McDONALD’S® DRIVER WILSON RETURNS TO THE MILWAUKEE MILE – THE SITE OF HIS BEST OVAL FINISH: HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER RAHAL MAKES DEBUT AT TEAM’S HOME TRACK

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (May 29, 2008) --- The 2008 IndyCar Series season is full of many challenges for Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR). Nine of the scheduled events are run on tracks the team has never competed on so when the series heads to a venue where they have recently raced, there is an added level of familiarity and anticipation. Not only did the team, then-named Newman/Haas Racing (NHR), earn one of their most satisfying wins in recent history at the Milwaukee Mile in 2006, site of this Sunday’s ABC Supply / A.J. Foyt 225, the famed one-mile oval has also been long-considered the team’s “home track” due to its one-hour distance from their headquarters. Team co-owner, Carl Haas, was also the promoter of racing events here from 1992 to 2003.

NHR competed at the legendary Milwaukee Mile course on the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds from their first season in 1983 until 2006. In their 24 previous races here, NHR drivers Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Michael Andretti and Sebastien Bourdais have combined to bring the team seven wins at this track with the most recent coming in dominating fashion in 2006 by Bourdais. Mario Andretti brought the team their first pole here in 1985 and Bourdais added a second in 2006. In total the team has earned 13 podium finishes in 24 events.

Because their home track had been the most challenging of the season, Bourdais’ 2006 victory was all the more sweet. He overcame a punctured tire which put him one lap down to bring the team its first win here in 10 years. It was also his fourth consecutive win of the season which matched a CART/Champ Car era record (1979-present) set by Al Unser Jr. (1990), Alex Zanardi (1998), and Cristiano da Matta (2002 with NHR). Prior to the victory Bourdais and teammate Bruno Junqueira rewarded the team for all their hard work on improving the team’s short oval setup by qualifying first and second with Bourdais bringing the team their first pole here in 21 years.

As was the case for much of the 2006 and 2007 season, the last time the team competed here, their main competition came from Justin Wilson who finished second to Bourdais at The Mile in 2006. Wilson will return to the track as the driver of the McDonald’s race car that he finished second to and is hoping to continue his trend of success here.

“Each year that I’ve gone to the Milwaukee Mile, we have done better and better,” said Wilson who has made three starts at this track from 2004-2006. “I had a fourth place the second time there and a second place the last time I was there in 2006. I really enjoy the track; I think it is a very challenging, low banked oval. It’s going to be nice to race on an oval that we have been on before. The key will be working out the set-up quick on the McDonald’s car because the IndyCar Series weekends are short and you don’t have a chance to really develop the car much. Hopefully we can be on the pace straight away and have a good, solid weekend.”

Of his eight oval races to date, Wilson’s second place finish here from a fourth place start in 2006 with RuSport is his highest result on an oval track. In 2005 he started third and finished fourth with RuSport and started 12th and finished 11th in his 2004 rookie season with Mi-Jack Conquest Racing. All drivers who are transitioning from the Champ Car World Series as well as any other rookies have been given a one-hour practice session on Friday from 4-5 p.m. EDT to get reacclimated to the new racing package and Wilson is thankful for the opportunity.

“The one-hour “rookie” practice on Friday should help a lot because it will give us a chance to get up to speed in our own time whereas once everyone else comes out, they are flat out from Lap 1 and we would still be getting used to the car and the feel of the place,” said Wilson. “It gives us a little bit of breathing time to get up to speed and feel comfortable and check everything out. It helps us to get a good start to the weekend."

While Wilson and teammate Graham Rahal are included among the 10 IndyCar Series “rookies” that will compete at the Milwaukee Mile, six of those have raced here in either Champ Car or the Firestone Indy Lights series. Hole in the Wall Camps driver Rahal, 19, Enrique Bernoldi, Mario Moraes and E.J. Viso will make their debut at this track. The 27-car field will be the largest in recent history at the track and Rahal is expecting some close racing on the one-mile track.

“I’m looking forward to racing at the Milwaukee Mile,” said Rahal. “It should be a really fun race because of how close the cars will be running together on the short oval. I’m also really looking forward to it because it’s the home track for the team so hopefully we’ll get a lot of support from the fans and have some success. It was a tough weekend at Indy and we’re looking forward to bouncing back.”

