British Indy Lights Racer Bests Largest Field for Victory
by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com
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Panther Racing’s Dillon Battistini. Photo:
AndySallee |
Panther Racing’s Dillon Battistini won the 2008 Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday (May 24th) from pole in a battle royal with Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ Richard Antinucci and Brian Stewart Racing’s Wade Cunningham (who finished second and third).
Battistini yielded the lead for only two laps, once to Cunningham and once to James Davison, as he met and bested every challenge the record 27-car field could throw at him over the 100-mile event.
“Winning here at Indianapolis means a lot,” he said afterwards, struggling to remain within the bounds of proper British reserve. “This is the best place to win, and the race that everyone wants to win. It’s massive. It’s very, very exciting.” (Click MP3 audio interview below)
“Panther helped me win with a terrific car,” he continued as his restrained reservoir of emotion finally broke into a Texas-style grin on his face. “I’ve had a good car everywhere I’ve been this year. I have to thank them for working long hours to give me the best car on the track.”
The win was Dillon’s second of the season, following his surprise victory in his first Indy Lights race and maiden oval encounter at Homestead Miami Speedway on March 29th in the Firestone Indy Lights season-opener.
It also boosted him back into the championship points race for the 2008 Firestone Firehawk Cup, placing him second and three points behind Antinucci after five of sixteen races.
Antinucci and Cunningham Challenge but Can’t Go ‘Round Speedy Brit
Battistini had impressive straight-line speed throughout the event, often pulling other competitors in his draft down the long front and back straightaways at Indy. However, when the competition pulled alongside to pass, the advantage went to Battistini who appeared to have an extra gear available when it came time to race.
 Antinucci battles Battistini for Freedom 100 lead. Photo: AndySallee
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“Every time I got close, and tried to go around him, my car would meet the wind and just die,” said Cunningham. “We just got beat by a very, very good car.
Antinucci added the same sentiments, saying, “We might have had too much downforce, or different gearing, but the truth is I knew I couldn’t lead or I would lose. I ran in the draft behind Dillon but just could not pass him.”
Team SWE’s Robbie Pecorari was fourth in the race, his second top-five finish in the last two races driving for two different teams. Ana ‘Bia’ Beatriz came home fifth for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
Race Recap
The 40-lap event went off under fair skies with a temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit as approximately eighty thousand fans returned for this postponed event from Friday (May 23rd) Carb Day.
Battistini teammate Brent Sherman failed to start initially and required a push to join the field at about the same time as last-place starter Mark Olson of Michael Crawford Motorsports began showing smoke from beneath the engine cover and pitted prior to the green flag.
SSM’s Jon Brownson lost control in Turn 3 on Lap 1, bringing out an immediate yellow that lasted for three laps. On the restart Brownson's SSM teammate James Davison went around Battistini, who then returned the favor on the back straightaway in the first of a series of cat-and-mouse turn-arounds that went on throughout the day.
By Lap 6 Cunningham, who started third, had passed Davison and set sights on Battistini whom he went around with Davison in tow. Lap 7 saw the tables turn as Battistini went past Davison, then Cunningham, in Turn 1.
At Lap 10 the running order stood Battistini, Davison, Cunningham, Team E’s Bobby Wilson and Ana ‘Bia’ Beatriz.
The dogfight up front continued on Lap 15 with Cunningham again overtaking Battistini, again in Turn 1, setting up a backstretch-long series of passes in which Battistini swooped past Davison and Cunningham both to regain the point.
 Cunningham and Battistini contest on-track position. Photo: AndySallee
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By Lap 16 Antinucci found his line and gained momentum to pass Cunningham for P2 in the second turn.
During the series of mad dashes Wilson set fastest-lap ever at the Speedway for an Indy Lights machine, flying to a 191.412 mark on Lap 17.
At Lap 20 timing and scoring showed the order Battistini, Cunningham, Antinucci, Beatriz and Davison.
A short yellow on Lap 22 brought restart on Lap 27, then disaster for J R Hildebrand on Lap 29 when contact on the back stretch led to left front wing damage and a pit stop for the RLR Andersen driver and pre-race championship points leader.
Restart for the final time on Lap 33 allowed Cunningham to once again pass Battistini in Turn 1; then Battistini go around Cunningham in Turn 2, and Antinucci pass Cunningham in Turn 4.
The last four laps turned into a wheel-to-wheel slugfest between Antinucci, Cunningham and Battistini as the two trailing contenders took turns trying unsuccessfully to move past the orange and black Panther Racing No. 15 car.
The punches continued to fly around the final lap number forty, with Antinucci maneuvering for a pass in Turn 4 and the checkered flag; but Battistini again held steady and crossed the finish line in front by a margin of 0.2458 seconds over Antinucci.
Shuffling of Points Order puts Antinucci Back in Front
Battistini’s 176 points put him second to Richard Antinucci (179 points) and 28 points to the better of J R Hildebrand in third (on 148 points) for the championship Firestone Firehawk Cup. AFS Andretti Green’s Raphael Matos is twenty-one points behind Hildebrand, and Ana Beatriz 121 points put her six to the rear of Matos (127 points).
The Indy Lights series rolls on through the active early summer season with its next race only eight days from today, at the famous Milwaukee Mile for a 100-mile event on Sunday (June 1st).
2008 Indy Lights Firestone Freedom 100 Results
2008 Firestone Indy Lights Firehawk Cup Cumulative Results
Firestone Freedom 100 Winner Dillon Battistini Post-Race Interview
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