Driving his No. 11 Pistas Argentinas/SSM car, Esteban Guerrieri passed pole sitter Sebastian Saavedra on the first lap and went on to lead all 45 laps of the race. In a race slowed by one caution period for three laps, Guerrieri averaged a speed of 89.212 mph around the 1.968-mile street course. He beat Andretti Autosport’s Sebastian Saavedra to the line by 1.598 seconds.

The win was Guerrieri’s fourth career Firestone Indy Lights victory and the 48^th for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. The team has 49 Indy Lights pole positions.

Rookie SSM driver Tristan Vautier passed three cars in his No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/SSM car on his way from the seventh starting position. Though the young Frenchman crossed the finish line in fourth, he was credited with third place in the final finishing order after Gustavo Yacaman was penalized seven positions for ignoring instructions from INDYCAR Race Control.

Victor Carbone drove his No. 3 Mav TV/Nevoni/SSM car to fifth after recording the fastest lap of the race (1:14.6652 seconds) on lap 37. Carbone moved to fourth on the final finishing order due to Yacaman’s penalty. It is Carbone’s fifth straight top-five finish going back into 2011.

SSM’S Oliver Webb finished fourth in the No. 7 Lucas Oil/SSM car after starting third. Webb lost several positions at the start, but drove a clean race to move back up to sixth.

With Guerrieri’s win, the Firestone Indy Lights championship is a three-driver race after three races. Just three points separate the top three drivers. Saavedra leads Vautier and Guerrieri, 129-128-127, respectively.

The next Firestone IndyLights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 and is one of the Miller Lite Carb Day events on Friday, May 25, which is part of the Indianapolis 500 weekend.

Quotes

Esteban Guerrieri (Finished 1^st), Driver of the No. 11 Pistas Argentinas/SSM Dallara:

“It definitely feels very good after last year when I started on pole and then couldn’t manage a very good pace in the race.  But, we are more experienced from last year.  We understood how the tires would work, and we just went for a low downforce setup to try to gain the position at the start from Sebastian. Then, when I go tofirst position, I just tried to keep a good pace and make a gap.  I managed to do that, and then I just tried to stay about two to three seconds ahead. I was pretty sure there was going to be a yellow flag, which came eventually. After the restart, I tried to be cautious, not create any mistakes, until my tires came in. I knew Sebastian was pushing me, so I was putting down consistent times. I predicted that the tires would go away a bit in the end, which they did. They were a little bit fighting.  But it was good.  It’s good in the Firestone Indy Lights series that the tires go off in the end so you have to manage them. You have to think in the car.  It’s not always 100 percent, and you have to drive it, which is the most difficult part.

I’m very happy to be able to win. It’s my first win of the season. I’m thankful to my sponsors from Argentina because only a month ago I wasn’t going to be here. I wasn’t going to be able to do Indy Lights, and then we put everything together.  So really thanks to my sponsor, to my country, and of course, Latin America. We’re here with Sebastian on the podium, so it’s a prize for Latin America, as well.  Thanks to all the fans who came here today. It is good.”

Tristan Vautier (Finished 3^rd), Driver of the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/SSM Dallara:

“The season has been very good so far. We’ve had very good speed on every circuit we’ve been to. It’s been a tough weekend here though. Today was a lot of work for me because I made a mistake yesterday. I crashed in qualifying, so my bad, and that put me seventh on the grid. So from that, I am pretty happy to be on the podium. I think it’s a very good recovery. We had a good run at the start of the race. We were down low and tried to pass, so of course I hurt my tires more than anyone else, so I was hanging on a bit. I have to give big thanks to the Schmidt guys. It’s very good to have the 11 car with Esteban winning and Sebastian with us on the podium again. It’s déjà‑vu as we were saying.  But again, big thanks go to the guys for fixing my car yesterday, both during qualifying on pit lane in 15 minutes and again last night. I owe them a drink, and yeah, I will remember my mistake from yesterday, try and not do that again, and move on from there.

Victor Carbone (Finished 4^th), Driver of the No. 3 Mav TV/Nevoni/SSM Dallara:

“It was the third race of the season and it was my third top-five finish, so that is something that I am pleased about. But there is still a lot of room for improvement. Today, I didn’t get a good start because I started from the outside row, but I had a good car and was able to pick up the spots I lost at the start. The car wasreally good, and I was able to stay really close with the cars in front. Tristan and I were running really similar setups, so it was really hard to get a good run on him. I think we are improving, and I am looking forward to the ovals as well. Indy is next and we have some time off, so its time to prepare for the most important race of the calendar and the amazing month of May.”

