Firestone Racing

Race Distance: 225 miles/362.102 km (225 laps on the 1-mile/1.609-km oval).

Television/Radio Broadcast: Live – Sunday, June 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, IMS Radio Network, XM Radio 94 and SIRIUS Radio 212.

Firestone Firehawk Race Tires Supplied:
Each entry receives nine sets (36 total tires) for the race weekend; total of 1,104 tires available.

The Milwaukee tire specification is based off of our 2009 Milwaukee race tire, with further refinement taking place at our New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon) tire test in September of 2010. This is the same tire that nearly all the IZOD IndyCar Series teams tested with on June 1st and 3rd at The Milwaukee Mile.

Tire stagger: A single stagger of about 0.50 of an inch is available. Stagger is measured by the diameter difference between the right rear and left rear tires, with the right rear larger by design to make a racecar naturally want to turn left.

From Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing: “After a one-year hiatus, it is great to see the IZOD IndyCar Series return to a tradition that is both a driver and fan favorite – racing on The Milwaukee Mile. Short ovals like Milwaukee are a great test of driver skill and are also challenging from a tire perspective. This is a relatively flat track, and it requires tread compounds with a high level of grip. Unlike Iowa next week, which we approach more like a superspeedway track from a tire perspective, Milwaukee and Loudon are true short ovals that require a unique tire specification. As this summer is heating up, so is the competition on track in the IZOD IndyCar Series season. Coming off of the fantastic centennial running of the Indianapolis 500 and two incredibly fast races at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, we can’t wait to see what’s in store as the drivers continue to ta ckle this oval-centric portion of the schedule. Rest assured that the Firestone Firehawk tires will be there for the drivers to rely upon every lap of the way.”

Firestone “Tire-ific” Move of the Race: Following each IZOD IndyCar Series race in 2011, Firestone Racing nominates three drivers who best utilized their Firestone tires to make a bold, dramatic move during the event. Fans can go to www.indycar.com in the days after the race and vote for the nominee they believe made the most “Tire-ific” move of the race, with the top vote-getter earning the honor. Both of the two $5,000 prizes from the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway will go to EJ Viso for driving from his 19th place starting position to finish seventh in race one, and for moving from the 29th starting spot to finish 10th in race two. They will be presented the checks in pre-race ceremonies Sunday afternoon.

- Firestone Racing, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

“Milwaukee this weekend should be good for the Venom team. I love racing somewhere where you really have to get up in the seat and drive; and The Mile has so much history with the all Andretti podium and my first pole win so I’m looking forward to going back.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM DHL/ SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

“We had a good test at Milwaukee a couple weeks back, so I’m looking forward to getting back out on track there with the DHL/Sun Drop car. We need a strong result and some good points if we want to get back into the top 10 in the championship. Hopefully, the whole Andretti team will have a good showing this weekend.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

“The Milwaukee Mile is like no other racetrack in the world. It’s an oval that drives more like a road course and every lap around there has 110 percent of your attention. The legends of our sport rate this place as one of best and most difficult places to win at. It’s a fan favorite, as well, and I’m sure we’ll put on a great show on Sunday.

“I had a record-breaking win there in 2004, so I’ll be drawing on that experience to make the most of the race on Sunday. It’s my first opportunity to represent GoDaddy on the racetrack and the goal for us is simple: to bring them a win.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

“The Milwaukee Mile is a great track — one of my favorites — so I’m glad to see it back on our schedule. We had a solid test there a couple weeks ago, which will be helpful headed into the weekend. We have a good amount of track time on Friday, so that will be beneficial as well. I think the GoDaddy car will be competitive this weekend, for sure.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Zach Veach in the USF2000 No. 7 Zakosi Data Backup Andretti Autosport Car

“Milwaukee is going to be a fun race, especially having the full ‘Mazda Road to Indy’ ladder series there in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar series; it gives us drivers the great opportunity to get in front of the fans and the teams,” said Veach. “I have the honor to say that The Young Marines just signed onto my program for the balance of the season so I’m really excited to put a strong result in for them this weekend and with the storied history at Milwaukee, I want to be a part of that too!”

Veach enters the first back-to-back oval events of the 2011 USF2000 season and should he borrow from 2010 where he put in two top-five results in the two oval race events, he will continue his growth pattern on an oval in 2011. Just two weeks ago, Veach started and finished second at Lucas Oil Raceway in the “Night Before the 500” event, the first oval race of the 2011 season. Already this year, Veach took two race wins and three pole positions to capture the inaugural Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 Winterfest Championship and this season, he has earned two pole positions, a race win and four top-five finishes.

“We are coming off a strong run at Indianapolis and I really want to thank my team, Andretti Autosport, for a strong race last month and although it wasn’t a win, everybody did a great job and it felt really good to be back on the podium,” continued Veach. “The Night Before the 500 event was a good points race for me, we made a lot of ground up and we just have to keep our momentum rolling into Milwaukee this weekend. Working hard and staying on the podium these next races is going to be a battle all the way until the last checkered flag!”

