Monday, April 30, 2012

Will Power's Potency in Sao Paulo Leads to Third 2012 INDYCAR Win

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA


The 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series has started with Team Penske taking every thing of value so far on their open wheel tour. Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Will Power have collectively won the first three rounds in the 2012 season. Winning the first three United States race in the IZOD INDYCAR Series, the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle provided a change of scenery where other members of the 26-car open wheel racing field were intent on claiming glory.

In qualifying, the Chevrolet-powered #12 Team Penske car of Will Power fended off the challenge of Dario Franchitti's #10 Target Chip Ganassi Dallara DW12 race car. A member of the Honda engine brigade that received the aid of a more powerful turbocharger unit for this weekend's event, this would be a break-out race for the reigning IZOD INDYCAR Series champion who had been haunted by a difficult start to 2012 where him and his Target Chip Ganassi Racing team appeared off-form from previous seasons.

Despite the newly-invigorated competition from the Honda runners, the pole-sitter at the start of the 75-lap Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 jetted away. For anyone expecting that the IZOD INDYCAR Series' pattern of Team Penske dominance in 2012 would be defeated in Brazil, Will Power gave no indication of that happening. The #12 car of Power led the first 51 laps on the streets of Sao Paulo and was handily faster than Dario Franchitti early on and the Ryan Hunter-Reay's #28 car for Andretti Autosport.

Seeking to join the #12 car of Will Power, Team Penske Ryan Briscoe surged through the field in a hurry early in the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 race. Started 9th, the #2 car of Briscoe diced into 6th place by lap 19 and climbed to 4th two laps later. Driving a fast Dallara-Chevrolet, Ryan Briscoe's advance ended with the #2 car in the turn 10 wall on lap 22. This finish was Briscoe's first DNF of the 2012 season and the first for a Team Penske machine this year.

After a brief caution to remove the derelict car of Ryan Briscoe, the race restarted on lap 26. As Dario Franchitti is sent spinning by contact from the #14 car piloted by Mike Conway, the yellow flag returned. Falling to 22nd from the incident, Franchitti would recover over the course of the remaining laps to secure a top-5 run. A multi-car accident in turn 2 brought out caution on lap 30 concluding a very slow period of the Sao Paulo IZOD INDYCAR race. Ultimately ending the race for Simona de Silvestro’s #78 car, other drivedia ers including the James Jakes and Josef Newgarden were hindered by the bottleneck in turn 2. In the case of Newgarden, he would proceed to set fastest lap at the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 on lap 58 with the #67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing entry.












Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA


Into the last one-third distance of the event, a pit stop of Will Power offered what would be the only chances for other cars to lead the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300. Leading on lap 53, Helio Castroneves delighted the Brazilian fans with a presence at the front of the IZOD INDYCAR field. James Hinchcliffe also recorded one lap in the lead on the 2.536-mile road course before turning the lead over to the #9 car of Scott Dixon. While the Target Chip Ganassi Racing car of Dixon circulated for 8 laps out front, caution flew for the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing’s #67 car of Newgarden stopped in turn 6. Scott Dixon pitted for fuel costing him front-running track position which will prove more costly into the final 9 laps as Will Power reassumed the race’s lead.

Setting up for a double-file restart, Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay led to field to the restart on lap 67. As teams battle into the tight first corner, Takuma Sato made a most daring pass on the third place car of Dario Franchitti. With an edge into the corner, Sato in the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry took the final podium spot in the late stage of the Sao Paulo race.

While the Japanese driver Takuma Sato demonstrated a perfect manoeuvre, other drivers on the lap 67 restart were not as successful. When the #14 AJ Foyt Racing car was negotiating the first and second corner of the low-speed section of the start course, a chain reaction caused the collection of several cars. Lead lap cars caught in the mayhem included the #9 of Scott Dixon, #38 of Graham Rahal, #26 of Macro Andretti and the #77 of Simon Pagenaud who would all lose lead lap as well as top-10 runs.

For a final 5-lap run to the checkered flag, Will Power gained a healthy lead on Hunter-Reay and won the Sao Paulo round of the IZOD INDYCAR Series for a third straight season. The #12 car owned the lead of the event for 63 of the 75 laps making for a strong effort for the Australian. Power’s win hands Team Penske a fourth-straight victory through the start of the 2012 season. “Very happy to get that third win here and third in a row. We need to make it four in a row at the most important race next.” said the winner Will Power in post race who leads the IZOD INDYCAR overall points entering the Indianapolis Motor Speedway round last month.


Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA



Little over 0.9 seconds behind Power‘s #12 car, Ryan Hunter-Reay’s runner-up finish delivered the first one-two finish for Chevrolet engines. Takuma Sato would finish on the podium at the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300, the former Japanese Formula 1 driver’s first highest-finish in three seasons of the IZOD INDYCAR Series. Sato’s effort with the #15 car was even more impressive based on the fact he started 25th and was assessed a pit road speeding penalty early in the race.

The lone Brazilian round on the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series tour, the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle was the only chance for four drivers to display their talent in front of a home country nation. Helio Castroneves carried his country’s pride to 4th place from a 18th starting spot. Rubens Barrichello, competing in his home city for the first time in IZOD INDYCAR racing, netted a 10th place result for KV Racing Technology.

From 6th to 8th place in the Sao Paulo race, the IZOD INDYCAR Series rookies from last year have defused the sophomore jinx. Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe finished highest of the 2011 rookie group in 6th place ahead of JR Hildebrand driving for Panther Racing. Coming from 15th place to 8th over the 75 laps, Charlie Kimball was third-highest among the Honda runners in the event.

The Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle was the final race before the Month of May celebrations and events leading up to the Indianapolis 500 of May 27th.



2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle
Race Results


Pos # Car # Driver Nationality Race Team Engine






1 12 Will Power Australia Team Penske Chevrolet
2 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay United States Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
3 15 Takuma Sato Japan Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
4 3 Helio Castroneves Brazil Team Penske Chevrolet
5 10 Dario Franchitti Scotland Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6 27 James Hinchcliffe Canada Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
7 4 JR Hildebrand United States Panther Racing Chevrolet
8 83 Charlie Kimball United States Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9 5 EJ Viso Venezuela KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
10 8 Rubens Barrichello Brazil KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
11 22 Oriol Servia Spain Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Lotus
12 77 Simon Pagenaud France Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports Honda
13 11 Tony Kanaan Brazil KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
14 26 Marco Andretti United States Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
15 19 James Jakes England Dale Coyne Racing Honda
16 38 Graham Rahal United States Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
17 9 Scott Dixon New Zealand Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
18 7 Sebastien Bourdais France Lotus-Dragon Racing Lotus
19 14 Mike Conway England AJ Foyt Enterprises Honda
20 25 Ana Beatriz Brazil Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
21 20 Ed Carpenter United States Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
22 18 Justin Wilson England Dale Coyne Racing Honda
23 67 Josef Newgarden United States Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda
24 78 Simona de Silvestro Switzerland Lotus-HVM Racing Lotus
25 2 Ryan Briscoe Australia Team Penske Chevrolet
26 6 Katherine Legge England Lotus-Dragon Racing Lotus

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Power Dances to Sao Paulo INDYCAR Race Pole

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA



For the third time in the first four races of the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the open wheel tour is running on a temporary street course. While each of those road circuits come with their own charm, the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presents the series’ first trip outside of the United States this season to race on the streets of Brazil. Presented with a 2.536-mile, 11-turn course, the 26 cars of the IZOD INDYCAR Series readied for their 2012 appearance in the major Brazilian city of Sao Paulo.

Qualifying for Sunday’s main 75-lap event went off without a major hitch under cloudy skies and a 74-degree Fahrenheit ambient temperature. Without the confusing drama that proceeded the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race, the Chevrolet engine and the Honda engines (now operating with a more powerful turbocharger unit thanks to the manufacturer‘s appeal to the sanctioning body), The Firestone Fast Six grouping featured three cars from each manufacturer.

After the final 10-minute session in qualifying, it was a familiar competitor that owned the day. The dominance of Team Penske in the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series rolled into South America. As Team Penske remains undefeated in qualifying for 2012, the #12 Dallara-Chevrolet piloted by Will Power topped the time charts on the Brazilian streets. Lapping the racetrack in 81.4045 seconds, Power held off the strong fight of defending IZOD INDYCAR Series champion Dario Franchitti and the Scot’s Honda-powered #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing entry. The pole for the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 totals 26 times Will Power would start from the preferred spot on the IZOD INDYCAR Series starting grid. Post-qualifying, pole-sitter Power said, “It's good to put the Verizon Chevrolet on the pole. It was satisfying, especially knowing that Honda seems to have an advantage on the straights at the moment, so being on pole is a good start to the weekend.”

