Briscoe competed in 14 IndyCar Series events with Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005, with a best finish of 10th in the 89th Indianapolis 500. The former Formula One test driver won the Marlboro Pole Award at Infineon Raceway in August and led laps at both St. Petersburg and Infineon Raceway. "Dreyer & Reinbold is a great group to be working with,and I'm hoping for a good result from the weekend," Briscoe said. "I tested at Watkins Glen last year in June, and we were really fast. Other than Indy, it was the race I was looking forward to most, but I had an accident at Chicago, so I didn't get to race there last year. I'm really excited to go back there and race and compete because I didn't get to do it last season." -- Lazier will return to the car for the Bombardier Learjet 500k June 10 at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We would have very much liked to have had both of these Indy car legends run here but we understand and respect their decision,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “They gave it thoughtful consideration and tried hard to put it together, but coming on the heels of an exhausting month at Indy there just wasn’t time to make it work properly. I wish we had come up with this idea earlier and made the offers so the teams could plan, budget and staff accordingly.”

Both drivers came out of retirement to run Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Andretti finished third while his 19-year-old son, Marco, finished an astonishing second in his Indy 500 debut. Unser Jr., who’s last Indy car win came at Texas Motor Speedway in 2003, finished 24th Sunday as a result of an accident after running over debris on the race track.

Gossage, intrigued that both stars came out of retirement to compete at Indy, offered a $100,000 sponsorship fee if Andretti and Unser Jr. would “un-retire” one more time and participate in the Bombardier Learjet 500k. Had they both participated in the race, each driver’s team would have received a $50,000 check. Both drivers had to compete in “America’s Original Nighttime Indy Car Race” to activate the $100,000 sponsorship.

“Had we been given a few months to work on this, we may have been able to make it work,” said Kevin Savoree, part of the ownership team at Andretti Green Racing. “We must be in a position to win every race we enter and their just isn’t sufficient time to prepare and plan. Our key resource – our staff – is flat out preparing AGR’s four full-time entries for a stretch of back-to-back-to-back races.”

“We’re a one-car team and we simply are not in a position to prepare a car for Al to run in Texas,” said Robbie Buhl, a team owner of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. “We can’t afford to take anything away from the preparation we have committed to support our regular driver, Buddy Lazier. We talked with some additional sponsors, but we simply could not put things in place to run Al at Texas properly.”

Both teams indicated that they considered the offer and were intrigued to find a way to make it work, but in the end realized they simply could not put the program together to give the drivers the proper chance to win “America’s Original Nighttime Indy Car Race.”

“Clearly, the Bombardier Learjet 500k is the most important IRL race of the season outside of the Indy 500,” Gossage said. “The work and consideration these teams gave to running here proves that. We wanted to honor both Al and Michael during our 10th season as part of our ‘10 Years Strong’ celebration. Perhaps, though, we can work on it down the road and pay tribute to both these drivers at a future IndyCar race here.”

Activity started for Hornish almost immediately after taking the checkered flag. He completed countless media interviews in the hours following the race, then Hornish returned to Victory Podium - located just above the place he took the traditional gulp of milk in Victory Lane celebrations - to do a satellite media tour with television media from around the country until 10 p.m. on Race Day.

Hornish was up early on Monday morning, May 29, to do an interview with Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic on ESPN Radio's popular "Mike & Mike in the Morning" show. He then took part in three photo shoots, the final one being the traditional winner's photo shoot on the main straightaway of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Monday night, he collected his winner's check of $1,744,855 at the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration.

Hornish's victory tour hit high gear Tuesday, May 30 with a trip to Dallas for a media luncheon at the observation deck of the Dallas Hyatt Reunion Hotel. Hornish will race in the IRL IndyCar Series' Bombardier Learjet 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in nearby Ft. Worth, Texas, on Saturday night, June 10.

Following the luncheon, Hornish flew to New York City to throw out the first pitch at 6 p.m. at the New York Mets vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Major League Baseball game.

On May 31, Hornish will be a guest on the popular morning talk show "Live with Regis & Kelly" at 9 a.m. (ET), followed by a visit to the New York Board of Trade that includes an 11:30 a.m. photo opportunity, ringing of the world market closing bell and 1 p.m. press luncheon.

Guest appearances on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now" and "Anderson Cooper 360," Fox News Channel's "Your World w/Neil Cavuto" and "Daily News Live" on SportsNet New York will follow.

On Thursday, June 1, Hornish heads to Corning, N.Y. as preparations begin for the IndyCar Series' next race, the Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix on June 4. Hornish will participate in a media availability at the Corning Museum of Glass at noon on June 1 before returning his attention to driving for Marlboro Team Penske.

Following the Watkins Glen race, Hornish wraps up his whirlwind Indianapolis 500 Victory Tour with a visit to Richmond, Va., and an appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on June 5.

