McDONALD’S DRIVER RAHAL AND TEAMMATE DOORNBOS LOOK FORWARD TO RETURN TO A
1.5-MILE OVAL FOR THIS SATURDAY’S MEIJER INDY 300 AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

SPARTA, Kentucky (July 30, 2009) --- The 2009 IndyCar Series is heading back to an oval track after three road/street course races and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) is looking forward to their return to a 1.5 mile tri oval for the first time since Kansas Speedway in April where the team qualified both cars on the front row. McDonald’s driver Rahal and teammate Robert Doornbos are hoping to repeat their strong qualifying performance on this type of track at Kentucky Speedway, site of Saturday night’s Meijer Indy 300.

“I am looking forward to getting back onto the ovals,” said Rahal. “It (Kentucky Speedway) should be very similar to the Kansas track. I think that basically a ‘Kansas car’ is a 1.5 mile all around car. The trick with Kentucky is it is bumpy and that makes the shock package more of a premium than any of the other 1.5 mile tracks we will go to. I think that its time to see how the McDonald’s team has progressed on the 1.5 mile courses, and I am looking forward to giving it a shot this weekend.”

At Kansas Speedway on April 25, 2009, Rahal became the youngest pole winner on an oval in IndyCar Series (ICS) history after already becoming the youngest overall pole winner with his top starting spot on the streets of St. Pete in the season-opener. It was also the first pole on an oval for a team transitioning from the Champ Car World Series as well as NHLR’s first oval pole since Sebastien Bourdais won from pole at the final Champ Car oval race which was held at the Milwaukee Mile in 2006. The team also earned their first 1-2 start on an oval since the 2006 Milwaukee race where Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira made up the front row. One big difference however was that Kansas marked Robert Doornbos’ oval debut. After starting second, he took the lead after the first round of pit stops but was penalized for hitting Rahal’s tire while leaving his pit box and had to drop to the back of the field. He learned a lot from that experience as well as in other oval races this season and is looking forward to his seventh race on an oval in Kentucky.

“The last time I was on a 1.5 mile oval it was in Kansas and it was my first ever oval race weekend,” said Doornbos, whose highest finish on an oval is ninth place in Texas and Richmond. “Obviously the car was working well and I qualified on the front row in second place which was very motivating for everybody on the team. I learned a lot in that race because I was in all different positions from leading until getting a penalty and driving in last place. I now look forward to going back to a similar track even though I’ve never been to Kentucky.”

Like Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway is a tri oval with similar banking. The Kentucky track is bumpier than the Kansas track but that isn’t the only change the team is anticipating. Beginning in Kentucky, IndyCar Series teams will have the option of adding aerodynamic pieces to their cars as well as bursts of additional horsepower in an effort to increase passing opportunities. Rear tire ramps, sidepod extensions and wheel backing plates used together, or in any combination will be optional items for the 1.5-mile ovals.

“From what I have been told, the cars should be quicker and I do think that it is a good first step towards making the cars more racey,” said Rahal. “I think the team has made great gains on the 1.5 mile track, specifically those like Kentucky. I think this race weekend gives us a great opportunity to continue on somewhat of a roll from our Richmond performance on ovals. We ought to be very competitive and I have high expectations. I will say with the rule changes it will be interesting to see how competitive everyone is.”

“We shall see if some of the technical changes will have an influence on the racing,” added Doornbos, who with Mike Conway are the only two ICS drivers who will race here for the first time. “We all have a fresh approach and we all need a good result! The target is to get more side by side racing with more downforce available for the teams to run and this should make things better for the racing show. All my experience in racing has been on road or street courses so it’s obvious that I feel more comfortable on those types of tracks but I’m open to learning the tricks of oval racing and that will take time but it’s a great challenge. I’m looking forward to working with the engineers to setup a good car as that would make life a little easier!”

Rahal is currently ranked 10th in ICS standings with 235 points, only 50 behind fifth place Danica Patrick with six races to go this season. Doornbos leads the Rookie of the Year battle with 197 points, three more than second place Raphael Matos, and is ranked 12th in series standings. Rahal hopes to carry over the momentum of earning his first podium finish on an oval at the last oval race in Richmond and close in on a top-five, season-ending finish.

