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Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines:

1. Indianapolis 500 telecast ratings rise over 2010

2. Teams use off week to test Milwaukee

3. Wheldon sent packing on Victory Tour

1. Indianapolis 500 telecast ratings rise over 2010: ABC’s high-definition broadcast of the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 on May 29 delivered a 4.3 preliminary overnight rating in metered markets – up from 4.0 in 2010.

Viewership increases were realized in Chicago, Las Vegas, Tampa, Fla., Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, among others, of the 56 markets during the noon-3:30 p.m. (ET) race broadcast. ESPN on ABC’s one-hour pre-race show hosted by Brent Musburger — with a blend of compelling features and the sights and sounds of the pre-race ceremonies on Memorial Day weekend – also attracted strong viewership numbers.

It was the 47th consecutive year that ABC telecast the 500 Mile Race — one of the longest-running relationships between a sporting event and a network.

“All in all, the race was excellent with storylines throughout that kept the viewers’ and spectators’ attention,” said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. “We saw a significant television increase in the metered markets, and it’s important for us to keep our momentum moving upward to 2012. With the introduction new car, we think it’s a great storyline and we’re optimistic there are more good things to come.”

Dan Wheldon won the drama-filled race on the historic 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, overtaking the crippled car of rookie JR Hildebrand a few hundred yards from the start/finish line. Hildebrand’s car made right-side contact with the outside retaining wall exiting Turn 4 on the 200th and final lap, but he was able to slide across the “Yard of Bricks” to claim second place.

Wheldon, a resident of St. Petersburg, Fla., earned $2.56 million from the purse of $13.5 million. Hildebrand, of Sausalito, Calif., who was voted the Chase Rookie of the Year, received $1,064,895.

More excitement and drama is sure to come from the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway on June 11, featuring two 125-lap races on the 1.5-mile oval with a one-hour break in between. VERSUS will broadcast both events starting at 8 p.m. (ET).

ABC will televise IZOD IndyCar Series races from the Milwaukee Mile (June 19), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Aug. 14) and the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 16).

It’s an off weekend of competition for the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights, but teams are using June 1-3 to test at the Milwaukee Mile for the June 17-19 race weekend.

2. Teams use off week to test Milwaukee: Fourteen IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will put in a day on the oval June 1, while 10 more will test June 3. Thirteen Firestone Indy Lights driver/car combinations will be on the track June 2.

Fans can watch testing each day (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) in Turns 1-2, and Milwaukee 225 promoters will host a watching party (food, drinks, apparel, ticket purchase) June 3 in the Turn 2 parking lot.

Both series return to the historic track after a year’s absence. Scott Dixon, who won the IZOD IndyCar Series race in 2009, will be among those getting re-acquainted with the flat racetrack on June 3.

The fifth-place finisher in the Indianapolis 500 on May 29 will be joined by Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and reigning series champion Dario Franchitti; 500 Mile Race runner-up and Chase Rookie of the Year JR Hildebrand of National Guard Panther Racing; Graham Rahal, the third-place finisher in the ’500′ and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Charlie Kimball; Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves and series points leader Will Power; Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing’s Oriol Servia; and Ana Beatriz of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

“I’m looking forward to going back,” said Sarah Fisher Racing driver Ed Carpenter, who will be among the drivers testing June 1. “It’s a very challenging racetrack for drivers, engineers and teams, so there’s definitely a premium on getting a good balance on the car and a good setup. We’ll be working on that during the day.”

Also at the track June 1 will be Andretti Autosport drivers Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Mike Conway; Vitor Meira of A.J. Foyt Racing; the KV Racing Technology-Lotus contingent of Indy 500 fourth-place finisher Tony Kanaan, Takuma Sato and E.J. Viso; Ed Carpenter of Sarah Fisher Racing; Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Justin Wilson and Beatriz; Simona de Silvestro of HVM Racing; James Jakes of Dale Coyne Racing; and Conquest Racing’s Sebastian Saavedra.

Firestone Indy Lights competitors getting in laps June 2 include Firestone Freedom 100 winner and series points leader Josef Newgarden, along with Sam Schmidt Motorsports teammates Esteban Guerrieri, Bryan Clauson and Victor Carbone. Team Moore Racing’s Victor Garcia and Gustavo Yacaman, Team Jensen’s David Ostella, Andretti Autosport’s Stefan Wilson, Bryan Herta Autosport’s Duarte Ferreira and O2 Racing’s Peter Dempsey also will be in cars.

3. Wheldon sent packing on Victory Tour: Waiting for the initial volley of early-morning TV and radio guest appearances, Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon reflected on the hectic race that transpired a few hundred feet from his victory podium perch at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

His milk- and champagne-soaked firesuit washed overnight for a photo shoot, Wheldon also put into perspective his place in the race’s history.

“For me, winning the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 is very special,” said Wheldon, 32, a resident of St. Petersburg, Fla. “I love this racetrack. I love this race and what it’s done for my career even before being a two-time winner. That is an emotion that didn’t come into it before, and because I’m more experienced I’m able to appreciate this more and you have more time to appreciate it.

