IRL

Hornish, Sharp Picked For IROC

Two-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. relishes opportunities to test his driving skills against professionals from other disciplines. So he quickly accepted an invitation to represent the IndyCar Series - along with Delphi Fernandez Racing's Scott Sharp - in the Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) Series. The four-race invitational series matches 12 drivers from different disciplines of auto racing in equally prepared cars. Points areawarded for finishing positions, with the leader after four races being proclaimed the champion of champions. He receives the $1 million prize.

Last year, Buddy Rice and Helio Castroneves represented the IndyCar Series in the races at Daytona, Texas, Richmond and Atlanta. Sharp, the 1996 IndyCar Series co-champion, has participated in the series in 1994, 2002 and '03. -- "It's a great opportunity because it allows us to race against champions from other series," said Hornish, the Marlboro Team Penske driver who competed in the all-star series in 2002 and '03. "It's one of the most difficult things I've done because it puts me in something that I've raced eight times. Others guys race eight times in two months in similar cars. It's a lot different for us. "When you go there and can be competitive and run well, it sure makes you feel good about your abilities."

The 30th anniversary season opener is Feb. 17 on the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway oval, with races at Texas Motor Speedway (April 7), the 3.56-mile road course at Daytona (June 29) and Atlanta Motor Speedway (Oct. 28) to follow. A road-course event is part of the series for the first time in 14 years.

"A road-course race will help us a bit because we're used to some more road courses, but they are used to road courses in a stock car," Hornish said. "It will give us a good opportunity to go out there and see what we can do." The drivers represent seven major racing series. Six won their respective series championship in 2005. Mark Martin will look to win his second series title in a row and sixth overall.

The lineup: Hornish (IndyCar Series), Sharp (IndyCar Series), Mark Martin (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, defending IROC champion), Tony Stewart (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion), Martin Truex Jr. (NASCAR Busch Series champion), Steve Kinser (World of Outlaws series champion), Ted Musgrave (NASCAR Craftsman Truck champion), Frank Kimmel (ARCA Re/Max Series champion), Max Angelelli/Wayne Taylor (Grand American Road Racing Daytona Prototype champions), Max Papis (Open-wheel and road racing disciplines), Carl Edwards (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup), Matt Kenseth (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup)

Third-generation driver Marco Andretti passed his Indy Racing League rookie test during a two-day test at Sebring International Raceway. Andretti, the 18-year-old grandson of auto racing legend Mario Andretti and son of IRL IndyCar® Series team owner Michael Andretti, was granted his license after thorough observation by IndyCar Series technical manager Kevin Blanch on Jan. 15 and 16. Andretti drove a Honda-powered Dallara prepared by Andretti Green Racing. "Marco did very well," Blanch said. "He understood what the car was telling him and did everything we asked of him. The team made several big changes to the car, and he reacted to each of them. He's a smart kid and the more test time he gets, the better he's going to be."

Andretti finished 10th in the IRL Indy Pro SeriesT point standings in 2005, despite competing in only six of the 14 events for Andretti Green Racing. He earned five top-three finishes, including victories on the street circuit at St. Petersburg, Fla., and the road courses at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Infineon Raceway. "Everything was a bit of an unknown to me until I got into the car, but now the questions are starting to be answered," Andretti said. "So in that regard, it was good to finally get some time in the ArcaEx car. It was great working with (engineer) Eddie Jones and the No. 26 crew and getting to know what they need from me. It will take a little time, but we made good progress."

Andretti was named as the driver of the No. 26 ArcaEx Dallara/Honda/Firestone on Dec. 20. He will be eligible for the $50,000 Bombardier Rookie of the Year Award. "I am very impressed with the job Marco did both yesterday and today," Michael Andretti said. "He was on pace, gave the ArcaEx crew good feedback and didn't put a wheel wrong the whole time. He also held up well, physically. Overall, I'm very happy with his performance, as is the whole team. His initial test couldn't have gone any better."

As the 2006 Champ Car season continues to sneak closer, officials from Élan Motorsports Technologies (EMT) and Champ Car have their eyes even further down the road as EMT put a scale model of the 2007 DP01 chassis in the wind tunnel for the first time. EMT engineers and officials from Champ Car were on hand at the Penske Technology Group wind tunnel for the debut of the half-scale model of the Panoz DP01 chassis. The group put the model through its introductory tests and were pleased with the results they achieved.