Ending the Firestone Fast Six session in his highest position of the 2012 season, Dario Franchitti is still searching for a solid race result in order to begin mounting a title defence in 2012. “We've obviously had a difficult start to the season and a lot of things go wrong in the last couple weeks. We off-loaded with a good car of the truck and made some improvements to it. I'm a bit disappointed in qualifying, especially because the time is in the car.” said Franchitti. Heading into Sunday’s main event, Dario Franchitti and the #10 car have achieved no better than 10th place in the finishing order of an IZOD INDYCAR Series race. Franchitti’s teammate for Target Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon showed solidarity by taking two of the three top positions starting the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300.

As well as the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team posting a strong effort in qualifying on the streets of Sao Paulo, the Andretti Autosport pair of James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay are continuing to be mainstays in the Firestone Fast Six. For Canada’s Hinchcliffe, the Brazilian qualifying session extends his undefeated streak for making the final top-6 time trial grouping for 2012 IZOD INDYCAR events. "I guess four is the number of the day: fourth place, fourth time in the Firestone Fast Six. It's certainly not a bad starting spot to be on the first two rows, but we had a competitive car in (the second qualifying session) and were hoping for a little bit higher up. I need to get a better handle on how to make these tires work better on the second run.” said James Hinchcliffe still searching for his first race win in the series on Sunday.

Returning to Dale Coyne Racing in 2012, British driver Justin Wilson proved himself to be a significant force again for an longer-shot victory. Leading laps at Long Beach in the #18 Honda-powered Dallara, the momentum continued to Sao Paulo where Wilson qualified 6th for the street race. Commenting post-qualifying on his chances on Sunday, Wilson stated, “We're starting sixth, we're in a good spot and we'll see what happens in the race."

Just outside of the Firestone Fast Six, Graham Rahal drives a Chip Ganassi Racing #38 car to 7th on Saturday ahead of the #14 car piloted by Mike Conway. In 9th, rookie Josef Newgarden will again get a chance to start in the top-10 of an IZOD INDYCAR Series race for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing making it his third time in four events this season. Rookie contender and series standout following the near-win in Long Beach Simon Pagenaud starts the race deep in 17th spot.

Despite a feisty field of Brazilian drivers in the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the Saturday qualifying session ended on a bit of a down note for the drivers running in their home country. 12th fastest on track during time trials, Tony Kanaan was the fastest of the Brazilian contingent who starts just ahead of former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello. Sunday’s 75-lap race will be Barrichello first IZOD INDYCAR start in front of his hometown crowd. For Team Penske, Helio Castroneves starts 20th ahead of fellow Brazilian Ana Beatriz who will be starting his first race as a fifth Andretti Autosport car.

The 74 laps on the Sao Paulo start course is set for noon Eastern time with a probability that rain and thunderstorms could affect the Brazilian race for a third year in a row.


2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300
Qualifying Results


Pos # Car # Driver Nationality Race Team Engine






1 12 Will Power Australia Team Penske Chevrolet
2 10 Dario Franchitti Scotland Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3 9 Scott Dixon New Zealand Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4 27 James Hinchcliffe Canada Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
5 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay United States Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
6 18 Justin Wilson England Dale Coyne Racing Honda
7 38 Graham Rahal United States Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
8 14 Mike Conway England AJ Foyt Enterprises Honda
9 67 Josef Newgarden United States Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda
10 2 Ryan Briscoe Australia Team Penske Chevrolet
11 26 Marco Andretti United States Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
12 11 Tony Kanaan Brazil KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
13 8 Rubens Barrichello Brazil KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
14 5 EJ Viso Venezuela KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
15 4 JR Hildebrand United States Panther Racing Chevrolet
16 83 Charlie Kimball United States Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
17 77 Simon Pagenaud France Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports Honda
18 19 James Jakes England Dale Coyne Racing Honda
19 7 Sebastien Bourdais France Lotus-Dragon Racing Lotus
20 3 Helio Castroneves Brazil Team Penske Chevrolet
21 25 Ana Beatriz Brazil Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
22 20 Ed Carpenter United States Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
23 78 Simona de Silvestro Switzerland Lotus-HVM Racing Lotus
24 22 Oriol Servia Spain Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Lotus
25 6 Katherine Legge England Lotus-Dragon Racing Lotus
26 15 Takuma Sato Japan Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda


Katherine Legge and Takuma Sato will be assessed 10-grid position penalty for unapproved engine changes. 

