EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (July 22, 2009) --- Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) has always looked forward to their return to the 1.973-mile, 14-turn City Centre Airport course in Edmonton since the first race here in 2005 which was won by then team driver Sebastien Bourdais. Bourdais started from pole the next year and finished second before another win came in 2007. The team has finished on the podium in every Champ or Indy car race held here for a total of six times in the four events, most recently with Justin Wilson’s third place finish in 2008. McDonald’s driver Graham Rahal is looking forward to the opportunity to extend that record in this Sunday’s Rexall Edmonton Indy.
“Edmonton has been a great place for me,” said Rahal who has finished on the podium in two of his three races here. “I love the circuit, its very demanding, fast and fun. I have felt very competitive every time I have competed there and I really hope that streak continues this year and we can give the McDonald’s team another win here. Absolutely it is very possible to continue the team’s record of finishing on the podium in every race here. I feel very highly that either of our drivers have an opportunity to do great things here, and a win is certainly possible.”
Rahal competed here in the Atlantic series in 2006 where he started third and finished second before he moved up to the Champ Car series and raced for NHLR in 2007 where he started fourth and finished third to Bourdais and Justin Wilson, respectively. In his 2008 return here in the inaugural IndyCar Series race at this track, he had big expectations but was hit on the opening lap by Mario Moraes and, after multiple stops to repair that damage, he was later hit by E.J. Viso, who was given a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact. Rahal qualified third at the previous street race in Toronto but second-place starter Will Power ran over his front wing at the start and ended his hopes of a victory there. He is not only looking to turn his luck around at Edmonton this weekend, he is also looking to turn his luck around for the season.
“The track is very physically demanding, and it is tough to figure out,” said Rahal, who has earned two poles this season and his best finish is third place on the oval in Richmond. “Being that areas are wide open, it is difficult to find your brake markers and etc. It is a fast place, with areas of high g-forces so it makes it lots of fun. I’m disappointed that the season hasn’t been better for us so far. I have been very competitive and my entire team has done a fantastic job but we have had the worst luck that anyone could ever have. I just hope we can end it off well in the remaining races beginning with Edmonton. We have the potential.”
Not only is it the second time for the IndyCar Series to race in Edmonton, it is also their third race in Canada in general after holding and event in Toronto two weeks ago. However, the team has enjoyed many competitive races in Canada over the years. Of their 107 wins, they have earned a combined total of 15 at events in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Edmonton dating back to their first in Canada with Michael Andretti in the 1989 event in Toronto. In addition, they have a total of 34 podium finishes in Canada. If they are able to carry over their previous success in Edmonton with a win, it would enable the team to extend their record of earning at least one victory every year but one in their 27th season of competition.
“I think that the team can win this season,” added Rahal, who earned one of the team’s two wins in 2008. “There are things we need to improve on, but yes we absolutely have a great opportunity to gain some wins here towards the end of the season. It would mean a lot to me to win again for this team, and I think it would give us a lot of momentum as the season ends and the 2010 season begins. Of the remaining races I think our best chance to win is at Edmonton, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma and Chicago.”
This weekend’s Rexall Edmonton Indy can be seen on live on Sunday, July 26 at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Versus. The event will get underway with practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the 95-lap race will begin at 4:00 p.m. MDT on Sunday. As always, fans can follow the action from every on-track session via the official website of the IndyCar Series, www.indycar.com. It will also be broadcast live on IMS Radio Network and XM Radio Channels 144 and 145.