“It’s certainly different from the last one. I remember I was out for most of the night with my sponsor, Jim Beam. Last night, I went to a driver party for about an hour and then I retired to bed. (Two-year-old son) Sebastian crawled into bed with us about 4 o’clock in the morning and kind of took over the bed.”

Wheldon, who started sixth in the No. 98 William Rast-Curb/Big Machine car for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb/Agajanian, overtook the sliding, crippled car of rookie JR Hildebrand just before the start/finish line to become the 10th two-time champion of the race.

“They’re both obviously very good and it’s an amazing achievement by everybody,” Whedon continued as he was given the two-minute cue for “The Early Show” on CBS. “This one was definitely more emotional; there was a lot more going on. A lot of things have changed in my life since 2005.”

In the succeeding years, he exchanged marriage vows, has two young sons and is coping – along with his extended family – with his mother, Sue, having Alzheimer’s disease. He championed the Alzheimer Association’s message of early diagnosis and risk-factor education during the month.

“For me, there’s a lot going on back home with my family and it was certainly nice to win,” he said. “It was very emotional and different from the last one because of that but nevertheless very good. This also is potentially my only race of the season. It wasn’t one of the races with one of the big, powerhouse teams; it was with (former teammate and longtime friend) Bryan Herta. We didn’t do this deal because we were friends. We would have still been friends even if we hadn’t done this deal. We did it because we believed in one another and we believed that we could win.”

Soon after the media obligations at the Speedway, Wheldon went shopping for clothing for the multi-city Victory Tour that starts May 31 – among his appearances will be a visit to “Late Night with David Letterman” on June 6 — and a suit for the Victory Banquet later in the evening.

“I didn’t think I’d need one,” he said of the improbable victory.

***

The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Firestone Twin 275s on June 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM channel 94 and www.indycar.com. The 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the David Hobbs 100 at the Milwaukee Mile on June 17.

- INDYCAR, Press Release

Dale Coyne Racing

After an exciting last-minute qualifying run placing the #19 Boy Scouts of America car in the 33-car field, Lloyd, who finished fourth in last years Indianapolis 500, was looking to repeat the magic of 2010, but lady luck wasn’t on his side this weekend and the 26-year old had to settle for a 19th place finish, after starting 30th.

Lloyd was in the pits when the second caution flag of the day flew, which cost the #19 Boy Scouts of America car to move one lap down on lap 62.

“We had the unfortunate conditions of untimely yellow flags today,” team owner Dale Coyne said. “The first one put us a lap down. We tried very hard to get the lap back, but the timing did not work in our favor.”

Strong 20 mile-an-hour wind gusts had the team engineers making adjustments on every pit stop to cope with the changing conditions of the afternoon. By the end of the race, the car was working well, but the team needed to save fuel and hope for one last yellow to get into the top ten. A pit stop with two laps remaining would relegate Lloyd to 19th.

“The car got more comfortable towards the end of the race,” Lloyd said, “We went off strategy at the end and that didn’t pay off for us. But ultimately we hung in there, got the best out of the day that we could and I’m proud of all the guys for not only digging deep to get us in the field after qualifying, but also digging deep in the race to achieve our maximum. I’m looking forward to going to Texas now looking for a repeat of the great weekend we had there last year.”

The IndyCar Series next heads to the Texas Motor Speedway for the Firestone Twin 275s on Saturday, June 11. The race can be seen live on VERSUS 8 p.m. (CDT)

- Dale Coyne Racing, Press Release

Pippa Mann in Her Street Clothes at Indy - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

INDIANAPOLIS (May 29, 2011) –

The British driver made a clean start and worked her way through the field up to 27th position when the KV Racing Technology – Lotus car of Takuma Sato hit the wall and brought out a caution. Discovering that her in-car water bottle was not working with temperatures in the 80s and climbing, the Conquest Racing team knew their rookie driver was in for a tough afternoon.

The team tried to keep Mann hydrated during pit stops, but by lap 162 it was evident that Mann was struggling with arm and leg cramps caused by the dehydration she was suffering in the cockpit. With around 20 laps to go, the cars ahead of Mann began to peel into the pitlane to take on fuel. The team radioed to Mann that she needed to save fuel in order to make it to the end without having to pit again. Mann battled through the pain to achieve the finish she worked so hard for.

Immediately following the race, Mann was transported to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield care center for treatment for dehydration.

“I think I realized when my water bottle wasn’t working on lap one that it was going to be a fairly long race,” Mann said. “But, I’m not sure I realized exactly how long! Before the halfway point at around lap 80, I was starting to go into cramp down my right-hand side from dehydration. The last half of the race was extremely tough.

“To bring the No. 36 Armando Montelongo/Loctite Conquest Racing car home safely after 500 miles was our goal, and I’m so proud that we were able to achieve that today. We managed clean pit stops and re-starts throughout the race, and towards the end, we were just trying to save fuel. We were trying to get to the finish without having to pit again. Thankfully I was able to do what the team needed me to do and we made it to the end of the race.”

