McDONALD’S DRIVER RAHAL AND TEAMMATE SERVIA LOOKING FORWARD TO HOME RACE AT THIS SATURDAY’S PEAK ANTIFREEZE & MOTOR OIL INDY 300 AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY

JOLIET, Ill. (August 27, 2009) --- With three races to go in the 2009 IndyCar Series season, a win at this weekend’s 200-lap Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 on the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway would not only help the team end the season on a high-note, it would also enable them to celebrate a win at a “home” event for the Lincolnshire, Ill-based team as well as their Oakbrook, Ill.-based sponsor McDonald’s. Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) drivers Graham Rahal and Oriol Servia are excited about the team’s chance to earn a strong finish this weekend.

“I think we have the potential to get our first win of the season this weekend,” said Rahal, who is only 34 points out of fifth place in the standings in ninth with 301. “It’s important for us to get a good finish with McDonald’s being here and it being a home race for the team. That’s key, that’s our Number One goal. I feel very confident that our first win on a 1.5 mile oval will come this year. I think that we can do it if everybody dots all the “i’s” and crosses all the “t’s.” We should be looking pretty good for this race knowing that we were so strong in Kentucky.”

“Being a home race always adds something special to the event for the team,” added Servia. “Not only does everyone have an extra bit of motivation but it also makes it especially sweet if we are able to earn a top result. Having the race on Saturday night adds another party effect on it that suits the occasion perfectly.”

The PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 will be the ninth IndyCar Series event conducted at Chicagoland Speedway. While NHLR competed four times at Chicago Motor Speedway in Cicero, Ill. from 1999-2002 with one win (Cristiano da Matta) and two podiums (2nd – Michael Andretti), it will only be their second race at this track. Last year Rahal started 14th and ran as high as fifth but mid-race contact in the pits with Buddy Rice and contact with the wall on the final lap ­­-- most likely due to a compromised part from the pit contact -- led to a 19th place finish. Justin Wilson started 21st and finished 11th.

“It was a good race for us last year,” Rahal said of running in the top five. “It was probably the first time last season that our car was super-competitive on an oval. We made it a long way in the race and we were running extremely well until we made contact with Buddy Rice in the pits. The car was extremely comfortable and fast so that gives us high-hopes for this year especially coming off the last oval race in Kentucky where we ran well with the new aero package and we were even better at Chicagoland last year than at Kentucky. The race will be extremely, extremely close at Chicagoland this year. There is no doubt about that.”

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has earned 27 of the 107 wins and 19 of their 109 poles on ovals. The most recent oval win came at the Milwaukee Mile in 2006 by Sebastien Bourdais and their most recent pole came earlier this season at the 1.5 mile Kansas Speedway by Rahal, who became the youngest pole sitter on an oval in series history. Servia will make his first start for the team on an oval in the IndyCar Series after having competed in two ovals races for the team in 2005 where he finished on the podium both times with a third place finish at the Milwaukee Mile and second place start and finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He is looking forward to the opportunity to drive on an oval again with the team.

“I have been very impressed by the progress Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has made on ovals,” said Servia. “Seeing both cars on the front row in Kansas was an amazing accomplishment. I have always felt at home on ovals. I especially enjoy driving on short ovals but at the same time I always felt that the strategy needed at a super speedway suits me very well. All of that, combined with the speed that I know the car will have, makes me eager to jump in the car. As a former Champ car group we have shown what we can do in road and street races and I think we are all very confident of what we can do on ovals and this weekend is a perfect opportunity to show it.”

Last year at Chicagoland Speedway Servia started the race 12th and was disappointed with a 17th place finish after his car was damaged when it was hit by debris which forced an unscheduled pit stop. He is hoping to greatly improve his finishing position here and is expecting a close race based on watching the previous oval race at Kentucky from the sidelines.

“Last year the Chicagoland race for me was a big disappointment because as a team I believe we came with the best car we had all season for a super speedway and had a good chance to finish in the top six in the points but early in the race a piece of debris from another car hit my mirror and basically destroyed our chances,” said Servia. “Kentucky was a very exciting race and I don't expect Chicago to be any different. I am sure we will see a very close race with many cars having an opportunity to win it. I am truly excited about that as I believe we will be one of the contenders.”

