[IndyCar] #9 Hoe win je de Indy 500 niet?

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Op woensdag 18 januari 2012 10:29 schreef Funzel het volgende:
Ah dus Viso is rond, mag hem wel op 1 of andere manier.

Wel jammer dat je niks hoort van Vitor Meira, toch 1 van m'n favorieten.

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Dreyer & Reinbold Racing heeft het Oriol Servia voor komend seizoen vastgelegd als eerste coureur. Servia, de nummer vier van het kampioenschap in 2011, was op de markt gekomen nadat hij zijn wagen verloor toen Newman/Haas Racing zich terugtrok. Servia brengt veel ervaring mee naar Dreyer & Reinbold. De Spanjaard rijdt als sinds 2000 op het hoogste niveau met als beste resultaat een tweede plaats in de Champ Car World Series. Servia zal het team helpen hun door Lotus aangedreven DW12 te ontwikkelen.

Oriol Servia heeft zich laten overtuigen door de ambities van het team: "Voor ik tekende bij het team heb ik mijn onderzoek gedaan en ik kon niemand vinden die niet met respect sprak over Dennis (Reinbold) en Robbie (Buhl). Ik startte op de eerste rij voor de Indianapolis 500 en wil dat verbeteren. Ik ben op het beste punt van mijn carrière en het is erg belangrijk dat ik met het juiste team in zee ga. Toen ik de DRR fabriek bezocht heb kon ik niet nog meer onder de indruk zijn. We starten met een nieuwe motor en chassis en ik heb alle vertrouwen in de vaardigheid van Lotus en ons om kwaliteit te leveren in 2012."

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing werkt aan een tweede wagen met als doel ook die full-time in te kunnen zetten komend seizoen.

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Danica Patrick has ruled out contesting the 2012 Indianapolis 500, but says she remains open to returning to IndyCar's premier event in future seasons.

When Patrick announced her full-time switch to NASCAR last year, she expressed a strong desire to still fit in the Indy 500 alongside her stock car programme.

But during NASCAR's pre-season media tour today, Patrick said she would be focusing on the Charlotte NASCAR Sprint Cup event that takes place on the same May weekend as Indy.

She hinted that in future years she might attempt to run both races on the same day, but that for her rookie Cup season she would prioritise her stock car commitments.

"I'm not going to do the Indy 500," Patrick told reporters. "I hope to do it in the future. Maybe it'll be a double [Indy 500 and NASCAR race on same day].

"But at this point in time, after a lot of conversations, it's just going to be the Coke 600. It's going to be a big challenge."

Patrick will contest the full Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports this year alongside a partial Cup programme with Stewart Haas.

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Er worden meer entries verwacht in de eerste race in St. Petersburg dan dat er motoren zijn.

Op dit moment zijn er 25 inschrijvingen, maar worden er rond de 30, misschien wel 33 entries verwacht. Alleen zijn er nog niet voor alle teams motoren beschikbaar.

Dit komt doordat met bij het opstellen van de leasecontracten voor de motoren uitging van 25 entries, waarvan iedere motorenleverancier minimaal 40% (10 entries) van motoren moest kunnen voorzien tegen een extreem lage prijs van $690,000 per jaar. Goedkoper dan de kostprijs van de motoren. Om niet nog meer geld te verliezen willen de leveranciers niet verder gaan dan de 10 toegezegde motoren voor die prijs.

Honda (AJ Foyt (1), Ganassi (4), RLL (2), Sam Schmidt (1), Dale Coyne (2)) en Chevrolet (Andretti (3), Penske (3), KV Racing (3), Panther (1)) hebben ieder nu 10 entries (als Dale Coyne met twee auto's komt). Lotus (HVM, Bryan Herta, Micahel Shank (elk 1) en Dragon (2) heeft er nu 5, maar wil doorgroeien naar 10, maar niet voor de eerste race.

Dit is niet Lotus schuld, maar komt gewoonweg door het feit dat iedereen aan het onderhandelen was met Chevrolet en Honda, en (om commerciele of andere redenen) niet met Lotus in zee wilde gaan. Nu moeten ze wel, maar heeft Lotus niet genoeg tijd om alle motoren op tijd te leveren.

