IndyProRacer.com: The Pro Racer's Resource Online

Adam Andretti to Speedworks Ride for Chicagoland Finale

Mario Andretti's Nephew Debuts in Indy Pro Series September Ninth

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Compiled in part from Indy Pro Series media reports:

Another Andretti is set to make his open-wheel debut in the Indy Racing League.

Adam Andretti, the younger brother of veteran racer John Andretti and nephew of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti, passed his Indy Pro Series rookie test at Chicagoland Speedway on August 30th.

He'll be among the competitors when the green flag waves for the Chicagoland 100 from the same facility next weekend.

After earning his license he talked about the technical aspects of the test, and about the Speedworks team that brings him to the Indy Pro Series finale on September 9th.

“With cool air and good air density, the car was very stable from the start," he said. "The SpeedWorks crew did a great job, and I was very comfortable."

"After the morning session, we spent the rest of the day making setup adjustments to find more speed so we can come back (for the race) and show what SpeedWorks and I can do as a team.”

Andretti, 28, will drive the No. 44 car with backing from Brunton Vineyards, New California Properties, Iron Will Creations, Terra Nova Industries, Collective IQ and Brimstone Dynasty, an Extreme Athlete Marketing Company.

Karting and Formula 3 Background Serve Well in Pro Series Test

Adam Andretti has competed in karting and Formula 3 as well as several other racing series. He last competed in 2004 in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Indy Pro Series technical director Butch Meyer praised Andretti's skill in his maiden voyage in the V-8 powered Dallara at speed, as did team co-owner and Hall of Famer Peter Parrott.

“It is easy to see how Adam’s ability to give and receive valuable engineering feedback will be beneficial to the team and to his driving performance," he said. "This ability certainly helped him come up to speed quickly, and he was very smooth and consistent out there. He did a great job, and I’m looking forward to seeing him in the Indy Pro Series and in the Chicagoland 100.”

"Adam did an excellent job all day," said Parrott. "He hasn’t been on this track before, and he played it very smart, starting off nice and easy. He had to find his line and find his feet, and that’s what he did. After that, he charged ahead.”

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The next Indy Pro Series event is the Chicagoland 100 on September 9th at Chicagoland Speedway. ESPN2’s coverage of the race will be televised at 5 PM EDT on September 13th.

Indy Pro Series Grad P J Chesson Readies for Second IndyCar Run

Roth Racing Driver Credits Family and Persistence

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

PJ Chesson. Photo: JimHainesIRL

New Jersey native P J Chesson's impressive first season in the 2004 Indy Pro Series was remarkable for three wins and two second place finishes on the way to a career mark of 12 starts, 7 top fives, and 10 top-ten finishes.

After a too-short engagement with Hemelgarn Racing in the Carmelo (Anthony) Dallara in 2006, Chesson pursued every tip and lead he could follow in the IndyCar Series before Roth Racing called.

Now he's back in the Indy Racing League with a fresh start for the Chicago-based team headed by Marty Roth, and looking forward to a successful return to the open-wheel world with a September 9th debut on Roth Racing's home turf.

Networking and Relationships Key to IndyCar Return

It took PJ an agonizing sixteen months of absence from the cockpit to build the basis for a second chance in a racecar that comes at Chicagoland Speedway in the season finale for the IndyCar series.

During that time he worked the phones and shook the hands that counted, including spending time at the top of the grandstands spotting for Vision Racing driver AJ Foyt IV.

Chesson's wait for a return to the Indy Racing League has given him new perspective to share with aspiring IndyCar drivers.

He discussed how his experience might inform the job-search of this year's Indy Pro Series champion, Alex Lloyd.

"Alex is a tremendous race driver," Chesson said Wednesday (August 29th). "The kid is hugely talented, and he's had great success in the Pro Series. I hope to God he doesn't have to endure what I've been through fighting to get in the (IndyCar) series."

"I think he's got some great opportunities. It seems like he's got a pretty good relationship with Chip (Ganassi), and things are moving forward there. I hope that materializes for him into something, because I think he'd be great in the series."

There's many a twist of fate and fortune between first flirtation and finalizing a deal to race, though, as PJ points out.

"Racing's a dream of mine and I'm not letting it go," says PJ Chesson

"You know, I think he's just got to play his cards right," he said. "I mean, that's what it comes down to, it's just being persistent. If it doesn't come up straightaway, keep hammering at it and a door will hopefully open somewhere."

"I mean, there's no real method to the madness here," he continued. "It's a lot of luck, it's a lot of persistence, staying on top of it, just not giving up."

There's no sense of insincerity or false modesty when he says, "You might have moments of weakness but you have to stay positive, keep training, stay fit and focused."

"I believe everything happens for a reason and I put it into perspective of 'How badly do I want this?'. It's a dream of mine (to race) and I'm not letting it go."

Family Ties Are Strong in Chesson's Racing Career

One of the lynchpins of PJ's racing experience is his relationship with his race-car driver brother James, who will once again provide spotting support for his twenty-eight year old sibling.

"James is going to be back for sure," Chesson said. "I'm really excited about that. He'll be in Chicago with me."

