IndyRaceReports.Com

2007 IndyCar Race Coverage Pages...

All race results and coverage will be posted in a latest race first format.

Dario Franchitti wins the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 and the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship, winning at fuel-mileage roulette over Scott Dixon.

Vitor Meira came out of the pits on lap 133 and ended up making contact with the turn 4 SAFER on lap 137, backing it in much the same as Marco Andretti did on lap 35 in another single-car crash. After emerging from the Care Center, Meira claimed that "something broke on the car." The timing of the Meira crash was unfortunate, because most of the field had pitted under green, and the crash came as points challenger Scott Dixon was entering his pit, while points leader Dario Franchitti was continuing to stretch his pit stop distance, having been the last to pit on lap 90 under green. Dixon was credited with stopping on lap 136, just before the Meira crash, while Dario came in on lap 140. IndyCar officials claimed that Dixon got off pit road ahead of Dario, who had to slow under the caution flag, and while I don't know if there is TiVo backup like the last time, when the series officials decision was supported, but that's plausible enough for me. That meant that both Dixon and Franchitti were a lap ahead of the field before the wave-around, and when Dixon and TCGR opted to top-off their fuel tank, AGR had Franchitti pit as well. That stop caused the rest of the field to line up just behind the two leaders, with three lapped cars in between. Two of those drivers opted to go to the back of the field, but Ryan Hunter-Reay remained, and played a roll in Sam Hornish assuming the race lead on lap 160. Every driver BUT Dixon and Franchitti would have to pit again for fuel only, very late in the race and it was a coin-flip if the two points contenders could make it to the end. Pit windows had been predictable for me all day, if you choose to read the recap, at 44-45 laps. The race was restarted on lap 151, which meant Dixon and Franchitti would be 3 or 4 laps short, but once Hornish got past Dixon, Scott was in drafting mode, while Franchitti couldn't remain close, got caught up in traffic and was burning more fuel.

Neither driver would have finished the race (that too would have been interesting) if Danica Patrick hadn't spun on pit-in, heading for her gas-and-go. The Black Helicopter folks will claim Danica either did it on her own or under team orders, but I'm sure that Patrick, who has had pit-in/pit-out issues, was just trying a little too hard. Anyway, Danica brought out the yellow flag that saved the day for the points contenders, or at least Dario, who in my opinion, didn't have anything for Dixon. I thought that on the restart Sam Hornish would mix it up and win the race, but Dixon got the jump at the green flag and Dario followed. I don't know if by intent or not, but Sam let 'em race, I guess because he was a lap down, and as Dario started around Dixon at the end of the backstretch, Dixon ran out of fuel. Franchitti, with probably the 5th fastest car in the field, almost made left front to right rear contact with Dixon, but once clear, Dario won it all.

Going heads-up against the NFL opener, I only hope somebody was watching as IndyCar put their best effort forward, and settled the only "real" and un-manipulated points battle in major American racing.
The recap of the race can be found here...

IndyCar PHOTO BY JIM HAINES

Its Race/Championship Day at Chicagoland Speedway, the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 begins at 4:00 p.m. EDT..,

The IndyCar season comes to what I feel is a premature, unwelcome and ill-advised conclusion today, yielding two more months of the generally excepted racing season to others rather than fight NFL football on television. This in spite of being telecast on the ABC/ESPN family of networks that generally only has a nighttime NFL presence on the tube. Well, what we have is what we have, while I dislike being without IndyCar for closer to seven months than six, it is their decision, I'll live with it.

What I do like is what I expect to see from this race and the race for the points championship today. I can't help but think back to last year when TCGR drivers Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon, with only a remote chance of wresting the series title from Sam Hornish Jr., raced each other for the race lead, side-by-side and wheel-to-wheel until team leaders cried "enough!" Both drivers needed to lead the most laps to win the championship, but ONLY if Hornish had trouble. and Sam didn't comply. Read more, and follow the race in running recap format here...

Dario Franchitti wins the pole position for Sunday's Peak Antifreeze Indy 300...

Franchitti, 3 points ahead of Scott Dixon for the series championship, won the pole position late Saturday afternoon in a session that saw just about every driver miss their best practice speed by more than a full mph, and Dixon miss his practice leading speed by 3-mph. The recap of today's practice and qualifying session can be seen here...

