Kanaan Hits Jackpot with INDYCAR Finale Pole; Power and Franchitti Starts Mid-Pack

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

 

After 16 races, the series finale for the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series takes place on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Staging the IZOD INDYCAR World Championship Presented by Honda, North America's top open wheel racing tour presents the largest entry list since the Indianapolis 500 in may with 34 cars ready to race Sunday's 200-lap event. Friday's qualifying on the 1.5-mile oval meant a lot for many drivers and teams wanting to make this last race of the season count.

The driver scoring the top qualifying run for the IZOD INDYCAR World Championship Presented by Honda was the #82 car of Tony Kanaan. Lapping the Las Vegas race track in a two-lap average speed of 222.078 miles per hour, the Lotus/KV Racing Technology car earns his first pole position of the year (however, he did start at the front via a qualifying draw during the double race at Texas Motor Speedway).

Prior to the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series season, the 2003 champion Tony Kanaan was sent for a loop when a planned drive with de Ferran/Dragon Racing was derailed due to lack of team finances. In a late deal, Lotus/KV Racing Technology give the popular Brazilian a ride driving the #82 machine. Seen initially as a puzzling move for Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology's 2010 season performance was mixed at best. Spending most of the season repairing their dwindling supply of Dallara chassis the previous year, Lotus/KV Racing Technology and Tony Kanaan surged to redemption in the first IZOD INDYCAR race of the season at St Petersburg with a 3rd place finish. The rest of the season has shown some great potential from the #82 car.

Only 17/100th of a second slower than Kanaan's time in qualifiying is Oriol Servia. Earning a front row start, Servia himself was a last-minute entrant to the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR race season announcing sponsorship just in time for the first event with his Newman/Haas Racing team.

Starting third, recent surprise race winner of Kentucky Ed Carpenter drives what is likely the last race with the #67 Sarah Fisher Racing team (at least with Dollar General sponsorship). Recently displaced driver from his #77 car Alex Tagliani joins the field through a Sam Schmidt Racing associated Bryan Herta Autosport. Tagliani starts fourth in the #98 car that won this year's Indianapolis 500 with Dan Wheldon. Wheldon driving the #77 car will start 28th on Sunday.

Photo Credit: Bret Kelley

Filling the top-10 for the IZOD INDYCAR World Championship Presented by Honda at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is Ryan Briscoe, Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick and Mike Conway. All four Andretti Autosport cars start in the top-10 including Danica Patrick who will be making her final IZOD INDYCAR Series race start before becoming a permanent fixture in NASCAR in 2012. 

 

 

At the forefront of the series finale, the intense championship battle in the IZOD INDYCAR Series has 18 points separating contenders Dario Franchitti and Will Power. In qualifying for the IZOD INDYCAR World Championship Presented by Honda, the complexion of the 2011 driver championship fight grows more interesting as the Power's #12 Penske Racing and Franchitti's #10 Target/Chip Ganassi car start in the middle of the field Sunday. Recording 2-lap qualifying efforts just under 8/100ths of a second apart, Power took a one grid position advantage at Las Vegas to start 17th. A repeat championship match-up between the two drivers, Dario Franchitti (starting 18th at the Las Vegas race) prevailed at Homestead in 2010.

 

 

While Will Power and Dario Franchitti will be starting close in the final race settling the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR championship, a similar situation is transpiring for the tight Rookie of the Year fight. Canadian driver for Newman/Haas Racing James Hinchcliffe qualifying 14th holds a slim rookie points advantage on Panther Racing's JR Hildebrand.

 

A race concluding the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series season, the 200-lap event at Las Vegas is set for 3PM Eastern time.

 

 

2011 IZOD INDYCAR
IZOD INDYCAR World Championship Presented by Honda
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Starting Lineup

 

1. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
2. 2 Oriol Servia/Spain/ Newman/Haas Racing
3. 67 Ed Carpenter/ United States/ Sarah Fisher Racing
4. 98 Alex Tagliani/ Canada/ Bryan Herta Autosport
5. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
6. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
7. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/Andretti Autosport
8. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
9. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
10. 27 Mike Conway/England/Andretti Autosport
11. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
12. 17 Wade Cunningham/New Zealand/ Sam Schmidt Motorsports
13. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
14. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
15. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
16. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
17. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
18. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
19. 34 Sebastian Saavedra/ Columbia/ Conquest Racing
20. 19 Alex Lloyd/England/Dale Coyne Racing
21. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
22. 22 Townsend Bell/ United States/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
23. 57 Tomas Scheckter/ South Africa/ Sarah Fisher Racing
24. 11 Davey Hamilton/ United States/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
25. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
26. 8 Paul Tracy/Canada/Dragon Racing
27. 15 Jay Howard/ England/ Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
28. Wheldon/England/ Sam Schmidt Motorsports
29. 30 Pippa Mann/ England/ Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
30. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
31. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing
32. 59 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
33. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
34. 44 Buddy Rice/United States/Panther Racing