Heading into the race weekend, Veach announced he had signed a partnership with The Young Marines, a youth education and service program for boys and girls, age 8 through completion of high school. The partnership with Veach is to include presence on his No. 7 Zakosi Data Backup Mazda, the formation of “Zach’s Pack” and a host of speaking engagements on behalf of the organization.

Practice for Sunday’s USF2000 race at the Milwaukee Mile begins with a promoter test day on Thursday, June 16, followed by practice on Friday, July 17, qualifications on Saturday, July 18 and the race at 10:00 a.m. Central on Sunday, July 19, proceeding the green flag for the Milwaukee 225 IZOD IndyCar Series’ event.

Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the USF2000 National Championship, presented by Cooper Racing Tires and powered by Mazda, is one of three series part of both INDYCAR’s “Mazda Road to Indy” ladder system and the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver program.

To follow Veach’s progress on the asphalt oval in West Allis, WI., live timing and scoring is available on www.usf2000timing.com. For more information, please visit www.zachveach.com, or www.AndrettiAutosport.com.

About Zach Veach:
Zach “Ziggy” Veach is a 16-year-old autoracing driver who competes in INDYCAR’s ‘Mazda Road to Indy’ USF2000 National Championship Series, an important open-wheel stepping-stone to a career in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. In 2011, Veach captured the USF2000 Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship, on the heels of placing fifth in the 2010 season, despite missing two race events. In 2010, Michael Andretti signed Veach to his team, Andretti Autosport, while Veach was also being named one of CNN’s “Intriguing People” and was also nominated for Sports Illustrated “Sports Kid of the Year” award. In addition to his racing, Veach is an advocate for safer driving in conjunction with Oprah Winfrey’s “No Phone Zone,” and is the national spokesperson for FocusDriven, an advocacy group for victims of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers using their cell phones. In 2010, Veach released his first published Android application through his phone-app building company, ZaAPP, releasing urTXT, in the Marketplace for Android to help consumers avoid dangerous text messaging while driving and helms his own safe driving program, Ziggy’s Safe Driving, which hits 25 markets across the country each year. Veach has been a guest or profiled on a variety of national platforms including NBC’s The Today Show, CNN’s Headline News, ABCNews.com, Oprah Radio’s The Gayle King Show, The Los Angeles Times, AOL.com and is a blogger for RACER magazine. The son of a national truck and tractor-pulling champion, Veach entered his sophomore year of high school this past fall and released his first book, 99 THINGS TEENS WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE TURNING 16, on March 2, 2011. For more information, please visit www.ZachVeach.com.

About Andretti Autosport:
Based in Indianapolis and led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport fields multiple entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Andretti Autosport also campaigns multiple cars in Firestone Indy Lights, the Star Mazda Championship and in the USF2000 National Championship. The company boasts three IZOD IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005 and 2007), two Firestone Indy Lights titles (2008 and 2009), one USF2000 championship (2010) and has won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2005 and 2007). For more information, please visit www.AndrettiAutosport.com.

- Zach Veach Public Relations, Press Release

Alex Tagliani - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

For the past three weekends, Tagliani has started a race from pole position, beginning with the Indianapolis 500 on May 29. One week later, he went home to Montreal and grabbed the pole for a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road-course race in a stock car. Back driving his Sam Schmidt Motorsports No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins Dallara/Honda/Firestone Indy car this past weekend, Tagliani was the fastest qualifier for the first of twin 111-lap races at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

With each of the poles comes the opportunity to pose for the TV cameras and photographers and say a big “cheese.” Tagliani would like nothing more than the opportunity to say it again in Wisconsin, the unofficial “Cheese State,” during the Milwaukee 225 IndyCar Series weekend at The Milwaukee Mile.

If history has anything to do with it, there is a good chance Tagliani will be doing more cheesing for the cameras. Wisconsin has been good to the veteran open-wheel driver.

Tagliani has raced in the “Cheese State” 14 times, with seven starts each on The Milwaukee Mile and the long, scenic Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, Wis. He has seen success on both tracks.

At Road America, Tagliani recorded his lone win in major open-wheel racing when he won a CART series race there in 2004. He also had three other top-five finishes and another eighth-place starting spot there. On The Milwaukee Mile oval, Tagliani has top-five finishes and two top-10 starting spots, including a CART pole in 2003. That’s a lot of “cheese.”

His recent poles have come on vastly different types of tracks and in different types of cars. Tagliani’s pole in Canada was won by driving a big, heavy stock car around a tight road course. In an Indy car, no oval is more challenging than Indianapolis, and “Tag” blistered his way around there in May to get the top spot. At Texas, drivers must keep the pedal to the floor and find the fastest line through the high banking in the turns. Again, Tagliani did it better than anyone.

