The top three remained that way until a round of green flag pitstops began on lap 66 when Servia ducked onto pit road for service. Unfortunately for Servia his teammate Mario Dominguez was also on pit road and delayed Servia’s exit from his pit box. The delay on pit road combined with an extra lap on track by the 18-year-old Rahal moved the young American into position to track down his teammate and battle for the lead. Just as Rahal exits pit lane the yellow flag flies again as Will Power and Mario Dominguez get together in Turn 6 while at the same time Katherine Legge, Neel Jani and Dan Clarke make contact in Turn 2. The Turn 2 incident ends the day for the trio and the yellow flag gives the lead to Tristan Gommendy. Gommendy used a similar strategy last weekend in Long Beach and here in Houston the Frenchman paced the field for 18 laps before running out of fuel at the entrance to pit lane with just seven laps remaining. While all of this was going on Dutchman Robert Doornbos was slowly moving his way up through the field and after Gommendy retired Doornbos was positioned for his second podium finish in three Champ Car starts.

Oriol Servia overcame his difficulty on pit lane to finish fourth in his second race filling-in for the injured Paul Tracy while Team Australia’s Simon Pagenaud claimed his first career top-five finish. Mario Dominguez rebounded from his struggles last weekend in Long Beach to finish sixth just ahead of three-time series runner-up Bruno Junqueira earned his third straight top-10 finish with Dale Coyne Racing, earning the seventh spot. Pacific Coast Motorsports Ryan Dalziel earned his career best finish of eighth and his second straight top-ten for the new Champ Car team. Rounding out the top-ten were RSPORTS teammates Alex Tagliani and Justin Wilson who finished ninth and tenth respectively. As the Champ Car World Series now takes a breath after three straight races, a familiar face is back atop the points standings with 73 markers. Will Power is just three points behind with 70 in second place and rookie Robert Doornbos is third with 61. Alex Tagliani and Bruno Junqueira round out the top-five in the race for the 2007 Vanderbilt Cup. The Champ Car World Series will head to the Great Northwest for the Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland Presented by Joe’s at Portland International Raceway.
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Champ Cars Atlantic

Raphael Matos Wins Again
Second-year Atlantic racer Raphael Matos is a much better race car driver than a baseball player but he completed a remarkable triple play Sunday, winning his third consecutive race to open the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. After scoring wins at Las Vegas and Long Beach to start the season, Matos made it three victories in three weeks as he led all 43 laps at JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park Sunday afternoon. The 25-year-old Brazilian rising star also claimed a piece of Atlantic history as he became the first driver in 17 years to capture the first three events of a series season. Mark Dismore won five straight races to open the 1990 campaign as he went on to score the Atlantic Pacific Division title in the last year that Atlantics featured split divisions.

Matos didn't have an easy drive to the landmark victory. Starting from the pole, the native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil had a decent launch to the standing start on the 10-turn, 1.683-mile street circuit as he held the lead through the treacherous Turn 1. American Carl Skerlong of the US RaceTronics team produced a fantastic start, however, making a daring move to outside in the first turn to jet from fourth into second place. After the lone caution flag of the race - caused by an opening-lap accident involving Ryan Lewis of Walker Racing and Genoa Racing's Richard Heistand in Turn 3 - Matos enjoyed a good re-start at the green flag, keeping Skerlong in his rear-view mirror.

Skerlong, the 18-year-old native of Mukilteo, Washington, had no intention of bowing to the series leader, however. Skerlong menaced Matos for the race lead throughout the first half of the 50-minute event. The rookie racer continued to push but he found his limit after touching the wall several times while giving chase and eventually Matos began to re-focus at the front of the 27-car Atlantic field.

Turning the fastest lap of the race with a mark of 1:05.072 (93.109 mph) on the 39th orbit of the circuit, Skerlong remained a force in second place, but Matos used his experience and skill to keep the fast freshman behind him. At the checkered flag, Matos captured a .946-of-a-second victory over Skerlong, who scored his top result one day after producing his best qualifying effort of fourth place. The win enabled Matos to open up a 23-point lead in the championship standings and the race for the $2 million champion's bonus towards a Champ Car ride in 2008.

After starting third and running some impressive laps early in the race, James Hinchcliffe scored his first podium finish of the season for Sierra Sierra Enterprises. The talented Canadian has finished among the top 10 in all three events in '07 and he improves to third in the season standings with today's result. With his third top-six finish to begin the season, American Jonathan Bomarito takes control of second in the series standings. The PR1 Motorsports pilot started sixth but came home fourth to continue his hot start to his third series season. For the third consecutive race, Condor Motorsports rookie Franck Perera earned a fifth-place finish. The speedy Frenchman has had a productive beginning to his Atlantic career and currently sits fifth on the series leaderboard.

