The IndyCar Series – of which Australia’s Gold Coast Indy 300 is a part - will head to the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway this weekend on a high after a flurry of history-making achievements in only a month of unified racing.

First, Graham Rahal became the youngest winner of a major open-wheel racing event at 19 years, 93 days at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 6.

Danica Patrick followed by becoming the first female to win a IndyCar Series race at the Indy Japan 300 on April 20 – the same weekend on which Australian Will Power won the last ever Champ Car race.

While an Australian won the Champ Car Finale, in Japan a Brisbane-born Kiwi looked set to take the honours before fuel strategy saw Scott Dixon forced to pit from the lead with five laps remaining. Dixon had led 101 of the 200 lap hit-out and finished third - his second podium of the season after his opening-round win.

Also making a strong showing for ‘Down Under’ was Sydney’s Ryan Briscoe, who after starting from the eighth row on the grid as a result of a rain-affected qualifying despite being fastest in practice, surged through the field to take ninth position and along with Dixon is sure to be on the pace in Kansas.

Teams and drivers will use the Kansas Speedway race as a final tune-up for the month of May and the Indianapolis 500. No team has more to gain than Luczo Dragon Racing, which makes its 2008 debut at Kansas Speedway after finishing fifth in last year’s Indy 500 with Briscoe. This year, Tomas Scheckter takes the wheel with four top-10 finishes at Kansas in six starts.

Australian fans can catch the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 action at Kansas Speedway live by tuning into ESPN on Foxtel at 7.00am Australian Eastern Standard Time this Monday, with a re-run scheduled for 7.30pm that same day, fans should check local guides for more information.

Following the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 the unified series continues on a schedule that is the most diverse in world motorsports.

The 2008 schedule will take the teams and drivers to short ovals, superspeedways, and road and street courses including the Gold Coast Indy 300 which is regarded as a ‘crown jewel’ in international motorsport.

The future of the Gold Coast Indy 300 was recently secured for at least another six years with a deal being reached with the new-look IndyCar Series and V8 Supercars Australia.

Now regarded as one of the world’s iconic motorsport events, the Gold Coast Indy 300 will now continue until and including 2013 with major plans already underway for a massive 20th anniversary celebration in 2010.

With 96 hours of non-stop excitement over October 23-26 as the Gold Coast comes alive to the sound of the IndyCars burning up the track and Australia’s own V8 Supercars scorching around one of the most famous beach-side cities in the world, the event is the hottest ticket in town.

Tickets are now on sale for the Gold Coast Indy 300 with ticket options to suit everyone's needs. Four day Grandstand passes are available for those who prefer to watch the racing from the comfort of their own reserved seat or for those who prefer to wander around and soak up the atmosphere then a four day, weekend or single day General Admission pass might be more their style. For more information on ticket options click here. For information on Corporate Hospitality packages please call our Sales Team on (07) 5588 6800.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY:

Danica Patrick - #7 Motorola Honda/Dallara/Firestone
[On whether her win will change her approach to Kansas]
"I don't think any pressure is going to compare to what it was like to get a win in and have that forever - so it's nice to do that and it's nice to not have to answer any questions about (not having won), about when and how and why hasn't it (happened)," said Patrick.

"But you know, the attitude really is just that we'll start thinking championship, and it's not that I haven't been, but it's even more realistic now with having a win and in turn, hopefully more come and more come easily even. They always say that first one is the hardest one to get, which I agree.

"I think that I've always thought that I was somebody that could compete for a championship, because I'm a consistent driver, and, you know, hopefully smart out there. But, what I had not done (then) was win races, and it really does take wins to win championships."

Tony George - CEO, Indy Racing League
“It’s great for Danica and the league,” Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George said after watching Patrick prevail on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval.

“Everybody has been waiting for this day to arrive and it finally has. A lot of credit is due to that team and to Danica as a driver for getting to this position.”

Will Power - #8 Aussie Vineyards - Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone
“It was such a great feeling for our whole team to get a win last weekend in Long Beach and now we are carrying that great feeling into Kansas,” said Power.

“We are back in the Aussie Vineyards Dallara IndyCar and back on an oval, so things will be very different this weekend. Again, my crew have worked very hard and done a superb job to get the #8 Aussie Vineyards car ready in only a short space of time.

“It will be our second crack at an oval and Kansas is a different sort of oval to Homestead, so we’ve got a lot to learn.

“The more experienced IndyCar teams will really have the edge on us again this weekend, but it’s going to be good to get a second hit-out on an oval after the things we learned in Homestead, as well as a good warm-up for the month of May at Indy.”

