Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen - Fast facts

… FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS DRIVERS RACE TWICE IN SAME DAY 

Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen
Sunday, July 6 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Track Watkins Glen International
Distance 60 laps / 204 miles
TV ABC (Live)
Radio IMS Radio Network / XM Satellite Radio (Live)

2007 Winner Scott Dixon
2007 Polesitter Helio Castroneves

11-turn, 3.4-mile natural terrain road course
First IndyCar Series race in 2005
Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen

Scott Dixon will attempt to win his fourth consecutive race at Watkins Glen. If he wins, Dixon will become the first IndyCar Series driver to win four consecutive races at one track. Dan Wheldon entered the 2008 season as the only other driver to win three consecutive races at one track (Homestead-Miami).

Wheldon finished third in his bid to four-peat earlier this season. Dixon has won after starting fourth twice and second once. Can Dixon make history with a fourth consecutive win at The Glen?

Helio Castroneves has won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award for the three previous races at The Glen. Despite the prime starting position and leading 49 laps, Castroneves has finished 12th, seventh and 18th. Can the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ champion improve his fortune?

Drivers and teams new to the IndyCar Series proved in St. Petersburg that they could compete on road and street courses. Graham Rahal won the race in St. Pete and five other drivers new to the series finished in the top 10. For eleven of the entered drivers, it will be their first trip to the historic 3.4-mile road course. Can another new driver take the checkered flag?

Single-car qualifying has been eliminated on road and street courses in 2008. Drivers are now randomly assigned to two groups that receive 20 minutes of qualifying time each.

The top six from each group advance to a second 15-minute session, and then the fastest six from that session advance to the Firestone Fast Six to determine the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award winner. How will the drivers fight their way to the top in each group to earn a starting position at the front?

With 10 rookies in the IndyCar Series field and several other drivers competing in at Watkins Glen for the first time, a driver could win his or her first IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen. Already this season, Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick and Ryan Briscoe have won their first career races.

The Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen will be the fourth IndyCar Series event conducted at Watkins Glen International. Scott Dixon has won all three previous races.

Helio Castroneves has won all three PEAK Motor Oil Pole Awards at Watkins Glen.

Twelve drivers entered in the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen have competed in previous IndyCar Series events at the track. Seven of those drivers led laps (Scott Dixon 57, Helio Castroneves 49, Dan Wheldon 20, Tony Kanaan 11, Marco Andretti 9, Vitor Meira 8 and Buddy Rice 5).

Seven entered drivers have finished in the top-five in previous IndyCar Series events at the track. (Marco Andretti, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Vitor Meira, Buddy Rice and Dan Wheldon). Only Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan have recorded multiple top-five finishes (Dixon 3 and Kanaan 2).

While Jay Howard, Hideki Mutoh and Jamie Camara are making their first IndyCar Series start at Watkins Glen all three have Firestone Indy Lights experience at the track. Mutoh has recorded the best finish of the trio, second in 2007.

· Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon are the only drivers to finish in the top five in eight of the nine races this season

· Dan Wheldon is the only drivers to complete all 1,886 laps in 2008.

· Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon are the only drivers running at the finish of every race in 2008.

Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 107th career IndyCar Series start. It would also be his 105th consecutive start.

Helio Castroneves can establish an IndyCar Series record for most consecutive seasons with at least one win should he win the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen. Castroneves is tied with Scott Sharp with victories in seven consecutive seasons.

Helio Castroneves can extend his IndyCar Series record for consecutive seasons with a pole to seven if he can win the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award at Watkins Glen.

Scott Dixon needs to lead 85 more laps to become the fifth driver to lead 2,000 laps in his career. The others to lead at least 2,000 laps are Sam Hornish Jr. (3,428), Helio Castroneves (2,774), Dan Wheldon (2,735) and Tony Kanaan (2,419).

Scott Dixon has led 633 laps this season. The record for most laps led in a season is 899 by Tony Kanaan in 2004.

Vitor Meira has gone 85 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.

10:15-11:45 a.m. – IndyCar Series practice

3:30-4:30 – IndyCar Series practice

9:30-10:30 a.m. – IndyCar Series practice (two groups)

1:30 p.m. – PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying presented by AutoZone

2:30 p.m. – Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen pre-race

3:30 p.m. – Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen (60 laps/204 miles)

Race #1 11:15 a.m. (EDT) Saturday, July 5
Race #2 3:20 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, July 5
Track Watkins Glen International (11-turns/3.4 miles)
Distance 29 laps/98.6 miles (Each race)
TV ESPN2 (Taped) 2 p.m. July 10
Radio IMS Radio Network

2007 Winners Wade Cunningham (Race #1) Alex Lloyd (Race #2)
2007 Polesitter Wade Cunningham (Race #1 only) Corning Duels

Two races, one day: For the first time in its history, the Firestone Indy Lights will hold two races on one day. The rewards of doing well in the race could affect the points, but the risk of a poor finish or even an untimely accident could drastically alter a team's championship-winning dreams.

