Torrance, Calif. 08/01/2004 -- Honda Racing Report
Sunday, August 1, 2004
Michigan Indy 400 Race Report
Circuit: Michigan International Speedway (2.0 mile oval), Brooklyn, MI
2003 Winner: Alex Barron (Toyota) 180.917 mph average speed
Weather: Sunny, warm, 84 degrees F
Race Results:
Ps. |
St. |
Driver |
Team |
Engine |
Chassis |
Laps |
Average Speed/Notes |
1 |
6 |
Buddy Rice |
Rahal Letterman Racing |
Honda |
Panoz G-Force |
200 |
182.123 mph average |
2 |
1 |
Tony Kanaan |
Andretti Green Racing |
Honda |
Dallara |
200 |
-0.079 seconds |
3 |
8 |
Dan Wheldon |
Andretti Green Racing |
Honda |
Dallara |
200 |
-3.636 seconds |
4 |
4 |
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Team Penske |
Toyota |
Dallara |
200 |
-3.684 seconds |
5 |
5 |
Vitor Meira |
Rahal Letterman Racing |
Honda |
Panoz G-Force |
200 |
-3.697 seconds |
6 |
9 |
Bryan Herta |
Andretti Green Racing |
Honda |
Dallara |
200 |
-4.072 seconds |
7 |
3 |
Scott Dixon |
Target Chip Ganassi |
Toyota |
Panoz G-Force |
200 |
-4.133 seconds |
8 |
7 |
Townsend Bell |
Panther Racing |
Chevrolet |
Dallara |
200 |
-5.201 seconds |
9 |
18 |
Scott Sharp |
Kelley Racing |
Toyota |
Dallara |
200 |
-7.405 seconds |
10 |
20 |
Helio Castroneves |
Team Penske |
Toyota |
Dallara |
200 |
-7.705 seconds |
11 |
14 |
Alex Barron |
Cheever Indy Racing |
Chevrolet |
Dallara |
199 |
Running |
12 |
10 |
Adrian Fernandez |
Fernandez Racing |
Honda |
Panoz G-Force |
199 |
Running |
17 |
2 |
Kosuke Matsuura |
Super Aguri Fernandez |
Honda |
Panoz G-Force |
199 |
Running |
21 |
17 |
Mark Taylor |
Access Motorsports |
Honda |
Panoz G-Force |
195 |
Running |
22 |
11 |
Dario Franchitti |
Andretti Green Racing |
Honda |
Dallara |
123 |
Not running-mechanical |
Rice, Kanaan and Wheldon Run 1-2-3 at Michigan
Buddy Rice scored his third Indy Racing League IndyCar Series win of 2004 Sunday
at Michigan International Speedway, sweeping past the previously dominant Tony
Kanaan with 10 laps remaining to win the Michigan Indy 400. Rice trailed Kanaan
for much of the 200-lap race, emerging second after the final round of pit stops
on Lap 158, then passed Kanaan on the outside on Lap 190. Kanaan attempted the
same maneuver on the final two laps, but came up just 79-thousandths of a second
short.
It was the ninth consecutive IndyCar victory this season by a Honda-powered
driver and the third 1-2-3 sweep of the top positions for the manufacturer,
with Dan Wheldon running third. Honda's other sweeps took place at the
Indianapolis 500, where the manufacturer finished first through seventh, and
a first-through-sixth showing at Kansas Speedway. At an average speed of 182.123
mph, today's race also was the fourth-fastest IndyCar Series race in IRL
history.
Rice's Rahal Letterman Racing teammate, Vitor Meira, overcame a flat
tire and one of three pit incidents in the race to charge back to a fifth place
finish, just ahead of Bryan Herta's Andretti Green Racing Honda. Rookie
points leader Kosuke Matsuura had one of the quickest cars in the field, running
as high as second, but was hobbled by poor fuel mileage, was delayed when teammate
Adrian Fernandez spun in pit lane on Lap 158, and finally damaged a front wing
in contact with Helio Castroneves.
Fernandez would recover to finish 12th, but Matsuura was forced to make an
additional pit stop to replace a damaged front wing and dropped to 17th. Rookie
Mark Taylor ran 21st after an early stop to repair an electronics problem, while
Milwaukee race winner Dario Franchitti dropped out of today's contest
on Lap 123 with mechanical problems.