Milwaukee is yet another kind of oval, presenting new challenges and with little in common with the other oval tracks other than turning left. The mile oval is flat with wide sweeping corners. Handling and braking are key ingredients to going fast at Milwaukee.

Tagliani also knows there is one more thing Milwaukee has in common with Indy and Texas: If you’re fast, you get to say “cheese.”

Alex Tagliani, Driver of the No. 77 B&W Dallara/Honda/Firestone for Sam Schmidt Motorsports:

You’ve said several times that you like the mile oval at Milwaukee as do so many other drivers. Why do you like it?

“I’ve been pretty strong there in the past. Every time I’ve been there – and I’ve been with two different teams – we’ve run up front. I’ve even been on the pole there. I guess I’ve had good cars there, you know, with Walker (Racing) and Rocketsports. Hopefully, we’ll have a good car at Milwaukee this year like we’ve had at Indy and Texas. ”

The team has been fast at the last two ovals. What are your thoughts headed to another oval?

“We’ll have two short ovals back-to-back with Milwaukee and Iowa, and I see that as a good opportunity for me to make up ground for the championship. I am looking forward to having a good run at Milwaukee. ”

Rob Edwards, Team Manager of the No. 77 B&W Dallara/Honda/Firestone for Sam Schmidt Motorsports:

Milwaukee is the third different type of oval in the past three races. What does this mean for the crew?

“It means another busy week for us. Fortunately, the car that Wade (Cunningham) raced in the second race at Texas is our racecar for Milwaukee and it came through unscathed. That’s the nature of the beast, you know. When you race on ovals, you’re going to tear up some equipment. This is our third oval in a row, now, and we’ll be keeping an eye on Iowa as we prepare for Milwaukee, as well. ”

Sam Schmidt Motorsports has been fast on the first two ovals. Why does the team seem to like ovals so much?

“Any track where you’re fast is a track you love. Right now, Indianapolis and Texas are looking pretty good to me. The last time Tag and I were in Milwaukee, it was ’06 and we certainly had a very quick car there. If we can produce some of that same magic when we get up there, we should hopefully have a good weekend.”

ALEX TAGLIANI’S MILWAUKEE INDYCAR SERIES PERFORMANCE PROFILE

- True Speed Communication for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Press Release

INDYCAR LOGO

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

1. Championship duel firing up on ovals

2. MoveThatBlock.com to Sponsor race at New Hampshire

3. Inside the numbers – Texas

4. Texas overnight rating up from 2010

1. Championship duel firing up on ovals: Long before the initial oval race of the IZOD IndyCar Series season in late May, Will Power ruminated on 11.375 — his average finish on left-turn-only racetracks in 2010. It was his Achilles’ heel in the championship chase in which he wound up five points shy to Dario Franchitti.

Of course, he pored over the data, digested input, took a hard look at his driving and formulated a plan to improve results, complemented by his crew’s abilities to put the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car up front.

“Going into the ovals last year I just didn’t feel I knew what to expect,” said Power, who completed his first full season with Team Penske and second in the IZOD IndyCar Series. “I didn’t have the experience. I’m working on building what I did last year, and I know I’ll be quick and be challenging for wins.”

Buoyed by two road/street course victories, Power took a 16-point advantage over main early championship challenger Franchitti into the June 11 Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway – two 114-lap sprints on the dizzying-fast 1.5-mile, high-banked oval. He heads to the Milwaukee Mile and the Milwaukee 225 with a 21-point lead, but a lot more in the form of momentum.

Power, starting third in Race 2, overtook pole sitter Tony Kanaan on Lap 39 and went on to record his first oval victory. He leaped out of the Dallara chassis on cue for the cameras in Victory Circle, but his enthusiasm was bubbling over as he crossed the start-finish line.

“Gained points overall. That was the objective,” said Power, who has competed in 22 oval events in the series. “It was great to get my first oval win.”

Power said the final four races of 2010, in which he closed strong on the 1.5-milers by averaging a starting position of 2.75 and a pair of top-10 finishes, gave him confidence, but nothing like a win.

“The last four races last year, we shouldn’t have lost that many points,” he said. “We were knocking on the door all the time there for a race win. Now we just put it all together, no mistakes. I really think that we’ll be running up front on all the ovals.”

Franchitti won the first race – moving in between Johnny Rutherford (27) and Rick Mears (29) on the all-time Indy car victory list – and charged from the 28th starting position in the blind draw to finish seventh in Race 2.

His Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon, also gained some momentum with a pair of runner-up finishes to move to third in the championship (70 points behind Power). He’s the A.J. Foyt Oval Championship award leader.

