Homestead: Martin Plowman race report

Plowman Ends the 2010 Season with a Podium in the Championship

The race was a hot one at the Homestead-Miami Speedway this past weekend, and not just in track temperatures. The dynamic on-track battles between drivers made the Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka 100 one for even the faintest of race fans. Martin Plowman found himself in the middle of one of those battles several times over the course of the race after starting in eighth position. In the first lap, Plowman advanced two positions to P6. Though he was pushed back to seventh position, Plowman charged through the field, overtaking experienced drivers to move into P4. Up front, Brandon Wagner and James Hinchcliffe raced side-by-side, entertaining race-viewers with action-packed laps.

Behind the up-front battle, Plowman fought to keep his position, but the car's degraded tires left him little with which he could contend. Going into this weekend's race, Plowman was sitting fourth in championships points, a mere 7 points behind his Andretti Autosport teammate, Charlie Kimball. He could advance no further than third in the championship, but it was a prize Plowman kept his eye on. Working hard to keep the car under control with worn tires, he was successful in bringing the car home in sixth place, awarding him 11 additional points over Kimball and a podium finish in the championship. Brandon Wagner went on to win the race.

It was a weekend of celebration for Plowman, as he celebrated not only his consistent excellence in the Indy Lights Series, but also his 23rd birthday on Sunday. After enjoying a quiet morning of birthday breakfast and opening presents with his family, he traveled to South Beach for the IZOD IndyCar Series banquet at the W Hotel where he collected his trophy and prize winnings.

MARTIN PLOWMAN: "I came into this weekend with no expectations, just to enjoy myself. The race today wasn't as good as it could have been. We had a strong car, but not quite the speed we needed. I'm thankful the car was strong enough to solidify a third place season.

"I must first thank my family who has always been there to support me and my dreams. They have traveled from England for every race while working full-time. I want to say a big thank you to both the #27 AFS/KEP Print Group crew and the #26 Levimir/Flexpen crew because it's really one big family at Andretti and we all work together. Also, a huge thank you to Michael Andretti for affording me the opportunity to race under his name this year. And thanks to each of my sponsors - Automatic Fire Sprinklers, KEP Print Group, Freeminds, and Kaos Design. Without them, we simply could not run the team we had. Miami was the last race of a very good season for all of us. We definitely deserve to celebrate for the great year we've had."

-source: martin plowman PR