Venue: Chicagoland Speedway, 1.5-mile oval, Joliet, Ill.
No. 13 PDVSA HVM Racing Honda Dallara – E.J. Viso
Starting Position: 20th
Finishing Position: 17th
No. 33 HVM Racing Honda Dallara – Robert Doornbos
Qualifying Position: 22nd
Finishing Position: 18th
Notes:
- The PEAK Indy 300 featured plenty of back-and-forth passing and three-ride racing, but the two HVM Racing cars saw most of their action in the middle and back of the pack of Saturday night’s race at Chicagoland Speedway. E.J. Viso and the No. 13 PDVSA HVM Racing Honda Dallara finished 17th, and Robert Doornbos finished 18th in the No. 33 HVM Racing Honda Dallara.
- Viso started in the 20th position and spent most of the race battling for and exchanging positions with Sarah Fisher and Mike Conway. He advanced as high as 15th, but lost ground on his fourth and final pit stop when he entered his pit at an awkward angle in anticipation of the No. 98 car exiting the pit box behind him. The 13 crew had to straighten the car before servicing it with fuel and tires.
- Starting 22nd, Doornbos looked for speed at the drop of the green flag. The crew made some tire pressure adjustments throughout the night, but the car ran at the back of the pack. With less than 15 laps to go, they were forced to make an unscheduled additional stop for a punctured rear tire. Doornbos drove a smart race, avoided contact, and finished 18th.
- HVM now returns to Indianapolis to prepare for the overseas trip to Twin Ring Montegi in Japan next month.
Comments from HVM Racing Team Principal and Owner Keith Wiggins after the PEAK Indy 300:
“E.J. did quite a bit of battling for position and looked like he could make a run, but then we had the miscue in the pits that set him back a few spots. And with Robert’s car, we just never found the speed to push forward.”
“Aside from the result, I think this was one of the most fun races I’ve had on an oval. I like running close to cars. I just wish we would be able to run the whole race with them. But unfortunately, we have what we have.
“Things went pretty smoothly until the last pit stop. I screwed up my entry into the pit because I thought (Jacques) Lazier was coming out of his pit, so I hit the brakes.
“Basically it was a pretty smooth race. We had a stable car, comfortable to run with traffic, but it’s obvious we were lacking a lot of speed.”
“It was everything we could do to find speed in the car tonight. I wanted to be up there and play with the leaders, but the car wouldn’t allow us to do that tonight.
“It was not an enjoyable night and no fun to do. We need to forget it and move on and improve on our issues.”
HVM is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. In its eight years of competition, the team has earned six wins, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums since 2001. The team finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car championship standings in 2006 and 2007, and earned its drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. In 2008 with driver E.J. Viso, the team earned seven top-10 finishes, including a fourth at St. Petersburg in its inaugural year in the IRL Championship.
- HVM Racing Press Release