IRL: Chicagoland: Event preview
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JOLIET, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2002 -- One point.
After 13 races, 2,700 laps and 3,853.5 miles of intense racing this
season in the Indy Racing League, just one point separates series leader
Helio Castroneves from second-place Gil de Ferran, his Marlboro Team
Penske teammate. Defending IRL champion Sam Hornish Jr. is third in the
standings, just eight points behind de Ferran.
Does it get any better than this?
The Indy Racing League championship race will continue to rage at the
Delphi Indy 300 on Sept. 8 at Chicagoland Speedway, the next-to-last
stop on the 15-race schedule this season. The 200-lap race on the
1.5-mile, D-shaped oval starts at noon (CDT) and will be televised live
on ABC.
Four drivers -- Castroneves, de Ferran, Hornish and fourth-place Felipe
Giaffone -- remain mathematically eligible for the title at the second
annual IRL event at the state-of-the-art Chicagoland track.
It's quite a contrast from the inaugural IRL race at Chicagoland
last September, during which Hornish clinched his first Indy Racing
championship. There will be no coronation ceremony at this event, only
the continuation of an epic struggle in the closest title race in major
worldwide motorsports.
The IRL's "big three" has dominated the top of the point standings
all season, but none of the three can keep a grip on the top.
Castroneves, de Ferran and Hornish have occupied the top three spots
in the point standings since the season-opening event in March at
Homestead-Miami Speedway. But the points lead has changed hands four
times in the last nine races, with Castroneves taking over from Hornish
after finishing second to Marlboro Team Penske teammate de Ferran Aug.
25 at Kentucky Speedway. Hornish fell to third after finishing fifth in
the No. 4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone at Kentucky.
With that kind of close, fluid competition atop the standings, it's
hard to pinpoint many trends entering the Delphi Indy 300.
Recent championship experience is a push. Pennzoil Panther Racing won
the IRL title last year with Hornish, while de Ferran won the CART
championship in 2000 and 2001 with Marlboro Team Penske.
But Hornish does hold a slight statistical advantage over Marlboro Team
Penske's dynamic duo at tracks of 1.5 miles and longer. The final two
races of the season both take place on 1.5-mile ovals, at Chicagoland
and Sept. 15 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Two of Hornish's three victories have come on tracks of 1.5 miles or
longer, the opener in March at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami track and
also in March at the 2-mile California Speedway. But two of Hornish's
three finishes outside the top 10 this year have come on "big" tracks,
25th in May at Indianapolis and 18th in June at Texas.
Castroneves has a victory in March on a 1-mile oval at Phoenix and in
May at the legendary 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the No. 3
Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone.
Both of de Ferran's victories have come on "short" tracks, in June
on the 1-mile Pikes Peak International Raceway and Aug. 25 at the
1.25-mile Gateway International Raceway in the No. 6 Marlboro Team
Penske Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. And his only finishes outside the
top 10 this season have come on 1.5-mile ovals, 16th in June at Texas
and 21st in August at Kentucky.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Castroneves has been the most
consistent of the "big three" on 1.5-mile tracks, with four top-five
finishes in as many starts.
Hornish also has successful racing experience at Chicagoland, finishing
second last year to seal the IRL title and $1-million bonus awarded to
the series champion.
Castroneves only has raced at Chicagoland in a stock car, finishing
third in the True Value IROC event in July. de Ferran never has raced at
Chicagoland, as Marlboro Team Penske is competing full time in the IRL
for the first time this year.
Hornish's slight edge on larger tracks isn't lost on Marlboro Team
Penske, which is planning to test before this event to find extra
secrets of speed.
"We have not been as fast on the big tracks," said Marlboro Team
Penske owner Roger Penske after de Ferran's victory at Gateway. "For
some reason, we seem not to be able to sustain some of the speed as the
other cars. That's one thing we haven't been able to figure out since we
went to Texas the first time.
"There have been some cars running pretty quick. We need those cars
to run and maybe take points away. Our key for the next two races is
reliability and not getting in trouble."
There are plenty of other cars running fast in the IRL this season.
In fact, there have been nine different winners in 13 IRL races this
season, tying a league record set in the 1996-97 season. Six of those
winners have recorded their first career IRL victory this season.
