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Dixon Tops Practice For 91st Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, May 10, 2007 ? Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon supplanted his teammate Dan Wheldon atop the speed charts in the third day of practice for the 91st Indianapolis 500.

Dixon capped a frenetic “Happy Hour” that saw four drivers jump to the top of the charts. Dixon’s best lap of 39.7398 seconds, 226.473 mph came minutes before practice ended, putting an end to Wheldon’s two-day reign as quickest.

Before him, Ryan Briscoe and Tomas Scheckter took turns on top the speed chart, bumping out Sam Hornish Jr., who had been the quickest most of the day.

When practice ended, Dixon was followed by Andretti Green Racing’s Danica Patrick (226.358), Wheldon (226.206), Scheckter (226.161) and Briscoe (225.995) in the top five.

Marco Andretti, Hornish, Vitor Meira, Kosuke Matsuura and Helio Castroneves rounded out the top 10.

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FASTEST SPEEDS OF DAY

Pos. Car Name C/E/T Speed

1 9 Scott Dixon D/H/F 226.473 mph

2 7 Danica Patrick D/H/F 226.358 mph

3 10 Dan Wheldon D/H/F 226.206 mph

4 2 Tomas Scheckter D/H/F 226.161 mph

5 12 Ryan Briscoe D/H/F 225.995 mph

6 26 Marco Andretti D/H/F 225.881 mph

7 6 Sam Hornish Jr. D/H/F 225.803 mph

8 4 Vitor Meira D/H/F 225.441 mph

9 55 Kosuke Matsuura D/H/F 225.350 mph

10 3 Helio Castroneves D/H/F 225.095 mph

POST-PRACTICE NOTES:

Dillon Welch, the son of ABC-ESPN IndyCar Series pit reporter Vince Welch, finished third in the USAC Kenyon Midget Car Series feature race Wednesday night at Mount Lawn Speedway in New Castle, Ind.

Finishing 12th in the 30-lap feature was Nelson Stewart, father of 1996-97 IndyCar Series champion and 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Tony Stewart.

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Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter received a set of Hitachi Power Tools today in recognition of the company’s primary sponsorship of his #20 IndyCar Series car at the Indianapolis 500.

ED CARPENTER (Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I woke up this morning, and they told me that I needed to come over to the garage to talk to the Hitachi people. I got over here, and they unveiled this (display of tools) for me. It’s quite a surprise. The good thing is that I will actually use all of these things, so I’m pretty happy about that. I called my buddies that I work on the houses with already and told them that Hitachi had given us a bunch of new power tools, and they were really excited about it, too. The cool thing is that it’s all on display out here, and if somebody sees something that they might like, they’re all for sale at Lowe’s. So it’s a good thing.”

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At a press conference today, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced a partnership with Bachrach Clothing. The men’s clothing retailer’s logo will be featured on the IndyCar Series machines of Buddy Rice and Sarah Fisher during the 2007 season beginning at the Indianapolis 500.

ROBBIE BUHL (Co-owner, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “We’re very pleased to announce a new partnership with our team. It’s a men’s clothing store called Bachrach Clothing. It’s all about quality, fashion, and customer service. In regards to Indianapolis, we’re going to do a lot of promotion here with the store, doing what we can to drive traffic with show-car programs, as well as discount hero cards, that will give 10 percent or a percent-off coupon, things we can do to introduce our fans, the Indy Racing fan to their product. We’ll focus here in Indianapolis, Nashville and Detroit.” (About how month is going): “We’re going to learn a lot this month, every day that we get on the track. Opening Day, with Buddy and Sarah, we ran the most combined miles of any team out there, so I think that gives you a good sense of direction about where this team is going.”

DENNIS REINBOLD (Co-owner, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “We’re excited and want to thank the Bachrach group for coming on board with us as part of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. It’s very exciting for us. We don’t have any excuses for not looking better now.”

BRIAN LIPMAN (CEO, Bachrach Clothing): “We are really excited to be associated with the Dreyer & Reinbold team because Indy, and Indiana is one of the better markets for us. Of course, all of the markets where the IndyCar Series races are important markets. Kansas, Nashville, Detroit, Dallas are all markets where we have a big presence. That’s why this association and this partnership makes a lot of sense. In the short time that we’ve been associated with the team, it’s been an absolute pleasure. This whole Indy Racing is new to me, and it’s really exciting.” (About sponsoring female driver Sarah Fisher): “It should be known that in the men’s fashion wear industry, that 85 percent of all men’s clothing is purchased by women, so we’re really happy to have Sarah on board.”

