Search results matching tag 'helio castroneves'

IndyCar Series To Announce 2010 Schedule; Texas 550k Set For June 10-12 At TMS

TMS Media Relations — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:31:00 GMT

Off Week Tradition Returns Between IndyCar Series’ Two Marquee Events, The Indianapolis 500 And Texas 550k, After Four-Year Absence

FORT WORTH, Texas (July 31, 2009) – The Indy Racing League will announce its 2010 IndyCar Series race schedule later today and the Texas 550k is slotted for June 10-12 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Texas 550k retains its traditional spot on the schedule – two weeks following the Indianapolis 500 – but will be a week later than this year’s June 6 race as a result of when the Memorial Day weekend falls in 2010.

The race also will regain a tradition as an off week will return between the Indy 500 and Texas 550k for 2010. When Texas Motor Speedway joined the IndyCar Series schedule in 1997, the IRL had positioned an off week between Indy and Texas for the first nine seasons. In 2006, the series slotted Watkins Glen between Indy and Texas and then opted for Milwaukee the past three years.

“I think having the IndyCar Series’ two marquee events follow each other again should ramp up the momentum and excitement for the second half of the season,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “Teams spend a long, grueling month at Indy in preparation for the biggest race in the world – the Indianapolis 500 – and it’s tough to go straight to another race a few days later.

“This will allow the Indy 500 winner plenty of time to bask in the spotlight for achieving one of the world’s greatest sporting accomplishments and then bring that spotlight to Texas and shine it on the sport’s second-biggest race here at ‘The Great American Speedway!’ And you won’t find a more exciting race than the Indy cars on the high banks under the lone star at night. We’re pleased our loyalty to the IRL has been rewarded.”

IndyCar Series star Helio Castroneves of Team Penske won both the Indy 500 and Texas 550k this season, and concurs with Gossage’s thoughts on the off week being beneficial.

“I think it's great to have a week off between the Indianapolis 500 and the next IndyCar Series event at Texas Motor Speedway,” said Castroneves, a three-time winner of the Indy 500 as well as at Texas. “This will not only give everyone a chance for a week of much-needed rest, but it will also allow more promotion of the Indy 500 winner. I think that with this situation, everyone wins.”

The tentative race week schedule will open with IndyCar Series practice Thursday, June 10, and be followed by practice and qualifying Friday, June 11, and the Texas 550k on Saturday, June 12. The Texas 550k – “America’s Original Nighttime IndyCar Series race” – will start at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT and be televised on VERSUS for the second consecutive year.

The 2010 event will mark the 14th consecutive year that Texas Motor Speedway has played host to an IndyCar Series race, dating to the opening of the speedway and second season of the IRL in 1997. Overall, this will be the 21st IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, which previously had hosted a fall event from 1998-2004.

The Texas 550k has been paired with a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event each year since 1997 and the WinStar World Casino 400 is anticipated to be part of the weekend when NASCAR announces its 2010 schedules in the coming weeks.

The Texas 550k IndyCar Series race will be part of the Texas Motor Speedway season-ticket package that also includes two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series events. Season ticket packages, starting as low as $279, will go on sale when the full 2010 TMS schedule is announced in the coming weeks. Individual tickets for the Texas 550k will become available on Nov. 11. For additional ticket information, please call (817) 215-8500.

Bombardier Learjet 550k Equals VERSUS’ Top-Rated IndyCar Series Race Broadcast This Season

TMS Media Relations — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:55:00 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas (June 10, 2009) – Saturday evening’s Bombardier Learjet 550k equaled the highest-rated IndyCar Series race telecast on VERSUS this season, according to the IndyCar Series. The .45 rating, which amounted to 340,000 households, for “America’s Original Nighttime Race” won by Helio Castroneves matched the rating of the Streets of Long Beach event on April 19.

The Bombardier Learjet 550k also was the most-watched race on VERSUS this season for three demographics (Men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54) despite competing directly against Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC and the NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Nashville on ESPN2.

Third Time's A Charm

TMS Media Relations — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:34:00 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas (June 9, 2009) – The number three has long been associated with IndyCar Series star Helio Castroneves, who drives the No. 3 entry for Team Penske. But this year, more than ever, the number has taken on a whole new meaning for the 34-year-old Brazilian driver.

