Archive for May 2012

When Frederick L. Olmsted drafted the plans for Belle Isle in Detroit, he envisioned a beautiful oasis in what was simply a marshy swamp, similar to the transformation he concocted for the most famous green space in the world, Central Park.

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) and Josef Newgarden have never raced at scenic Belle Isle, but after five races in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, the team has proven that a fast rookie and a capable team can work together to build a competitive package.

The team has rolled out of the transporter with a quick race car at each IndyCar street circuit thus far, including St. Petersburg, Fla., Long Beach, Calif. and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Newgarden started second in the Long Beach Grand Prix and had the quickest lap of the race in Sao Paulo.

SFHR is considered by many to be a contender on oval tracks with their win at Kentucky Speedway in 2011, but the team has stepped up its road course and street circuit programs and proven that it can turn right just as well as it can turn left.

SFHR and Josef Newgarden are seeking a solid finishing result at Belle Isle to back up the promising speed they have posted early in the season.

With a little ingenuity and a lot of raw talent, Newgarden and SFHR are looking to follow in Olmsted’s footsteps to architect their own piece of history in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (Driver- Nashville, Tenn.)

On switching from ovals to street courses:

“I’m interested to see what happens, because I think it feels weird going into a street course after being on an oval for a long time. Everything you’re doing in the car feels completely different. Now that things are back to a street course setting it takes a while to feel normal. You’ve got to give yourself four to five laps to re-adjust to the street course feel. I think we’ll be able to adjust really quickly as a team, and I think everybody will catch up, but I think it will be interesting to see which teams get on top of it the quickest.”

On the Belle Isle street circuit:

“The challenge is on the rhythm of the track. It has a lot of flow and surface changes that will make driving difficult. Definitely not an easy place to master, but I feel confident in the SFHR team and feel good about what we’ll be able to produce on a new track for the team.”

On getting a good result: 

“We’ve got to try to maximize each race week to its fullest so that when we look back at this stretch at the end of the season, we can be proud of what we accomplished with such short turnaround periods.”

Broadcast Info:

The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will air live on the ABC beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, June 3.

On a sweltering day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when records for on-track action and heat were shattered, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) rookie drivers Josef Newgarden and Bryan Clauson both received some tough love from the storied track.

Josef Newgarden started his first Indianapolis 500 in the seventh position as the highest qualifying Honda-powered driver.

Newgarden’s teammate Bryan Clauson had a clean start from the 31st position until his luck changed on lap 14.

As Clauson exited Turn 1, his No. 39 SFHR/Curb Agajanian Dallara/Honda/Firestone car spun. He managed not to hit anything, but his car struggled after the incident.

“My car wasn’t good after the spin,” Clauson said. “We were struggling with the handling and couldn’t get much speed out of it after that.”

Clauson was able to rejoin the race, but had to retire permanently after completing 46 laps. He finished in 30th position.

Newgarden pitted for the first time after Clauson’s spin, but stalled in the pits and lost valuable track position.

“We had a couple of issues trying to get gears in the pits, which put us back in a bad position,” Newgarden said.

The No. 67 SFHR/Dollar General Dallara/Honda/Firestone car fell a lap down and Newgarden went on to battle an ill-handling race car. Despite struggling in traffic, he managed to earn his lap back.

“We were struggling from the start,” Newgarden said. “We got really lucky when we got our lap back. We just kept pounding on the laps and finally got it.”

Just when things started to look up however, the No. 67 car rolled to a stop on the back straightaway with no power. Newgarden received a tow back to pit lane, but his team was unable to restart his car.

“After we finally felt like we were in the mix again with getting our lap back, that’s when we lost power,” Newgarden said. “It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t get to finish the race.”

The No. 67 SFHR/Dollar General car ended the day in 25th position.

Dario Franchitti won the race after starting 16th. It was Franchitti’s third Indy 500 victory, all three of which ended under caution.

Franchitti entered Turn 1 with two laps remaining in the race side-by-side with Takuma Sato. Unfortunately, the pair touched wheels sending Sato spinning into the wall, bringing out the yellow and white flags and allowing Franchitti to coast to victory.

Scott Dixon finished second, followed by Tony Kanaan, Oriol Servia and Ryan Briscoe. Marco Andretti set the fastest lap of the race at 220.172 mph and also led the most laps of any driver (59).

The 500-mile race was completed with an average pace of 167.734 mph. There were eight caution periods for a total of 39 caution laps.

The front of the racing pack was dicey as the lead changed hands a record-setting 34 times. The race also set a record for the hottest-ever in history with a high temperature of 93 degrees.