“Pretty good result for the team, obviously, a 1-2,” said Dixon, referencing Race 1. “Second race, you could see it sort of trickling down with the draw that it wasn’t looking too good for us. Obviously, me starting from 18th and Dario 28th, it’s a huge deficit when the competitor for the championship starts third and with not too much competition in front of him. It was a tough race. Thought we had enough for him toward the end there. I just burnt the rear tires off and was too loose and lost a bit of time going into that last pit stop and could never really get it back.”

Oriol Servia of Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing posted finishes of 21st and 15th, being supplanted by Dixon in the standings. Kanaan brought home the No. 82 GEICO KV Racing Technology car in 11th and fifth place to remain fifth, while sixth- and third-place finishes in the No. 6 Guidepoint Systems Team Penske car moved Ryan Briscoe to sixth (93 points out).

The IZOD IndyCar Series’ first doubleheader also made history as the latter race was the first to run caution-free at Texas Motor Speedway, prompting the second-fastest closed-course race in series history (206.64 mph; the record set at Fontana, Calif., in 2003).

2. MoveThatBlock.com to Sponsor race at New Hampshire: New Hampshire Motor Speedway and MoveThatBlock.com announced today that the innovative, cutting edge website will be the title sponsor for the return of the IZOD IndyCar Series on Sunday, Aug. 14.

Founded in 2010 by Todd Drowlette and Patrick Gray, MoveThatBlock.com offers a one-stop-shop for jobs, dating, commercial real estate, residential real estate, apartments, home rentals and vacation rentals. There custom features are simple to use and allow easy searching and posting in an uncluttered environment.

“We are ecstatic to have such a modern company like MoveThatBlock.com sponsor our IZOD IndyCar Series race,” said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of the speedway. “INDYCAR continues to be one of the most innovative forms of motorsports. It is fitting that a technologically saavy brand such as MoveThatBlock.com signed on for this exciting opportunity.”

The Albany, N.Y., based site also provides internships, part-time and full-time jobs to students who want hands-on experience with advertising, sales and software development.

“MoveThatBlock.com is committed to being the premier online marketplace, offering our visitors multiple categories to help with their life’s biggest decision,” said Patrick Gray of MoveThatBlock.com. “We are extremely excited and proud to sponsor an event as prestigious as the IZOD IndyCar race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, especially as it comes on the heels of the launch of our new ‘cars’ site.”

The MoveThatBlock.com INDY 225 will feature some of the world’s best drivers including, Danica Patrick, Dario Franchitti and Helio Castroneves going wheel-to-wheel at 200 mph around the speedway’s 1.058-mile oval. The action-packed weekend will also include the Firestone Indy Lights Series, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the American-Canadian Tour.

3. Inside the numbers – Texas: Numbers to note following the Firestone Twin 275s, the sixth of 17 events in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season.

1 - Oval win for Will Power, who collected his 11^th Indy car win in Race #2 at Texas…number of laps led in each race at Texas by Helio Castroneves, his first laps led in 2011.

2 - Two-man championship points chase heading into the Milwaukee 225, with Will Power leading reigning title-holder Dario Franchitti by 21. Third-place Scott Dixon is 70 points behind Power.

4 - Different teams represented in the top 5 at Brazil, and four different teams represented in the top 5 of the championship standings.

4.4 - Average finish of Franchitti through the first six events.

4.6 - Average finish of Power through the first six events

13 – Positions advanced by Jay Howard in Race #1, most of any driver in that race.

16 – Drivers who have recorded at least one top-five finish.

21 - Positions advanced by Marco Andretti and Dario Franchitti in Race #2. …

25 – Second place finishes for Scott Dixon, who tied Dario Franchitti and Gordon Johncock for ninth on the all-time list.

26 - Drivers who have recorded at least one top-10 finish.

28 -Indy car wins for Franchitti, breaking a tie for ninth Johnny Rutherford. Rick Mears (29) is up next on the list.

40 - Consecutive races running at the finish for Danica Patrick, extending her series record.

138 - Consecutive races started by Tony Kanaan, who could break Scott Sharp’s series record at Milwaukee.

225 - Laps led in 2011 by Will Power. Power has led 29.7 percent of the laps, so far.

255 – Laps led in 2011 by Dario Franchitti. Franchitti has led 29.7 percent of the laps, so far.

758 – Laps completed by Dario Franchitii in 2011, so far. He is the only driver to complete every lap of every race.

4. Texas overnight rating up from 2010: VERSUS’ coverage of the Firestone Twin 275s from Texas Motor Speedway had a 12 percent increase in overnight ratings from a year ago.

According to data from Neilsen Media Research, the prime-time telecast on June 10 produced an overnight rating 0.38 for the twin 114-lap races won by Dario Franchitti and Will Power.

***

The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Milwaukee 225 on June 19 at The Milwaukee Mile. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 3:30 p.m. (ET) by ABC. 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 19.

