Chicago: Pre-race quoteboard

Ryan Hunter-Reay #1 Hylton Motorsports/U.S. Print/Medlock Ames Winery Swift 014.a
"Ever since falling out of the race in Milwaukee due to a mechanical failure, I have been really excited to get to Chicago. Between the fact that we ran so well in Milwaukee and the team won at Chicago last year as well, so I know we will have a good car, that gives me a lot of confidence heading in to the weekend."

Rocky Moran Jr. #4 Sigma Autosport Swift 014.a
"I really excited about Chicago because it is Sigma's hometown race. We know that we have a good oval car; it is just going to be a matter of getting everything on the car tuned and ready to race. I personally like

Chicago Motor Speedway. It seems like more of a driver track than The Milwaukee Mile because the driver has more input into the final results. I think it is a really neat venue and I hope the fans come out and watch us race. I am looking to keep Sigma in the top three in points. This will be a good race to score some more points and I know that we have the car to do it."

David Wieringa #3 Sigma Autosport Swift 014.a
"This is the race that I have been anticipating the most. Chicago is my home track, so it will be great to race here with all of my family and friends being able to come out to watch and support me. Last year, this track gave me my greatest results, so I am really looking forward to racing here, especially with a new challenge in a Toyota-Atlantic car. I think that we will have a good weekend, we just have to wait and see, but it will definitely be an exciting weekend for me."

Michael Valiante #19 Lynx Racing Swift 014.a
"I've never raced at Chicago, but I like ovals in general because of the precision and speed they demand. I hear it's a one-groove track, and that a properly set-up car should be flat all the way around, so it'll be important to find speed quickly and qualify well. We had a pretty good oval car at Milwaukee, and we've found something since then that should help us, so we're going to Chicago with a positive attitude."

Grant Ryley #23 Lynx Racing/Northwest Speedwerx Cupertino Electric Swift 014.a
"I ran a long, hard race here last year to finish 8th. And that's the thing about ovals; if the car is good, they're a pleasure. If the car is bad, the race goes on forever. Milwaukee is a driver's track, Chicago is a setup track, and this is actually one of the few places better suited to Champ Cars that Atlantics because they're so fast they have to brake into the turns, which creates passing opportunities. We're all running around in a tight, nose-to-tail pack with our foot on the floor, waiting for someone to make a mistake - and hoping we don't get collected in the process."

Jonathan Macri #31 P-1 Racing/NTN Bearings Miller Genuine Draft Swift 014.a
"Coming off of a long road trip claiming two podium finishes in the last 3 races leaves me and the team with boosted confidence. The whole team ran fast at Chicago last year, and we've seemed to be running quicker this year. We are defiantly a threat on the ovals, and we'll be looking to win our first race."

Alex Garcia #8 Transnet Racing/Dixien Swift 014.a
"I feel confident that Chicago will be positive for us. Portland was bitter-sweet because we did have several mechanical issues, however, the car was the best that it has been so far. I know that the guys and I will be able to build on the momentum from Portland and keep moving forward."

Roger Yasukawa #9 Hylton Motorsports/Autobacs U.S. Print Swift 014.a
"I am looking forward to the race this weekend at Chicago Motor Speedway, especially after my win at Milwuakee. Our team has great history on the ovals, they are the defending race winners in Chicago and I am confident that we are well prepared for the challenge. Since I already know the track, we should be quick right away. It should be another great weekend and I hope to close the points gap to hunt for the championship."

Buddy Rice #27 DSTP Motorsports/BG Products Swift 014.a
"It's been three years since I've raced at Chicago. The last time was in 1999 and I remember that having the right set-up is key. More so than almost anywhere, you have to have the car right or else it turns into a long weekend. We're coming off of a rough weekend in Portland, but we're making progress. We keep learning more and more about the car, and I know we'll come away from Chicago with even a better foundation. Joey's doing really well and hopes to be back in the car before too long. But in the meantime, I want to do my part to keep the program rolling in the right direction."

Ryan Dalziel #28 Michael Shank Racing Swift 014.a
"I'm just hoping to improve on my first oval experience at Milwaukee, which was a bit like being in my first car race again. I had one of the top five cars, unfortunately, I wasn't one of the top five drivers. On my own I was as quick as anybody, but I got demolished on the start and restarts. But I'll know what to do this time. As far as the championship goes, I think the most important thing for me at the minute is to make sure I stay in contention through Chicago. After that, we'll have six races to go, all of which are on street or road courses, which should give us time to push closer to the top."

Sepp Koster #5 Michael Shank Racing/Blue Bay Golf Resort Uitert Respons Swift 014.a
"I'm looking forward to Chicago, because I have a lot of catching up to do. And I hope that the break we've had in the schedule has given us the chance to get things aligned and ready to go to finally get some good results. We've been showing some good speed since we've had the new car, unfortunately, it's always been at the wrong moment, or we've never been able to capitalize on it. I just hope things are going to go my way from now on. I raced at Chicago last year in the Barber Dodge Series, but I've already learned that driving a Barber Dodge car on an oval is no comparison to an Atlantic car. I felt comfortable at Milwaukee -- we were quick there -- so I'm pretty positive about going to Chicago."

Michael Shank Owner, Michael Shank Racing
"With Rodolfo [Lavin] finishing second at Milwaukee, we know we have a pretty good oval-track set-up, so we're really looking forward to going to Chicago this weekend. And right now, the championship hunt is still wide open, which means the races we're going to be running over the next three weekends will be extremely important if we want to still be fighting for the title two months from now. In order to do that, we're working as hard as we possibly can to give Ryan [Dalziel], Sepp [Koster] and Rodolfo cars that will run up front."

Luis Diaz #33 Dorricott Racing/Telmex Swift 014.a
"Now that the things are going better for me I feel very confident about the Chicago race. The main thing we have to do is think through our set-up changes before any move because we have only two days to get the job done. Chicago Motor Speedway is a very difficult track to drive because the corners are to tight and the banking doesn't help much."

Atlantic History at Chicago:
The CART Toyota Atlantic Championship has raced at the Chicago Motor Speedway two times, dating back to the 1999 season. The previous Atlantic winners at Chicago were: Sam Hornish Jr. (1999), and Hoover Orsi (2001).

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