Honda Performance Development has allotted 20 presses of the overtake assist button (up from 10 at Kentucky) for 12 seconds each for the race this weekend, the second on an oval with this feature. The overtake assist option, instituted for the race at Kentucky Speedway, provides a 5-20 horsepower boost based on fuel setting and 200 RPMs (for a total of 10,500) for each time the system is engaged. A button is on each steering wheel. There is a 10-second recharge period between presses. Both drivers are expecting that Honda’s new overtake system will make an impact again and Servia is looking forward to using it for the first time on an oval.

“The Push to Pass was good at Kentucky; it allowed me to catch up to the front pack in the last 12 laps,” said Rahal, who finished fifth there after starting 10th based on point standings due to qualifying being cancelled. “Hopefully this time around we’ll start a lot closer to the lead pack so I won’t have to worry about coming from so far behind.”

“Well I guess I will have to learn it (push to pass) through the race but it seems like it has become another good tool to have that plays an exciting role at the end of the race,” added Servia. “Using it at the right time is very important as the time it takes to recharge can cost you the position you just got.”

In the battle for the IndyCar Series championship, only 20 points separate the top-three with Ryan Briscoe, 497, Dario Franchitti, 493, and Scott Dixon, 477, in a battle that is about as close as it could be.

“The title fight couldn't be more exciting,” said Servia. “It has become impossible to predict who will win the next race or who will be the most consistent. Not only do we have the usual contenders with Penske and Ganassi but we have new cars every weekend with a chance to win which makes the points allocation vary a lot every race. I think it is great for everybody involved and, more importantly for the fans, that it has become as competitive as it is right now.”

“On the title front, I think Dario will probably win it because I think his consistency all year will probably get him there,” predicted Rahal. “He struggled a little bit more on the ovals than (Ryan) Briscoe or (Scott Dixon) Dixie but I think he’s looking pretty strong to finish on top.”

The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues Saturday, Aug. 29 with the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300, Round 15 of 17. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 9 p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS. A one-hour qualifying show will be telecast by VERSUS at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com.




GRAHAM RAHAL, driver of the #02 McDonald’s Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
AT CHICAGOLAND: Will be his second race here. He started 14th and ran as high as fifth but mid-race contact in the pits with Buddy Rice and contact with the wall on the final lap ­­-- most likely due to a compromised part from the pit contact -- led to a 19th place finish.

2 POLES & ONE PODIUM SO FAR IN 2009 INDYCAR SEASON: Rahal ran the fastest lap times on Friday and Saturday on the streets of St. Pete to become the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old. As the field entered the wide Turn 1 at the start of the race, second place starter Justin Wilson pulled slightly ahead on Rahal’s left while fifth place starter Dario Franchitti made a daring move on his right heading into the right hander. Rahal was not only squeezed in the process, he was hit from behind by Tony Kanaan which spun him sideways and into the grass. He dropped to the rear of the field but rebounded to finish seventh…Qualified seventh in Long Beach and pitted from second place but was waved out of the pits before the fuel nozzle was disengaged. Was ordered to let three cars pass as a penalty then was served another one when the officials deemed he didn’t do it quick enough although he only ran ½ lap before doing so. After a drive through penalty he could only recover enough to finish 12th…Won his first oval pole in Kansas and led eight laps, maintained a top-three position for the first half of the race and top-five second half before a caution came out when he was preparing the enter the pits. Had to get back on track and enter a closed pit for an extra stop the next time by for a splash of fuel before he came in again when the pits opened on the next lap and lost four spots. Dropped to 10th but finished seventh…Qualified fourth for his second Indy 500 but made contact after attempting to lap Duno and retired in 31st place after 56/200 laps…Qualified 2nd in Milwaukee and briefly took the lead at the start but dropped to third by the end of the lap and ultimately finished fourth, his highest finish on an oval…Qualified 12th and retired in 22nd in Texas. Struggled to control his race car in the opening laps and dropped from 12th to 18th on the first lap and continued to fall back before he lost control and made contact…Started ninth based on entrant points in Iowa after qualifying was canceled and ran as high as sixth but contact with Patrick forced an unscheduled stop which put him two laps down and he ultimately finished 11th…Qualified fifth at Watkins Glen but failed the post qualifying tech inspection for being a few pounds underweight. Penalized 10 positions and started 15th, ran as high as second on an alternate pit strategy but finished 13th…Started third in Toronto but was hit by second place started Will Power who squeezed him to the wall on the opening lap before T1. A forced stop to replace his front wing dropped him to the back but he charged through the field into seventh place but held his position behind Patrick but flat-spotted his tires which led to losing three positions before his next stop. Tried to pass the lapped car of Carpenter on the inside a right hander but the contact ended his race in 20th place…Started fifth and finished seventh at Edmonton…Started 10th based on entrant points in Kentucky due to “weepers” but hoped to qualify much higher based on winning pole at similar track (Kansas; previous 1.5 mile track). Finished fifth in what he called “his best car on an oval ever”…Started fourth at home race at Mid-Ohio and looked likely to finish fourth before an off-track excursion while fifth late in the race led to an eighth place finish…Made the final Firestone Fast Six in qualifying six times in the seven road/street races and started sixth in Sonoma. Contact on the opening lap with Marco Andretti forced an early stop for a new front wing but his drive shaft broke when he attempted to leave the pits. After the car was repaired in the garage area, he returned to the track many laps down in 21st position and ultimately retired in the same place after completing 30 of the 75 laps…Is ranked 9th in series points with 301 (only 34 behind fifth place Patrick, 335).