- INDYCAR,  Press Release

2011 Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Day JR Hildebrand - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

The team conducted its first test with Hildebrand in December of 2010 at another difficult one-mile short track oval, Phoenix International Raceway.

Hildebrand currently ranks eighth in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship standings and leads fellow rookie James Hinchcliffe by 33 points in the chase for the series Rookie of the Year. In his five starts with Panther this season he has collected two Top Ten and one Top Five finish. Last weekend at Indianapolis he led the race on three separate occasions for a total of seven laps, his first career laps led as an IndyCar Series competitor.

The IZOD IndyCar Series is off this weekend before traveling to Texas Motor Speedway next Saturday night for the Firestone Twin 275s, a pair of exciting races on the high-banked 1.5-mile oval. Panther Racing has collected a total of five victories at Texas with three different drivers.

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:

“For everybody at Panther Racing it was refreshing to focus on something different and Milwaukee and Indy are so different it was nice to be in a new situation and start moving forward. It’s been a couple years since I’ve ran here in anything, but we rolled out and were up to speed right away. We got settled in pretty quick and from there it was just all of us trying to make progress on the day. There were a lot of things I was picking up on as we worked through the day. It’s a different place, but having ran two days in Phoenix in December prepared me for running at Milwaukee even though those two tracks are very different. I got a good feel for short oval racing those two days at Phoenix and that served me really well today.”

“Indianapolis was a big sigh or relief for all of us because now we know we can do this right and be competitive. And we’re definitely taking that with us as we move forward. If you would have asked me at the beginning of the year the tracks were we’d be strong I would have told you Indy, Texas, Milwaukee and Iowa. But then from an attitude perspective, for me it will make for less pressure on all of us going back to road courses because we’ve shown we can do this and that simplifies the process and helps you get back to basics.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

- Panther Racing, Press Release

The No 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy/HVM Racing car - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Milwaukee, WI – June 2, 2011

The No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car was one of twelve to hit the track. It was de Silvestro’s first run on the historic oval and after 154 laps of testing, the team felt it went well. She quickly found her stride in the morning and was able to improve as the day went on, ending up as one of the quickest of the group.

“This was my first time at the Milwaukee Mile and other drivers have told me that it’s a really fun track. For the first couple of laps, I was a little hesitant but it didn’t take long before I started pushing the car, and it felt much better. The whole team did an unbelievable job getting the car ready, especially after the month of May that we had. I think we have a good setup and the car feels really good. I’m happy with how the day ended.”

In regards to her confidence in the cockpit after her massive crash in practice at IMS, de Silvestro smiled and said, “I feel pretty comfortable right now back in the car, especially on those last few laps. I was able to push the car and it was great.”

When the IZOD IndyCar Series heads to The Milwaukee Mile on Father’s Day weekend, de Silvestro will compete for a podium finish in her inaugural race at the legendary track. Fans can tune in to see the race, broadcast on ABC, on Sunday, June 19 at 3:30 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

Tristan Vautier Driving the #5 JDC Motorsports / Cecibon / Circuit du Laquais Mazda

Driving the #5 JDC Motorsports / Cecibon / Circuit du Laquais Mazda, his 44th lap of the famed oval, a mile of concrete with virtually no banking, was 27.489 sec. (103.961 mph) – almost half a second faster than Richard Kent’s pole time of 27.971 (128.705 mph) from the last Star Mazda race held at this track in 2009.

Vautier finished on the podium in Round 1 of the 2011 season, and won from the pole in Round 2 at Barber Motorsports Park. His first race on an oval last year, which must have come as a considerable shock after his extensive European open-wheel experience, saw him qualify 11th and finish 6th at Lucas Oil Raceway, followed by an 8th-place qualifying effort and an 8th-place finish at Iowa Speedway.

Second-quick was Florida driver Nick Andries with a lap of 27.637 sec. (130.260 mph) in the Team Pelfrey / Lithionics Battery / GS610 Brake Fluid / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda. Andries’ Star Mazda oval-track experience consists of the 2010 Iowa Speedway event, where he started 12th and finished 6th. This season, he is currently 5th in the championship battle, starting from the pole in Round 1 and scoring a podium finish in Round 2.

Third-fastest — not surprisingly considering his USF2000 podium at Lucas Oil Raceway and win from the pole last year at Iowa Speedway – was 2010 USF2000 champion Sage Karam. Driving for Andretti Autosport with scholarship funding from the Mazda Road to Indy program, the young wrestler/racer who hails from the Andretti family hometown of Nazareth, PA, turned a lap of 27.709 sec. (129.922 mph) in the #88 Andretti Autosport / MAZDASPEED / Comfort Revolution Mazda.

