NEWMAN/HAAS/LANIGAN RACING RETURNS TO TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOR THE BOMBARDIER LEARJET 550k; TMS HAS BEEN A BIG PART IN THE TEAM’S PROGRESS ON OVALS

FORT WORTH (June 3, 2008) --- Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) will head south for their second event at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS), site of Saturday night’s Bombardier Learjet 550k. The 1.5-mile, high-banked track has served as a baseline for the team’s ongoing goal of closing the gap on ovals to their fellow IndyCar Series (ICS) competitors that have utilized the current racing package since 2003. Data gained while running at TMS has helped the team measure their progress on ovals since they joined the ICS in 2008.

“The Texas track is bumpy so you need a good setup of springs and dampers for mechanical grip,” said Craig Hampson, senior engineer at NHLR. “However, at the big speedways in the IndyCar Series, your car speed is mainly dictated by aerodynamics so these tests have been invaluable to try and evaluate various items on the cars. At each of these tests we've been running alone, so the results were not clouded by traffic or tows. The information gathered has been very useful.”

Data gained from their first race here in June of 2008 was compared to data from the team’s test at TMS in October 2008 and the information showed that gains had been made over the five oval races since they first competed at TMS. When it was determined that ICS rookie Robert Doornbos would team with McDonald’s driver Graham Rahal, NHLR scheduled another test at TMS on April 8, to acclimate the rookie to the high-banked oval and the data indicated even more progress over the off-season. The following weekend the team competed at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval and the results spoke for themselves. Rahal became the youngest pole winner on an oval in series history while Doornbos out-qualified longtime ICS teams and started second in his oval racing debut.

“Texas has played a big role in our development on ovals,” said Rahal, 20, who earned his highest oval finish of fourth place in his 12 oval races to date last weekend in Milwaukee. “We tested there a couple of times and we could see the pace and the progress that we made. We’re looking forward to going back to TMS and giving it another shot. I think I have adjusted to ovals quite well. I feel a lot more comfortable this year than I did last year. Every time I race it helps me with the transition and we are able to get the cars to work better with the changing conditions in each race. The more racing we do on ovals, the more comfortable we get. Racing is the biggest thing that can help us make sure we have a competitive car and one that is comfortable in traffic during the race.”

“With the banking it was an amazing experience when we tested there,” added Doornbos, 27. “It went really well, it was a good test. We found a lot of good stuff for the car that we can use throughout the season. It will only be my fourth race on an oval so I hope to learn as much as possible before the race and I’m sure I will gain even more experience in the race. I was able to get up to speed quickly when we tested there in April and I’m sure there will be plenty of excitement when everyone is on track together.”

The IndyCar Series has held races at Texas Motor Speedway since 1997 and the track has featured the closest racing in series history. In 19 races on the 1.5-mile oval since 1997, 13 have been determined by less than one second. Six races had a margin of victory of less than one-tenth of a second on the tracks that features 24-degree banking in the turns.

“I’m looking forward to going back to Texas; it’s a crazy race but it’s certainly very competitive there,” said Rahal who finished 11th here last year. “We showed that we have the pace this year when we raced at Kansas, which is very similar to Texas, and also at Indy and Milwaukee, and I think that it’s going to definitely help us get better results. Racing is very close at Texas Motor Speedway so we have to make sure we are far up in the field and very competitive.”

After starting second in his oval debut in Kansas, Doornbos led two laps before a pit penalty forced him to the back of the field but he charged back to finish 12th. In Indianapolis, he was again on the pace but two crashes prior to Pole Day forced him to qualify on the third day which set positions 23-33. He brushed the wall during the Indy 500 while struggling with the handling of his race car and finished 28th. His third different type of oval at the Milwaukee Mile again provided valuable experience. He started 12th and finished 14th and after the race remarked that he thought he should run well in Texas as he felt the track would suit his driving style. He’s looking forward to another challenge this weekend.

“I hear that the race at Texas Motor Speedway is one of the most exciting ever and that your heart will be racing for sure because you can drive three abreast and it’s very close racing,” said Doornbos. “It’s one of the most challenging ovals we race on during the season. I look forward to that now that I have a bit more experience on the ovals.”

After five of 17 races this season, Rahal is ranked eighth in the point standings with 114 while Doornbos is ranked 15th with 85 and is only three points behind fellow ICS rookie Raphael Matos in the Rookie of the Year standings. Of the team’s 107 victories, 27 have come on ovals while 19 of their 109 poles have been earned on the same type of track. For NHLR to earn their first ICS oval win in Texas would provide further evidence that the second most successful active open wheel team will be a contender every weekend.

This weekend’s Bombardier Learjet 550k will be telecast live in High Definition at 9 p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS on Saturday night. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. As always, fans can follow the action from every on-track session via the official website of the IndyCar Series, www.indycar.com.




GRAHAM RAHAL, driver of the #02 McDonald’s Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Will be his second race here. Started 18th and finished 11th here last year. Also tested here on October 26, 2008 and the team was able to measure gains made on ovals between racing here in June ‘08 until the test.

