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closeIndyCar Notes | Wheldon gets firsthand look at Iowa devastation
LUKE MEREDITH
The Associated Press
Sunday, Jun. 22, 2008
NEWTON, Iowa - Iowa 250 winner Dan Wheldon drove from Chicago to the Iowa Speedway with his wife and got a close-up view of the recent devastation that has plagued the state. Wheldon and Scott Dixon then decided to donate their winnings to Iowans affected by floods and tornados.
Andretti Green Racing pit crews also chipped in, wearing hats bearing the name and logo of the Aplington-Parkersburg High Falcons. The school in northeast Iowa was destroyed by a tornado on May 25.
"It was heartbreaking," Wheldon said. "I thought it was something that Scott and I should do and, fortunately, we were able to."
TEAM UNITY: Andretti-Green held a drivers-only meeting this week, and it appeared to pay off for Marco Andretti. Andretti, who had drawn the ire of teammate Tony Kanaan during the Indy 500, got some much-needed help from Danica Patrick on the way to his third-place finish.
"I knew I could trust my teammate," Andretti said. "Danica was looking out for me, and she could have made it very tough for me and put me below the line. When you get a good run, you go with it. And I had a good run."
THE FUEL GAME: Ryan Hunter-Reay spent some time threatening the lead pack in the early going, but the No. 17 Rahal Letterman car wound up eighth. Hunter-Reay had moved near the front after starting out 14th, but he got caught behind Will Power on the final restart and that was it.
"We got beat by cars playing the fuel strategy game today," Hunter-Reay said. "I'm not complaining, but you hate to lose a race like that."
THEY'LL TAKE IT: Roth Racing picked up its best-ever finish when John Andretti placed 11th. Andretti, the 45-year-old nephew of Mario Andretti, emerged from the back line and picked up his best finish so far this season. Andretti signed with Roth Racing just before the Indy 500, and this was his fourth race with the team.
NOT SO HOT: Ryan Briscoe, a.k.a. "Briscoe Inferno," came into Iowa as perhaps the hottest driver on the circuit. But Briscoe couldn't generate the necessary downforce, struggled with grip and finished seventh, snapping a two-race streak of top-three finishes.
"The good news is that we were able to salvage a pretty decent result," Briscoe said.
SPARKPLUGS: Firestone used the same tire compounds as last year's race, but made slight construction changes to provide more grip. The left side tires will be used in Nashville later this season, while the right side wheels were the same as the ones used at Homestead, Kansas and Texas. ... Graham Rahal, the 19-year-old sensation who became the youngest winner of a major open-wheel race at St. Petersburg, finished 10th. ... Jamie Camara said he had his best car of the season at Iowa. But he couldn't get it to finish the race running, as the Conquest Racing car could only complete 133 laps.