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closeIndyCar Notes | Patrick's patience pays off with 6th
HANK KURZ Jr.
The Associated Press
Saturday, Jun. 28, 2008
RICHMOND, Va. - Danica Patrick started Saturday night's IndyCar Series race in the 14th spot at Richmond International Raceway and had attrition and probably patience to thank for her sixth-place finish on a night that left many of her competitors' cars in pieces.
Saddled with one of the slower rides in the 26-car field for most of the night, Patrick mostly raced near the back of the pack but saw her finishing spot increasingly improve as other cars crashed. The race finished with just half of the 26-car field on the track.
By the midpoint of the 300-lap event, nearly as many cars were either in the garage or already done for the night as remained on the track, and it never got any better.
But Patrick, whose victory earlier this season in Japan made her the first woman to win a major open-wheel race, didn't take advantage until Jaime Camara crashed on lap 217, bringing out a caution that found Patrick seventh on the grid after everyone still running pitted.
From there, even as Tony Kanaan ran away with the lead, she moved up to sixth and more then held her own, although she was unable to gain ground on Oriol Servia running fifth.
USAC SILVER CROWN: Chet Fillip, 51, of Speedway, Ind., moved quickly toward the front and easily won the USAC Silver Crown Series race run prior to the SunTrust Indy Challenge.
It was Fillip's first victory in 49 career starts in the series.
Fillip, whose racing resume includes starts in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, started 10th of 18 cars, moved to the front on lap 39 and never trailed again. Cameron Dodson of Greenfield, N.H., was second, and Aaron Fike of Galesburg, Ill., finished third.
"I built this car and rebuilt it and rebuilt it," Fillip said, adding that he's been racing the same machine for eight years and "there's not a straight piece of metal on it."
The victory, he said, "hasn't even soaked in yet. It means a lot to me."
Dodson said he was taking his time moving toward the lead and paid for it.
"I didn't think Chet was going to take off like that," he said. "He was gone."
EARLY NIGHT: The last four IndyCar Series races at Richmond leading into this year had all ended quickly for fans accustomed to contact-filled, 3-plus hour NASCAR Sprint Cup events.
Last year's IRL race was a blur, with Dario Franchitti leading 242 of 250 laps and winning in one hour, 24 minutes, 19.7 seconds. The year before, Sam Hornish Jr. won in 1:26:49.
None of the last five IRL races at Richmond has lasted more than 1:39, and all were 250-lap races. Cautions also were usually minimal, with four yellows each the past two years.
The addition of 50 laps to Saturday night's event was meant to extend it, but some questionable driving helped with eight cautions in the first half of the race. When the raced reached its midpoint, it was only minutes from when the race was finishing a year ago.
This year, it required 2:04:05 to complete.
PIT STOPS: Only three of the previous seven winners at Richmond raced Saturday night, and neither of the last two were among them. Sam Hornish Jr., who won in 2001 and 2006, and Dario Franchitti, who dominated last year, have moved over to NASCAR. ... With four more cars needing pit stalls on pit road, the stalls were reduced to 39 feet in length, down from 45 feet last year. They were still a foot bigger than those at Iowa last week. ... Helio Castroneves' streak of 11 consecutive races starting in the top 10 ended Friday when he qualified in the No. 18 spot on the grid. He rallied nicely, finishing second in the race.