For the first time since 2005, Penske Racing teammates finished 1-2 as Ryan Briscoe earned his second victory of the season and Helio Castroneves followed him to the checkers in second. Series points leader Scott Dixon was third in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Dixon now holds a 58-point edge over Castroneves with five races remaining. Read more here and get full results here.
-- Michele Vincze
Lewis Hamilton earned his fourth Formula One victory of the season, but this one didn't come easy. Hamilton, who started on pole in the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, built a comfortable lead early but an accident midway through the race allowed the field behind him to pit for fuel and erase his comfortable lead. Hamilton did not pit during the safety car period and didn't build enough of a lead before he did pit for the final time, which left him in fifth place. One of the cars ahead of him pitted, so only McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen, Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. stood in Hamilton's way as the laps ticked down. But he dispatched of all three in the waning laps and ended up winning by more than five seconds. Rookie Piquet finished second for his best career finish and Massa was third. Hamilton leads Massa by four points in the title hunt. Read more here. Full results can be found here.
-- Michele Vincze
Danica Patrick had a no-good, very bad day Saturday.
First, she was 11th in the morning IndyCar practice at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
After getting out of her car, Patrick quickly walked to where Milka Duno, the only other woman racing here this weekend, was pitted and confronted the less experienced driver about getting in her way several times during the practice.
The confrontation lasted only about a minute, but witnesses said it grew heated and that Duno flung a towel in Patrick's direction at one point as the two exchanged words. Patrick eventually walked away.
Patrick, who has previously confronted fellow drivers Dan Wheldon and Ryan Briscoe after racing incidents, brushed off the latest dustup, saying, “I just wanted to know if she saw me out there.”
Duno was not immediately available for comment.
Things didn't get better for Patrick after the confrontation.
She failed to get past the first of three rounds in the knockout-style time trials and will start 20th on the 26-car grid in Sunday's Honda Indy 200. Duno qualified last.
“The car was pretty fast during practice this morning, but I was unable to find the speed that I needed during qualifying,” Patrick said. “I'm disappointed that I didn't qualify better, knowing that I started on the front row last year.
“But there are some areas of the course where I will be able to make some passes. It's a long race, so, hopefully, I can work my way up the field.”
-- The Associated Press
Photo: AP
The last time the IndyCar Series visited a road couse -- Walkins Glen (N.Y.) International -- Helio Castroneves started last because of a mechanical problem. He salvaged a 16th-place finish out of that race and stayed in the title hunt. His luck should be better Sunday at the Mid-Ohio road circuit. Castroneves will start on pole for the Honda Indy 200, with Penske Racing teammate Ryan Briscoe alongside him on the front row. Marco Andretti will start third and Justin Wilson qualified fourth. Read more here. Find out where your favorite will start Sunday here. Watch the race at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on ABC.
-- Michele Vincze
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton edged Felipe Massa on the final lap Saturday to take the pole position for Sunday's German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. Hamilton went around in 1 minute, 15.666 seconds on his last lap to beat the Ferrari driver by 0.193 seconds and start first on the grid for the third time this season. A full grid can be found here. Read more about qualifying here.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Sr. contends sheriff's deputies violated his civil rights and harmed him physically when they arrested him in 2006 during a fracas at a roadblock in Albuquerque, N.M. Unser filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court against Bernalillo County (N.M.) Sheriff Darren White and Deputies Jason Katz, Shureke Covington and Anthony Medrano.
The lawsuit was filed after failed attempts to reach settlement, said Bob McNeill, an attorney for Unser.
A jury in December 2006 acquitted Unser on charges of resisting and disobeying police orders to leave the roadblock near a crime scene in Aug. 9, 2006.
His brother, Bobby Unser, arrived at the roadblock later that day and was arrested after confronting police. Prosecutors dropped the charges against Bobby Unser in March 2007. Deputies said the brothers tried to get around the roadblock and ignored orders to leave the area where authorities had cornered an armed carjacking suspect. The Unsers said they were on their own property and were strong-armed by deputies.
Al Unser's lawsuit alleges arrest without cause, excessive force, malicious prosecution, conspiracy to violate due process and retaliation for exercising his rights to free speech.
