Helio Outguns Vitor, Grabs Points Lead
Written by Allan Brewer · July 31, 2006
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Photo: ChrisJonesIRL
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Three Races, Five Rivals Remain in Indy Racing League Title Test
“I saw an orange dot in my mirror, and I couldn’t believe he caught us like that,” says Helio of super-swift Vitor
Despite swarming and storming like a wet bumblebee, Revive Panther Racing driver Vitor Meira remains a bridesmaid as Helio Castroneves avoided back-markers and misfortune to capture Sunday’s Firestone Indy 400 by 1.6229 seconds from his countryman and friend. Reigning Indy Car Series champion Dan Wheldon finished third, followed by Tony Kanaan and Tomas Scheckter at the fast and demanding two-mile oval located in Brooklyn, Michigan.
“Panther Racing gave 102 percent today. We are doing it week in and week out at any track with any aero configuration.” said runner-up Meira, who thrilled a soggy crowd that endured more than two hours of rain delay prior to the start of the event.
Castroneves avoided near-collisions with Andretti/Green Racing’s Bryan Herta and privateer Marty Roth to collect his fourth winners’ paycheck of the 2006 tour and the 11th win of his Indy Car career. Average speed for the race was 193.972 mph, the fastest IndyCar Series event at Michigan International Speedway and the third-fastest race in series history.
Castroneves has 376 points and leads the chase to the IRL Drivers Championship heading to Kentucky Speedway on August 13th. Marlboro Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. fell to second place with 368 points, while Wheldon has 359. Wheldon’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon, is 14 points behind. Meira is fifth with 320 points as only fifty-six points total separate the five dueling drivers.
While holding the lead at over two hundred miles per hour for more than seventy laps, Meira was consistently fast and flashy in the bright orange Number 4 Revive Panther Dallara/Honda, but he failed to close the deal. He has now accumulated fifty-five Indy Racing League starts without carrying home the biggest trophy.
Running high, running low, working the slingshot and playing the track like a fiddle, Meira slid around Michigan International Speedway “on a Sunday drive”. He posted his third runner-up result this season, and his sixth top-five finish for John Barnes’ single-car team that was on the auction block before the year began. Meira has finished second a total of seven times in his IndyCar Series career.
Sam Hornish’s Number 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone checked into the pits on lap 49 after falling to 10th position with diminished power from the engine. He rejoined the fray in 17th spot (one lap down) before returning to the pits on lap 59 as the Penske team tried changing the engine control unit as a possible fix. Hornish came in for the final time on lap 73, with the definitive diagnosis of “air in the cooling system”, sending many of the “I’m a Sam Fan” T-shirts in the crowd home earlier than he or they wanted. Hornish was celebrated in his hometown of Defiance, Ohio earlier this week and a large contingent followed him to his “home track” to watch the 2006 Indy 500-winner perform.
Scott Dixon’s day in the Number 9 Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda came acropper on lap 49 when he ran out of fuel. He fell to 18th after being towed to his pit stall, and could make up only one spot the remainder of the race.
Marco Andretti hung on for eighth place after a frustrating drive of a car that was unbalanced, loose, and generally acting like a pig on rollerskates. Several times the diminutive rookie could be seen waving his hand in the air out of disgust or panic, or both. Also having a bad-hair day was girl-racer Danica Patrick, whose lack of telemetry over much of the race eventually caught up with her as she ran out of fuel two laps short of the finish line. She was not amused, and was verbally expressive in the most demonstrative way as she walked back to the pits alone.
The next IndyCar Series event is the Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Secret at 3:30 PM (EDT) on Aug. 13 at Kentucky Speedway. The race will be telecast live by ABC Sports and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPN Deportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio channel 145 “IndyCar Racing” and www.indycar.com. The fifth season of Indy Pro Series competition continues with the Kentucky 100 on August 13 at Kentucky Speedway.
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