Conquest Racing team owner Eric Bachelart said, “I’m happy with how today went. I think Pippa did a really good job, and she’s done a solid job all month. We had a good a car today. The crew and engineers did a good job. Unfortunately we had a problem with the water bottle, and without that we could have been a little bit stronger.

“It was a good solid effort from the whole team and I’m thankful to all the crew that worked on this one-time effort. I can’t praise enough the work that Pippa’s done throughout her time with us. This was her first time ever in an IndyCar and her performance has been very impressive.”

About Conquest Racing
Conquest Racing is entering its 15th season of professional racing. Throughout its history, the team has been known to give young up and coming drivers a chance to make it to the big leagues and Conquest is keeping up that tradition with IZOD IndyCar rookie Sebastian Saavedra this year and the IZOD IndyCar Series debut of Pippa Mann at the Indianapolis 500.

- Conquest Racing, Press Release

Team Penske

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May 29, 2011) –

All three cars had trouble during the 200-lap event. Ryan Briscoe was involved in an accident on the 158^th lap and was scored in 27^th place, Helio Castroneves lost a lap and spent a good portion of the race trying to return to lead-lap racing before he finished 17th, and Power fell behind early after he lost a wheel in the pits before he eventually raced back to finish 14^th.

“It was a tough day, but we’ve got to execute better,” said team owner Roger Penske. “It’s a great place to race, but a tough place to win.”

Power, who started fifth, lost a wheel on the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Honda during the team’s first pit stop on the 23^rd lap. The car eventually lost its brakes as a result of the mishap and the ensuing repairs left Power running a lap down to the race leaders. He continued to work hard and managed to battle back for the team’s top finish of the day.

“Our day went bad early when we had a problem in the pits that resulted in the wheel falling off as the Verizon car was leaving the pit lane,” said Power, who now has a 194-178 lead over Dario Franchitti in the series point standings. “That caused the brake line to get loose and I lost the brakes. When we came in to fix that I lost a lap. I fought hard all day trying to get that lap back, but it didn’t work out. It just wasn’t our day, unfortunately, but we’ll learn from this and come back strong at Texas.”

After starting 16^th, Castroneves fell a lap down, but he also experienced tire problems after the No. 3 Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske machine struck some debris following an accident. However, he regained the lap momentarily and held on to a 17^th-place finish.

“Well, we struggled a bit today in the Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra car,” said Castroneves. “Unfortunately, the turbulence of our season continued today. First we had a vibration in the car, then an unscheduled pit stop and then a flat tire, which set us back. It was a tough result for Team Penske but I think we learned a lot today that should be valuable for us on the ovals. We’ll keep fighting and the results will come. We just have to keep working and we’ll get there.”

Briscoe actually looked to be in the best position to post a solid result for Team Penske. He went from a 26^th-place starting position to running inside the top-10 in the No. 6 IZOD Team Penske Dallara/Honda midway through the race before making contact with Townsend Bell. It appeared that Bell swerved into Briscoe and both cars made contact with the wall as Briscoe’s day ended at Indy with contact for the second consecutive season.

“I saw Townsend brush the wall in Turn 4,” said Briscoe. “Everyone was going down the inside. I was just following through on the inside into Turn 1. I just think he didn’t know I was there and he just came down and pinched me. As soon as we made contact, the wheels interlocked. And that was it. It’s a shame. We were following our game plan and we looked to be positioned for a solid finish before that.”

Dan Wheldon claimed victory Sunday after rookie J.R. Hildebrand hit the wall on the final turn while heading for the checkered flag.

For Team Penske, which has won the Indianapolis 500 a record 15 times, Sunday’s results were disappointing. However, all three of the team’s drivers have shown good speed this season after five of 17 races in the IZOD IndyCar Series. The season resumes June 11 with the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway.

- Team Penske, Press Release

KV Racing Technology – Lotus

Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started 22^nd on the historic 2.5-mile superspeedway oval, however, on a day in which he would be officially credited with passing 18 cars, but in reality was easily double that amount, was on the move on the drop of the green flag. On lap 60 he was running sixth when he came down pit lane for a stop, only to have another car get waved out in front of him forcing him to overshoot his pit. When he finally returned to the track he was in 24^th position. Furious, but undeterred, Kanaan worked all the way back through the field, getting as high as second, before making his final pit stop on lap 179 which dropped him back to 10^th. Over the final 21 laps he passed an additional six cars to earn his highest finish at the Speedway in five years.

“This is unbelievable,” Kanaan said. “First I’ve got to thank my KV Racing Technology guys for the great car, great strategy and great stops. Also I want to thank my sponsors, GEICO and Lotus for being here. Even having the problem when the Conquest guys sent Pippa out right in front of me, we still could get our car up there again. I lost count of the cars I overtook during the race going from 22nd to fifth to 24th to fourth… Man, I had a lot of fun! I love this place, the fans, everything and that’s what keeps bringing me back every year.”

