Penske Racing teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe arrived safely in Northern California on Wednesday, but their cars were severely damaged in transit to Infineon Raceway for Sunday's Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County.
A fire – most likely caused by a wheel bearing failure – engulfed the Penske Racing transporter in flames Wednesday on a lonely stretch of Interstate 80 west of Cheyenne, Wyo.
The two truck drivers escaped unharmed and saved the tractor from the inferno. But the No. 3 and No. 6 Penske Dallara/Hondas – the primary road-course cars for Castroneves and Briscoe respectively – suffered extensive damage. Most of the equipment in the hauler was destroyed.
"It was a lot of pre-race dramatics for us," said Briscoe, who visited Sacramento on Thursday. "I'm sure we'll get things together by race day."
Fortunately, the team already had two backup cars at Infineon Raceway that it used in testing last week. Two more cars are being rushed from team headquarters in North Carolina and should arrive tonight.
"We had cars waiting at the shop for Chicago," Briscoe said. "They had oval setups, and everything is different for a road course. It's a lot of work, but everyone is just flat-out trying to get this stuff done and get us through the weekend."
Wayne Taylor Racing, which will compete in Saturday's Grand American Rolex Series race at Sonoma, suffered a similar fire earlier this season and was helped out by Penske Racing, Briscoe noted. That team is now helping out the Penske crew with miscellaneous equipment, returning a favor after its own mishap.
"I can't remember another incident like this before this season – then there are two in one year," Briscoe said. "What are the odds?"
Twist to a record – Castroneves, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, showed off some smooth moves while winning the title on TV's popular "Dancing with the Stars."
Before Sunday's race, he'll lead fans at Infineon in an attempt to break the world record for most people dancing the Twist, the perfect dance for this curvy track.
According to the Guinness World Records book, the largest Twist had 1,691 high school students twisting in Yorkshire, England, in 2004. During pre-race introductions, the anticipated crowd of 40,000 will try to shatter that mark.
Call The Bee's Debbie Arrington, (916) 326-5514.
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