White said he had not seen a copy of the lawsuit. Department spokeswoman Erin Kinnard Thompson said “it is our understanding that there are numerous false claims contained within the lawsuit.”
“It is one thing to level allegations in a civil complaint. It's another to substantiate them. The county is prepared to aggressively defend this suit,” she said.
Unser contends the incident damaged his reputation and cost him several speaking engagements. Unser wants law enforcement agencies to expunge records related to the incident — including fingerprints, mug shots and arrest records — and wants those items returned to him. The lawsuit also seeks punitive and compensatory damages to be decided by a jury.
-- The Associated Press
Sarah Fisher plans to drive in two IndyCar Series races after lining up a new primary sponsor.
Fisher announced Wednesday that Dollar General would sponsor a car fielded by the team she owns for the Meijer 300 at the Kentucky Speedway on Aug. 9 and the Chicagoland 300 on Sept. 7.
The 27-year-old Ohio native has long been among the series' most-popular drivers, but her only race this year has been the Indianapolis 500 because of a lack of sponsorship.
In May, her initial sponsors backed out of their deals after Fisher and her husband poured their life savings into Sarah Fisher Racing. She found new sponsors for the Indy 500 and fans pitched in, donating more than $50,000 to help Fisher, but her car was taken out in a crash on lap 106.
Rick Dreiling, Dollar General's CEO, said the company was excited about sponsoring Fisher.
“Sarah has had a remarkable history-making journey in IndyCar racing, which has inspired many, both in and outside of the sport,” he said.
Read more here.
-- The Associated Press
Courtesy of The Associated Press
(All times Central)
NASCAR Nationwide
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250
Site: Madison, Ill., Gateway International Raceway (egg-shaped oval, 1.25 miles, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees in turns 3-4)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 4 p.m.), race (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Race distance: 250 miles/200 laps
2007 winner: Reed Sorenson
Fast facts: Kyle Busch’s victory last week at Chicagoland was his fifth in the Nationwide Series this year and the 13th for a Joe Gibbs Racing driver this season. ... Joey Logano, another JGR driver, returns to the series after missing the last three races. He has a win, two poles, two top-five finishes and three top-10 showings in his first four starts this season. ... Chevrolet won the first five Nationwide races at Gateway, but only one in the six races since. Toyota is the only manufacturer not to win at the track. ... Reed Sorenson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick are the only drivers to have two Nationwide wins at Gateway.
www.nascar.com
NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Built Ford Tough 225
Site: Sparta, Ky., Kentucky Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 14 degrees banking in turns)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 2:30 p.m.), race (Speed Channel, 5:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 225 miles/150 laps
2007 winner: Mike Skinner
Fast facts: Roush Fenway Racing will compete in its 316th truck event this weekend, passing Spears Motorsports for most starts in series history. The team has recorded 49 victories, including two at Kentucky. ... Kyle Busch will be trying to win in three different national series in consecutive starts following his Chicagoland sweep in the Nationwide and Cup events last weekend. ... Eight races at Kentucky have produced eight different winners, including Ron Hornaday Jr., Dennis Setzer and Mike Skinner. ... Todd Bodine has won a series-high eight times on five of the seven 1.5-mile intermediate tracks on the truck schedule, but has yet to record a victory at Kentucky. He won with the Nationwide series in 2002.
www.nascar.com
IndyCar Series
Honda 200
Site: Lexington, Ohio, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (permanent road course, 2.4 miles, 15 turns)
TV schedule: Sunday, race (ABC, 12:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 191.93 miles/85 laps
2007 winner: Scott Dixon
Fast facts: Former CART champion Paul Tracy will drive in the July 26 Rexall Edmonton Indy in a car fielded by Walker Racing. The 39-year-old Tracy, winner of 31 races in CART and its later incarnation as Champ Car, found himself out of a ride when Champ Car was absorbed into the IndyCar Series in February. ... Scott Dixon’s latest win, at Nashville Superspeedway last Saturday, was also the 100th overall in motorsports for Chip Ganassi Racing. ... Ryan Hunter-Reay went from Victory Lane the previous event at Watkins Glen to 19th at Nashville after a crash. ... The series did not compete in Ohio prior to last year.