A pair of promising young American racers occupied the sixth- and seventh-place positions in Sunday's finishing order. Alan Sciuto (#20 The RoomStore of Phoenix) crossed the stripe in sixth place while J.R. Hildebrand (#36 Newman Wachs Racing) was seventh overall. Conquest Racing's Giacomo Ricci posted his second top-10 result of his rookie season in eighth place while Ronnie Bremer of Polestar Racing Group and Red Bull Team Forsythe freshman Robert Wickens rounded out the top-10 finishers.

The Atlantic Championship will take a break after competing on back-to-back-to-back weekends to begin '07. The series swings back into action June 9-10 with a doubleheader weekend at Portland International Raceway at the Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland Presented by Joe's. For more information on North America's top open-wheel development series and to watch all of this season's races on demand, please visit (www.champcaratlantic.com).
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Champ Cars

Will Power On Houston Pole
Sebastien Bourdais had set the fastest lap in qualifying but was penalized for qualifying interference awarding the pole position to Team Australia’s Will Power after the Australian turned in a best lap of 57.405 (105.545 mph). Sebastien Bourdais will start from the second position after securing a front row starting spot by posting the fastest qualifying time during Friday’s session. Last year, Bourdais started fifth at Reliant Park and went on to win. The congestion began after Katherine Legge brought out a red flag early in the session when she spun at the exit of Turn 4 and blocked the track. As the green flag flew minutes later nearly every driver in the field entered the track ready to post a fast lap. The tight confines of the street circuit combined with the traffic on course led to many drivers feeling they had better cars than their qualifying times showed. Even with all of the traffic out on the course the drivers continued to improve their times throughout the session until a late red flag brought out by Bruno Junqueira ended the session with the red and checkered flags.

Justin Wilson will start on the inside of the second row after posting a time of 57.533 (105.310 mph). Starting alongside the Brit will be rookie Neel Jani who had his best Champ Car qualifying session, posting the fourth fastest time at 57.753 (104.909 mph). 2005 championship runner-up Oriol Servia who is continuing in his substitute role for Paul Tracy continued to shorten his learning curve in the DP01 qualifying fifth with a lap of 57.790 (104.842 mph). Hot on Servia’s heels were rookies Graham Rahal and Simon Pagenaud who will start the Grand Prix of Houston sixth and seventh respectively. Rookie Tristan Gommendy put the second PKV racing entry in the top 10, qualifying eight while Mario Dominguez will start ninth. Junqueira will start 10th. Starting 11th will be Alex Tagliani who also lost his fastest lap in qualifying for an unsafe reentry onto the race course.

Roberto Moreno will make his first Champ Car start since 2003, filling in for the injured Alex Figge. Moreno logged many miles in the DP01 while serving as a test driver during the development of the new car. The Brazilian was serving as a driver coach and engineering liaison for Pacific Coast Motorsports before being called into duty. The timed event will begin at 2:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. Eastern) and can be seen live on ESPN. Fans can also follow all of the action via the official website of the Champ Car World Series, www.champcar.ws.
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IRL

Tony Kanaan Wins Japan Race
A succession of drivers inherited the lead late in the Indy Japan 300 because of fuel stops. Tony Kanaan, who relinquished the point to Sam Hornish Jr. only nine laps from the finish, was confident of being the final one leader. Kanaan was right and edged Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dan Wheldon by 0.4828 of a second to give Andretti Green Racing its initial victory of the 2007 season and first on a 1.5-mile oval since the 2005 IndyCar Series season. Kanaan's teammate, Dario Franchitti, advanced four positions to finish third, while Scott Dixon was fourth and Sam Hornish Jr. fifth.

What turned into a fuel mileage race played into the Honda powerplant of the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car and Kanaan's pit crew. "It was a race that I had to be very patient," the 2004 series champion said. "I think when we started, the car wasn't that good and I knew the track was going to get better towards the end of the race. So I just waited. A couple opportunities I had to pass Dan, and I knew that I had to stop later than him because my car had better fuel mileage. "When he (made) the last stop (Lap 186), I was almost convinced that I could pit and come out still in front of him. So that's what we did. The team did a great job."

Scott Sharp finished a season-high sixth and pole sitter Helio Castroneves seventh. Tomas Scheckter posted his third consecutive top-10 finish (ninth), followed by Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick. Separate crashes involving Marco Andretti and Kosuke Matsuura brought out caution flags. Both were uninjured.
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Champ Cars

Las Vegas Track Removal One Week Early
De-construction of the 2.44-mile Vegas Grand Prix temporary street course was completed one week earlier than planned. Workers began dismantling the course immediately following the inaugural Vegas Grand Prix on Sunday, April 8, and finished work on Saturday, April 14, one week ahead of the predicted finish date of April 22.

“This has been a monumental project which has basically been flawless in execution,” said Chris Kneifel, circuit manager of the Vegas Grand Prix. “Just as quickly as we erected the fencing and wall structure we have gotten it down and cleared from the downtown area.”

