Jakes and Briscoe to Start 15th and 18th Sunday in Pocono |
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Topics: James Jakes, Ryan Briscoe, ABC Supply 500
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Monica Hilton
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
August 22, 2015
For more information contact:
Monica Hilton
monicah@spmindycar.com
608.669.3211
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Long Pond, PA - August 22, 2015 - Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) drivers James Jakes and Ryan Briscoe will start 15th and 18th, respectively, for Sunday's ABC Supply Co. Inc. 500 race at Pocono Raceway.
After a tough morning practice session in the condensed Verizon IndyCar Series weekend, the SPM crews worked hard to make the necessary setup adjustments for the afternoon qualifying session.
Jakes' No. 7 MediaTech Oculus Honda had a two-lap average of 218.246, putting him on the outside of row eight.
"Not a bad session for the No. 7 SPM Oculus Honda. It wasn't quite what we were hoping for but I think it was better than this morning. I think we can have a good race and get back into the top ten.
"It's going to be a long day tomorrow - 500 miles - so I'm looking forward to it and the weather's good. We've got another practice session early this evening so hopefully we can improve the balance some more."
Briscoe's two-lap qualifying average was 217.241. He will start on the outside of row nine.
"Qualifying today was a little so-so. We didn't quite hit the balance. The first practice session flew by so quick and we never got our qualifying sim in, so just missed the balance a little bit. I felt like we had the right amount of downforce on it and we had good speed. I just had to lift in turn one because of the understeer. That kind of hurt us but we were able to relay that feedback back to the No. 7 car and I think it helped them out.
"I think qualifying could've been better but the car felt reasonably strong and we had good speed, so hopefully that will translate into a good race."
On Sunday, the Verizon IndyCar Series will complete the 15th race on the 2015 circuit. The ABC Supply 500 will take place on August 23 at Pocono Raceway. The 200-lap race will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network from 2-6 p.m. ET and tickets are available at PoconoRaceway.com.
About Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) was established in 2001 and is owned by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt and Canadian businessman Ric Peterson. Schmidt was paralyzed (quad) in 2000 after an accident during testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. SPM fields cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Lights Series presented by Cooper Tires. SPM is the most successful team in Indy Lights Series history with sixty-five race wins and seven championships. In addition, SPM won the coveted Indy 500 pole position in 2011, and has won five Verizon IndyCar Series races between 2013 and 2015.
About Conquer Paralysis Now:
Conquer Paralysis Now is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization with a mission to cure paralysis, formerly known as the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. The organization is leading the charge for a cure through funding scientific research, medical treatment and technological advances benefiting those paralyzed by spinal cord injuries, stroke or diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's or in other ways. For more information, visit conquerparalysisnow.org .