Even if it meant being awakened before sunlight pierced the window, Oriol Servia was happy to oblige the IMS Productions crew filming the latest episode of “INDYCAR 36.”
The Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing driver says that shining the light on what transpires behind the scenes on a race weekend – from the mechanics to the engineering meetings to the sponsor functions (and on the Grand Prix of Baltimore race weekend a birthday celebration for team co-owner Robbie Buhl) – will draw viewers into the sport.
Co-owner Dennis Reinbold (left) was among those interviewed.
“INDYCAR 36” airs at 7 p.m. (ET) Sept. 14, preceding the broadcast of qualifications from Auto Club Speedway.
“I want to do everything I can to show our fans that what we do is more than showing up on Sunday and driving the car,” said Servia, who enters the season finale at Auto Club Speedway this weekend with five top-10 finishes in the No. 22 entry. “All the work that goes behind it I think is very interesting. To show more of what is happening behind the scenes just brings more interest to the series and to the fans. If that included getting wakened up early in the morning, then that’s OK. The more you know something, the more you can judge whether you like it or not.
“I think INDYCAR is a great product; we put on a great show and have great personalities behind the wheel and behind the teams. I know the fans are loving (the TV show).”
Test open to the public
The Sept. 12 IZOD IndyCar Series test at Auto Club Speedway is open to the public from 5- 8 p.m., with viewing from the East end of the open-air Terrace Suites above pit road.
Spectators should enter the speedway at the main security gate at 9300 Cherry Ave. and:
• Present an already purchased ticket to the MAVTV 500 at the tunnel.
• Purchase a race ticket at the tunnel (tickets start at $30) or
• Make a $10 donation (per adult) to the Auto Club Speedway Foundation (at the tunnel).
Youngsters 12 and under with an Auto Club Speedway Lefty’s Kids Club membership will be admitted free to the test. To register for a free Lefty’s Kids Club membership, visit www.autoclubspeedway.com/kidsclub. Soft drinks and water will be available for purchase.
Scheduled to participate:
Team AFS – Sebastian Saavedra
A.J. Foyt Racing – Mike Conway
Andretti Autosport – Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay
Dale Coyne Racing – James Jakes, Justin Wilson
Ed Carpenter Racing – Ed Carpenter
KV Racing Technology – Rubens Barrichello, Tony Kanaan, E.J. Viso
Lotus HVM Racing – Simona de Silvestro
Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing – Charlie Kimball
Panther Racing – JR Hildebrand
Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing – Oriol Servia
Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing – Josef Newgarden
Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing – Graham Rahal
Target Chip Ganassi Racing – Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti
Team Penske -- Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Will Power
Single file please
Like the races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season, the 500-mile race at Auto Club Speedway will have single-file restarts.
Auto Club Speedway history nuggets
On April 20, 1994, Roger Penske and Kaiser announced plans for the construction of a racetrack on the site of the abandoned Kaiser Steel mill in Fontana, Calif. Ground was broken in 1995 and the speedway opened in June 1997.
The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. The facility is often used for filming television shows, commercials and feature films, including “Charlie's Angels,” “Herbie: Fully Loaded” and “The Bucket List.”
Gil de Ferran holds the track’s lap speed record at 241.426 mph during qualifications in 2000 under CART sanction. The track was measured at 2.029 miles.
Auto Club Speedway race notes
KV Racing Technology co-owner Jimmy Vasser is a two-time winner at Auto Club Speedway (1998, 2002) under CART sanction. … Sam Hornish Jr. won back-to-back races (2002-03) at the speedway, and Adrian Fernandez won one race each under CART (1999) and INDYCAR (2004) sanction. … Dario Franchitti won the last IZOD IndyCar Series race at the speedway in 2005. He led Tony Kanaan across the finish line by .1117 of a second in the 200-lap race. Both were driving for then-Andretti Green Racing. It was the 11th victory by an Andretti Green Racing driver that season. … Five drivers competing in the Sept. 15 race have earned the pole at the speedway -- Alex Tagliani (2001), Kanaan (2002), Helio Castroneves (2003), Scott Dixon (2004) and Franchitti (2005).
Racetrack notes
The track is a 2-mile D-shaped oval and 75 feet wide. … The turns are 14 degrees of banking. … The 3,100-foot frontstretch has 11 degrees of banking and the 2,500-foot back straight has 3 degrees of banking. … Pit road is 2,200 feet.