IndyCar PHOTO BY JIM HAINES

Danica Patrick passes Marty Roth on the outside during Saturday practice.

22 entries set for Sunday's Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway...

Besides the normal cast of "players," Milka Duno returns to the IndyCar series for the season finale, along with Marty Roth and Super Aguri Panther Racing development driver, Hideki Mutoh, making his first IndyCar start. Filling out the 22 car field, former IndyCar and Indy 500 rookie PJ Chesson returns to the series in a 2nd Dussault/Roth Racing Dallara Honda. here's the entry list, the weekend weather and the event schedule (all times EDT):

1st practice, Saturday, September 8th, 9:15 - 11 a.m.
2nd practice, Saturday, September 8th, Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Qualifying, Saturday, September 8th, 5:30 p.m.
Race Sunday, September 9th, 4:00 p.m. live on ABC, indycar.com, IMS Radio Network and XM Channel 145

Follow a running recap of today's practice and qualifying here...

Tony Kanaan wins the Detroit Indy Grand Prix on pit cycle decisions, as Dario Franchitti regains the points lead and Danica Patrick finishes 2nd for her best ICS finish...

There is no doubt that the Detroit Indy Grand Prix was won on pit road, but the only question was "when." Yes, TK did beat Dixon and Franchitti off pit road once, but he didn't get enough fuel and had to stop another time. That mistake probably made him the race winner, because when he stopped again, it was before Dixon and Franchitti chose to stop. Once they did come in under caution, TK became the race leader, and when Dixon beat Dario off pit road on that stop, that set the stage for the contact in turn 13 that cost Dixon his points lead. With Kanaan leading the race and Buddy Rice running 2nd and in jeopardy of running out of fuel, Scott Dixon, under intense pressure from Franchitti and having been warned to "run a straight line," chose to try Rice on the inside going into the corner.

Dixon was "there," close enough for Buddy to see him. Buddy gave him all the room needed while still trying to make the corner, but Dixon got loose on turn-in, may have hit Rice and then spun backwards and appeared to turn into the path of Franchitti while still backing up, blocking him and causing contact. Rice was forced into the outside tire barrier, and Danica Patrick ducked to the inside of the Dixon/Franchitti crash to finish 2nd. Franchitti got pulled back away from the crash damaged Dixon car and finished the lap he was on, and the race in 6rh position, and apparently Buddy Rice got going as well to finish 7th, ahead of 8th place Dixon unofficially.
Read more and follow a recount of the race here>>>

The Detroit Indy Grand Prix begins at 3:30 p.m., (EDT) today on ABC. Four drivers in "contact" in the final practice session...

The morning warm up has ended with Dan Weldon in the tire barrier in turn 8. Just before that, 26 minutes into the session, Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves were the cause of a full course caution when they ran into each other in turn 3. Read more and follow a live running recap of the race here...

Helio Castroneves runs one of three 103-mph laps to win the pole position for Sunday's Detroit Indy Grand Prix...

While there were only three laps above 103-mph, I didn't expect any, you never know what to expect from A Firestone Fast Six run when all six drivers are in a nothing-to-lose situation (except for some parts and pieces and a dropping to a possible 6th starting spot). So what do I know, I claimed that "I'd be surprised if Dario's speed doesn't hold up for the 2nd weekend in succession," and not only did Franchitti beat his own "Q" speed, but Helio did as well. After that Castroneves even bested Dario when the fastest part of the course was under a "local" yellow flag condition. Franchitti, in a post-qualifying interview appeared miffed that "there wasn't a full course caution," but it wouldn't be IndyCar without a little whining and b****ing once in a while. Follow a recap of Saturday's practice and qualifying here...

Practice for Sunday's Detroit Indy Grand Prix begins Friday at 10:30 a.m. EDT...

I'm not sure what to expect from this event, which was passing-challenged when last run as a CART event on Belle Isle in 2001. From checking on The CCWS site, Helio Castroneves won the pole with a lap time 1:13.499, and a CART listed speed of 114.908-mph. Also in that race in 2001 and now in IndyCars is Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. I'm thinking the course distance and layout are the same even if the racing surface isn't. It will be interesting to see how fast the IndyCars run today. Follow Friday practice here...

Scott Dixon wins the Motorola Indy 300 at Infineon Raceway...

