Saturday, June 21, 2008
Iowa Corn 250 Presented by Pioneer – Iowa Speedway
Round 8 of 18 in the IndyCar Series

STARTING GRID FOR IOWA CORN 250 SET BY POINTS AFTER RAIN ENDS QUALIFYING; HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER RAHAL TO START 16TH AND McDONALD’S DRIVER WILSON TO START 20TH



Justin Wilson, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It’s a shame that rain washed out qualifying. It’s an even bigger shame for the local area because they certainly don’t need more rain. Hopefully we will get a good dry run tomorrow in the race. I’m really, really happy with the balance of the McDonald’s car in race trim. I think that’s just what we need for a good race car. I’m a little disappointed in the actual speed. We’re struggling for speed and its something the engineers are going to analyze to see if we can work out why. The car was consistent and I was flat-out all the way around and I could choose my lines so I can’t ask for much more than that. I don’t really know what to expect in the race. Last year was a bit of a procession so qualifying order means a lot. The way it is mixed up now, maybe we will get some movement. With this many cars on track it’s going to get messy one way or the other. We just have to try and stay out of trouble and see where we are at the end of it all.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his be his first race here and 11th on an oval… Paternity leave has been a theme at the McDonald’s team (aka Happy Meal team) this season as Wilson and wife Julia welcomed their first child in April and crewman Kyle Sobczak and his wife welcomed their first in late May. Wilson’s race engineer Mike Talbott will miss the Iowa race to be with his wife, who is due to give birth to their second child any day. His fill in? Senior engineer Craig Hampson, who was race engineer for four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais, will replace Talbott this weekend before returning home to also await the birth of his second child…Is ranked 20th in the point standings with 117…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…Highest start this season is pole on the streets of Long Beach and his highest finish is seventh on the one-mile oval in Milwaukee.



Graham Rahal, No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to qualify because I think we could have qualified around tenth or eleventh. I thought we would do pretty good and be right up there but now we’ll be starting 16th. We’ll be starting pretty far back. The car is pretty good in race trim. It’s a little nervous over some of the bumps. Hopefully we can have that settle in the race and not have to worry about it. Overall the car is pretty good. It will be a tough race. Back where we will be starting, I think we can pick up some positions but I think we’re going to be trapped in the middle of everybody.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his first race here and his fifth 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 16th in series points with 127 points…His highest start this season is second on the one-mile oval in Milwaukee where he narrowly lost becoming the youngest pole winner in series history to Marco Andretti. His highest finish is 12th place on the 1.5 mile oval at Kansas Speedway.



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