James Chesson. Photo: IndyRacingLeague

"He's a huge part of my success, my comfort, my confidence and everything else," he continued.

"He's my brother and I trust him with my life. He's also an excellent driver, and an amazing coach. He's really good at looking down over the track and helping me with my race weekend."

"He's just good at helping me find lines, letting me know where other guys are, making good suggestions that could gain us a little bit of speed," he continued. "He's awesome."

Chesson, Dussault Partner for Chicagoland

Though his voice and demeanor convey a more mature and newly-confident racer, PJ still courts the wild side of his personality with some (mildly) outrageous deeds.

One of those is getting ink done whenever there's a significant happenstance in his life. Chesson claims he's on the straight and narrow now, and avoiding the tattoo parlor for the immediate future.

"I've got the coolest sponsor ever for the Chicago race, and hopefully the future as well," he said. "His name is Jason Dussault. He's got a company called Dussault, Inc. He's got really cool sweatshirts. He draws crazy designs on them. There's this green monster thing on the car for Chicago."

"I've been getting a lot of nudging about getting tattoos for the race," he admitted," but I don't think it's going to happen. Who knows? I've been talking to Jason about designing some other tattoos. We'll have to see, but I'm not planning on surprising you with any (tattoos) in Chicago."

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The next IndyCar Series event is the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone at 3:30 PM EDT on September 2nd at the Raceway at Belle Isle. The race will be televised live by ABC and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network. The next Indy Pro Series event is the Chicagoland 100 on September 9th at Chicagoland Speedway. ESPN2’s coverage of the race will be televised at 5 PM EDT on September 13th.

Valley of the Moon 100 Brings California Double to a Close

Richard Antinucci Tallies Second Indy Pro Series Win

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Cheever Racing’s Richard Antinucci. Photo: ChrisJonesIRL

Cheever Racing’s Richard Antinucci won the Valley of the Moon 100 at Infineon Raceway on Sunday (August 26th).

The victory was his second in three consecutive road course races and complimented a runner-up finish on Saturday.

Antinucci started seventh, the result of the inverted-eight grid formation, but wasted little time advancing to the front of the field.

His method was calculated and patient: pick off cars at the entrance to the turn eleven hairpin, clearly the best place to pass on this hilly, twisty circuit of 2.26 miles.

It didn’t hurt that he had the fastest car as well.

Afterwards he acknowledged that the mental preparation and work in the garages made all the difference.

“We worked overnight with the data,” Antinucci said. “We just had the best car today. In five racing weekends we’ve built the best road course package out there.”

“We changed the gearing last night so we had better acceleration. I had more torque so I could brake later and still have power on the exit of the turn.”

That single change set Antinucci apart from the field as he drove powerfully to a convincing (and satisfying) triumph.

Sam Schmidt Fills Top Five Without Lloyd

Ryan Justice leads Prendeville and Gomez through the Esses. Photo: JimHainesIRL

Alex Lloyd’s car failed to start the race when it balked on the grid, then flamed out going up the Sears Point hill on the parade lap.

“We had trouble starting the car. It just wouldn’t go,” he said.

The 2007 Indy Pro Series champion handed the ball off to his Sam Schmidt Motorsports teammates, Ryan Justice and Logan Gomez, who drove to second and fourth-place finishes.

They were split by RLR Andersen’s Andrew Prendeville who took third.

Stephen Simpson of Kenn Hardley Racing was fifth.

Race Recap

Robbie Pecorari suffered a steering failure after avoiding Bobby Wilson on the start, ending his day.

Up front Ryan Justice, Andrew Prendeville and Logan Gomez separated from the field, taking Stephen Simpson in fourth with them.

By lap three Richard Antinucci claimed fifth, dodging inside Jaime Camara in turn eleven to take the position. Two laps later he was on Simpson’s rear wing in hot pursuit, overtaking on the run to the hairpin.

Antinucci repeated the feat on lap eight, picking off Logan Gomez this time, claiming third place. Again, on lap thirteen, crowding Prendeville wide into second.

Ryan Justice held the charging Cheever Racing driver off until lap nineteen, but he too fell victim in turn eleven as Antinucci braked late and was off.

The black and yellow car, in clean air with a clear track ahead checked out. Antinucci built a 1.74 second margin at the finish line.

The average speed of the race was 97.777 mph, an almost inconceivable racing pace only a year ago when Wade Cunningham took pole.

Eddie Cheever. Photo: JimHainesIRL

Cheever Racing Ponders Promising Future

Richard Antinucci’s limited schedule of road course outings in 2007 has boosted his prospects toward the ultimate aim of every Indy Pro Series driver: to drive IndyCar’s and participate in the Indianapolis 500.

He’ll take one step on that ambitious journey on Wednesday when he tests on the oval at Chicagoland in preparation to running the Chicagoland 100 on September 9th. The race will be his first turning strictly to the left.

When asked on Saturday of his nephew’s progress toward his goals, team owner Eddie Cheever offered that the road course portion of the curriculum was complete. It was time to begin the steep learning curve of the ubiquitous oval configuration.

“We did the road course portion first, and that part is behind us,” he commented, “now we start working on the other things.”

