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Race Report: Bombardier Learjet 550k
FT. WORTH, Texas June 9, 2007—Texas Motor Speedway hosted yet
another crazy night under the lights Saturday night when the IRL
IndyCar Series returned for their 10th anniversary appearance.
For A.J. Foyt’s team a promising qualifying run by Darren Manning
raised hopes for a strong performance from the ABC Supply team but a
cut tire early in the race quickly dashed their hopes.
Manning started 11th in the ABC Supply car but was fighting for last
with a huge push about six laps into the race. The team pitted him
under green and it was discovered he had a cut right rear tire which
had caused the car’s handling problems. The stop cost him a full two
laps. When the yellow came out for Jon Herb spin on lap 47, the
confusion with IRL scoring cost the team another lap as the pace car
picked up the wrong leader.
Although Manning’s race for a top-five finish was
over before it got started, he and the team continued to run,
gathering data and trying to advance through attrition.
“I could have run more aggressively, the car was good,” said
Manning, “but when you’re three laps down, you have to show respect
for the guys that are contending. I’d want the same treatment if the
situation were reversed.” The team did capitalize on
the lap 197 accident triggered by AJ Foyt IV’s flying wheel that
came off entering turn three, five laps after a pit stop (it was
thought to be caused by a broken wheel nut). Cars checked up and
then Scott Dixon tagged Ed Carpenter who had slowed for his hapless
teammate. A melee ensued. In addition to Carpenter, Dixon’s teammate
Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves, and Foyt IV were all relegated to
the pits. Manning had almost made it through unscathed but his car
hit the marbles and he brushed the wall, knocking out the right
front suspension. The ABC Supply team was able to
patch it up enough to allow him to log laps under yellow and pass
the cars that were wrecked too badly to continue. He retired after
the race went green but logged enough laps to finish 13th. He moved
to 12th in the standings. Sam Hornish won his first
race of the year followed by Tony Kanaan who somehow threaded his
way through the lap 198 accident. Danica Patrick posted a career
best third place finish on the same day that the filly “Rags to
Riches” beat the studs to win the Belmont Stakes for the first time
since 1902. Rounding out the top five at Texas were Indy 500 winner
Dario Franchitti and Vitor Meira. The ABC Supply team
heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this week for the IRL Open Test
on Wednesday. The series takes this coming weekend off before
leaving for their debut at Iowa Speedway on June 24th. Foyt will
serve as the grand marshal of the inaugural event which will be
televised live on ABC Sports starting at 1 pm eastern time.
NOTES & QUOTES: Bombardier Learjet 550k
Darren Manning: ABC Supply No. 14 Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Darren Manning on the Bombardier Learjet 550: “I’m looking
forward to racing at Texas because it’s the first track that we’re
going to where we can use what we’ve learned earlier in the season
and apply it. I think what we found at Kansas will transfer to
Texas. If we’re not spot-on right off the truck, we can use our
experience to improve the car that much quicker. We’ll be running
the same car that we ran at Indy so it should be good.”
Manning on Texas Motor Speedway: “Texas Motor Speedway has
more banking than the other tracks we run on so it acts as a
band-aid for those cars that may not be handling quite as well which
should keep the field pretty close. I expect it will be a close race
and hopefully we’ll be at the front dicing it out with the
leaders... Running under the lights gives the race more atmosphere.
It’s not that much different for the drivers because the lighting is
so good on the track.”
Best Finishes at TMS: Manning’s best finish at Texas came in
2004 when as a rookie he finished eighth. The Foyt team’s best
finish is first which they did with Billy Boat in 1998 (and in ’97
although official records show Boat was credited with second behind
Arie Luyendyk). In ’98, Foyt’s other car, with driver Kenny Brack,
finished third. More recently, the Foyt team’s best finish was third
in 2002 with Airton Dare and 10th in 2005 with A.J. Foyt IV.
Cristian Brothers Roofing, located in Grand Prairie, Texas,
are this weekend’s winners of the ABC Supply Your Name Here
Promotion for its customers. The company name will be put on the top
of the sidepods of the No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda. Guests will
receive selected merchandise, race tickets, hospitality and garage
passes, plus a Meet and Greet with A.J. Foyt and Darren Manning. The
“Your Name Here” promotion selected winners by random drawing from a
pool of entries sent in by ABC Supply customers earlier this year.
The Bombardier Learjet 550k will be shown at 10:00 PM eastern
time Saturday night, June 9th on ESPN2.
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