Friday, July 18, 2008
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Round 12 of 18 in the IndyCar Series

McDONALD’S DRIVER WILSON SIXTH FASTEST IN PRACTICE FOR THE HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO; HOMETOWN FAVORITE AND HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER RAHAL 12TH

FASTEST: Marco Andretti 1:07.9102 / 119.699 mph (fastest overall for the day; set in PM session)
6th: Justin Wilson 1:08.2432 / 119.115 mph (4th in the AM session; 14th in the PM session)
12th Graham Rahal 1:08.6614 / 118.390 mph (9th in the PM session; 12th for the day)



Justin Wilson, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I really enjoy the track; it’s pretty cool. We made some progress in the first session and I was quite happy that the McDonald’s car finished fourth in that. We made a few changes between sessions and it didn’t go to well so the second session we recovered and were pretty pleased with the end performance considering we were on old tires the whole time. I figure we are in good shape. The pit boxes are really, really short and I tired different lines coming into the boxes and one time I came in I clipped Tim’s (Coffeen) knee with the front wing and knocked him over. It’s not a nice thing to have happen to him. I felt really bad and am glad he is okay and was back on his feet and working on the car by the end of the session.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his first race here and fourth on a road/street course this season after racing on the streets of St. Pete (April 6; Started 3rd/Finished 9th), Long Beach (April 20; Pole/Finished 19th-engine) & Watkins Glen (July 6; Started 2nd / finished 25th – gearbox leak)…Is ranked 19th in the point standings with 183…Finished runner up in the Champ Car championship to the driver he recently replaced, four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais, in 2006 and 2007. Was a title contender until the conclusion of the penultimate race of each season…Highest start this season is pole on the streets of Long Beach and his highest finish is seventh on the one-mile oval in Milwaukee and ¾ mile track in Richmond.



Graham Rahal, No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think we are still struggling a little bit but overall the day went pretty well. This session was definitely a bit of a trying one. We made a lot of changes going into it and it was also tough for me to get a clear lap. The lap times don’t look very good but it’s just because we couldn’t get it done. At the end it was just a matter of putting the new tires on and hoping we would be able to get a clear lap and we did but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. We need to find a way to get more overall grip. I feel like I am sliding around a little too much out there. It’s cool to be back here. Obviously it would be better if we were in the top-three but it is really nice to be here. It’s kind of a dream come true because I’ve been here so many times as a kid with dad so to finally be in this position myself feels pretty nice.”

FAST FACTS: Was his first major open wheel race here but has competed in many other series at his “home track.” As a 16-year-old in 2005, he became the youngest to claim the SCCA National Formula Atlantic championship at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs here by a dominant 43-seconds. He also competed in the Star Mazda race here in 2005 (S/F 4/9). Tested a Grand Am car here in 2007...Was his fourth this season on a road/street course after he won in St. Pete (April 6), finishing 13th in Long Beach and eighth in Watkins Glen…In his IndyCar Series debut on a road/street course he became the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing in North America after winning in St. Pete on 4-6-08 at 19 years, 93 days old…He is ranked 16th in series points with 201 points…His highest start this season is second on the one-mile oval in Milwaukee where he narrowly lost becoming the youngest pole winner in series history to Marco Andretti. His highest oval finish is 10th place on the .894 mile oval at Iowa Speedway.



NHR AT MID-OHIO: NHR earned THREE wins (Michael Andretti 1990-1991, Mario Andretti 1984), SIX poles (Mansell 1993; Mi. Andretti 1992, 1991, 1990; Ma. Andretti 1986, 1984) and 11 podiums here (2nd – Fittipaldi 2002, Tracy 1995, Ma. Andretti 1990, 1988, 1983; 3rd – C. Fittipaldi 2000, Mi. Andretti 1996, 1989). It will be their first race here as NHLR.