Sunday, May 30, 2010 – Round 6 of 17 Top-5 Finishers: 1. Dario Franchitti; 2. Dan Wheldon; 3. Marco Andretti; 4. Alex Lloyd; 5. Scott Dixon.
Race Temperatures: Temps ranged from 123-131 (50°-55° C) track and from 90-96° F (32-35° C) ambient.
Firestone Tire Performance Recap: Firestone Racing brought an all-new specification to Indianapolis that received wide-spread praise throughout practice, qualifying and the race. With race day temperatures topping 130 degrees on the track, there was no blistering, and wear rates were great.
From race winner Dario Franchitti, #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda/Firestone: “Conditions like today are the hardest we can work a tire. We tested here in September in much different conditions, around 55 degrees, and it says a lot about a tire that it ran as good on lap one as it did on lap 200. So I have to thank Firestone for that. I don’t have to worry about tires. We really abused these tires in the heat today with a 223 mph average, and the last set ran the same as the first.”
From Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing: “Congratulations to Dario Franchitti and Target Chip Ganassi Racing for Dario’s second Indy 500 victory and the team’s fourth. Also, I’d like to add that we’re all relieved and thankful that Mike Conway appears to be okay. Now that we can breathe a sigh of relief, let’s talk about the fantastic Firestone Firehawk tires! I am confident in saying that this is the finest tire Firestone Racing has ever brought to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The tires performed great under grueling conditions. Hot or cold, no matter the temperature, we at Firestone Racing know the tires are going to be fine. Dario ran 35 laps, or 87.5 miles, on his last set of tires, then he did a few celebratory donuts after the race. And his tires still look like he could go out and drive around on them. We’re eager to continue Firestone’s many long-standing traditions at Indianapolis next year.”
Firestone “Tire-ific” Move of the Race: This prize is awarded after each IndyCar Series race to the driver who best utilizes his or her Firestone tires to make a bold, dramatic move during the event. Firestone Racing submits three nominees to www.indycar.com, where fans can vote through the ensuing Wednesday to determine the winner. Nominees for the Indy 500 and its $20,000 prize are: Dario Franchitti for a dominating performance to clinch his second Indy 500 victory; Tony Kanaan for a stirring drive from 33rd to run as high as second; and Marco Andretti for a great drive from 16th to finish third. The winner will be awarded next Saturday in pre-race activities for the Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway.
