TWO MAN RACE AS INDYCAR SERIES HEADS TO DETROIT

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With the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone at Belle Isle Park looming as the penultimate race in the 2008 IndyCar Series championship this weekend, just two competitors remain eligible for the title ˜ Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves.

Heading to Infineon Raceway for last weekend's round, the Brisbane-bor= Kiwi held a 78 point lead, however with Castroneves able to break through for his first win of the season that lead was shaved to just 43 points.

Castroneves' first win of the season came after a record seven second =laces and an extremely consistent run this year ˜ he is the only driver to finish in the top five from 13 of 15 races.

Now a number of scenarios present themselves in the chase for the titl=. If Castoneves can win both remaining hit-outs, Dixon must come at least fourth in both to claim the title; however if the 2008 Indy 500 winner can clinch a win this weekend Castroneves will be eliminated, while if he finishes 11th or worse the Brazillian will remain in with a chance.

Dixon qualified third last year at Belle Isle before a spin to finish =ighth, while Castoneves won the pole there before being knocked out early and has a pole and two victories (including his first) from his CART days at the track.

Dixon's 43-point advantage is slightly above the average margin with=two races to go. From 2001-2007, the points leader averaged a 35.1-point advantage on the nearest competitor. Four times the leader with two to go went on to the title, while three times he was passed.

Deeper in the field, other tight battles are being fought, with Castro=eves' team-mate Aussie Ryan Briscoe, who claimed second last weekend at Infineon, looking to hold on to his fifth position in the standings where he is currently 56 points shy of Tony Kanaan in fourth and 45 points ahead of sixth-placed Danica Patrick. It will be his first visit to the track aboard an IndyCar, after taking the pole there last year in the American LeMans Series.

In the race for the Bombardier Learjet Rookie of the Year honours the =attle still continues, with Briscoe's fellow Australian Will Power of Queensland just 38 points shy of Hideki Mutoh with two rounds to run.

Australian fans can catch the Sonoma action by tuning in to ESPN at 1.=0pm on Monday the 1st of September.

Following the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone the unifi=d series will continue to the championship finale at Chicagoland on September 7, before heading down under for Australia's own Nikon Indy 300 on October 23-26.

The 2008 schedule has taken the teams and drivers to short ovals, supe=speedways, and road and street courses on its way to the Nikon Indy 300 which is regarded as a ‏crown jewel' in international motorsport.

With 96 hours of non-stop excitement over October 23-26 as the Gold Co=st 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 Nikon Indy 300 with ticket options to =uit 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 go to indy.com.au. For information on Corporate Hospitality packages please call the Nikon Indy 300 Sales Team on (07) 5588 6800.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY…
Scott Dixon - #9 Target Chip Ganassi Honda/Dallara/Firestone: Following his 12th place in Sonoma, California, last week:
‘(Sonoma) is a race that's very tough, unfortunately, we got the bad=end of the stick. Hopefully, we'll turn it around next time."

"(Sonoma) was definitely a bad day. I guess we just need to shrug it=off and come back strong (for Belle Isle).’

Helio Castroneves - #3 Team Penske Racing Honda/Dallara/Firestone=
‘I have so many great memories at Belle Isle. Not only was it the =ite of my first win and fence climb, but I also set the IndyCar Series record for pole positions (seven) in a season there last year,’ said Castroneves.

‘I'm definitely looking forward to returning this year because aft=r being really quick in practice and qualifying, we got into some trouble during the race, so I feel like I definitely have some unfinished business.

"I can't thank Roger (Penske) enough for bringing this race back and=making some great improvements to the track. It was a fantastic event last year, and I expect it to only improve.’

Ryan Briscoe - #6 Team Penske Racing Honda/Dallara/Firestone:
‘I got my first start at the Belle Isle circuit last year in the Ame=ican LeMans Series and really enjoyed it,’ said Briscoe.

‘It's a very technical track with a good mix of fast and slow corn=rs. This year will be my first time at the circuit in an Indy car, and I'm definitely looking forward to it.

"We were able to win the pole there last year in ALMS, and the IndyCar=Team was very quick as well, so I'm optimistic that my experience combined with the Team's experience at the circuit will produce a strong result this year. I would like nothing more than to win for Roger on his home track.

Will Power - #8 Aussie Vineyards ˜ Team Australia Honda/Dallara=Firestone:
‘The track looks really technical and really nice,’ said Power

‘I've been looking forward to this track more than any other circu=t other than Surfer's Paradise this year.

‘It just looks like a good street circuit where you have to drive re=lly well to get a quick lap.

‘As soon as I saw it, I had a smile on my face.

‘The whole Aussie Vineyards team was really disappointed after Sonom=. We showed that we had a top three car in qualifying but the brake failure ended our chances.

‘I'm determined to get a strong result in Detroit. Our team know= what we are capable of ˜ now we want to show everyone else so we are very focused on getting a top result this weekend.’

