TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING INDIANAPOLIS 500 RESULTS
May 29, 2011
Target Chip Ganassi Racing Indianapolis 500 Results
Results
P1 Dan Wheldon (No. 98 Honda)
P2 JR Hildebrand (No. 4 Honda)
P3 Graham Rahal (No. 38 Honda)
P5 Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda) (Started 2nd)
P12 Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda) (Started 9th)
May 27, 2011
IZOD IndyCar Series Practice for the Indianapolis 500
P1 Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda) at 225.474 mph.
P2 Alex Tagliani (No. 77 Honda) at 224.739 mph.
P3 Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda) at 224.658 mph.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing completed the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500 today. Dixon ran 60 laps in the No. 9 Target car and posted the fastest overall time for the session with a 225.474 mph. Franchitti was third quick with a best speed of 224.658 mph and ran a total of 55 laps in the No. 10 car. The Target team focused on race set-up to prepare for the Indianapolis 500.
Indianapolis 500 Pit Stop Competition Results
P1 Team Penske (No. 6 Honda)
P2 Target Chip Ganassi Racing (No. 10 Target Honda)
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda)
"It's more of just a systems check. The car's obviously been in a million pieces since we last drove them. It's just to make sure they're all functioning. We came in and did a few pit stops. Because of the lack of on-track time that we've had, we made a few changes. We tried some dampers, aero downforce levels, things like that. It's obviously very cold and probably not very close or in line with what we're going to run in on Sunday. All in all, it was pretty decent. The car was good. There was loads of traffic. There was lots of action going on out there with people speeding up and slowing down. It was pretty good for both Target cars." (You're a champion and you're on a defending team, but this Tagliani guy just won't go away). "Yeah, it's good. Tag has done a hell of a job this month. It's good to see that it's been working so well. You know, you're never going to know until you get to the race. He's a good friend, and I'm definitely proud to see what he's achieved, obviously, with a start-up team and to be able to mix it up with the big teams."
Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda)
"We can always learn something from today. It will be a lot different on Sunday. We think we know how to turn the car around for those conditions. It will be a tough race. I think there is less grip than last year, and that's going to make it really interesting. The slower speed (start and restarts) will be better. We may be going 190 into the first turn on the start. Turn 2 will be Turn 1 speed from years past. Restarts, I still don't agree with side-by-side, I think we're just asking for a bit of marbles. Whatever happens will be interesting, it will be slick and interesting. Dixie (Scott Dixon) looks strong. He's going to be tough. We're pretty strong, but just like the month I had last year, he (Dixon) has been on a rail all month. I followed (Alex) Tagliani, and he looks pretty average in traffic. But when he gets off the corner, he really goes. He will be plenty tough to beat. There are a bunch of people you just know who will be there (challenging for the win). (Dan) Wheldon will contend, the Penske cars will be strong, and there will be others. It's wide open."
May 22, 2011
IZOD IndyCar Series Overall Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500
P1 Alex Tagliani (No. 77 Honda) 227.472 mph
P2 Scott Dixon (No.9 Target Honda) 227.340 mph
P3 Oriol Servia (No. 2 Honda) 227.168 mph
P9 Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda) 226.379 mph
Having already qualified on Pole Day for the Indianapolis 500, Team Target ran limited practice laps on Bump Day while the final nine positions were determined to fill the field. Franchitti turned 33 laps with Dixon did not go out.
May 21, 2011
IZOD IndyCar Series Pole Day Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500
P1 Alex Tagliani (No. 77 Honda) 227.472 mph
P2 Scott Dixon (No.9 Target Honda) 227.340 mph
P3 Oriol Servia (No. 2 Honda) 227.168 mph
P9 Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda) 226.379 mph
Target Chip Ganassi Racing qualified the No. 9 and No. 10 cars for the Fast Nine shoot-out with their first attempts for the Indianapolis 500 today. The rain-delayed shoot-out restricted all nine cars to a single, four-lap qualifying run. Franchitti was on the fastest lap of the session until the No. 10 Target car ran out of fuel and was unable to complete the attempt, which qualified the team ninth. Dixon also encountered a fuel-related problem but was able to post the second-fastest qualifying speed of the session with a 227.340 mph – good enough for the front row.