Honda en Chevrolet willen wel meer motoren leveren (maximum 12), maar niet tegen de huidige prijs. Die ligt waarschijnlijk boven de 1 miljoen dollar. En het is nog maar de vraag wie de $300.000 dollar gaat betalen. De teams, Indycar of misschien wel Lotus?

Teams die nog wachten op een motorenleverancier zijn onder andere Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing en Conquest Racing en daarnaast zijn er nog een paar teams die hun enkele entry willen uitbreiden naar 2 entries.

Wordt vervolgd.

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Dale Coyne Racing announced that they are “Putting the Band Back Together” with its 2009 winning combination of driver Justin Wilson and renowned engineer Bill Pappas, all powered by Honda.

After a two-year absence, Wilson returns to Dale Coyne Racing after bringing the seasoned team its first win at Watkins Glen, NY back July of 2009.

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Voormalig Formule 1 coureur Rubens Barrichello gaat volgende week de nieuwe IndyCar bolide van KV Racing testen, zo meldt de Washington Post op basis van nog onbevestigde bronnen. De coureur met een recordaantal van maar liefst 322 starts in de Formule 1 zou twee dagen de kans krijgen om de DW12 aan de tand te voelen. Het feit dat dit de nieuwe wagen betreft zou aan kunnen duiden dat KV Racing serieuze plannen met Barrichello zou hebben.

Het gerucht wordt verder ondersteund door berichten van de Amerikaanse ESPN journalist John Oreovicz, welke woensdagmiddag op Facebook een bericht plaatste dat Barrichello in Indianapolis zou zijn om bij KV Racing een stoeltje te maken.

[Tony Kanaan, Indianapolis] De lange Formule 1-carriere van Barrichello kwam vorige week tot een abrupt eind, toen Williams – waar de Braziliaan twee jaar voor reed – bevestigde dit jaar voor Bruno Senna te kiezen als tweede rijder. Direct nodigde Tony Kanaan, als goede vriend, Barrichello uit om te proberen een IndyCar stoeltje te vinden. Dit initiatief werd onder andere door regerend kampioen Dario Franchitti aangemoedigd.

De eerste geruchten werden in eerste instantie direct de kop in gedrukt door het feit dat Barrichello’s echtgenote Silvana haar man had verboden in de IndyCar Series te rijden vanwege de gevaren. Als nicht van voormalig IRL-coureur Felipe Giaffone weet ze waar ze het over heeft, maar mogelijk is ze hier op teruggekomen.

Esteban Guerrieri is eveneens in de running voor het derde stoeltje bij KV Racing. Tony Kanaan is als enige al door het team gecontracteerd, terwijl EJ Viso ook rond lijkt te zijn en vorige week zelfs al voor het team testte.

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@paultracy3 paul tracy
If your stuck between 2 options , flip a coyne . Not because it solves the problem , but while in the air your heart will tell u your choice
7 uur geleden via Mobile Web

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Op donderdag 26 januari 2012 11:54 schreef sasquatsch het volgende:
Paul Tracy op Twitter:

[..]

Coyne of Shanks, wat zal het worden?

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Op zaterdag 28 januari 2012 14:53 schreef Migue het volgende:

[..]

Dikke kans dat het Coyne wordt. Dat zou wat zijn, Wilson en Tracy wie beiden voor het lelijke eendje rijden dat ergens geld vandaan heeft gehaald (Sonny's BBQ ga ik maar voor het gemak vanuit, tenzij ze nog een grote sponsor presenteren) en twee (voormalige) topcoureurs heeft binnengehaald samen met veel hoog aangeschreven monteurs en ingenieurs en de meest gewilde motor van de sport.

Je zou bijna gaan denken dat Dale Coyne het idee in zijn hoofd heeft gekregen dat hij races wil gaan winnen.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—Paul Tracy is close to putting together a deal to run in IndyCar this season, but said 2012 will be his final year in the open-wheel series.

The Canadian announced Saturday night that he’s working on a deal with Michael Shank Racing, is close to securing a sponsor and is working on an engine package. MSR will be a new team in IndyCar this season, and is co-owned by NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger.

“It would be my final year in IndyCar racing, and after that I’d like to try to do more sports car racing,” Tracy said after his first stint in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“I’ve raced Indy cars now, this season will be my 22nd year, so it will be my last year.”

Tracy said 2012 will be a farewell tour. If he can’t finalize a deal with MSR—and he said he hopes to lock up elements this week—Tracy will turn to sports car racing immediately.