Highly-competitive season resumes with Corning Duels

After four-straight races on ovals, the Firestone Indy Lights season continues with first of three doubleheader weekends slated for road courses. Englishman Dillon Battistini leads the points on the strength of three oval wins, but returns to his racing roots, road courses.

San Diego’s Richard Antinucci, whose three series wins came on road/street courses trails Battistini by 27 points while J.R. Hildebrand of Sausalito, Calif., is just 40 points back. Brazil’s Raphael Matos is 54 points back.

For the first time in series history, two female drivers are competing for the 2008 championship. Brazil's Ana Beatriz and Switzerland's Cyndie Allemann join the series as Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year candidates and are attempting to become the second and third women to compete at Indianapolis in the Firestone Freedom 100.

Beatriz, who is sixths in points, benefits from the championship experience of Sam Schmidt Motorsports, while Allemann, who is 20th in points drives for American Spirit Racing, which was one of six teams to win in 2007.

The Corning Duels entry list features several drivers hoping to emulate their family’s success in open-wheel racing

· Richard Antinucci, the nephew of 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever Jr., drives the No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. He will be making his third start at the Watkins Glen International after recording a pair of top-10 finishes a year ago. Antinucci's uncle has raced Formula 1 cars and IndyCar Series cars at the Glen.

· Sean Guthrie, driver of the No. 4 Carcrafters Guthrie Racing car, is the son of three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Jim Guthrie. Guthrie will make his fourth start at Watkins Glen this weekend in search of his first win.

· Arie Luyendyk Jr., driver of the No. 26 Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing car, also seeks his first win at Watkins Glen. The second-generation driver is the son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk.

Native New Yorker Matt Lee will attempt to make his series debut in the Corning Duels for Guthrie Racing. The Syosset, N.Y. native finished second in Formula BMW USA in 2006 and raced in Champ Car Atlantics in 2007. Lee will drive the No. 54 car this weekend.

A pair of former Firestone Indy Lights winners at Watkins Glen return to the track seeking to add to their trophy cases. Jeff Simmons, who won the inaugural Corning 100 in 2005, and 2006 Corning 100 winner Bobby Wilson are entered in the event and hope to become the first multi-time Firestone Indy Lights winner at the Glen

For the Watkins Glen race, held on Fourth of July weekend, Panther Racing’s Firestone Indy Lights drivers Brent Sherman and Dillon Battistini will don camouflaged firesuits, which were made from nomex fabric supplied by the National Guard -- the same material worn by the soldiers. Battistini will see his No. 15 car get a special paint scheme as he will be showcasing the red, white and blue colors of the National Guard along with Sherman and IndyCar Series driver Vitor Meira.

· Five drivers have won races this year – Dillon Battistini, Raphael Matos, Richard Antinucci, J.R. Hildebrand and Bobby Wilson. Battistini is the only driver to win more than one race (Homestead, Indianapolis and Iowa)

· Four drivers have won the SWE Pole Award this season – Raphael Matos, Dillon Battistini, Pablo Donoso and Arie Luyendyk Jr. Matos is the only driver to win more than one pole (Homestead and St. Pete).

· Dillon Battistini has five top-five finishes in seven starts.

· Richard Antinucci has finished first or second in four of the seven races this season. He won St. Petersburg 2 and finished second at Homestead, St. Petersburg 1 and Indianapolis. J.R. Hildebrand also had four top-five finishes this season.

· Arie Luyendyk Jr. will attempt to make his 54th and 55th Firestone Indy Lights start at Iowa Speedway, which would extend his series record.

· Bobby Wilson will attempt to make his 36th and 37th consecutive start, which is second on the all-time list. Jaime Camara holds the series record with 42 consecutive starts from 2005-2007.

9 – 10 a.m. – Firestone Indy Lights practice (all cars)

1 – 1:45 p.m. -- Firestone Indy Lights practice (all cars)

5-5:30 p.m. – SWE Pole Qualifying

10:45 a.m. – Corning Duel #1 pre-race

11:15 a.m. – Corning Duel #1 (29 laps/98.6 miles)

3:20 p.m. – Corning Duel #2 ((29 laps/98.6 miles)

www.TheGlen.com

Ryan Lake