IRL

Homestead-Miami Opener Draws Highest Rating
ESPN2's flag-to-flag coverage of the XM Radio Satellite Radio Indy 300 on March 24 at Homestead Miami Speedway earned a .7 rating according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the highest rated IndyCar Series race ever on ESPN2. The race was the fourth-highest IndyCar Series cable rating since 2000 and the highest cable rating since June 2005. This weekend, coverage of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg moves to ESPN. The first street race of the season presents a different challenge to the crew who will call the race.

"From a technical standpoint, the tall buildings in St. Petersburg cast shadows on the race track and the cars are going from bright sunshine to shade then back to sunshine," said Marty Reid, who will call the April 1 race along with Scott Goodyear. "Our guys have to work really hard on shading the cameras, and our video guys make sure the picture doesn't suddenly go to black. The buildings also interfere with in-car radio systems so just like the race teams we have to make sure we have strong repeaters so we can hear all the way around the track." ESPN's telecast of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (ET).

Misc.

Pablo Perez Has Surgery
Indy Pro Series driver Pablo Perez underwent surgery for serious leg injuries March 24 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, said Dr. Michael Olinger, director of medical services for the Indy Racing League. Perez is listed in stable condition, and is progressing as expected, Olinger said. Perez, a rookie from Buenos Aries, Argentina, sustained his injuries in a multi-car accident on Lap 47 of the Miami 100 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the season-opening race of the 2007 Indy Pro Series season. Further updates on Perez' condition will be provided when available.

Misc.

Alex Lloyd Wins Indy Pro Race
Alex Lloyd claimed his third Indy Pro Series victory on March 24, winning a crash-marred season-opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Lloyd passed polesitter Chris Festa a few laps before a serious accident involving five cars brought the race to an early end due to damage to the catch fencing above the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2.

The No. 4 Guthrie Racing Car Crafters Special entry driven by Sean Guthrie and the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car driven by Pablo Perez touched wheels, sending Guthrie into the SAFER Barrier and Perez' car into the catch fencing. The debris from the incident scattered on the racetrack, and affected cars driven by Shane Lewis, Micky Gilbert and Joey Scarallo. Perez was checked at the infield medical center and airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital listed in stable condition with leg injuries. He was awake and alert.

Lloyd took the yellow/checkered flags on Lap 57 for the third Indy Pro Series victory of his career and his first on an oval. Festa was second in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, followed by rookie Hideki Mutoh, Jaime Camara and Andrew Prendeville. A record 25 cars started the season opener.

Another driver was hospitalized after a Lap 21 accident. Wade Cunningham's No. 27 AFS Racing car spun and made contact with the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier. Ryan Justice, driver of the No. 38 Lifelock/Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, hit the debris and made hard contact with the SAFER on the backstretch. Justice was checked at the infield medical center and also was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital via helicopter for observation. He was awake and alert.
For full results... (Speed News Now)

IRL

IRL Looking For New York Race
Indy Racing League CEO Tony George is conducting informal discussions with New York City officials about the possibility of running a race within the five boroughs. George said the probability of a New York street race is not great and would not divulge details of his talks. But one concept discussed would have IndyCars racing on Governors Island, a 172-acre parcel south of lower Manhattan in the East River, accessible only by ferry and run by the National Park Service and a preservation and educational program. "Everybody's trying to crack the New York market, so that's kind of an ambition of ours, a project that we work on in our spare time," he said.

George said International Speedway Corp. officials expressed an interest in having the IRL race at a track it had hoped to build for NASCAR events on Staten Island. He continued when local opposition felled that project. George said if his project comes to fruition - likely not for at least two years - it would have to be done "creatively."

"I've met with the administration there and the heads of the agencies there and whatnot and they're no so much opposed to an event," George said. "They're pretty adamant about how it's not going to happen, and that's where the creativity comes into play."(sptimes.com)

IRL

Wheldon Dominates Homestead-Miami
Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dan Wheldon started his season off with a victory for the third year in a row, winning the season-opening XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Wheldon, who became the first IndyCar® Series driver to win at the same racetrack three consecutive years, led 179 laps to win under the lights in the IndyCar Series season opener. Teammate Scott Dixon was 6.4993 seconds behind, as Target Chip Ganassi Racing scored its third 1-2 finish in the series. Reigning IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr., driving the No. 6 Team Penske Honda-powered Dallara, finished third for the second year in a row. Delphi Panther Racing's Vitor Meira was fourth, followed by Andretti Green Racing's Tony Kanaan and Vision Racing's Ed Carpenter.