SPEEDREADS
T E X A S M O T O R S P E E D WAY
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SPEEDREADS AUGUST 18, 2016
ROSSI EYES RETURN TO OVALS Indy 500 champion ready to be back at Texas Motor Speedway PAGE 2
Back The Blue Night TMS to honor police and first responders at Firestone 600 PAGE 4
Third Time’s a Charm Fort Worth Police Officer Matt Pearce to serve as Grand Marshall for third time at Firestone 600 PAGE 5 Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi signs the a remembrace column at the Dallas Police Department.
Splash ’n Go
Firestone 600 Notebook PAGE 7 Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | A u g u s t 9 , 2 0 1 6 | F i r e s t o n e 6 0 0
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LEAD LAP
TOP NEWS FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
INDIANAPOLIS 500 CHAMPION ROSSI Eyes Return To Oval Racing At FIRESTONE 600
T
exas Motor Speedway was supposed to be Alexander Rossi’s triumphant return to oval racing after his victory in the historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. The Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Curb Agajanian rookie driver was excited to make his first appearance at Texas Motor Speedway during the Firestone 600, originally scheduled for June 11. While rain forced the postponement of the event until Saturday, Aug. 27, it has not changed the enthusiasm Rossi has for returning to the high-banked, ultra-fast 1.5-mile oval.
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“We are really looking forward to coming to Texas because we know our car is good on ovals,” Rossi said. “The Firestone 600 is something that we are putting a lot of focus on just because we know it’s our opportunity to capitalize on guys that have gained ground on us since May.” Rossi has only tallied two top-10 finishes since his victory in the Indianapolis 500, with a 10thplace finish at Belle Isle and sixth-place finish at Iowa. With two ovals next up on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule – Pocono Raceway this weekend followed by next Saturday’s Firestone 600 – he hopes they can turn his season around. “The season hasn’t been great,” Rossi said. “The month of May was our highlight – not only the (Indy) 500 but the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. I think those two events were probably our highlight events. We have really struggled as a group pretty much everywhere else. Iowa we had glimpses of speed, but really on the road and street courses we’ve struggled a little bit.”
Including his victory in the Indianapolis 500, Alexander Rossi has had succees on ovals in 2016.
a blessing that we get to restart the race, but at the same time it’s a little bit of a gamble because we don’t know how well it will work. If we go into the race and it’s not the right decision then that is going to be a negative. There is a lot of pressure on us because this is a very important race for us now for the championship. It’s one of the final races so there are a lot of precedents on this event. We need to have a good one for sure.” Concluding a race nearly three months after the start is unprecedented for the Verizon IndyCar Series. The last event for the series to start one day and finish on another came in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 1, 2011. The race was red-flagged for rain and standing water on the track after nine laps and finished the next day.
Rossi will be looking to put more drivers in his rearview mirror when the Firestone 600 returns to TMS on Aug. 27.
The Firestone 600 will have a different feel, as drivers will complete the conclusion of the race beginning on Lap 72. Rossi, who qualified ninth, will start in the 13th position when the race resumes. “We definitely learned a little bit of where we were wrong back in June,” Rossi said. “It’s a little bit of
The last time an event was postponed until later in the season was at Texas Motor Speedway in 2001 when the Chevy 500k scheduled for Sept. 15 was delayed until Oct. 6 following the events of 9/11. For drivers, once the green flag drops it will feel like any other race. “It’s very strange starting a race kind of from a quarter of the way through,” Rossi said. “None of us have done it before. It will be a new thing for all of us. I think once you get through Lap 1 then you’ll settle in and it will be just like any other race.”
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SPEEDREADS
BACK THE BLUE NIGHT
SPECIAL POLICE SALUTE FOR FIRESTONE 600 • Each driver will receive a ball cap representing a local police department or national law enforcement agency to wear for pre-race activities and on the grid. They also will autograph the hats and return them to the participating agencies as a gesture of gratitude.
Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi (front row left), Fort Worth police officer Matt Pearce (center) and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage (right) pose with members of the Fort Worth Police Department following a visit announcing the speedway’s “Back The Blue Night”.
Texas Motor Speedway, in partnership with the Verizon IndyCar Series, announced Wednesday a number of special salutes planned to honor the dedicated and heroic service of police officers for its “Back The Blue Night” at the Firestone 600 on Saturday, Aug. 27.
• Fort Worth police officer Matt Pearce, who survived being shot multiple times during a manhunt on March 16, will return as race Grand Marshal and give the command for the drivers to start their engines. Officer Pearce also will address the drivers during their pre-race meeting and personally thank them for their support. Police personnel will only need to show their badge or proper identification at the gate for free admission for them as well as a guest. This offer also has been expanded to all first responders with proper ID.
