From: Michael Powell 

TOYOTA INDY 400/CALIFORNIA 100 DAY 2 NOTES (AFTERNOON EDITION)

Taylor clinches championship with victory; Brack leads final practice session. 

FONTANA, Calif., Saturay, Sept. 20, 2003 - Mark Taylor led all 50 laps en
route to a victory in the California 100. 

***

CALIFORNIA 100 POST-RACE NOTES:

·With his victory today, Mark Taylor has clinched the Menards Infiniti Pro
Series Championship. 

·Mark Taylor won his seventh Menards Infiniti Pro Series race of the season
and the seventh of his career. Both are records for the Menards Infiniti
Pro Series. 

·Ed Carpenter finished second. He now has 13 top-five finishes in his
career and 15 top-10 finishes.

·Panther Racing has won seven Menards Infiniti Pro Series races, more than
any other team. The previous record was five by A.J. Foyt Racing.

·G.J. Mennen finished a fourth today, tying a career-best. He finished
fourth in 2002 at Gateway. 

·Mark Taylor led all 50 laps en route to a victory in the California 100.
Taylor also led every lap en route to victories at Phoenix and Nashville.
This was the fifth time in the history of the series that a driver has led
all laps in a race. Ryan Hampton did it in 2002 at Gateway and Jeff Simmons
did it at Kentucky in August.

***

CALIFORNIA 100 POST-RACE QUOTES:

JEFF SIMMONS (No. 20 Western Union Speed Team Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"It was awful. It was terrible. The motor wasn't pulling at all. We
couldn't pull anywhere near the gears that some of these guys are pulling.
That made us change our whole setup last night, because we thought we just
had the setup wrong with the things that we had done to make the car work
better this weekend. So, we ended up with a bad car in the race. We had a
lot of understeer in Turns 1 and 2, and I tried to fix that, but that gave
me a lot of oversteer in Turns 3 and 4. It's a shame for everyone in the
Western Union Speed Team. Now were really going to have to fight to keep
second place in the points. "

BRAD POLLARD (No. 99 Natural Golf/Sam Schmidt Mtrspts.
Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "It was great. That was my first race in
the Infiniti Pro Series cars. I learned a lot. I learned not to let that
front pack get away. It was good tight racing and next time we'll come back
and maybe take a little more downforce out of the car. All in all, it was a
great time."

THIAGO MEDEIROS (No. 36 Genoa Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "The
race was good. There was a lot of wind. It makes a lot of difference here.
I was trying to keep the pace like the leaders, but I couldn't keep the
pace with them. I was shifting every lap in the front and the back
straightaway because the winds here make a lot of difference. I was just
trying to find the best place to run. I did a lot of consistent laps. I
thought we had a good result. I'm happy. Third place is a good result for
the championship. We'll just keep working hard for the next race at
Texas."

ED CARPENTER (No. 14 Futaba/Delphi/A.J. Foyt Racing
Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "There wasn't much side-by-side racing
here today. The wind really made it hard. Mark (Taylor) was pushing in
Turns 1 and 2. I was pushing. I think everyone behind me was pushing. Being
in second place was a disadvantage because he was able to take a little bit
more air off my wing, and we were already having problems pushing. If I
ever could have gotten in front of him I think he would have had the same
problem I did. That is the nature of the race. I'll take second place. Mark
did a good job. He has locked up the championship."

MATT BEARDSLEY (No. 12 Land Tile Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "The
race went real well considering we started last. When that yellow hit, I
thought we might be able to go all the way to the front. We just started
picking up a big push and in the draft, I'd hit the rev-limiter in the
front straightaway for about the last third of the straightaway. Then I got
a huge push coming off of Turn 2. On the last couple of laps, I really had
to lift. Other than that, it was a great, great race.

G.J. MENNEN (No. 25 Automatic Fire Sprinklers Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"It was a good race for us. We've struggled a little bit all year, but
now we've turned things around. A top-five finish is quite a step for us,
so we're hoping to roll into Texas and come out with a good result
there."

MARK TAYLOR (No. 4 Fulmar Panther Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "We
were hoping today would be the day we would have a result to clinch the
championship. We weren't really thinking about that, we just wanted to win
the race. It was just a great car. Panther Racing has given me a great car
every time I've gone out on the track all year. I was just able to take
advantage of it."

***

A full transcript of the winner's press conference will be sent in a separate e-

mail.  

***

Menards Infiniti Pro Series driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. will be giving pace
car rides at 9 a.m. Sunday to actors Chris Masterson (Francis on
"Malcolm in the Middle") and Danny Masterson (Hyde, "That
70's Show"). Actress Laura Prepon (Donna on "That 70's Show) also
will take a ride with Luyendyk.

***

Kenny Brack led the final IndyCar Series practice session with a lap of
32.2711 seconds, 223.110 mph in the No. 15 Pioneer/Miller Lite
Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Scott Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip
Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone, was second 32.4597, 221.814.
Bryan Herta, driver of the No. 27 Archipelago/Motorola
Dallara/Honda/Firestone, was third at 32.4750, 221.709.

***

SUNDAY, SEPT. 21 SCHEDULE: 

8 a.m.

IndyCar Series garage opens

11:28 a.m. 

Grid IndyCar Series cars

12:07 p.m. 

National Anthem

12:09 p.m. 

"Drivers to your cars"

12:18 p.m. 

"Lady and gentlemen, start your engines." 

12:25 p.m. 

Toyota Indy 400 (200 laps/400 miles), ABC-TV & IMS Radio Network (live)





--- Internet Rex 2.29