He recognizes that his days of running up front consistently in IndyCar are over, in part because the series has become too competitive and expensive for smaller teams. Tracy cited the powerhouse Penske and Ganassi teams, and the amount of testing drivers such as Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon get to do on a regular basis, as reasons his days are dwindling in IndyCar.

Tracy said he’s eyeing sports cars as “the next phase of my career.”

“I still want to compete and drive. I still have the passion to drive. But at the level that it takes to run in IndyCar, at my age, 43, I think I could be more competitive and be able to compete and be in good equipment in sports cars,” he said.

“It’s very, very difficult to get in top notch, top level IndyCar equipment because it’s so expensive and Penske and Ganassi really have a handle on that.”

Tracy has raced sporadically in IndyCar since 2002. He spent 17 years in CART.

Tracy ran six races last season, but had not been in a car since the season finale at Las Vegas in October. His last road course race was at Edmonton in July. His best finish was 12th at Texas, and he hasn’t won a race since 2007 in CART.

“What I think what has hampered me most over the last few years is really only being in a car three, four, five times a year,” he said. “When you are not out there testing all the time with the likes of Dario or Scott Dixon and all these guys, they are in the car all the time.

“When you are out of the car, you get rusty. It didn’t affect me as bad in `07 when … I jumped back in and I could get going right away. And I can still get going pretty well, but it’s so competitive now that you just can’t be out of a car for that long.”

MSR had indicated when it announced its formation it would be partnered with Lotus for an engine program. But the team has not made an official announcement, and Tracy has a personal services contract with Honda.

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It’s only fitting that Formula One’s most experienced driver looked like an old Indy car pro after just a handful of laps of testing.

Joining KV Racing and his close friend, KV driver Tony Kanaan, for the two-day test at the heavily subscribed Sebring road course, Barrichello’s massive experience in much faster F1 machinery played a significant role in the 39-year-old Brazilian’s ability to master a new car, engine and track in a matter of minutes.

"I've only done a few laps, but it doesn't feel strange or unfamiliar,” he told SPEED.com after his first exploratory tours at speed around the 10-turn, 1.8-mile Sebring short course on Monday. "You don't want to go too hard right away; the engine is different than what I'm used to, but the carbon brakes and things like the hand clutch I'm used to. Overall, it's an interesting change for me. Right now, I'm just seeing how it feels and responds."
The Lotus factory test team and driver Oriol Servia lost most of Monday while waiting on its engine to clear customs in Orlando. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

The first signs of Barrichello’s relative comfort in the car came when he used the F1-style steering wheel-based clutch system to ease away from the pits for the first time with no dramas, while Kanaan, who is still getting acclimated with the system, stalled on the first attempt to leave his pit box moments earlier. Barrichello was soon exiting the pits with an extra helping of revs and his Firestone tires alight, conjuring images of the CART and Champ Car days when drivers would use the building turbo boost to snap the car sideways and leave behind a shower of smoke and rubber.

Barrichello’s initial duties for KV were rather mundane, performing two installation laps with the brand-new No. 5 entry before returning to the pits to allow KV’s ace mechanics inspect the car. Once his Dallara DW12-Chevrolet was given a clean bill of health, the veteran of more than 300 F1 starts wasted little time getting down to business.

With a bogey lap in the low 53-second range set by Kanaan, Barrichello posted a mid-54-second lap during his first serious run, and by the end of the day, matched his dear friend with a low 53-second lap of his own.

...

Câmera onboard no teste de Rubens Barrichello na Fórmula Indy

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TOKYO (AP)—Japanese driver Takuma Sato has signed with IndyCar team Rahal-Letterman Racing.

The move was announced by Honda Motorsports on Friday.

“Rahal-Letterman Racing has a proud tradition and I look forward to driving for them,” Sato said at a news conference. “I wasn’t able to get a win last season but look forward to winning this year with this new team.”

Sato competed in Formula One from 2002-08 before moving to IndyCar in 2010. He drove for KV Racing Technology the last two seasons.

Sato is winless in IndyCar, but he won two poles last season, at races in Edmonton and Iowa. He finished the season in 13th place.

