IPS: Indy Racing League News and Notes 2008-03-05

INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES -- March 5, 2008

Today's IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series headlines
1. Team Penske takes over at Sebring
2. In Case You Missed It: Kanaan, Matos teleconference
3. Season Preview: Panther Racing
4. IndyCar Series races to air on XM Satellite Radio

1. Team Penske takes over at Sebring: Team Penske took over at Sebring International Raceway where Tony Kanaan and Andretti Green Racing left off. Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves led a half day of an Open Test on a 1.7-mile, 11-turn course as eight drivers completed 456 laps.

Kanaan and Andretti Green Racing swept a day and a half of testing March 3-4. The second set of drivers are testing March 5-6.

Briscoe's best lap, 52.7757 seconds, 113.916 mph, was faster than Kanaan's best lap from March 4 by 0.0852 of a second.

"The track seemed to clean up really quickly during the afternoon and the rubber that the guys laid down the last couple of days is still there," Briscoe said. "It's just a bit tough here sometimes, because you're chasing the track conditions. Overall, we're really happy with the work we got done today on the Team Penske car. We did a lot of setup work, just trying to build a database of tools we can work with when we go to St. Petersburg."

Castroneves best lap was 113.465 mph. Dan Wheldon, Scott Dixon, Buddy Rice, Darren Manning, Vitor Meira and Milka Duno rounded out the time sheet.

The final day of testing is scheduled for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March 6.

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4. IndyCar Series races to air on XM Satellite Radio: XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading satellite radio service, will open its fourth year as the official satellite radio network of the Indy Racing League with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300, the first race of the IndyCar Series' 2008 season. The race will be broadcast live on XM's IndyCar Series Racing channel (XM 145).

The entire 2008 IndyCar Series season, including the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25, will be broadcast live nationwide on XM. Motorsports fans will be able to hear pre-race programming, including interviews and commentary, as well as live wheel-to-wheel action on the track as presented by the IMS Radio Network. With the recent unification of open-wheel racing, the IndyCar Series will be expanding its schedule to 18 races, offering a mix of short oval, super speedway and road/street events, making it the most diverse schedule in all of motorsports.

XM is a major associate sponsor of Andretti Green Racing's No. 7 Honda-powered Dallara driven by Danica Patrick, 2005's Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. The AGR team, featuring IndyCar Series drivers Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan as well as team co-owner and open wheel racing legend Michael Andretti, will launch the second season of "The Andretti Green Racing Hour," a one-hour show airing exclusively on XM. The show will begin airing in its weekly time slot March 25 at 7 p.m. ET on XM Sports Nation (XMSN), channel 144.

"XM is committed to bringing fans the full experience of open-wheel racing, from the prep in the pits to the wheel-to-wheel action on the track," said Kevin Straley, XM senior vice president of news, talk, and sports programming. "This is an especially exciting year for IRL as it joins forces with Champ Car, and fans across the country can hear all the races on XM."

"Being the leaders in open-wheel racing and satellite radio respectively, the IndyCar Series and XM Satellite Radio form a natural partnership," said John Lewis, vice president for marketing and league development, Indy Racing League. "XM provides satellite radio listeners with a behind-the-scenes look at every race, and the best in coverage from the track."

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The 2008 IndyCar Series season begins under the lights with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 schedule, one of the most diverse in all of motorsports, features races on ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits, all broadcast worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ESPN. All races in 2008 will be telecast in High Definition. The 2008 Indy Pro Series season also begins on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.

-credit: irl