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Race: Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 Saturday, May 1 (1:30 PM ET, ABC)

Track: Kansas Speedway (1.5 mile tri-oval)

Location: Kansas City, Kansas

NOTES/NEWS

TCGR at Kansas: Target Chip Ganassi Racing has had three consecutive wins at Kansas (Dan Wheldon – 2007 & 2008, Scott Dixon – 2009) and has claimed three pole positions (Scott Dixon – 2003, Dan Wheldon – 2006, Scott Dixon – 2008). The team has had seven top-fives, 10 top-10s and has led 672 laps at the track.

2009 Oval Success: Team Target scored 10 wins last year – six of those wins occurring on ovals with Scott Dixon claiming four (Kansas, Milwaukee, Richmond, Motegi) and Dario Franchitti scoring two (Iowa & Homestead). Of the 10 oval races on the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule last year, both Team Target drivers finished in the top-five in seven races and in the top-10 in nine races.

Oval and Road Course Titlists: The IZOD IndyCar Series recently announced a new award which recognizes the driver who scores the most points on oval tracks as well as the driver who scores the most points on road/street courses. Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers would have dominated the awards over the past five years with Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti being the only two drivers to have won both titles. Dixon would have won the oval category in 2008 & 2009 and the road/street course category in 2006 & 2007. Franchitti would have claimed the road/street course award last year and the oval category in 2007. If the award had been given out over the past five seasons, Team Target would have claimed seven of the 10 awards.

100 wins in Indianapolis: Chip Ganassi Racing’s Indianapolis-based teams (GRAND-AM and IndyCar) scored their 100^th victory (26 GRAND-AM, 74 Indy car) last Saturday with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas in Round 4 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series at Virginia International Raceway. The GRAND-AM team has now won three races in row and lead the point standings. Overall, it was the119^th win for Ganassi’s race teams (1990-present) across Indy car, sports car and stock car racing.

Scott Dixon and the No. 9 Target Team

Defending Race Winner: Dixon led 134 laps last year to take his first win at Kansas Speedway after starting fourth. He has four top-fives and five top-10s and has led a total of 382 laps at the track.

Last Oval Win: Dixon’s last win on an oval came at Motegi in 2009 when he started on the pole and led 139 laps.

Oval History: Dixon has claimed 15 wins, 48 top-fives, 64 top-10s and 15 poles on ovals in his Indy car career. In 10 oval starts last year, Dixon never finished outside the top-10 with eight top-fives. He also started on the pole at Kentucky and Motegi.

Thoughts on Kansas: “We’re definitely looking forward to it. I think Kansas as a circuit for the Target cars has been fantastic. We’ve always had very good races there. As a track and finishing-wise, I can’t wait to get there. I think it’s going to be a fantastic place for us, for Dario and myself. We have some new faces in the series this year, so it’ll be a good place to work at, see who you can race with at this point and who you can’t and who you want to give a bit more room coming into the month of May. It will be good to get a lot of people up to speed, but it’s far different from Indy. But every race this year definitely counts.”

Dario Franchitti and the No. 10 Suave Team

Suave car: Suave will serve as the primary sponsor of the No.10 Honda Dallara for reigning IZOD IndyCar Series Champion Franchitti. Suave served as the primary sponsor of the No. 10 car earlier this season at Barber Motorsports Park.

Kansas Recap: In five starts at Kansas Speedway, Franchitti has finished in the top-five three times with a best finish of second in 2007.

Last Oval Win: Franchitti’s last win on an oval came at Homestead-Miami Speedway when he led 25 laps to earn the win and his second IZOD IndyCar Series championship title.

Oval History: Franchitti has claimed 11 wins, 42 top-fives, 68 top-10s and 10 poles on ovals in his Indy car career. In 10 oval starts last year, Franchitti claimed five podiums, seven top-fives and nine top-10s. He also started on the pole at Texas, Richmond, and Homestead.

2010 STATS

IZOD IndyCar Series

Starts  Wins    Poles   Top 5s  Top 10s Pts. Pos./(Prev)
Scott Dixon 4       0       0       2       3       5/5
Dario Franchitti 4       0       1       2       3       5/3

CAREER STATS

CART and IZOD IndyCar Series

Starts  Wins    Poles   Top 5s  Top 10s
Scott Dixon 156     22      17      71      107
Dario Franchitti 202     23      24      83      122

TEAM ROSTERS

Mike Hull – Managing Director

Scott Harner – Team Manager (Administrative Operations)

Barry Wanser – Team Manager (Racing Operations)

No. 9 (IndyCar)
Crew Chief/(R/F):  Ricky Davis  Shocks: Chris Clark
Engineer:  Eric Bretzman        Engines/Radio:  Troy Scheller
Assistant Engineer:  Brian Welling      Fueler:  Todd DeNeve
Front End/(L/R):  Adam Rovazzini        Gear Box (L/F):  Andy Schneider
Front End:  Gilbert Swafford    Tires/Transport Driver:  Jesse Benbow
Rear End/(Air Jack):  Mark Sampson      Floater: Wayne Westplate
Rear End/(R/R):  Blair Julian   Spotter:  Robbie Fast
No. 10 (IndyCar)
Crew Chief/(R/F):  Kevin O’Donnell      Shocks:  Chris Clark
Engineer: Chris Simmons Engines/Radio/(R/R):  Troy Scheller
Assistant Engineer: John Hennek Gear Box/Fueler: Robby Page
Front End/(Air Jack): Matt Swan Tires/Truck: Travis Abel
Front End:  Steve Namisnak      Transport Driver: Chris Sutton
Rear End/(L/R):  Brad Larsen    Floater/Front End/(L/F): Wayne Westplate
Rear End: Dave Pena     Spotter: Scott Harner

About Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR)

Target Chip Ganassi Racing is the two-time reigning IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, scoring 10 wins in 17 races in 2009. Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with sponsor, Target. Today, Target Chip Ganassi Racing includes two entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series for 2008/2003 Champion and2008 Indianapolis 500 Winner Scott Dixon, and 2009/2007 Champion and 2007 Indianapolis 500 Winner Dario Franchitti. Target Chip Ganassi Racing has collected seven Championships and 74 wins since 1994 and operates out of a state-of-the-art race shop facility in Indianapolis, with a corporate office in Pittsburgh.

- Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Press Release