The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to action June 3 for the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

Following the fan-favorite IPL 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, Sarah Fisher will join her Indianapolis 500 drivers Josef Newgarden and Bryan Clauson at a meet and greet autograph session for fans at the Embassy Suites downtown Indianapolis location. The Embassy Suites is Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing's official hotel for the Month of May. Fisher, Newgarden and Clauson will be available for autographs from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Fans are invited to come show their support for the team and its rookie drivers on the eve of the 2012 Indianapolis 500.

WHAT:  Autograph session with Sarah Fisher, Josef Newgarden and Bryan Clauson

WHEN: Saturday, May 26: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

WHERE:  Embassy Suites
110 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

A track as unforgiving as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway tests the most experienced drivers in the IZOD IndyCar series year after year, but Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) has decided to throw a curve ball at the storied track with two young rookie drivers.

Josef Newgarden, 21, and Bryan Clauson, 22, will drive the team’s cars around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in hope of drinking milk in victory lane at the end of the 500-mile race.

The IZOD IndyCar series is running brand new cars in 2012, which could work to the advantage of SFHR’s rookie drivers. The new Dallara DW-12 cars have never competed on oval tracks, which gives a touch of rookie status to all IndyCar teams.

With several practice days in the books for the 2012 Indianapolis 500, SFHR’s rookies have shown that they will not let their rookie status slow them down on the track. Newgarden topped the speed charts on three of the first five days of practice, and has been in the top 10 on three practice days.

That the two drivers have meshed so quickly as teammates may have something to do with them having worked together as teammates in 2011.

Newgarden and Clauson teamed up to compete in the Freedom 100 Firestone Indy Lights race driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in 2011 at IMS, with Clauson starting on pole and Newgarden scoring the victory.

They also have a strong mentor to lean on in team owner Sarah Fisher, who made nine Indy 500 starts in her driving career.

As practice continues and race day draws nearer, Newgarden and Clauson will set out to show that older doesn’t always mean wiser.

QUOTES:

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (Driver- Nashville, Tenn.)

On being teammates with Bryan Clauson:

“Bryan and I were teammates last year so we know how each other work. He feels very similar to me about the car, and that’s a good thing. We can work together on the same page. We’re both really happy with it. I think the car’s great, but I can see some areas I want to work on to maximize its performance. We’ve had a decent time so far this year of getting a handle on it.”

On the difference between IndyCar and Firestone Indy Lights at Indy:

“Everything is magnified in the IndyCar at Indianapolis. When you have an issue they tend to grow and they grow a lot faster than in a Firestone Indy Lights car. When the wind picks up you really notice it around this place. That really changes the car and the way it handles around the corners. This place could bite you really easily in an IndyCar compared to Indy Lights if you get too confident or comfortable.”

On the extended practice periods leading up to the Indy 500:

“This is a long month. Indy Lights is a junior series, and they come to IMS and run like a normal race weekend. In IndyCar, we have a long process. You have to use that time and process in the right way. The teams who have been here a long time know how to use that time properly and to their advantage.”

BRYAN CLAUSON (Driver- Noblesville, Ind.)

On finding speed quickly:

“I was pleasantly surprised at how good we were right out of the box. The speeds we ran were even faster than what we thought they would be with the trim package we were in. We were happy with the speeds and I think it bodes well for what we’ll be doing this week leading up to qualifying.”

On working with another rookie driver:

“I think having two rookies is tough on a team, but with the new car this year everyone is a rookie of sorts. No one has raced this car on an oval yet. We’re not the only ones who don’t know how this car is going to react as we move forward. With Josef and myself, we spent a lot of time together last year as teammates in Firestone Indy Lights. Since we have that relationship from having already worked together, we already have great chemistry."

NOTES:

There’s nothing a band-aid can’t fix, including a failed qualifying attempt on Pole Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that ended in a crashed race car.

Bryan Clauson rallied and dug deep today to earn a spot on Bump Day in the 2012 Indianapolis 500 after his Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team thrashed all night to repair the No. 39 Angie’s List/Dallara/Honda/Firestone car.

When Clauson returned to the Gasoline Alley garages on Bump Day morning, his team had applied a band-aid decal to the spot where new un-painted carbon fiber met up with the sleek blue his entire car was prior to the crash.

“It was heartbreaking yesterday and I didn’t sleep much last night,” Clauson said.

Multiple teams in the IndyCar paddock came to the aid of SFHR with spare parts after Clauson’s crash.

“Pretty much every team here offered to help us yesterday,” said Mike O’Gara, team manager for SFHR. “We’re all competitive but the minute someone’s in trouble we’re here for each other.”

With his mended car, Clauson posted a four-lap average of 214.445 mph and will start his first Indy 500 from 31st position.

“We had to go out there today and make a conservative run,” Clauson said. “We’ve got a great race car though, and we’ll be ready next weekend.”

