Team Target Heads to Barber Motorsports Park
Race: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Sunday, April 10 (3:00 PM ET, VERSUS)
Track: Barber Motorsports Park (2.38-mile road course)
Location: Birmingham, Ala.
NOTES/NEWS
Follow CGR on Twitter: Follow @CGRTeams for official updates from Chip Ganassi Racing’s INDYCAR and GRAND-AM teams.
Managing Director Mike Hull on Barber: “What a great start to the season in St. Petersburg with Dario’s Target group! Our aim each week is to have both Scott and Dario at the front with an equal opportunity; however, at St. Petersburg, Dixon seemed in control of everything except objects that fell from the sky. Now onto Barber – it’s a classic natural terrain road track where the driver initiates the rhythm necessary for a quick lap. The Target Team has two of the best, so it’s fun to turn left and right in the Deep South, as it represents Indy car racing with tremendous spectator acceptance.”
Third car for Ganassi at Barber: TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and the No. 01 Dinan-Prepared BMW Riley return to Barber Motorsports Park for the Porsche 250 as the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series shares the track with the IZOD IndyCar Series this weekend. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas sit at the top of the GRAND-AM Rolex Series championship standings after five consecutive wins. They have started the 2011 season strong by winning the Grand Prix of Miami and the Rolex 24 At Daytona. In seven visits to Barber Motorsports Park, CGRFS has never finished outside the top-10 with six top-fives and four podiums. Pruett and Rojas both won the event in 2008 and 2010 and claimed a runner-up position in 2009. The race will begin on Saturday April 9th at 4:00 PM (EST) and will air on SPEED Channel on April 10th at 2:00 PM (EST).
Back-to-Back: The CGR organization has reached a total of 137 wins after their victory at St. Petersburg. TCGR has back-to-back wins, dating back to the end of the 2010 season where Dixon won the season finale at Homestead.
On the Podium: At the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, Dixon finished second and Franchitti finished third, giving TCGR their 25th double podium and ninth in the Dixon/Franchitti era alone.
Dario Franchitti and the No. 10 Clorox Team
There will be a photo opp Friday, April 8th at 11:45 a.m. (CT) at the Pit Out corner with Franchitti and Indy car legend, Johnny Rutherford to commemorate their tie for 10th on the all-time Indy car wins list with 27.
Follow Dario on Twitter: Follow @dariofranchitti for all the happenings and inside information on the driver of the No. 10 Indy car for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
New Colors: The No. 10 car will sport the red, white and blue colors of Clorox this weekend for the Honda Indy Grand Prix. Clorox® is a leading manufacturer and marketer of some of consumers' most trusted and recognized brand names, including its namesake bleach and other cleaning products. The Clorox Company is committed to helping families live easier, healthier and better lives. For more information, visit http://www.clorox.com/.
Boston.com Blog: Stay up-to-date with Franchitti by following his blog on Boston.com. He gives fans a rare glimpse into the lifestyle of the reigning series champion. The blog runs each Monday following an IZOD IndyCar Series event.
All-Time Win List: Since joining TCGR in 2009, Franchitti has claimed nine INDYCAR victories (2009: five, 2010: three, 2011: one), continuing his climb toward the top of the all-time open wheel win list. After claiming his most recent victory at St. Petersburg, he sits in a tie with Johnny Rutherford for 10th.
Starting Strong: Franchitti started his 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season off by winning the series opener at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, giving TCGR their first win at the track. Franchitti now leads the point standings with 52. Franchitti led 94 of the 100 laps, the second-most laps led by a race winner. Helio Castroneves led 95 in 2007.
Franchitti’s Thoughts on St. Petersburg: "When you have a day like we did at St. Petersburg, with the way the team was just like clockwork -- pit stops, the car was great and we didn't make any mistakes -- they are few and far between so you have to enjoy them when they happen.”
Rewind: Franchitti is back at the top of the charts in the point standings after winning the season opener. Last year at this time, Franchitti was seventh in points following the season opening Sao Paulo Indy 300, where he started on pole and finished seventh. After three wins and 10 podium finishes in 2010, Franchitti won his third INDYCAR championship and TCGR’s fourth consecutive championship.
Round Two: The 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was Franchitti’s first-ever visit to Barber Motorsports Park. Last season, Franchitti lined-up seventh and worked his way to fourth after making a wing adjustment on the team’s first stop. He would go on to finish third behind Dixon.
Barber Open-Test Recap: Day one of testing at Barber Motorsports Park, Franchitti turned 28 laps in the No. 10 Target Honda Dallara with a best time of 1:13:15. Day two of testing, Franchitti turned 19 laps in the No. 10 Target Honda Dallara with a best time of 1:12:84.
Scott Dixon and the No. 9 Target Team
Follow Scott on Twitter: Follow @scottdixon9 for all the happenings and inside information on the driver of the No. 9 Indy car for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
BMP History: Dixon started fifth at the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and ran in the top three throughout the 90-lap event before securing a second-place result.
St. Petersburg Recap: Dixon started the race in third position but was collected in a lap one, turn one, multi-car incident that required a lengthy stop on pit lane for numerous repairs. The team returned to action four laps down and finished 16th.
Road Warrior: Dixon has recorded 16 of his 55 career podiums on the road/street courses. In that stretch, Dixon recorded eight wins, two poles, 23 top-fives, and 32 top-10s.
All-Time Win List: Dixon currently ranks 12th in a tie with Gordon Johncock with 25 wins on the all-time open wheel list, trailing Roger Ward by one victory for 11th place.
Barber Open-Test Recap: Day one of testing at Barber Motorsports Park, Dixon turned 26 laps in the No. 9 Target Honda with a best time of 1:12:55. Day two of testing, Dixon turned 44 laps in the No. 9 Target Honda with a best time of 1:12:28. Dixon was third fastest during this testing session.