Demonstrating clearly that her significantly improved 2011 form is no fluke, and that she is now a serious contender for the top spot on the podium on any given weekend, the 4th-fast time of 27.758 sec. (129.6932 mph) was set by Colombian driver Tatiana Calderon, the lone female driver in the Star Mazda Championship. A South American karting champion who ran with Juncos Racing before they moved to the U.S., 2010 was her rookie Star Mazda season and she ran a credible campaign to score six top-10 finishes and finish 10th in the championship. At the Night Before the 500 she started 13th and finished 11th and at Iowa started 13th and finished 12th. But in the off-season she embarked on a determined program of physical training with the Pit Fit Training organization in Indianapolis and her 2011 on-track results have shown a marked improvement, including her first-ever podium finish in Round 2 at Barber Motorsports Park driving the #10 Juncos Racing / JAC Motors Mazda .

Rounding out the top-5 was Californian Connor De Phillippi with a lap of 27.923 sec. (128.926 mph) in the #11 Team Pelfrey / Justice Brothers Products / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda. De Phillippi was the 2009 Skip Barber Pro Series champion and raced the 2010 Star Mazda season with scholarship funding from the Mazda Road to Indy program. This year, he drives for Team Pelfrey, formerly an IndyCar team from 1998-2001 noted for giving young drivers their ‘big break.’ He won the final race of the 2010 season and the first race of the 2011 season and is currently 2nd in the championship. His oval record from 2010 includes qualifying 4th and finishing 7th at the Night Before the 500 and doing exactly the opposite at Iowa Speedway, qualifying 7th and finishing 4th.

“The weather prevented us from getting in all the scheduled running time, but everyone agreed it was a productive test and that the next three races, all ovals, will be extremely competitive,” said Gary Rodrigues, founder and President of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. “We had a few minor incidents, but nothing serious, and we got to test the new in-car yellow-light warning system that will be in all the cars for the Night Before the 500. We’ll have another three-hour test session on Friday night at Lucas Oil Raceway, which should tighten up the field even more. With the top-6 cars already within half a second of each other, and the top-10 within one second, fans of Star Mazda Championship and the Mazda Road to Indy are going to see a lot of exciting, wheel-to-wheel racing in the next three races.”

Pos
No.
Name
Best Tm
Best Speed
In Lap
Diff
Gap
Sponsor

1
5
Tristan Vautier
27.489
130.961
44
Cecibon, Circuit du Laquais, Fontanel

2
81
Nick Andries
27.637
130.260
46
0.148
0.148
Lithionics Battery / GS610 Brake Fluid / Trademark Garage Floors

3
88
Sage Karam
27.709
129.922
47
0.220
0.072
MAZDASPEED / Comfort Revolution

4
10
Tatiana Calderon
27.758
129.692
66
0.269
0.049
JAC Motors

5
11
Connor De Phillippi
27.923
128.926
52
0.434
0.165
Justice Brothers Products / Trademark Garage Floors

6
7
J.V. Horto
27.994
128.599
73
0.505
0.071
Programa LeiLoes

7
60
Martin Scuncio
28.174
127.777
55
0.685
0.180
Bia Comunicaciones / Cable Del Pacifico

8
28
Gustavo Menezes
28.202
127.651
110
0.713
0.028
www.truecar.com / Truecar, Inc.

9
20
Carlos Linares
28.810
124.957
55
1.321
0.608
Mindeporte

10
27
Nick Mancuso
28.821
124.909
82
1.332
0.011
Jimmy Johns Sandwiches /Indeck / Lake Forest Sportscars

11
48
Patrick McKenna
28.843
124.814
36
1.354
0.022
Mosport Ireland / Irish Sports Council / General Data Tech

12
39
Joao Jardin
28.920
124.481
28
1.431
0.077

13
26
Jérimy Daniel
29.273
122.980
50
1.784
0.353
FixAuto / Sherwin-Williams

The Milwaukee Mile test helped drivers, teams and engineers prepare for the first of three oval races in a row – the Night Before the 500 at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on May 28, the Milwaukee Mile on June 19 and Iowa Speedway on June 25; the latter two races are both on IndyCar weekends.

The Star Mazda teams and drivers will now pack up and move over to Lucas Oil Raceway and begin an extensive program of Mazda Road to Indy activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, beginning with an autograph session in Gasoline Alley on Wednesday, May 25 from 11 am – Noon.

Night Before the 500 activities begin with several practice sessions at Lucas Oil Raceway on Friday, May 27. Additional practice, qualifying and the race will take place on Saturday, May 28. Qualifying is scheduled for 4:30 – 5:30 pm and the 100-lap/45-minute Round 3 of the 2011 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear will take the green flag at 8:10 pm.

______________________________

For more information on the Star Mazda Championship and its drivers, as well as the Mazda Motorsports ladder system, please visit www.starmazda.com and www.mazdausa.com. For information, interviews and photos, please contact Star Mazda Communications Director Peter Frey at (818) 398-5733 or StarMazdaPR@aol.com.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/starmazdaseries
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starmazdaseries

Firestone Indy Lights

The 2011 schedule will again feature 12 races divided among six ovals, five temporary street circuits and one permanent road courses.