Kanaan made his 10^th start at the Brickyard today. He has now finished in the top-eight five times and in the top-five four times with a best showing of second in 2004. Kanaan has also led 214 laps at IMS and is the only driver to lead laps in his first seven Indy 500 races. Last year starting last and finishing 11^th was one of Kanaan’s most impressive performances here, but today’s effort ranks among the best performances ever. The 36-year-old Brazilian who is in his 14^th U. S. based open wheel season and 10^th IndyCar season has been extremely impressive opening the 2011 IndyCar Series season. He has now finished in the top-10 in four of the first five races with two top-five showings and a podium performance (third at St. Petersburg). He has officially picked up a total of 43 positions (starting spot to finishing spot) on the track in five races. Kanaan earned 36 points today and is now fourth in the championship standings with 135 points.

E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started 18^th, his best qualifying position in four races at IMS, and was also on the move from the drop of the green flag picking up five places in the first 21 laps. However, following the restart after the first of seven caution flags today, he was hit from behind, spun and made contact with the wall damaging his car beyond repair.

“It was a restart,” Viso said. “I was running with Graham (Rahal) and (James) Hinchcliffe and I don’t know if Hinchcliffe missed a gear or something, but he lost his momentum coming out of turn four. Rahal went to the inside and I went to the outside as we were approaching turn one and I got hit in the left rear tire and spun. It had nothing to do with the double file restart, he hesitated and then I got hit in the rear.”

Viso has been plagued by bad luck this season. His tire was punctured in St. Petersburg, he was hit from behind at Barber, had contact while trying to make a pass at Long Beach then in Brazil it looked like his luck was changing when he placed 13^th in horrible weather conditions, but today it seemed to be some of the same old misfortune. The 26-year-old Venezuelan is 20^th in the standings with 65 points,

Takuma Sato, No. 5 MonaVie – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, appearing in his second Indy 500 started 10^th following an impressive qualifying performance. He lost a little ground early in the race, but was clearly settling in and working with his car when on lap 20 his car slid up into the wall when another got underneath him and he lifted to avoid contact.

“I started in a strong position 10^th on the grid, which was going to give me a good opportunity in the race. After the start, I struggled a bit, but I was sure that we could improve the balance of the car during the race. I settled into a good rhythm. However, communication between the driver and the spotter is fundamental in oval racing. Today we had a communication problem and I was not informed that there was a car approaching my inside line. I was already into turn one at full speed when I was told the car was there. I had to lift and my car washed out. I am very disappointed because I felt we could have performed well here today.”

In his only other appearance at the Brickyard, last year, the 34-year-old from Japan struggled in qualifying and started 31^st, but had a strong race getting into the top-10 before he had a problem in the pits and ended up finishing 20^th. Sato opened the 2011 season strong, finishing an IndyCar career high fifth in the season opener at St. Petersburg before having strong performances at Barber and Long Beach nullified by late race incidents. In Brazil, he had a breakout performance leading 23 laps, his first in an Indy car, before he was forced to pit for a splash of fuel and finished eighth. Sato, who earned the Firestone Tire-rific award for his performance in Brazil, is 14^th in the standings with 94 points.

Todays fourth and eighth place finishes are the best for KVRT in four races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (total of 12 starts). The team made its first appearance at the Speedway following unification in 2008 with a two car effort. In 2009, KVRT fielded three cars with Townsend Bell finishing fourth and Paul Tracy placing ninth. In 2010 the KVRT tried to qualify four cars, but fell short with Tracy failing to make the field. This year KVRT had four cars in the race. In addition to the three KVRT – Lotus cars KV Racing Technology also fielded a fourth car under the KVRT – SH Racing banner with Indy veteran Tomas Scheckter behind the wheel drove to an eighth place finish.

Next up for KVRT is the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. The races will be broadcast live on Versus at 8:00 p.m. ET

For more information about KV Racing Technology visit: www.kvracingtechnology.com or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kvracing and Facebook: www.facebook.com/kvracingtechnology

- KV Racing Technology – Lotus, Press Release

Tomas Scheckter in car Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

SPEEDWAY, IN – MAY 29, 2011 –

Scheckter, 30, driving the No. 07 Team REDLINE Xtreme machine, started 21st and after 10 laps had gained six places. He showed patience during the race, moving back and forth through the field, but it was during the restarts where he really stood out. The first restart, Scheckter picked up seven spots (over six laps), putting him 13th and on the fifth restart (out of seven) managed an incredible eight places on the first lap putting him seventh. Shortly after that, another yellow was shown and Scheckter took advantage again, moving up another three positions putting him inside the top-five. As some of the leaders pitted, Scheckter moved into second, but with 12 laps to go, he needed to pit for a quick splash of fuel. He rejoined the contest in 13th and in the final eight laps, pushed through the field to finish eighth.

Commenting on the race today, Scheckter said, “You know you have a great car, when you don’t feel that tired at the end. We struggled with straight line speed, but I would love to see how many cars I passed on the restarts in total. It was a tough race, I had to fight from the beginning to the end. I really want to thank Team REDLINE Xtreme and KV-SH Racing for giving me a good consistent car today.”