Hornish's winnings and the total purse were announced May 29 during the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His win in the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone gave team owner Roger Penske a record 14th victory.

This year's event purse broke the record of $10,304,815 set in 2005. This is the fifth consecutive year the overall purse for the field of 33 drivers has exceeded $10 million. The event purse is comprised of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indy Racing League and sponsor awards, and other designated awards. Buddy Rice earned the record driver's payout of $1,761,740 in 2004.

Michael Andretti, who last competed at Indianapolis in 2003 and came out of retirement to race against his 19-year-old son, finished third. Dan Wheldon, the 2005 race winner and IndyCar Series champion, was fourth. Tony Kanaan was fifth, followed by Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti and Danica Patrick.

"It's been a long month, and not everything went our way as we saw today," Hornish said. "But we stuck together as a team. We had a good plan, and we were fast when we needed. I thank God for giving me a lot of talent, not so much the fact for what I can do driving, but the fact that I didn't want to give up. And then He also put me with such a great team and gave me great parents and a great wife to support me very much."

Hornish sat atop the speed chart after all but one practice session during the three weeks of preparation. Of course, the race presented its own set of challenges. The pole sitter didn't lead the first lap, and had to overcome a Lap 150 drive-thru penalty for leaving his pit stall with the refueling buckeye still attached to the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone. After a Lap 196 restart, Hornish had worked his way to fourth.

Michael Andretti, making his 15th start in search of his first victory at the Brickyard, had the point with Marco and Scott Dixon trailing. Marco passed his father in Turn 1 for the lead on Lap 197 and Hornish also got past Michael. Marco led Hornish by 0.5644 of a second on Lap 198 and by 0.9454 of a second one lap later as the white flag waved. It appeared there would be the youngest winner of the race. But Hornish put it all on the line.

"I thought that it was over when I didn't get him going down into (Turn) 3," Hornish said. "But we dug down, put her back in there and took off. It's a great feeling. I wouldn't trade it for anything else. I've had a lot of friends and family pass away over the last couple of years, and they rooted us on today, so I'm real happy with that. I want to thank Marlboro Team Penske. They did a heck of a job. It may not always go the way you want it to, but it makes it a lot sweeter this way."

Sam Hornish Jr. passed rookie Marco Andretti low on the frontstretch – about 300 yards from the yard of bricks – to win the 90th Indianapolis 500-Mile race by .0635 of a second. It was the second-closest margin (.043 in 1992) in Indy 500 history and the closest in the Indy Racing League era.

Michael Andretti, who last competed at Indianapolis in 2003 and came out of retirement to race against his 19-year-old son, finished third. Dan Wheldon, the 2005 race winner and IndyCar Series champion, was fourth. Tony Kanaan was fifth, followed by Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti and Danica Patrick.
For full results... (Speed News Now)

In proclaiming it "Indianapolis 500 Day in New York City," New York City Sports Commission commissioner Ken Podziba said "it truly is an honor to welcome the great and heroic drivers who will compete in the 90th Indianapolis 500 to our city. It, like this ship, is truly an American classic." Indy Racing League founder and Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George presented Podziba an IndyCar Series replica front wing/nose assembly signed by all the drivers.

"I don't know if I should show Mayor Bloomberg; he would want to hang it in his office," Podziba said. George also presented a signed wing/nose replica to Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum executive director Susan Marenoff."Since 1911, we have run the race on Memorial Day Weekend, and we always take time to honor and celebrate the men and women who serve our country," George said. "This ship is a place of honor for those who have served and are serving our country."

Earlier in the day, George rang the bell to open the New York Stock Exchange. Laura George, Michael and Marco Andretti and the front row for the 500-Mile Race of Sam Hornish Jr., Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon joined him on the platform. Drivers toured the trading floor, and posed for a formal photo outside the Wall Street institution with an Indianapolis 500 Pace Car and Marco Andretti's No. 26 NYSE Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Jerry Putnam, president of the NYSE Group, presented each driver and Tony and Laura George with a commemorative medallion. Tony George presented Putnam and Catherine Kinney, co-chief operating officer of the NYSE Group with a replica nose/wing assembly signed by all the drivers.

"I can't wait for the race," Putnam said. "I'll be there Friday ready to kick off the weekend in style." Race week already has begun that way.

Swindell started from the pole in the sprint car finale and was never seriously challenged during the 25-lap run. "We've been waiting a while to get one of these," said Swindell, who banked $10,000 for his evening's work. "I had an absolutely incredible car tonight."

Swindell's victory came in his first start at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway and his father also won the first time he visited the four-tenths-mile clay oval for the track's inaugural event on May 25, 2000. Chad Kemenah chased Swindell throughout the race, but had to settle for second with Brooke Tatnell third under the checkered flag. Tim Shaffer, subbing from the injured Terry McCarl in the No. 24 sprinter, moved up from the ninth starting spot to finish fourth.