Backstretch Motorsports

Castroneves second after penalty; Dixon fifth

DETROIT, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008 - Justin Wilson didn’t let a steering problem ruin his day. The IndyCar Series rookie turned only two laps in the morning warm-up due to the problem, but went on to lead the final 15 laps of the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone in the afternoon to claim his first IndyCar Series victory.

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Andretti Green Racing fulfilled the promise and potential it showed all season with its first overall victory in the American Le Mans Series on Saturday. James Rossiter and Franck Montagny won the Detroit Sports Car Challenge as Acura swept the overall podium for the first time in its two-year stint in the Series. Audi’s Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner clinched the LMP1 driver championship when the race-winning Audi R10 TDI of Emanuele Pirro and Marcel Fässler was excluded after it failed to meet the required minimum weight in post-race technical inspection.

The day was about Acura, however. The manufacturer also posted its second overall race victory and took the lead in the LMP2 manufacturer championship by four points over Porsche.

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DETROIT, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008 - Scott Dixon won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award for Sunday’s Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park, his sixth earned pole of the season.

Dixon will share the front row with Helio Castroneves, whom he leads in the championship by 43 points with two races remaining.

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Friday has turned out to be quite a day for Patrón Highcroft Racing. David Brabham captured the overall pole position for the Detroit Sports Car Challenge presented by Bosch, only hours after Acura announced that Patrón Highcroft would be one of its two LMP1 entries for the 2009 American Le Mans Series season.

Brabham put in a quick lap of 1:13.483 in the Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-01b. He and Scott Sharp will start first overall for the first time since Lime Rock Park, where the duo captured the first overall victory for Acura. The pairing have won three of the last four rounds in LMP2 including the last two races at Road America and a week ago at Mosport.

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Just because Dyson Racing is going head-to-head with Penske Racing in LMP2, don’t think the Dyson gang doesn’t appreciate all the work that Roger Penske and his organization has done at Detroit’s Belle Isle. As the American Le Mans Series prepares for this week’s Detroit Sports Car Challenge presented by Bosch, the Dyson team discusses the high points and enthusiasm for Belle Isle.

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The front of any American Le Mans Series grid gets plenty of attention. But the GT2 action has been fast and furious all season. It also has been the closest championship battle throughout the 2008 season, which is starting to wind down.

Entering this weekend’s Detroit Sports Car Challenge presented by Bosch, Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Jörg Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler own a 10-point lead over Tafel Racing’s Dirk Mueller and Dominik Farnbacher for the class driver championship. The Lizard duo has been leading for most of the season, which started with a victory at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring to start the season, a race that currently is the difference. While the Lizards won 30 points for their victory, Tafel finished seventh in class and received just 14 points.

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Two-man race

With the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone looming as the penultimate race in the 2008 IndyCar Series championship, two competitors remain eligible for the title. Scott Dixon saw a 78-point lead over Helio Castroneves dwindle to 43 at Infineon. How will the battle play out on the tight street course at Belle Isle?

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