From: Michael Powell 
 
CASTRONEVES, UNSER, PENSKE AIM FOR MORE GLORY AT INDIANAPOLIS
 
Thirty-five entries, 67 cars set for 88th Indianapolis 500
 
INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, April 7, 2004 - Helio Castroneves and Al Unser Jr.
will attempt to become members of an elite club during the 88th Indianapolis
500 - three-time winners of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
 
Castroneves and Unser are the former winners among the 25 drivers named to the
35 entries filed for the Indianapolis 500 on May 30 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. Those entries include 67 cars. The 10 entries without drivers are
expected to be filled as May approaches.
 
The 88th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. (EST, local time)
Sunday, May 30 and will be broadcast live on ABC Sports and the IMS Radio
Network. Opening Day is Sunday, May 9, with Pole Day Saturday, May 15.
 
Gil de Ferran won the race last year for Marlboro Team Penske in his final
Indianapolis 500 start, as he retired after the Indy Racing League(R)
IndyCar(R) Series season.
 
Castroneves or Unser can become just the ninth driver in the history of the
race, which started in 1911, to win at least three times. Castroneves won in
2001 and 2002, while Unser captured the Borg-Warner Trophy as winner in 1992
and 1994.
 
2003 MBNA Pole winner Castroneves will drive the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske
Dallara/Toyota/Firestone for Marlboro Team Penske. He has finished first, first
and second in his three career Indy starts since 2001, all with Penske.
 
Unser will attempt to make his 17th start at Indianapolis in the No. 20
Patrick Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. It will be his first start of the
season and first in the IndyCar Series for Patrick Racing and team owner U.E.
"Pat" Patrick.
 
Patrick-owned cars won the Indianapolis 500 in 1973 and 1982 with driver
Gordon Johncock and in 1989 with driver Emerson Fittipaldi after a stirring
duel with Unser.
 
While Patrick Racing will aim for its fourth victory at Indianapolis, Penske
Racing looks to continue its recent dominance of the event and extend its
all-time mastery of the historic 2.5-mile oval.
 
Penske Racing has won a record 13 Indianapolis 500's, including the last three
in a row. In fact, Marlboro Team Penske has won the last five Indianapolis
500-Mile Races in which it has competed - 1993, 1994, 2001, 2002 and 2003.
 
Roger Penske also is attempting to become the first team owner to win the race
four consecutive years.
 
Marlboro Team Penske entered six cars this year, with two
Dallara/Toyota/Firestone entries for Castroneves, two Dallara/Toyota/Firestone
entries for teammate and two-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. and
two Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone entries for a driver to be named later.
 
Two-time IndyCar Series champion Panther Racing and Team Rahal also each
entered six cars spread over three entries. This is the largest Indy entry ever
for Team Rahal, co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and
late-night television icon David Letterman.
 
2002 Indianapolis 500 Bank One co-Rookie of the Year Tomas Scheckter will
drive the No. 4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone for Panther, with
rookie Mark Taylor as his teammate in the No. 2 Menards/Johns Manville Racing
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. A driver will be named for the No. 44 Pedigo
Chevrolet Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone entered by Panther.
 
Buddy Rice leads Team Rahal's charge into Indy, driving the No. 15
Rahal-Letterman Argent/Pioneer Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone. Roger Yasukawa
will drive the No. 16 Rahal-Letterman Racing Sammy Panoz G
Force/Honda/Firestone, while a driver will be named for the No. 17
Rahal-Letterman Racing Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone.
 
Andretti Green Racing entered eight cars over four entries, more than any team
this year. Current IndyCar Series points leader Tony Kanaan will drive the No.
11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone for Andretti Green Racing, co-owned by
former Indianapolis 500 standout Michael Andretti.
 
Also driving for Andretti Green are Bryan Herta in the No. 7 XM Satellite
Radio Dallara/Honda/Firestone, 2003 IndyCar Series Bombardier Rookie of the
Year Dan Wheldon in the No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone and
Dario Franchitti in the No. 27 Arca/Ex Dallara/Honda/Firestone.
 
Defending IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon leads defending series entrant
champion Target Chip Ganassi Racing into Indianapolis. Ganassi won the 2000
Indianapolis 500 with current Formula One star Juan Pablo Montoya behind the
wheel.
 
Dixon will drive the No. 1 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone, with rookie Darren Manning as his teammate in the No.
10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone.
 
Dixon is one of four IndyCar Series champions named to drive entries this year
at Indianapolis. Others are Hornish (2001-2002), Kelley Racing's Scott Sharp
(1996) and Access Motorsports' Greg Ray (1999).
 
Other interesting storylines this year include the return of another team with
a rich history at Indianapolis, a wide-ranging rookie class and introduction of
new engine and aerodynamic rules.
 
Newman Haas Racing will compete in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time
since 1995, fielding a single entry of two cars. The driver will be named soon.
 
The team, co-owned by Carl Haas and Academy Award-winning actor Paul Newman,
has competed in 13 previous Indianapolis 500-Mile Races with such drivers as
Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Paul Tracy.
 