This weekend’s ABC Supply / A.J. Foyt 225 can be seen live Sunday, June 1 on ABC, beginning at 4 p.m. EDT. The event will get underway with a one-hour rookie practice on Friday, followed by practice and qualifying on Saturday. As always, fans can follow the action from every on-track session via the official website of the IndyCar Series, www.indycar.com . It will also be broadcast live on IMS Radio Network and XM Radio 145.



JUSTIN WILSON, driver of the #02 McDonald’s Dallara / Honda / Firestone:

HIGHEST OVAL FINISH CAME AT MILWAUKEE: Will be his fourth race here and first in the IndyCar Series at this track. In his three previous Champ Car races here he finished second, fourth and 11th. He earned his highest finish to date on an oval at this track in 2006 when he started fourth with the RuSport team and finished second to Bourdais, the driver he was hired to replace this season. In 2005 he started third and finished fourth with RuSport and started 12th and finished 11th in his 2004 rookie season with Mi-Jack Conquest Racing.

SO FAR IN 2008: Qualified 17th but started 15th in the season-opener in Homestead due to two cars having their qualifying speeds disallowed. Dropped one lap down when he was hit by Will Power on a restart after approx. 22 laps and had to pit to replace a deflated tire but rallied to finish 15th…Started third in his street course ICS debut in St. Pete but alternate fuel and tire strategies dictated by intermittent rain led to a ninth place finish after he led a total of 18 of 83 laps…Was the pole winner on Friday and Saturday in the Long Beach Champ Car finale and dropped to second on the start but engine failure on Lap 13 ended his race and he finished 19th …Gained valuable experience after he was first to qualify and started 22nd in Kansas, led five laps after staying on track while others pit and finished ninth…Qualified 16th for his first Indy 500 and ran as high as second place but made contact after completing 133 of 200 laps and retired in 27th place…Is ranked 20th in the point standings with 81 points.

2006 & 2007 RUNNER UP TO THE CHAMPION: Finished runner up in the Champ Car championship to the driver he recently replaced, four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais, in 2006 and 2007. Was a championship contender until the conclusion of the penultimate race of each season. He also finished third to NHR drivers Bourdais and Oriol Servia in 2005.

PERSONAL: Justin Boyd Wilson was born on July 31, 1978 (29) in Sheffield, England…He married the former Julia Coggins in England on 12-29-2006 and reside in a suburb of Denver with their newborn daughter Jane Louise (born 4-12-08)…His father Keith was an amateur Formula Ford racer in England but retired before Justin was born due to a crash that broke his back and legs. Instead of taking interest in mother Lynne’s love of horses, Justin followed his father’s passion and began racing karts when he was eight…In order to help finance his 2003 season in Formula One, Justin created a company -- Justin Wilson PLC – and approx. 900 investors “bought shares of Justin” which raised $2 million. A portion of his earnings go toward repaying the debt…He has conquered the challenges of dyslexia and, if he wasn’t a race car driver, would be a designer of cars or etc. because he is curious about how things work or how to improve them…Hobbies include cycling, miniature golf, video games, karting and trying to fly one of his two RC Helicopters…He spends his free time plotting and completing home improvement projects as well as trying to find time to mow the yard between races…His typical day begins at 7 a.m. and he calls the U.K. and checks his email before spending an hour at his local gym with Julia. After lunch he rides his bike for 1.5 hours and devotes the remainder of the day to home projects, reading 50+ pages of NHLR engineering reports and hanging out with friends…At 6’ 3-1/2” he is the tallest IndyCar Series driver…Listens to Coldplay, Stereophonics, The White Stripes and dance music.

JUSTIN WILSON, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Each year that I’ve gone to the Milwaukee Mile, we have done better and better. I had a fourth place the second time there and a second place the last time I was there in 2006. I really enjoy the track; I think it is a very challenging, low banked oval. It’s going to be nice to race on an oval that we have been on before. The key will be working out the set-up quick on the McDonald’s car because the IndyCar Series weekends are short and you don’t have a chance to really develop the car much. Hopefully we can be on the pace straight away and have a good, solid weekend. The one-hour “rookie” practice on Friday should help a lot because it will give us a chance to get up to speed in our own time whereas once everyone else comes out, they are flat out from Lap 1 and we would still be getting used to the car and the feel of the place. It gives us a little bit of breathing time to get up to speed and feel comfortable and check everything out. It helps us to get a good start to the weekend.”



GRAHAM RAHAL, driver of the #06 Hole in the Wall Camps Dallara / Honda / Firestone:

AT THE MILWAUKEE MILE: Will be his first race here and his third IndyCar Series race on an oval.