Scott Dixon - #9 Target Chip Ganassi Honda/Dallara/Firestone
[On backing-up from an international race last weekend ahead of Kansas]
“I don’t normally have too much problem with it, also this year was a little easy over there as my wife Emma didn’t come and she finds it very hard and also, when she is awake, she thinks I should be awake," said Dixon.

"Getting back into the time zone has been pretty good so far. I think I’m back.”

ENTRY LIST – IndyCar® Series Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 At Kansas Speedway
Car - Driver - Entrant
2 - A.J. Foyt IV - Vision Racing
3 - Helio Castroneves - Team Penske
4 - Vitor Meira - Panther Racing
5 - Oriol Servia - KV Racing Technology
6 - Ryan Briscoe - Team Penske
7 - Danica Patrick - Andretti Green Racing
8 - Will Power (R) - KV Racing Technology
9 - Scott Dixon - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
10 - Dan Wheldon - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
11 - Tony Kanaan - Andretti Green Racing
12 - Tomas Scheckter - Luczo Dragon Racing
14 - Darren Manning - A.J. Foyt Enterprises
15 - Buddy Rice - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
17 - Ryan Hunter-Reay - Rahal Letterman Racing
18 - Bruno Junqueira - Dale Coyne Racing
19 - Mario Moraes (R) - Dale Coyne Racing
20 - Ed Carpenter - Vision Racing
23 - Milka Duno - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
24 - Jay Howard (R) - Roth Racing
25 - Marty Roth - Roth Racing
26 - Marco Andretti - Andretti Green Racing
27 - Hideki Mutoh (R) - Andretti Green Racing
33 - E.J. Viso (R) - HVM Racing
34 - Franck Perera (R) - Conquest Racing
36 - Enrique Bernoldi (R) - Conquest Racing
02 - Justin Wilson (R) - Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
06 - Graham Rahal (R) - Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
All cars use Dallara chassis, Honda engines and Firestone tires, (R ) denotes Rookie Status.

RACE NOTES
- The Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 will be the eighth IndyCar Series event conducted at Kansas Speedway. A different driver has won the race each year. Past winners Dan Wheldon (2007), Tony Kanaan (2005) and Buddy Rice (2004) are entered in this year’s race.
- Fifteen drivers entered in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 have raced in previous IndyCar Series events at the track. Seven of those drivers have led laps (Dan Wheldon 333, Tomas Scheckter 165, Tony Kanaan 108, Scott Dixon 103, Buddy Rice 95, Vitor Meira 37 and Helio Castroneves 16).
- Three Indianapolis 500 champions are expected to participate in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Buddy Rice (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).
- Three IndyCar Series champions are scheduled to participate in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300: Scott Dixon (2003), Tony Kanaan (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).
- Drivers entered in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 as of April 22 have combined for 56 IndyCar Series victories, 66 pole positions and 945 starts.

SEASON-TO-DATE
- Helio Castroneves is the only driver to finish in the top five in all three races this season. Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick are the only other drivers to finish in the top 10 in all three races.
- For the second consecutive season, three drivers representing three teams have won the first three races of the season.

MILESTONES AND RECORD
- Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 101st career IndyCar Series start. It would also be his 98th consecutive start.
- Helio Castroneves can establish an IndyCar Series record for most consecutive seasons with at least one win should he win the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300. Castroneves is tied with Scott Sharp with victories in seven consecutive seasons.
- Helio Castroneves can extend his IndyCar Series record for consecutive seasons with a pole to seven if he can win the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award.
- Tony Kanaan will attempt to qualify in the top 10 for the 21st consecutive race.
- Vitor Meira has gone 79 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.

2008 IndyCar Series Championship Standings Top Ten - Post Round Three
1. Helio Castroneves - 112 points
2. Scott Dixon - 100
3. Danica Patrick - 98
4. Tony Kanaan - 89
5. Will Power - 87
6. Dan Wheldon - 85
7. Enrique Bernoldi - 74
8. Oriol Servia - 74
9. Graham Rahal - 70
10. Ed Carpenter - 70
20. Ryan Briscoe - 46

2008 Bombardier Rookie of the Year Standings – Post Round Three
1. Will Power 87
2. Enrique Bernoldi 74
3. Graham Rahal 70
4. EJ Viso 67
5. Hideki Mutoh 59
6. Franck Perera 56
7. Justin Wilson 49
8. Jay Howard 45
9. Mario Moraes 40



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