“I believe we have everything it takes to finish on the podium here like we did at the last oval race in Richmond,” said Rahal, who ran as high as 12th in the race here last year before he retired with gearbox failure. “We are becoming stronger as a team, and I see no reason why with some luck we can’t be right there. It’s our time to have some luck and it could all come together this weekend. I think it’s easy to say we have come a long way, and I am excited to see what happens both in qualifying and the race in Kentucky.”

The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues Aug. 1 with the Meijer Indy 300 presented by Red Baron and Edy's at Kentucky Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 5p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS. A one-hour qualifying show will be telecast by VERSUS at 6 p.m. on July 31. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Kentucky 100, the 100th Firestone Indy Lights race under the Indy Racing League banner, on Aug. 1 at Kentucky Speedway. The race will be telecast at 4 p.m. (EDT) on Aug. 3 by VERSUS.




GRAHAM RAHAL, driver of the #02 McDonald’s Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
AT KENTUCKY: Will be his second race here. He started 20th and ran as high as 12th in the opening laps before gearbox failure ended his race after 28/200 laps and he retired in 25th.

2 POLES SO FAR IN 2009 INDYCAR SEASON: Rahal ran the fastest lap times on Friday and Saturday on the streets of St. Pete to become the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old. As the field entered the wide Turn 1 at the start of the race, second place starter Justin Wilson pulled slightly ahead on Rahal’s left while fifth place starter Dario Franchitti made a daring move on his right heading into the right hander. Rahal was not only squeezed in the process, he was hit from behind by Tony Kanaan which spun him sideways and into the grass. He dropped to the rear of the field but rebounded to finish seventh…Qualified seventh in Long Beach and pitted from second place but was waved out of the pits before the fuel nozzle was disengaged. Was ordered to let three cars pass as a penalty then was served another one when the officials deemed he didn’t do it quick enough although he only ran ½ lap before doing so. After a drive through penalty he could only recover enough to finish 12th…Won his first oval pole in Kansas and led eight laps, maintained a top-three position for the first half of the race and top-five second half before a caution came out when he was preparing the enter the pits. Had to get back on track and enter a closed pit for an extra stop the next time by for a splash of fuel before he came in again when the pits opened on the next lap and lost four spots. Dropped to 10th but finished seventh…Qualified fourth for his second Indy 500 but made contact after attempting to lap Duno and retired in 31st place after 56/200 laps…Qualified 2nd in Milwaukee and briefly took the lead at the start but dropped to third by the end of the lap and ultimately finished fourth, his highest finish on an oval…Qualified 12th and retired in 22nd in Texas. Struggled to control his race car in the opening laps and dropped from 12th to 18th on the first lap and continued to fall back before he lost control and made contact…Started ninth based on entrant points in Iowa after qualifying was canceled and ran as high as sixth but contact with Patrick forced an unscheduled stop which put him two laps down and he ultimately finished 11th…Qualified fifth at Watkins Glen but failed the post qualifying tech inspection for being a few pounds underweight. Penalized 10 positions and started 15th, ran as high as second on an alternate pit strategy but finished 13th…Started third in Toronto but was hit by second place started Will Power who squeezed him to the wall on the opening lap before T1. A forced stop to replace his front wing dropped him to the back but he charged through the field into seventh place but held his position behind Patrick but flat-spotted his tires which led to losing three positions before his next stop. Tried to pass the lapped car of Carpenter on the inside a right hander but the contact ended his race in 20th place…Started fifth and finished seventh at Edmonton…Is ranked 10th in series points with 235.

YOUNGEST RACE & POLE WINNER IN SERIES HISTORY: Became the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history when he drove to victory in his series debut in St. Pete in 2008 at the age of 19 years and 93 days old. The previous mark was held by Marco Andretti who won at Infineon Raceway at 19 years, 167 days old. Rahal had only run 10 laps at testing speed in an ICS car on a road course (Sebring) due to a pre-race three hour test (4-1) being cancelled due to rain. One year later he became the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old when he returned to St. Pete. He also became the youngest pole winner on an oval at Kansas Speedway on April 25, 2009.

