Castroneves Dominates Japan Race
Helio Castroneves showed his hand in the first practice session at Twin Ring Motegi. He took the pot in the fourth Indy Japan 300.
Oh, there were plenty of others in the game - including runner-up Dan Wheldon and third-place finisher Tony Kanaan, who both acknowledged they didn't have enough to catch Castroneves near the end of the 200-lap race on the 1.5-mile egg-shaped oval. They really didn't have any answers from the midpoint onward. How dominating was Castroneves, who climbed the fence for the second consecutive race? Well, here are a few examples:
• He led 184 laps.
• His fastest race lap was 190 (199.910 mph; 27.3723 seconds).
• His second-fastest lap was 180 (199.847 mph).
In summation, Castroneves takes sizable 42-point after three events lead into the 90th Indianapolis 500, where he won in 2001 and '02.
"What a team, what a team," said Castroneves, who was whisked with champagne bottle in hand from Victory Circle to team owner Roger Penske's plane for the flight to Phoenix to catch the Team Penske cars in the NASCAR Nextel Cup race. It was Castroneves' fourth IndyCar Series victory from the pole and ninth overall (eight on ovals).
"These guys are unbelievable," he said. "We were fast from the very start this week, which is good because there wasn't a lot of practice time. But today was perfect, and the car was perfect, too. I said yesterday that I wanted to finish where we started, and I don't think it was ever in question. We were fast all day."
Wheldon, who started third in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, was seeking to become the first driver in IndyCar Series history to win three consecutive races at the same facility. He led five laps off green-flap pit stops and posted the second-fastest lap of the race (200.432 mph).
• This is Helio Castroneves' ninth career IndyCar Series victory and his second consecutive win of the season. It is the 11th time a driver has won back-to-back IndyCar Series events. Dan Wheldon was the last driver to accomplish the feat when he won three consecutive races last season.
• Castroneves' margin of victory, 6.3851 seconds, is the largest margin of victory at Twin Ring Motegi. It is Castroneves' first win in eight starts in Japan and his 15th career Indy-style win. Prior to today's win, his best finish at Motegi was second in 2001.
• Castroneves has recorded 27 top-three finishes in the 69 IndyCar Series races he's run to date (39 percent). He won from the pole position for the fourth time in his IndyCar Series career, tying Greg Ray for second on the all-time list for wins from the pole.
• This is Marlboro Team Penske second win of the season and its 17th win in the IndyCar Series. The team's last victory came at St. Petersburg with Castroneves. The team now has 76 oval wins out of their record 126 career wins - the most of any team in open-wheel racing.
For full results...
(Speed News Now)
Indy Japan 300 Qualifying Rained Out
Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon will share the front row for the Indy Japan 300 after persistent rain washed out Marlboro Pole qualifying. The starting field for the event was set by entrant points. When rain cancels qualifying, usually practice speeds are the criteria for setting the grid. But because cars in the second group of rain-delayed sessions a day earlier were shortened 10 minutes and there was not an opportunity to practice in the morning, Castroneves will sit on the pole by default.
"It's awesome starting up front," said Castroneves, who won on the streets of St. Petersburg (Fla.) on April 2 and was runner-up on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval a week earlier. "We were fast in practice, but I know everybody will pick it up as well tomorrow. Hopefully we'll finish the race in the same place we're starting."
Dixon finished fifth in the season opener and second at St. Pete in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone. "This is usually a race of very high attrition so starting from the front row with clean air and less traffic is a nice advantage to have," said Dixon, whose best finish in this event is fifth in 2004. The start of the race and that first stint is sure to be intense and chaotic. Historically, there have been a lot of cautions and most of the pit stops take place under yellow. I think I remember only one occasion that we had to pit under green. The key will be to stay out of trouble and at the front. It should be a good show for these passionate Japanese fans."
Two-time defending Indy Japan 300 race winner Dan Wheldon and two-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. will share the second row, just behind their teammates. Hornish will start the race in his back-up car after the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone made contact with the SAFER Barrier between Turns 3 and 4 late in the second practice session.
"It's hard when you don't have much practice, but it's the same for everyone," said Castroneves, who will start from the pole for the 10h time in his IndyCar Series career. "You just have to keep going and you can't make excuses."
Qualifying here also was wiped out in 2003, when the grid was set by practice times. Dixon sat on the pole and Scott Sharp won the race. The last time entrant points set the field was in October 2001 at Texas Motor Speedway, with Hornish securing the pole.
For Starting Lineup...
(Speed News Now)
Pat Flaherty To Hall of Fame
Two names that were synonymous with open-wheel racing success 50 years ago will earn their place in the Auto Racing Hall of Fame, located at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, during induction ceremonies May 20. Pat Flaherty, winner of the 1956 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and legendary multi-time, championship-winning car owner Al Dean will be enshrined into the prestigious Auto Racing Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame honors drivers, team owners, mechanics and event officials who have made significant contributions to the success and colorful history of the sport of open-wheel racing. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. The induction ceremony is taking place at 7:30 p.m. (local time) Saturday, May 20 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown in conjunction with the annual "500" Oldtimers' Club Banquet. The ceremonies and banquet are sold out.
Flaherty, a native of Glendale, Calif., whose name was George Francis Flaherty Jr., qualified for five Indianapolis 500-Mile Races and drove in a sixth as a relief driver. He won the 1956 event at an average speed of 128.490 mph. Flaherty won the 1956 pole with one- and four-lap qualifying records of 146.056 and 145.596 mph, respectively, delighting the fans by lifting the left front wheel completely from the track surface as he negotiated the turns in his lightweight, A.J. Watson-built John Zink Special. He became the second driver in the post-World War II era to win the Indianapolis 500 from the pole, after Bill Vukovich in 1953.
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