In addition to Texas Motor Speedway providing free admission for police officers and a companion to the Verizon IndyCar Series race, the speedway and sanctioning body also will honor officers with the following tributes: • Each team will adhere a “Back The Blue” decal (shown here) on their car competing in the Firestone 600. All Texas Motor Speedway-branded vehicles also will carry the decal.
Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage (left) and Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi share a moment with Dallas Assistant Police Chief Santos Cardena following the announcement of the speedway’s “Back The Blue Night”.
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THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM FOR FIRESTONE 600 grand marshal Here’s hoping the old adage of the “third time’s the charm” holds true for Firestone 600 Grand Marshal Matt Pearce. Pearce, a Fort Worth police officer, provided the most famous words in motorsports twice over the rained-out weekend in June, but will return to Texas Motor Speedway on Aug. 27 for the command to re-start the race. He was shot multiple times on March 15 as he helped serve a warrant. After being saved by his fellow officers, he was released from the hospital nearly two months later. The Grand Marshal attended Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi’s visit to the Fort Worth Police Department on Wednesday and was moved by the support TMS and the Verizon IndyCar Series has shown him and all police departments. “It’s a huge deal anytime you get support from someone that is in front of the media,” he said. “There is a lot of media out there talking about how bad police officers are and rarely do you hear how good officers are. It’s nice to see the support after incidents like I was involved in or the Dallas sniper shootings and all over the United States for that matter. Anytime we put a uniform on we have a target on our backs. Sometimes its hard
Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi (left), Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage (center) and Fort Worth police officer and Firestone 600 Grand Marshal Matt Pearce talk before a presentation at the Fort Worth Police Department on Aug. 17.
to come to this job knowing we might not come home to our families.” Pearce, who is currently continuing his rehab at home, is looking forward to returning to work as a tactical medical officer to provide the kind of help that saved his life when he was wounded in March. He has also served for many years on the Fort Worth Police Department’s weekend race detail at Texas Motor Speedway. “I’m a race fan,” he added. “I don’t work many part-time, off-duty jobs but working at Texas Motor Speedway is something I have always enjoyed. I don’t mind standing out there in a full uniform and a kevlar vest because I get to watch something I love. It’s more than I could have imagined getting the
opportunities to do out there. I’m always excited to see the races. I was disappointed when I saw it was starting to rain after the wreck that day, but I am ready to see the rest of it and cheer on all of the drivers.” In addition to the command, Pearce will address the drivers in the pre-race Drivers’ Meeting and be a special guest in the pits of Verizon IndyCar Series driver Graham Rahal. He and his wife, Laura, have two daughters aged three and one. He has been with the Fort Worth Police Department since 2009.
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SPLASH ’N GO
NOTES FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Firestone 600 media credential deadlinE NEARS For media returning to cover the conclusion of the Firestone 600, paper credentials and parking are no longer valid and all must re-apply via www. smicredentials.com. For series hard card holders, access stickers remain valid but all must re-apply for parking on the site as well. The credential deadline for the August finish of the Firestone 600 is MONDAY. Those not yet registered for the website will first need to apply for access through the site. Once a registration confirmation e-mail is received, the credential request can then be submitted. Requests following the deadline will not be accepted.
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Cars that will start the conclusion of the Firestone 600 on Aug. 27. Drivers Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly, who crashed on Lap 42 of the race, will not be allowed to participate when the race is resumed. IndyCar said only those cars that were capable of resuming when the race was stopped at Lap 72 can participate. Newgarden’s car was damaged beyond repair and Daly’s car also couldn’t continue that day as the tub was broken.
INDYCAR “RETURNS” TO TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY The last Verizon IndyCar Series race to start one day and finish on another came at Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2011. The race was red-flagged for rain and standing water on the track after nine laps May 1 and finished the next day. The last time an event was postponed until later in the season was at Texas Motor Speedway in 2001, when the Chevy 500k scheduled for Sept. 15 was delayed until Oct. 6 following the 9/11 tragedies. Sam Hornish Jr. would go on to win the race. This is just the second time in Texas Motor Speedway history an INDYCAR race has been postponed due to weather. The Casino Magic 500K was originally scheduled for Saturday, June 10, 2000 and was eventually run on the following day and won by Scott Sharp.