Mike Hull (Managing Director, Team Operations)
“First off, congratulations to Alex Tagliani and Sam Schmidt for partnering at Indianapolis and being on the pole position. Both of our Target cars performed very well– we qualified for the top-nine shootout and got on the front row. We’ve won from that position before and we’re going to work hard as a race team to do that again., As far as both final runs for Scott and Dario today, we ran short of fuel. As a team we’ll be ready to race on Sunday.”
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda)
"The car was a little off, a little loose. We made very few changes from this morning, and it wasn't what I expected. It got pretty sideways in Turn 3, and I had to lift on my first lap. The wind was behind us in Turn 3. I lost a good seven- or eight-tenths (second) on that first lap. It took a long time for the car to build its speed back up. It was tough conditions. I think Tag (Alex Tagliani) went at the right time. The car has great speed. We need to work a little bit on the balance. The Target team did a heck of a job setting the car up this week with the track time that we did get. We worked on qualifying (setup) on the last day (Friday). This place is tough, and it can bite you pretty quick. It's a fine line between teetering on the good and the bad when you go for pole speed. The pole is the ultimate deal. You have seen people here who you wouldn't think would be struggling. We're pretty happy, so far, but you're never happy until you win the race."
Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda)
"We were pretty close on setup with the Target car, but not good enough for the pole today. We were definitely good enough for third place. We obviously ran out of fuel at the end of the third lap and that was it. It’s disappointing for us, but I'm happy for Sam Schmidt, Allen McDonald, Alex Tagliani and their whole team."
IZOD IndyCar Series Practice for the Indianapolis 500
May 20, 2011
P1 Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Honda) at 228.611 mph.
P2 Alex Tagliani (No. 77 Honda) at 228.327 mph.
P3 Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda) at 228.046 mph
P11 Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda) at 227.366 mph.
Because of the inclement weather around Indianapolis earlier in the week, the Target team concentrated on race setup for the second consecutive day today. The No. 9 and 10 teams lightened the load for the last two hours of the six-hour practice session and worked on qualifying trim in preparation for tomorrow’s Pole Day.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda)
"We worked a lot on race setup and we concentrated the last few hours today on speed. I think we're looking good for tomorrow and you should see the usual suspects coming to the top soon."
Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda)
"The Target car was ok today. This morning we worked on race setup and then spent the afternoon working on our qualifying setup this afternoon. We still have some more trimming out to do and I think we can work a bit more on the balance of the car."
May 19, 2011
P1 Will Power (No. 12 Honda) at 227.778 mph.
P2 Alex Tagliani (No. 77 Honda) at 227.652 mph.
P3 Ryan Briscoe (No. 6 Honda) at 227.217 mph.
P8 Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda) at 226.453 mph.
P16 Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda) at 225.603 mph.
The Target Team worked exclusively on race setup today, which required significant levels of downforce. With track time at a premium following three straight rain days, the team ran full-fuel loads and long runs to put themselves in position for faster qualifying speeds for Saturday’s Pole Day. Most speeds at the top of the timing sheet today were as a result of tows from other cars and those that did not practice race setups and went directly into qualifying.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda)
"It was a good, long day. Running lots of laps and in race setup was what is was all about. It was nice to have the sun out after we lost a few days. So far so good and tomorrow it will be about the speed."
Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda)
"We focused on race setup because we weren't sure how much more time we'd get doing that. We're just working through the program right now, but we've got more work to do. I'm okay with where we're at right now. The last run there we found something. Looking forward to tomorrow."
May 18, 2011
Due to inclement weather, there was no track activity for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
May 17, 2011
Due to inclement weather, there was no track activity for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
May 16, 2011
P1 Alex Tagliani (No. 77 Honda) at 225.87 mph.
P2 Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda) at 225.12 mph.
P3 Graham Rahal (No. 38 Honda) at 225.07 mph.
P7 Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Target Honda) at 224.40 mph.
May 15, 2011
Due to inclement weather, there was no track activity for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
May 14, 2011
P1 Ed Carpenter (No 67. Honda) at 224.78 mph.
P2 Scott Dixon (No. 9T Target Honda) at 224.49 mph.
P3 JR Hildebrand (No. 4T Honda) at 224.43 mph.
P4 Dario Franchitti (No. 10T Target Honda) at 224.10 mph.