Iowa Sunday Notebook

– Dan Wheldon turned 30 today, making this a very nice birthday present. Wheldon at one point said he felt 21 again after winning.

– Attention USAC officials! EJ Viso was very disappointed that he wasn't able to attend the USAC Midget National event at Knoxville. If someone at USAC is awake and reading AutoRacing1.com – and we know you are – then you'll find a way to get EJ into a car for an event. The man is a racer, he likes to bang wheels, and he needs to see what life is like growing up in America. Come to think of it – shouldn't all of the IndyCar racers experience a sprint or midget car once in a while? Davey Hamilton, don't you have a nice little dirt track in Terre Haute where they could run a few laps?!?!?

– The Iowa Speedway will make a man out of you if your car isn't set up right… even if you don't start out that way. Milka retired on lap 26, running over 9 mph slower than the leader, due to what a team member called (with eyes rolling) "handling issues." Darren Manning, who had a fast car this weekend, incurred AJ's wrath when he dropped out, allegedly due to arm fatigue on lap 94. Marco mentioned in his press conference that his crew had removed some caster in order for his car to steer more easily, but the steering got heavier as rubber built up during the race.

– For next year's race, some IRL teams would love to see much of the downforce taken out of the cars. Some crew members remarked that their chief aerodynamic task is to take downforce out of the car, as the cars (it is claimed) generate up to 3,000 pounds.

– TV viewers might have wondered why the Andretti Green Racing team was wearing "A-P Falcons" hats in their pits. This is in tribute to the Aplington-Parkersburg High School (near Cedar Falls, IA), which was devastated by an F-5 tornado on May 25. Eight people died in the storm, and the town has become one of many communities in Iowa that is rising to heroic heights recovering from natural disasters. This high school has sent 4 of its graduates to play in the NFL.

– Iowa Speedway officials announced a paid attendance of 39,271. The traffic and parking situations were much improved over last year, partially due to weather, but partially due to experience in having a big race. The speedway broke ground on the project exactly 3 years ago yesterday, and it is an amazing facility. Tim Wohlford reporting from Iowa