FIRESTONE 600 NOTEBOOK
• The Firestone 600 will be the 28th Indy car event conducted at Texas Motor Speedway since the track opened in 1997. TMS hosted two races a year from 1998-2004 and featured a doubleheader event in 2011. • With the postponement of the Firestone 600, the race now becomes the fifth and final oval race of the year on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Other oval track winners this season include Scott Dixon (Phoenix), Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis) and Josef Newgarden (Iowa). The series will be at another oval when it visits Pocono this weekend • Helio Castroneves has won four times at Texas Motor Speedway (2004 Race 2, ‘06, ‘09 and ‘13), the most wins by an Indy car driver at the track. He is one of five past TMS winners entered in this year’s race, along with Tony Kanaan (2004 Race 1), Scott Dixon (2008, 2015), Will Power (2011 Race 2) and Ed Carpenter (2014). • Six drivers have won the Texas race from the pole: Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2), Gil de Ferran (2003 Race 2), Helio Castroneves (2004 Race 2), Tomas Scheckter (2005), Scott Dixon (2008) and Ryan Briscoe (2010). The pole sitter from June, Carlos Munoz, is currently in ninth place when the race resumes. • Drivers who have won at Texas have gone on to win the Verizon IndyCar Series championship six times: Sam Hornish Jr. (2001 Race 2 and ‘02 Race 2), Tony Kanaan (2004 Race 1), Scott Dixon (2008, ‘15) and Dario Franchitti (2011 Race 1).
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FINAL PIT STOP
SPEEDREADS
VIDEO SOUND BITES, SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
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LIL’ HOSS TV
Verizon IndyCar Series driver, and Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi, discusses the return of the series to finish the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 27. Click on photo to watch video.
SOCIAL GATHERING
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RUNNING ORDER
2016 FIRESTONE 600
Event:
Firestone 600
Round 9
Track:
Texas Motor Speedway
Report:
Unofficial Lap Report
1.455 mile(s) Verizon IndyCar Series
Session: Race
June 12, 2016
End of Lap 71:
Time of Race: 00:54:47.6417 Avg Speed: 113.120 Lead Changes: 3 Caution Laps: 30
Fastest Lap:
211.666 mph ( 24.7465 sec) on lap 38 by 98 - Alexander Rossi
Fastest Leader Lap:
208.271 mph ( 25.1499 sec) on lap 3 by 26 - Carlos Munoz
Pos SP 1 10 2 11 3 16 4 7 5 14 6 22 7 3 8 15 9 1 10 17 11 18 12 13 13 9 14 2 15 6 16 8 17 4 18 12 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 5
Car 5 28 7 12 20 19 3 83 26 2 11 15 98 9 22 10 14 27 8 41 18 21
Driver Hinchcliffe, James Hunter-Reay, Ryan Aleshin, Mikhail Power, Will Carpenter, Ed Chaves, Gabby Castroneves, Helio Kimball, Charlie Munoz, Carlos Montoya, Juan Pablo Bourdais, Sebastien Rahal, Graham Rossi, Alexander (R) Dixon, Scott Pagenaud, Simon Kanaan, Tony Sato, Takuma Andretti, Marco Chilton, Max (R) Hawksworth, Jack Daly, Conor (R) Newgarden, Josef
C/A/E/T D/H/H/F D/H/H/F D/H/H/F D/C/C/F D/C/C/F D/H/H/F D/C/C/F D/C/C/F D/H/H/F D/C/C/F D/C/C/F D/H/H/F D/H/H/F D/C/C/F D/C/C/F D/C/C/F D/H/H/F D/H/H/F D/C/C/F D/H/H/F D/H/H/F D/C/C/F
Lead Change Summary On Lap 1 38 40 41
Car 26 21 28 5
Leader Munoz, Carlos Newgarden, Josef Hunter-Reay, Ryan Hinchcliffe, James
Lap 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 70 70 70 69 42 41
Laps Down 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 29 30
Time Pit Down Stops Elapsed Time --.---7 00:54:47.6417 2.3634 10 00:54:50.0051 4.7868 7 00:54:52.4285 7.1334 8 00:54:54.7751 10.8191 7 00:54:58.4608 12.4128 7 00:55:00.0545 14.9075 10 00:55:02.5492 18.4055 9 00:55:06.0472 20.0805 9 00:55:07.7222 22.6788 9 00:55:10.3205 24.3588 10 00:55:12.0005 26.6510 10 00:55:14.2927 28.4854 10 00:55:16.1271 34.4631 9 00:55:22.1048 37.1634 9 00:55:24.8051 38.6017 9 00:55:26.2434 9 00:54:48.6999 11 00:55:04.2614 9 00:55:19.2634 12 00:53:44.9560 0 00:18:07.1680 1 00:18:07.0967
Leader Summary Car 26 5 21 28
Driver Munoz, Carlos Hinchcliffe, James Newgarden, Josef Hunter-Reay, Ryan
Avg Speed 113.120 113.039 112.956 112.875 112.749 112.695 112.609 112.490 112.433 112.345 112.288 112.210 112.148 111.946 111.856 111.807 111.491 110.966 110.464 112.070 202.357 197.552
Pts Running/Reason Out Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Running Contact Contact
Caution Summary Laps Led 37 31 2 1
No 1
Duration 42 to 71
