SAM SCHMIDT MOTORSPORTS
Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying
David Hobbs 100


Date: Saturday, June 18, 2011
Event: The David Hobbs 100 (Round 5 of 13)
Series: Firestone Indy Lights Series
Location: The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis. (1-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Esteban Guerrieri, Sam Schmidt Motorsports (49.0454 seconds at 149.005 mph)
SSM Lineup: Esteban Guerrieri (1st, 49.0454 seconds at 149.005 mph)
Josef Newgarden (2rd, 49.3199 seconds at 148.175 mph)
Bryan Clauson (3rd, 49.6273 seconds at 147.258 mph)
Victor Carbone (10th, 51.1085 seconds at 142.990 mph)

For the third time this year, Argentinian driver Esteban Guerrieri won the Sunoco Pole Award in qualifying for a Firestone Indy Lights Series race when he recorded the fastest time and speed for Sunday’s David Hobbs 100 at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis.

Guerrieri’s lap of 49.0454 seconds at 149.005 mph in his No. 7 Lucas Oil car led the four-car Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM) team in Indy Lights Series qualifying today. It was a strong showing by the Schmidt team as it dominated qualifying by capturing the top-three starting positions.

Starting next to Guerrieri on the front row will be SSM teammate and Indy Lights points leader Josef Newgarden, who turned a lap of 49.3199 seconds at 148.175 in his No. 11 Copart/Score Big/Robo-Pong car. In just his second Indy Lights race, SSM driver Bryan Clauson will start third in his No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy car with his lap of 49.6273 seconds at 147.258.

Guerrieri’s other Sunoco Pole Awards came at the races in St. Petersburg and Long Beach, Calif. His effort today also earned Schmidt’s team its 40th Firestone Indy Lights pole.

SSM’s Victor Carbone qualified 10th in his No. 3 Nevoni car.

Following Guerrieri, Newgarden and Clausen in the top five are Gustavo Yacaman (49.6573 seconds at 147.169 mph) in fourth and Anders Krohn (50.0900 seconds at 145.897) in fifth.

The David Hobbs 100 will mark the third time this year that Sam Schmidt Motorsports has occupied the front row for the start of a race, and at least one SSM driver has been on the front row at the start of all five races so far in 2011.

Esteban Guerrieri, Driver of the No.7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:

“We ran really close to the wall. It worked for us and the entire team, qualifying 1-2-3. Big congratulations to Sam Schmidt. I’m happy for my crew. Oval track qualifying is still new to me, and I like how you go out one-at-a-time. You get to see how everyone is doing. But in some ways, it’s still the same because you want to go flat out and attack it 100 percent. I think I could’ve gone flat out the second lap. I had lifted just a little in (turns) one and two on the first lap. After I knew that lap was good enough, I just decided to do the same thing and lift a little in one and two. The car was perfect and I thank the Sam Schmidt team for that.”

Josef Newgarden, Driver of the No. 11 Copart/Score Big/Robo-Pong/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:

“Today was my first time qualifying on an oval after the Freedom 100 qualifying was canceled a few weeks ago due to rain. It was unfortunate, but luckily Bryan Clauson and I started first and second for the race. We were just discussing qualifying earlier today and strategizing because we had a rough time in practice yesterday. We didn’t think we should be that far off so we were struggling to figure out why this was the case. This was a great day for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, and we are starting 1-2-3. This will be great for us during the race to be up front together.”
Bryan Clauson, Driver of the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:

“This qualifying is different from anything I have ever done before. Driving the Firestone Indy Lights car on this oval has been a learning curve for me. After the first practice session today, I felt like I had a good handle on things, but then I went into the second practice session and I was struggling to understand why I was off on my pace. We started to gain speed at the end of the last practice and then Josef Newgarden’s qualifying run gave me hope. We made some of the similar adjustments and we weren’t able to get quite as much out of our run, but we are starting in third and I feel that this is a great way to start the weekend.”

Victor Carbone, Driver of the No. 3 Nevoni/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:

“We did some qualifying runs in practice, but this is disappointing because I did much better in practice. The track was pretty much the same, so it is frustrating.”

Danny 24

---------- Post added at 02:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:37 AM ----------

ALEX TAGLIANI
Milwaukee 225 Qualifying Report



Date: Saturday, June 18, 2011
Event: Milwaukee 225 (Round 7 of 17)
Series: IZOD IndyCar Series
Location: The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis. (1-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Dario Franchitti of Ganassi Racing (42.7766 at 170.841 mph)
Alex Tagliani: 19th (44.0158 at 166.031 mph)

Alex Tagliani will start Sunday’s IZOD IndyCar Series Milwaukee 225 on the inside of the 10th row after qualifying 19th today on racing’s historic The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis.

Driving the No. 77 Bowers &Wilkins Dallara/Honda/Firestone car of Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Tagliani recorded a time of 44.0158 seconds at 166.031 mph. In oval track qualifying, IndyCar officials determine the qualifying speed by using the cumulative time of two laps.

Tagliani’s qualifying run came a day after the Canadian driver spun exiting turn four during the first practice session. Slight contact with the wall caused minor damage to the front wing. The Bowers & Wilkins team has been working on finding a comfortable setup for Tagliani since the accident.

