IndyCar

IPS: IRL: Kentucky: Pre-race notes and schedule

Belterra Casino Indy 300 Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile paved oval Indy Racing League Series: 12th race in 15-race 2002 season 1:30 p.m. (EDT), Sunday, Aug. 11 200 laps/300 miles Infiniti Pro Series: Fourth race in seven-race 2002 season 11 a.m.

Edited: Mar 27, 2008, 11:54 PM

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Belterra Casino Indy 300
Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile paved oval

Indy Racing League Series:
12th race in 15-race 2002 season
1:30 p.m. (EDT), Sunday, Aug. 11
200 laps/300 miles

Infiniti Pro Series:
Fourth race in seven-race 2002 season
11 a.m. (EDT), Sunday, Aug. 11
67 laps/100 miles

TV:
Indy Racing League:
Pre-race: ESPN2 (live), "Indy Racing 2Day," 1 p.m. (EDT), Aug. 11
Race: ABC (live), 1:30 p.m. (EDT), Aug. 11

Infiniti Pro Series:
Highlights: ESPN2, 6 p.m. (EDT), Aug. 29

SCHEDULE (all times local):

Saturday, Aug. 10
9-10:30 a.m. Indy Racing League practice (two groups)
10:45-11:15 a.m. Infiniti Pro Series practice
11:30-1 p.m. Indy Racing League practice (two groups)
1-1:30 p.m. Infiniti Pro Series practice
4:30 p.m. Infiniti Pro Series qualifying
5:30 p.m. Indy Racing League MBNA Pole Qualifying

Sunday, Aug. 12
8-8:50 a.m. Final Infiniti Pro Series practice
9-9:30 a.m. Final Indy Racing League practice
11 a.m. Infiniti Pro Series race (67 laps/100 miles)
1:30 p.m. Belterra Casino Indy 300 (200 laps/300 miles) ABC (Live)

RACE NOTES:

Indy Racing League:
Three Indianapolis 500 champions are entered for this event: Buddy Lazier (1996), Eddie Cheever Jr. (1998) and Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002).

Marlboro Team Penske will make its first appearance at Kentucky Speedway as full-time competitors in the Indy Racing League. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and two-time CART champion Gil de Ferran drive for the team, owned by the legendary Roger Penske.

This is the fourth of six races on the 15-race Indy Racing League schedule that will take place on a 1.5-mile track. Each 1.5-mile track has produced a different winner this season: Sam Hornish Jr. (Homestead-Miami), Jeff Ward (Texas), Airton Daré (Kansas).

Buddy Lazier has won both Indy Racing League events at Kentucky Speedway. No IRL driver ever has won the same event three years in a row.

Infiniti Pro Series:
This event will mark the second time that Infiniti Pro Series has competed a 1.5-mile track. A.J. Foyt IV won the inaugural Infiniti Pro Series race July 7 at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway.

SERIES NOTES:

Indy Racing League:
The Indy Racing League consists of a record 15 races this year between early-March and mid-September, including three new venues, California Speedway (won by Sam Hornish Jr.), Michigan International Speedway (won by Tomas Scheckter) and Nazareth Speedway (won by Scott Sharp).

Jeff Ward's margin of victory of .0111 of a second over Al Unser Jr. on June 8 at Texas Motor Speedway is the closest finish in Indy Racing history. Sam Hornish Jr.'s margin of victory of .0281 of a second over Jaques Lazier on March 24 at California Speedway is the third-closest finish in league history. Twenty-four Indy Racing events have been decided by less than a second.

Tomas Scheckter scored his first career Indy Racing League victory July 28 at Michigan International Speedway. Scheckter became the fifth first-time winner in 11 races this season. The others are Jeff Ward, Gil de Ferran, Airton Daré and Alex Barron.

Red Bull Cheever Racing teammates Tomas Scheckter and Buddy Rice, both rookies, finished 1-2 July 28 at Michigan. The only other time two Indy Racing League rookies have finished 1-2 was when Buzz Calkins and Tony Stewart finished 1-2 at the inaugural IRL event in January 1996 at Orlando, Fla.

Marlboro Team Penske teammates Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves are the only drivers who have been running at the finish of every Indy Racing League event this year.

Infiniti Pro Series:
Plans for the Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series were announced Aug. 31, 2001. The first race took place July 7, 2002, at Kansas Speedway, just 310 days after that announcement.

A.J. Foyt IV, grandson of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, led 63 of 67 laps en route to winning the inaugural Infiniti Pro Series event July 7 at Kansas Speedway. Actor/driver Jason Priestley finished second, with Cory Witherill third. Witherill took the series lead from Foyt after a victory July 20 at Nashville Superspeedway before Foyt won again July 28 at Michigan to regain the series lead.

The Michigan Indy 100 was shortened by 20 laps due to rain. This was the first time an Infiniti Pro Series race has been shortened by rain. The only time an Indy Racing League event has been shortened due to rain was in 1997 at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla.

In addition to Foyt, Arie Luyendyk Jr., son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, participates in the Infiniti Pro Series.

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