Sao Paulo Indy 300 Fast Facts and Entry List

Story posted - Mar 09 2010 6:15 PM

IZOD IndyCar Series kicks off season with Brazilian debut

Sao Paulo Indy 300
Race Broadcast Sunday, March 14 11:30 a.m.(ET) VERSUS (Live)

Track - Streets of Sao Paulo 2.6 miles, 11 turns
Distance - 75 laps/195 miles
Radio - IMS Radio Network / XM 145 / Sirius 211
Qualifying Broadcast - Saturday, March 13 - 2 p.m. (ET) VERSUS
Inaugural IZOD IndyCar Series race

At-Track Schedule (all times local):
Saturday, March 13
9-10:30 a.m. IZOD IndyCar Series Practice
12:30-1:30 p.m. IZOD IndyCar Series Practice
3:30-5:30 p.m. Peak Performance Pole Qualifying
Sunday, March 14
12:30 p.m. IZOD IndyCar Series Pre-Race
12:55 p.m. Sao Paulo Indy 300

Story Lines:
IZOD IndyCar Series Prepares for Brazilian Debut

The Sao Paulo Indy 300 will mark the IZOD IndyCar Series first race in Brazil and its first trip to South America. Indy car racing has been extremely popular in Brazil; CART hosted five races on a 1.864-mile oval in Rio de Janerio from 1996 to 2000. The Sao Paul Indy 300 will feature at least six Brazilian drivers – Ana Beatriz, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Raphael Matos, Vitor Meira and Mario Romancini. Additionally, de Ferran Luczo Dragon Racing president and 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran hails from Brazil. Will any of these drivers make their way to Victory Lane in their home country?

Series Prepares for Another Competitive Season
If the times from the preseason Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park are any indication of what’s to come this year, then 2010 is shaping up to be another competitive IZOD IndyCar Series season. The top 14 cars of the 21 that participated in the test were separated by 0.8399 of second. Last season produced another competitive championships in recent history, with the points lead swapping hands 15 times over the course of 17 races and the championship once again coming down to the final race of the season. Will 2010 produce similar results?

Penske Power
Team Penske will field three cars this season, adding Will Power to its stable of fulltime drivers. The last time the team was a three-car operation was in1994 with Emerson Fittipaldi, Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr. Power, who joined the team last year for five races before a season-ending injury, will pilot the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, and looks to join teammates Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves as a championship contender.

Andretti Autosport Looks to Rebound
One team that experienced significant changes this off-season was Andretti Autosport. Michael Andretti took sole ownership of Andretti Green Racing, changing the name to Andretti Autosport, and hired Tom Anderson as senior vice president of racing operations. Anderson has 40 years of experience in the industry, most recently as the co-owner and managing director of Fernandez Racing from 2001 to 2009. Anderson was also the managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing from 1990 to 2000 and helped lead the team to four-consecutive CART championships between 1996 and 1999. Will the new changes help Andretti Autosport rebound from a winless 2009?

Danica Returns to the IZOD IndyCar Series
After making her NASCAR debut, Danica Patrick returns to a full season of IZOD IndyCar Series competition, beginning with the Sao Paulo Indy 300. Last season saw Patrick record 10 top-10 finishes in the 17 races to finish a series career-best fifth in the championship. After two season of team owner Michael Andretti calling Patrick's race strategy, including her historic win at Motegi, Tom Anderson transitions into the role.

Sato Transitions to IZOD IndyCar Series; Leads Rookie Class
Formula One veteran Takuma Sato will make his first IZOD IndyCar Series start on the streets of Sao Paulo. Sato, who competed in F1 for seven years, joined KV Racing Technology prior to the preseason Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park, and posted times within the top 10. Sato will be classified as a rookie this season, along with Ana Beatriz, Jay Howard, Mario Romancini and Simona de Silvestra. Beatriz, Howard and Romancini are graduates of Firestone Indy Lights. How will this new class of drivers fair as they compete in their rookie season of IZOD IndyCar Series racing?

Justin Wilson Finds New Home at Dreyer & Reinbold
Last season Justin Wilson gave Dale Coyne Racing its first win in 25 years of Indy car competition. This season, Wilson transitions to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing behind the wheel of the No. 22 Z-Line Designs car, and has already been fast out of the box, posting the fifth fastest time in testing at Barber Motorsports Park. Can Wilson help Dreyer & Reinbold get back to Victory Lane this season?

IZOD Enters First Year of Entitlement
The Sao Paulo Indy 300 marks the first race since IZOD signed on as title sponsor of the IZOD IndyCar Series. The partnership marks the series first entitlement in nearly a decade.

Race Notes:
The Sao Paulo Indy 300 will be the first IZOD IndyCar Series event at the temporary street circuit.
This is the series' inaugural trip to Brazil as well as South America.