SARAH FISHER (No. 5 AAMCO/Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “Well, as we all know, a lot of times women are responsible for dressing the men. It is just a tremendous product they have, and we are really excited to have them on board. And hey, jackets are universal. It is going to be a wonderful experience for Indy.”

BUDDY RICE (No. 15 A1TeamUSA/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “I can use all the fashion sense and help to look better. It’s great to have these guys on board. Right now, we can use all the help we can get with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team, especially to look better, so it makes our presentation that much better.” (About the 2007 season): “We have had a good season up to this point, with the exception in Kansas, but that was out of our control, but those things happen. We have a lot of work if we want to overcome here on the first few rounds of the ’07 season. A lot of credit needs to given to Robbie and Dennis for their commitment with what they want to do with this team, bringing on the engineers they’ve brought on, bringing the personnel to really step up this program. It has already jumped significantly from what it has been to where it is now. Since my ’04 season. I have not had a car that has run this good since I’ve been here. I’m really excited about it right now. At the end of the month we are going to show a lot of people that this team has a lot of capabilities.”

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Archie Griffin, the only player to win the Heisman Trophy twice as college football’s top player, waved the green flag as honorary starter to begin practice today. Griffin, who played in college at Ohio State, also played in Super Bowl XVI in 1982 for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford drove Griffin around the 2.5-mile IMS oval today in a Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car.

ARCHIE GRIFFIN: (About comparing playing in the Super Bowl to driving a car at the Indianapolis 500): “It would difficult to imagine that. I can’t imagine going that fast. We were going 120 (mph) in the Corvette, and that was fast enough for me.” (About an IndyCar Series car covering the length of a football field in .9 of a second): “I wish I could have been that fast. If I had been that fast, I would have been dangerous.”

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Today is Helio Castroneves’ 32nd birthday. Team Penske crew members plan to present him with a cake following today’s practice session.

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A total of 40 cars are at the Speedway. Thirty-nine have passed technical inspection. Twenty-nine drivers have been on the track to date, turning 1,238 laps today and 3,627 laps this month. Tomas Scheckter turned 85 laps today, most of any driver. Milka Duno has turned 209 laps this month, most of any driver. A total of 95 IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series drivers have passed physical examinations at the Clarian Medical Center. There were seven cautions today for a total of 1 hour, 3 minutes.

POST-PRACTICE QUOTES:

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Dallara/Honda/Firestone, fastest of the day): (About flying under the radar): “I think it’s good. Dan (Wheldon) loves all that stuff, but I’d rather just fly under the radar and hopefully get the job done. It doesn’t always work out that way. Dan’s very fast here, and I think he deserves a lot of the media he has been getting. He’s done some pretty good races this year. I think we, maybe, have messed up a few times. At Kansas, I think we had a good shot at winning and then we stepped on our own feet and then (Brian) Barnhart stepped on it more. But, yeah, I actually prefer to like it. I don’t necessarily go out looking for people to talk to.” (About having tow on fast laps): “We only did two sets. We only did two laps on the first one, and I think three on the second. The 226 laps on the first set, and we came in because we were getting some traffic, so we opted to just throw on another set and go out a little bit. So we went out and I think we did a 226.4. There was a car a good little ways off in the distance, probably about six or seven seconds, which, around here, I think it’s pretty difficult to not get, at least, some help, but I think when you’re in that situation and everyone is running, it’s the same situation for everybody. Our car was falling off a little bit. I think the last lap that we were out there, I think was probably a (2)25.99, I think, so we still have a little bit to work on, but I think our car, at the end of the day was laying down those laps pretty respectfully.” (About trying to sandbag): “No, I mean, we still have three weeks, so we just have to keep our minds focused on what we’re trying to achieve. At the moment, I think we’re focusing on a higher downforce and then try to trim it off. Today we were kind of off and didn’t know where we were, especially running in the heat of the day. We were quite slow, and I think that took a little bit of a toll on the whole team. Everyone was kind of down and didn’t look really happy. I think at the end of the day, when we put a setup on that we were happy with, and kind of trimmed it out a bit, the car came to life and we were able to do it. But hey, it’s only Thursday. Dan’s still pretty quick, and I don’t think we’ve seen nearly anything from Penske yet. (Ryan) Briscoe seemed to show it a little bit today. We’ll just have to see what they come with tomorrow.” (About possibly withdrawing a car on Pole Day): “I guess it’s going to depend on where you’re at in the draw and how the day is playing out. There’s going to be so many different scenarios. It’s going to depend on whether it’s us two fighting over the pole, I can see Chip not really liking that. And, as always, it’s going to depend on what kind of mood Chip’s in in that hour. It’s going to be hard to know. Chip is as competitive as both Dan and myself, and we do really want the pole and I think we’re going to fight for it as hard as we can. I think we’re going to take anything, so I think we’ll gamble for it if we’re not sitting on pole position. We’ll be trying our hardest and using all three attempts to do it.”

