Castroneves Wins in Chicago; Dixon Takes Championship
As you know, the closest finish in Indy Car Series history came up with Helio Castroneves taking the win, and Scott Dixon in second. The opposite being the case for the championship.
Dixon’s championship caps a stellar season that saw him capture seven victories, including the Indy 500.
Meanwhile, Team Penske’s Castroneves was the epitome of consistency with his eight 2nd place finishes.
Team Penske's Helio Castronever took the win over Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon in the closest finish in IRL history at Chicagoland. Dixon, however, would go on to claim the championship. (Photo: Zach Wenzel Stock Photo)
Other News and Notes:
HVM Racing to Field Indy Lights Entry: It was announced Tuesday that HVM Racing will be fielding at least two cars in the ‘09 Indy Lights season. The move comes following HVM’s owner, Keith Wiggins, recently announced the acquisition of the assets of Michael Crawford Motorsports.
The Michael Crawford Motorsports Indy Lights cars will be no more following HVM Racing's purchase of MCM's assets. (Photo: Zach Wenzel Stock Photo)
Michael Crawford will still play an instrumental role in the management and operations of HVM’s new Indy Lights program. Crawford will come on board as the team’s general manager.
The addition of an Indy Lights entry does not come as a surprise to most. HVM is in the midst of a planned expansion within the team that will most likely see the addition of an extra Indy Car in ‘09, as well.
Corvette Racing Saying Goodbye to GT1: Also announced Tuesday was that of Corvette Racing’s ‘09 plans. The team will be returning to ALMS competition next year, but in a slightly different light.
Corvette Racing will be running their GT1 Corvette C6R in just the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring and the Long Beach Grand Prix before heading to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. When they head to Le Mans, however, they will no longer be competing in the GT1 class. Instead the cars will be competing in the GT2 class. This is not just exclusive to Le Mans. Following their return to the states, Corvette Racing will become a full-time GT2 competitor for the remainder of the season. The team will also continue as a GT2 team into 2010, as well.
Corvette Racing will be leaving GT1 next year in hopes of dominating the GT2 class. (Photo: Zach Wenzel Stock Photo)
That’s all for now. Now that Indy Car is done for the year (with the exception of Australia), look for more news and notes on F-1 and ALMS.
Thanks for reading.
Zach
