Honda Car Forum

Circuit: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Kansas City, KS

2006 Winner: Sam Hornish Jr. (Team Penske Honda) 167.331 mph average

Weather: Sunny, warm, 89 degrees F

Race Results:

Wheldon Whips Field in Kansas

Dan Wheldon dominated the Kansas Lottery Indy 300 Sunday at Kansas Speedway,
winning for the second time in 2007 and extending his championship points lead
going into next month's 91st running of the Indianapolis 500.

Wheldon and his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon, combined
to lead all but seven of the 200 laps Sunday at the 1.5-mile oval. Only a "drive
through" pit lane penalty for Dixon on Lap 165 - for an improper
pit lane entry 10 laps earlier - prevented a 1-2 finish for the Ganassi
duo.

Dario Franchitti followed up his third-place finish last week at Twin Ring
Motegi in Japan with a second-place result today, continuing a strong season
for the Andretti Green Racing driver, who moves up to fourth in the championship
standings. Teammate Tony Kanaan started from the pole and led seven laps early
in the race, but fell several laps off the pace after a collision in the pits
with teammate Danica Patrick on Lap 49. Both were able to resume, with Patrick
finishing a season-best seventh, but Kanaan lost eight laps while his AGR crew
replaced his damaged left front suspension and ultimately came home 15th.

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race winner Helio Castroneves finished third
Sunday in Kansas City, with Dixon regaining the lead lap and finishing fourth
after his penalty. Tomas Scheckter rounded out the top five, his best result
of 2007, for Vision Racing.

Defending series champion and Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. struggled with
handling problems early in the race, and went down a lap to the leaders during
the opening segment. But his Team Penske crew made chassis changes at every
pit stop, gradually recovering the handling balance as Hornish fought to a sixth
place finish.

Following Patrick in seventh, Vitor Meira also improved during the second half
of the race to finish eighth, with Vision Racing's A.J. Foyt IV having
his best result of the year in ninth, and Jeff Simmons rounding out the top
ten in his Rahal Letterman Racing Honda.

The IndyCar Series now heads "home" to Indianapolis for the Indianapolis
500. Practice for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing begins on May 6, with the
91st running of the 500-mile classic on May 27.s)

Dan Wheldon (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started
4th, finished 1st, second race win of 2007, 13th career IndyCar victory, extends
series championship lead after four of 17 races: "The car was
simply perfect today, the Honda engine performed as it always does, and the
entire Chip Ganassi team did a fantastic job. And it's not just the crew
that makes sacrifices and puts in incredibly long hours, but their family members
as well. This last week was a bit frustrating for us in the wake of our problems
at Motegi, but the win today sends us into Indianapolis in a great frame of
mind. I don't think we're the favorites, there are too many strong
teams and drivers in this series, but we're certainly ready for the month
of May."

Dario Franchitti (#27 Andretti Green Racing Honda) Started
6th, finished 2nd, has finished 7th, 5th, 3rd and 2nd in the four races this
year: "It was a interesting day, for sure. Conditions were quite
tricky early with the wind gusts and the leftover rubber from the (NASCAR) Truck
race yesterday. It was hard to find grip and the cars were sliding around a
lot. Our car was a bit difficult at the start of every stint, but got much better
as the laps went on. I'm very pleased with the progress Andretti Green
Racing has made on the 1.5-mile tracks this year. This was a good day for us
and it's nice to head into Indy on the back of a couple of strong finishes."

Robert Clarke (President, Honda Performance Development) on
today's race: "This was our first real "warm weather"
race of the season, with the temperature near 90-degrees for most of the race.
Now it's on to Indianapolis for the 'Month of May', and I
believe we are very well prepared once again for the challenge of supplying
the full 33-car starting field."