RACE DAY NOTEBOOK:
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced today that the Valspar Corporation will serve as an associate sponsor of the No. 5 and No. 15 cars driven by Sarah Fisher and Buddy Rice.
Valspar is the global leader in the paint and coatings industry, with a broad range of products including industrial, architectural, packaging, automotive refinish and floor coatings, specialty polymers and colorants.
ROBBIE BUHL (co-owner Dreyer & Reinbold): “We are thrilled to have a global brand like Valspar join our growing team. It’s a great opportunity for DRR to introduce Valspar to motorsports and the IndyCar Series. Buddy Rice and Sarah Fisher will represent their company well both on and off the track. ”
JEFF ALEXANDER (Division Vice President, Valspar): “Valspar is excited to participate in the IndyCar Series by joining the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team. We feel this will give us the opportunity to spread the Valspar brand to a growing IndyCar Series fan base. Valspar has a 200 year history of creating superior quality paints for many markets. We look forward to a prosperous relationship with the entire DRR team. ”
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Selected quotes from the Brian Barnhart and Terry Angstadt media availability:
TERRY ANGSTADT (president of commercial division): (About the opportunity that you are facing): “I could not be more excited about the opportunity. Anyone who has been in and around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and the Indy Racing League for the last few years can understand why. I think we are really positioned for explosive growth. ” (About explosive growth): “I think it’s a lot of customer relationship management, it’s making the people, the sponsors, the partners, the suppliers that are involved with us now, feel even better and do even more to attract even more at a pretty accelerated manner. “
BRIAN BARNHART (president of competition and operations): (About the new restructuring): “I’m excited about it overall. As Tony (George) said, it was a situation where we probably could have continued to tread water and stay where we are at. But that’s not what the league’s about; that’s not what we’re trying to do. We’ve actually had a situation develop in the last 12 to 18 months; we’re starting to get momentum, some excitement about the series that perhaps didn’t exist for a couple of years. A lot of that has to do with our ability to run road and street races, opportunities on the business side that needs someone dedicated to commit a full day’s work. If we don’t take advantage of them, they become wasted opportunities, and we won’t progress as a company. “
XM SATELLITE RADIO INDY 300 POST-RACE NOTES:
• Dan Wheldon won his first race of the season and the 12th of his IndyCar Series career.
• This is the first win of the season for Target Chip Ganassi Racing and its 11th win in the IndyCar Series. The team has won three times in four years at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• The win was Wheldon’s third-straight win at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and marks first time in IndyCar Series history a driver has won three consecutive events at one track.
• Wheldon’s win combined with his win at Chicagoland to end the 2006 season was the second time a driver won the season opener after winning the season finale. Sam Hornish Jr. won the 2001 season finale at Texas and the 2002 season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Wheldon is the 13th driver to win back-to-back IndyCar Series events.
• Wheldon had led 345 of 600 laps in the last three years at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Four times in the previous six years the driver to win the season-opener went on to win the series title, including Wheldon in 2005
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