From: Michael Powell 
 
INDY RACING LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
 
IndyCar Series remains ultra-competitive; Firestone Heroes of Indy race set
 
INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2003 # The Delphi Indy 300 at Chicagoland
Speedway provided a photo finish with Sam Hornish Jr. defeating Scott Dixon and
Bryan Herta by .0099 of a second and .0100 of a second, respectively.
 
It was the closest 1-2-3 finish in series history, and the .0099 of a second
margin between Hornish and Dixon was the third-closest finishing margin in
series history. 
 
What made the finish even more interesting was that Hornish drove a Chevrolet,
while Dixon drove a Toyota, and Herta drove a Honda. 
 
Three engine manufacturers, separated by .0100 of a second and a few feet. At
the Toyota Indy 400 on Sept. 21 at California Speedway, the order could just as
easily be shuffled, and once again the fans could be left roaring with
approval. 
 
#I think today sums it up about the best you can,# Hornish said after the
victory at Chicago. #You had all three engine manufacturers going across the
line right there side by side.#
 
That#s the beauty of the IndyCarTM Series. 
 
Since the Gen IV Chevy Indy V-8 was introduced to all Chevrolet teams at the
Belterra Casino Indy 300 on Aug. 17 at Kentucky Speedway, the drivers, teams,
engine, chassis manufacturers and especially the fans have seen some of the
most exciting racing in motorsports.
 
Starting at Kentucky, each engine manufacturer has placed at least one car in
the top 10 on the starting grid, including at Chicagoland, were Toyota started
four cars in the top 10 while Chevrolet and Honda each started three. 
 
The starting fields have also been tighter since Kentucky. The 20-car field at
Kentucky was separated by .5367 of a second, the closest field in IndyCar
Series history. The margin at Chicago was .6218 of a second, the third-closest
field in history. 
 
Better than qualifying, however, has been the racing on the track. The fans of
the IndyCar Series have seen 11 different drivers lead at least one lap in the
last three races. 
 
At Kentucky, the top 10 featured five Toyota engines, three Hondas and two
Chevrolets, including winner Hornish. At Nazareth, four Hondas finished in the
top 10 along with three Chevrolets and three Toyotas, including the engine
powering winner Helio Castroneves.
 
In addition to the spectacular finish with all three engines at Chicago, there
were four Hondas in the top 10, three Toyotas and three Chevrolets, including
the engine powering Hornish.   
 
#It#s what the league has had in mind since day 1,# said Brian Barnhart, Indy
Racing League senior vice president of racing operations. #Equally accessible
equipment coupled with equality among the manufacturers as they#re
participating within the parameters of the rules. This has been validated since
the Gen IV has been introduced to all competitors at Kentucky. As the numbers
show, we#ve got the best on-track product that we#ve ever had in our history. 
 
#When you look at the quality of the teams that have joined the series, the
drivers and sponsors that they#ve brought on board, we#ve got more first-class
teams participating. When you join that with the addition of Honda and Toyota
joining our series and Chevrolet#s Gen IV now participating, we#re at an
all-time high as far as the competition on the racetrack.#
 
The last three IndyCar Series events have given fans fast exciting racing,
while drivers and teams have seen incredible reliability and few cautions. In
the three races, no car has dropped out of the race before the 100-lap mark,
and an average of 16 cars have been still running at the finish, including 18
at Kentucky and 19 at Chicagoland. 
 
At Chicagoland, 13 cars were running on the lead lap at the end of the race,
and the top nine were within one second of each other. 
 
The races also have featured record-setting speeds, with the Kentucky race
averaging an incredible 197.897 mph, the fastest race in IndyCar Series
history. The average speed at Chicago was 184.294 mph, the second-fastest race
in league history. 
 
Two of the three races have seen finishes of less than .1 of a second. In
addition to Chicagoland last weekend, Castroneves defeated Hornish by .1697 of
a second at Nazareth. 
 
#From a League standpoint, I don#t think we can be much more pleased with what
we#ve seen late season,# Barnhart said. #At Chicago, we had our first photo
finish with all of our manufacturers represented. 
 
#Not only Chevrolet, Honda and Toyota engines, but the chassis manufacturers
Panoz G Force (Dixon) and Dallara (Hornish and Herta), as well as, obviously,
Firestone tires.#
 
***
 
Throwbacks: Some of the greatest drivers in the history of the Indianapolis
500 will pull on helmets and driving suits to compete one more time in the
Firestone Heroes of Indy on Oct. 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.  
 
The Firestone Heroes of Indy will pit 10 of the greatest drivers in the
history of the Indianapolis 500 in a 25-lap showdown driving
identically-prepared Thunder Roadsters on a quarter-mile paved oval prior to
the IRL IndyCar Series season-ending Chevy 500. 
 
#The Firestone Heroes of Indy race will be an opportunity to honor the sport#s
legendary names on the very day we crown the 2003 IRL IndyCar Series champion,#
said Texas Motor Speedway General Manager Eddie Gossage. #Indy-car racing
enjoys a rich heritage that is unparalleled in American motorsports, and the
drivers competing in this event have written page after page into our sport#s
history book. These men are giants in the sports world, and to get them all
together again offers all of us a unique privilege.
 