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Mark Martin Takes Pole for Richmond Sprint Cup Race

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

Coming off two races on 1.5-mile ovals, the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are steered towards the 3/4-mile Richmond International Raceway for the Capital City 400. Recent NASCAR Sprint Cup series races on at Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway received less than enthusiastic fanfare afterwards based on what many said were dull events. A racetrack that has for years won the approval of stock car competitors and fans as a model for short-track racing, the Richmond International Raceway's Saturday night event is seen as a great chance to see a much-needed, action-filled 400-lap race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

For the second time this season, part-time Sprint Cup competitor Mark Martin placed the #55 Aarons Toyota on the pole position. Lapping the 3/4-mile short track in 21.040 seconds at a speed of 128.327 miles per hour, Martin edged the #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of Carl Edwards with a slim 0.006-second advantage. Mark Martin's pole position highlights the suspreme dominance of Toyota Camrys in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway. In the past 6 races held at the short track, Toyota entries won 5 of the events. However, every win by Toyota occurred with the Joe Gibbs Racing team in victory lane. Showing some outstanding pace this season, the three-car Michael Waltrip Racing team is currently the most united in front-running Performance. With Mark Martin on the pole, Martin Truex Jr starting in 8th place and #15 car of Clint Bowyer (a previous winner at Richmond) lined up 23rd, the chances of seeing a Michael Waltrip Racing victory this season may occur sooner rather than later.

Behind Carl Edwards, last summer's race winner Kevin Harvick starts 3rd alongside the #22 car of AJ Allmendinger. The previously mentioned Joe Gibbs Racing squad placed well after qualifying with Kyle Busch in 5th, Danny Hamlin 7th and Joey Logano 18th.

Still clawing for what will be a popular 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports, three of the four teams are starting in the top-10. Leading the Chevrolet-powered Hencrick Motorsports team is Jeff Gordon in 6th place. In order, Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance car and Dale Earnhardt Jr National Guard Chevy fill the fifth row of the Capital City 400. Mustering a 27th fastest run, Jimmie Johnson encountered trouble in qualifying resulting in his #48 Chevrolet being the slowest car of the Hendrick Motorsports group. Hendrick Motorsports has won ten times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond.

The 400-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup race is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM Eastern time.




2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Capital City 400
Richmond International Raceway


Pos # Car # Driver Sponsor/ Car Make




1 55 Mark Martin Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
2 99 Carl Edwards Ford Eco-Boost Ford
3 29 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John's Chevrolet
4 22 AJ Allmendinger Shell Pennzoil Dodge
5 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Brown Toyota
6 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
7 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
8 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Brakes Toyota
9 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
10 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet
11 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes Ford
12 39 Ryan Newman Army Reserve Chevrolet
13 51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet
14 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
15 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing / Farm American
16 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
17 36 Dave Blaney SealWrap.com Chevrolet
18 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
19 47 Bobby Labonte Bush's Beans Toyota
20 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
21 83 Landon Cassill Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
22 14 Tony Stewart MOBIL 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet
23 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota
24 17 Matt Kenseth Ford EcoBoost Ford
25 98 Michael McDowell Curb Records Ford
26 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford
27 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
28 16 Greg Biffle 3M / GKAS Ford
29 93 Travis Kvapil Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
30 31 Jeff Burton BB&T Chevrolet
31 27 Paul Menard Menards / NIBCO Chevrolet
32 26 Josh Wise Morristown Drivers Service Ford
33 10 David Reutimann Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
34 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota
35 87 Joe Nemechek AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
36 95 Scott Speed TWD Drywall Ford
37 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
38 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford
39 19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota
40 33 Stephen Leicht LittleJoesAutos.com / Link-Belt Chevrolet
41 38 David Gilliland Long John Silver's Ford
42 32 Reed Sorenson FAS Lane Racing Ford
43 74 Cole Whitt Turn One Racing Chevrolet


Chevy Power and Will Power Overcome Penalty to Win Long Beach GP



Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA



The anticipated third round on the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series tour, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of the oldest and most prestigious open wheel street races in the United States.

