Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, first): “I was trying to get the flow of traffic the whole day. I definitely think from the start our car was better. We could run quick times when we needed to, and we were good in traffic. We had many runs on (Ryan) Briscoe, and he kind of blocked a lot and that was kind of frustrating early on, but he definitely got caught up there with (Tomas) Scheckter trying to take him on the bottom, and I got a great run on the high side and it just lined up perfect. That’s the struggle at this track - getting through the traffic.”
Ryan Briscoe (No. 6 Team Penske, second): “It was a great race. Scott (Dixon) was just a little bit better than me at the end there. He got me in traffic. I was struggling with a little bit of understeer, and whenever I’d get on the inside I’d really lose my momentum. Great job by Scott. He was there all day long and took the opportunity to pass me when I got slowed up. It was a great effort by Team Penske today. My pit stops were awesome. I don’t think I’ve lost a spot this year in the pits yet, so it’s a great credit to Team Penske.”
Click Here For More IndyCar Photos
Dario Franchitti (No. 10 TOM TOM, third): “The hard thing was lapped cars. It was traffic, it was timing your passes right. My guys did a great job and got me out in the lead on the green flag (pit) stop. Then I just mistimed a pass, someone took my air off and that was it - back to third again. I really tried hard to pass (Ryan) Briscoe at the end, but again, when he was taking my air there was nothing I can do. It was a tough day. The Milwaukee Mile produces close racing and you’re really fighting that lapped traffic all day.”
Graham Rahal (No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team, fourth): “It was good to bring the McDonald’s car home. Obviously, that was the goal. We finished fourth, and we’re really happy with that, but we’re obviously still disappointed because we thought the McDonald’s car was the one to beat this weekend. When you’re so close, it’s disappointing not to do it. On the last restart, we had five lapped cars between us, and that’s really the decider because it’s hard to get around them. By the time we got around them, we were seven seconds behind the lead pack. We had a good pace and we made up some of that, but you’re not going to be able to make up all of that being a tenth-of-a-second faster a lap. I think we absolutely had the car to challenge the best today. We had a killer vibration at the end that hurt us a little bit, but we caught those guys - of course they were in traffic some, too. Even the last couple of clear laps, we were still quicker than them. We definitely had the pace. I don’t think there was anyone quicker than we were. At the start, I was being super patient and super cautious, and of course that’s when those guys got by me. And after that we held our own. I can think of three or four opportunities I had to go underneath (Ryan) Briscoe and Dixie (Scott Dixon) and Dario (Franchitti), and I lifted every time just because it was early (in the race). I didn’t foresee that with six laps to go there was going to be so many lapped cars between us.”
Danica Patrick (No. 7 Boost Mobile/Motorola, fifth): “It was pretty consistent over the run. I think everybody went off to some degree out there, but I don’t think we went off as much as most. So many times you go, ‘OK, this is the last stop. We’re going to get out and just blister it the whole way.’ But I figured there was a full stint left, so I have to take care of the car. I just took it easy. I knew I wasn’t over-hustling the car at the beginning, and I could see some other cars were definitely pushing it. So I thought this was going to come to me a little bit, and it did.”
Raphael Matos (No. 2 US Marines Luczo Dragon Racing, sixth): “It was a very important result for us. At Indianapolis, we had a really good run and we crashed at the end. The whole team worked really hard putting the car back together. I have to give all the credit to my team. The Luczo Dragon crew did an amazing job all month long - Indy and here at Milwaukee. I had a car that ran flawless all weekend long. I want to dedicate this result to all the servicemen and women, especially the ones from the Marines and the Air Force. They fight for our freedom and our safety, and I’m very proud to carry their logo on my car.”
Marco Andretti (No. 26 Team Venom Energy, seventh): “The No. 26 car was strong today, and it’s a shame we weren’t able to show it with a higher finish. We got caught up in some traffic near the end and were boxed in. I definitely think we were capable of a top-five finish. The Venom boys did a great job all day, and I’m looking forward to Texas next weekend.”
Hideki Mutoh (No. 27 Formula Dream, eighth): “It’s a good result for the Formula Dream crew, and we scored some points for the championship. The car felt good, and everyone is working really hard, it’s just that we need some luck on the track and in the pits. I’m excited for Texas and hope we have a great race next weekend.”
Mario Moraes (No. 5 KV Racing Technology/Votorantim, ninth): “My first two stints of the race, the KV Racing Technology car went loose and I found it hard to run behind the other cars. The KVRT pit crew did a great job making changes during the pit stops, but I still had some trouble running in traffic. Overall, the race went pretty well. This is my best finish on an oval, and I want to thank my entire crew for all their hard work.”
| 
|