-NHLR-
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing – PREVIEW
Rexall Edmonton Indy
City Centre Airport – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Round 11 of 17 – The IndyCar Series
DATE: Friday - Sunday, July 24-26, 2009
BROADCAST: Live on Versus at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday
TRACK LAYOUT: 14-turn, 1.973-mile temporary airport circuit
RACE LENGTH: 95 laps (187.435 miles)
2008 WINNER: Scott Dixon
2008 POLESITTER: Ryan Briscoe
NHR / NHLR Racing Stats – City Center Airport (2005-present, 4 events to date)
TEAM WINS HERE: TWO (Bourdais 2005 & 2007)
TEAM POLES HERE: ONE (Bourdais 2006)
TEAM PODIUM FINISHES HERE: SIX (2nd – Bourdais 2006; 3rd - Servia 2005, Rahal 2007, Wilson 2008)
TEAM WINS & POLES ON
ROAD/STREET COURSES: The team has earned 80 of their 107 victories and 90 of their 109 poles on road/street courses
TEAM’S PREVIOUS
ROAD/STREET WIN: Detroit street race in ’08 by Justin Wilson
TEAM’S PREVIOUS
ROAD/STREET POLE: St. Pete street race in ’09 by Graham Rahal
RAHAL’S BEST
START/FINISH HERE: 4th in the ’07 Champ Car race / 3rd in 2007 Champ Car race
RAHAL’S BEST ROAD/
STREET S/F OVERALL: 1st in St. Pete ‘09 / 1st in St. Pete ‘08
Team & Driver Stats and Quotes:
NEWMAN/HAAS RACING & NHLR RACING STATS
- 15 WINS & 34 PODIUMS IN CANADA: The team has earned 15 wins in Canada (Bourdais – Edmonton ’07, Montreal ’06, Edmonton ’05, Toronto ‘04; Servia – Montreal ’05; Junqueira – Montreal ’04; Da Matta – Toronto ’02; Mi. Andretti – Toronto ’00, Vancouver ’96, Toronto ’95, Vancouver ’92, Toronto ’92, Vancouver ’91, Toronto ’91, Toronto ’89) and 34 PODIUMS (2nd ten times: Bourdais – Mont Tremblant ’07, Edmonton ’06; Servia – Toronto ’05, Edmonton ’05; Junqueira – Vancouver ’03; Da Matta – Montreal ’02; Mi. Andretti – Vancouver ’98, Toronto ’98; Ma. Andretti – Toronto ’91; Mi. Andretti – Toronto ’90) (3rd nine times: Wilson – Edmonton ’08; Rahal – Edmonton ’07; Bourdais – Toronto ‘06; Bourdais – Vancouver ’03; Junqueira – Toronto ’03; Fittipaldi – Toronto ’02; Fittipaldi – Toronto ’99; Ma. Andretti – Vancouver ’90; Ma. Andretti – Toronto ’86.
GRAHAM RAHAL, driver of the #02 McDonald’s Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
- 2 PODIUMS IN 3 EDMONTON EVENTS: Will be his third major open wheel race here and fourth overall. He started third and finished second in the Atlantic race here in 2006 and started fourth and finished third in the 2007 Champ Car race for NHLR. In 2008 he started eighth and was hit on the opening lap by Moraes which damaged his right rear pushrod and forced multiple stops. On Lap 61, he was hit by Viso, who had to serve a drive through penalty for avoidable contact. Retired in 26th place.
- 2 OF 10 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 of a turn but the contact ended his race in 20th place…Is ranked 10th in series points with 209.
- 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.
What They’re Saying About…
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Edmonton has been a great place for me. I love the circuit, its very demanding, fast and fun. I have felt very competitive every time I have competed there and I really hope that streak continues this year and we can give the McDonald’s team another win here. Absolutely it is very possible to continue the team’s record of finishing on the podium in every race here. I feel very highly that either of our drivers have an opportunity to do great things here, and a win is certainly possible.
“The track is very physically demanding, and it is tough to figure out. Being that areas are wide open, it is difficult to find your brake markers and etc. It is a fast place, with areas of high g-forces so it makes it lots of fun. I’m disappointed that the season hasn’t been better for us so far. I have been very competitive and my entire team has done a fantastic job but we have had the worst luck that anyone could ever have, and we can’t seem to break an unlucky spell. I just hope we can end it off well in the remaining races beginning with Edmonton. We have the potential.
“I think that the team can win this season. “There are things we need to improve on, but yes we absolutely have a great opportunity to gain some wins here towards the end of the season. It would mean a lot to me to win again for this team, and I think it would give us a lot of momentum as the season ends and the 2010 season begins. Of the remaining races I think our best chance to win is at Edmonton, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma and Chicago.
“I have been relaxing since Toronto! I have been just hanging out, boating and jet skiing at my mother’s cabin in st. Andrews. I’m simply trying to break my mind of the bad luck we have had and just have fun and relax. The best way to prepare for a great next race weekend is to go back to it with a fresh open mind.”