One of those things may be a mixed Indy Pro Series/IndyCar Series schedule for the twenty-six year old racer: ovals in the Pro Series, road and street courses in an IndyCar for awhile.

Hideki Mutoh Nails Down Second in Pro Series Points

Hideki Mutoh’s tenth place finish (from a nineteenth place start) confirmed his status as one of the elite prospects to emerge from the Indy Pro Series this year.

Hideki captured second-place in the championship points (481 points), ahead of Wade Cunningham (410 points) and Jaime Camara (363 points).

The Indy Pro Series is idle through Labor Day, concluding its schedule of sixteen races with the season-ender at Chicagoland in two weeks.

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Indy Pro Series Valley of the Moon 100 Results

Indy Pro Series 2007 Cumulative Results

Alex Lloyd Wins 2007 Firehawk Cup and Carneros 100

New Champion Crowned at Sonoma

Record Books Tumble From the Shelves (Again)

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Riiip!

Schhiiick!

Thuuud! and Clunnnk!

The past is passed by; the shock of the new now perfectly confronted.

Ripped pages from the record books droop; and the dusty, old tomes cascade to the floor.

Toss the familiar leather volumes in the trash pail, because a fleet young lion has rewritten them page by page.

Alex Lloyd. Photo: ChrisJonesIRL

Alex Lloyd won the Indy Pro Series championship today. He did it in the style that he promised: by winning the race, and crafting the conclusion to a run to the title that was as sure as it was swift.

Lloyd took the lead from the top of the first hill at Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway to the checkered flag thirty laps away, accumulating the fifty-two points awarded race winner and the driver with most laps led.

The result was a new record total of 600 championship points in a single season, more than enough to slip the Firestone Firehawk Cup from its tethers and put it into the Sam Schmidt Motorsports hauler bound for Carmel, Indiana.

“It's been an amazing day,” he said afterwards. “We really wanted to win the championship by winning the race. That was the way we wanted to do it.”

“We had a big lead (in the points), but we didn't want to fall behind and win it through the fact that we just had a big lead from the beginning of the season. We wanted to show that we were dominant from the beginning and finish that way as well.”

Befitting a champion, Alex Lloyd made sure he gave credit to the Sam Schmidt Motorsports team that put him in the Winners’ Circle again.

“It's a great testament to how great this team is to the results we've been able to do this year. It's been a dream year for me, it really has. Hopefully I can carry this momentum into next year."

Richard Antinucci Gives Ground On Decisive Move by Lloyd

Richard Antinucci pursued valiantly but he simply hadn’t enough for Lloyd on this day. The Cheever Racing ace closed in the turns, but Lloyd’s horsepower pulled him out of reach every time poor Richard drew near.

Antinucci finished second, ahead of third-place Mike Potekhen of Apex Racing and Kenn Hardley’s Stephen Simpson in fourth. Andretti Green’s Jaime Camara came home fifth.

“It was a good race,” said Antinucci. “ We lost a little bit at the beginning and that determined the race. It was pretty obvious. He (Alex) just drove around me.”

“Thanks to my team,” he added. “They've built a really good car. Even with the little deficit (at the start), we still managed to be as quick as anyone out there. I'm proud of my guys.”

Lloyd’s only viable championship pursuer, Hideki Mutoh of Panther Racing, met misfortune on lap 17. He moved under Jaime Camara in turn eleven, who clipped the front of his car, sending him stalled to the edge of the hairpin.

Mutoh lost over a lap before resuming, and with that his challenge to win the Cup dissolved.

Race Decided on One Pivotal HillClimbing Charge

Alex Lloyd sped past Antinucci going up the Sears Point hill the first time to take the lead. At the back of the field Mickey Gilbert got sideways in front of Wade Cunningham, but both cars continued on the racetrack.

Debris in turn eleven from a collision of Bobby Wilson and JR Hildebrand brought out full yellow on lap 3, erasing a two second-plus lead Lloyd had taken over Antinucci. Cunningham required a front wing change to continue, while Wilson pitted for repairs and eventually took a new front wing as well.

Alex Lloyd leads Richard Antinucci. Photo: JimHainesIRL

With the restart Lloyd once again took off like a shot, followed by Antinucci, Mike Potekhen, Stephen Simpson and Phil Giebler.

This time Antinucci got closer as Lloyd’s tires began to wear and his car understeer badly.

On lap 17 Hideki Mutoh stalled on the course as he battled for position with Jaime Camara, and lost one and a half laps before returning to the race.

At the front of the field Lloyd and Antinucci continued one-two as the full-course yellow flew for the second time over Mutoh. By this point Lloyd had secured the two points for “Most Laps Led” to build his margin to 100 points, only five shy of the championship.

Lap twenty brought the race’s second restart with the first five unchanged.

From there Alex Lloyd simply outdrove the competition, maintaining a one-second lead as he rewrote the record books once again. His official margin of victory was 0.8927 seconds.

“The car changed a lot during the race,” Lloyd said later. “We started off really strong and then it kind of fell apart a little bit in the middle of the race. I was struggling a little bit and Richard was catching back up.”