The Texas contingent of drivers were introduced at a press conference Sept. 10
at Texas Motor Speedway and include Johnny Rutherford, a three-time
Indianapolis 500 winner, along with four-time Indianapolis 500 victor A.J.
Foyt, who will serve as the event#s grand marshal.
 
Rutherford is in charge of special projects for the Indy Racing League and
drives the pace car at nearly all events. Foyt owns A.J. Foyt Racing and fields
an IndyCar Series car for 2002 Infiniti Pro Series champion A.J. Foyt IV, his
grandson. 
 
Texans Lloyd Ruby and Jim McElreath also are expected to participate in the
Firestone Heroes of Indy race. Ruby scored seven Indy-style victories and led
the Indianapolis 500 five times but never scored a victory. McElreath finished
third in the 1966 #500# and won the inaugural California 500 in 1970 at Ontario
Motor Speedway. 
 
#We#ve spoken to some of the most famous Indy-car drivers from around the
world, but this first set of drivers is special to us because all of them are
from Texas,# Gossage said. #We believe the reason our two IRL IndyCar races
draw the largest crowds of the season outside of the Indy 500 is because of the
rich heritage Texas has in Indy-car racing.  In large part, that history and
heritage is due to these three men.#
 
The remaining Firestone Heroes of Indy participants will be announced shortly.
 
The Thunder Roadsters that will be used by the drivers are produced by 600
Racing and resemble the roadsters that dominated the Indianapolis 500 and
Indy-style racing through the 1950s and 1960s.  The cars are powered by a
1250cc Yamaha engine and will be sporting special Firestone Firehawk tires for
the event.
 
#For nearly 100 years, Firestone has been involved in competition at the
highest levels of motorsports,# said Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone
Racing. #More Indy 500 winners have crossed the finish line on Firestone tires
than all other tire companies combined. We are proud to be associated with some
of the greatest drivers in history and are honored to have the opportunity to
pay tribute to these men who have contributed so much to the sport.#
 
The Firestone Heroes of Indy will include a full weekend of activities
celebrating the accomplishments of drivers who established much of the history
of the Indianapolis 500. In addition to practice and qualifying for the race,
the participants will participate in autograph sessions open to the public and
a special Heroes reception featuring #Mom# Unser#s fabled chili, a longtime
tradition with participants at the Indianapolis 500.
 
The season-ending Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is Oct. 12 and will be
broadcast live at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) by ESPN and the IMS Radio Network. For
tickets, log on to www.texasmotorspeedway, call (817) 215-8500 or go to any
Ticketmaster location. 
 
***
 
Breakfast with the fans: The Michael Andretti Foundation will conduct
#Breakfast with the Fans,# an opportunity for fans to see the behind-the-scenes
activities that take place at IndyCar Series events during the first practice
day of the event. 
 
The opportunity is being offered to fans Sept. 19 at California Speedway and
Oct. 10 at Texas Motor Speedway. The cost for each event is $75 per person, and
space is limited to 60 fans in each market on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
As part of the #Breakfast with the Fans# program, the participants will start
the day with a full-service breakfast served at the Team 7-Eleven hospitality
area by the Andretti Green Racing chefs. A question-and-answer session will
take place with AGR owner Michael Andretti, followed by an autograph session.
Fans then will get an up-close look at an AGR team car and will learn about the
track and the IndyCar Series. 
 
All proceeds from the fundraisers will be donated to the Michael Andretti
Foundation.  Fans can secure a spot at the events by sending an e-mail to
foundation{at}andretti.com. For additional information, call (800) 324-1321.  
 
Points battle: How important was Scott Dixon#s move at the end of the Delphi
Indy 300 to take second place from Bryan Herta by just .0001 of a second? Well,
had Dixon finished third, he would have been tied for third with Gil de Ferran
in the point standings.
 
Instead, the estimated quarter-of-an-inch margin Dixon gained over Herta at
the line vaulted him ahead of de Ferran and Tony Kanaan into second-place.
 
With two races remaining, just 41 points separate the top five in points.
Castroneves leads with 439, followed by Dixon (427), Kanaan (425), de Ferran
(422), and Hornish (398). The IRL IndyCar Series Champion will be honored at
the Championship Celebration Oct. 25 at EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resorts.  
 
***
 
Like the pros: IndyCar Series fans can experience the thrill of driving their
personal car at Texas Motor Speedway less than a month before the stars of the
IndyCar Series take to the track at more than 220 mph. 
 
Fans can drive the track along with other drivers behind a speedway pace car
from 6-10 p.m. (CDT) Sept. 13.
 
The annual Laps For Charity, benefiting Speedway Children's Charities, allows
fans to drive on the speedway for $25 (three laps). Pictures in Victory Lane
are also available, and car clubs are welcome. All passengers must be at least
six years old to ride. For information, call (817) 215-8564.
 
***
 
Hot laps: IndyCar Series driver A.J. Foyt IV, driver of the No. 14 Conseco
Dallara/Toyota/Firestone, will attended the University of Michigan vs.
University of Notre Dame football game Sept. 13 at Michigan Stadium in Ann
Arbor, Mich. Foyt is an avid college football fan and will assist Jack Arute,
who serves as a pit reporter for the IndyCar Series and sideline reporter for
college football for ABC Sports. 
 
___ Internet Rex 2.29
 


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