Dan Wheldon ... Championship Winning Driver, 2-Time Indy 500 Winner, Motorsports Color Commentator, Ambassador to American Open Wheel Racing

Dan Wheldon when he was riding his wave of popularity at the beginning of the 2006 season (photo of 2006 Indy Downforce fan club promo, with signature - similar to the 2003 trade show handout). The previous year he had won the Indy 5oo and the 2005 IndyCar Series Championship over Tony Kanaan, Sam Hornish, Jr., Dario Franchitti, and Scott Sharp. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)


Dan Wheldon ... Championship Winning Driver, 2-Time Indy 500 Winner, Motorsports Color Commentator, Ambassador to American Open Wheel Racing

There was a time, not long ago, that Dan Wheldon was just like any other aspiring driver with some talent, lucky to be associated with a young, but experienced racing team, stood in an exhibition hall, next to a nicely painted Jim Beam logoed car, to sign autographs on images of himself standing next to a race car printed on light cardboard. This image of Dan Wheldon happened at a trade show in Las Vegas a few years back (2003) before he became the championship winning driver, 2-time Indy 500 winner, motorsports color commentator, and ambassador to American open wheel racing Dan Weldon people have become familiar with over the last half decade or so.

Dan was working a promotional appearance at the Las Vegas Convention Center highlighting the fact that he had just became a member of the Andretti Green Racing organization (replacing Michael Andretti as a driver) in the Indianapolis Racing League (now named IndyCar Series) and there he stood next to his Jim Beam Special Dallara happy to meet and greet people as he shook hands and handed out signed promotional printed images of himself in a similar pose. Being a race car driver isn't all "rockstar" glory ... it requires a lot of hard work.

This year has seen a growth in the stature of the gentle, and unassuming British character (the public, promotional persona), who has not only won the 2011 Greatest Spectacle in Racing, but has taken to working races behind the microphone.

Last weekend, the IndyCar Series (ICS) visited the cornfields of Iowa to run the 9th race in a 18 race season. The Iowa Corn 250 is run on a very tight, banked turn, .875-mile oval that, at race speed, takes only about 19 seconds to lap, and through this very fast lap action, Dan Wheldon proved himself as capable an announcer as he is an accomplished driver.

To those who watched the broadcast, carried by VERSUS cable channel for a unique Saturday night-time presentation, Dan Wheldon embraced the fast paced, event-filled three hours as if he'd been doing this microphone stuff for years. The broadcast pre-race featured a Formula 1 style pit lane interview walk with famed auto-writer Robin Miller and Dan, each taking a row of the two-row staging of the cars along pit lane. On the broadcast, first Robin, and then Dan (back and forth) would walk up to drivers, car owners, and engineers and create a quick one or two question interview that proved to be extremely entertaining. It's always fun to be able to catch a Ganassi or Penske off guard, especially since they rarely ever are, but this was the feel and pace of the segment - fairly smooth and spontaneous. Dan was really in the commentator zone when he was interviewing Dario Franchitti, when he said "This is my job" ... Dario graciously retorted "Oh no its not. Ahhh, you know where your job is ... [on the track]!" It makes one ask, just who was caught off-guard now?

During the race, however, is where Dan Wheldon really shined. Even though the cars were going around the oval at under 19 seconds a lap, Dan had the uncanny knack of having the broadcast presence of almost slowing down the action at moments so that the viewer felt as though they were in the cockpit and had the control of the car while it circled the track. The action did not slow down on the screen, Dan did not talk slowly, but the explanation and engagement with the viewing audience in Dan's style, translated itself to a kinda' audio slower (not slow) motion.

Forces have a funny way of working their way into situations. The fact that Dan Wheldon isn't driving for another ICS season championship in 2011 is a tragedy and all American open wheel racing fans see this. Until this situation is rectified, the same American open wheel racing fans may at least be able to have more color commentary from Dan Wheldon in future ICS races this season.

... notes from The EDJE

(Article first published as Dan Wheldon ... Championship Winning Driver, 2-Time Indy 500 Winner, Motorsports Color Commentator, Ambassador to American Open Wheel Racing on Technorati)

IndyCar: On The 10th Day, 10th Month ... #10 Car Wins It All

Dario Franchitti on the stage with the 2009 IndyCar Series championship trophy. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

IndyCar: On The 10th Day, 10th Month ... #10 Car Wins It All

After securing the pole position for the Firestone Indy 300, Dario Franchitti wins his second overall championship in the IndyCar Series (ICS) in the Indy Racing League's final race of the 2009 season at Homestead-Maimi Speedway.