“After the (second) yellow, the car cooled down, the tires cooled down and the car was great again,” said Lloyd. "Big thank you to the team, Lucas Oil, Isilon Systems, everybody has done a great job all year.”

The pace of 91.026 mph put the leaders home at shortly over 45 minutes, testament to the virtues of a mere four laps under full yellow.

Championship Secured, Records Continue to Fall

Alex Lloyd wins Carneros 100. Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL

Lloyd’s tenth career victory reset his own record as the Indy Pro Series all-time winningest driver. His eight wins in a season also eclipse the previous mark held by Mark Taylor of seven in 2003 with which he was tied.

He also became the first driver to clinch the championship in the third-to-last race. And he pushed his lifetime mark in the series to a brilliant 10 wins in 24 tries.

For the record, the Firestone Firehawk Cup was clinched with Lloyd holding 600 points, 139 ahead of Hideki Mutoh’s 461, with only two races and 105 possible points remaining.

The field will invert the first eight for Sunday’s Valley of the Moon 100 finale as the Indy Pro Series doubleheader weekend comes to a close.

It will be Alex Lloyd's poorest starting position on the grid of the year; but that should not bother a champion in the least.

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Indy Pro Series Carneros 100 Results

Indy Pro Series 2007 Cumulative Results

Records Fall as Richard Antinucci Sets Pole Mark at Sonoma

Alex Lloyd Shares Front Row for Eleventh Time

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Richard Antinucci. Photo: JimHainesIRL

If Alex Lloyd shall be crowned King of the Indy Pro Series this weekend, then Richard Antinucci has staked a claim to Prince of the realm.

Twenty-six year old Antinucci, who flew under the radar in European competition until this seminal 2007 Indy Pro Series campaign, sits on pole for Saturday's (August 25th) Carneros 100 at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway.

The Cheever Racing driver engaged with Lloyd and Stephen Simpson a three-way battle for the front-runner's position as each repeatedly set the best mark of the day, only to be surpassed by the other.

And when the music stopped, it was Antinucci who held top spot.

His speed of 100.639 miles per hour established a new lap-speed standard for the Indy Pro Series over the 2.26 mile road course, surpassing the previous record set by Wade Cunningham (99.841 mph) in 2006.

“I'm very proud of breaking the (track) record," Antinucci said afterwards, "but the most important thing is that we're first. I think a lot of people beat the record today."

Just as at Mid-Ohio, Antinucci attributed the success to his team's preparation earlier this month when it tested at Infineon Raceway alongside several other Indy Pro Series competitors.

"We had the opportunity to test out here a week ago with other Indy Pro and IndyCar Series teams and that helped a lot. We were able to get four little sessions in and we learned where to go. We had only 45 minutes of practice today and then boom, qualifying, so I'm proud of all of my guys."

Alex Lloyd Claims Eleventh Front Row Start of the Year

Alex Lloyd's best speed of 100.423 mph puts him on the outside of the front row for an amazing seventh time in eleven qualification runs this year. On four other occasions the Sam Schmidt Motorsports driver has held the pole.

Indy Pro Series points leader Alex Lloyd. Photo: JimHainesIRL

“It was a pretty good session," he said of the European-style format where all cars take the track together for the qualifying period. "We got close, but not quite close enough."

"We didn't test here last week," he added, "so to come right out of the box and be competitive--we should be happy with that. We'll make some improvements and get it right for the race and hopefully get back in victory lane."

Stephen Simpson's 100.089 mph qualifying effort earned the inside of the second row for the Kenn Hardley Dallara. The result was well-earned as he'd not previously driven the track.

"It's my first time at the circuit," said the South African native, "so I think my experience at the start of the day wasn't much compared to a lot of the other drivers here. We had to work extra hard to catch up."

"We did a lot of work with my engineer Doug Forker at the start of the week at the workshop back in Indianapolis. It's nice when you see that the hard work that we do back at the shop pays off on the track. It was a good session."

Apex Racing's Mike Potekhen and Phil Giebler of Playa Del Racing completed the top five. Giebler was penalized five minutes of qualifying time for an infraction (ignoring the checkered flag) during the afternoon practice session.

Bobby Wilson, Jaime Camara, Jonathan Klein, Logan Gomez and Hideki Mutoh round out the top ten qualifiers.

For Hideki Mutoh, the result was a blow to his chances at overtaking Lloyd in the championship chase. Should he fail to improve on tenth at the finish of Saturday's race, and Lloyd hold position in second, the challenge from the Panther Racing team to wrest the Firestone Firehawk Cup from Lloyd's hands will be over.

Cheever Racing Marches to Front with Steady Improvement

For Antinucci, the march to the front of the Indy Pro Series field has been a steady one over a season.

A look where he began in April through what's been accomplished since provides a record of a remarkable advance for the Cheever Racing team:

• Streets of St. Petersburg Race One: started 22nd, finished 19th
• Streets of St. Petersburg Race Two: started 19th, finished 15th
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Liberty Challenge Race One: started 3rd, finished 6th
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Liberty Challenge Race Two: started 3rd, finished 9th
• Watkins Glen International Race One: started 7th, finished 8th
• Watkins Glen International Race Two: started 8th, finished 5th
• Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: started 4th, finished 1st

With one exception, every time out Richard Antinucci has managed a better finish than the time before. Now, in the eighth event of the team's limited schedule, he's poised to repeat as a winner.

