Wet conditions on Saturday secured the first career Champ Car pole position for Tristan Gommendy, who pipped his countryman Sébastien Bourdais by.007 second on Friday. The Saturday session began with a brief rain shower. The track then dried enough to allow drivers to return to slicks but the times remained well short of Friday's. Will Power led the Saturday session to earn the front row starting spot next to Gommendy.
Race
*Paul Tracy qualified 11th but crashed his car in Sunday practice and started from the back of the grid in his backup car. The race got off to a ragged start as polesitter Tristan Gommendy's car failed to fire for the formation lap. As the lights for the standing start went out three cars stalled, the first time stalls marred a standing start for Champ Car in three races. Team Australia teammates Will Power and Simon Pagenaud and Jan Heylen were left stranded on the grid. Sébastien Bourdais took advantage of the misfortune in front of him to take the early lead. It appeared as if Bourdais jumped the start, but Champ Car never assessed him a penalty. It would not be the last controversial moment in the race. The early laps of the race were run in dry but threatening conditions. Power, Pagenaud, and Heylen were all able to rejoin the race on the lead lap, while Gommendy lost two laps while his car troubles were sorted out. Shortly after the field finished the first round of pit stops staying on slick tires, light rain began to fall. Jan Heylen spun, bringing out a caution flag. Bourdais made an uncharacteristic mistake by sliding off the track on a slippery corner under yellow, dropping him from the lead back to 11th place. The rain was intermittent and unpredictable, so the field continued to skate around on slick tires. Robert Doornbos and then Graham Rahal held the lead following Bourdais' error. The skies finally opened up on lap 44. Slick tires were no longer an option at this point. Rahal looked to be in position to run away with the race as the field pitted for fuel and rain tires, but his car stuck in gear during the stop and he was shuffled to the rear of the field, giving the lead over to Justin Wilson. Wilson's Britishwet weather driving experience didn't seem to help him much on the treacherous track and he gave up the lead to 2006 Atlantics champion Pagenaud, who took the lead for the first time in Champ Car race. He led for five laps before an off course excursion gave the lead over to Doornbos. Bourdais was in 2nd. Sometime during this stage of the race, Bourdais claims Doornbos blocked him and began to lobby for a penalty over his radio. Champ Car did not impose a penalty. Bourdais backed off to preserve his 2nd place and Doornbos came home to his first Champ Car victory. Power was able to get around teammate Pagenaud for the final spot on the podium. In his post-race interview broadcast on TV and on the screens at the track, Bourdais complained about Doornbos' tactics. The crowd booed the Frenchman, who would later refuse to shake Doornbos' hand on the podium. Doornbos claimed innocence, explaining that in the wet everyone was taking odd lines looking for traction, and that he also learned his lesson about blocking from the penalty he received in the previous race at Cleveland, which likely cost him a victory.
Attendance for the 3 day race weekend was reported to be in excess of 42,000 for the first Champ/CART/USAC race in 40 years at the circuit. This was actually 7000 more than the expected 35,000 fans over the weekend by the race organizers.
Sébastien Bourdais
Robert Doornbos
Will Power
Justin Wilson
Alex Tagliani