There’s a break in the IZOD IndyCar Series race schedule this week, but that opens the door for testing at venues that will play host to upcoming events.
Hideki Mutoh, who has finished third and second the past two years at Iowa Speedway, will get in laps on the .875-mile oval June 9 in the No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic car for Newman/Haas Racing car.
“I feel very comfortable running there,” Mutoh said. “High banking, small racetrack. I think that’s the best combination.”
Mutoh will be joined by Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves and Will Power at Iowa, which plays host to the fourth Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer on June 20.
A few hours due east, Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe - the most recent race winner at Texas Motor Speedway—will test at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway oval as part of a Firestone tire test. Briscoe beat Scott Dixon by .0077 of a second in the ‘09 race.
On June 9, Watkins Glen International will be open free for spectators to watch 11 drivers test on the 3.4-mile natural-terrain circuit. That list includes Adam Carroll, who will make his IZOD IndyCar Series debut at The Glen July 2-4 with Andretti Autosport.
“It gives me a proper chance and that’s what it’s all about,” said Carroll, who was the lead diver for Team Ireland in its A1GP 2008-09 championship.
Also scheduled to hit the track that underwent modifications over the off-season to improve safety are Tony Kanaan of Andretti Autosport; Scott Dixon and recent Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi Racing; KV Racing Technology’s E.J. Viso, Mario Moraes and Takuma Sato; Dale Coyne Racing’s Alex Lloyd and Milka Duno; Alex Tagliani of FAZZT Race Team; and Justin Wilson of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, who was the 2009 race winner.
“Being able to test at The Glen is a big deal for us,” said Lloyd, who followed his fourth-place Indianapolis 500 finish with an eighth place in the Firestone 550K at Texas Motor Speedway. “We’re going to be able to get back in the swing of the road courses again obviously having this bit of a break with ovals.
“It will be exciting to try the car. We’ve had a bit of a shake-around within the team the past few races, which seems to be paying off, and I’m very keen to see how that translates to road courses.”
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