Thursday, June 05, 2008
Bombardier Learjet 550 – Texas Motor Speedway
Round 7 of 18 in the IndyCar Series

McDONALD’S DRIVER WILSON AND HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER RAHAL STRUGGLED IN FIRST PRACTICE SESSION FOR THE BOMBARDIER LEARJET 550k

1) Scott Dixon 00:24.4953 / 213.837 mph 50 laps
20) Graham Rahal 00:24.9693 / 209.778 mph 49 laps
21) Justin Wilson 00:24.9804 / 209.684 mph 12 laps



Justin Wilson, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “We basically practiced a few in and out laps and that was about it. We did a couple of laps at speed and the McDonald’s car didn’t feel quite right. We pitted to check it out and found a couple of things. It’s unfortunate that we are behind but we will just make sure we get it right for tomorrow. This is a pretty crazy track -- high banked, high speed. The key is going to be getting used to that in traffic.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his be his first race here…Is ranked 19 in the point standings with 107…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 title contender until the conclusion of the penultimate race of each season.



Graham Rahal, No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “This is a track where our inexperience with this equipment will show. It’s disappointing after coming off a weekend where we were competitive. I think we can build on it for tomorrow but it’s going to be quite a challenge.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his first race here and his fourth IndyCar Series race on an oval…In his IndyCar Series debut on a road/street course he became the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing in North America after winning in St. Pete on 4-6-08 at 19 years, 93 days old…He is ranked 17th in series points with 108 points.



NHLR AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: This will be Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing’s first race here.