Race Report: GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300
HOMESTEAD, FL March 29, 2008—Darren Manning started 12th and
finished 13th driving A.J. Foyt’s ABC Supply Dallara/Honda in the
GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday
night.
Manning jumped into the top 10 at the start of the 200-lap race but
started falling back as several faster cars made their way to the
front after being forced to start at the rear of the grid, including
Dan Wheldon (crashed in qualifying) and second and third place
qualifiers Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV, whose cars didn’t pass the
technical inspection.
Manning raced in the top 14 for the first two thirds of the race. A
change on his second to last pitstop improved the car’s handling and
his lap speeds; he passed cars that were ahead of him on the track
but they were on different laps so he didn’t gain any positions.
“We were better than we were last year here but we still struggled
the whole weekend,” said Manning, who matched his best-ever start at
the 1.5 mile superspeedway. “We still haven't figured out 100% what
we need here. We learnt a lot. I think we'll be stronger at the
other tracks.”
Scott Dixon won the first event since the unification of the IndyCar
and Champ Car series last month. With 25 starters, there was some
trepidation as four of the eight Champ Car regulars had never raced
on an oval track and only Bruno Junquiera, 2002 Indy 500 pole
winner, had raced on a superspeedway.
There were only two incidents (both involving slower cars) that
brought out the yellow: the first for Milka Duno who spun in the
path of Ryan Briscoe, ending both their nights, and the second for
rookie Ernesto Viso, who spun due to a cut tire and was tagged by
leader Tony Kanaan.
Despite a broken right front suspension, Kanaan remained in first
under the caution and took the green flag on the restart with three
laps to go, staying on the low side of the track. However, a few
cars went under him putting Kanaan in the middle of the field as
they entered turn one, courting a disaster which fortunately didn’t
happen. Kanaan, dropped out that lap but finished eighth, two laps
down.
Marco Andretti finished second, with Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves
and Ed Carpenter rounding out the top five. Foyt IV finished ninth
after starting last. The average speed of the race was 171.2 mph,
making it the fastest race in IndyCar history at this track.
The series moves to The Streets of St. Petersburg next weekend for
the Honda Grand Prix which will be broadcast live by ESPN starting
at 2:30 pm eastern time.
NOTES & QUOTES: GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300
Darren Manning: No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda/Firestone
·
 A.J.
Foyt on unification: “I’m glad to see it happen. It will
eliminate the confusion caused by having two series which made it
hard to explain the differences in the cars and the motors. We don’t
have to do that anymore which makes it better for the fans, the
sponsors and the teams. The Indy 500 has been coming back stronger
over the last several years and this will help make this year’s race
stronger yet.”
· Darren Manning on the season opener: “It got me thinking to
when I came over to CART—my first race was on the oval at Rockingham
in England (2002). I thought of it as four fast corners. I didn’t
get a lot of practice but I led some laps (18) and finished ninth on
the lead lap. That drive got me my ride in CART the following year.
Now it will be different for the Champ Car regulars because Miami is
a banked superspeedway whereas Rockingham was flat and single lane,
more like a road course. The banking makes the track easier to drive
but you don’t get much feeling from the car. My first time at Miami,
I felt like I didn’t get it figured out until the race was nearly
over. I think the new guys will find the speed pretty quick but the
challenge will be the race itself. You’re racing two-three lanes and
that takes some getting used to. You have to know how to negotiate
the traffic, time your overtaking. It’s also about learning your
fellow drivers and how close you can run with them. You have to give
each other a wider berth, especially now. Some guys will be trying
to figure out what they’re doing or they may be struggling with
their car. You have to give room for error, and I’m sure that will
be emphasized to everyone at the driver’s meeting. A lot of those
guys are good friends of mine and I’ll be glad to give them
advice--and I’m sure the other guys will too--because that just
makes it safer for everyone.”
· Manning on Homestead-Miami Speedway: “Miami-Homestead is
not a standard shaped oval. Although the turns are similar at both
ends they are different because of the winds. In turns one and two
the cars get loose, and in turns three and four, they tend to push
or understeer. It’s a tough track to get a handle on. However, it
will be good in the race because of the variable banking which means
the different grooves have different angles of banking: 18-19-20
degrees, allowing for a lot of side-by-side racing. I think it’s the
only track like that.”
· Mike Colliver, of Bloomington, IN, joined the team in
January as Chief Engineer. Colliver, 43, has worked in professional
motorsports since 1994. Earning his bio-engineering degree from
Purdue University in 1988, he worked in the bio-medical field for
six years designing coronary products before launching his
motorsports career.
· ABC Supply returns for its fourth year as primary sponsor
of A.J. Foyt’s No. 14 with GAF-ELK signing on for another year on
the car’s engine cover. Cabo Wabo Tequila returns as an associate
sponsor for the third straight year.
· Winter testing: The ABC Supply team participated in both of
the IRL Open Tests at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Sebring
International Raceway; they also tested locally at Houston
Motorsports Ranch road course in the off season. The team conducted
shaker rig testing for the first time in several years; there were
several wind tunnel tests with more planned next week.
· Once again the season opener will be under the lights. The
Indy 300 will be broadcast live on ESPN2 Saturday night, March 29th,
starting at 8pm eastern time.
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