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Milwaukee Saturday Notebook – 1

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UPDATE

Marty Roth's crash and the extent of damage
Shawn Payne/IRL

Correction — it was Marty Roth, not John Andretti that spun his car in the first practice session. Roth made heavy contact with the wall, but was unharmed in the incident. His comment was the same as Indy Lights drivers who found the wall earlier — "It just stepped out on me."

05/31/08

  • It would not be a stretch to imagine another "blendification" (merged? former CCWS?) team winning on Sunday. Will Power lead most of the morning practice session, with most teams running race setups until he was bumped to second spot by Graham Rahal. Hideki, Helio, Dixon and Marco rounded out the top 5. John Andretti brought out the only yellow flag of the session.
  • Psych. Speaking of John Andretti — Jay Howard was told at Indy that John Andretti would only have Jay's ride (Marty Roth Racing) for Indy. Last Thursday, Jay was told that John would be back in the #24 car for this weekend. Obviously Jay is learning many things in his rookie season in the IRL, among them that this can be a very disappointing business.
  • Sarah Fisher is at the speedway, but not in the race. No word from her (yet) about future plans. Even if she has the money, the spare parts situation is still described as "tight" for the teams that rely on factory original stuff. Word has her aiming for the Kentucky race.
  • Ryan Hunter-Reay commented that he's lacking in speed. They ran the race setup during morning practice, and are hoping to find a bit more speed later on today. Hunter-Reay is not deemed a rookie here — something about dominating the 2004 CART race at Milwaukee, leading all 250 laps.
  • Gusting winds, sections of new pavement and tire rubber from the Hooters Pro Cup series combined to make for tricky track conditions for the Indy Lights drivers. John Brownson
    Cyndie Allemann

    (twice), Richard Antinucci, JR Hildebrand, and Cyndie Allemann all brought out yellow flags, and all but Brownson's car were damaged. Brownson finally found the wall in the second practice session. Bobby Wilson lead the morning practice.

  • Imagine the driver with the looks of Danica and the sexy foreign accent of Milka. While the jury is still out on her driving skills, Swiss driver Cyndie Allemann is certain a fan favorite. Then again, Danica wasn't always a top driver, and Milka has shown considerable improvement…. Tim Wohlford reporting from Milwaukee