YOUNGEST RACE & POLE WINNER IN SERIES HISTORY: Became the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history when he drove to victory in his series debut in St. Pete in 2008 at the age of 19 years and 93 days old. The previous mark was held by Marco Andretti who won at Infineon Raceway at 19 years, 167 days old. Rahal had only run 10 laps at testing speed in an ICS car on a road course (Sebring) due to a pre-race three hour test (4-1) being cancelled due to rain. One year later he became the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old when he returned to St. Pete. He also became the youngest pole winner on an oval at Kansas Speedway on April 25, 2009.

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think it’s important for us to get a good finish with McDonald’s being here and it being a home race for the team. That’s key, that’s our Number One goal.

“It was a good race for us last year. It was probably the first time last season that our car was super-competitive on an oval. We made it a long way in the race and we were running extremely well until we made contact with Buddy Rice in the pits. The car was extremely comfortable and fast so that gives us high-hopes for this year especially coming off the last oval race in Kentucky where we ran well with the new aero package. The race will be extremely, extremely close at Chicagoland this year. There is no doubt about that.

“It gives us really high hopes coming off of Kentucky knowing that we had a great race there and we were even better at Chicagoland last year than at Kentucky. The Push to Pass was good at Kentucky; it allowed me to catch up to the front pack in the last 12 laps. Hopefully this time around we’ll start a lot closer to the lead pack so I won’t have to worry about coming from so far behind.

“I think we have the potential to get our first win of the season this weekend. I feel very confident that our first win on a 1.5 mile oval will come this year. I think that we can do it if everybody dots all the “i’s” and crosses all the “t’s.” We should be looking pretty good for this race knowing that we were so strong in Kentucky.

“On the title front, I think Dario will probably win it because I think his consistency all year will probably get him there. He struggled a little bit more on the ovals than (Ryan) Briscoe or (Scott Dixon) Dixie but I think he’s looking pretty strong to finish on top.”




ORIOL SERVIA, driver of the #06 Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
ORIOL AT CHICAGOLAND: Will be his second race here. Last year he started 12th and finished 17th for KV Racing.

ORIOL IN 2009 INDYCAR SERIES: Competed in the Indy 500 for Rahal Letterman Racing where he started 25th and retired in 26th due to a fuel pump failure after 98 / 200 laps. Started 14th and finished 11th in his return to NHLR at Mid-Ohio. A broken fuel pump in the only pre-qualifying practice at Sonoma led to a 17th place start but he stretched his fuel longer than many and finished sixth after an exciting late race duel with Justin Wilson, whom he held off despite the Brit being on the faster red “alternate” Firestone’s while he was on the standard tire.

2008 INDYCAR SERIES: Ran a full season with KV Racing in 2008 and earned four top-5 and six top-10 finishes in 16 races to finish the season ranked ninth overall. Highest start was third place, two times (Edmonton & Detroit) and highest finish was fourth in Detroit. In total he earned four, fifth place finishes (Long Beach, Richmond, Mid-Ohio & Edmonton) for a total of five, top-five finishes. Led two races for a total of six laps.