The 1.968-mile race course has historically been known as a race where passing was a premium. Entering the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Chevrolet teams received a major setback what could be one of the least ideal circuit to suffer in qualifying. Engine issues spotted during testing at Infineon Raceway left engine supplier Chevrolet with no other choice but to order their 11 teams to start the IZOD INDYCAR event with new powerplants. With each Chevrolet runner receiving a 10-grid position penalty, the impact of the numerous IZOD INDYCAR teams changing engines made for a confusing ordeal for where qualifying results and the race’s starting line-up was drastically shuffled. Falling behind qualifying winner Ryan Briscoe who was ushered to 11th place in his Chevrolet-powered #2 Penske Racing for the start of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Chevrolet entries were faced with mid-to-rear grid positions ahead of Sunday’s 85-lap event. As the green flag was ready to fall on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, it would be a big story if Chevrolet teams would be able to charge back to the front.

Thanks to the penalties issued to the top Chevrolet-powered Dallara race cars, 4th fastest in qualifying Dario Franchitti would lead the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR with a Honda engine for the first time. Alongside Franchitti’s #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing vehicle, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing’s IZOD INDYCAR Series rookie driver Josef Newgarden saw his 7th place qualifying result parlayed into a front-row start. When the green flag dropped on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the race’s first caution flew on the opening lap with an incident between the front-row starters. As the #10 of Dario Franchitti and the #67 of Josef Newgarden raced into the first corner, the battle ended with Newgarden in the tire barriers of turn one. The first retirement of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights champion Josef Newgarden and the #67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car left the event early.


Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

When the field was sent back to green on lap 4, the #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car of Dario Franchitti found himself under attack from the Dale Coyne Racing #18 car. Piloted by Justin Wilson, the #18 Dallara-Honda took the lead away from Franchitti on turn 1 for lap 5. At the front, Wilson built up an incredible lead early in the IZOD INDYCAR event gaining a 5 second interval on second-place by lap 12.

While Justin Wilson led in what it considered one of the lower-funded race efforts in the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series paddock, the #10 car fielded by the wealthier Chip Ganassi suffered a fall down the running order. On lap 10, Simon Pagenaud took second-place in the race from the #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing entry while Takuma Sato and Franchitti’s teammate Scott Dixon would find their way past the pole-starting machine.


Photo Credit: American Honda Motor Company/ c)2012 Dan R. Boyd LAT Photo USA



The field was slowed again as full-course yellow flew on lap 20 for #7 car of Sebastien Bourdais stopped in turn nine. A quick caution that concluded with the Lotus Dragon Racing entry of Bourdais restarting, some of the leaders decided to use the caution to stop for pit service. With Justin Wilson and Simon Pagenaud pitting, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team decided to keep their #15 car and driver Takuma Sato out to lead back to green. Taking green for lap 22, the field would be led into the race’s final caution containing a series of incidents spanning from unfortunate to outright bizarre.

Immediately on the restart, the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport car piloted by Alex Tagliani received contact from the #5 KV Racing Technology machine of EJ Viso on the Long Beach street course’s frontstretch. “Obviously being in the back like that, as soon as it goes green I just jumped on the inside and passed Viso inside the hairpin, and coming on to the front straight away he just pushed me in to the wall.” said Tagliani after the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach as a difficult 2012 season is plaguing the French-Canadian racer. While the #5 car driver described the move by the #98 as “a very dangerous move”, Viso was assessed a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact from INDYCAR Race Control. Viso finished the race 12th while the #98 Lotus-powered entry would only continue past the halfway point to the event.

However, less than a minute after the Tagliani/Viso incident, the most dramatic incident of the Toyota Grand of Long Beach (and the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series so far) occurred when two drivers from open wheel racing’s most popular families collided. In turn 8, the #26 car of Marco Andretti drove up and made contact with the #38 Chip Ganassi Racing-owned race car driven by Graham Rahal. The nature of the rear end contact sent the #26 Andretti Autosport car into the air crashing back on the race course. The end of the race for both drivers who left the accident unhurt, there were opposing viewpoints on where the fault should have been placed after the crash. Graham Rahal said the #26 car had made an overly ambitious dive into the corner while Marco Andretti said the #38 car was blocking.