While Dario Franchitti led the entire race except for when he was on pit road, when it came time for his final pit stop, he and the crew came up slow, and that set the stage for yet another late-race mistake on Franchitti's part. Both Scott Dixon and Marco Andretti were able, due to less time spent on pit road, to cycle around ahead of Franchitti. While Dario easily got passed Dixon, who was on cold tires when Dixon didn't try for the block most other drivers would have made. Then for some reason, rather than waiting to pass Marco coming off pit road, Dario chose to dive under him as Marco turned to make a corner. The resulting contact sent Marco into the dirt with a stalled car, and damaged the left front wing on Dario's Dallara to the point where he couldn't hold off Dixon on the resulting restart. More...

Its race day at Infineon Raceway, the Motorola Indy 300 begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT...

A nearly uneventful morning warm up is ended with only Buddy Rice having a minor mishap, but still able to continue on and run 15 laps at a decent speed. Race pace looks to be in the 105-106 mph range, but as with the morning practice yesterday, fog and cooler temperatures prevailed, and once it clears we should see conditions more like what they had in qualifying Saturday. The race will be shown on ESPN Follow the race in a running recap format here>>>

Dario Franchitti and Danica Patrick share the front row again after the Firestone Fast Six runoff...

The Firestone Fast Six run has begun, and so far with all six cars on the track, Franchitti's speed from qualifying is holding up. Tony Kanaan spun but didn't cause a caution that would have mandated a "P6" start. So far the only movement on the chart was Danica from 6th to 2nd. This is an almost spot-for-spot duplication of what Danica did at Mid-Ohio, we'll have to see if the speed holds. With Danica already parked along with Franchitti, Hornish spun, dirtied the track and it will be up to Dixon and Kanaan to provide any charge if there is to be one. At the checkered flag it was Franchitti, Patrick, Kanaan, Castroneves, Dixon and Hornish. Here's the Firestone Fast Six result:

Pos	Driver	Best Time	Best Speed
1	Dario Franchitti (27)	1:16.7017	107.951
2	Danica Patrick (7)	1:17.1486	107.325
3	Tony Kanaan (11)	1:17.1932	107.263
4	Helio Castroneves (3)	1:17.2608	107.169
5	Scott Dixon (9)	1:17.3379	107.063
6	Sam Hornish Jr (6)	1:17.5858	106.721

Yesterday Helio Castroneves topped the speed charts in both practice sessions, but there were others running just a tic slower and today in first group, first session practice, Danica Patrick posted the fastest speed of the two days of running. While I expect the pole speed to be 108.75 or better, going into qualifying I expect Danica will probably have a top-5 car. Already in 2nd group practice Dan Wheldon has been off-course and brought out the caution. Follow today's P&Q session notes here...

Usual list of 18 racers set to practice for the Motorola Indy 300 today at Infineon Raceway...

With the cars of the IndyCar series now proven and very reliable road racers, the series returns to the California wine country this weekend for the third time. And with the exception of Sarah Fisher, in her first season of road racing the IndyCars, even oval track specialists like Ed Carpenter and AJ Foyt IV are doing well in ramping up their road racing skills. They'll still need to improve to catch up with the other series oval track specialist, Sam Hornish Jr. who was trouble-free for the weekend (a first) at Watkins Glen (unless you ask Tony Kanaan) in finishing 2nd for his best road race result ever. More...

Scott Dixon wins the Motorola Indy 300 at Infineon Raceway...

Its race day at Infineon Raceway, the Motorola Indy 300 begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT...

Dario Franchitti and Danica Patrick share the front row again after the Firestone Fast Six runoff...

Pos	Driver	Best Time	Best Speed
1	Dario Franchitti (27)	1:16.7017	107.951
2	Danica Patrick (7)	1:17.1486	107.325
3	Tony Kanaan (11)	1:17.1932	107.263
4	Helio Castroneves (3)	1:17.2608	107.169
5	Scott Dixon (9)	1:17.3379	107.063
6	Sam Hornish Jr (6)	1:17.5858	106.721

Usual list of 18 racers set to practice for the Motorola Indy 300 today at Infineon Raceway...

Tony Kanaan wins 2nd IndyCar race in succession as Dario Franchitti doesn't see the checkered flag and runs into a slowing Kosuke Matsuura and gets "big air" all over again...