The new Panoz DP01 takes much of its look from the current Champ Car chassis, keeping alive the style that has made the series a favorite of racing fans around the globe. But the cutting-edge technology designed into the package incorporates many new aerodynamic features that make this car better suited to the urban race tracks which host Champ Car's highly successful three-day festivals of speed.

The design will also lead to more competitive racing on the permanent road courses and ovals that mark the Champ Car World Series as the most diverse racing series in the world. The Panoz DP01 is smaller than the current Champ Car in both length and width and weighs 165 pounds less than the current machine, providing a more nimble and quicker machine that will put driver skills at a premium. The aerodynamic changes on the new chassis will allow for more passing via smaller wings and bigger tunnels which will create less turbulence for cars in traffic.

Champ Car announced in October the Panoz DP01 would replace the current Lola chassis at the beginning of the 2007 season. Engineers at Élan Motorsports Technologies will continue development of the Panoz DP01 chassis with the first prototype expected to hit the track in July.

Watertown, New York's Tim McCreadie fought his way into the lead on the 35th round then slipped away from Jay Drake and Cory Kruseman over the final few circuits to capture the coveted Golden Driller trophy in Tulsa Expo Raceway's 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 50-lap Championship feature on Saturday night. The 15th different winner in the storied history of the prestigious event, the triumph by the accomplished Late Model and DIRT Modified racer was considered an upset by many, as he is the first Chili Bowl champion without an extensive background in Sprint Car or Midget racing.

But McCreadie’s victory aboard Steve Smith’s No. 1a Hawk Engine Development Spike-chassis couldn’t come as a complete surprise after he locked himself into Saturday night’s championship feature with a fourth place finish in Wednesday night’s Creek Nation Casino Qualifying feature in just his second Midget racing outing, following a ninth place Chili Bowl championship feature finish in 2005. Jay Drake settled for second aboard the Keith Kunz Motorsports Fontana-powered Advanced Racing/Kwik Change Bullet-chassis, with Kruseman taking the third position.

Racing from 15th, Brad Kuhn took fourth from Wise on the 45th circuit and held the spot to the line. Wise rounded out the top five after passing 16 cars, with Stanbrough recovering from his early bobble to snare sixth. Defending race winner Tracy Hines turned in the feature’s top passing performance by racing from 24th to seventh, with 17th-starter Shane Cottle, Jerry Coons, Jr., and 23rd-starter Dave Darland completing the top ten.(Who Won)

Tony Stewart, the reigning champion in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, was taken to a local hospital for a preliminary examination after he flipped his Midget car in the opening laps of last night's qualifying race for the 20th annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Raceway. Complaining of pain in his right arm after the crash, Stewart was taken to the hospital where X-rays revealed no broken bones and a CT scan proved negative. In a precautionary measure, Stewart was fitted with a cast until a more extensive evaluation can be made by his own doctors on Monday.

"I'm a little sore," said Stewart. "The doctors were great and did a pretty thorough evaluation of me. They didn't find anything broken, but just to be sure, they fitted me with a cast that I'll wear until I meet with my doctors on Monday. It looks a lot worse than it is.

"In no way should this affect my upcoming test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, my plans to compete in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona or my participation in Daytona Speedweeks."

Danny Lasoski went two-for-three during Wednesday's Creek Nation Casino Qualifying Showdown at the Tulsa Expo Center, as the 20th Annual O'Reilly's Chili Bowl Midget Nationals got underway. The Dover, Missouri sprint car ace captured his heat race, finished second to Tim McCreadie in the fourth A-Qualifier, then led every lap of the A-Main to lock himself into the 50-lap finale on Saturday night. The King, Steve Kinser, finished as the runner-up to Lasoski, with midget hot-shoe Jerry Coons, Jr. and McCreadie racing home third and fourth, respectively. The top four finishers from each of the three qualifying nights automatically transfer into the A-Main on Saturday.