In late May, he won his third Indianapolis 500 and this past Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway three was the magic number again. Castroneves earned his third win at the track, joining former teammate Sam Hornish Jr. as the only IndyCar Series drivers to record three wins. He also became the third driver to win both of the IndyCar Series’ two marquee events – the Indy 500 and Bombardier Learjet 550k – in the same season, joining Arie Luyendyk (1997) and Scott Dixon (2008).

“Right now, number three seems to be a great number for me,” Castroneves said. “It’s one of those things that you’ve been so long with one car and one team, the number basically becomes your identity. So I’m happy with the number three.”

Castroneves, who led 57 laps including the final 53, held off teammate Ryan Briscoe for a 1-2 Team Penske finish, the first 1-2 finish at Texas Motor Speedway for the organization. The dominant Briscoe, who led a race-high 160 of 228 laps, once held an 11-second lead, but on the final pit stop following a caution after an accident involving A.J. Foyt IV the Australian found himself behind his teammate coming out of the pits. He never could retake the lead.

Castroneves credited the win to his crew that has performed well this season, including a victory in the Indianapolis 500 Pit Stop Challenge last month.

“Those guys are incredible,” Castroneves said of his No. 3 Team Penske crew. “They won the pit stop competition in Indianapolis because they deserve it. This team is just incredible. Today it was the No. 3 group; they gave this victory to me.”

The win was the fifth for Roger Penske at TMS, tying him with John Barnes of Panther Racing for most career victories by an owner at “The Great American Speedway!”

Total Access Today - June 8

TMS Total Access — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:19:38 GMT

Helio Castroneves gets his third Texas win in the IndyCar Bombardier Learjet 550, and Tony Stewart gets his first points paying win as an owner/driver in Pocono

Castroneves Wins Bombardier Learjet 550k

TMS Media Relations — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:47:00 GMT

By Rick Herrin

Helio Castroneves ran to his crew members and jumped into their arms after the Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway.

Castoneves owed everything to his pit crew Saturday night as he raced to his second victory of the season and outlasted Team Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe before an estimated 90,000 fans. It marked Castroneves' third victory at TMS which moved him into a tie with Sam Hornish for the most wins by an IndyCar Series driver at the track.

"This team is just incredible," said Castroneves, who claimed his 16th career victory. "The car was loose, and there were some moment out there. But we figured out what to do and great pit stops the guys put me up front. In the end it was 50 laps and full throttle. It was the toughest 50 laps that I had to go through, but we held it together."

After the race, Castroneves did his customary climb along the frontstretch fence and earned his second victory of the season after winning the Indianapolis 500 on May 24. Castroneves also moved into fourth place in the points standings and Briscoe, while his night was disappointing, moved into the lead overtaking Scott Dixon. Despite missing the first race of the season because of his tax evasion trial, Castroneves has quickly climbed into contention in the points race.

"Obviously the last pit stop, those guys are incredible," Castroneves said. "My guys are good under pressure."

During a late pit stop among the leaders, Castoneves' laser-fast pit allowed him to leap ahead of Briscoe's dominant car and never surrendered the lead. The final caution, which came on Lap 173, led to Castroneves taking the lead for the final 53 laps. While it was a bitter second-place finish for Briscoe it did give Team Penske its first 1-2 finish at TMS and fifth victory in the last eight races in Fort Worth.

Dixon, the defending series champ who was last year's race winner, finished third and Marco Andretti was fourth. Pole sitter Dario Franchitti ended fifth and earned his fourth top-five finish this season. It was also nearly another top-five finish for Danica Patrick, who was 6th, but she was passed by late by her teammate Andretti.

After the race, Briscoe was frustrated by a caution for debris on Lap 150 which stripped him of his huge 10-second advantage. Then when he needed, Briscoe didn't have the power to catch Castroneves.

"I just couldn't pass Helio," Briscoe said. "The cars are just so evenly matched it just really hard to pass. I just couldn't get it done and it was pretty frustrating knowing unless something drastic that I didn't want happen to Helio I was going to come in second after dominating the race.