ENTRY LIST: Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone at The=Raceway at Belle Isle Park
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
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 - Jaime Camara (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.= Issued: 8/26/08

RACE NOTES:
- The Detroit Indy Grand Prix will be the second IndyCar Series event =onducted at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Last year's winner, Tony Kanaan, and pole sitter, Helio Castroneves, are both entered.
- Thirteen drivers entered in the Detroit Indy Grand Prix competed in =ast year's IndyCar Series event at the circuit. Four of those drivers led laps (Helio Castroneves 26, Tony Kanaan 20, Danica Patrick 9 and Buddy Rice 7). In addition, Bruno Junqueira and Oriol Servia started CART races there.
- The Detroit Indy Grand Prix will be the sixth race on a road/street =ourse in 2008. The first three races featured first time winners (Graham Rahal at St. Petersburg, Ryan Hunter-Reay at Watkins Glen and Ryan Briscoe at Mid-Ohio). Scott Dixon won at Edmonton, and Helio Castroneves won at Infineon.
- Team Penske has dominated the Firestone Fast Six qualifying, sweepin= the front row at the last three road/street events. Briscoe won poles at Watkins Glen and Edmonton and Helio Castroneves won poles at Mid-Ohio and Infineon. Andretti Green Racing's Tony Kanaan won the pole at St. Petersburg.

SEASON-TO-DATE:
- Helio Castroneves is the only driver to finish in the top five in 13=of the 15 races this season.
- Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan are the only drivers with 13 top-1= finishes.
- Helio Castroneves is the only driver running at the finish of every =ace in 2008.
- Eight drivers have won races in 2008. The IndyCar Series record is=nine drivers in 1996/97, 2002, 2003 and 2005. This year's winners are: Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick, Graham Rahal and Dan Wheldon.
- Scott Dixon has six victories this season, tying Dan Wheldon's rec=rd set in 2005.
- Scott Dixon has established a new IndyCar Series record by winning f=om the pole four times this season. The past record was two, which had been done six times.
- Ryan Briscoe needs one more victory in 2008 to become the 13th drive= to win three or more races in a season. That has happened 18 times in IndyCar Series history.
- A.J. Foyt Racing has its most top-10 finishes (6) since Eliseo S=lazar had seven for the team in 2001.
- Teammates have started 1-2 in six races this season, tying the recor= set in 2005.

MILESTONES AND RECORDS:
- Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 113th career IndyCar Seri=s start. It would also be his 111th consecutive start, which will move him ahead of Sam Hornish Jr. for the second-longest streak all time.
- Helio Castroneves established an IndyCar Series record for most cons=cutive seasons with at least one win with his win at Infineon. Castroneves has victories in eight consecutive seasons.
- Helio Castroneves extended his IndyCar Series record for consecutive=seasons with a pole to seven when he won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award at Nashville. His pole at Infineon was the 26th of his career.
- Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves have 64 career top-five finishes, =ied for first all time in IndyCar Series history.
- Helio Castroneves has passed Scott Sharp as the all-time leader in t=p-10 finishes. Castroneves has 86. Sharp has 82.
- Scott Dixon has led 867 laps this season. The record for most laps=led in a season is 889 by Tony Kanaan in 2004.
- Scott Dixon has become the fifth driver to lead more than 2,000 laps=in his career (2,149). The others to lead at least 2,000 laps are Sam Hornish Jr. (3,428), Helio Castroneves (2,924), Dan Wheldon (2,735) and Tony Kanaan (2,488).
- Helio Castroneves has led laps in 69 IndyCar Series races, passing S=m Hornish Jr. (67) for the all-time record.
- Vitor Meira has gone 91 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Seri=s, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.
- Scott Dixon won his 12th career pole at Kentucky and needs one more =o tie Greg Ray for second all time with 13.
- Helio Castroneves has won a record seven races from the pole.
- Scott Dixon has moved into second place with 16 career victories. =am Hornish Jr. holds the record with 19.
- Helio Castroneves holds the record for most career second-place fini=hes (19).

INDYCAR SERIES POINTS STANDINGS ˜ POST RACE 15 ˜ TOP TEN
1 - Scott Dixon - 576 points
2 - Helio Castroneves - 533
3 - Dan Wheldon - 452
4 - Tony Kanaan - 446
5 - Ryan Briscoe - 390
6 - Danica Patrick - 345
7 - Marco Andretti - 327
8 - Hideki Mutoh - 315
9 - Oriol Servia - 313
10 - Ryan Hunter-Reay - 310
15 - Will Power - 277

BOMBARDIER ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINTS STANDINGS ˜ POST RACE 15 <=b>
1 - Hideki Mutoh - 315 points
2 - Will Power - 277
3 - Justin Wilson - 271
4 - E.J. Viso - 262
5 - Graham Rahal - 259
6 - Enrique Bernoldi - 220
7 - Mario Moraes - 217
8 - Jaime Camara - 152
9 - Mario Dominguez - 112