Mutoh Turned First Laps in Qualifying/Race Car at Indianapolis Today // Newman/Haas Racing Press Release

Newman/Haas Racing
94th Indianapolis 500 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
PRACTICE DAY NOTES/QUOTES – Tuesday, May 18, 2010

FORMULA DREAM/PANASONIC DRIVER MUTOH PRACTICED IN HIS RACE CAR FOR THE FIRST TIME AT INDIANAPOLIS AND IS PLEASED WITH THE RACE SETUP SO FAR

FASTEST: Scott Dixon 226.549 mph (fastest lap was 23 of 36)
14th: Hideki Mutoh 223.736 mph (fastest lap was 36 of 42)

OVERALL: The team practiced for two hours once the track opened at 1 p.m. EDT and completed 40 laps. They went back to the garage at 3 p.m. to make changes to the race car and returned to pit lane at 4:15 but we’re only able to run two laps before another caution came out for moisture on track at approx. 4:50. Due to the forecast for rain, the team decided to call it a day.

Hideki Mutoh, No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was the first time for us to run the primary car here at Indy and I didn’t feel any difference between the two. Both cars are the same but we are working on race simulations today and we worked mostly worked on qualifying simulation in the back-up car. It’s a different scenario but we will see tomorrow how close they are in qualifying setup. We didn’t do a qualifying simulation at all today; we worked on race setup. At the beginning, I didn’t struggle but the car improved a lot after we came into the pits for some changes. It made a huge difference, especially in traffic. I wasn’t in a lot of traffic -- just two Penske cars – and I was able to be flat (on the pedal) all the way around and was catching them so I’m happy with the car so far. The Formula Dream/Panasonic team is making progress each time we get on track.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his third event here and first Indy 500 with NHR after having driven for Andretti Green Racing, co-owned by former NHR driver Michael Andretti, for the past two seasons. In 2008 he was the Fastest Rookie after he qualified ninth. He finished seventh. In 2009 he started 16th and finished 10th here…His highest IZOD IndyCar Series start is THIRD at Nashville Speedway (oval) and best overall series finish is SECOND (Iowa 2008).

1 POLE (1987) & TWO SECONDS AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (IMS) for NHR: The 2010 entry will mark the 18th year for the team in the event and the fifth since 1995. Prior to 2010, the team prepared a total of 27 entries for drivers such as Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Bruno Junqueira, Sebastien Bourdais, Justin Wilson, Graham Rahal and Robert Doornbos. Hideki Mutoh, the fastest rookie Indy 500 qualifier in 2008 competes for the team in 2010 and will bring the total to 28. NHR’s highest finish in the Indy 500 is second place with Mario Andretti in 1985 and Michael Andretti in 1991 although team drivers have led many laps here. Mario Andretti also brought the team its highest start in the event when he won the pole position in 1987. NHR’s 2004 entry of Junqueira marked the first time for the team to compete here since 1995 and they returned in 2005 with Junqueira and IMS rookie Bourdais. In 2008 they ran Wilson and Rahal here during a transition season in the series and ran Rahal and Robert Doornbos in 2009. They have earned Rookie of the Year once, with Mansell in 1993 when he finished third.

PREVIOUS INDY 500 FOR NHR: In 2009, Rahal narrowly missed a front row start and qualified fourth but retired from the race in 31st place after contact on L56 while fifth after driving high on the track and into marbles attempting to lap Milka Duno in Turn 4. His 2008 race ended in the same turn on L36 for a similar reason. Robert Doornbos crashed on Fast Friday and again in his backup in practice on Pole Day so he missed the first two qualifying days and had to qualify on Day 3, He set the fastest 4-lap average to start 23rd, the highest of Day 3 qualifiers. In the race, he crashed on lap L54 of 200 laps and retired in 28th place.

TUNE IN: The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 will be televised live on ABC at 12:00 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 30. Pole Day and Bump Day will be televised live on Versus on May 22 & 23 from 12:00 – 6:30 p.m. EDT. Live timing & scoring and streaming video can be seen free of charge on www.indycar.com.