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[/media-credit]Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing Milwaukee Advance Notes
Race: Milwaukee IndyFest 225, Saturday June 16 (1:00 PM ET, ABC)
Track: Milwaukee Mile (one-mile oval)
Location: West Allis, Wisconsin
NOTES/NEWS
Follow CGR on Twitter: Follow @CGRTeams for official updates from Chip Ganassi Racing’s IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball.
Team Manager John Cummiskey on Milwaukee: “The Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing team is looking forward to racing at Milwaukee again. The Milwaukee Mile is one of my personal favorites and I know Graham likes it, as well. We had a good test there, overall. The team will need to keep up the momentum from Texas and gain some points.”
Honda Power: Honda remains second in the manufacturer point standings with 51 points, closing in on Chevrolet with 54. Lotus remains third with 28 points.
Texas Hold Em’: The one-two finish by Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal in the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway marked Honda’s third consecutive sweep this season (Dario Franchitti/Scott Dixon; Indianapolis 500 and Dixon/Franchitti; Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix).
There’s an App for that: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) and SapientNitro SM recently re-launched an updated mobile application, which is one of the first for the high-velocity world of racing. The application brings fans updated driver and event information, and exclusive content in one centralized and expansive mobile experience, bringing to life the rich heritage and legendary success of CGRT. The unique mobile application conveys the high-octane rush of the racing experience for a team that competes at the highest levels in three series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS), IZOD IndyCar Series and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Click here to visit the iTunes Application store and download the CGRT mobile app.
GRAHAM RAHAL AND THE NO. 38 SERVICE CENTRAL TEAM
Follow Graham on Twitter: Follow @grahamrahal for updates as the driver of the No. 38 Service Central Honda completes his second season with Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Strictly Bus’iness: Rahal is offering race fans two exclusive tour bus packages from Indianapolis to the Milwaukee IndyFest, June 15 and 16 at the Milwaukee Mile, in conjunction with Andretti Sports Marketing, promoter of the IZOD IndyCar Series race at the track. Each package includes transportation from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Milwaukee IndyFest, a reserved seat for Saturday’s 225-lap IndyCar race, a paddock pass to access the garage area and more. The packages can be purchased from the Milwaukee IndyFest website at www.MilwaukeeIndyFest.com
Helmet of Hope: The Graham Rahal Foundation was selected as one of the 12 charities that will be featured on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Champion Jimmie Johnson’s helmet, through the Helmet of Hope program. Johnson will wear the helmet in the NSCS race at Infineon Raceway on June 24 in Sonoma, California. In addition to being featured on Johnson’s helmet, the Graham Rahal Foundation will receive a $10,000 grantas well as a Blue Bunny ice cream party. The program, which is part of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, allows fans and media members across the country to nominate their favorite charities, which are then selected at random.
Rahal Racing For Kids: Before racing on the Milwaukee Mile, Rahal made a stop to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin along with fellow drivers Mike Conway, Sebastian Saavedra, Carlos Munoz and Mike Larrison to visit with children as part of the Racing For Kids program. Founded in Detroit in 1989, Racing For Kids is designed to use the increasing popularity of motorsports to focus public attention and funding on the health care needs of children. In this program, drivers visit children in Children’s Hospitals wherever they race, spending time answering questions about their sport, posing for pictures, signing autographs and handing out the distinctive Racing For Kids memorabilia. Racing For Kids representatives have visited with more than 20,000 young patients in nearly 400 hospitals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Australia. In addition, nearly five-million dollars has been raised through donations and specific fund raising events for children’s hospitalsand child health institutions and causes across the country.
Texas Recap: Rahal finished second-place at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). It was a career best in five starts at the track which also marked the best finish of his 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season to date. The result came in his 84th IndyCar Series career start. His previous best finish on the 1.5-mile oval occurred in last season’s Firestone Twin 275 double-header, where he finished ninth. Going into the Firestone 550, Rahal showed strength early on by posting the third-quickest time in the qualifying session the night before. Running at the front of the pack for the majority of the race, he ran among the top-five for 153 laps. Rahal nabbed the lead on with only 28 laps remaining and led the second most laps (27 of 228). With just two laps remaining, the No. 38 Service Central Honda made contact with the wall coming out of turn four while Rahal battled understeer. He managed to keep the car going to finish second. Rahal’s previous best finish of the season was fourth at Barber Motorsports Park in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. The result also marked Honda’s third consecutive 1-2 result this season (Dario Franchitti/Scott Dixon; Indianapolis 500 and Dixon/Franchitti; Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix.)
In the Points: Following Texas, Rahal moves from 15th position to 11th in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with 149 markers, -107 points out of the top spot.
Milwaukee History: Rahal started the 225-lap race from 12th-place and showed strength early on by driving the No. 38 Service Central Honda to the top-five by lap 100 and would cross the finish line in second-place.
Career at Milwaukee: Historically, Rahal has performed well at The Milwaukee Mile. In three starts on the one-mile oval, he scored a fourth-place finish in 2009 and a second-place in 2011.
Rahal on Milwaukee: “I can’t wait for this weekend in Milwaukee. Coming off a great run at Texas, we feel we’re starting to hit our stride as a team, and the results should start to show. We have put in a tremendous amount of effort for this event as it’s always been one of my favorites on the schedule. I’m looking forward to getting out there and running as soon as possible!”
About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four in the IZOD IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Overall his teams have 14 championships and 147 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and four Rolex 24 At Daytonas. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.
For more information log onto chipganassiracing.com