“Our goal is to prepare Firestone Indy Lights drivers to become successful IZOD IndyCar Series drivers,” said Roger Bailey, executive director of the Firestone Indy Lights. “The 2011 schedule achieves that goal by helping our drivers gain experience and succeed on all types of racing circuits.”

Firestone Indy Lights teams will visit Quebec for the storied Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres for the first time in 2011. The race on the Streets of Trois Rivieres will be the a headline event and will feature Road to Indy ladder series, the Star Mazda Championship. The event marks Firestone Indy Lights’ first standalone event since it raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course in support of the U.S. Grand Prix in 2007.

“We’re very pleased to welcome back the Firestone Indy Lights  to the legendary 1.52 mile street circuit of Trois-Rivières,” said Francois Bordeleau, CEO of GP3R. “Many well-known drivers have participated in all kinds of races in the 41-year history of this iconic Quebec street race. We are proud to continue this tradition in welcoming the Firestone Indy Lights. The Quebec fans are definitely looking forward to another great show in August 2011.”

Races at seven venues that hosted Firestone Indy Lights races in 2010, debut events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the Streets of Baltimore and the return of the Milwaukee Mile will be held in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar Series. The season finale will be held at an oval to be announced at a later date.

For the ninth consecutive year, the Firestone Indy Lights season will begin competition in the state of Florida, with a race on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 25-27.

The series will then return to the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park on April 10-11 before heading to the Streets of Long Beach, Calif., for the third time on April 17-18.

The first oval of the season will be the series’ premier event – the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27 two days before the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500.

“The opportunity to compete on Carb Day at Indianapolis is an experience that is second to none for our drivers, teams and sponsors and the highlight of the schedule each year,” Bailey said. “We feel like our schedule demands the ability of both drivers and teams to master a variety of venues with the end result of champion that is fully prepared to be an IZOD IndyCar Series driver.”

Oval races at Iowa Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile precede the Canadian stretch which features races on the Streets of Toronto and Trois Rivieres. New races at New Hampshire and the Streets of Baltimore will lead into the final two ovals of the season at Kentucky and the season finale.

The Firestone Indy Lights is the premier ladder series for drivers and teams striving to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. The top ladder series in the Road to Indy development system, teams compete for more than $3 million in prize money in cars that are second in speed only to the IZOD IndyCar Series at most tracks they visit. Graduates of this fast and cost-effective series include Marco Andretti, Ana Beatriz, Ed Carpenter, Jay Howard, J.R. Hildebrand Alex Lloyd, Raphael Matos and Hideki Mutoh.

Ozzy Osbourne Official Merchandise

- Indy Racing League, Press Release

No. 27 Redman Moist Snuff Ford Fusion - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

Greg Biffle - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

Biffle started the race from the fifth position and despite battling a
tight race car, made his way into the second spot on lap 20. The Red Man
Moist Snuff Ford Fusion had fallen back to the fifth position when the
first caution of the race occurred on lap 33. The Vancouver, WA native
brought his No. 27 down pit road where the Red Man Racing crew put four
fresh tires on, filled it with fuel and took a round of wedge out of the
right rear.

When the race went back to green flag conditions, Biffle continued to
communicate to crew chief Rick Viers that the Red Man Moist Snuff Ford
Fusion was very tight but he continued to run in the top 10. Shortly after
making a green flag pit stop on lap 81, a debris caution occurred on lap
86. When pit road opened on lap 88, the top five cars elected to pit but
Viers opted to save his last set of stickers for later in the race and
Biffle took the lead. The three-time Nationwide winner at Auto Club
Speedway paced the field until lap 99 then settled back into the top 5.

For most of the last 50 laps Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Joey Logano and
Kyle Busch paced the field with Biffle a quarter of a straightaway behind.
On lap 146 Brendan Gaughan spun off turn 4 bringing out the caution,
setting up the historic green-white-checkered finish.

Biffle’s second-place finish was the first for Baker Curb Racing (formerly
Brewco Motorsports) since Jason Keller finished fifth in the June Milwaukee
race in 2007.

“It is a real pleasure to work with Greg and he did an awesome job all
day,” said crew chief Rick Viers. “I’m real proud of the entire Red Man
Racing team. The car was well prepared and we had great pit stops all day.
We have a great group of guys on this team and have a lot to look forward
to the rest of the year.”

Biffle will be back in the Red Man Moist Snuff Ford Fusion Saturday,
February 27th, when the Nationwide Series takes to Las Vegas Motor Speedway
for the Sam’s Town. 300 on ESPN 2 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

- Baker Curb Racing Press Release

· This Weekend’s Zaxby’s Chevrolet Impala at Auto Club Speedway … John Wes Townley will pilot Chassis No. 066 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable. Last season, Clint Bowyer drove this former No. 29 racer to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway last September, while Jeff Burton finished third in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Casey Mears finished second at Texas Motor Speedway in November.

