Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 Fast Facts By Diecast DudePosted on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 01:51:06 AM EST
(Courtesy IndyCar Media)
- Danica comes to Kansas riding ecstasy from first career victory
- Seven races at Kansas Speedway, seven different winners
Road Runner Turbo Indy 300
Date / Time:
Sunday, April 27,
4 p.m. (EDT)
Track:
Kansas Speedway
Distance:
200 laps / 300 miles
TV:
ESPN2 (Live)
Radio:
IMS Radio Network / XM Satellite Radio
(Live)
2007 Winner:
Dan Wheldon
2007 Polesitter:
Tony Kanaan
Kansas Speedway
1.5-mile oval
First IndyCar Series race in 2001
Seats: 82,000
Kansas Lottery 100
Date & Time: Sunday, April 27,
1:45 p.m. (EDT)
Track:
Kansas Speedway
Distance:
67 laps/100 miles
TV:
ESPN2 (Taped). Airs 2 p.m. (EDT) May 1
Most Recent Winner:
Thiago Medeiros (2004)
Most Recent Polesitter:
Thiago Medeiros (2004)
Road Runner Turbo Indy 300
News and Notes
One down, more to come?
Danica Patrick earned her first career victory April 20 at Twin Ring Motegi,
joining a list of 37 drivers who have won in the IndyCar Series. Of those
drivers 22, have won two or more races. Drivers have won back-to-back races 18
times in IndyCar Series history. Can Danica add her name to those lists?
Will we see the first repeat winner at Kansas Speedway?
In seven races at Kansas Speedway, seven different drivers have taken the
checkered flag. Can Buddy Rice (2004), Tony Kanaan (2005) or Dan Wheldon (2007)
become the first driver to repeat at Kansas Speedway or will an eighth driver
take home the trophy?
Round two on the ovals
This will be the second race on an oval for the five teams that transitioned to
the IndyCar Series for 2008. Oriol Servia's 12th was the best finish at
Homestead. How much higher on the grid can the newcomers climb?
Indy tune-up?
Teams and drivers will use the race as a final tune-up for the month of May and
the Indianapolis 500. No team has more to gain than Luczo Dragon Racing, which
makes its 2008 debut at Kansas Speedway. Luczo Dragon finished fifth in last
year's Indy 500 with Ryan Briscoe. This year, Tomas Scheckter takes the wheel.
Scheckter has four top-10 finishes at Kansas in six starts.
A missing pole
Helio Castroneves leads all IndyCar Series drivers with 23 career poles, but
he's never won the pole at Kansas Speedway. His best start at Kansas was third
last year. Can Helio win his first pole at Kansas Speedway?
RLR back to the front?
Rahal Letterman Racing won consecutive poles at Kansas Speedway with Buddy Rice
(2004) and Danica Patrick (2005). Rice also won the race in 2004. This year,
Ryan Hunter-Reay has finished seventh in two races on 1.5-mile ovals. Can Ryan
Hunter-Reay lead the team back to the front of the grid?
Race Notes:
The Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 will be the eighth IndyCar Series event conducted
at Kansas Speedway. A different driver has won the race each year. Past winners
Dan Wheldon (2007), Tony Kanaan (2005) and Buddy Rice (2004) are entered in this
year's race.
Fifteen drivers entered in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 have raced in previous
IndyCar Series events at the track. Seven of those drivers have led laps (Dan
Wheldon 333, Tomas Scheckter 165, Tony Kanaan 108, Scott Dixon 103, Buddy Rice
95, Vitor Meira 37 and Helio Castroneves 16).
Three Indianapolis 500 champions are expected to participate in the Road Runner
Turbo Indy 300: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Buddy Rice (2004) and Dan
Wheldon (2005).
Three IndyCar Series champions are scheduled to participate in the Road Runner
Turbo Indy 300: Scott Dixon (2003), Tony Kanaan (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).
Drivers entered in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 as of April 22 have combined
for 56 IndyCar Series victories, 66 pole positions and 945 starts.
Season-to-Date:
· Helio Castroneves is the only driver to finish in the top five in all three
races this season. Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick are the only other drivers to
finish in the top 10 in all three races.
