IPS: Indianapolis II: Pre-race notes and quotes

WHAT:
Liberty Challenge, sixth race in 14-race 2005 IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series season.

WHERE:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.605-mile road course

WHEN:
5:45 p.m. (EDT), Saturday, June 18

DISTANCE:
25 laps/65.125 miles

CARS:
Dallara chassis; Infiniti V8 engines; Firestone tires

PREVIOUS RACE WINNERS:
Inaugural event

TV:
ESPN2, 1 p.m. (EDT), Thursday, June 23

SCHEDULE: (all times local; subject to change)

Friday, June 17
7 a.m. -- Paddock open
9-9:45 p.m. -- Menards Infiniti Pro Series practice/qualifying session 1
12:30-1:15 p.m. -- Menards Infiniti Pro Series practice/qualifying session 2
1:20 p.m. -- Menards Infiniti Pro Series SWE Race Car Parts Pole Award presentation

Saturday, June 18
7 a.m. -- Paddock open
4:45 p.m. -- Menards Infiniti Pro Series Liberty Challenge (25 lap/65.125 miles)

PRE-RACE QUOTES:

MISHAEL ABBOTT (No. 91 Hemelgarn Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "Having competed in the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I cannot wait to compete on the road course at the Speedway. With my racing background being on road courses, I feel we will have an advantage. I am looking forward to a great race and finish at this race."

JAIME CAMARA (No. 1 CELG-Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "It's going to be tough. The race is going to be really tough. It's going to be different because there's more drivers that are competitive on the road course. They will do their best to win there. I'll do my best to win there because if I do, that's going to be really good win, two times in the same year. But it's going to be very competitive. If I can do a good job there, it's going to be perfect."

WADE CUNNINGHAM (No. 33 Visit New Zealand Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "It's going to be great. It's not going to be a big oval, so it's going to give some of us other drivers an opportunity to do well over there. I think it will be a good race for sure. Some more drivers will come back. (Marco) Andretti and some others will be there, so it should be a good race."

CHRIS FESTA (No. 19 SpacePak/CareCentric/SSM Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "Personally, I'm a bigger fan of the road courses. It's what I've always raced, and I just enjoy the challenge of them a lot. Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course is my favorite of all the road courses I've ever driven. Road Atlanta was my favorite, but Indy's track is much more technical. It takes a long time to recover from a mistake in a corner at this track. You have to know when to go slow and when to push. It's more of a driver's road course than any I've driven."

TRAVIS GREGG (No. 7 Lucas Oil Products Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "The Indy road course is a first-class track. Since we are racing the same weekend as F1, it will be very exciting, especially with all the international fans watching the event. At the (March 24) Open Test for the road course, things went well, and hopefully we will be stronger for the race. There are many drivers in the series with more road course experience than I have, so it's my goal to steer clear of trouble and get a top-five finish."

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