Franchitti escaped injury again and was pretty tough on himself in the post race interview. I think Dario was so intent on picking up lost positions after he hit a cone on pit-in on the final stop, forcing a nose change on his car, that he lost track of the laps. Meanwhile Kanaan was the class of the field on a night where it was very difficult for anyone but TK to make a contested outside pass. The race review can be see here...

Danica Patrick had a rough evening as well after running as high at 3rd going into the final round of pit stops during a debris caution period that ended up causing more debris on the track than there was originally.

It's an all AGR front row for Saturday night's Meijer Indy 300, with Tony Kanaan winning the pole position, Dario Franchitti will start outside of him...

Very few drivers were able to duplicate their practice speeds in qualifying, that is with the exception of Sarah Fisher and Scott Sharp, but the story of the session was of speeds lost, not gained. The biggest surprise was Helio Castroneves, who will start 13th, losing almost 2-mph. Here's how the 1st three rows will line up:

Pos	Driver	Diff	Best Time	Best Speed	Best Lap
1	Tony Kanaan (11)	...	24.4307	218.086	1
2	Dario Franchitti (27)	0.1438	24.5745	216.810	2
3	Scott Sharp (8)	0.1611	24.5918	216.658	1
4	Scott Dixon (9)	0.1812	24.6119	216.481	1
5	Dan Wheldon (10)	0.1957	24.6264	216.353	1
6	Tomas Scheckter (2)	0.2001	24.6308	216.315	2

Here's an I-71 road construction update:

(An Update, driving in from Cincinnati area Friday morning I noticed that they were putting out signs in the construction area that would indicate they won't be getting the job done before race day, but should still have 4 lanes open to race traffic.) First of all, we have all heard the horror stories about getting in and out of Kentucky Speedway. This being my first trip, I'm not sure what I'm seeing from this in-car shot, a re-pave or an additional two lanes. If it is indeed a re-pave, the timing sucks. If it is an additional lane, just being completed, either way I hope they hurry up. About three miles from I-71 exit 57 the road widened from two lanes to what becomes four in both directions. Regardless, all of this bottlenecks at the highway exit, very close to track entrance roads. Lets hope things work out better this time around, I assure you I'll be at the track early on Saturday, and I'll be in no hurry to leave.

Live Friday coverage from Kentucky Speedway can be found here...

***

I've arrived at Kentucky Speedway for Saturday's Meijer Indy 300...

Yes, I know I'm a day early, but it was either that or hang around the Days Inn watching PGA Golf in weather even hotter than it is here, if that's indeed possible. First, before I walk across to the garage area and shoot some pictures, let me say how impressed I am with the facility, it is indeed state of the art in every way. Check back in a while and I'll have some photos up here...

"It's good to see you sitting there on the bike," I said to Dario Franchitti. "It's even better to be here," was Dario's reply. I asked him "if that was the repaired car over there in the garage?" He said, "no, but they will fix it."

The replacement Dallara Honda...

Tony Kanaan, last weeks winner at MIS...

Tony Kanaan wins the rain-delayed Firestone Indy 400 as Dario Franchitti gets some "big-air" on an X-Game weekend and "walks away."

While I spent 15 hours in airports and sitting in planes in long ground delays and in the air in ATC holding patterns, most of the country was also missing the "action" at MIS once finally under way due to some "weird" and difficult to justify TV moves by ESPN. All I have seen of the Franchitti/Wheldon crash was the indycar.com footage, and I'm very happy to see everyone walking around today. This is a family outing day (Monday) and the reason for all my Sunday "air time," so until I get to see the TiVo, I'll direct everyone here for a recount of the race and link to the crash footage. Once finished later today I'll comment here...

Dario Franchitti wins the pole position for the Firestone Indy 400 at MIS...

Earlier in the day I said that "unless there is a monstrous sandbag jog out there lurking somewhere, I think it will be very difficult for anyone to come within 1-mph of Tomas Scheckter's 2nd practice session speeds in qualifying." So what do I know, boy was I wrong. Franchitti probably made a good show of running in a tow as he bested Tomas Scheckter's fast practice of the day handily, but he was the only one even though Sam Hornish came close. Here's the first three rows on the starting grid, read a Saturday recap here... I will be unable to recap the race until later on today (if at all). It looks like I'm stranded at the SLC airport, unable to get a seat on an outbound flight to Atlanta.