· For the second consecutive season, three drivers representing three teams have
won the first three races of the season.
Milestones & Records:
* Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 101st career IndyCar Series start.
It would also be his 98th consecutive start.
* Helio Castroneves can establish an IndyCar Series record for most consecutive
seasons with at least one win should he win the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300.
Castroneves is tied with Scott Sharp with victories in seven consecutive
seasons.
* Helio Castroneves can extend his IndyCar Series record for consecutive seasons
with a pole to seven if he can win the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award.
* Tony Kanaan will attempt to qualify in the top 10 for the 21st consecutive
race.
* Vitor Meira has gone 79 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the
longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.
Kansas Lottery 100
News and Notes
Highly-competitive season resumes at Kansas
After taking two weeks off, the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season resumes with
the Kansas Lottery 100. Richard Antinucci holds a 26-point lead over Raphael
Matos, but six points separate Matos from fourth-place J.R. Hildebrand, meaning
the championship is far from over.
Is No. 7 still lucky for Sam Schmidt?
The driver of Sam Schmidt Motorsports' No. 7 car has won the driver's
championship the last two seasons. Richard Antinucci, who won two road course
races during a limited 2007 campaign for Cheever Racing, takes over the car for
2008. Can Antinucci be the third straight driver of the No.7 to win the title?
Matos shifts gears
Raphael Matos, who won the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic championship, jumps on the
fast track to the IndyCar Series with AFS/Andretti Green Racing in 2008. Matos
won his series debut at St. Petersburg in 2006. Can he add to his win total on
the Streets of St. Petersburg?
Ladies first?
For the first time in series history, two female drivers will compete for the
2008 championship. Brazil's Ana Beatriz and Switzerland's Cyndie Allemann join
the series as Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year candidates. Beatriz benefits from the
championship experience of Sam Schmidt Motorsports, while Allemann drives for
American Spirit Racing, which was one of six teams to win in 2007.
Race Notes:
No Place Like Home
The Firestone Indy Lights returns to the site of its first-ever race. Kansas
Speedway played host to three Firestone Indy Lights races from 2002-2004, with
A.J. Foyt IV winning the first race on July 7, 2002.
Win at Kansas, win the title
The three previous race winners at Kansas Speedway went on to win the Firestone
Indy Lights title that season. Will that trend continue after a three-year
layoff?
Season To Date:
· Richard Antinucci has finished in the top-two in every race this season. He
won Race #2 at St. Petersburg after finishing second at Homestead and St.
Petersburg #1.
· Antinucci and J.R. Hildebrand are the only drivers to record top-10 finishes
in every race this season.
· Raphael Matos is the only driver to win the SWE Pole Award this season.
Milestones:
· Arie Luyendyk Jr. will attempt to make his 50th Firestone Indy Lights start at
Kansas Speedway, which would extend his series record.
· Bobby Wilson can tie Wade Cunningham's series record for consecutive seasons
with a win should he win the Kansas Lottery 100. Wilson has won in each of the
last two seasons.
· Bobby Wilson will attempt to make 32nd consecutive start, which would give him
sole possession of second on the all-time list.
· Three different drivers have won the first three races of the 2008 season,
marking the first time since 2005 that has occurred. The record for longest
streak of different winners is six, which last happened in 2006.
Weekend Schedule (local time):
Saturday, April 26
6:30 a.m. - Garages open
8:45-10:15 a.m. - IndyCar Series practice
10:30-11:15 a.m. - Firestone Indy Lights practice
11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. - IndyCar Series practice (two groups)
2:10 p.m. - PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying
3:45 p.m. - Press Conference (Front row)
3:45-4:35 p.m. - Firestone Indy Lights practice
Sunday, April 27
7 a.m. - Garages open
9-10 a.m. - SWE Firestone Indy Lights Pole Qualifying
12:45 p.m. - Kansas Lottery 100 (67 laps/100 miles)
2 p.m. - Press conference (Firestone Indy Lights 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
4 p.m. - Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 (200 laps, 300 miles)
6:15 p.m. - Press conference (1st, 2nd, story of the day)
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