Team owner Bobby Rahal has teamed with Honda as he tries to return to a full-time IndyCar schedule for the first time since 2008. The team focused on the ALMS Series the last three seasons and ran only four IndyCar races last year. Rahal won the ALMS championship the last two years.

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IndyCar’s Leaders Circle program came into view today with a bulletin issued to teams outlining the distribution of funds.

Teams committed to full-time fielding of entries that were in the top 22 in points last year will receive the estimated $1.2 million. There are 18 of those teams:

Ganassi Racing’s No. 10 (Dario Franchitti)
Team Penske’s No. 12 (Will Power)
Ganassi Racing’s No. 9 (Scott Dixon)
KV Racing Technology’s No. 82 (Tony Kanaan)
Team Penske’s No. 6 (now car No. 2, Ryan Briscoe)
Andretti Autosport’s No. 26 (Marco Andretti)
Andretti Autosport’s No. 28 (Ryan Hunter-Reay)
Ganassi Racing’s No. 38 (Graham Rahal)
Team Penske’s No. 3 (Helio Castroneves)
Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ No. 77 (Simon Pagenaud)
KV Racing Technology’s No. 5 (no driver named yet)
Panther Racing’s No. 4 (JR Hildebrand)
A.J. Foyt Racing’s No. 14 (Mike Conway)
Dale Coyne Racing’s No. 19 (Justin Wilson)
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s No. 22 (Oriol Servia)
Andretti Autosport’s No. 27 (James Hinchcliffe)
KV Racing Technology’s No. 59 (EJ Viso)
HVM Racing’s No. 78 (Simona De Silvestro)

The final two Leaders Circle programs went to teams – Dragon Racing (driver Sebastien Bourdais) and Ed Carpenter Racing (Ed Carpenter) — that made strong presentations to series officials.

The approximately $2.5 million remaining in the program – the amount for positions 21 and 22 last year – will be split among non-Leaders Circle members at each race. The scale has the top-finishing car at each race getting $80,000. Third gets $50,000, fifth $25,000. In theory, such a car can win $1,280,000 over the 16-race season.

There is projected to be at least 25 car-and-driver combinations at the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla. (March 25). The “extras” include Katherine Legge in the second Dragon car, Alex Tagliani in the car of Bryan Herta Autosport, Charlie Kimball in the fourth car of Ganassi Racing, Takuma Sato in a car of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and the part-time entry of rookie Josef Newgarden in the car of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Other teams are still trying to finalize programs.

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IndyCars nieuwe wedstrijdleider Beaux Barfield heeft de eerder aangekondigde reglementswijzigingen bekend gemaakt. De wijzigingen betreffen slechts kleine toevoegingen aan het reglement van 2011, vooral met oog op het verbeteren van de veiligheid, de komst van de DW12 en de terugkeer van de strijd tussen autofabrikanten.

“Het is voor mij belangrijk dat bepaalde regels aansluiten bij mijn stijl, maar zonder teveel waardevolle elementen te verwijderen,” zei Barfield. “Er zit veel historie achter deze reglementen, welke je moet waarborgen en waarbij je moet voorkomen dat er problemen ontstaan door het maken van veranderingen. Na afsluiting van het 2012 seizoen zal dit reglement als basis dienen voor het reglement van 2013.”

De belangrijkste reglementswijzigingen op een rijtje:
• Er wordt een instant messaging system in het leven geroepen tussen de wedstrijdleiding, officials en de deelnemers aan de race voor het communiceren van baanomstandigheden, waarschuwingen, straffen en andere informatie. Team managers zullen ook zo ook direct met de wedstrijdleiding kunnen praten.
• Standaard bodyworkdelen van de IndyCar organisatie moeten tijdens de technische keuring op elke wagen passen.
• Er moeten op elk stuurwiel twee lichten worden geplaatst die de baanconditie weergeven (groen of geel).
• Per race worden er aan leveranciers punten vergeven voor het fabrikantenkampioenschap. Chevrolet, Honda en Lotus vechten elke race om negen punten voor de hoogst eindigende fabrikant. De als tweede geklasseerde fabrikant ontvangt zes punten en de derde vier.
• Er is voor 13 maart een extra open test gepland op de Texas Motor Speedway. Eerder vindt er van 19 tot 21 ook al een privétest plaats op de 1,5 mijl lange oval in Texas.

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SAO PAULO (AP)—Veteran Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello said his move to the IndyCar Series depends on finding new sponsors and he may only compete on road and street circuits.

