Iowa: Andretti Green Racing race notes

Luyendyk Jr. Finishes Second at Iowa, Matos Eighth

NEWTON, Iowa (June 21, 2008) Targus/Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. drove to a second-place finish at Saturday's Jeld-Wen 100, his best finish at the track. AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing driver Raphael Matos finished 8th.

Luyendyk Jr. started from the pole and dominated the race leading 100 of 115 laps before being passed by Dillon Battistini on lap 101 when Luyendyk Jr. got caught up in lapped traffic. A yellow flag with five laps to go left one lap for Luyendyk Jr. to try to claim his first win in his Firestone Indy Lights career. This is his sixth career runner-up finish

Matos. who started eighth, challenged for a top-five finish throughout the race, but took the checkered flag in seventh. Matos stands fourth in the Firestone Indy Lights championship, only 14 points out of third place.

Next on the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights schedule is a doubleheader weekend at Watkins Glen International. Both races in the Corning Twin 100s are Saturday, July 5.

Raphael Matos, #27 AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

"We had a decent race today. The Andretti Green/AFS team worked hard to improve the car, but we just didn't have enough to challenge for the win. We are just going to have to look towards Watkins Glen now."

Arie Luyendyk Jr., #26 Targus Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

"The Targus/AGR/AFS car was the dominant car all weekend. To lose this race after leading more than 100 laps is tough, especially when it wasn't my fault. Guys just don't get out of the way. If you're in the back, and you're being lapped continuously, just move out of the way. I can't believe Davidson did not let me by and he wouldn't let Dillon by, either, when he was up front. It just messes up our race. The Andretti Green/AFS Racing guys did an awesome job. They rolled the car off of the truck and we were just fast. It's frustrating when you have 10 car lengths on a guy for the lead with eight laps to go and you come up on lapped traffic and you lose the race because they wouldn't get out of the way. There is no way Dillon would have gotten around me. He never would have passed me on the outside. I was afraid traffic would be a problem and it was."

-credit: agr