Total Reason for Caution 30 Contact: Cars 18 and 21 in Turn 4 Penalty Summary
Car Reason
Lap Penalty
(C)hassis: D=Dallara | (A)erokit: C=Chevy, H=Honda | (E)ngine: C=Chevy, H=Honda | (T)ire: F=Firestone
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DRIVER POINTS
2016 VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES TO DATE
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VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES 2016 Driver Points Through Honda Indy 200, July 30, 2016 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Driver Simon Pagenaud Will Power Helio Castroneves Josef Newgarden Scott Dixon Tony Kanaan James Hinchcliffe Carlos Munoz Graham Rahal Charlie Kimball Alexander Rossi (R) Juan Pablo Montoya Ryan Hunter-Reay Sebastien Bourdais Takuma Sato Mikhail Aleshin Conor Daly (R) Marco Andretti Max Chilton (R) Jack Hawksworth Spencer Pigot (R) Gabby Chaves JR Hildebrand Oriol Servia Luca Filippi Townsend Bell Ed Carpenter Matt Brabham (R) Alex Tagliani Pippa Mann Sage Karam Bryan Clauson Stefan Wilson (R) Buddy Lazier RC Enerson (R)
Total Points 484 426 373 364 357 357 329 328 324 318 316 299 294 283 257 243 240 237 187 162 134 105 84 72 61 55 45 37 35 33 22 21 14 12 11
Points Behind Leader Prev. -58 -111 -120 -127 -127 -155 -156 -160 -166 -168 -185 -190 -201 -227 -241 -244 -247 -297 -322 -350 -379 -400 -412 -423 -429 -439 -447 -449 -451 -462 -463 -470 -472 -473
-58 -53 -9 -7 0 -28 -1 -4 -6 -2 -17 -5 -11 -26 -14 -3 -3 -50 -25 -28 -29 -21 -12 -11 -6 -10 -8 -2 -2 -11 -1 -7 -2 -1
Prev. Rank 1 2 3 5 4 6 8 10 11 9 7 13 12 14 15 16 18 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 -
Pos. Gain 0 0 0 1 -1 0 1 2 2 -1 -4 1 -1 0 0 0 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
Bonus Points 53 42 35 42 30 18 43 35 12 20 26 21 42 18 22 33 15 20 13 3 5 13 11 24 0 37 9 7 2 14 12 7 4 2 0
Wins 4 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Top 5 Finishes 8 7 6 4 4 4 3 2 6 2 1 4 3 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Top 10 Finishes 9 9 7 8 9 10 7 5 6 8 4 7 6 7 5 3 4 2 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Key: (R) - Sunoco Rookie of the Year Candidate
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PUBLIC SCHEDULE
AUGUST FIRESTONE 600 EVENTS
FYI
All frontstretch seating, including premium sections, will be general admission and priced at $28. This is a 29 percent reduction from the least expensive initial Firestone 600 individual ticket and reflects the percentage of the race that already has been run at this stage. Children 12 and under will receive a “Back To School” price of $10. Another offer features two tickets and a Racing Electronics race scanner rental with two ear buds for $49. The purchase of any priced ticket(s) for the AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday, Nov. 6, earns a free general admission ticket(s) to the rescheduled Firestone 600. The offer concludes Aug. 27.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
9a-7p TMS Credentials Open 10:00a
IndyCar Garage Open
11:00a
IndyCar Tech Open
4:00p Gate 4 / Suites and Victory Lane Club Open 4:30p-4:35p Mandatory Install Lap 4:35p-4:45p First Half of the Field (10 Min. Practice) 4:45p-4:50p Break 4:50p-5:00p Second Half of the Field (10 Min. Practice) 5:30p-6:15p Autograph Session (Concourse) 7:05p
Final Car Check
7:10p
Push Out
7:25p
Grid IndyCars
8:15p
VICS Firestone 600
(176 Laps Remaining, 264 miles)
Levy Restaurants is offering $1 hot dogs and Coca-Cola beverages at select areas on the frontstretch concourse while supplies last. The first 3,000 fans receive a free vintage Indy-car t-shirt compliments of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Properties (SMIP) at a designated area on the Gate 4 concourse. SMIP also will provide fans with free souvenir race programs from the original June event while supplies last. All fans that purchased outside camping for the June 11 Firestone 600 will be upgraded to available prime camping spots in the infield at no charge. Camping opens Friday, Aug. 26, beginning at 3 p.m. CT and closes Sunday, Aug. 28, which also includes Burnout Alley. The pits and garage will be open to all fans at the conclusion of the race.
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ticket info www.texasmotorspeedway.com 817.215.8500 Facebook: Texas Motor Speedway Twitter: @txmotorspeedway Instagram: txmotorspeedway
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