After three consecutive race weekends, the IRL IndyCar Series now takes a rare
weekend off, before resuming with another three-in-a-row run at the August 15
Belterra Casino Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway, where Honda could clinch its
first IRL Manufacturers' Championship.
Drivers' Championship (after 10 of 16 races) |
1. Tony Kanaan |
400 points (3 wins) |
9. Scott Dixon |
226 |
2. Buddy Rice |
343 (3 wins) |
10. Darren Manning |
216 |
3. Dan Wheldon |
311 (2 wins) |
11. Alex Barron |
207 |
4. Helio Castroneves |
280 |
12. Adrian Fernandez |
196 |
5. Sam Hornish Jr. |
267 (1 win) |
13. Kosuke Matsuura |
178 |
6. Dario Franchitti |
238 (1 win) |
. |
. |
7. Vitor Meira |
230 |
. |
. |
8. Bryan Herta |
227 |
19. Mark Taylor |
133 |
Manufacturers' Championship: |
Rookie of the Year: |
1. Honda |
97 (9 wins) |
1. Kosuke Matsuura |
178 |
2. Toyota |
71 (1 win) |
2. Ed Carpenter |
141 |
3. Chevrolet |
52 |
3. Mark Taylor |
133 |
Buddy Rice (#15 Argent/Pioneer Rahal Letterman Racing Honda) Started 6th,
finished 1st, his third win of 2004 and Honda's ninth consecutive IRL
race victory: "We knew it was going to be a long race...a mental race...so
we worked mostly on full tanks during the practice sessions to get an idea how
the car would act in race conditions. We didn't spend as much time on
qualifying, because we wanted to be strong in the race. The setup and fuel strategy
that Scott Roembke and Todd Bowland put together worked out exactly the way
we wanted it to. When the time came, we wanted to go to the front, stay strong
and pull away, and that's just what happened."
Tony Kanaan (#11 7-Eleven Andretti Green Racing Honda) Started 1st, finished
2nd, continues to lead the drivers' championship: "We had a very
good car today. We dominated the race. We led, I don't know, 180 laps
[actually 183], but we let it get away at the end. Honda, again they were 1-2-3,
I need to thank them. I'm always proud of those guys, they were a big
part of the reason why I came to this series. At the end of the race, I was
doing what I was told to do. On the last lap, I tried the outside line, but
I couldn't make it, the inside was faster. Today, the other team was smarter
than us. Going back to the Nashville race, I didn't have the best car
and still won, so now I know how Buddy [Rice] felt that night."
Dan Wheldon (#26 Jim Beam/Klein Tools Andretti Green Racing Honda) Started
8th, finished 3rd: "I think we were just a bit off today from a setup
standpoint. I was just a little bit off Tony [Kanaan] and Buddy's [Rice] pace,
so it made it difficult for me. But I think it was a good result. Obviously,
one of my guys got knocked down in the pits. I was amazed. The poor guy gets
knocked down and it only loses me two spots. I think that's pretty amazing.
I'm glad Mike [Horvath] is OK. Third was probably the best we could do. I am
a little disappointed, now Buddy and Tony each have three wins, and I'm
still at two."
Vitor Meira (#17 Centrix Financial Rahal Letterman Racing Honda) Started 5th,
finished 5th: "We had a very good car today. But then we had a flat tire,
a bent front wing and an accident in the pits. Everyone changed the tire and
the wing real quick, and that's what I call teamwork. I wanted to win, but my
day's going to come. When the wing was bent, the car was really loose, and we
were just hanging on. But after the wing was replaced, the car was back to normal.
I was really pushing hard, but everybody was pretty crazy there in the last
10 laps, which is normal. This was a much better car than fifth place, but with
all the problems we had today we'll take it."
Adrian Fernandez (#5 Telmex/Quaker State Fernandez Racing Honda) Started 10th,
finished 12th: "It was a tough day, and it was a shame because we had
a good car. We were battling well on the race track, passing cars and having
fun. I had an incident with Vitor Meira when I was coming out of the pits and
he was coming in. Then when I was running third, I came into the pits under
yellow and I came in too hot, hit the brakes and it spun me around. I hit one
of my guys [Rhodri Griffiths, outside front tire changer for Kosuke Matsuura]
and I also screwed up Kosuke's pit stop. I got a penalty for that, which
was a good call. Two mistakes, unfortunately, but we learned from this."