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone, second fastest of the day): “I’ve kind of always said we’re all out there at the end of the day trying to get our fastest laps. It’s cooling off, it’s faster, you get a tow here and there. That’s kind of what I did. I’m not that much different than anyone else. Everyone else goes out there, and it’s not like I’m looking for a tow, but you get one. You need to be able to do it, at least. If you can at least do the time, you know it’s in the car. I’m not going to say we’re doing 226’s out there on our own, but at least the car will pull that time. I still believe we have work to do, for sure. The car is not 100 percent comfortable, and I don’t think that it’s the fastest car by any means yet, but I think we’re hopefully in the top-five cars. From there, really anything can happen, but we do have some work to do.” (About plans for Friday to prepare for Pole Day): “The only thing anybody works on I would imagine on a Friday before Pole Day is going fast. I’m sure you’re going to see a lot of sticker tires. You’re probably going to see times drop and speeds go up throughout the day just because you’re going to see rubber going down on the track. It’s supposed to be a little cooler, which is better for horsepower and should be more downforce, so people will be trimming out some more. You’re going to see guns loaded on a Friday before Pole Day. We’ll be no different.”

DAN WHELDON (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, third fastest of the day): (About the changes at the top of the speed chart end of day): “The end of the day was exciting. Everyone was trying to lay down a lap. We definitely feel strong with our program. We’re just working on the car and getting a little closer to qualifying trim because Pole Day is coming up. I think for the most part we are in good shape. Everybody has been working very hard, and we just keep trying to improve the car gradually.” (About the importance of Fast Friday): “It’s always important to fine-tune your car and get it good for qualifying. Fast Friday is a chance for you to try what you’re going to have come qualifying. But it’s not an end all, be all. You don’t get any points; you do get a little bit of money tomorrow. Pole Day is important, but again, the big picture is the race.”

TOMAS SCHECKTER (No. 2 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, fourth fastest of the day): “It was a good run. It’s a little bit of help. I think these cars draft really, really good so it kind of disguised a little bit what we’re capable of, but we’re not bad. If we can stick somewhere in the top 11, I’ll be happy with that. I’ve said that all month. The car is working well and obviously working well in the tow, as well.”

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 12 Symantec Luczo Dragon Dallara/Honda/Firestone, fifth fastest of the day): “It’s been a real good day for the Luczo Dragon team. We focused most of the time on race setup. We did some changes in-between runs and improved the tire life, and improved on the consistency within the run. That was really positive. To finish out the day, we trimmed out a bit to see what kind of speed we had, and the speeds were very promising, and all the while with a very comfortable car. So I guess things are looking pretty good for us.”

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 NYSE Group Dallara/Honda/Firestone, sixth fastest of the day): “Very few people at the top today were true to themselves. I was one of them. There were a bunch of tows out there, and I just couldn’t be true to myself at the end. There were a couple of guys out there that ran by themselves and looked good. Two of them were my teammates with Tony (Kanaan) and Dario (Franchitti), so that is good for the team. We will just take from them for the NYSE car and finish preparing tomorrow for qualifying Saturday.”

SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, seventh fastest of the day): “I think we ran some pretty good lap times today. We definitely think there’s more left in the Team Penske car, so I’m looking forward to getting a bit more track time tomorrow. We’re fairly comfortable right now, and I think after practice tomorrow, we will be in good shape for qualifying.”

KOSUKE MATSUURA (No. 55 Panasonic Dallara/Honda/Firestone, ninth fastest of the day): “Today’s the third day of practice, and things are improving every day. We had little problem with the setup, but we were able to solve it and found a good setup. I am happy with the car, and the team has been great. We only got one more day of practice (before qualifying) so my engineer and I will have a meeting tonight, and hopefully we will improve our time. I am looking forward to finishing up the car for the qualifying tomorrow.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, 10th fastest of the day): “We were still working on our race setup for a majority of the day, but we showed a little bit more speed with our quick lap right before we ended our practice. I think there were a lot of people playing that game today, but we stopped before everyone started posting the day’s fastest times. Tomorrow is our last day to work on our qualifying setup, but I feel like we’re in a great position to be in contention for the pole.” (About his 32nd birthday): “I had a great surprise today for my birthday. My family and fianc

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