Alex Tagliani looking forward to a change of pace at Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen, New York - Following a four-oval race sequence, the IZOD IndyCar Series returns to road course on this national holiday weekend for the sixth edition of the Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen. This will be Alex Tagliani's first race on the 5.472-kilometer Watkins Glen International road course located in upstate New York. Round 9 of the 2010 schedule is a 60-lap, 328.32-kilometer event that will be broadcasted live Sunday on TSN and ABC at 3:30 p.m. In the opening four races of the season held on road and urban courses, the upstart FAZZT Race Team faired well by qualifying 2nd in Brazil before its driver Alex Tagliani was punted out of the race by an opponent in the early stage of the race. A pair of top 10 finishes, sixth at St. Petersburg and 10th in Alabama, was followed by a retirement after contact at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

In the season opener in Brazil, the upstart FAZZT Race Team faired very well by qualifying 2nd on the grid before its driver Alex Tagliani was punted out of the race by an opponent. Credit: Ron McQueeney/IndyCar Series

"It is good to return to a road course as it is going to change the pace of the race," said Tagliani, who also mentioned that people were surprise he would be making his first-ever start at Watkins Glen this weekend. "Not that I do not enjoy oval tracks, but the approach is different both from the driver and the team perspective. Like so many tracks that we have never been to before, there will be a lot of work to do in very little time, but the FAZZT team has been a fast learner so far this season. But, this is part of the challenge. We have qualified six times in the top eight, so we think we can do well here at the Glen. Now we need to translate these good qualifying positions into good results in the race. It has been an arduous process, be we are getting there. We have had some race issues on ovals, but on road courses, we have had a bit of bad luck during the races.

"The team has worked hard to fabricate parts for the car that should improve our performance during the race this weekend. We need to qualify well, have a car that is well balance for the race, and stay out of trouble. These are clichés, but we need to do that in order to improve our race results on a regular basis. It should be easier to balance the car at Watkins Glen, as there is less turbulence than on oval tracks. Without looking to far ahead to the Canadian races coming up later in July, I must admit that I am very pleased with Hot Wheels coming on board for the Toronto and Edmonton events. As a kid, I played with Hot Wheels cars, but I never thought that I would be driving a real Hot Wheels race car one day," concluded Tagliani.

Justin Wilson is the 2009 Watkins Glen defending race winner. The Dreyer & Reinbold team driver was runner-up at St. Petersburg and Long Beach in the early part of the year, but did not fare too well in the following four-oval race sequence, except for a top 10 finish at Indy. He currently sits in eight place overall with 191 points, 83 units from first place. Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon won the first three races at the Glen (2005-2006-2007), while Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay won the 2008 contest.

With his win at Iowa Speedway Brazilian Tony Kanaan became the seventh different winner in the first eight races of the 2010 season and gave Andretti Autosport a much needed second win for the season. Ryan Briscoe won at Texas Motor Speedway while Dario Franchitti, who won the Indy 500, and Scott Dixon, the winner at Kansas, were the other three oval race winners this year. Ryan Hunter-Reay won round 4 at the Long Beach Grand Prix, and Helio Castroneves was victorious in the previous round at Barber Motorsport Park in Alabama. Will Power is the only two-time winner with back-to-back victories at St. Petersburg and at the season opener in São Paulo.

Team Penske driver Will Power returned to the top of the overall standings following the Iowa race ahead of two of Chip Ganassi Racing drivers. With 274 points, Power leads Scott Dixon by 11 points while previous championship leader Dario Franchitti has fallen to third place with 260 points. Tagliani is currently in 13th place in the standings with 156 points.

Weekend Schedule July 2-4, 2010

Friday Practice:      3:30 -  4:30 p.m. ET
Saturday Practice:    9:05 - 10:05 a.m. ET
Saturday Qualifying:  1:15 -  2:45 p.m. ET
Sunday Warm-Up:      10:15 - 10:45 a.m. ET

Sunday Race: 60 laps for 328.32-km with the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET

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