food truck to each driver’s hometown or city of choice.

“As a promoter, I’m honored (all the drivers) were that committed to doing this with us to benefit such a good cause as Feed The Children,” said Stewart, a three-time winner. “Really, ‘honored’ is the best word I can think of to describe it.”

2. Ebrahim, Fan Force United part ways: Firestone Indy Lights team Fan Force United has announced that it has released its first-year driver, Armaan Ebrahim.

“Armaan is a fine young man, and we are quite sorry that this partnership has not worked out as we had hoped,” team co-owner Chris Williams said. “Armaan has worked incredibly hard for the team, as has everyone involved, but for whatever reason, things did not click and we did not get the results that we all required. We separate from Armaan with no hard feelings, and wish him the best of luck in whatever direction his careertakes. It has been a pleasure to work with him, and to have him as part of our team and part of our families. We do want to make sure that everybody knows that Armaan lived up to all of his obligations to the team, and that this is a mutual decision taken on both of our parts that is related strictly to our on-track goals for the year. Given the right circumstances, we would love to be able to work with him again. It is always difficult to take such steps, and we can only wish that things had turned out differently.”

Through the last Firestone Indy Lights race in Detroit on June 2, Ebrahim, driving the No. 24 JK Tyre/AMG sponsored machine, had posted finishes of eighth (St. Petersburg), 12th (Birmingham), 12th (Long Beach), 13th (Indianapolis), and 10th (Detroit). He experienced tire issues (Birmingham) and engine problems (Long Beach, Indianapolis) in three of his five starts.

 

“These are trying times, as Armaan had very much become part of the family,” co-owner Tyce Carlson said. “We want to thank Armaan for all of his hard work. Armaan showed a lot of character and made a great deal of progress in what was a difficult situation for him personally, as he left home, friends, and family to travel halfway around the world in order to move up to the most difficult level of competition than he has ever experienced. Everybody associated with him should be quite proud of him, as not only is it clear that he has developed the talents and skills to succeed at the top levels of our sport, but also because he is a great ambassador for the sport and for his home country of India.”

Talking about what comes next for the team, team co-owner Scott Williamson indicated that this is not the end of the group’s Firestone Indy Lights run.

“Fan Force United intends to continue in Firestone Indy Lights competition for the remainder of the 2012 season, and we hope to be making announcements in that regard in the very near future,” Williamson said. “At this time, we do want to say thank you to both our new and long-time fans for your support and understanding.”

3. Mayors meet in Toronto: IZOD IndyCar series driver James Hinchcliffe (aka “the Mayor of Hinchtown”) met Toronto Mayor Rob Ford at City Hall on June 4, during which Mayor Ford presented Hinchcliffe a proclamation welcoming him to the 2012 running of the Honda Indy Toronto.

The event, which will be held for the 26th time, takes place July 6-8 on the streets surrounding Exhibition Place. The circuit is already under construction.

Hinchcliffe, driver of the No. 27 GoDaddy.com car for Andretti Autosport, is a native of suburban Toronto and will compete in the race for the second year.

For the third year in a row, the Ontario Honda Dealers Association is sponsoring Free Friday on July 6. Through spectator and Ontario Honda Dealers Association donations, more than $200,000 has been raised for Make-A-Wish the previous two years.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti is the reigning race champion.

The next night, Hinchcliffe (left) threw out the ceremonial first pitch and watched the game between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

4. Of note: Almost 20.3 million people watched at least one minute of the Indianapolis 500 on ABC on May 27, with the average viewer watching a total of 70 minutes of the race…Chevrolet, who returned to enginemanufacturer competition this season after a six-year absence, has won three IZOD IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway: Jeff Ward, 2002; Sam Hornish, Jr., 2002; Tomas Scheckter, 2005.

***

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Firestone 550 on June 9 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. (ET) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network on SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212). The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Milwaukee 100 on June 15 at The Milwaukee Mile. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 5 p.m. (ET) on June 21. NBC Sports Network coverage of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will be televised at 5 p.m. on June 7.