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.