The No. 67 car driven by Josef Newgarden, which qualified in seventh position on Pole Day, switched to race-mode and made several race runs on Bump Day.

“We tried to work through our race setup more today and get prepared for Carb Day and the race,” Newgarden said. “I think it will be really interesting to see who has figured out their car best on race day.”

On-track action resumes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 25 for Miller Lite Carb Day, which is the last chance for IZOD IndyCar Series teams to practice for the Indianapolis 500.

Putting on the band-aid

What exactly goes into repairing a crashed race car? Read SFHR Team Manager Mike O’Gara’s step-by-step summary of what the crew did to return Clauson’s No. 39 car to a qualifying-ready state:

Saturday, May 19th

1:15 p.m. Clauson starts his first qualifying attempt

1:18 p.m. Contact with turn 1 SAFER Barrier during his last lap of qualifying

2:00 p.m. Car is returned to the SFHR garage by the INDYCAR’s Holmatro Safety Team; crash assessment and disassembly begins

3:00 p.m. Car is completely disassembled and reassembly begins; parts from Dallara, the SFHR shop, and other teams begin to arrive

7:00 p.m. New Honda engine is installed; new plumbing and wiring is run throughout the car

9:00 p.m. New Xtrac gearbox is installed; plumbing and wiring continues

Sunday, May 20th

12:00 a.m. No. 39 Honda engine is re-started for the first time

1:00 a.m. New undertray and sidepods are installed

2:00 a.m. No. 39 crew leaves IMS for a few hours rest

6:00 a.m. No. 39 crew arrives at IMS; work continues on the car to complete final repairs

8:30 a.m. No. 39 car passes INDYCAR tech to allow it to compete on track

9:15 a.m. Clauson takes his first laps in his repaired car

On Pole Day for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500, rookie Josef Newgarden showed the strength of his Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) team and the depth of his own skill by qualifying in the seventh position.

Newgarden will start the 500-mile race from inside the third row. He was the highest qualifying rookie as well as the highest qualifier with Honda power.

It was a good run, and we’ve obviously got a quick Honda-powered race car,” Newgarden said.

The No. 67 SFHR/Dollar General/Dallara/Honda/Firestone car ticked off a four-lap average of 224.667 mph in segment one of qualifying to advance to segment two. Only nine drivers advanced to segment two where times from segment one were scrapped and drivers re-attempted their four-lap qualifying efforts.

Newgarden and SFHR laid down a four-lap average of 224.037, which bumped them up from eighth to seventh.

Starting near the front of the field is a nice bonus for the rookie, but his focus will now shift solely to race day.

“Today’s outcome was great but we’ll push forward to next Sunday and try our best in the race because that’s what really counts,” Newgarden said.

SFHR driver Bryan Clauson had a scare in his qualifying run when he crashed in Turn 1 of his fourth and final qualifying lap. Clauson walked away from the incident with only a sore thumb.

“I hate it for the Angie’s List/Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing/Honda car,” Clauson said. “It’s a tough blow because we’ve been so strong all month. The guys will get to work tonight to get the car repaired and we’ll get out there and qualify tomorrow.”

SFHR will repair Clauson’s No. 39 car instead of reverting to a backup car.

Clauson will attempt to snag his spot in the field on Bump Day. Nine drivers are expected make attempts at earning a starting spot in the race, and Clauson will qualify last.

Bump Day qualifying for positions 25-33 in the 2012 Indianapolis 500 starting field will begin at 12 p.m. tomorrow. Television coverage begins at 12 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, formerly known as Versus.

QUOTES:

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (Driver- Nashville, Tenn.)

Have you been surprised by your team’s speed this year?

“Not at all. They won Kentucky last year, and that’s pretty impressive. There were only five teams that won races last year and they were one of them. That’s a big statement right there, and they won that race outright.  They can win more, and I hope we can win together.”

On his engineering staff:

“I work mainly with Nathan O’Rourke, and I think he’s one of the most underrated engineers. He’s a very talented guy and he’s got his wits about him. You can’t really single anyone out on this team though. The way we find speed is through group effort. Everyone has ideas, and we take them and try to implement them into our program. We try to put every little piece together to make this thing run.”

On experiencing his first Pole Day:

“There are so many people here on Pole Day! I could see a ton of people in Turn 1 and they all cheered and it was really cool.  I remember being on the other side of the fence last year in Firestone Indy Lights watching everyone qualify for the 500 and it’s a cool moment. You kind of self-reflect and see yourself in the car and it’s a cool feeling. You’re the guy that gets to go out and drive the car. They’ve built this nice race car that costs a lot of money and you go out and run the laps. It’s a lot of pressure but it’s a lot of fun too.”