YOUNGEST WINNER IN SERIES HISTORY: Became the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history when he drove to victory in his IndyCar Series debut in St. Pete at the age of 19 years and 93 days old. The previous mark was held by Marco Andretti who won at Infineon Raceway at 19 years, 167 days old. Rahal had only run 10 laps at testing speed in an ICS car on a road course (Sebring) due to a pre-race three hour test (4-1) being cancelled due to rain. Nelson Philippe holds the Champ Car record for his ’06 win in Australia at 20 years, two months and 29 days old. With his second place finish in Houston in 2007, he became the youngest Champ Car driver (1979-2007) to finish on the podium at 18 years, three months and 18 days.

SO FAR IN 2008: Missed the series opener in Homestead due to a lack of time and parts to repair his lone race car after a testing crash the Tuesday prior to race day…Progressed to Group 2 in qualifying for his debut on the street course in St. Pete but was unable to get a clear lap and qualified ninth. The race began under caution while standing water was cleared and once the green flag flew he progressed up to third place before his first pit stop a race that saw multiple pit strategies. He was hit on Lap 37 by Will Power which caused a spin and he dropped to 23rd but the team elected to gamble and keep him on track while others pit on Lap 60 under caution and he moved into second before the restart on Lap 65 and took the lead and held it through two more restarts including one with three laps to go while holding off two-time St. Pete winner Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan. He won by a 3.5 second margin to become the youngest winner in series history at 19 years, 93 days old after he led a total of 19 of the 83 laps and moved to fourth in the standings…Started ninth in Champ Car series finale in Long Beach and was up to fourth when he was alongside Franck Montagny during an attempt to pass for third and was spun which dropped him back to 12th place. While setting the fastest laps of the race, he charged through the field and into seventh before he hit the tire barrier on the final lap to drop to 13th place and ninth in the ICS standings and second in the ROY by 17 points…Made his oval debut in Kansas, qualified 20th and finished a competitive 12th only one lap down to the leaders…Was the highest Indy 500 starter of the Champ Car transitioning teams with his 13th place qualifying position in his Indy debut but made contact on Lap 36 after driving high to avoid the slower car of Alex Lloyd. Retired in 33rd place…Is ranked 13th with 98 points.

PERSONAL: Graham Robert Rahal, 19, was born in Columbus, Ohio on 1-4-1989 and resides in New Albany, Ohio…The 6’2” driver is one of four children of Bobby Rahal, three-time open wheel champion, Indy 500 winner and Hall of Fame race car driver…Has two sisters (Michaela and Samantha) and one brother (Jarrad)…Became the youngest IndyCar Series winner with his victory in his series debut in St. Pete on 4-6-08 and appeared on "Late Night with David Letterman" on 4-16-08 to discuss the feat...Graduated from New Albany High School with a 3.8 GPA on 6-3-07 despite missing over 80 days of school that year due to racing. ESPN The Magazine covered his graduation… When not racing he likes to work on cars, hang out with friends and family or play other sports for fun…Is a self-proclaimed “Car Guy” and still has the first car he received when he was 16 – a Subaru WRX sti – and is in the process of turning it into a race car with a Cosworth race engine. He purchased an ’07 Atomic Orange Corvette Z06 with his prize money but later sold it and now has an ’07 Ron Fellows limited edition Corvette Z06 as well as an ’08 Chevy Trailblazer SS. In addition he has a 1964 Mini Cooper that he restored for his high school senior project. He also temporarily owned a Porsche GT3 and an Audi he earned by graduating high school with a GPA of 3.5 or above…To prepare for the physicality of racing he spends many hours doing cardiovascular training and weightlifting, skiing, running or bicycling…His favorite type of clothing is anything made by Puma… His favorite food is sushi and his weaknesses are ice cream and white chocolate mocha drinks at Starbucks…His favorite books are those written by Lance Armstrong (and anything he read other than for school)…His favorite thing to watch on TV is any Ohio State Buckeye game, his favorite actor/actress are Owen Wilson and Eva Longoria and favorite movie is “Wedding Crashers.”

GRAHAM RAHAL, #06 Hole in the Wall Camps Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I’m looking forward to racing at the Milwaukee Mile. It should be a really fun race because of how close the cars will be running together on the short oval. I’m also really looking forward to it because it’s the home track for the team so hopefully we’ll get a lot of support from the fans and have some success. It was a tough weekend at Indy and we’re looking forward to bouncing back.”