Oliver Webb (Finished 6^th), Driver of the No. 7 Lucas Oil/SSM Dallara:

“We got a pretty good exit from the hairpin going down to the start, but unfortunately most of the outside row was up on me because Esteban got such a good start. So by the time I was at the start/finish line, Carlos (Munoz) was already in front of me. So, I had to run wide in Turn 1, which allowed another car to get in front of me. I lost two places just in Turn 1. I stayed back there most of the race. We had some good laps and were the quickest car through the middle of the race. It’s just a shame the start went so poorly for us.”

DATE:                         April 15, 2012

EVENT:                        Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

SERIES:                       Firestone Indy Lights Series

LOCATION:                Streets of Long Beach, Calif.

WINNER:                    Esteban Guerrieri

SSM DRIVERS:           Esteban Guerrieri (Started 2^nd, Finished 1^st/Running, completed 45 of 45 laps)

Tristan Vautier (Started 7^th, Finished 3^rd/Running, completed 45 of 45 laps)

Victor Carbone (Started 6^th, Finished 4^th/ Running, completed 45 of 45 laps)

Oliver Webb (Started 3^rd, Finished 6^th/Running, completed 45 of 45 laps)

The pair, former Team Australia teammates in Champ Car, often do the two-finger “I’m Watching You” gesture at one another.

After Sunday’s 38^th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Pagenaud can openly, and confidently, tell Power, “I’m coming for you.”

Driving the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, Pagenaud made a stirring charge from fourth to second place in the closing moments of the 85-lap race on the Streets of Long Beach, Calif. He was definitely “coming for” Power.

The Frenchman was on a three-pit strategy under the guidance of Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ General Manager and Race Strategist Rob Edwards. While leading the race and with a 16-second margin over Power, Pagenaud pitted for his final stop on lap 70 for fresh Firestone tires and a splash of fuel.

He left the pits in fourth place behind the cars of Power, Takuma Sato and Rubens Barrichello in that order and who were all on two-stop strategies. Pagenaud was also more than 10 seconds behind Power on the track.

In short order, Pagenaud passed the former F1 star Barrichello on lap 73 and set his sights on Sato, who was five seconds ahead. By lap 79, Pagenaud hunted down Sato and made the pass into second place.

With six laps to the finish and six seconds behind Power, the Long Beach crowd witnessed a classic pursuit around the 1.968-mile street course. At the end, Power beat Pagenaud to the line by just .8675 seconds for a dramatic finish.

“It seems like it was a pretty cool race to watch, so I’m glad for the fans,” said Pagenaud. “I’m glad to be back in Long Beach. It’s a place where I’ve been pretty lucky in the past with two wins in sports cars, so I love coming back here. The Schmidt/Hamilton racing team is just fantastic at the moment. We’re a one-car team operation, and we don’t have as much data as Penske or Ganassi, but I’m glad we’re giving them a run for their money. One more lap, man, I would have tried (to pass Power) I tell you!”

By winning Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Power continued Team Penske’s dominance of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Team Penske has won all three races so far this season, and Power went back-to-back with his win today and at Barber Motorsports Park two weeks ago.

It was Power’s 17th career Indy car win and his second at Long Beach.

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay followed Pagenaud across the line in third place, but he was penalized for late-race contact and moved back to sixth position. The penalty moved his teammate, James Hinchcliffe, up to third place. Rounding out the top five were KV Racing’s Tony Kanaan and Panther Racing’s JR Hildebrand.

There were nine lead changes among seven drivers. Pagenaud led twice for a total of 26 laps, 10 more than any other driver.

Three caution periods allowed the yellow flag to wave for 12 laps.

On the strength of his back-to-back wins, Power leaves Long Beach with a 24-point lead in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship over his teammate Helio Castroneves (127-103). Pagenaud is third with 100 points. Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon is fourth with 96 points, while James Hinchcliffe is fifth with 95 points.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Sao Paolo Indy 300 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 29.

Driving the No. 77 Schmidt-Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, Pagenaud recorded a lap of 1:09.2078 at 102.370 mph in the second round of the IZOD IndyCar Series knockout style qualifying session. The time and speed put Pagenaud 11th on the qualifying sheet at the end of the day. However, the same INDYCAR rule that penalized Pagenaud 10 grid positions in the season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg turned the Long Beach starting grid into a math equation worthy of Rain Man.

Unapproved engine changes by all 11 Chevy-powered cars will force each Chevy driver to start 10 spots back on the grid from where he qualified. As a result, Pagenaud jumps to the second row.

“Thanks to our Honda-powered engine, we are starting up front,” said Pagenaud. “The warm-up tomorrow will be important for us, but we should be OK.”

Pagenaud’s focus on Sunday’s morning warm-up is a result of the abbreviated Long Beach schedule after rain Friday washed out quality practice time for the IZOD IndyCar Series teams.

“The car is not where we want it to be at the moment,” said Pagenaud. “Unfortunately with the rain, we couldn’t work on the set-up. It was the same for everybody, but we couldn’t catch up. The car is not in a happy place at the moment. But, we found some things in qualifying which we used as a practice session, so we have a good direction for tomorrow.”

Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe qualified on pole position with a lap of 1 minute, 8.6089 seconds at 103.264 mph. It’s the fourth consecutive pole at Long Beach for Team Penske. It’s Briscoe’s first pole since Chicagoland Speedway in 2010.

Briscoe’s teammate Will Power qualified second with a lap of 1 minute, 8.7073 seconds at 103.116 mph. Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti and KV Racing’s E.J. Viso rounded out the top five in qualifying.

After the grid penalties are enforced Sunday, Franchitti will start on pole. On the outside of the front row will be rookie Josef Newgarden, who drives for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Dale Coyne Racing’s Justin Wilson will join Pagenaud on Row 2.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will air live on NBC Sports Network Sunday, April 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Guerrieri will start on the outside of the front row in his No. 11 Pistas Argentinas/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car after posting the second fastest lap in qualifying. His lap of 1:14.7757 seconds at 94.747 mph was only beaten by Andretti Autosport’s Sebastian Saavedra.

Saavedra’s lap of 1:14.6143 at 94.952 mph around the 1.968-mile temporary street course in Long Beach, Calif., earned the Columbian his second consecutive Firestone Indy Lights’ pole in 2012.

SSM’s Oliver Webb will start third in his No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car after he posted a lap of 1:14.8661 at 94.633 mph. Starting next to Webb on the outside of the second row will be Andretti Autosport’s Carlos Munoz.

Brazilian Victor Carbone will start sixth for Sam Schmidt Motorsports driving the No. 3 Mav TV/Nevoni/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. His lap of 1:15.1889 at 94.227 mph was just better than SSM’s Tristan Vautier’s lap of 1:15.3773.

Vautier, who will start seventh, had his best lap of the session forfeited after being penalized by INDYCAR officials for ‘qualifying interference.’ Vautier crashed his No. 77 Mazda Road To Indy/SSM car late in the session. He thought driving the damaged car back to the pits would keep the session from being red-flagged, but INDYCAR officials ruled that he impeded the qualifying efforts of other drivers on his way back to the pits.

Team Moore Racing’s Gustavo Yacaman will round out the top five starting spots Sunday after he qualified with a lap of 1:15.1221 at 94.310 mph.

By starting second, Guerrieri has qualified in the top five for 17 consecutive Firestone Indy Lights races, extending his league record.

The Grand Prix of Long Beach Firestone Indy Lights will be aired in its entirety on NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) on Thursday, April 19 at 5 p.m. Live radio coverage, as well as timing and scoring, of all on-track activity can be heard on IndyCar.com.

QUOTES

Esteban Guerrieri (Qualified 2^nd), Driver of the No. 11 Pistas Argentina/SSM Dallara:

“The car in qualifying was actually quite good. I was taking it fairly easy, like pushing it at 80 percent, early in the session. I was just trying to get a good pace going through the session. In the end, I was pushing quite hard on the second set of tires. Then on the third set of tires, I was again quicker, but then it was a crazy end to the session. I have a good race car for tomorrow, but qualifying is so important and I’m a little disappointed with how things happened at the end of the session to be honest. When there is a crash, there should be a local yellow and there wasn’t anything. The tires were moved, and there was still no decision made on the track.”

Oliver Webb (Qualified 3^rd), Driver of the No. 7 Lucas Oil/SSM Dallara:

“We had a pretty good run at the beginning. Tristan and I were shuffling between P1 and P2 for most of the session. Toward the end of the session, I hit really bad luck with traffic. At the beginning of the session, I think I was one of the luckiest guys out there with traffic, which put us very high. Unfortunately, I was stuck behind a car for the end the session. There is a lot of compromise in whether you can use all of the road or you sacrifice one corner to improve on the next here at Long Beach. It’s very easy to make a mistake.”

Victor Carbone (Qualified 6^th), Driver of the No. 3 Max TV/Nevoni/SSM Dallara:

“There were a lot of red flags, and it was hard to tell when we should change the tires. I made a mistake in what would have been our fastest lap.  Everyone is very close together at the front speed wise.  It’s really easy to make mistakes at Long Beach, so tomorrow will be difficult race.”

Tristan Vautier (Qualified 7^th), Driver of the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/SSM Dallara:

“I lost control in Turn 5. I got loose in the entry and ended up in the tires. And from then, I was at the middle of the track, so I decided to back it up and bring it back to the pits so as not to cause a red flag to the session for the other guys. I feel sorry for the team because the gave me a car capable of pole, and they did a great job. It’s really disappointing because we were very fast in practice, very fast in qualifying, then we had an incident in traffic where I brushed the wall a little bit, and we lost a lot of track time. They put the car back together very quickly, and we went out for the last ten minutes and put the car in P1, but the last lap I didn’t make it.”

NOTES

I’m Not J.K. – For the first two races of the 2012 Firestone Indy Lights season, casual pit observers may have thought 2010 Indy Lights champion J.K. Vernay was driving the No. 11 Pistas Argentina/SSM Dallara. Though the uniform clearly said ‘J.K. Vernay’ on the name area of the belt, it has been Argentine Esteban Guerrieri in the suit. Because Guerrieri’s new suit wasn’t ready for the first two races of the season, he had to make-do with an old Vernay uniform until this Long Beach weekend.

DATE:                     Saturday, April 14, 2012

EVENT:                   Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

SERIES:                  Firestone Indy Lights Series

LOCATION:           Long Beach, Calif. (1.968-mile temporary street course)

POLE WINNER:  Sebastian Saavedra of Andretti Autosport

SSM DRIVERS:   Esteban Guerrieri (2^nd with a lap of 1:14.7757 seconds at 94.747 mph)

Oliver Webb (3^rd with a lap of 1:14.8661 seconds at 94.633 mph) Victor Carbone (6^th with a lap of 1:15.1889 at 94.227 mph)

Tristan Vautier (7^th with a lap of 1:15.3773 at 93.991 mph)

For Sam Schmidt, that statement couldn’t be more true than in 2012.

Indiana-based Braun Corporation, through its BraunAbility brand, announced today it is sponsoring a Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry in this year’s Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The No. 99 BraunAbility/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car will be a team car to the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports car to be driven by Frenchman Simon Pagenaud in this year’s edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

The driver of the No. 99 BraunAbility/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car will be named soon.

Based in Winamac, Ind., BraunAbility is an industry leader in personal mobility, including the manufacturing of wheelchair vans, wheelchair lifts and other mobility accessories.  The company, celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year, was founded by Ralph Braun in 1972.

Braun was diagnosed at a young age with spinal muscular atrophy. By age 15, he was unable to walk. Frustrated and constantly exhausted from using his bulky and heavy wheelchair, Braun created the world’s first electric scooter in his cousin’s Indiana farm shop. He went on to outfit an old postal Jeep with hand controls and a hydraulic lift so he could have safe transportation to and from work. He has been designing accessible vehicles ever since.

“This relationship with the Braun Corporation is more than just a sponsorship to me, ” said SSM owner Sam Schmidt. “Ralph Braun has been an inspiration to me since my accident, showing constant drive and determination to build a company of over 800 employees that delivers life-changing equipment to people with disabilities, including myself. We have become quite close, and I have never once heard him complain about his situation. He’s a firm believer that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

Schmidt was injured in a testing crash at Walt Disney World Speedway in January 2000, just a few months after earning his first IndyCar victory. The accident left Schmidt a quadriplegic, but it hardly slowed him. He will enter six cars in races in May at the Speedway. In addition to the two cars entered in the Indianapolis 500, SSM will have four Firestone Indy Lights cars racing in the Firestone Freedom 100.

“Racing has always been one of the great loves in my life,” said Ralph Braun. “Another is giving people with mobility challenges a way to get on the road to fully experience their lives. Bringing those two loves together at the Indy 500 fulfills a lifelong dream for me.”

Braun recently wrote a book on his life called Rise Above, an inspirational autobiography based on the age-old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Rise Above can be purchased at major bookstores and Amazon.com and is available for Kindle, Nook and iBook.

“I can’t begin to express what it means to me personally to have Ralph sponsor one of our race cars in the Indianapolis 500 in May,” Schmidt said. “The fact May also happens to be National Mobility Awareness Month makes this extra special to me.”

Supported by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA), the goal of National Mobility Awareness Month is to educate the public that people with disabilities can live an active, mobile lifestyle. Individuals with mobility issues, more than 18 million people in the U.S. and Canada, comprise the second-largest minority in the U.S. More than 6 million are veterans.

With five championships, SSM is the most successful team in the history of INDYCAR’s Firestone Indy Lights series. SSM won the 2004 championship with Thiago Medeiros, the 2006 title with Jay Howard, the 2007 title with Alex Lloyd, the 2010 title with J.K. Vernay and the 2011 title with Josef Newgarden.

In 2011, SSM also returned to the IZOD IndyCar Series full time. The team saw immediate success by winning the pole position for the 100^th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Practice for the Indianapolis 500 begins Saturday, May 12. “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” takes the green flag at Noon ET on Sunday, May 27.

About The Braun Corporation

The Braun Corporation is the largest manufacturer of wheelchair-accessible vans, ramps, and wheelchair lifts worldwide, enabling people with physical disabilities to regain mobility and lead active and independent lives. The company was founded in 1972 by Ralph Braun, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at a young age and was unable to walk by the age of 15. The company offers the most diverse line of vehicle platforms in the industry. The corporation is based in Indiana, U.S.A. For more information, please visit www.braunability.com.

About Sam Schmidt Motorsports:

Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM) was established in 2001 and is owned by former driver Sam Schmidt, who was paralyzed (quad) in 2000 after an accident during testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. As a car owner, Schmidt fields cars in the IZOD IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and the Firestone Indy Lights championship. SSM is the most successful team in Firestone Indy Lights history with 47 race wins and five championships. In addition, SSM has qualified 12 cars in the Indianapolis 500 since 2001 and won the coveted Indy 500 pole in 2011. For more information, please visit www.samschmidtmotorsorts.com.

About National Mobility Awareness Month

National Mobility Awareness Month is the inaugural May celebration that encourages people with disabilities to enjoy active, mobile lifestyles. Founded in 1989 as a non-profit trade association, The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association sponsors the awareness month with the assistance of more than 600 mobility equipment dealers, manufacturers and driver rehabilitation specialists dedicated to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities. For updates on the awareness month and Local Heroes overcoming mobility issues, please visit NMEDA’s Facebook, Twitter or website.

His rookie test was completed on the second day of testing on the high-banks of TMS’ 1.5-mile, tri-oval speedway. Pagenaud drove more than 300 laps during the two days he spent behind the wheel of the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car.

“I enjoyed my first oval experience,” said Pagenaud. “I was running by myself, so it’s a lot easier than running in a pack, but I’m really comfortable and the engineers did a great job making me feel comfortable. This test is all about understanding how the car feels on the oval and getting experience ahead of the Indianapolis 500. I’m just learning. I’m very excited. I’ve started on the right foot.”

Though Pagenaud, 27, brought a wealth of experience to Sam Schmidt Motorsports in 2012 having driven several types of high-horsepower cars in his career, he had never competed nor even driven a race car on an oval until Wednesday, April 4.

“He may have ridden on the bus tour around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before, but he had never driven a race car on an oval until yesterday,” said Rob Edwards, general manager for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. “Speed is always relevant, but this test was all about getting Simon comfortable in the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP car on an oval. He’s now experienced the car when it feels good on an oval, and he’s now experienced the car when it didn’t feel so good. He was a able to put a lot of things under his belt, and he’ll have time to think about them before he heads to Indianapolis for ROP at the Speedway.”

The official Rookie Orientation Program for rookies of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Thursday, May 10. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 begins on Saturday, May 12. The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is Sunday, May 27.

After two IZOD IndyCar Series races in 2012, Pagenaud sits fifth in points after finishes of sixth and fifth at St. Petersburg and Birmingham, respectively.

Pagenaud and the rest of the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will return to Texas Motor Speedway for the Firestone 550 on Saturday night, June 9. Sam Schmidt Motorsports sat on the pole for the 2011 Firestone 550 with driver Alex Tagliani.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the streets of Long Beach, Calif., April 13-15.

About Sam Schmidt Motorsports:

Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM) was established in 2001 and is owned by former driver Sam Schmidt, who was paralyzed (quad) in 2000 after a testing accident at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. As a car owner, Schmidt fields cars in the IZOD IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and the Firestone Indy Lights Championship. SSM is the most successful team in Indy Lights with 47 race wins and five championships.  In addition, SSM has qualified 12 cars in the Indianapolis 500 since 2001 and, in 2011, won the coveted pole for the Indianapolis 500-mile race.

Pagenaud finished fifth in Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama by driving a flawless race in the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car. Pagenaud was supported by an HP team that was equally flawless in its servicing of his car during pit stops.

The Frenchman started 10^th and steadily gained positions with on-track
passes and with quick pit work.

“P5 today is a really good result,” said Pagenaud. “We got caught out in qualifying Saturday, so we didn’t get a good lap in which forced us to start 10^th. But I’ll tell you, today this HP car was probably the fastest one out there. It’s good to see that we can produce such a great job with a one-car team and to fight with the Penske and Ganassi teams. I’m very proud to be a part of this team. I have to thank the crew for doing great pit stops.”

Pagenaud also said he doesn’t completely buy into the general feeling that it is impossible to pass on the Barber Motorsports Park’s 2.38-mile, 17-turn circuit.

“They say you can’t pass around here, but I have a few tricks I’m not going to tell anyone,” said Pagenaud. “It was a fun, physical race. I got held up by Ed Carpenter badly, and I know he eventually cost me positions at the end. But that’s racing. At the end of the day, I’m really happy with the result. With a sixth and fifth in two starts, I feel really confident going into Long Beach.”

Team Penske continued its dominance of Barber Motorsports Park Sunday. Will Power won his second consecutive Honda Indy Grand
Prix of Alabama by holding off Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon over the final 25 laps. Power’s margin of victory was 3.3709 seconds.

The win was Power’s 16^th of his Indy car career and maintained Team
Penske’s perfect record at Barber. Helio Castroneves won the event in 2010.

Dixon finished in second place for the second consecutive week. It is Dixon’s third consecutive runner-up finish at Barber.

Rounding out the top five were Castroneves, Ganassi Racing’s Graham Rahal and Pagenaud.

There were nine lead changes among five drivers. For the second week in a row, Dixon led the most laps with 38, one more than his 37 in St. Petersburg.

All but three of the 26 starters were running at the finish. There were two caution periods for a total of seven yellow flag laps.

On the strength of his win in St. Petersburg and his third-place finish Sunday, Castroneves leaves Barber Motorsports Park with a two-point lead in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship over Scott Dixon (86-84). Power is third with 77 points. Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe has a two-point lead over Pagenaud (60-58) to round out the top five in points.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 15 on the street of Long Beach, Calif.

DATE: April 1, 2012
EVENT: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

SERIES: IZOD IndyCar Series

LOCATION: Leeds, Ala. (2.38-mile, 17-turn street circuit)

START/FINISH: 10^th/5^th (Running, Completed 90 of 90 laps)

WINNER: Will Power of Team Penske

One week later, Pagenaud feels like he is a world away from St. Petersburg.  The Frenchman has a top-10 starting spot for Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on one of the most scenic and smoothest road courses in North America – Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala.

In IndyCar’s three-round knockout style qualifying Saturday, Pagenaud made it into the second round of qualifying but did not advance to the Firestone Fast Six final round after a team gamble didn’t pay off.

Pagenaud didn’t turn a fast lap in the second round because team leaders chose to keep the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car in the pits for most of the session. They sent
Pagenaud out with just a few minutes left in the session, but with plenty of time to produce some fast laps.

Unfortunately, the plan did not get to play out for Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports. Before Pagenaud could click off a fast lap, Ryan           Hunter-Reay crashed in Turn 9 to bring out the red flag and ending that
session.

Pagenaud’s lap of 1 minute, 14.2839 seconds at 111.646 mph was still good enough for 10^th on the grid.

“We got caught out with the flag,” said Pagenaud. “We didn’t even get one fast lap on the last set of good tires. That’s racing, you know. But you always want to start as high up as possible. We had a good car for that last run. It felt very well balanced and hooked up.”

Pagenaud was clearly frustrated with the qualifying  outcome, but he was still optimistic and eager for Sunday’s race.

“It’s a shame because my expectations were raised after I felt how good the car was on the warm-up lap in the second session,” said Pagenaud. “I think we would have been in the Firestone Fast Six. Now, we’ll start P10. Last week, we started P16 and finished P6, so I feel good. We have a good crew in the pits, so I know we’ll be strong in the race.”

Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves qualified on pole position with a lap of 1 minute, 10.4768 seconds. Castroneves won the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park.

Andretti Autosports’ James Hinchcliffe, Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, A.J. Foyt Racing’s Mike Conway and Panther Racing’s JR Hildebrand rounded out the top five. The 2011 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama winner, Will Power, will start the race from ninth position.

The Honda Grand Prix of Alabama will air live on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) beginning at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, April 1. Coverage of the race by the IMS Radio Network can also be heard on Sirius XM Radio channel 94 or through local radio affiliates.

NOTES AND QUOTES:

Tristan est au top: In English, motorsports fans would say Tristan Vautier is hot right
now. However, there isn’t an equivalent phrase used in France. The French would
simply say “Tristan Vautier est au top” or “Tristan Vautier is on top.”

Whatever the saying, Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ rookie
driver Tristan Vautier is proving that he will be one of the drivers
challenging for the 2012 Firestone Indy Lights championship.

After a dominating win in St. Petersburg last week,
he backed the win up Saturday with a front row starting position for tomorrow’s
Indy Lights race, which is part of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.  The Frenchman was confidently frustrated that
his last flying lap would have been pole worthy had a red flag not waved for an
accident.

“I’m happy and frustrated at the same time,” said the
driver the No. 77 Mazda Road To Indy/SSM car. “I’m happy because I feel like we
made a big step from practice, and we improved the car a lot. The team and my
engineer made the right calls for the car. I’m happy because I feel we could
have had this pole, but I’m frustrated because with the red flag we didn’t get
to use our last set of tires. We just put it on (the new set of tires) and then
it was red (flag). But you know, we took a risk in waiting longer and it didn’t
work out.”

Vautier’s front-row lap was 1 minute, 16.7270 seconds
at 107.915 mph.

Streak Extended: SSM Indy Lights driver Esteban Guerrieri extended his streak of
top-five starting positions when he qualified his No. 11 Pistas Argentinas/SSM fourth
today for Sunday’s Firestone Indy Lights Race. He will line up directly behind
teammate Vautier with his lap of 1 minute, 17.2494 seconds at 107.185 mph.

Timing is everything: Though he didn’t end his qualifying session the way
any driver wants, SSM Indy Lights driver Oliver Webb still will start fifth in
Sunday’s Firestone Indy Lights race. He also proved that sometimes it’s not if
you crash, it’s when you crash.

After posting his fastest lap of the 40-minute
qualifying session, Webb spun and made contact with a barrier in Turn 13 of the
17-turn Barber Motorsports Park’s 2.38-mile circuit. His accident ended the
session as time ran out before track crews could clear his car.

“It was a bit slow going when we started because the
track was wet,” said Webb, driver of the No. 7 Lucas Oil/SSM car. “At the end
of the session, we had a lap going that would have been P1 or P2, but I touched
the curb, got too much air and got spun around. I’m a bit disappointed to
be starting fifth, but it’s what we have to work with.”

Looking to rebound: After ending the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season with momentum and
posting a top-five in the season-opening race last week in St. Petersburg, SSM
driver Victor Carbone will be trying to rebound from a crash in qualifying that
will force him to line up last on Sunday’s grid.

The
winner of the final Indy Lights race in 2011, Carbone crashed his No. 3 Mav
TV/Nevoni/SSM car in Turn 1 early in the qualifying
session. His car was too damaged to be repaired in time to finish the
qualifying session.

DATE: March 31, 2012

EVENT: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

SERIES: IZOD IndyCar Series

LOCATION: Leeds, Ala. (2.38-mile, 17-turn road course)

PAGENAUD: 10^th (1:14.2839 at 111.464 mph)

POLE WINNER: Helio Castroneves of Team Penske (1:10.4768 at 117.485 mph)

After Sunday’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, it would have been understandable to allow the Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports team to think “what if” had they chosen to do so. Instead, the team leaves St.
Petersburg motivated and looking forward to the next IZOD IndyCar Series race.

Driver Simon Pagenaud finished sixth in the season-opening event driving the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car. He made the charge through the field from his 16^th-place starting position despite having a collapsed left upper flap on his front wing that caused his car to push for most of the race.

“I feel very happy today,” said Pagenaud on pit road after the race. “It’s always good to get points at the start of the season. We have a good baseline now to go into the next race. It’s a good way to start the
championship. This is a good position, but we have more in the bag.”

It wasn’t the wing damage that had the team wondering what if; rather, it was the fact Pagenaud actually qualified sixth but was forced to start 16^th.
Instead of starting in the third row, the team was penalized 10 grid positions for an unapproved engine change Friday night.  The team and Honda agreed the change was necessary after reviewing data from Friday’s practice.

Simon reiterated that the wing didn’t hamper him too
much and that the team backed his drive with strong pit stops.

“The HP car was really good today,” said Pagenaud. “I damaged the front wing early on, and it forced a little push. It was a really good recovery by the team today to get us up front. I want to thank the whole Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports team. They did a fantastic job in the pits. It’s because of their pitstops that we were able to gain so many positions. The strategy was fairly amazing.”

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves
captured his third Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which is more than any other driver. His other wins came in 2006 and 2007.

His victory was punctuated with an emotional tribute to the late-Dan Wheldon. Castroneves stopped his car on the victory lap near the new Dan Wheldon Way street sign recently placed by the City of St. Petersburg. He then climbed the fence and placed his hand on the street sign, pausing for a moment, before ascending and obviously emotional.

Finishing second was Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, 5.5292-seconds behind Castroneves. Rounding out the top five were a pair of Andretti Autosport drivers, Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe, followed by Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe.

There were nine lead changes among seven drivers.
Dixon led the most laps with 37. There were three caution periods for a total of 15 yellow flag laps.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, April 1 in Birmingham, Ala.

Notes and Quotes

From the New York Times Bestseller List? When asked how many laps the No. 77 HP car would turn in the morning warm-up, SSM General Manager Rob Edwards said, “You better bring a book.” Edwards was not optimistic the 1.8-mile St. Petersburg circuit would dry enough after morning rain showers to allow for high-speed practice. The
Schmidt Hamilton HP team turned just enough laps to practice pit stops.

Location, Location, Location! Team owner Sam Schmidt was elated over the performance of his five-car operation during the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend, which included a win in the Firestone Indy Lights race by SSM driver Tristan Vautier. Schmidt fields four cars in the Indy Lights series and the No. 77 HP car for Pagenaud in the IndyCar series. When listing reasons why winning at St. Petersburg is important to him, which his team has done six times, Schmidt said, “I like to have that first transporter spot when we get to Barber each year.”

Racing is a team sport: In some racing organizations, there is a true
separation between the engineering staff and the mechanics. At Sam Schmidt Motorsports, that divide does not exist, and the benefit of working together as one team is not lost on SSM General Manager Rob Edwards. On the topic, he said, “It’s such a group effort between the engineers and the crew guys. One of the great assets we have is that the engineers and the crew really work as one team. There’s been a huge amount of dialogue and huge amount of work done over the winter, and everyone was involved in the process. Today was really the fruits of that.”