Barrichello said Thursday that “everybody is in a hurry to try to find the money” to allow him to drive this season. There are only “minor details” to be discussed but the move still remains up in the air, he said.

The 39-year-old Brazilian said it would be a great challenge to drive on an oval circuit but safety remains a concern, especially to his family.

Despite his mooted IndyCar move, Barrichello said in an interview with SporTV that he hasn’t completely closed the door on F1 and still hopes “the phone will ring” with an invitation to drive for a record 20th season.

Barrichello lost his spot with Williams following the 2011 season and began considering a move to IndyCar after friend Tony Kanaan invited him to a three-day test session with KV Racing Technology about a week ago.

He said he enjoyed the experience and his performance prompted an invite from the team. But to make the deal work, both parts need to find sponsors to put another car on the track in 2012.

“The car was available for someone who arrived with the cash to race,” Barrichello said. “Fortunately, the situation is different with me, everybody is in a hurry to try to find the money.

“It’s still unknown if it’s going to happen. You have to remember that it all happened in the last minute. There are still minor details that need to be resolved.”

On Twitter, Barrichello said: “No decisions just yet … Small (dilemma) at home plus trying to find sponsors to have a complete budget. Hoping for something good.”

The dilemma at home has to do with the oval tracks.

“Yeah, the (fear) exists,” he said. “I’ve been talking a lot with my wife. The decision has to be made now.”

But Barrichello said his wife, Silvana, knows how passionate he is about racing and feels her concerns will not end up keeping him from racing. He said she noticed how upbeat and happy he was during the tests with KV Racing.

“I saw the look in her eyes and I could hear her saying something along the lines: ‘Oh no, it’s going to start all over again,”’ he said.

He said he already has the support from his two young sons.

“One of them already wants to know which number I’ll be using and the other wants to know the color of the car,” Barrichello said.

The Brazilian, who will turn 40 in May, said it’s still an option to participate only on the road and street circuits.

“The possibility still exists,” he said. “But I don’t think I would feel good to be back in Brazil watching these races from TV. I would feel better being there, taking the risk and having fun.”

Plus, he said he would enjoy having to learn all the tricks needed to do well on ovals.

“It would be a great challenge,” Barrichello said. “I’ve been racing 19 years in F1, but this would be something I would have to do without any experience. It would be fascinating.”

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The Milwaukee Mile has been added to the 2012 IndyCar Series calendar after a deal was completed for Michael Andretti's Andretti Sports Marketing firm to promote the race.

Milwaukee's position on the schedule has been parlous over recent years, and its return for 2011 appeared to be a one-off when it drew a disappointing crowd.

But Andretti's organisation has now reached agreement with IndyCar to hold a race on 15-16 June. The addition brings the 2012 IndyCar calendar up to 16 rounds and means there will be five ovals on the list.

...

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Two of the IRL’s original competitors are on the cusp of joining forces this year.

SPEED.com has learned that Davey Hamilton and Sam Schmidt are close to expanding the Sam Schmidt Motorsports operation from one car to two this season, with Hamilton likely to bring his longtime sponsor Hewlett Packard and new Dallara DW12s to SSM’s Indianapolis-based outfit.

“We’re painting cars as we speak,” said Schmidt when contacted by SPEED.com. “But I can’t say more than that on who those sponsors are or any other affiliation. We have three cars in the shop right now and should have a fourth car here soon.”

Hamilton, who runs his own Indy Lights team and has been a part-time IZOD IndyCar Series competitor in recent years, is reportedly looking to step out of the cockpit and focus on his successful racing businesses.

This wouldn’t be the first arrangement between Schmidt and Hamilton, as the Idaho native drove for Schmidt in 2001, SSM’s first season in IndyCar.

He was considering moving his Davey Hamilton Racing team into the IndyCar Series this year, but is close to aligning with his former team owner and could assume a managerial role in the blended organization.

Hamilton was unable to comment when reached Friday afternoon.

It’s believed HP could have a major presence on Schmidt’s Honda-powered No. 77 entry for Simon Pagenaud, who will lead SSM’s program.

Provided the second entry with Hamilton comes to fruition, the car could see multiple drivers with funding sharing the seat.