“It’s been a pretty difficult weekend so far,” said Tagliani. “Obviously, we are struggling a little bit with the car. We’re not a team that is going to give up, so we’re going to re-group in the trailer tonight. The car seems better now than it has been all weekend. We’re a little bit late on it, but we have good guys and I’m sure that we’re going to come out tomorrow with a good car for the race.”

Defending IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti won the Peak Performance Pole Award after recording a time of 42.7766 seconds at 170.841 mph late in the qualifying session. It was the Ganassi Racing driver’s 25th pole in major open wheel racing. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves will join Franchitti on the front row with his lap of 42.9866 seconds at 169.999 mph.

Franchitti’s Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon will line up right behind him in the second row with a qualifying lap of 43.0942 seconds at 169.582 mph. Rounding out the top five are KV Racing teammates Tony Kanaan in fourth (43.1493 seconds at 169.365 mph) and Takuma Sato in fifth (43.1640 seconds at 169.308 mph). Their KV Racing teammate E.J. Viso will line up sixth with a lap of 43.2217 seconds at 169.082 mph.

IZOD IndyCar Sereis points leader Will Power will start 17th, his lowest qualifying effort of the season. The Aussie recorded a lap of 43.9584 seconds at 166.248 mph in his Penske Racing car.

Sunday’s 225-lap Milwaukee 225 will air live on ABC at 3:30 ET.

Danny 24

Thank goodness the first amendment applies to this because B.C. did a hell-of-a-job in WI!!!!! So did Jimmy Kite with an extremely impressive run in a USAC Silver Crown 100 mile race.

Stewart Wins Second Night of Dirt Cup
Posted on 6/17/2011 by Kelly Hart - Skagit Speedway Media and PR

STEWART WINS NIGHT TWO OF DIRT CUP
(Alger, WA) 6/17/11 by Kelly Hart

Shane Stewart is making a habit of winning races at ASA member track Skagit Speedway. No surprise since he wins a lot of races at a lot of tracks around the country. Stewart won for the second straight night after Trey Starks blew a motor while leading at lap 24. Stewart also winds up being the high point car after two nights of racing. The top six heading into the final night of the 40th Annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup is Stewart, Jonathan Allard, Ian Madsen, Tim Kaeding, Jac Haudenschild and Willie Croft.

Jayme Barnes, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Stewart, Starks and Jason Solwold won the heat races. And Madsen set fast time at 11.100.

In the companion Outlaw Hornet main event Ben Gunderson led the entire 17 laps over Freddy Vela.

Fast time: Ian Madsen 11.100
Heat 1: Jayme Barnes, Jac Haudenschild, Madsen, Marc Duperron, Rico Abreu
Heat 2: Sam Hafertepe Jr, Eric Fisher, Cory Eliason, Willie Croft, Chad Hillier
Heat 3: Shane Stewart, Tim Kaeding, Josh DeWitt, Seth Bergman, Danielle Huson
Heat 4: Trey Starks, Tommy Tarlton, Travis Jacobson, Toni Lutar, Jesse Whitney
Heat 5: Jason Solwold, Jonathan Allard, Austen Wheatley, Colton Heath, Peter Murphy
C Main -12 laps/top two transfer: Dean Brindle, Jason Scott, Daniel Anderson, Chris Schmelzle, Kelleigh Johnson, Otto Jorgenson, Clayton Sibley
B Main � 15 laps/top 7 transfer: Chad Hillier, Marc Duperron, Colton Heath, Willie Croft, Barry Martinez, Jason Statler, Jesse Whitney, Danielle Huson, Rick Ziehl, Rico Abreu, Rick Fauver, Dean Brindle, Kevin Smith, Jason Scott, Toni Lutar, Seth Bergman, Peter Murphy
A Main � 30 laps: Shane Stewart, Jac Haudenschild, Sam Hafertepe, Tim Kaeding, Jonathan Allard, Cory Eliason, Travis Jacobson, Josh DeWitt, Brent Kaeding, Eric Fisher, Ian Madsen, Colton Heath, Willie Croft, Chad Hillier, Jayme Barnes, Jason Statler, Marc Duperron, Barry Martinez, Trey Starks, Jason Solwold, Tommy Tarlton, Austen Wheatley

Outlaw Hornets
Heat 1: Ben Gunderson, Jon Edwards, Matt Ploeg, Travis Meins, JD Dryden
Heat 2: Freddy Vela, Rick Young, Matt Powers, Marshall Corbell, James Bundy
Main: Ben Gunderson, Freddy Vela, Matt Ploeg, Howard Vos, Jon Edwards, JD Dryden, Adam Nelson, Cliff Ballenger, Terry Graul, TJ Campbell, Dave Erlandson, James Bundy, Rick Young, Clint Meins, Marshall Corbell, Mikey Powers

What's great about this is that the Sam Schmidt team appears to be of real quality. Too many of the guys who got a shot at NASCAR a few years ago got stuck with 2nd-rate (3rd-rate?) teams, so never really got a chance.