Five rookies were named to entries.
 
2003 Menards Infiniti Pro Series champion Taylor and Red Bull Cheever Racing's
Ed Carpenter both have experience racing at Indianapolis, as they competed in
the inaugural Futaba Freedom 100 last May. Carpenter won the race, while Taylor
finished third.
 
Marty Roth will climb from the Menards Infiniti Pro Series to make both his
Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series debut in the No. 25 Roth Racing
Dallara/Toyota/Firestone. Roth, 45, is the oldest rookie in the field and will
attempt to become the second-oldest rookie to start the race.
 
Roth also plans to race in the Futaba Freedom 100 on Saturday, May 22,
becoming the first driver to compete in two races in May at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
 
Other rookies named to entries are Manning with Target Chip Ganassi Racing and
Kosuke Matsuura with Super Aguri Fernandez Racing.
 
The rookies will participate in the Rookie Orientation Program on Monday,
April 26 at the Speedway.
 
New engine and aerodynamic rules for the IndyCar Series will be introduced at
the Indianapolis 500. The new aero package, featuring a quarter-inch
center-line vertical wicker bill, a reverse quarter-inch wicker on the bottom
side of the rear wing and curved skid plate on the cars, and smaller, 3.0-liter
engines will reduce speeds and enhance safety.
 
There is excellent balance among the three IndyCar Series manufacturers among
the entries, as 22 cars have Toyota power, 21 will use Chevrolet engines, and
20 will have Honda engines. The engine selection for the remaining four cars
will be named later.
 
Indianapolis Star Opening Day for the 88th Indianapolis 500 is Sunday, May 9.
IndyCar Series practice continues daily through May 14, with MBNA Pole
Qualifying on Pole Day, Saturday, May 15. Second-day qualifications take place
on Marsh Second Day Qualifying/Armed Forces Day, Sunday, May 16.
 
There will be no track activity May 17-18, but practice will resume Wednesday,
May 19 and continue through Saturday, May 22. Bump Day, the dramatic final day
of qualifications, is scheduled for Sunday, May 23.
 
No track activity is scheduled May 24-26, but 500 Festival Community Day and
the popular public track laps, garage tours and drivers autograph session are
scheduled for Wednesday, May 26.
 
Miller Lite Carb Day, the final day of track activity before Race Day, is
scheduled for Thursday, May 27. The crucial two-hour final practice for the
starting field will kick off the day, followed by the Checkers/Rally's Indy 500
Pit Stop Challenge. The Miller Lite Carb Day Concert - free with Carb Day
admission to the track - will take place that afternoon with Blues Traveler as
the headline act.
 
The public drivers' meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 24, followed by the
500 Festival Parade in downtown Indianapolis.
 
The 40-lap Futaba Freedom 100 is scheduled for Saturday, May 22 for the
Menards Infiniti Pro Series. Practice for the Freedom 100 takes place Thursday,
May 20, followed by practice and qualifying Friday, May 21 and the race at 1
p.m. (EST, local time) May 22.
 
ENTRY SUMMARY
 
DRIVERS (25)
 
Former race winners: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Al Unser Jr. (1992,
1994).
 
Former pole winners: Helio Castroneves (2003), Greg Ray (2000), Scott Sharp
(2001), Al Unser Jr. (1994).
 
Rookies (5): Ed Carpenter, Darren Manning, Kosuke Matsuura, Marty Roth, Mark
Taylor.
 
U.S. born (13): Alex Barron, Robbie Buhl, Ed Carpenter, Sarah Fisher, A.J.
Foyt IV, Robby Gordon, Bryan Herta, Sam Hornish Jr., Greg Ray, Buddy Rice,
Scott Sharp, Al Unser Jr., Roger Yasukawa.
 
Foreign born (12): Helio Castroneves, Brazil; Scott Dixon, New Zealand; Adrian
Fernandez, Mexico; Dario Franchitti, Great Britain; Tony Kanaan, Brazil; Darren
Manning, Great Britain; Kosuke Matsuura, Japan; Marty Roth, Canada; Tomas
Scheckter, South Africa; Tora Takagi, Japan; Mark Taylor, Great Britain; Dan
Wheldon, Great Britain.
 
Youngest: A.J. Foyt IV, 19.
 
Oldest: Marty Roth, 45.
 
Most previous starts: Al Unser Jr., 16.
 
CARS (67)
 
Chassis: Dallara 45, Panoz G Force 18, TBA 4.
 
Engines: Toyota 22, Chevrolet 21, Honda 20, TBA 4.
 
***
 
Tickets: Tickets are available for the 2004 Indianapolis 500 on May 30. For
information, log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, or call the IMS
ticket office at (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700.
 
World Wide Web: http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com
 
IRL IndyCar(R) Series
 
88th Indianapolis 500
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Noon (EDT) Sunday, May 30, 2004
ABC/IMS Radio Network (live)
 
___ Internet Rex 2.29
 


--- GTMail 1.26