IPS: IRL: Indy Racing League News and Notes 2005-08-05

INDY RACING LEAGUE NEWS AND NOTES -- Aug. 5, 2005

Today's IRL headlines
1. Marlboro Team Penske drivers highlighted on "The Fast Life"
2. Hawk to serve as grand marshal for season-finale
3. SSM teammates get up-close look at Infineon
4. IRL drivers and teams have mixed results in USAC event

1. Marlboro Team Penske drivers highlighted on "The Fast Life": The second season of "The Fast Life," ESPN2's series about the IRL IndyCar® Series, returns this weekend.

The show, which focuses on Marlboro Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. will be telecast at noon (EDT) on Aug. 7. Additional programs of the eight-week series will be telecast by ESPN2 at noon on Sundays throughout the summer.

Hosted by ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little, "The Fast Life" is designed to give the viewer a behind-the-scenes look at the IndyCar Series and its drivers. Each episode will give an all-access peek into the life of different IndyCar Series drivers.

Each show also includes race previews and reviews and "Kevin Blanch's Tech Tip" using the same Target cut-away car used during the IndyCar Series broadcast. In addition, the shows count down the top moments in IndyCar Series history as voted on by the fans on www.indycar.com.

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2. Dixon, Briscoe join Kanaan as IndyCar Series triathletes: Tony Kanaan isn't the only triathlete in the IndyCar Series paddock.

Target Chip Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe recently competed in a triathlon in Shelbyville, Ind., with Dixon's personal trainer Jim Leo of PitFit. Dixon won his age group in the event, which consisted of a half-mile swim, 16-mile bike and 3-mile run.

"I've done some triathlons in the past and always really enjoyed the competition aspect of it," said Dixon, who also plans to compete in a similar triathlon on Aug. 7, but will compete in a new age group after turning 25 on July 22. "I started training for them again about a month or so ago and am doing several in Indiana and maybe a half Ironman later in the year."

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3. SSM teammates get up-close look at Infineon: Menards Infiniti Pro Series drivers Jaime Camara and Travis Gregg participated in a three-day Jim Russell Racing Drivers School at Infineon Raceway earlier this week. The two were preparing themselves for the 30-lap Menards Infiniti Pro Series race at the facility on Aug. 28.

"It was a good experience to use for the race," said Gregg, who is third in the series point standings, four points behind Camara. "We're not driving the same cars that we'll be driving at the end of the month, but the instructors were really helpful telling you how to position the cars for the corners."

The Sam Schmidt Motorsports teammates were first-time visitors to the 2.3-mile, 12-turn circuit in Sonoma, Calif.

"Watching that track on TV, you have no idea what the elevation changes are like at Infineon," Gregg said. "It was really neat. I enjoyed learning the track and getting some pointers on road course racing."

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4. IRL drivers and teams have mixed results in USAC event: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Jason Leffler finished second in the USAC Silver Crown Series J.D. Byrider 100 on Aug. 4 at Indianapolis Raceway Park in a car prepared by two-time IndyCar Series championship-winning team Panther Racing.

It was Panther's best-ever finish in the USAC Silver Crown Series, bettering the team's third-place finish with Tyler Walker at the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway in March.

Davey Jones, a mechanic on the No. 4 Pennzoil Chevrolet-powered Dallara and the left-front tire changer for Tomas Scheckter, served as the chief mechanic of Panther's Silver Crown entry.

Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing driver Jimmy Kite finished ninth, while Menards Infiniti Pro Series standout Jay Drake finished 26th, after leading the first 13 laps of the race won by Bobby East.

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The 10th season of IndyCar Series competition continues with the AMBER Alert Portal Indy 300 Presented by GPS Industries at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) on Aug. 14 at Kentucky Speedway. The race will be broadcast by ABC and the IMS Radio Network. The race broadcast will also be carried on XM Satellite Radio channel 152 (XM Extreme). The next Menards Infiniti Pro Series race is the Bluegrass 100 on Aug. 13 at Kentucky Speedway. The race will be telecast on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. (EDT) on Aug. 18.

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