Wade Cunningham Suffers Trying Day at Infineon

AFS Racing's Wade Cunningham bore the brunt of the damage in avoiding a spinning Matt Jaskol in Friday afternoon's practice session, then took a repaired car to the track for qualifications three hours later.

The results were predictably less than optimal for Cunningham, who mustered a speed no better than one other car (Michael Crawford Motorsports' Steve Ablondi). He'll start on the inside of the eleventh and final row.

Another notable, JR Hildebrand of Sausalito, came through with flying colors on his first attempt at an Indy Pro Series qualifying session.

Hildebrand posted a lap of 98.927 mph in the RLR Andersen Racing machine to stand twelfth at the period's checkered flag. He will take his spot on the outside of the sixth row for the 2:45 PM EDT start on Saturday.

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Indy Pro Series Carneros 100 Qualifying Results

Richard Antinucci Sets Fast Time in Friday Infineon Practice

Cheever Racing Star-to-Be Upstages Regulars at Sonoma

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Cheever Racing’s Richard Antinucci. Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL

Cheever Racing's Richard Antinucci picked up right where he left off last time: as the "leading man" at the front of the Indy Pro Series field.

Antinucci put the black and yellow Dallara No. 51 atop the timesheets during Friday's (August 24th) sole Indy Pro Series practice period at Infineon Speedway with a time of 1:23.4204 or 99.256 miles per hour. He was the only driver to score a lap above the 99 mph mark during the 45-minute-plus session.

Antinucci is competing in his eighth Indy Pro Series race of the 2007 season, concentrating his efforts on the road course portion of the schedule. His last outing in the series produced a victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 22nd.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports Alex Lloyd was quick off the trailer as well, zooming to a 1:23.7255 (98.895 mph) lap on the twelfth of nineteen laps around the 2.26 mile circuit outside Sonoma, California.

Lloyd is looking to collect the Firestone Firehawk Cup with this weekend's work, and can do so outright with a win in the Carneros 100 on Saturday (August 25th).

Andersen Racing’s JR Hildebrand. Photo: ChrisJonesIRL

Third-fastest was JR Hildebrand, celebrating a "home-track advantage" with a clocking of 1:24.1686 in his first-ever outing in Indy Pro Series competition. The nineteen year old Californian has substantial experience at the track from prior Sports Car Club of American competition.

Stephen Simpson of Kenn Hardley Racing was fourth-fastest at 1:24.2100, followed by Super Aguri Panther Racing's Hideki Mutoh (1:24.3155).

Andretti Green's Jaime Camara, Phil Giebler (back aboard the Playa Del Racing No. 12 Dallara), Brian Stewart Racing's Bobby Wilson, RLR Andersen's Andrew Prendeville and Apex Racing's Mike Potekhen completed the top ten fastest when the checkered flag flew shortly after 1 PM local time.

Wade Cunningham To the Garages for Repairs

AFS Racing's Wade Cunningham struck the tire barrier while avoiding a spinning Michael Crawford Motorsports' Matt Jaskol after only ten minutes had elapsed, crashing in turn three.

Repairs to the No. 27 car in anticipation of a return in time for qualifying at 4 PM local time are underway.

Two other drivers also put in some off-road mileage as MCM's Steve Ablondi (turn two) and Giebler (turn eight) went solo for short excursions.

The Indy Pro Series returns to the raceway in less than two hours to complete their day of on-track activity with a European-style qualifying round to determine the pole-sitter for Saturday's 30-lap, 69 mile Carneros 100.

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Indy Pro Series Infineon Raceway Friday Practice Session Results

It's California Dreamin' as Indy Pro Series Rolls Into Wine Country

Win or Lose, Weekend DoubleHeader a Defining Moment of 2007 Season

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Alex Lloyd. Photo: DanaGarrettIRL

After thirteen races it all comes down to this: if Alex Lloyd leaves Sonoma's Infineon Raceway with a lead of more than 53 points on Sunday (August 26th), he'll fulfill his dream of winning the 2007 Indy Pro Series championship.

And if he doesn't, then a year that began with a blistering pace (a record five straight wins) and infinite promise will suddenly morph into a bad trip that culminates in a season-ending drama between himself and Hideki Mutoh at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks hence.

Lloyd holds a ninety-eight point lead in the chase for the Firestone Firehawk Cup that goes to the Indy Pro Series champion at season's end. With only three races remaining on the calendar all but one other driver (Mutoh) has been mathematically eliminated from contention.

The weekend's double-header at Infineon, over the 12-turn 2.26 mile course that goes uphill then down and finally snakes along a flat valley to the hairpin, should prove decisive to the championship challenge.

Particularly important will be a spot on the front row to start, as passing will prove to be a challenge on the course everywhere except its final turn.

It doesn't hurt Lloyd's chances that he won one race, finished second in another, on this circuit last year after returning from a spell of illness with a benign ear disorder. Nor that the twenty-two car field will have only one Friday practice session to ready itself for qualifying.

