Dominguez Stays in the Race Despite a Wild Day at Mid-Ohio

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Sunday, July 20, 2008

* Photo: Mario surprised fans in the sold-out campground on Saturday.

Thunderstorms soaked the Mid-Ohio circuit minutes before the scheduled start of the race, it delayed the green flag and wreaked havoc with race strategies.

Dominguez passed for position at the start of the Honda Indy 200 and made his first pitstop for dry tires just four laps into the event. He looked set for a strong first stint challenging for positions when he made a move to pass Ryan Briscoe, the eventual race winner.

Briscoe blocked Dominguez forcing him to brake late which led to an off-track excursion and contact with the barrier. Dominguez returned to the pits for an inspection and fresh tires, and the car was deemed intact.

Several laps later, again on a charge for position and after having just set the fastest lap of the race, Dominguez suffered a rear wing failure; the rear wing detached itself from the car at 180 mph which sent Dominguez spinning into the gravel trap, causing a full course caution.

The IndyCar Safety Team quickly removed Dominguez from the gravel and he was back on track headed for the pits. The PCM crew jumped into action, they replaced the rear wing and tires and refueled the Visit Mexico City IndyCar. They proved they are some of the best in the business, as Dominguez lost just two laps through the entire incident.

Dominguez returned to the track and continued to tick off laps at pace with the leaders despite the off-track excursions earlier in the race. He finished 19th.

Qualifying 16th 1:08.742 119.411 13

Finished 19th

Mario on the race: "Wow…what a day. We had a good start going and then it got pretty crazy. I didn’t have any warning when my wing failed, but we got really lucky because of where it happened on the track. That could have been much worse! My crew did a heck of a job getting me fixed and back in the action. I am disappointed with our race result but pleased with the jump in progress we made this weekend."

Tyler Tadevic, Team Owner: "Our race result was a little disappointing because we felt we had a lot of potential and Mario was fast out there. But, we are really excited about our progress and looking forward to Edmonton next weekend. It is going to be kind of a relief to get back to a track we know and we are going to continue to work toward our goal of a top-ten finish."

Mario’s Travel Tip for the Day: "Next time you visit Mexico City, you must check out the gardens and canals of Xochimilco. I recommend packing a picnic and floating the canals. If you are lucky, the floating Mariachi’s will pass you. It is a lot of fun."

- Katie Brannan- also photos