In a race that turned out to be the first caution-free race in IndyCar Series history leading to the second-fastest in IndyCar history resulted into an oxymoron, of sorts ... a win result due to excellent fuel management by the Tatget Chip Ganassi team and it's driver Dario Franchitti who entered the race third in the points behind Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske) and Target teammate Scott Dixon.

Eventual 2009 ICS Rookie-Of-The-Year, Raphael Matos (Luzco Dragon Racing), sits on the wall before first practice session at Homestead-Maimi Speedway. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

This excerpted and edited from Autosport.com -

Franchitti surprised to win 2009 title
By Matt Beer - Autosport.com, Sunday, October 11th 2009, 11:23 GMT

Dario Franchitti said he never expected to come straight back in and win the 2009 championship when he agreed to return to the IndyCar Series this year.

The Scot had left the championship for NASCAR after winning the 2007 title, but when Ganassi had to close Franchitti's Sprint Cup operation due to a lack of finance, he accepted an invitation to switch to the team's IndyCar arm instead.

Last night at Homestead Franchitti clinched his second championship by winning a three-way fight with his team-mate Scott Dixon and Penske's Ryan Briscoe, who he beat to victory in the deciding race by stretching his fuel mileage to avoid a fourth stop while his rivals battled flat-out and had to pit again late on.

"I didn't think I'd win five races and a championship in my first year back," said Franchitti. "I knew driving for team Target [Ganassi], I'd have good equipment, just a question of could I get back into it and compete at a level that I had already.

"Scott is a better driver than he was in '07, and Ryan came in [at the front] every single week, as well as other people who made appearances and won races, but it just seemed that Scott and Ryan every week were tough competition.

"From winning in the second race at Long Beach, I knew we could get it done."

He said the second title was more satisfying than the first as there had still been separate Champ Car and IndyCar championships in 2007.

"In '07 there was a lot of satisfaction in getting that one done," said Franchitti. "I think what makes it sweeter [in '09] is we've got everybody together, and you've got a more balanced schedule, as well.
----
He added that he was now thoroughly settled in the IndyCar Series, but still thinks he gained from his abortive NASCAR move.
----
"I learned things as a driver. To drive in stock car, I got out of my comfort zone, and I learned a lot of new things, and there are things that I can apply to IndyCar. That's made me a better driver, I think.

"I'm absolutely where I should be. I should be in IndyCars. That is what I grew up to do, race in the IndyCar Series."
Reference Here>>

It is common knowledge that racing drivers are a superstitious lot, and heading into the Firestone Indy 300 one number was particularly convergent for the 2009 ICS contender Dario Franchitti: He would be racing his No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Dallara Honda on Oct. 10th in search of Target Chip Ganassi’s 10th win of the season.

And in Miami, he performed to a Perfect 10.

Graham Rahal: Top 2009 season placing Transition Player (former CCWS team and/or driver) in the Indy Racing League

Overall ICS 2009 Championship Standings (** denotes a CCWS Transition Player)

Pos - Driver - Points
1. Dario Franchitti 616
2. Scott Dixon 605
3. Ryan Briscoe 604
4. Helio Castroneves 433
5. Danica Patrick 393
6. Tony Kanaan 386
7. Graham Rahal 385**
8. Marco Andretti 380
9. Justin Wilson 354**
10. Dan Wheldon 354
11. Hideki Mutoh 353
12. Ed Carpenter 321
13. Raphael Matos 312
14. Mario Moraes 304**
15. Ryan Hunter-Reay 98
16. Robert Doornbos 283**
17. Mike Conway 261
18. E.J. Viso 248**
19. Will Power 215**
20. Tomas Scheckter 195
21. Oriol Servia 115**
22. Alex Tagliani 114**
23. Paul Tracy 113**
24. Milka Duno 113
25. Sarah Fisher 89
26. Jaques Lazier 77
27. Richard Antinucci 63
28. Vitor Meira 62
29. Stanton Barrett 62
30. Alex Lloyd 41
31. Darren Manning 38
32. Townsend Bell 32**
33. A.J. Foyt IV 26
34. Scott Sharp 16
35. Nelson Philippe 16**
36. Kosuke Matsuura 13
37. John Andretti 12
38. Franck Montagny 12**
39. Roger Yasukawa 12
40. Davey Hamilton 10
(ht: Motorsport.com)

... notes from The EDJE

Sears Point INDY - Play By Play Via Tweet By Tweet

Pit lane and the grid at the start of the INDY Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point. Image Credit: Vision Racing

Sears Point INDY - Play By Play Via Tweet By Tweet

The Indy Grand Prix Sonoma represents the last road/street course on the IndyCar Series schedule for the 2009 season, so if any of the Transition Players (drivers and/or teams merged into the IRL from the ChampCar World Series in 2008) wish to make a mark in their specialty ... this is the place.