Stephen Leicht also raced this Impala five times in 2009, finishing sixth and 11th in both Nashville Superspeedway events, eighth at The Milwaukee Mile, sixth at Gateway International Raceway and 10th at Iowa Speedway. In 2008, Bowyer drove this Chevy to a ninth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway and a seventh-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway, while Stephen Leicht drove it to an 18th-place finish at Texas in October.

· Fontana Stats … In two NNS start at ACS, Townley boasts an 18.5 average start and a 19.5 average finish. The last time NASCAR’s junior circuit visited the two-mile Southern California race track, Townley finished 17th, his second-best career finish in NNS competition.

· Finishing Strong … The Watkinsville, Ga., native has completed all but two laps contested (99.3 percent) at Fontana and has never finished outside the top 25.

· Rearview Mirror … Townley and the Dan Deeringhoff-led team started fifth and finished 23rd in the season opener last weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Townley was a mainstay in the top 15 in the beginning of the 300-mile event, but fell two laps down after a pit road violation and involvement in a multi-car accident.

John Wes Townley - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

Do you enjoy coming to California and racing on this style of race track?

“The layout of the track is very similar to Michigan with the exception that it’s not banked quite as much. Although, it’s not quite as fast. You can’t roll as much corner speed, but California is a lot of fun. You can run multiple lines on the track. I’m excited about this race, especially going into it this year. I know we have great equipment, a great team and great experience to apply there, so I’m real excited about it.”

What is the corner speed like going into turn one, especially if you are on fresh tires or on a qualifying run?

“Oh, it’s quite exhilarating. The one that I’ve learned about this particular track is that you actually have to make yourself stay off of the wall. You don’t really look into the corner for the apex until you actually have to look at the wall and make sure you stay off of the wall. If you’re not careful, it’s real easy to turn off early into that corner because the apex is actually further around the corner than you think it is. You have to make yourself stay off of the wall while being wide open, and that’s very exhilarating and a lot of fun.”

- Richard Childress Racing Press Release

Win-Tron Racing Logo

Almost a year later, the time has come for the Mike Chaffee led team to return to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 eyeing a second-straight “Super Bowl” win.

The team returns to the 2.5-mile superspeedway armed with an identical machine, a new driver and a new sponsor. Long-time race car driver and former ARCA full-timer Justin Marks returns to the campaign trail bringing backing from Construct Corps setting up for what everyone hopes will be an unprecedented season.

Marks is no stranger to the front of the line at the “World Center of Speed” as in 2008, the Rocklin, California native rocked to his second-career ARCA pole. This year, the road racing talent is looking for his first career victory while putting the No. 32 Construct Corps Toyota Camry back in a familiar place on Saturday night.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to racing full-time in the ARCA Racing Series,” said Marks, who will make his 42nd career start this weekend. “Win-Tron Racing has a strong package for these restrictor plate races and without a doubt; I would like to think we have a shot at taking the win on Saturday night.”

Marks continued, “Daytona is a huge race for all of us. There’s a lot of media attention surrounding the race which can prove to be beneficial for all of us. We just need to take advantage of it the best we can. I’m looking forward to working with Mike (Chaffee, crew chief) and the entire Win-Tron Racing team not only at Daytona but for the rest of the year.”

Win-Tron Racing co-owner and general manager Nate Thiesse showed equal excitement about the hype leading into this weekend’s season opener. “Justin Marks is a perfect fit to our racing program,” he said. “He is knowledgeable, a good racecar driver and he is well-liked. His confidence in us and our confidence in him makes us a threat to defend our Daytona title.”

From 2005 to 2009, Justin Marks has competed in 41 ARCA Racing Series events presented by RE/MAX and Menards events collecting five top-five finishes and mounting 13 top-10 efforts. He has also collected two pole positions including a New Track Record (NTR) at Kansas Speedway in 2007. Marks career best finish is second which has occurred twice at The Milwaukee Mile (2007) and Chicagoland Speedway (2007). He has led the field for 136 laps in five races. He finished fifth in the ARCA Racing Series championship point standings in his lone season of full-time ARCA competition in 2007.

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (80 laps / 200 miles) is the first of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The 47th ARCA race held at Daytona is a three-day show. Practice begins Thursday, February 4 with a four hour and fifty minute practice session planned from 12:00-4:50 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for Friday, February 5 slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. A fifty minute final practice session is etched in on Friday evening from 5:40pm-6:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, February 6 shortly after 4:30 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

Further information including sponsorship opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 952.469.1839.

For more on Justin Marks please visit, JustinMarksRacing.com.

Be sure to get personal with Justin Marks by following him on Twitter at Twitter.com/justin_racing.

- Win-Tron Racing Press Release