The construction crew worked around-the-clock to remove the track barricade and debris fencing, which consisted of more than 2,700 12-foot long, 39-inch cement barriers and lined the perimeter inside and outside the course. The barriers weigh about 9,000 pounds apiece and were connected to provide the safety fencing along the route. The April 6-8 event featured the Champ Car World Series, Champ Car Atlantic and Historic Grand Prix races along with superstar concerts on the Fremont Street Experience and a gala whose proceeds benefited Keep Memory Alive, the foundation for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute.

Preparations for the 2008 Vegas Grand Prix are already underway although its date has not been finalized. Event organizers are continuing to work with the city of Las Vegas and meet with businesses and residents in the downtown area to improve the plans for the future. “As soon as the checkered flag dropped on the inaugural event April 8, we began strategizing on ways to make the event even better for next year,” said Jim Freudenberg, president and chief executive officer of the Vegas Grand Prix. “We’ll continue to work hand in hand with the city, our partners and downtown businesses and residents to fine-tune and improve the plans for next year.”

IRL

Castroneves On Indy Japan Pole
Helio Castroneves took the first step to completing a "double" for the third year in a row. The Team Penske driver will start from the pole in the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi after topping the 18-car field with a quick lap of 205.393 mph (26.6416 seconds) on the 1.5-mile oval. The speed was just off the '04 track record (205.762) by race winner Dan Wheldon. Guess who will start alongside the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion? Castroneves is seeking to extend to three years a trend of consecutive victories at St. Petersburg and Twin Ring Motegi. He accomplished it last year and Wheldon won both races in '05. Last year on the mountaintop racetrack, Castroneves started from the pole (based on championship points after rain washed out qualifying) and dominated (184 of 200 laps led) in the No. 3 Honda-powered Dallara. Though recording his IndyCar Series-leading 18th career pole - and second in a row -- Castroneves shouldn't expect to run away this time around. The top 10 qualifiers are separated by 0.2970 of a second.

"I found that speed in my pocket," said Castroneves, who gave Team Penske its third consecutive pole at Twin Ring Motegi. "The car was perfect. This series is very, very competitive, and I know a lot people will try to beat us tomorrow." Among those will be Andretti Green Racing and Target Chip Ganassi Racing, who appear to have their cars dialed in to the asymmetrical circuit. Wheldon, the final qualifier, jumped to second on the grid in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone with a best lap of 205.141 (26.6744). "It's obviously very good to start on the front row," said Wheldon, who won the season opener on the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway and was runner-up to Castroneves in last year's race at Twin Ring Motegi. "It's going to be a very competitive race."

AGR teammates Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick will share Row 2, with Team Penske's Sam Hornish Jr. (203.803) and Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (203.753) filling out the third row.
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IRL

Time Change On Japan Race
ESPN has changed the telecast time for Saturday’s IndyCar Series event from Japan. The Firestone IndyCar 300 will now start at 3 p.m. ET rather than noon as had originally been scheduled. A first-round game of the NBA Playoffs between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will be televised live beginning at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN. The 10 a.m. edition of SportsCenter will be extended to 12:30 p.m. The IndyCar Series is going international with the event at Twin Ring Motegi, a 1.5-mile oval located some 60 miles northeast of Tokyo. The race will mark the fifth visit of the IndyCar Series to Japan, which hosted the series’ first-ever overseas event in 2003. ESPN’s Marty Reid will be lead announcer for the IndyCar Series telecast, joined in the booth for analysis by former IndyCar Series driver Scott Goodyear. Reporting the action from the pits will be Jack Arute.

IRL

Patrick Fastest In First Practice
Danica Patrick continued her success in Japan, leading the opening day of preparations for the April 21 Indy Japan 300. Patrick, who used a strong run at Motegi to set up her breakthrough performance at the Indianapolis 500 in 2005, lapped the 1.5-mile egg-shaped oval in 26.9585 seconds, 202.979 mph, in her No. 7 Team Motorola Honda-powered Dallara. Super Aguri Panther Racing's Kosuke Matsuura, the only Japanese driver in the IndyCar Series, was second-quick with a lap of 27.0260, 202.472.

Defending race winner Helio Castroneves (202.295 mph), Tony Kanaan (201.972 mph) and two-time Motegi winner Dan Wheldon (201.444) rounded out the top five as teams battled cool and windy conditions throughout both practice sessions. The day was not without incident. Vitor Meira was forced to his backup car after an accident in Turn 2 during the opening minutes of the first practice session. Meira was not injured when his car made contact with the SAFER Barrier.

IRL

Indy Summer of Speed Sweepstakes
Indianapolis Motor Speedway fans can experience the 2008 "Summer of Speed" in unforgettable fashion by simply going online and registering for the Summer of Speed Sweepstakes.

The Grand Prize winner and a guest will receive VIP treatment at the Indianapolis 500 and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in 2008, including:

• Two suite tickets for the 2008 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
• A track lap in an official pace vehicle during the weekend of the race.
• Two access credentials to Indianapolis 500 Victory Lane, and two tickets to the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration the day after the race.
• Airfare, hotel accommodations, and ground transportation to and from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each day.