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I am looking forward to getting back onto the ovals. I think that its time to see how the McDonald’s team has progressed on the 1.5 mile courses, and I am looking forward to giving it a shot this weekend. From what I have been told, the cars should be quicker and I do think that it is a good first step towards making the cars more racey.

“I think the team has made great gains on the 1.5 mile track, specifically those like Kentucky. I think this race weekend gives us a great opportunity to continue on somewhat of a roll from our Richmond performance on ovals. We ought to be very competitive and I have high expectations. I will say with the rule changes it will be interesting to see how everyone is.

“It should be very similar to the Kansas track. I think that basically a Kansas car is a 1.5 mile all around car. The trick with Kentucky is it is bumpy and that makes the shock package more of a premium than any of the other 1.5 mile tracks we will go to.

“I believe we have everything it takes to finish on the podium here like we did at the last oval race in Richmond. We are becoming stronger as a team, and I see no reason why with some luck we can’t be right there. It’s our time to have some luck and it could all come together this weekend. I think it’s easy to say we have come a long way, and I am excited to see what happens both in qualifying and the race in Kentucky.”




ROBERT DOORNBOS, driver of the #06 Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
AT KENTUCKY: Will be his first race here and only SEVENTH oval race ever. The track is similar to Kansas where he qualified second in his oval debut.

FRONT ROW START IN 2009 INDYCAR ROOKIE YEAR: Worked to adapt to the different driving style needed to drive an Indy car’s in St. Pete opener. Qualified 13th, ran as high as fifth place but finished 11th after having to pit to repair damage from contact while alongside Wheldon for a pass. Race had seven caution periods for a total of 28 of the 100-laps…Started 15th in Long Beach and ran as high as third place but the timing of two caution periods negated the team’s pit strategy and he had to settle for a ninth place finish…Qualified second for his oval racing debut in Kansas to make up a 1-2 start for the team and took the lead after the first pit stop for two laps before he was penalized for hitting Rahal’s just-removed tire while leaving his pit. Dropped to rear of field but came back to finish 12th…Practice times prior to Indy 500 qualifying could have earned him a top-11 start on Pole Day but he crashed his race car on Friday and back-up car on Saturday/Pole Day and was not able to attempt to qualifying until Day 3 (23rd-33) and was the fastest that day in 23rd. Charged to 16th place in the first 50/200 laps before he brushed the wall after Scheckter abruptly passed him in Turn 1 and disrupted his air flow. The team repaired the car and he got returned to the track but retired in 28th place after a brake leak…Qualified 12th in Milwaukee and finished 15th in his third oval race…Qualified ninth in Texas and finished 11th…Started 14th in Iowa based on entrant points after qualifying was cancelled due to water seepage on track. Got sideways on the opening lap and was collected by Ryan Hunter-Reay. The team repaired his left front suspension and he returned to the track to move up three places and finished 15th…Started 12th in Richmond and earned his top oval finish of 9th place…Started 17th in the two-day event at Watkins Glen after mechanical problems on Saturday. Matched his top finish of ninth place…Started seventh and moved to third on L1 in Toronto but an electrical failure in gear shift system forced him to retire in 23rd place after 26 laps…Started 10th and finished ninth at Edmonton...Is ranked 12th with 197 points and regained the lead in the Rookie of the Year standings (197-194) to Matos.

ROBERT DOORNBOS, No. 06 Dallara-Honda-Firestone: “The last time I was on a 1.5 mile oval it was in Kansas and it was my first ever oval race weekend. Obviously the car was working well and I qualified on the front row in second place which was very motivating for everybody on the team. I learned a lot in that race because I was in all different positions from leading until getting a penalty and driving in last place. I now look forward to going back to a similar track even though I’ve never been to Kentucky.

“All my experience in racing has been on road or street courses so it’s obvious that I feel more comfortable on those type of tracks but I’m open to learning the tricks of oval racing and that will take time but it’s a great challenge. I’m looking forward to working with the engineers to setup a good car as that would make life a little easier!

“We shall see if some of the technical changes will have an influence on the racing. We all have a fresh approach and we all need a good result! The target is to get more side by side racing with more downforce available for the teams to run and this should make things better for the racing show.”