Nelson Philippe as he sits stalled on the track in his Conquest Dallara before EJ Viso (HVM) and Will Power (Penske Racing) crest the hill. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Unfortunately, the biggest star who transitioned from the ChampCar World Series last year got seriously hurt in a crash yesterday with Nelson Philippe after Nelson's car had stalled in the middle of the track just over a blind rise. Philippe was first brushed by EJ Viso, then "T-Boned" by Power (all three drivers are Transition Players). Without the accident, Transition Players would have fielded their largest contingent of drivers in the grid this year (save the INDY 500 with 10) with a total of 9 of 24 total cars.

The initial 24-car field is now down to 22 entrants as both Will Power (Penske) and Nelson Philippe (Conquest) have been sidelined by the practice accident that left them with broken vertebrae and a fractured leg respectively.

Will Power's Penske on the hook with Will Power, himself, on a stretcher with injuries inside the ambulance after his collision with the Conquest Dallara of Nelson Philippe. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Starting Grid (** denotes Transition Player)

Pos  Driver             Team                 Time
1.  Dario Franchitti   Ganassi              1m16.7987s
2.  Ryan Briscoe       Penske               1m16.8485s
3.  Helio Castroneves  Penske               1m16.8702s
4.  Marco Andretti     Andretti Green       1m17.0524s
5.  Hideki Mutoh       Andretti Green       1m17.2055s
6.  Graham Rahal       Newman/Haas/Lanigan  1m17.3885s**
7.  Tony Kanaan        Andretti Green       1m16.9900s
8.  Franck Montagny    Andretti Green       1m17.0840s**
9.  Mike Conway        Dreyer & Reinbold    1m17.0895s
10.  Scott Dixon        Ganassi              1m17.2247s
11.  Danica Patrick     Andretti Green       1m17.6145s
12.  Dan Wheldon        Panther              1m17.6782s
13.  EJ Viso            HVM                  1m17.9180s**
14.  Mario Moraes       KV                   1m17.4730s**
15.  Robert Doornbos    HVM                  1m18.1095s**
16.  Ryan Hunter-Reay   Foyt                 1m17.6401s
17.  Oriol Servia       Newman/Haas/Lanigan  1m18.1409s**
18.  Raphael Matos      Luczo Dragon         1m17.6552s
19.  Justin Wilson      Coyne                1m18.3353s**
20.  Richard Antinucci  3G                   1m17.7500s
21.  Ed Carpenter       Vision               1m18.2413s
22.  Milka Duno         Dreyer & Reinbold    1m23.6185s

Infineon Raceway - Located just 30 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the 1,600-acre facility serves as the gateway to the beautiful Sonoma Wine Country. Photo Image Credit: Infineon Raceway (2005)

This excerpted and edited from Twitter, IndyCar Live Timing & Scoring, and various digital resources -

VisionRacingRT @VersusIndyCar: The six on boards cameras are going to be Helio, Servia, Franchitti, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, and Justin Wilson #indycar

VisionRacing#IndyCar drivers are doing a lap @InfineonRaceway in a trolley car. No joke. Not letting them actually drive it though. That's a good thing.

MyNameIsIRLAs a former resident of The City I have to inform Robbie Floyd that those are not "trolleys". Those are "cable cars". Google it if you must.

14:38:41 GMT-0700 Lap 0: Drivers to their cars.

IndyCarSeriesThe Silent Pagoda*: The Pagoda Society’s Live Colloquium: Aye aye, Lindy. We’re a go. .. http://bit.ly/19JpMi

kvracingRace is about to start in 15 mins. Watch all 75laps live on Versus.

pressdogJon keeps saying "passing zone" in connection to this track. Drug tests may be in order.

kvracinghttp://twitpic.com/f1f33 - Moraes talking to Jack Arute from Versus before the race

VisionRacingNew photos from the weekend up at www.facebook.com/visionracing.

pressdogLive timing and scoring. Recliner. HD wonder. Anchor Liberty Ale. Twitter stream. Maxoderm commercials. Let's light this candle.

