Matsuura prepares for Motegi at Chicagoland

Kosuke Matsuura, who hasn't competed in an IndyCar Series car since 2007, took refresher laps on the Chicagoland Speedway oval Sept. 1 in the Conquest Racing car he'll drive in the Indy Japan 300 on Sept. 19.

"We don't have a lot of track time during the race weekend in Japan so it is important for me to get some seat time before in order to get used to this open-wheel environment once again," said Matsuura, the 2004 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year. "I look forward to working with the Conquest team and I can't wait for the Indy Japan 300 to race in front of my home crowd."

Conquest Racing wants to make sure Matsuura gets as much preparation as possible.

"With Kosuke being out of the car for a while, we wanted to give him some extra track time before we head to Japan," team owner Eric Bachelart said. "It's a very important race for him, as well as for us, and as we all know, preparation is one of the most important aspects. We're really looking forward to this first trip to Twin Ring Motegi."