Domination the WatchWord for Sam Schmidt Motorsports Team

Consistent with a theme he has maintained throughout, Alex Lloyd doesn't plan to sit back and let the trophy fall into his lap. He's going to try and win it by action: a victory by design.

“We're going in with the aim and ambition of winning both races and certainly coming away with at least one win,” he said on Wednesday (August 22nd).

“That's the way I've been all year. We're always trying to win the race, and if we keep winning races and win more than everybody else out there, then the championship is likely to follow. That's the same mentality I've got at Infineon.”

If you haven't been listening, that positive refrain is the only song Lloyd has been singing from the start of the 2007 campaign: don't just win, dominate! So far that philosophy has been a success for the twenty-two year old driver and his Sam Schmidt Motorsports team.

“We've been fortunate that we've had a big lead from the start of the championship, and we've not had any pressure on us, really,” Lloyd said.

“We had two bad races where we had some problems (a late-race wing change at Nashville, a broken gearbox at Mid-Ohio), but nobody grabbed the bull by the horns and took the fight to us, so we've still got a pretty big lead. It's one of those things where we know if we have two 10th-place finishes that may be enough to come away with the championship.”

Richard Antinucci. Photo: ChrisJonesIRL

“We'll go there, do our job, put ourselves in a position to win races, and hopefully we will pick up a win this weekend,” Lloyd said. “If we do that, the championship will be ours.”

Competition Hopes to Plant Thorns in the Crown

Several drivers will try to thwart Lloyd's plans, among them Hideki Mutoh. If he can put together a combination of good results in the Panther Racing Dallara, and a severe shortfall on Lloyd's part, he can still contend for the title in the Chicagoland finale on September 9th.

Though he's not in the championship chase, Cheever Racing's Richard Antinucci comes into the race with a strong run and a victory behind him at Mid-Ohio--a course that bears similarity to Infineon Raceway. Look for him to be in the mix early with a fast car and a decidedly forward-moving purpose throughout the weekend.

Wade Cunningham chased but could not run down Antinucci at Mid-Ohio. Still, he continues to be one of the fastest and most reliable competitors in the Indy Pro Series, and won a race here also last year. If Lloyd, Mutoh and Antinucci aren't at the top of their game the AFS Racing hotshoe could easily spoil the coronation as well.

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TV Coverage of the Indy Pro Series Carneros 100 and Valley of the Moon 100:

• Indy Pro Series: Race: ESPN2 (tape-delay), 5:30 PM EDT, August 31st



• Talent: Bob Jenkins, Robbie Buhl (announcers); Mike King (pit reporter)
• Live streaming video coverage of Indy Pro Series Pole Qualifying (6:15 PM EDT August 24th) and the Indy Pro Series Carneros 100 (2:45 PM EDT August 25th and 1:20 PM EDT August 26th) is available at www.indycar.com

Track Schedule at Infineon Raceway (all times local; subject to change):

Friday, August 24th

• 8 AM Indy Pro Series garages opens
• 12:15 PM-1:00 PM Indy Pro Series practice
• 3:15 PM Indy Pro Series Qualifying

Saturday, August 25th

• 7:00 AM Indy Pro Series garages open
• 9:00 AM-9:15 AM Indy Pro Series WarmUp
• 11:30 AM Indy Pro Series pre-race
• 11:45 AM Indy Pro Series Carneros 100 (30 laps, 69 miles), ESPN 2 (5:30 PM, August 31st)

Sunday, August 26th

• 6:30 AM Indy Pro Series garages open
• 10:05 AM Indy Pro Series pre-race
• 10:20 AM Indy Pro Series Valley of the Moon 100 (30 laps, 69 miles), ESPN 2 (2 PM, August 31st)

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The next Indy Pro Series event is the Carneros 100/Valley of the Moon 100 doubleheader on August 25th-26th at Infineon Raceway. The race will be telecast at 5:30 PM EDT on August 31st by ESPN2.

Indy Pro Series' Best Get Into Hunt for IndyCar Rides

Alex Lloyd, Andrew Prendeville and Jaime Camara Test the Big Cars

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Alex Lloyd. Photo: DanaGarrettIRL

The Indy Pro Series best drivers are aiming high as they zero in on possible open seats next year in the IndyCar Series.

Within the last ten days three of them have taken rides in the big cars, testing for some of the top names in auto racing.

Alex Lloyd visited Sebring International with the Chip Ganassi Racing Team, Andrew Prendeville toured Infineon Raceway with Rahal Letterman Racing and Jaime Camara checked out Infineon with Andretti Green Racing.

Each hopes to join Panther Racing's Hideki Mutoh, who landed a drive in the IndyCar season finale at Chicagoland Speedway, competing in the Indy Racing League's premier competitive level.

Lloyd's test has drawn great interest as the nine-time Indy Pro Series race winner looks likely to make the leap from his series-leading drive with Sam Schmidt Motorsports to IndyCar at season's end. The question is "Where?".

The crystal ball may be clearing somewhat as the Ganassi team liked what they saw, enough to ask Lloyd to return to the red and white for this weekend's sports car race at Infineon Raceway. He'll pilot the team's Grand Am entry alongside Michael Valiente in addition to running in both Indy Pro Series races.