Scheckter, was competing in his 10th Indy 500 today and also an IZOD IndyCar Series race for the 10th consecutive season. In nine previous occasions at the Brickyard, he has a best finish of fourth (his inaugural Indy 500, in 2002) and led the race on three separate occasions totaling 153 laps. Scheckter was named Indianapolis 500 co-Rookie of the Year in 2002.

Speaking about his first Indy 500 today, SH Racing’s Principal TJ Humphreys said “I am completely blown away with our result today. “The KV-SH Racing team and crew worked overtime to give us the best opportunity for a top-10 finish. I am extremely proud and thankful to the entire KV Racing Technology organization for their added effort to make this a successful first Indy 500. I couldn’t be more proud of Scheckter and his courageous ability to fight his way through the field.”

For more information about KV Racing Technology – SH Racing, please go to: www.RedlineXtremeRacing.com and www.kvracingtechnology.com.

- KV Racing Technology – SH Racing, Press Release

100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Logo

IZOD IndyCar Series

INDIANAPOLIS - Results Sunday of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (6) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

2. (12) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

3. (29) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

4. (22) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

5. (2) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

6. (3) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

7. (14) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

8. (21) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

9. (27) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

10. (25) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

11. (8) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

12. (9) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

13. (28) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

14. (5) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

15. (11) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

16. (19) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

17. (16) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

18. (7) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running

19. (30) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running

20. (31) Pippa Mann, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running

21. (32) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 197, Running

22. (17) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 197, Running

23. (33) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 197, Running

24. (15) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 193, Running

25. (24) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 175, Running

26. (4) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 157, Contact

27. (26) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 157, Contact

28. (1) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 147, Contact

29. (13) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 99, Contact

30. (20) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 60, Contact

31. (23) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 44, Handling

32. (18) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 27, Contact

33. (10) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 20, Contact

Race Statistics

Winners average speed: 170.265
Time of Race: 2:56:11.7267
Margin of victory: Under Caution
Cautions: 7 for 40
Lead changes: 23 among 10 drivers

Lap Leaders: Dixon 1-7, Tagliani 8-26, Dixon 27-33, Tagliani 34, Dixon 35-60, Franchitti 61, Carpenter 62-64, Franchitti 65-72, Dixon 73-98, Franchitti 99, Hildebrand 100-103, Franchitti 104-112, Servia 113-128, Franchitti 129-137, Hildebrand 138, Baguette 139-140, Franchitti 141-163, Servia 164-165, Rahal 166-171, Dixon 172-178, Patrick 179-188, Baguette 189-197, Hildebrand 198-199, Wheldon 200.

Point Standings: Power 194, Franchitti 178, Servia 150, Kanaan 135, Dixon 129, Rahal 120, Briscoe 117, Hildebrand 113, Tagliani 110, Mike Conway 102.

- INDYCAR, Press Release

Townsend Bell - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Townsend Bell started fourth and was in the top-five for much of the first three-quarters of the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, but an accident following a restart on lap 158 of 200 caused him to finish a disappointing 26^th.

The driver of the No. 99 Herbalife24 Dallara/Honda/Firestone for Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM) was not injured.

After a caution on lap 148 due to an accident involving his SSM teammate and pole-winner Alex Tagliani, Bell relinquished his sixth-place position and headed to pit lane for four fresh Firestone tires and fuel.

Several cars opted to stay out and gamble on fuel and because of that, Bell was forced to restart 11^th when the green flag flew on lap 155. It was the furthest back all day that Bell had restarted, but he managed to gain two positions in two laps and appeared to be charging through the field.

Unfortunately, he would not complete another lap as his Herbalife24 car made contact with the car of Ryan Briscoe as the duo entered turn one on lap 158. Both cars slid to the outside of the track together and made contact with the SAFER Barrier on the outside retaining wall at the exit of the first turn. Both machines then slid to a stop connected to each other against the outside retaining wall in the short chute. Briscoe, like Bell, was not injured.

“It’s a shame,” said Bell who is only scheduled to compete in the Indianapolis 500 this season. “The Herbalife24 car was competitive here, running up front. I’ll have to see the replay, but it seems like somebody hit me in my left rear, I think it was Ryan (Briscoe). I saved it in turn one and whammo, it got me again and pinned me in the wall. I hate to end the race this way. We were running strong and had a top-five car, so to bring the car home in a dumpster is pretty disappointing.”

After having both SSM cars in the top-10 for much of the event, team owner Sam Schmidt saw both of his cars head to the garage within 10 laps of each other. Tagliani, who led twice for 20 laps, finished 28^th after completing only 147 trips around the 2.5-mile oval.

“They dug all month,” Schmidt said. “The 77 (Tagliani) and 99 (Bell) worked really well together and had fast cars. Unfortunately, they both got a little out of sequence. We probably should’ve finished at least second or third when all was said and done. You can’t second guess what happens in the race, and that is what this place is all about.”

