Wet Course Leaves Luyendyk Jr. and Matos 11th and 18th in Second Mid-Ohio 100

Heavy rain left the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Complex very wet in advance of the second Mid-Ohio 100 on Sunday, and both Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Raphael Matos fell victim to the poor conditions.

Luyendyk Jr. rolled off eighth Sunday after finishing in that spot Saturday, but like many of his competitors, spun early in the wet conditions and poor visibility. Track conditions improved very little during the 40-minuted timed event and led to more time off track for Luyendyk Jr., sometimes necessary to avoid spinning cars in his path. He ended the day one lap down in 11th position.

For Matos, his troubles started early with two early spins, the second of which resulted in contact with Bobby Wilson that damaged the car's left-rear suspension. Matos brought the car to pit lane with 25 minutes remaining and assumed his race was over. However, the AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing crew made quick repairs to the car and returned Matos to action with approximately six minutes remaining. He finished in 18th position.

The Firestone Indy Lights Series continues at Kentucky Speedway on Aug. 9 with the running of

the Kentucky 100.

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

'That was extremely tough out there today. I couldn't see anything at the start and the conditions

were really challenging. I had a spin early and then another off-track moment later when I had to avoid two

cars that were spinning in front of me. But, at least we're getting out of here with all four corners on the car.

It was just madness out there.'

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

'It was very difficult out there today. I couldn't see anything at the start and lost a couple of

spots. Unfortunately, I spun out and got hit by Bobby Wilson and it broke the rear suspension on the AFS

Racing/Andretti Green Racing car. Obviously, I would rather still be leading the points, but when Antinucci

had his problem at the end, it lessened the hit we took today and that helps a little.'

by AFS Racing

by Dallara

Matos wins 1st Race at Watkins Glen

Raphael Matos said before Race 1 of the same-day Corning Duels that he was focusing on the 'big picture' - aka the Firestone Indy Lights championship.

A victory on the 3.37-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen International circuit brought that into focus. Matos, who started from the front row in the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers Inc. car for AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing, recorded a 2.1290-second victory over Richard Antinucci in a race shortened one lap because of a one-hour limit.

Jeff Simmons, driving the No. 2 TMR/Xtreme Coil Drilling car, started and finished third, and Ana Beatriz advanced two positions to fourth in the No. 20 Healthy Choice/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. Pablo Donoso finished fifth in the No. 22 TMR/Xtreme Coil Drilling car and Logan Gomez was sixth in the No. 23 Menards Guthrie Racing car.

The top six finishers will be inverted on the starting grid for Race 2, for which teams had three hours to prepare (and in some cars repair) their cars.

'We tested here a few weeks ago and were expecting big things here,' said Matos, who posted his second victory of the season (Race 1 at St. Petersburg). 'I knew I had to get by (pole sitter) Franck (Perera) in the beginning of the race because he was running more downforce than me. That was definitely the most important pass. It worked out pretty well, and I was able to get by him. At the end of the race, my car was good enough that I could make a big enough gap so I was comfortable in the lead, and I could bring the AFS/Andretti Green Racing car to Victory Lane.

'It has been so long since we've been in Victory Lane, and I'm so happy for the AFS/Andretti Green Racing team. I have to thank everyone at AFS/Andretti Green, Gary Peterson and everyone that has been supporting us this year.'

The race was shortened because of early cautions involving four cars -- one involving Perera on Lap 2. Matos and Antinucci overtook Perera for first and second, respectively, heading into the Bus Stop. Perera, driving the No. 55 CJ Consulting Guthrie Racing car, then spun off the course and the car made contact with the tire barrier in Turn 5. He was credited with 18th place in his second Firestone Indy Lights race.

by AFS Racing / Indycar Staff

by Dallara

AGR Will Partner With AFS Racing, Inc

Andretti Green Racing will return to the Indy Pro Series™ in 2007 with a car driven by three-time Indy Pro Series race winner Jaime Camara. The No. 11 oso*fresh Dallara/Firestone will be an Andretti Green Racing entry and will be prepared and maintained by AFS Racing, owned by Gary Peterson.

'We really feel like this is a great opportunity for Andretti Green Racing,' said Kim Green, chief executive officer of Andretti Green Racing. 'Teaming with AFS Racing, which won two races in 2006, and a veteran driver like Jaime Camara puts us in contention from the very start of the season. I felt like Jaime did a good job driving the Indy Pro Series entry last season and continued to improve as he got seat time.'

Camara, who hails from Goiana, Goias, Brazil, ran the full Indy Pro Series slate in 2005 and 2006. He won the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2005 on the way to a fifth-place finish in the series standings. He also won at Nashville Superspeedway. Last year, Camara won at The Milwaukee Mile.

'I'm looking forward to returning to the Indy Pro Series in 2007 with Andretti Green Racing and the new guys with AFS Racing,' Camara said. 'The 2006 season was disappointing in some respects, but I thought we did a great job coming together and pulling out a win at Milwaukee. This will be my third year on some of the tracks and I feel like I will have a definite advantage over the field at certain stops on the schedule. AFS Racing scored two wins last season and hopefully we can add to that and contend for a championship.'

