IRL: Phoenix: Firestone post-race notes, quotes

Spiderman Weaves a Win at Phoenix

Marlboro Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves claimed his second oval track victory today by winning the Bombardier ATV Copper World Indy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. The win came in near battlefield conditions as 12 cars succumbed to accident damage or mechanical gremlins in the 200-mile contest. Gil de Ferran followed his teammate onto the winner's podium with a second-place finish while Pennzoil Panther Racing driver Sam Hornish Jr. came in third. In customary fashion for the Brazilian driver, Castroneves scaled a safety fence to salute the Phoenix area fans, continuing a practice that has earned him the nickname of comic book superhero "Spiderman."

Quote from Al Speyer, Firestone Motorsports Executive Director: "This is a tough track and we were very pleased to hear so many positive post-race comments from teams and drivers about how well the Firehawks performed. We saw a lot of good driving and team efforts out there with eight lead changes among six drivers, and we're pleased the quality of our tires contributed to some impressive racing action. We take our hat off to Marlboro Team Penske, who suffered the loss of friend and team member Gary Buckner who passed away earlier this week. It was very difficult for all of them, but they managed to rebound from that loss and worked hard to get a race win. In their post-race comments, they recognized Gary and his contributions to the team."

Quote from Marlboro Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves: (Dallara/ Chevrolet/Firestone): "There was pretty tough competition out there. I just want to thank Marlboro Team Penske and everyone. My pit crew did a wonderful job; they were fantastic. The first stint was fantastic, then we developed a handling problem. We added some wing when I came in and then everything was good again."

Firestone Performance Award: Sam Hornish claimed the Firestone Performance Award for leading at the end of lap 58. The award celebrates Firestone being in all 58 IRL events conducted since the first competition in 1996 - the only tire manufacturer to have done so. Hornish will receive a $10,000 check from Firestone during pre-race ceremonies for the Yamaha Indy 400 at California Motor Speedway.

Race temperatures ranged from 89 to 106 degrees track and from 70 to 77 degrees ambient (F).

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