2008 Indy Japan 300
Race details | |
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3rd (A) round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season | |
![]() | |
Date | April 20, 2008 |
Official name | Indy Japan 300 |
Location | Twin Ring Motegi |
Course | Permanent racing facility 1.520 mi / 2.446 km |
Distance | 200 laps 304.000 mi / 489.241 km |
Weather | 54 °F (12 °C), Mostly cloudy |
Pole position | |
Driver | Hélio Castroneves (![]() |
Time | set by driver points[1] |
Fastest lap | |
Driver | Hélio Castroneves (![]() |
Time | 27.6476 (on lap 12 of 200) |
Podium | |
First | Danica Patrick (![]() |
Second | Hélio Castroneves (![]() |
Third | Scott Dixon (![]() |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/First_lap_of_the_2008_Indy_Japan_300.jpg/220px-First_lap_of_the_2008_Indy_Japan_300.jpg)
The 2008 Indy Japan 300 was the third round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season, for drivers who competed in the series in 2007 and teams that had entered for 2008 who were not former Champ Car teams that were in transition. This was because the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach occurred on the same weekend and there was no way of changing dates to avoid the clash when the reunification took place. Originally scheduled for the afternoon of April 19, 2008 at the 1.52-mile (2.45 km) Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Tochigi, the race was delayed by 22 hours until the morning of April 20, due to water seeping up onto the track from previous heavy rains.[2] Danica Patrick won the race, becoming the first female winner in the history of top-level American open-wheel racing.[3]
Qualifying
[edit]Due to rain in the Tochigi region, qualifying was cancelled and the field was set by driver points.[1] Thus, the grid was:
Pos | No. | Driver | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | ![]() |
Penske Racing |
2 | 9 | ![]() |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
3 | 11 | ![]() |
Andretti Green Racing |
4 | 26 | ![]() |
Andretti Green Racing |
5 | 10 | ![]() |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
6 | 7 | ![]() |
Andretti Green Racing |
7 | 20 | ![]() |
Vision Racing |
8 | 2 | ![]() |
Vision Racing |
9 | 27 | ![]() |
Andretti Green Racing |
10 | 17 | ![]() |
Rahal Letterman Racing |
11 | 15 | ![]() |
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
12 | 14 | ![]() |
A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
13 | 4 | ![]() |
Panther Racing |
14 | 24 | ![]() |
Roth Racing |
15 | 6 | ![]() |
Penske Racing |
16 | 23 | ![]() |
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
17 | 25 | ![]() |
Roth Racing |
18 | 77 | ![]() |
CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports |
Race
[edit]The race's average speed was 164.258 mph (264.348 km/h) and it featured five lead changes between four drivers, as well as cautions on four for 29 laps.
Finish | Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Laps Led |
Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | ![]() |
Andretti Green Racing | 200 | 1:51:02.6739 | 6 | 3 | 50 |
2 | 3 | ![]() |
Penske Racing | 200 | +5.8594 | 1 | 94 | 40 |
3 | 9 | ![]() |
Target Chip Ganassi | 200 | +10.0559 | 2 | 101 | 38 |
4 | 10 | ![]() |
Target Chip Ganassi | 200 | +13.1116 | 5 | 2 | 32 |
5 | 11 | ![]() |
Andretti Green Racing | 200 | +16.0731 | 3 | 0 | 30 |
6 | 20 | ![]() |
Vision Racing | 200 | +16.2872 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
7 | 17 | ![]() |
Rahal Letterman Racing | 200 | +17.5193 | 10 | 0 | 26 |
8 | 14 | ![]() |
A. J. Foyt Enterprises | 199 | +1 Lap | 12 | 0 | 24 |
9 | 6 | ![]() |
Penske Racing | 199 | +1 Lap | 15 | 0 | 22 |
10 | 23 | ![]() |
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 199 | +1 Lap | 16 | 0 | 20 |
11 | 27 | ![]() |
Andretti Green Racing | 199 | +1 Lap | 9 | 0 | 19 |
12 | 15 | ![]() |
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 198 | +2 Laps | 11 | 0 | 18 |
13 | 24 | ![]() |
Roth Racing | 192 | +8 Laps | 14 | 0 | 17 |
14 | 77 | ![]() |
CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports | 134 | Brakes | 18 | 0 | 16 |
15 | 2 | ![]() |
Vision Racing | 103 | Accident | 8 | 0 | 15 |
16 | 4 | ![]() |
Panther Racing | 92 | Accident | 13 | 0 | 14 |
17 | 25 | ![]() |
Roth Racing | 44 | Accident | 17 | 0 | 13 |
18 | 26 | ![]() |
Andretti Green Racing | 0 | Collision | 4 | 0 | 12 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Rain hands Castroneves Motegi pole". autosport.com. April 18, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ^ "Motegi race rescheduled for Sunday". autosport.com. April 19, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ^ "Motegi results" (PDF). Indycar.com. April 20, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2009.[permanent dead link ]