Friday, April 4, 2008
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – St. Petersburg, Fla.
Round 2 of 16 in the IndyCar Series

McDONALD'S® DRIVER WILSON FOURTH OVERALL FOR DAY 1 OF THE HONDA GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG AFTER SETTING THE FASTEST TIME IN THE MORNING SESSION; HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER RAHAL 14TH OVERALL FOR THE DAY AND FIFTH FASTEST IN THE MORNING

1st: Helio Castroneves 1:03.3068 (time set in PM session; 4th in the AM & 1st in the PM)
4th: Justin Wilson 1:03.5210 (time set in AM session; 1st in AM session & 12th in PM session)
14th: Graham Rahal 1:04.1189 (time set in AM session; 5th in AM & 18th in PM session)



Justin Wilson, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The McDonald’s car was quick off the trailer so I am quite pleased with how it’s gone. The guys have worked pretty hard for the last five weeks now and this is the first chance we have really had to start on a street course and so far so good. We’ve got a few ideas of what we need to do for qualifying and have done some things that have helped. We tried some things in the last session that gave us an indication of what direction we want to go in but we just never got a real lap in during the last session. I think everyone probably has the same complaint where they got held up and the yellow flags interrupted their fast laps. I think we are in reasonable shape. You never like to get too carried away but so far I feel like the McDonald’s car is quick and now its time to work on the race setup.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his first race here, second in the IndyCar Series, and first in an Indy car on a street course …Finished runner up in the Champ Car championship to the driver he recently replaced, four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais, in 2006 and 2007. Was a championship contender until the conclusion of the penultimate race of each season.



Graham Rahal, No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “This morning we were pretty strong and I still think we are okay. It was just tough to get a clear lap out there and there were so many yellows because so many people were going off. It was impossible to get a clear lap and I was getting stuck behind some drivers. Unfortunately the second session just didn’t go as well. The car was still pretty good. The car is close to where it needs to be. Obviously there is still some work to be done but I find no reason we can’t be running in the top-five like we were. It was just tough to get a clear lap. For the guys up at the front of pit lane and those that are quickest, it’s easier because they are first out of the pits. That’s a prime spot and one we were lucky enough to get pretty often last year. They get some clear laps right out of the pits after the many cautions. It’s certainly tough from the other end of pit lane. We have learned a lot today and the car was pretty good right out of the box and we were quick. It brought some smiles to the guys faces and it would be good to do it again tomorrow. It would be ideal if we could have a day like today, which was awesome but if it rains, I’m fine with that.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his first race here and his first IndyCar Series race. His first time behind the wheel of an IndyCar Series car on a road/street course was Tuesday when the team tested for three hours at Sebring International Raceway…Will attempt to become the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history. Marco Andretti holds the record for his ’06 win at Infineon Raceway at 19 years, five months and 14 days old. Nelson Philippe holds the Champ Car record for his ’06 win in Australia at 20 years, two months and 29 days old. With his second place finish in Houston in 2007, he became the youngest Champ Car driver (1979-2007) to finish on the podium at 18 years, three months and 18 days.



NHR competed in the Champ Car race here in 2003 with rookie Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira. Bourdais won the pole position in his Champ car debut and became the first driver to accomplish the feat since Nigel Mansell won the pole for the ’93 Australian event – also while driving for NHR. He led 30 laps and became the first driver in the 25 year history of series to lead the first laps of his inaugural Champ car race. He also set the fastest race lap but he put too much pressure on himself to get back to the front after the team pit him out of sequence and contact ended his race. Junqueira was 2nd fast in prov. qualifying on Friday but his fastest lap in final qualifying (possible 3rd) was not allowed because he brought out a red flag when he spun and stopped on course. More red flags resulted in a seventh place start. He dropped to 14th in the race due a disengaged air hose on the inside rear tire changer’s air gun that but charged back to a 3rd place finish.



The morning practice will begin at 8:05 a.m. EDT tomorrow while qualifying will begin at 10:55 a.m. The Honda Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be televised live on ESPN on Sunday beginning at 2:30 p.m. The IMS Radio Network, in association with Indycar.com and many of our member tracks, will be providing Live coverage of all IndyCar Series practice sessions, as well as qualifying. This audio will be heard on Indycar.com.