Pos	Driver	Car No	Difference	Gap	Laps	Pit Stops	Start Pos	Comment
1	Helio Castroneves	3	--.----	--.----	228	4	4
2	Ryan Briscoe	6	0.3904	0.3904	228	4	2
3	Scott Dixon	9	2.2461	1.8557	228	4	3
4	Marco Andretti	26	4.3745	2.1284	228	4	8
5	Dario Franchitti	10	4.7695	0.395	228	4	1
6	Danica Patrick	7	5.298	0.5285	228	4	5
7	Dan Wheldon	4	7.6203	2.3223	228	4	7
8	Tony Kanaan	11	8.5009	0.8806	228	4	16
9	Ed Carpenter	20	18.7088	10.2079	228	4	10
10	Mario Moraes	5	1 lap	1 lap	227	4	6
11	Robert Doornbos	06	3.517	3.5170	227	4	9
12	Raphael Matos	2	2 laps	1 lap	226	5	15
13	Tomas Scheckter	43	13.9353	13.9353	226	4	18
14	Alex Tagliani	34	3 laps	1 lap	225	4	13
15	Justin Wilson	18	3.2287	3.2287	225	5	17
16	Ryan Hunter-Reay	21	9.1798	5.9511	225	5	23
17	Sarah Fisher	67	6 laps	3 laps	222	5	14
18	Jaques Lazier	98	18 laps	12 laps	210	6	24
19	Mike Conway	24	43 laps	25 laps	185	5	19
20	AJ Foyt IV	14	58 laps	15 laps	170	3	22	Contact
21	Hideki Mutoh	27	75 laps	17 laps	153	4	11	Electrical
22	Graham Rahal	02	227 laps	152 laps	1	0	12	Contact
23	Milka Duno	23	227 laps	152 laps	1	0	20	Contact
24	EJ Viso	13	227 laps	152 laps	1	0	21	Contact

Bombardier Learjet 550k Practice

TMS Media Relations — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:38:23 GMT

FT. WORTH , TX - JUNE 04: Helio Castroneves drives his #3 Team Penske Dallara Honda during practice for the IRL IndyCar Series Bombardier Learjet 550k on June 4, 2009 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Bombardier Learjet 550k - Practice

TMS Media Relations — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:37:14 GMT

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 04: Helio Castroneves, drives the #3 Team Penske Dallara Honda, during practice for the IRL IndyCar Series Bombardier Learjet 550k on June 4, 2009 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Total Access Today - June 3

TMS Total Access — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:55:37 GMT

Helio Castroneves hopes to get his third Texas win in Saturday night's Bombardier Learjet 550

Helio 'Triple Play' Ticket Promotion For Bombardier Learjet 550k Sells Out In 23 Minutes

TMS Media Relations — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:38:00 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 28, 2009) – Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves has become a favorite among Texas Motor Speedway race fans who have been able to parlay his success into outstanding ticket bargains for the Bombardier Learjet 550k IndyCar Series race on June 6.

Following Wednesday’s announcement of the “Triple Play” ticket promotion by Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage, Castroneves encouraged fans to take advantage of the special and they took his advice.

The “Triple Play” ticket promotion, which featured 550 frontstretch tickets for the Bombardier Learjet 550k for just $3 – in honor of his third Indianapolis 500 victory and car number – went as fast as the Team Penske driver, lasting all of 23 minutes. The ticket promotion, only available by visiting or calling the TMS ticket office, began at 9 a.m. CT and were limited to four tickets per customer. By 9:23 a.m. all 550 tickets were sold.

“Helio has brought some great deals to our race fans and I know he will have a huge following next Saturday during the Bombardier Learjet 550k,” Gossage said. “It’s great to see the fans respond to this promotion as well as the previous one we did with Helio. It offers new fans the opportunity to get a taste of the exciting racing in the IndyCar Series at an unbelievable price.”

The “‘Triple Play’” ticket promotion comes on the heels of another ticket special with the two-time TMS winner. “Helio’s Blue Plate Special,” a promotion in which the price of the ticket was determined by Castroneves’ qualifying for the Indy 500 and the amount of the tickets available reflected the car number. By winning the pole, TMS had to offer up 300 tickets at $1 and those sold out in just 13 minutes. The “Blue Plate” promotion was linked to his visit to the Dallas/Fort Worth area on May 18, where he received some cooking tips from world-renown chef Stephan Pyles at his downtown restaurant.

Fans that missed out on Thursday’s “Triple Play” special can still land a great deal for the Bombardier Learjet 550k. Fans can purchase the Bombardier Learjet 550k 4-Pack, which features four frontstretch tickets for just $79.