www.indycar.com
Formula One
German Grand Prix
Site: Hockenheim (road course, 2.842 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 7 a.m.); Sunday, race (FOX, noon, taped)
Race distance: 214.132 miles/67 laps
2007 winner: Fernando Alonso
Fast facts: The McLaren team settled its legal dispute with Ferrari on July 11, agreeing to pay the Italian team’s court costs from the F1 spying scandal. McLaren apologized last December after Ferrari data and documents were found at its chief designer’s home, resulting in a $100 million fine for McLaren and disqualification from the 2007 constructors championship. ... Felipe Massa surrendered sole possession of the standings by spinning his Ferrari five times and finishing last of the 13 drivers who completed the British Grand Prix earlier this month. ... Three days prior to the British Grand Prix, David Coulthard announced he will retire after the season, ending a career in which he won 13 races but repeatedly fell short of the world championship. ... Toro Rosso announced on July 2 that it will continue racing in 2009 despite the owner’s plan to sell the team.
www.formula1.com
NHRA
Schuck’s Auto Supply Nationals
Site: Kent, Wash., Pacific Raceways
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 7 p.m., taped); Sunday, eliminations (8 p.m., ESPN2, taped)
2007 winners: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car); Dave Connolly (Pro Stock)
Fast facts: Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson will clinch a spot in the Countdown to the Championship field with just one qualifying run this weekend. In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson can seal his spot if he either qualifies 12th or higher, wins a round on Sunday or if the drivers who trail him in the standings fail to gain the maximum amount of qualifying points. ... Tony Schumacher earned his 47th career Top Fuel win to move within five of Joe Amato’s career record. ... Wilkerson eliminated John Force Racing drivers Ashley Force, Mike Neff and Robert Hight during his win at Bandimere last week. The fourth member, John Force, was eliminated by Neff in the first round. ... John Force advanced to the finals at Pacific last year before his car went up in flames during the loss to Beckman. ... Allen Johnson was denied a second straight win at Pacific last year with his loss to Connolly in the Pro Stock final.
www.nhra.com
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Cars
Porsche 250
Site: Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (permanent road course, 2.3 miles, 16 turns)
Race distance: 250 miles, or 2 hours, 45 minutes
TV schedule: Sunday, race (2 p.m., Speed Channel)
www.grand-am.com/rolex/
American Le Mans Series
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Site: Lexington, Ohio, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (permanent road course, 2.4 miles, 15 turns)
Race duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes
TV schedule: Saturday, race (Sunday, NBC, 11 a.m. taped)
www.americanlemans.com/Home/ALMSHome.aspx
NASCAR has Kyle Busch as its Black Hat. Now the IndyCar Series will have its own "bad guy" in Paul Tracy -- at least for one race. Tracy, who has been known to ruffle feathers on and off the track, will race in the Rexall Edmonton Indy on July 24-26. His No. 22 entry will be a collaborative effort between Walker Racing and Vision Racing and his sponsor will be Subway. Tracy, the 2003 Champ Car Champion, hasn't raced in an IndyCar sanctioned race since the 2002 Indy 500. And it's no coincidence that Vision Racing, co-owned by IndyCar founder Tony George, is part of this deal. IndyCar needs this guy. Read more about Tracy here.
-- Michele Vincze
Scott Dixon grabbed the lead on Lap 149 and had enough fuel to stay there until rain ended the IndyCar Firestone Indy 200 with 29 laps left, giving him his third consecutive victory at the Nashville Superspeedway and his fourth this season.
IRL officials hoped to squeeze in at least 101 laps to make the race official with rain on the radar. This race was washed out a year ago and run on Sunday with lots of empty seats.
The third caution of the night came on Lap 139 when the rain finally hit. The cars kept rolling even as fans were asked to evacuate the grandstand immediately due to weather. They went back to green before the fourth and final caution came on Lap 167.
Dan Wheldon finished second followed by Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick. Dixon now holds a 63-point lead over Castroneves in the championship standings.
Read more here.
-- The Associated Press
Photo: AP
In other Indy Racing League news, Ana Beatriz of Brazil became the first woman to win on the Firestone Indy Lights Series, taking the rain-delayed Sunbelt Rentals 100 on Saturday at the Nashville Superspeedway. Beatriz had finished as high as third three times previously this year. Read more here.
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