Dan Wheldon won the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in an incredible finish that saw rookie J.R. Hildebrand crash in turn four on the final lap while leading. Wheldon, who was six seconds behind, flew past Hildebrand’s wounded machine to score his second ‘500’ victory. Wheldon, who also won in 2005, drove for Bryan Herta Autosport, which had a technical alliance with SSM throughout the month of May. Neither Wheldon, nor Bryan Herta Autosport, compete full-time in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

“At least we got a little piece of that car rolling up on victory circle,” Schmidt said. “It was Brian’s (Herta) turn, and that’s cool.”

Hildebrand finished second, while Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon rounded out the top-five. Oriol Servia, Bertrand Baguette, Tomas Scheckter, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were seven caution periods for 40 laps, with eight drivers failing to finish.

The next event on the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule is the June 11 Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway. The event begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by VERSUS.

- True Speed Communication for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Press Release

Simona de Silvestro - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Indianapolis, IN – May 29, 2011 –

De Silvestro endured a massive crash during a week-one practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, injuring her hands and destroying her primary racecar. However, she overcame the odds to qualify her backup car P23 on Pole Day.

Starting the race, de Silvestro was cautiously optimistic. Her goal was as much about gaining confidence in the cockpit as it was about gaining positions. The tremendous roar from the crowd during driver introductions indicated that de Silvestro has quickly become a fan favorite. Unfortunately, contact with the wall in turn two early in the race forced her and the team to contend with several issues.

“The car sustained suspension and upright damage from an early brush with the wall,” said de Silvestro. “We were able to repair the suspension, but we still had an issue with the upright. It’s disappointing, but we’ve come a long way this month. I’m so thankful for all the work my team has done to make the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car feel good.”

Reflecting on her month at the historic racetrack and P31 finish, de Silvestro adds, “I have to thank my sponsors, team and family. They supported me through this whole process and stood by me as I made some tough decisions. Even though we didn’t have the finish we were hoping for, I think we can be happy with what we accomplished this month.”

In two weeks, the IZOD IndyCar Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway. De Silvestro and her team at HVM Racing aim to get back on track with a confidence-building performance and successful finish. The race will be live on Versus on Saturday, June 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

About HVM Racing

HVM Racing was founded by Keith Wiggins and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. HVM enters 2011 as its tenth year of competition since forming in 2001 and has earned six victories, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. They earned “Indianapolis Rookie of the Year” honors with driver Simona De Silvestro at the 2010 event and since joining the IZOD INDYCAR Series in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes. HVM finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car World Series in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Follow HVM Racing at www.hvmracing.com, on twitter at www.twitter.com/HVMracing, and on facebook at www.facebook.com/HVMRacing.

About Entergy

Entergy is the second largest owner and operator of U.S. nuclear energy plants. They operate or provide management services to 12 reactors at 10 sites. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity and delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and more than 15,000 employees.www.entergy-nuclear.com

- HVM Racing, Press Release

Newman / Haas Racing (NHR)

· FAST FACTS: Was his third Indy 500 and first with NHR. He started third, led 17 laps and finished fifth…Ran as high as eighth and finished 11th in 2008 with KV Racing after he qualified 25th. Was running 10th in the 2009 race with Rahal Letterman Racing when a fuel pressure problem forced him to retire after 98/200 laps. Qualified 25th and retired in 26th. First came to NHR as the replacement driver for Junqueira who suffered a season-ending injury in the 2005 Indy 500…Previous race on an oval was 2009 Motegi event for NHR where he finished fourth…Servia tested with the team in Sebring for two days in December 2010. Prior to that his previous time behind the wheel of an Indy car was also with NHR at the 2009 race in Japan where he finished fourth. He also tested in the open test at Barber Motorsports Park in March where he was fifth fastest…Servia, a native of Catalonia, Spain, has made 18 starts for NHR which include his first Indy car win (Montreal 2005) and pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia 2005) as well as a total of seven top-three, 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. In 2005, Servia replaced NHR driver Bruno Junqueira, who suffered a season-ending injury at the Indy 500 on May 29, and then went on to finish second to teammate Sebastien Bourdais in the point standings after 11/13 events with the team. Servia returned to NHR in 2009 for four races with a season-best finish of fourth at Twin Ring Motegi… Is THIRD in series point standings with 152 and is the ONLY driver to finish in the top-10 in each race so far.

James Hinchcliffe, No. 06 Sprott Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a disappointing day. A disappointing end for the Sprott car because we rebounded pretty well. At that point we were driving on borrowed time after what happened with Viso and I forget who else it was on that restart. He got into us, we got hit and had to come in and save the car from going into the wall on that one. I’m not quite sure how we managed that so we were sort of driving on borrowed time. We were just trying to be a bit conservative. We got lucky on a yellow and got in around the top 10. We were just about to pit; the tires were just starting to go off. Bertrand got a good run on me and I was really just trying to let him go. I backed off early and was giving him the corner but unfortunately got a little bit in the grey. With how worn the tires were, at that stage of the stint I was just a passenger.”