While the full-course yellow was displayed, safety crew also retrieved two stalled race cars on course. The first one being the #6 vehicle of Katherine legge that stopped on turn 9 following the Andretti/Rahal collision. In the second incident, the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing came to a sudden stop on lap 27. For what was said to be a mechanical problem to his Dallara-Honda, Scott Dixon’s two second-place finishes starting off the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series season resulted in a retirement for the third event. The 2012 Long Beach race was Dixon’s first official did not finish in competition since the 2010 Honda Indy of Toronto.

Restarted on lap 30, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was set up as a pit and fuel strategy event. While Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ryan Briscoe would place Chevrolet-engined vehicles at the top spot of the IZOD INDYCAR street race by the end of the race’s third caution, two Honda Racing Development runners gave some optimism to the single-turbocharged engine’s cause. After leading ahead of the race’s final caution, the #15 car of Takuma Sato spent an extra 8-lap stint in the lead of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach before sailing into the pits on lap 55. Leading for a race-high 26 laps, Simon Pagenaud, driving the #77 Sam Schmidt Racing car, continues to make his 2012 rookie season a strong effort out of the gate. Pagenaud led the IZOD INDYCAR Series race until limited fuel required the driver to pit turning the first-place position over to Penske Racing’s Will Power.


Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA



Starting the race in 12th spot, Power captured the lead on lap 71 for the first time of the event. As Simon Pagenaud was able to catch the #12 Penske Racing car while Power was told to save fuel, Power held off the aggressive attack of the #77 to win his second IZOD INDYCAR race of 2012 by a tight 0.8675 seconds. "It's a great day for the Verizon Team Penske Chevy. We really didn't think it was possible to win from 12th place here because it was a two-stop race, but once again with (strategist) Tim (Cindric), Dave (Faustino), my engineer, and all the boys we overcame a 10-spot penalty." Said Will Power in post-race interview. Previously winning the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2008, the circumstance for that event saw Power winning an INDYCAR event that was also the final race under the Champ Car organization.

With Simon Pagenaud taking a second-place finish at Long Beach, the Frenchman’s first full season of IZOD INDYCAR action has resulted in three top-6 placing in three races. Taking the final podium position behind Pagenaud, last year’s IZOD INDYCAR Series Rookie of the Year James Hinchcliffe scored his highest career race result. Starting from 16th spot, Hinchcliffe declared, “It was certainly exciting from where I was. I hope it was exciting for you guys in the stands, and thanks to all the fans that come out to the race because this is just one of the best events we go to all year bar none.”

Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technology charged from 19th place in his Chevrolet-engined Dallara while JR Hildebrand brought Panther Racing their first top-5 result of 2012. Despite no Chevrolets starting in the top-10 spots of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, seven of the Dallara DW12 race cars in the top-10 after 85 laps were powered by Chevy engines.

The next race for the IZOD INDYCAR Series is a visit to Sao Paulo, Brazil scheduled for April 28th.


2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Race Results


Pos # Car # Driver Nationality Race Team Engine






1 12 Will Power Australia Team Penske Chevrolet
2 77 Simon Pagenaud France Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports Honda
3 27 James Hinchcliffe Canada Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
4 11 Tony Kanaan Brazil KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
5 4 JR Hildebrand United States Panther Racing Chevrolet
6 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay United States Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
7 2 Ryan Briscoe Australia Team Penske Chevrolet
8 15 Takuma Sato Japan Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
9 8 Rubens Barrichello Brazil KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
10 18 Justin Wilson England Dale Coyne Racing Honda
11 19 James Jakes England Dale Coyne Racing Honda
12 5 EJ Viso Venezuela KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
13 3 Helio Castroneves Brazil Team Penske Chevrolet
14 20 Ed Carpenter United States Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
15 10 Dario Franchitti Scotland Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
16 22 Oriol Servia Spain Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Lotus
17 7 Sebastien Bourdais France Lotus-Dragon Racing Lotus
18 83 Charlie Kimball United States Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
19 6 Katherine Legge England Lotus-Dragon Racing Lotus
20 78 Simona de Silvestro Switzerland Lotus-HVM Racing Lotus
21 98 Alex Tagliani Canada Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Lotus
22 14 Mike Conway England AJ Foyt Enterprises Honda
23 9 Scott Dixon New Zealand Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
24 38 Graham Rahal United States Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
25 26 Marco Andretti United States Andretti Autosport Chevrolet
26 67 Josef Newgarden United States Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda