|
With a quick turn-around from the west coast city streets of Long Beach, California, Sam Schmidt Motorsports arrived at the Kansas Speedway on Thursday and began preparations for this weekend's Kansas Lottery 100.
The event marks the first oval race of 2009 and the fourth overall on the Firestone Indy Lights schedule.
QUICK READS
Ana Beatriz looks for redemption in Kansas.
Gustavo Yacamán and James Hinchcliffe to make their Firestone Indy Lights debut on an oval.
Wade Cunningham looks to get season back on track.
Sam Schmidt Motorsports looks to re-visit Kansas Speedway's victory lane.
Ana Beatriz looks for redemption in Kansas.
In 2008, Ana Beatriz topped the charts after the first practice session in Kansas Speedway. She was never lower than fourth on the charts the rest of the weekend. Starting from fifth in the race, she was optimistic of a good result. In fact, she was trying so hard to make a good result happen, when she tried to put heat into her tires, she lost control during the initial pace laps and spun the car out. Starting from the rear, she had to battle traffic all day. She made her way back up to 15th after starting 23rd, but her pre-race spin has haunted her throughout the off-season. She is very much looking forward to putting up a better result in Kansas this year.
Gustavo Yacamán and James Hinchcliffe to make their Firestone Indy Lights debut on an oval.
Of the 24 drivers entered in this weekends race, 15 are rookies in Firestone Indy Lights, including Sam Schmidt Motorsports drivers Gustavo Yacamán and James Hinchcliffe. Naturally, the first circle track on the 2009 schedule marks their first race in this series on an oval. Both have limited experience turning only left, and even less experience doing so in large packs during a race. Still, they both enter the weekend knowing the are behind the wheel of one of the fastest oval setups in the paddock, and even more confident being able to rely on the experience of teammates Wade Cunningham and Ana Beatriz.
Wade Cunningham looks to get season back on track.
There was much anticipation and excitement about the announcement of Wade Cunningham joining Sam Schmidt Motorsports just a week before the 2009 season began. With three races in the books, Cunningham has yet to score a top-ten finish. A stomach-flu plagued him in the first two races on the streets of St. Petersburg, and an alternator failure caused him to retire early in Long Beach. He and the team are as excited as anyone to get onto the Kansas Speedway and start with a clean sheet of paper. As one of the more experienced veterans in the field, and a three-time race winner on oval tracks, he looks to get his season back on track this weekend with a strong result.
Sam Schmidt Motorsports looks to re-visit Kansas Speedway's victory lane.
This event marks the fourth time that Sam Schmidt Motorsports has been entered in a Firestone Indy Lights event at the Kansas Speedway. No races were held in between 2005 and 2007, and with the series return in 2008, no cars reached the top-ten in the final standings. The team looks at this track as a weekend of redemption and looks to return to victory lane as it did in 2004 with Thiago Medeiros behind the wheel.
DRIVER NOTES & QUOTES
#7 HINCHTOWN.com/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Driver James Hinchcliffe
Enters Kansas fourth in points standings.
First Firestone Indy Lights start on an oval this weekend.
One win and five additional top-five finishes en route to fourth in 2008
Champ Car Atlantic Championship.
Recently re-launched website, hinchtown.com version 2.0 -- "Now with 10% more Hinch."
"I'm really excited about Kansas. The open-test in Homestead really wet my appetite to get in a draft with some guys, and I think it's going to be really cool. We've still got a lot to learn. It's going to be a new challenge for me. I've got a great group of guys behind me, and obviously Sam Schmidt Motorsports has a ton of experience with racing and winning on ovals. I know my oval education is in good hands. I've got some great teachers on the team with the experienced drivers in Wade and Bia having raced the ovals before. I'm really looking forward to getting out there and getting that first race under my belt."
#11 LUCAS OIL/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Driver Wade Cunningham
Enters Kansas 16th in points standings.
2005 Firestone Indy Lights Champion.
2006 Freedom 100 Winner.
36 top-tens in 50 career starts, including five wins and seven poles.
"Getting back onto the oval at Kansas is going to be great. Last year, I jumped into Brian Stewart's car at Homestead and Kansas, which were both last minute deals. We had a great result in Kansas. We had to come from the rear after qualifying was cancelled due to weather. I know with the equipment I've got now, with the team I've got around, I'm going to come out running from the gate battling for the pole and battling for the win. To know I've got that is really exciting, and I just can't wait."
#20 HEALTHY CHOICE/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Driver Ana Beatriz
Enters Kansas ninth in points standings.
First female to win in Firestone Indy Lights (Nashville, 2008).
13 top-10s in 19 career starts, including 11 in the top-five and 62 laps led.
Finished 3rd in 2008 Firestone Indy Lights standings and named the Firestone Rising Star.
"Last year, we were one of the fastest in practice and running strong all weekend in Kansas. Unfortunately, we didn't have qualifying, so we had to start based on points. We started fifth, and I was too aggressive getting temperatures in the tires. I spun out before the race even started. I have a lot of confidence going in because I know the Healthy Choice/Sam Schmidt car will be good, and I have more experience now. I'm looking forward to going back there and hopefully leaving with a podium result."
#44 CREPES & WAFFLES/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Driver Gustavo Yacamán
Enters Kansas 11th in points standings.
Youngest driver in Firestone Indy Lights; this weekend marks his fourth start in the series.
Missed the March open-test at the Homestead-Miami Speedway due to being under-aged.
Spent 2007 and 2008 in Spanish Formula 3 and became the youngest race winner ever in that series.
"I'm really looking forward to staring my first race on an oval. I know we have had strong top-ten finishes on road courses, and now I want to see where I stand on the ovals. It will be a new experience for me, but I'm excited to get on the track and see what I can learn."
Team Owner, Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Sam Schmidt
2004, 2006, and 2007 Firestone Indy Lights champions.
Team has acquired 27 race wins and 32 pole positions since entry in the series in 2003.
As an IndyCar Series driver, started 27 races between 1997 and 1999.
Earned 10 top-10 finishes, six top-fives, and one pole position (Las Vegas, 1999).
Won VEGAS.com 500 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1999.
"I'm really looking forward to Kansas. We've always had good cars there. If qualifying wouldn't have been rained out last year, I think we would have had a good shot of putting all of our cars in the top-five. There's no reason why that shouldn't be a really strong race for us leading into Indy. I have high expectations for the weekend, as I know the team does, so we're all ready to get going." |