DATE: March 25, 2012

EVENT: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

SERIES: IZOD IndyCar Series

LOCATION: St. Petersburg, Fla. (1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit)

START/FINISH: 16^th/6^th (Running, Completed 100 of 100 laps)

WINNER: Helio Castroneves of Team Penske

Team and series newcomer Tristan Vautier led all 45 laps en route to a memorable win in his first Indy Lights race. The 2011 Star Mazda champion’s No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/SSM machine was the class of the field from the drop of the green, setting the fastest race lap on his 18^th circuit with an average speed of 95.325 mph around the 14-turn, 1.8 mile street-course. In a race slowed by four caution periods, Vautier averaged 83.262 mph over the 45-lap race.

Vautier’s closest challenger was SSM teammate Esteban Guerrieri. The Argentine pursued Vautier the entire race, but could not challenge for a pass. Guerrieri returned to SSM in 2012 after an impressive second-place finish in the Indy Lights championship a year ago. The driver of the No. 11 Pistas Argentinas/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car finished the race with a strong second-place result.

Indy Lights rookie Oliver Webb impressed in his debut for SSM on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Webb, a native of Manchester, England, wheeled his No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports to a fourth-place finish, just shy of his career best in Indy Lights which was a third in Edmonton last year.

Rounding out the top five was second-year SSM driver Victor Carbone in the No. 3 Mav TV/Nevoni/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. Carbone drove a solid race from his fifth place starting position and held off a challenging Gustavo Yacaman to secure the top-five finish.

Sandwiched between the SSM entries in the top-five was former IZOD IndyCar Series driver Sebastian Saavedra. The Colombian managed to improve upon his fourth-place qualifying result to finish third in his return to the Firestone Indy Lights series.

The next Firestone Indy Lights Series race is Sunday, April 1 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., part of the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama weekend. It will be aired in its entirety on NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) on Thursday, April 5 at 5 p.m.
Notes and Quotes

Tristan Vautier (Finished 1^st), Driver of the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/SSM Dallara:

“I could see my mirrors were full on the last restart, so I gave it all I had. What a great first day in Firestone Indy Lights! It was an awesome job by the Sam Schmidt guys today and they were rewarded for all their hard work. It is great to be part of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder and what an awesome track to win at for the first time. You’re only as good as your race car. The win is good, but we have to start all over again next weekend.  I still have a lot to learn. I learned a lot this weekend, but I still need to keep learning. I have never raced on speedways, so I still have lots to learn in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.  My goal is to work hard and be on top every day.”

Esteban Guerrieri (Finished 2^nd), Driver of the No. 11 Pistas Argentinas/SSM Dallara:

“It’s not a bad result, definitely good to be one-two for the team to start the season. It’s solid points, and congratulations to Tristan. He ran a very good race because there were a lot of safety cars and it gets tricky with the cold tires. So, I think he did a good job. I was fighting a little bit of understeer in the beginning which improved a little bit in the end. In the end, I think he and I were matching pace. I tried to push him hard, hoping for him to make a mistake. But, he did a good job. I am enjoying the second place, so it’s quite a good start.”

Oliver Webb (Finished 3^rd), Driver of the No. 7 Lucas Oil/SSM Dallara:

“I’d say average probably sums up my race. We were really good in qualifying, very close to pole. The team has been great. We’ve all been up there. As for the race, my start and my first restart were really good. But on the restart that Saavedra got past me, I felt like I had a rear puncture. Then I had the same thing happen to me in the race that happened to me in practice, which is the brake seal broke. I had a lot of oil in the bottom of the car after that. We’ll have to find out why that is happening. Maybe I’m over-braking. I felt like I had a faster car at the end, so I’m a bit disappointed overall.”

Victor Carbone (Finished 5^th), Driver of the No. 3 Mav TV/Nevoni/SSM Dallara:

“From last year to this year, my event went much better. I am much more comfortable in the car than last year. But I am still learning. The Sam Schmidt guys work really hard and give us really good race cars. With me being more comfortable in a good race car, my learning curve should be better this year. I’m starting the season in the top five, and we can build a good season from here.”

DATE:                        March 24, 2012

EVENT:                     Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

SERIES:                    Firestone Indy Lights Series

LOCATION:             Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.

WINNER:                 Tristan Vautier

SSM DRIVERS:         Tristan Vautier (Started 1^st, Finished 1^st/Running, completed 45 of 45 laps)

Esteban Guerrieri (Started 2^nd, Finished 2^nd/Running, completed
45 of 45 laps)

Oliver Webb (Started 3^rd, Finished 4^th/ Running, completed 45 of 45
laps)

Victor Carbone (Started 5th, Finished 5th/ Running, completed 45 of 45 laps)