2ND IN 2005 CCWS STANDINGS WITH NHR: Ran first two races with Dale Coyne Racing…Started 14th in season-opener in Long Beach and finished 11th…Started seventh in Monterrey, Mexico and was in second place late in the race before he spun and ultimately finished ninth in the event and was ranked 13th in the point standings…Made his debut for NHR in Milwaukee as the replacement for Junqueira who was injured in the Indy 500 on May 29. Qualified ninth and went on to pass his new teammate Bourdais and ultimately finish third and move up to sixth place in the standings…On June 9 was named to drive the PacifiCare car until Junqueira recuperates…Started 12th in Portland and had pitted in fourth place after running fifth when his drive shaft failed and he retired in 16th place...Started sixth and finished third in Cleveland as well as set the fastest race lap...Earned his best qualifying position with team of fourth place in Toronto and matched his best career finish of second place after he led 20 laps but lost the lead with 11 to go…Started fourth, led two laps and finished second in Edmonton to move from his fifth place rank in the standings to fourth with 135 points to leader Bourdais’ 182…Matched his best career start of second place in San Jose but dropped to a third place finish when Paul Tracy short-filled and passed him in the pits…Moved into third in the standings with a fourth place finish in Denver despite starting a disappointing 8th due to struggling to find a good set-up. Closed to within 13 points of P. Tracy for second place (196-183)…Matched his best qualifying position of second place in Montreal and remained in the top-three for the entire race. Was in second place in the final stage of the race and made two attempts to pass Timo Glock for the lead but the German made an illegal move and shortcut the chicane each time. He was warned after first time and served a penalty the second which enabled Servia to take the lead on the final lap and earn his first Champ Car win as well as take over second place from Tracy (215-211, plus 4) who finished eighth after a pit problem…Started second, ran although he was within 0.5 to one-second of the leaders for the majority of the race and finished second in Las Vegas to increase lead over third place Paul Tracy (243-216, plus 27) with two event to go in season…Earned his first Champ Car pole in Australia but was hit from behind by Cristiano da Matta before the first turn of L1 and dropped to the back of the field. Recovered to finish fifth…Started seventh in Mexico City and was in third when the team discovered a fuel pressure problem before his final pit stop and he ultimately finished fourth to claim second place in the season-ending point standings with 288.

1 WIN, 1 POLE & 14 PODIUMS IN CHAMP CAR: Of his 14 career top-three podium finishes, he has ONE win (Montreal 2005), and SIX second place finishes (2007: Long Beach; 2005: Toronto, Edmonton, Las Vegas; 2003: Milwaukee, Montreal). He has SEVEN third place finishes (2006: Cleveland; 2005: San Jose, Cleveland, Milwaukee; 2004: Laguna Seca; 2003: Denver; 2000: Detroit) and ONE pole (Australia 2005). Of his results, his 1 win, 1 pole and seven of his 14 podiums came with NHR.

ORIOL SERVIA, No. 06 Dallara-Honda-Firestone: “Last year the Chicagoland race for me was a big disappointment because as a team I believe we came with the best car we had all season for a super speedway and had a good chance to finish in the top six in the points but early in the race a piece of debris from another car hit my mirror and basically destroyed our chances.

“Kentucky was a very exciting race and I don't expect Chicago to be any different. I am sure we will see a very close race with many cars having an opportunity to win it. I am truly excited about that as I believe we will be one of the contenders.

ON USING PUSH TO PASS FOR THE FIRST TIME ON AN OVAL: “Well I guess I will have to learn it through the race but it seems like it has become another good tool to have that plays an exciting role at the end of the race. Using it at the right time is very important as the time it takes to recharge can cost you the position you just got.

ON CONTINUING HIS STRING OF PODIUMS IN ALL OVAL RACES WITH NHR/NHLR: “I have been very impressed by the progress Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has made on ovals. Seeing both cars on the front row in Kansas was an amazing accomplishment. I have always felt at home on ovals. I especially enjoy driving on short ovals but at the same time I always felt that the strategy needed at a super speedway suits me very well. All of that, combined with the speed that I know the car will have, makes me eager to jump in the car. As a former Champ car group we have shown what we can do in road and street races and I think we are all very confident of what we can do on ovals and this weekend is a perfect opportunity to show it.

“Being a home race always adds something special to the event for the team. Not only does everyone have an extra bit of motivation but it also makes it especially sweet if we are able to earn a top result. Having the race on Saturday night adds another party effect on it that suits the occasion perfectly.

ON TITLE FIGHT: “The title fight couldn't be more exciting. It has become impossible to predict who will win the next race or will be the most consistent. Not only do we have the usual contenders with Penske and Ganassi but we have new cars every weekend with a chance to win which makes the points allocation vary a lot every race. I think it is great for everybody involved and, more importantly, for the fans that it has become as competitive as it is right now.”