"I'm not rushing into anything," Alex said on Wednesday (August 22nd), "just waiting to see what's around the corner. The great thing is I've had a lot of people call me up, asking me what my plans are. I'm just going to wait and see how things unfold and try and pick the best ride that's available for me."

"I've got a lot of confidence that I'll be in the IndyCar Series next year, where is still a little bit unknown. It's important to try and get in a race‑winning car so I can compete and try and get some race wins. We'll see where we end up, but so far things are looking promising."

Andrew Prendeville. Photo: SteveSnoddyIRL

Prendeville Takes a Closer Look at RLR from Inside Cockpit

Andrew Prendeville took advantage of the additional test days afforded IndyCar teams participating in the Indy Pro Series to take some hot laps with Rahal Letterman Racing ahead of this weekend's racing at Infineon Raceway.

"I've been working toward today for the last 21 years, and it was great to get in the Rahal Letterman IndyCar Series car and turn some laps," he said. "I had a lot of fun. I look forward to getting another shot in an Indy car in the future."

Prendeville drew praise from RLR COO Scott Roembke, as did Andrew's first-year Pro Series team: Andersen Racing.

“If you watch that entire team, Dan (Andersen) and his group have done a pretty good job of coming in blind and quickly learning the ropes,” Roembke said. “We’ve seen a steady progression from them, and Andrew has been pretty consistently in the top five, in what I call a pretty tough top five.”

Finally, veteran driver Jaime Camara, who has participated in several bonus test days with Andretti Green Racing, also tested in an IndyCar Series car at Infineon Raceway. He, along with AFS Racing teammate Wade Cunningham, figure to get a longer look when the IndyCar championship is settled.

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The next Indy Pro Series event is the Carneros 100/Valley of the Moon 100 doubleheader on August 25th-26th at Infineon Raceway. The race will be telecast at 5:30 PM EDT on August 31st by ESPN2.

JR Hildebrand Assumes Drive at RLR Andersen

Californian Makes Debut at Close-to-Home Sonoma Event

by Linda K. Mansfield
LindaKMansfield@cs.com

RLR/Andersen Racing will field entries for Andrew Prendeville and J.R. Hildebrand in the Indy Pro Series doubleheader at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., this weekend, team owner Dan Andersen announced today.

Andersen said that Joey Scarallo, who has been driving for the team this year in the Indy Pro Series, has decided not to compete at Infineon or at the season finale at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., on Sept. 9. "It was an amicable and mutual decision on both of our parts," Andersen said.

Hildebrand will be a local favorite at Infineon, as he lives in nearby Sausalito, Calif. He'll use the number that Scarallo has been using, No. 15. He will drive the team's red-and-black back-up car that Prendeville used to finish fourth at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last month.

Prendeville, of Morristown, N.J., will continue to drive the Best Friends Animal Society No. 5, which debuted a red-and-white paint scheme at Kentucky Speedway Aug. 11.

At 19 Hildebrand is one of America's brightest rising stars, and he has a close connection to the RLR/Andersen team already. RLR/Andersen Racing's Indy Pro Series engineers, Dominic and Nicholas Cape, prepared Hildebrand's car and guided him to a phenomenal year in 2006, when together they won a record 12 of 14 races enroute to the Cooper Tires Formula Ford 2000 championship. They also set the record for the most consecutive victories in a season with seven; the most laps led in a season; and the most poles in a season.

Hildebrand was tabbed for the prestigious Team USA Scholarship program in 2005, finishing third overall in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Cup in his first experience racing in Europe.

He was second overall and Rookie of the Year in the Pacific F2000 Zetec Formula Ford series in 2005, and he earned the championship in the SCCA Formula Russell series in 2004.

Hildebrand drove for Newman Wachs Racing in this year's already-concluded Champ Car Atlantic series, finishing seventh overall. His best finish was second at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland in June.

Hildebrand tested with the RLR/Andersen team at Infineon Aug. 16.

"Everything went very well, and the Capes and I are very optimistic about our chances with both Andrew and J.R. at Infineon," said team manager John Andersen.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity that Dan Andersen has given me to race at my home track, and extremely excited to work with the Capes again," Hildebrand said. "We combined for a lot of success in the Formula 2000 series.

I think I'll be able to slip right into the team easily. I really like Andrew. He's very competitive as well, so I think the whole situation will be really good. In addition to doing well for myself, I hope to be able to help Andrew and the rest of the team to succeed. I'm really looking forward to the
opportunity."

Two 30-lap Indy Pro Series races are on the docket at Infineon. The first will start at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, and the second will be at 10:20 a.m. on Sunday. Highlights will be shown on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, Aug. 31.

RLR/Andersen Racing is the official Indy Pro Series team of Rahal Letterman Racing. Andersen Racing also fields multiple entries in the Star Mazda series and the F2000 Championship Series in order to provide up-and-coming drivers with one cohesive home as they prepare for careers at the highest levels of open-wheel racing.

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The next Indy Pro Series event is the Carneros 100/Valley of the Moon 100 doubleheader on August 25th-26th at Infineon Raceway. The race will be telecast at 5:30 PM EDT on August 31st by ESPN2.