The man who used to be Lasoski's sprint car boss, NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart, provided some early excitement when he flipped violently in turn three during the first lap of warm-ups on Wednesday. Stewart's Venture Racing/ Coca Cola/ Spike Chassis no. 20 sustained heavy damage, forcing him to withdraw from the evening's competition. Stewart, who quickly climbed from his crippled car, will come back and attempt to qualify for the O'Reilly's Chili Bowl Midget Nationals on Friday. Because he earned more points than anyone else in Wednesday's 88-car field, Lasoski started on the pole in the 25-lap feature. He put his Jerry Russell Eagle/Esslinger no. 33d out front at the drop of the green, with Kinser immediately darting into second ahead of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's Brady Bacon.(motorsport.com)

The Indy Racing League has amended its previously announced testing policy for the 2006 IRL IndyCar® Series season. The three testing days set aside for team testing have been replaced by three one-day Open Tests. The tests will take place at: the road course at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 28, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on April 5 and Kansas Speedway on June 12. The only team tests allowed under the new policy will be rookie or refresher tests deemed necessary by IRL officials. "We have revised our testing policy from earlier in the off-season based on the commitment from Honda to serve as the league's single-engine supplier," said Brian Barnhart, president and chief operating officer of the Indy Racing League. "This testing format brings more efficiency to the teams, Honda and the league as we ready ourselves for the 2006 season, the league's first featuring its compacted schedule." The previously announced tests at Phoenix International Raceway (Jan. 24-25), Homestead-Miami Speedway (March 2-5) and Richmond International Raceway (June 22) are not affected. Teams can still earn bonus testing days by participating in both the IndyCar Series and Indy Pro SeriesT.

2006 Bombardier Rookie of the Year candidate Marco Andretti will test an IndyCar Series car on Jan. 15 and 16 at Sebring International Raceway. Andretti, the third-generation driver from one of racing's most-storied families, will drive his Honda-powered Dallara as part of the IndyCar Series' rookie test under the supervision of IndyCar Series technical manager Kevin Blanch. "We'll evaluate how he drives the car, his ability to understand what the car is telling him," Blanch said. "He'll have to do pit stops. He will have to demonstrate everything that we normally do in a rookie test." The test will be Andretti's first official test of an IndyCar Series machine. He got his first taste of driving an IndyCar Series car in an unofficial test at Michigan International Speedway last August.

The Indy Racing League will conduct a two-day test for IndyCar Series teams on January 24-25 at Phoenix International Raceway.

"The main reason for the test is to allow the teams to familiarize themselves with their equipment," IRL Senior Technical Director Les Mactaggart said. "Several of the teams will be changing engine suppliers and chassis, and this will give them a chance to evaluate that equipment before the season begins."

In addition, the test will allow officials from Honda and the IRL to assess the durability of the Honda H16R Indy V-8 engines that will be used solely beginning in 2006.

"We're not sure where we stand in terms of mileage," Mactaggart said. "We have an initial target of 1,100 miles between rebuilds and a long-term goal of 2,000 miles between rebuilds, so this will help us find out where we are as we continue the mileage evaluation." (auto123.com)

For most, getting an annual physical consists of a cold stethoscope on our chest, the tightening grip of the sphygmomanometer as our blood pressure is measured and, ahem, "turn your head and cough." When your occupation involves driving a race car 220 mph within inches of other race cars around a track for two or more hours, the examination gets a little more extensive. The list of tests, therefore, expands from simply vital signs, a head-to-toe physical and blood screenings to include vision tests, electrocardiograms and a neuropsychological test.

Fifty potential Indy Racing League drivers visited Indianapolis Jan. 9-11 to undergo a battery of medical tests to certify their fitness for competing in the IndyCar® Series or Indy Pro SeriesT in 2006. They also participated in a two-hour safety meeting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"We try to establish a baseline," said Dr. Henry Bock, senior director of medical services for the Indy Racing League. "What is this person like when they are normal? If they are involved in a crash, we can see the anomalies. We pay special attention to the eyes and their vision. We want to make sure they have good visual acuity, that they can see well to the side, that they have coordinated eye movement. Their vision is so important to them."

A team of seven doctors, including an optometrist, and eight nurses, conducted the evaluations. The hearing test included making a customized ear mold for each driver. During on-track activities, the ear mold will contain accelerometers to measure forces experienced during an impact. The medical staff used neuropsychological software from ImPACT, which also is used by 18 National Football League teams and hundreds of universities and high schools among other organizations, to document multiple aspects of neurocognitive functioning.