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN!

kvracingGreen flag racing here at Sonoma. Dixon spun on turn 2 and caused all the cars behind to via off into dirt to avoid

Full Course YELLOW!

Major crash on turn #2 started with Graham Rahal ... everyone checks up and many cars collect each other. EJ Viso flys over Tony Kanaan.

kvracingMoraes had to avoid accident by running off into dirt but no damage to car

14:55:03 GMT-0700 Lap 1: Danica Patrick may have some suspension damage.

luczodragonCrazy crash at start, we move up 6 spots to 12, as it collected several cars. Could get more when they open pits

TeamIndyChatExciting beginning to the race. Looks like a demolition derby @InfineonRaceway #IndyCar

14:58:36 GMT-0700 Lap 3: Tony Kanaan is getting a new nose cone.

PlanetIrldotcomI blame @paultracy3 for that ;)

MyNameIsIRLAs messed up as that start was, there was some amazing driving buy Servia and Hunter-Reay. Just noting that in case we don't see them again.

Pat Caporali- Media & Public Relations Director, Tweeting - "Nice of them to put a big screen in view of our pit." Image Credit: Vision Racing (2009)

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN!

Franchitti takes the lead with a pair of Penske's behind him, Briscoe, Castroneves, Mutoh, Weldon, and Doornbos round out the top six.

MyNameIsIRL5 laps in and Milka is in 14th. Shoulda picked her int the TrackSide Online fantasy league.

luczodragonDixon was in middle of the opening lap wreck. Some big names impacteð

Justin Wilson ducks into the pits and employs an alternate strategy ... takes on REDS.

FuriousWedgeput a camera on Wilson please he's devouring the field!

VisionRacingCrAZY start to #Indycar race. Ed drove smart and is now P11!

15:05:49 GMT-0700 Lap 8: Dario Franchitti is maintaing a nice lead, but Briscoe isn't letting him get away yet.

Transition Players EJ Viso (HVM), Graham Rahal (NHLR), and Frank Montagny (AGR) are currently shown as being out of competition - AGR is working top place Frank's car back into the race.

VisionRacingNice of them to put a big screen in view of our pit. http://flic.kr/p/6SeK33

IndyCarNationSome specifics for everyone...The race is 75 laps/175 miles..,The overtake assist button may be used 15 times for a duration of 15 seconds

pressdoglock step in this race is like a glacier ... you cannot stop it from showing up.

IndyCarPRLap 10: #10 Franchitti leads #6 Briscoe by .6896 of a second.

15:12:14 GMT-0700 Lap 13: Mario Moraes got by Dan Wheldon for P5.

Ryan Hunter-Reay is tight on Bobby-D's #33 NHLR machine.

VisionRacing#indycar race is 75 laps/175 miles under beautiful blue skies. Overtake assist (push to pass) button will work 15x for 15 seconds each.

MyNameIsIRLRT @HVMracing: "13 car cannot be repaired in time to return to the race." Who else wants EJ to grab a snake and terrorize Arute some more?

indy44Why can't the others drive smart like Wheldon,too many Banzai moves lately

IndyCar101Looks like Briscoe is closing the gap on Franchitti.

15:15:22 GMT-0700 Lap 15: Dario Franchitti is looking good in the lead, but Briscoe is hanging close.

VisionRacingAlmost just like watching at home. http://flic.kr/p/6SeVq7

Of the eight cars that were involved in the first lap crash ... only Viso and Rahal are sidelined.

VisionRacingEd reports roll bar adjustment not making a difference. Team will try to help with tire pressure adjustments. Pitting in 5 laps.

Carpenter in the Vision pits on first stop - Stop complete...Go Ed, Go! Image Credit: Vision Racing (2009)

15:21:34 GMT-0700 Lap 20: Mario Moraes is looking strong as he slowly closes on Hideki Mutoh.

15:25:17 GMT-0700 Lap 22: Ryan Hunter-Reay is closing on Robert Doornbos.
END OF UPDATES

Normally, in this type of weblog posting activity, the entries from Twitter and other digital reference resources would continue to be read, reviewed for content, copied, then added to the Blogspot weblog account portal (... notes from The EDJE).