Dominating Team or Dominating Driver: Which Counts More?

Two Years of Indy Pro Series Experience Point to Who Sits in the Cockpit

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Leilani Munter. Photo: DanaGarrettIRL

If you put talented Indy Pro Series newcomer Leilani Munter into the seat of teammate Alex Lloyd’s dominating No. 7 Lucas Oil Special would she win as often?

If you put Alex Lloyd into the seat of Bobby Wilson’s Brian Stewart Racing No. 1 Dallara would you win more?

Fans (and auto racing reporters) like to speculate about which counts more: great team or great racer. And drivers, smart ones at least, are lavish in their praise of the teams that put them on the podium.

So what happens when you compare two years of outcomes data on the Indy Pro Series entrants with who’s behind the wheel and who’s turning the wrenches?

There’s no doubt Sam Schmidt Motorsports is a great auto racing team. They’ve racked up nine cumulative race wins in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, capturing the winner’s share of the prize money in excess of one third of the time that the Indy Pro Series takes to the track.

Could they do it with a driver other than Alex Lloyd?

Some Speculative Number-Twisting Offers a Hint at Relative Importance

Back out the seven wins that SSM has scored in 2007 with Lloyd behind the wheel and they become no more than an average Indy Pro Series producer with only two wins (both with last year’s Series drivers champion Jay Howard in the cockpit) in the last twenty-five races.

The results leave them tied with Guthrie Racing, Kenn Hardley Racing, and Panther Racing (in its first year back in the series) over the ’06 and ’07 campaigns.

Even a casual fan, though, would argue that SSM is better than that. Give them two wins as though Howard repeated in the seat for the current season, and that brings the speculative win total to four.

That’s tied with Brian Stewart Racing for most, but only one win ahead of AFS Racing.

Of course this gate swings both ways. Put Lloyd’s seven wins this season into the Brian Stewart column as though he were driving the black and red No. 1 Dallara and suddenly you have BSR an eleven-win juggernaut (notwithstanding Bobby Wilson’s victory in Liberty Challenge race two at Indianapolis) in twenty-five tries.

Or add them onto AFS Racing’s three wins (two of which were actually earned by Lloyd in the 2006 season) and that team suddenly becomes a ten-win behemoth that dominates the Pro Series terrain.

Three Teams Dominate the Indy Pro Series (Usually)

Indianapolis Star ace IndyCar Series journalist Curt Cavin is well-known for his unique numerical obsessions and observations. He once very famously counted all the seats in Indianapolis Motor Speedway three times in order to satisfy himself of their number: 257,325.

In his well-read article of August 11th, 2007 he came up with another staggering statistic when he pointed out that three IndyCar Series teams and their drivers account for 97 percent of the victories over the last 33 races.

The Indy Pro Series also has its “Big Three”, though their lock on the podium’s top spot is hardly as secure.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports, AFS Andretti Green Racing and Brian Stewart Racing accounted for nearly two thirds (64 percent) of the victories recorded over the last twenty-five Indy Pro Series events.

Significantly, only four drivers account for those wins: Alex Lloyd (9), Wade Cunningham (4), Jay Howard (2) and Bobby Wilson (1).

Lloyd and Cunningham account for the lion’s share, taking all but three of the trophies home and accounting for a huge 13 out of 16 slice of the hardware hauled away.

Furthermore, Lloyd accounts for two of AFS Racing’s wins in 2006, and Cunningham scored big for Brian Stewart Racing as he rolled to three wins for the team in the same season, clinching for them the 2006 entrants’ championship.

All of which seems to flow towards the notion that the results follow the driving talent. Or is it simply that good teams facilitate the emergence of that talent with big race-day successes?

Figures Sometimes Lie, But They Have a Way of Leveling Out Over Long Haul

None of this number-shuffling, for example, takes into account the relationship that exists between driver and team.

Or, as Einstein once acknowledged, "Not everything that counts gets counted."

Where would Lloyd be without racing engineer extraordinaire Tim Neff, and the uncanny ability the two of them have to dial in a car to the raciest level? Or the experienced SSM crew that lavishes princely attention over every part and seam of the white wonder-car that’s flying away with the Indy Pro Series title in 2007?

And where would Wade Cunningham (and Lloyd) be if neither had been forced to the sidelines by illness for at least two races in the previous seasons of racing? Or if Howard returned to defend his championship?

There’s a term in statistics called “reversion to the mean”. It stipulates that any period of extraordinary observations shall be bracketed by periods of “normal” results.

The numbers say that when nature takes its course and Alex Lloyd and Wade Cunningham are plucked off into the higher reaches of the Indy Racing League to take two well-earned seats in IndyCar rides; then we’ll see just how much of the results were the driver and how much of the team.

The challenge for both drivers and three teams will be to maintain their success without the other, and validate the results of the phenomenal two-year run they mutually shared.

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The next Indy Pro Series event is the Carneros 100/Valley of the Moon 100 doubleheader on August 25th-26th at Infineon Raceway. The race will be telecast at 5:30 PM EDT on August 31st by ESPN2.