2 OF 5 POLES SO FAR IN 2009 INDYCAR SEASON: Rahal ran the fastest lap times on Friday and Saturday on the streets of St. Pete to become the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old. As the field entered the wide Turn 1 at the start of the race, second place starter Justin Wilson pulled slightly ahead on Rahal’s left while fifth place starter Dario Franchitti made a daring move on his right heading into the right hander. Rahal was not only squeezed in the process, he was hit from behind by Tony Kanaan which spun him sideways and into the grass. He dropped to the rear of the field but rebounded to finish seventh…Qualified seventh in Long Beach and pitted from second place but was waved out of the pits before the fuel nozzle was disengaged. Was ordered to let three cars pass as a penalty then was served another one when the officials deemed he didn’t do it quick enough although he only ran ½ lap before doing so. After a drive through penalty he could only recover enough to finish 12th…Won his first oval pole in Kansas and led eight laps, maintained a top-three position for the first half of the race and top-five second half before a caution came out when he was preparing the enter the pits. Had to get back on track and enter a closed pit for an extra stop the next time by for a splash of fuel before he came in again when the pits opened on the next lap and lost four spots. Dropped to 10th but finished seventh…Qualified fourth for his second Indy 500 but made contact after attempting to lap Duno and retired in 31st place after 56/200 laps…Qualified 2nd in Milwaukee and briefly took the lead at the start but dropped to third by the end of the lap and ultimately finished fourth, his highest finish on an oval…Is ranked 8th in series points with 114.

YOUNGEST RACE & POLE WINNER IN SERIES HISTORY: Became the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history when he drove to victory in his series debut in St. Pete in 2008 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. One year later he became the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old when he returned to St. Pete.

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think I have adjusted to ovals quite well. I feel a lot more comfortable this year than I did last year. Every time I race it helps me with the transition and we are able to get the cars to work better with the changing conditions in each race. The more racing we do on ovals, the more comfortable we get. Racing is the biggest thing that can help us make sure we have a competitive car and one that is comfortable in traffic during the race.

“I’m looking forward to going back to Texas; it’s a crazy race but it’s certainly very competitive there. We showed that we have the pace this year when we raced at Kansas, which is very similar to Texas, and also at Indy and Milwaukee, and I think that its going to definitely help us get better results. Racing is very close at Texas Motor Speedway so we have to make sure we are far up in the field and very competitive.

“Texas has played a big role in our development on ovals. We tested there a couple of times and we could see the pace and the progress that we made. We’re looking forward to going back to TMS and giving it another shot.”




ROBERT DOORNBOS, driver of the #06 Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Will be his first race here and only FOURTH oval race ever. He tested here on April 8, ’09 and the team continued to measure the progress they have made on ovals between the June ’08 race, Oct. ’08 test and April ’09 test by Doornbos.

FRONT ROW START IN 2009 INDYCAR ROOKIE YEAR: Worked to adapt to the different driving style needed to drive an Indy car’s in St. Pete opener. Qualified 13th, ran as high as fifth place but finished 11th after having to pit to repair damage from contact while alongside Wheldon for a pass. Race had seven caution periods for a total of 28 of the 100-laps…Started 15th in Long Beach and ran as high as third place but the timing of two caution periods negated the team’s pit strategy and he had to settle for a ninth place finish…Qualified second for his oval racing debut in Kansas to make up a 1-2 start for the team and took the lead after the first pit stop for two laps before he was penalized for hitting Rahal’s just-removed tire while leaving his pit. Dropped to rear of field but came back to finish 12th…Practice times prior to Indy 500 qualifying could have earned him a top-11 start on Pole Day but he crashed his race car on Friday and back-up car on Saturday/Pole Day and was not able to attempt to qualifying until Day 3 (23rd-33) and was the fastest that day in 23rd. Charged to 16th place in the first 50/200 laps before he brushed the wall after Scheckter abruptly passed him in Turn 1 and disrupted his air flow. The team repaired the car and he got returned to the track but retired in 28th place after a brake leak…Qualified 12th in Milwaukee and finished 15th in his third oval race…Is ranked 15th with 85 points and is second to R. Matos in the Rookie of the Year standings.

ROBERT DOORNBOS, No. 06 Dallara-Honda-Firestone: “I hear that the race at Texas Motor Speedway is one of the most exciting ever and that your heart will be racing for sure because you can drive three abreast and it’s very close racing. It’s one of the most challenging ovals we race on during the season. I look forward to that now that I have a bit more experience on the ovals. With the banking it was an amazing experience when we tested there. It went really well, it was a good test. We found a lot of good stuff for the car that we can use throughout the season. It will only be my fourth race on an oval so I hope to learn as much as possible before the race and I’m sure I will gain even more experience in the race. I was able to get up to speed quickly when we tested there in April and I’m sure there will be plenty of excitement when everyone is on track together.”