Unfortunately, this particular race was being written about, and information was being gathered, while traveling in a pristine, white '95 Ford F-250XLT, with a matching, form-fitting white shell, with passengers riding high above the traffic, from Coachella Valley to a conference on the economy and planning for the upcoming economic trend of Government induced inflation. The problem arose where the laptop (outfitted with a Verizon USB port cellphone technology internet access device) ran out of battery power and the realtime information gathering had to stop - "END OF UPDATES".

This weblog posting was a New Media experiment that was working beautifully until the power became depleted. Inside the extended cab of this Ford truck was a fully charged DieHard Portable Power 950 Jump-starter/DC and USB Power Source and that would have been useful, probably to the end of the race, and thus allowing the experiment to come to a successful completion ... IF we had a power inverter with a cigarette-lighter plug port for power, or had purchased the DieHard Portable Power 1150 instead.
DieHard Portable Power 1150 Jump-Starter/AC-DC Power Source - Emergency power at home or on the road! Portable Power's 1150 Peak Amps jump starts 12V vehicles and powers 12V DC lights, and other devices. Includes: Two 12 Volt DC power outlets to provide up to 50 hours of DC power for accessories and two, built-in lights. Inflate/deflate air mattresses, with the built-in air inflator/deflator. Pump up car tires and sports balls with built-in 150 PSI air compressor. Two AC outlets power up to 400 watts of household power for small electronic appliances/devices. With the use of the fast 1000mA wall charger, the internal circuitry recharges the internal 22Ah DieHard® AGM battery then switches to float-mode monitoring so full power is available when you need it! Includes battery cables, pressure gauge, hoses and adapters, male-to-male accessory plug, door for battery replacement. 5V USB port. Caption & Image Credit: SEARS

We, at The EDJE, are buying one of these bad puppies today! In the immortal words of Tim Allen, as he expressed his joy of power tools in the TV series, Home Improvement ... Arrr, Arrr, Arrrrrrrrrrrr!

This excerpted and edited from Motorsport.com -

Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) with Ryan Briscoe (Penske Racing) in tow at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point. Image Credit: autosport.com (2009)

Franchitti leads flag-to-flag for Sonoma win
By Tony DiZinno - Motorsport.com - Date: 2009-08-23

The points lead changed once again as Dario Franchitti led flag-to-flag from pole position en route to his fourth victory of the IndyCar Series season. The Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver avenged his prior struggles on the road courses and led home Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske in Sunday's race at Sonoma, Calif.'s Infineon Raceway.

"Track position was critical today," Franchitti said. "I did what I had to do to get out front. We stuck to our pit strategy. There were a couple hairy moments out there but this is critical and crucial for the championship."

Speaking of said championship chase between Franchitti, Briscoe, and Scott Dixon, Franchitti gained 13 points to within four markers of Briscoe for the series lead. If a coin had three sides it would be an appropriate description of this year's title chase, the championship lead changing hands for the 13th time in 14 races.

Briscoe, for his part, admitted frustration at his seventh runner-up finish of the season and said winning at least one of the final three races is crucial to capturing the crown.

"If we're going to win this championship, I'm going to have to win one of the last three," he said. "Dario got maximum points today, he's right there and Dixon stumbled. Coming in second gets old a little bit, but I know we're up there."

Dixon was a non-factor in today's race after a poor starting position and being involved in accidents at both the start and finish of the race. He was credited with a 13th-place finish.

From 12th on the grid Dixon was among those bottled up in a first lap fracas, and after recovering to eighth by the final lap he was punted by Marco Andretti and fell to 14th. He now drops 20 points behind Briscoe, third in the title chase. Andretti was penalized shortly after the checkered flag to behind Dixon for causing avoidable contact.

"We made a few passes on quite a few people, and he got into the back of me and spun me around," Dixon described the afternoon. "He came up after and apologized though, he said he didn't mean to do it. As far as our strategy, we tried to catch a yellow to vault up, but we ended up in the same position."
----
The chaos also vaulted a number of drivers with poor starting positions forward, chief among them the returning Mario Moraes of KV Racing, as well as Dan Wheldon, Mike Conway, Hideki Mutoh.
----
The British rookie restarted fifth but passed both the fading Mutoh and Moraes to get onto the podium. Conway eclipsed his personal best result of sixth set earlier this year at Watkins Glen to earn Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's first podium finish since Briscoe achieved the feat at "The Glen" in 2006.
----
For his part, Moraes was finally able to turn his blistering speed this season into a result. The best career finish for the 20-year-old Brazilian came after he missed Mid-Ohio because his father passed away. Moraes' previous best result was seventh at Watkins Glen last year, and his best this season was ninth at Milwaukee.
----
Mutoh completed the top five, tops in the Andretti Green Racing five-car camp. His fifth place was his second consecutive, as he also achieved the result last race at Mid-Ohio.