Milestones & Records:
With a victory in 2010, Helio Castroneves will extend his IZOD Indy Car Series record to 10 consecutive seasons with a win.
With a victory in 2010, Scott Dixon will extend his streak of consecutive seasons with a win to six.
Three teams have a chance to be the first to reach the 40-win mark in IZOD IndyCar Series competition.
Team Penske needs five victories, while Andretti Autosports and Target Chip Ganassi Racing each need six.
Helio Castroneves needs three earned poles to reach 30 career poles in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
With one pole in 2010, Helio Castroneves will extend his IZOD IndyCar Series record of consecutive seasons with a pole to nine.
With one pole in 2010, Scott Dixon will extend his IZOD IndyCar Series streak to five consecutive seasons.
If Helio Castroneves starts every race in 2010 and Scott Sharp does not start a race, Castroneves will tie for most IZOD IndyCar Series career starts with 147.
Tony Kanaan holds the longest streak of consecutive starts of active IZOD IndyCar Series drivers with 114.
Scott Sharp holds the record with 138.
Dan Wheldon with 112 is the only other active driver with a streak of more than 100 consecutive starts.
Vitor Meira needs three IZOD IndyCar Series starts to reach 100.
Dario Franchitti needs two starts to reach 200 in Indy car. He has started 114 CART races and 84 in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Helio Castroneves needs to lead 372 laps to become the IZOD IndyCar Series career laps led leader.
Sam Hornish Jr. is the leader with 3,428.
Scott Dixon needs to lead 435 laps to pass IZOD IndyCar Series career leader Sam Hornish Jr. (3,428).
Scott Dixon needs four laps to join Sam Hornish Jr. and Helio Castroneves with 3,000 laps led in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Dan Wheldon needs 244 laps led to reach 3,000 in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Tony Kanaan needs 377 laps led to reach 3,000 in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Helio Castroneves needs two top-10 finishes to become the first IZOD IndyCar Series driver to reach 100.
Tony Kanaan needs 11 top-10 finishes to reach 100 in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Scott Dixon need 11 top-10 finishes to reach100 in the IZOD Indy Series.
Helio Castroneves needs five top-5 starts to become the first to reach 100 in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
With a top-10 start in the first race of the season in Brazil, Scott Dixon will set the IZOD IndyCar Series record for most consecutive top-10 starts at 33.
Tied with Sam Hornish Jr., Dixon has started in the top 10 in every race since Twin Ring Motegi in April 2008.
Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon each need six top-10 starts to be the second and third driver to reach 100 in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Helio Castroneves was the first to reach that mark and currently has 108.

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IZOD IndyCar Series
Sao Paulo Indy 300
At Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sunday, March 14, 2010
VERSUS/IMS Radio Network/XM 145/Sirius 211 (Live)

Car
Driver
Hometown
Car Name
Entrant
Race Strategist

2
Raphael Matos
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
HP Luczo Dragon
Luczo Dragon Racing/
de Ferran Motorsports
Jay Penske

3
Helio Castroneves
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Team Penske
Team Penske
Tim Cindric

4
Dan Wheldon
Emberton, England
National Guard Panther Racing
Panther Racing
John Barnes

5
Takuma Sato (R)
Tokyo
KV Racing Technology
KV Racing Technology
Dave Brzozowski/ Garrett Mothersead

6
Ryan Briscoe
Sydney, Australia
Team Penske
Team Penske
Roger Penske

7
Danica Patrick
Roscoe, Ill.
Team GoDaddy.com
Andretti Autosport
Tom Anderson

8
E.J. Viso
Caracas, Venezuela
PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KVRT
KV Racing Technology
Bill Pappas

9
Scott Dixon
Auckland, New Zealand
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Mike Hull

10
Dario Franchitti
Edinburgh, Scotland
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi

11
Tony Kanaan
Salvador, Brazil
Team 7-Eleven
Andretti Autosport
Michael Andretti

12
Will Power
Toowoomba, Australia
Verizon Team Penske
Verizon Team Penske
Clive Howell

14
Vitor Meira
Brasilia, Brazil
ABC Supply Co A.J. Foyt Racing
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
A.J. Foyt

18
Milka Duno
Caracas, Venezuela
CITGO
Dale Coyne Racing

19
TBA
Boy Scouts of America
Dale Coyne Racing

22
Justin Wilson
Sheffield, England
Team Z-Line Designs/DRR
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Matt Curry

23
Ana Beatriz (R)
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Ipiranga/DRR
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Larry Curry

24
Mike Conway
Bromley, England
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Dennis Reinbold

26
Marco Andretti
Nazareth, Pa.
Team Venom Energy
Andretti Autosport
Kyle Moyer

32
TBA
KV Racing Technology
KV Racing Technology
Mark Johnson/
Nathan O'Rourke

34
Mario Romancini (R)
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Conquest Racing
Conquest Racing

37
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Boca Raton, Fla.
Team IZOD
Andretti Autosport
George Klotz

77
Alex Tagliani
Lachenaie, Quebec
FAZZT Race Team
FAZZT Race Team
Rob Edwards

78
Simona De Silvestro (R)
Thun, Switzerland
Team Stargate Worlds HVM
HVM Racing
Michael Cannon/ Vince Kremer

06
Hideki Mutoh
Tokyo
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
John Tzouanakis

Twenty-four cars entered. All cars use Dallara chassis, Honda engines and Firestone tires.
Issued: 3/8/2010

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