Teams File Official Protests with INDYCAR New Hampshire Race Results

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

The IZOD INDYCAR Series' return to the 1.02 New Hampshire Motor Speedway oval succeeded in producing a memorable event. After 115 laps, the MoveThatBlock.com 225 race ended with the #28 Andretti Autosport car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay presiding in victory lane. However, as the Florida native celebrated his first win since the 2010 Long Beach event, the result was marred by a subjective ruling by the IZOD INDYCAR Series race control.

Attempting to end the race with one final green flag run for the MoveThatBlock.com 225, damp weather conditions caused many drivers a sense of distress. Several competitors such as Will Power and James Hinchcliffe were livid in the cockpit as droplets of water were filling their visors and coating the New Hampshire Motor Speedway pavement. Against the wishes of what would be revealed to be many open wheel drivers, the green flag flew on lap 215. As Firestone racing slick tires struggle for grip, race drivers were brought to mercy of the very little traction remaining on the surface. Immediately on this double-file restart, the #7 car of Danica Patrick spun out of turn 4 coming to green collecting Takuma Sato's #5 KV Racing Technology vehicle as well as the #12 of championship contender Will Power. For some, the driver's anger was summed up in the actions of an infuriated Power. Jumping out of his Verizon Penske Racing Dallara, the Australian driver displayed obscenities with both hands directed towards INDYCAR Race Control.     

With those wrecked vehicles demoted in positions on the unsuccessful restart, the lead of the race was claimed by Newman/Haas Racing driver Oriol Servia. Appearing as if the Newman/Haas driver would take the New Hampshire victory, INDYCAR effectively cancelled the existence of the race's final 10 laps and the chaotic restart. The reset returned Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay to the top of the race lineup for lap 215. Throwing a red flag on the field following the last restart, INDYCAR chose to immediately call the race 10 laps ahead of the 225-lap distance. Slapping a tentative tag on the race results, the New Hampshire event ended with some teams and drivers instantly expressing their displeasure for INDYCAR's decision to revert the field back to their positions prior to the restart crash.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Newman/Haas Racing filed official protests against the race results of the MoveThatBlock.com INDY 225 within 30 minutes since the checkered flag fell on the controversial finish. Disputing that the race result ruling goes contrary to series rules, both teams had significant gains on the final restart deleted. For Newman/Haas Racing, their #2 car was guided to a certain victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway through Oriol Servia's jump position in the lead ahead of the red flag. Through the reverted finishing order which is currently unofficial, Servia comes 2nd in the event with teammate James Hinchcliffe taking 4th.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing had a difficult MoveThatBlock.com 225 even as the #9 car of Scott Dixon claimed a 3rd place finish. The major heartbreak for the team resulted with their #10 car retired on lap 118 after a collision with Takuma Sato on a race restart. The #10 car driven by Dario Franchitti suffered a rare DNF result and opened the door for the driver championship rival Will Power to gain significantly on the day. Running 5th on the final restart, that championship challenger Power was along those caught in the frontstretch wreck greatly erasing the potential points gain on Franchitti. Able to hold on to a top-5 finish, Will Power close 15 points on Dario Franchitti in the overall 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series championship.

Scheduled to take place during last week (August 22-26), a hearing will be assembled byINDYCAR president of competition and operations Brian Barnhart. Criticized for his role in Race Control Sunday for electing to green flag the field for the notorious restart, Barnhart emphasizes the hearing will involve a panel of selected individuals. "Given my role in Race Control, I feel that it is in everyone's best interest to have an independent panel hear the protests. I believe a panel will help maintain a fair hearing." said Barnhart. Hearing panel judges have not been chosen by this name but should be decided soon.

Although Andretti Autosport was not part of the official protest (despite losing a vehicle on the poorly-conceived restart), the #28 team representatives will be present at the upcoming hearing. The Andretti Autosport #28 team's victory grants the organization interest in the overall outcome of the official INDYCAR ruling for the New Hampshire Motor Speedway event.

Intent to overturn the current result of the New Hampshire Motor Speedway event, Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Newman/Haas Racing are likely to be fighting an uphill battle. In the current series' 15-year history, a race victory has never been altered through post-race hearings.