The rest of the top ten was Oriol Servia in his second start for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, Wilson, Kanaan, Matos and Robert Doornbos, in his second go this year for HVM Racing.

Wilson had an eventful race, starting 22nd and last in the field after a last-minute switch to start on Firestone's primary tire, the blacks. He had three sets of new alternates, the reds, available for use and worked them to his advantage. Passing cars on the notoriously difficult to pass circuit was Wilson's M.O. all day.

It almost didn't end as well as it did. Wilson dived down to Servia's inside at turn 11 only to lock up and spin out. He narrowly missed hitting Mutoh in the process, but he didn't stall and recovered as he lit up the tires.
----
Others of note -- Andretti came home 11th but was penalized for his role in the Dixon accident, Antinucci ran tantalizingly close to the top ten for the underfunded Curb/Agajanian Team 3G effort but finished 15th, and last car running was unsurprisingly Milka Duno in 17th, who added only to the race as a moving chicane, nothing more.

Montagny, making his IndyCar Series debut in the fifth AGR car, struggled despite an eighth place starting position. He collided with Antinucci at one point and that set him off the road with suspension damage.
----
Overall it was a landmark day for Franchitti. He ended a string of poor results, by his and the team's lofty standards, on permanent road courses. He hadn't finished better than third on such a circuit this season.

By leading all 75 laps, Franchitti accomplished the feat for the first time since his teammate Scott Dixon did in a rain-shortened, 206-lap race at Richmond in 2003. It is his 22nd win in his open-wheel (CART and IndyCar combined) career, tying him with Castroneves and Emerson Fittipaldi for 14th all-time.

Only the top four have a mathematical shot at the title but it is realistically three. There is no rest for the weary as the final stretch of ovals begins Saturday night at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. [September 19, 2009 at Motegi, Japan and the season finale on October 10, 2009 at Homestead, Florida]
Reference Here>>

Dario Franchitti capped a perfect weekend at Infineon Raceway on Sunday with a wire-to-wire victory in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), who qualified on the pole, took the lead at the drop of the green flag and never looked back to post his first-ever win at Infineon Raceway. It was the first wire-to-wire win in the IndyCar® Series since Richmond in 2003. Image Credit: Infineon Raceway (2009)

How they fared (** denotes Transition Player)

Pos  Driver             Team                      Time/Gap
1.  Dario Franchitti   Ganassi              1h49m23.0073s
2.  Ryan Briscoe       Penske                  +  0.2488s
3.  Mike Conway        Dreyer & Reinbold       +  0.8293s
4.  Mario Moraes       KV                      +  3.6171s**
5.  Hideki Mutoh       Andretti Green          +  5.4536s
6.  Oriol Servia       Newman/Haas/Lanigan     +  6.3801s**
7.  Justin Wilson      Coyne                   +  6.6997s**
8.  Tony Kanaan        Andretti Green          +  7.1808s
9.  Raphael Matos      Luczo Dragon            +  8.5936s
10.  Robert Doornbos    HVM                     + 10.8175s**
11.  Ed Carpenter       Vision                  + 11.3688s
12.  Dan Wheldon        Panther                 + 12.4000s
13.  Scott Dixon        Ganassi                 + 13.8968s
14.  Marco Andretti     Andretti Green          + 14.8978s
15.  Richard Antinucci  3G                      + 19.0650s
16.  Danica Patrick     Andretti Green          +    1 lap
17.  Milka Duno         Dreyer & Reinbold       +   4 laps

Retirements:

Helio Castroneves  Penske                  66 laps
Ryan Hunter-Reay   Foyt                    65 laps
Franck Montagny    Andretti Green          57 laps**
Graham Rahal       Newman/Haas/Lanigan     30 laps**
Ernesto Viso       HVM                     0 laps**

NOTE: Transition Players Will Power driving for Penske Racing and Nelson Philippe driving for Conquest Racing were not able to fill the grid due to injuries from a crash during the warm-up session on Saturday.

Photo Album From Infineon Raceway at Sears Point>>

... notes from The EDJE