· FAST FACTS: The Indy 500 marked his first time to compete on an oval in an Indy car. He will start 13th…Earned a season-high start of eighth place in his debut at Barber and a season-high finish of fourth in Long Beach to date…He tested with NHR for two days at Sebring in December and another two days in January before testing at Barber Motorsports Park March 14-15 where he set the seventh fastest time overall at the test as well as temporarily held the fastest time on Tuesday…Toronto native Hinchcliffe, 24, finished second in the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season standings after three wins and four poles. In total he earned eight podium finishes in 13 races… He has a total of 80 points and is 43 points behind Rookie of the Year leader Hildebrand (123) after four of five events so far this season.

- Newman/Haas Racing, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
NOTES AND QUOTES, POST-RACE
INDIANAPOLIS 500

JOHN ANDRETTI, #43 TEAM WINDOW WORLD CAR

Finished the race in 22nd place
“It wasn’t what we expected. At the start, I felt really good about the Window World car. We were moving up; the car felt great. Then all of a sudden in one lap, I just lost everything. I don’t know if we had a damper go bad or if something else happened. The rest of the day I just fought it. It’s really disappointing. I feel like we had something to do good for the day, but it was just merely hanging on the rest of the day.”

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

Ended the Indy 500 in 9th place
“Not the turnout we were hoping to have for the Venom car today, but a top-ten finish is still not too bad considering we started where we did. We were sitting pretty with good track position but made a call to come in and then lost position. We trimmed the car but then we were in the back – so we gave (the track position) away. Just didn’t work out for us today. But congrats to Dan (Wheldon) – he’s one of the best guys (at getting) around this place.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #41 ABC SUPPLY/DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Finished the race in 23rd place
“We dealt with a lot of issues today, but everybody dealt with tricky conditions today, which made for a loose race car. But, we really struggled more than others.

“It was a monumental task to prepare a car in 30 laps of warm-up for the longest race of the year and most important race of the year. The ABC Supply and DHL/Sun Drop guys did a great job preparing the car; we just missed the balance. For me, all day, it was an exercise of just keeping the car out of the wall. I almost lost it at least 12 times.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

Finished the Indy 500 in 10th place
“It’s the Indy 500; you have to take a chance to win. I would much rather leave here finishing a little bit further down by taking a chance and having the option to win than coming away with a lower position and not having that chance. Overall it was a great day for the whole GoDaddy.com team. We have kept our heads up all month and came out ahead at the end. We will use this as positive momentum going into Texas.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

No 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing Honda Dallara driven by Ed Carpenter- Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Ed Carpenter: “It was a weird day today. We were running pretty good early on and had good track position. Things were going well, but halfway through we just lost a handle on the car. We were trying different changes on stops and we finally figured it out, but it was probably one stop too late. We lost a lot of track position and struggled to get back in the mix. It’s a disappointing finish to the month for the Dollar General guys. We deserve better than 11th for how we ran this month, but that’s the way it goes sometimes at Indy; it breaks your heart.”

Sarah Fisher: “I’m really proud of the effort that the Dollar General team put forth this month. They ran up front all day, which is a testament to their hard work and never giving up on a car that isn’t perfect. We spoiled ourselves by being fast all the way up until the last stop, so 11th doesn’t seem as good as it is for our small team. Now that we have race one of the season under our belt, we’ll attack race number two with a vengeance.”

The 95th running of the Indianapolis 500 was a hot one, with air temperatures reaching 90 degrees and track temperatures exceeding 115 degrees. Bryan Herta Autosport’s Dan Wheldon took the checkered flag, followed closely by Panther Racing’s JR Hildebrand, who made contact with the turn-4 wall on the last lap of the race.

Carpenter will continue his 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season Saturday, June 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition (HD) at 8 p.m. (EST) on VERSUS. Additional coverage will be available on IMS Radio, XM Satellite Radio Channel 94 “IndyCar Racing,” Sirius Channel 212, along with broadcast coverage summaries available at www.indycar.com and www.sarahfisher.com.

About Ed Carpenter:

The 2011 IZOD IndyCar ® Series season marks Ed Carpenter’s eighth year in the series after making his debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003. Growing up with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his backyard, with Laura and step-father Tony George as parents, Carpenter was no stranger to racing. Carpenter began racing at eight years old and balanced racing with education throughout much of his career. Earning a Bachelors of Science degree in marketing from Butler University in 2003, Carpenter graduated from Butler just weeks before he won the Freedom 100 Indy Pro Series race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With a college degree under his belt, Carpenter is now able to focus on several other activities when he’s not racing. Away from the track, Carpenter follows professional football and is an Indianapolis Colts season ticket holder and an enthusiastic Butler Bulldogs supporter. The 29-year old is also an avid cyclist, water skier and enjoys working out. Before he became a regular in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Carpenter was a short track racer in the United States Auto Club (USAC) midget, sprint and Silver Crown Series. 2011 marks his first season with Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) and Dollar General. Carpenter resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Heather, his daughter Makenna, son Ryder, and their two dogs Bentley (Rottweiler) and Roscoe (Chihuahua).

About Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR):

Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) is an auto racing team that competes in the IZOD IndyCar® Series, founded by IZOD IndyCar Series veteran racer, Sarah Fisher. Fisher announced plans to become the IZOD IndyCar Series first female owner/driver and the youngest team owner on February 27, 2008, at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS). The team competed in three events in 2008, grew 100 percent in 2009 to six races and competed in fifteen total events in 2010, during the team’s first season initiating a two-car effort. With backing from Dollar General, SFR has announced plans to run an abbreviated schedule in 2011 competing in nine events, with Ed Carpenter the No. 67. For more information, please visit Sarah Fisher Racing online at www.sarahfisherracing.com.

- Sarah Fisher Racing, Press Release

In The Pits with Scott Dixon - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Carburetion Day practice temperatures: Track ranged from 58°-59° F (14°-15° C) and ambient was a constant 69° F (21° C).

Firestone Carburetion Day highlights: More than 1,400 laps were turned in a busy final practice session before Sunday’s centennial anniversary running of the Indy 500. That brings the total laps turned this month to 10,265 or 25,662.5 miles – all, of course, on Firestone tires. Firestone returned to Indy in 2011 with the identical tire specification as run here and widely praised by drivers last year. Response has been overwhelmingly positive again this May, and today’s long runs solidified teams’ confidence in their Firehawks for race day.

From Scott Dixon, #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The Firestone tires were good today. We did two full stints on two sets of tires. The wear was great and obviously they were very consistent. It was nice.”

From Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing: “It was good to see so many teams take advantage of today’s practice session to run full stints after we’ve been so limited on track time these past couple weeks with the rainy weather. We were confident that the Firestone Firehawks would once again provide great durability and consistency throughout the stints, but it’s always good to see it validated on track. Now we can all focus on Sunday’s highly anticipated race. Conditions are expected to be vastly different then, and the teams and drivers that make the proper adjustments will be those who prevail. As usual, we’ll also see the unexpected here. But, after today, we’re more confident than ever that the Firestone tires will once again perform reliably and consistently, and help make the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 a race for the ages.”

- Firestone Racing, Press Release

Firestone Shows Off a Century of Indy 500 Race Tires - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Forty-six years later, thanks to Firestone Racing, the last piece of the conservation is complete as Firestone today presented Henry Ford Museum with a special set of replica “Indy” tires that will be on the car when it makes a historic return to the track as part of pre-race ceremonies for Sunday’s centennial running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

Al Unser Sr., one of only three men to have won the Indy 500 four times, will be behind the wheel of the car when it takes a historic lap of the Speedway on Sunday. The Lotus-Ford 38/1 was chosen to represent the 1960s era of cars.

The Clark Lotus-Ford 38/1 is considered a paradigm-changing car in Indy racing history, becoming the first rear-engine winner, and a car that was purpose-built to win Indianapolis. That would be the only race in which this Lotus would compete.

“Being steward of this car at Henry Ford Museum has been an incredible journey for us,” said Christian Overland, Executive Vice President, The Henry Ford. “We had the chance to reinvent history and bring this historic car back to life by conserving it, using all of the original materials and all the original parts.

1965 Indianapolis 500-winning Jim Clark Lotus-Ford - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Part of the innovative nature of the car was the tires that Firestone provided for the race. They were
specially-built for the car, and went the entire 500 miles without having to be changed. In order to make the car’s conservation authentic and complete, Firestone Racing worked with Coker Tire to produce the replica tires from that era.

“We uncovered some of the original drawings of the 1965 Firestone ‘Indy’ tire and Corky Coker’s group based the remanufactured tire molds from them,” said Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing. “They did an amazing job in producing the replica tires that look so much like the originals. To be able to outfit this history-making race car with the Firestone tires on this historic centennial anniversary weekend here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is something very special for us.”

- Firestone Racing, Press Release

Simona de Silvestro - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Driver quote (after Carb Day practice):

“I’m pretty happy about our Carb Day run. The car feels good in traffic, and I think part of it was about me getting used to it and feeling comfortable. We had a couple of passes today and overall, I think it’s going to be really fun to race the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car. The whole team worked really hard and I’m thankful that they’ve given me a good car for the race.”

About HVM Racing

HVM Racing was founded by Keith Wiggins and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. HVM enters 2011 as its tenth year of competition since forming in 2001 and has earned six victories, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. They earned “Indianapolis Rookie of the Year” honors with driver Simona De Silvestro at the 2010 event and since joining the IZOD INDYCAR Series in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes. HVM finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car World Series in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Follow HVM Racing at www.hvmracing.com, on twitter at www.twitter.com/HVMracing, and on facebook at www.facebook.com/HVMRacing.

About Entergy

Entergy is the second largest owner and operator of U.S. nuclear energy plants. They operate or provide management services to 12 reactors at 10 sites. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity and delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and more than 15,000 employees.www.entergy-nuclear.com

- HVM Racing, Press Release