The Bombardier Learjet 550k race week kicks off Thursday, June 4 with practice and qualifying for the WinStar World Casino 400 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event as well as opening IndyCar Series practice for the Bombardier Learjet 550k. IndyCar Series qualifying will be held Friday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. CT and will be followed by the WinStar World Casino 400 race at 8 p.m. CT. The weekend culminates Saturday, June 6 with the running of the Bombardier Learjet 550k at 8:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are available for each day by calling the TMS ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

Indy 500 Champion Castroneves Rolls Into Fort Worth With A Different Kind Of Horsepower

TMS Media Relations — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:14:00 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 27, 2009) – Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves made a grand entrance into downtown Fort Worth on Wednesday, but it was with a lot less horsepower than he utilized this past weekend en route to his historic victory.

Castroneves, visiting as part of the Indy 500 champion’s tour and to promote the June 6 Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway, arrived in a white horse-drawn carriage wearing the Indianapolis 500 Borg-Warner winner’s wreath and carrying his empty bottle of milk from the Victory Lane celebration.

The charismatic Castroneves soon shifted from his Indianapolis 500 champion’s look to one of a Texas champ as he was presented a Charlie 1 Horse cowboy hat by Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage.

“With the horse and now the hat, I guess you could say I’m a cowboy now,” Castroneves said, flashing that trademark smile. “The only difference is I have 650 horses, not one!”

Castroneves’ Indianapolis 500 win culminated a successful month at the Brickyard as he earlier earned the pole position and his Team Penske crew won the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge. His accomplishments this month could not have come at a better time considering his recent six-month tax trial that forced him to miss the opening race of the IndyCar Series season.

“I have to say the fans kept me really strong, kept my faith strong and helped me out through all those rough times,” Castroneves said. “I said it before and I’ll say it again. I dedicate this race for them because they made me be strong. I did question it many times, like ‘Why is this happening to me?’ I said many times ‘Why,’ but crossing the finish line and going to the fans I had my moment and so the question that I was asking was answered and it was amazing.

“I also have to thank my team and (owner) Roger Penske. Before I always knew him as a boss and now knowing him as a friend, through this whole ordeal he was always backing me up. It makes it better to know that when this thing is over, I was going to have the race car. And that for me was big.”

In mid-April, Castroneves was acquitted of all charges and resumed racing at Long Beach, where he finished seventh and followed with a runner-up finish at Kansas.

“When everything was over, going to Long Beach was the best feeling and the best medicine I would say was to be back in the race car,” Castroneves said. “It was a rollercoaster of emotion. I have never liked rollercoasters, and now I know even more!”

Despite missing the season-opening race at St. Petersburg, Castroneves currently sits second in IndyCar Series championship standings, just five points behind leader Dario Franchitti, as the series heads to Milwaukee this weekend. His Indy 500 victory moved him from 10th to second in the standings.

Next week, Castroneves will make his 11th career start at Texas Motor Speedway in the Bombardier Learjet 550k. He is one of four multiple IndyCar Series winners at TMS and the only one that is active in the series. He won the fall race in 2004 – the Chevy 500k – and then captured the Bombardier Learjet 500k in 2006. He has six top-five finishes, including second in last year’s Bombardier Learjet 550k.

“It’s always good to come back to a place where you succeed, and not only once, but twice,” Castroneves said of “The Great American Speedway!” “This track is very challenging --challenging because you have big banking and sometimes if your car does not perform the way you want it, it’s a little bit tough for you to try to overcome. But it’s always nice to come back to a place where you’re welcome and (TMS President) Eddie (Gossage) does a great job of promoting it. You can ask everybody about that and they enjoy it. Yes, sometimes you have the challenge, because this place gives you a lot of competition, but when you have competition it’s always good because it makes you better.”

Castroneves will look to become just the third driver in history to win the IndyCar Series’ two marquee events – the Indy 500 and Bombardier Learjet 550k – in the same season. Arie Luyendyk accomplished the feat in 1997 – TMS’ inaugural season – and Scott Dixon matched it last year with a sweep of the two races.

At the conclusion of the event, Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage announced a new ticket promotion, the “Triple Play,” in celebration of Castroneves’ third Indianapolis 500 victory in the No. 3 Team Penske car. Beginning 9 a.m. CT Thursday, 550 frontstretch tickets for the June 6 Bombardier Learjet 550k will go on sale at $3 each, with the price representing his third Indy 500 win as well as his Team Penske car number. The “Triple Play” tickets are limited to four per customer and are only available by visiting or calling the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500.

“Number three seems to be the number,” Castroneves said. “I would love to be a three-time winner here in the Bombardier Learjet 550k and certainly it’s going to be a challenge because it looks like the competition is really, really tight. It’s always been decided in the last corner. I’ve lost some and I’ve won some there and hopefully I can win another.”