Firestone Indy Lights graduate Martin Plowman drove for SSM/AFS Racing in three IndyCar races last year and is considered the leading candidate to step into the SSM/Hamilton ride.

...

AFS owner Gary Peterson updated SPEED.com about the status of the SSM/AFS partnership in 2012, saying that he and Schmidt split on friendly terms and that he hopes to announce a partnership with different team in the coming days.

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Ed Carpenter made his IZOD IndyCar Series debut in 2003 with PDM Racing at Chicagoland Speedway in a car with Chevy power. He'll make his series debut March 27 at St. Petersburg, Fla., as a series owner/driver in a car with Chevy power.

Ed Carpenter Racing announced today that the first-year IZOD IndyCar Series team's No. 20 entry will be powered by Chevrolet's 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine.

Carpenter, 30, announced the new team on Nov. 4, 2011, along with Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka as the primary sponsor. Carpenter, co-owner of the team with INDYCAR founder Tony George, will drive the new Dallara chassis throughout the 16-race season. Carpenter, who has made 113 IZOD IndyCar Series starts, also competed in a Chevy-powered car for Red Bull Cheever Racing in 2004 following his three races for PDM in '03.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Chevrolet for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series,” said Carpenter, who earned his first series victory at Kentucky Speedway in October. “Chevrolet has been an American legend for over a century and a winner in all forms of competition. It will be great to have the famed Bowtie back in the IndyCar Series.

"Being an American driver with an American engine makes me very proud to represent the Chevrolet brand. I can’t wait to have the Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet-powered machine on the track.”

Chevrolet has recorded 104 Indy car wins, including six series championships and seven Indianapolis 500 victories. The 2012 Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 will have an aluminum block and cylinder heads, direct injection and twin-turbochargers.

“We are proud to announce Ed Carpenter Racing has now joined the Chevrolet family and that Ed will compete with the new Chevy Indy V-6 beginning in 2012,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet’s vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Ed and his family have a long history with Chevrolet. Ed is a winning driver and we hope he’ll put the new Chevrolet engine back in victory lane this year. We are anxious to see Ed’s new car on the track with our new partnership.”

Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, KV Racing Technology and Panther Racing also are Chevy-powered teams for the 2012 season.

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Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk has been named as one of three new race stewards for the coming IndyCar season.

The 58-year-old Dutchman will form a race control team with former Champ Car competitions chief Gary Barnard and ex-racer Johnny Unser, all reporting to race director Beaux Barfield.

Luyendyk, who won at the Brickyard in 1990 and '97, will also act as a driver mentor and coach, to ensure on-track standards are kept up.

"I wished I would have had that kind of help at Indy in '85, [hos rookie season]" Luyendyk said. "I had to find my way around, and the only advice I ever got was from Mario Andretti who said 'Watch out for this place because it can bite you in a hurry.'

"We don't have to really coach those guys on how to drive. We have to coach them on how to go about dealing with certain situations and keeping calm. It's more mental coaching than driving coaching. We're going to follow Beaux's lead and we'll be another set of eyes looking at the race and trying to keep it safe for everybody."

Barfield, who assumed his current role earlier this year, said that the appointments of Luyendyk, Unser and Barnard would allow him to focus on broader issues surrounding IndyCar.

"A steward is kind of an overseer of an event who understands a driver, the product, the officiating, and has a broader sense of everything that goes into making a great event," said Barfield. "By being a safety net to me, it leaves us in a better place moving forward. It also leaves someone in that role to serve as a driver coach.

"Arie and Johnny bring vast knowledge and experience to driver-related issues, and more importantly as driver coaches to some of the drivers who need help. Putting together a race control team is a big task, and I'm very proud of the team assembled and confident in the collective abilities to officiate effectively."

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The IndyCar Series will use heat races for qualifying at Iowa Speedway this year.

First-year race director Beaux Barfield tells The Associated Press the heat races are a trial for something the series could implement at certain ovals in 2013.

The IndyCar Series currently uses single-car qualifying on ovals, and three rounds of qualifications on road and street courses.

Qualifying for the June 22 race at Iowa will consist of three 30-lap heats, and the field in each heat will be set by practice times. One heat will determine the top 10 starting spots, the other two heats will determine odd-numbered starting positions 11 to 31 and even-numbered starting positions for 12 to 32.

The series will revert to single-car qualifying for the season finale at Auto Club Speedway in California.