Giaffone was one of those first-time winners, on Aug. 11 at Kentucky,
and he is fourth in the series standings in the No. 21 Hollywood Mo Nunn
Racing G Force/Chevrolet/Firestone, 46 points behind leader Castroneves.
But Giaffone will need help -- low finishes by the top three drivers --
if he is to stay in contention for the championship after finishing 21st
on Aug. 25 at Gateway due to engine failure.
Other drivers who could contend for victory at Chicago include
Alex Barron, fifth in points in the No. 44 Rayovac Blair Racing
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone.
A driver making his IRL debut also could contend for victory and help
Hornish's cause.
Dan Wheldon will drive the No. 15 Pennzoil Panther
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone as Hornish's teammate, giving Pennzoil
Panther Racing an equal number of cars as Marlboro Team Penske for the
first time this season. Wheldon won the 1999 U.S. F2000 championship,
was second overall and Rookie of the Year in Toyota Atlantic in 2000 and
was second overall and Rookie of the Year in Indy Lights in 2001.
The Infiniti brigade also should be a factor in the Delphi Indy 300, as
Infiniti engines have flexed plenty of muscular power on longer tracks
this season. So the leaders of the Infiniti camp, Red Bull Cheever
Racing teammates Eddie Cheever Jr. and Buddy Rice, and Dreyer & Reinbold
Racing teammates Robbie Buhl and Sarah Fisher, could be threats for
victory at Chicagoland. Raul Boesel, Billy Boat and Laurent Redon also
will use Infiniti power.
The new Indy Racing League development series, the Indy Racing Infiniti
Pro Series, will race at Chicagoland for the first time.
A.J. Foyt IV, grandson of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt,
has won three of the first five races and led the point standings
for the entire season in the No. 14 Harrah's/A.J. Foyt Racing
Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone.
But Foyt opened the proverbial door for his closest pursuers in the
title chase after finishing ninth Aug. 25 at Gateway. That trimmed his
points lead to 40 over second-place Ed Carpenter. Arie Luyendyk Jr., son
of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, is third, 42 points
behind Foyt.
Foyt needs a 52-point lead after this event to clinch the championship.
And Foyt, 18, can play a trump card at Chicago. No Infiniti Pro Series
team has been better on tracks of 1.5 miles or longer this season than
A.J. Foyt Racing. Foyt's three victories have come on the 1.5-mile
ovals at Kansas and Kentucky, and the 2-mile oval at Michigan.
DELPHI INDY 300 NOTEBOOK
Schedule: The Delphi Indy 300 IRL race starts at noon (CDT) Sunday,
Sept. 8. MBNA Pole Qualifying starts at 10 a.m. (CDT) Sept. 7.
Indy Racing League practice sessions start at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
(CDT) Sept. 6, and at 8 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Sept. 7.
The Chicagoland 100 Infiniti Pro Series race starts at 2:45 p.m. (CDT)
Sept. 8. Pole qualifying starts at 3 p.m. Sept. 8. Infiniti Pro Series
practice sessions start at 10 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (CDT) Sept. 6, and 9:15
a.m. and 5 p.m. Sept. 7.
***
On the air: The Delphi Indy 300 will be televised live on ABC at 1 p.m.
(EDT) Sept. 8. "Indy Racing 2Day" will be televised at noon Sept. 8 on
ESPN2.
The IMS Radio Network will broadcast a pre-race show at 12:30 p.m. (EDT)
Sept. 8, followed by the live race broadcast at 1 p.m. The IMS Radio
Network will broadcast a qualifying wrap-up show at 5:30 p.m. (EDT)
Sept. 7. The area affiliates are WJOL-AM 1340, Joliet, Ill., and WAIT-AM
850, Chicago.
Highlights from the Chicagoland 100 Infiniti Pro Series race will be
televised at 6 p.m. (EDT) Sept. 26 on ESPN2.
***
Tickets: Tickets are sold out for the Delphi Indy 300 on Sept. 8
and MBNA Pole Qualifying on Sept. 7. General admission tickets for
practice Sept. 6 are available by calling (815) 727-RACE, online at
www.chicagolandspeedway.com or at the gate.
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