First Firestone Indy 400 practice session 4-hours away, race day weather at MIS could be suspect...

Here's the weekend schedule (All times EDT):

1st Practice, Saturday, August 4th, from 10 a.m. until Noon
2nd Practice, Saturday, August 4th, from 1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m..
Qualifying, Saturday, August 4th, 4:30 p.m.

Race Day Schedule Sunday August 5th, Noon live on ESPN2, indycar.com and IMS Radio Network

Here' the Saturday/Sunday weather outlook...

As soon as the 1st practice session begins you may follow the abbreviated weekend coverage here...

20 entries at MIS for the Firestone Indy 400 as the IndyCars return to the ovals for the kind of racing they do best for the next two weeks. Less than week later it'll be night racing in the Meijer Indy 300 at the always-exciting Kentucky Speedway...

While the emphasis will be on aero-slick, lowest possible ride-height and tight pack racing at the ultra-wide and fairly smooth Michigan International Speedway, I expect it'll be at Kentucky Speedway where we see a little of the separation that will allow the driver and team to become part of the equation again and the deciding factor in who wins the race.

The plan right now is for me to fly into Greater Cincinnati Airport next Thursday and make my first visit to Kentucky Speedway since the IndyCars began racing there in 2000. There was a time in my life when I lived in the area, 25-miles from where the track now sits, an area where three of my kids were born and I got my pilots license at that very same airport. My Florida and North Carolina families have already charged me with the task of returning to the old neighborhood for some pictures of the way it looks now.

Both races will be two-day events and as different as the night and day conditions they will race them under, and I expect neither will disappoint us. At MIS, the everything-equal Dallara Honda combinations will produce tight, 3-wide (or more) Daytona/Talladega-like drafts and enhanced chances for the BIG ONE everyone in open wheel racing dreads, simply because of the possibility of tire-launches. Hopefully, with plenty of room to maneuver and respect for the wheel and tire space of other competitors, we will see a safe and exciting event. An event that will produce the kind of racing that will mandate the track management and series leaders to lock themselves in a room and not open the door until a scheduling decision can be reached that will allow the IndyCars to return to MIS for many years to come.

At Kentucky Speedway on the other hand, where the track has some "character," with a slightly rough spot here and a bump there to negotiate, we'll see a different kind of excitement, one that will showcase the new depth in the IndyCar fields, with drivers from teams like Vision Racing, D&R and Rahal Letterman stepping up to challenge TCGR, AGR, Team Penske and Panther Racing more often now. That's my hope anyway, and I'll finally be there to see it.

Scott Dixon wins the Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio over Franchitti, Castroneves, Kanaan and Patrick...

Lap 73) In one of those race-win defining moments Helio Castroneves hit pit road along with Danica Patrick and Darren Manning, and one lap later, Scott Dixon. Once back on the track he was slotted in ahead of Kanaan, Manning and Patrick. Once Dixon came around again he was AHEAD of Helio, but still behind Franchitti, who will remain out until the last possible minute, running as fast as possible in order to shorten his stay on pit road. As it turned out, Franchitti wouldn't beat Dixon as he exited pit road and will slot in behind Dixon and ahead of Helio. With 9 laps remaining, I'll call it either a "race" or "disjointed parade." Whatever you call it, Franchitti did his best job of points damage control, and while unable to catch Dixon, held Helio in 3rd with Kanaan finishing 4th and Patrick in 5th Read more >>>

It's Honda 200 Race Day at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Helio Castroneves and Danica Patrick are in the Front Row...

he only three questions that remain unanswered are:

1. Just what sort of event we will see, as I detested the lack of "racing" we used to get in the CART years at the course, where there was always a lack of contested passes in races that were usually won on pit road.

2. Just how long (and if even possible) it will take Scott Dixon, one of the IndyCar Series 4 premier road racers to get to the front. I also wonder if the quick pit road work we usually see from Team Penske will be fast enough to overcome Helio's third-on-pit-road pit placement and prevent him from losing the early race lead that is almost a given because of the pole position.

3. With the British Open looking to be headed for overtime, just when will we get to see the race, and where. It looks like it will be on the live Video stream, because There is now a 4-hole playoff in the British Open...