One of the founding teams of the Indy Pro Series, AFS Racing will begin its sixth season of competition. The team has competed in nearly every Indy Pro Series race since, earning 38 top-10 finishes in 56 starts and collecting its first two Indy Pro Series wins in 2006 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and at Infineon Raceway. Peterson served as the team's original driver while both Arie Luyendyk Jr. and former series champion Thiago Medeiros have also made starts.

'We're very excited to be aligned with Andretti Green Racing, the team tied for the most wins in Indy Racing League history, for our 2007 Indy Pro Series effort,' Peterson said. 'With the combination of AGR, AFS Racing and Jaime, I believe we'll see the No. 11 oso*fresh car in the championship hunt all season.'

The 2007 season is Andretti Green's third year of competition in the Indy Pro Series. The team accumulated three victories and three poles with Marco Andretti in 2005 and its best finish in the points championship with Jonathan Klein in 2006 when he finished second.

By entering a car in Indy Pro Series competition, Andretti Green will earn up to five additional testing days for its IndyCar Series program with Camara gaining an opportunity to test the first half of each day.

'From an IndyCar standpoint, I thought Jaime did a tremendous job when he was able to get in the car during our extra test dates,' Green said. 'He was able to give us valuable setup information and was a real asset to our drivers and engineers. I'm looking for big things from our Indy Pro Series effort in 2007.'

Camara and the rest of the Indy Pro Series field will open the 2007 season on March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Miami 100.

by AFS Racing / Indycar.com staff

by Dallara

Andretti Green and AFS Racing to Field Two-Car Pro Series Team in 2008; Add Raphael Matos to Driver Lineup

Andretti Green Racing, the winningest team in lndy Racing League history, announced today it will field a two-car lndy Pro Series effort in 2008. The team also announced it has signed championship-winning driver Raphael Matos to drive the #27 AFS entry as part of the two-car operation.

For the first time in team history, Andretti Green's lndy Pro Series operation will be housed and prepared in its race shop on the northwest side of Indianapolis. The 2008 effort will be a joint endeavor between AGR and AFS Racing, which is owned by lndy Pro Series veteran Gary Peterson. Under Peterson's control, AFS Racing won two races in 2006. In 2007, AFS Racing captured another victory, two pole positions and a third-place finish in the championship, its highest championship result.

Matos, the 2007 Formula Atlantic champion and 2005 Star Mazda champion, collected six victories, four poles and nine podium finishes in 12 Atlantic starts during the 2007 season. In addition to a full Atlantic schedule in 2006, Matos made four lndy Pro Series starts. He drove to victory in both races at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, leading 68 of the 80 laps over the two-race span. He also finished fourth on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In 2005, Matos won four of the 12 Star Mazda races and collected three pole positions en route to the series championship. Also a starter in the American Le Mans Series, Matos has driven in the last two 12 Hours of Sebring races, finishing fifth in class in the 2006 event.

Andretti Green is currently working to secure a driver for its second series entry. Prior to teaming with AFS Racing, Andretti Green won four lndy Pro Series races, including three with Marco Andretti in 2005. In its first full season in the lndy Pro Series in 2006, AGR finished second in the championship with driver Jonathan Klein.

The eighth lndy Pro Series season begins Saturday, March 29, at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Miami 100. The 16-race schedule includes double header race weekends at St. Petersburg, Watkins Glen International, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and lnfineon Raceway.

Michael Andretti, Chairman, Andretti Green Racing:

'We're very excited about expanding our lndy Pro Series operation and continuing our relationship with Gary Peterson and AFS Racing. Joining forces with AFS Racing made a lot of sense, from both on-track and business standpoints.

'We couldn't be happier to have a driver as talented and capable as Raphael Matos join our lndy Pro Series driving lineup. Kim (Green), Kevin (Savoree), Gary (Peterson) and I all believe Raphael will contend for the championship. Everyone at AGR is excited about expanding our business and doing so with such skilled people.'

Gary Peterson, Owner, AFS Racing:

'Moving in-house with AGR for the 2008 season is a great opportunity for AFS and we are happy to continue our relationship with such a successful organization. There is no doubt that with Raphael Matos' record, we will be competing for the championship this year.

'Matos will be racing the #27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. team AFS car. No doubt Matos' winning skills will bring attention to Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. and the fire sprinkler industry as a whole. As the president of Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc., one of the nation's largest fire sprinkler companies, I am honored to represent a product that saves lives.'

Raphael Matos, #27 AFS Dallara/Firestone:

'I'm very honored to be part of the Andretti Green family. It is the best thing that has happened for my career and I feel that there are a lot of opportunities available by being associated with Andretti Green. Obviously, I can't thank Michael (Andretti), Kim (Green), Kevin (Savoree) and Gary (Peterson) enough for giving me the opportunity in the AFS car. The team has such great people and I am truly looking forward to being a part of its winning tradition.

by AFS Racing

by Dallara