Century mark source: indycar.com / Dave Lewandowski To some degree, Andrea Toso says, Italian race car constructor Dallara Automobili's entry into the fledgling IndyCar Series was a "leap of faith, a journey into the unknown." Ten years removed, the shared vision for the future has been fruitful for both entities. When the winning car rolls into Victory Lane at Twin Ring Motegi on April 21, it will mark the 100th IndyCar Series victory for Dallara. Jim Guthrie provided Dallara its first victory on March 23, 1997, at Phoenix International Raceway. Eddie Cheever Jr. (1998) was its first Indianapolis 500 champion, and Kenny Brack (1998) its first IndyCar Series driver title holder. "It has been a rewarding experience and our company has grown tremendously as result of both the intense competition and loyal support that we have received from our teams, drivers, technical partners and, of course, Mr. Tony George, without whose strong leadership, vision and encouragement none of this would have been possible," said Toso, head of research and development for Dallara Automobili. "To achieve 100 victories has taken an enormous effort over the years and has included many hours of dedicated design study, aerodynamic research, track testing and close liaison with our customers. It is a testament to our engineers and staff that in 2007 we are here together, with one notable exception, stronger and more competitive than ever to celebrate this achievement. "We are especially proud to have been given the opportunity to demonstrate to the USA the passion, capabilities and dedication to race car engineering that we have in Italy." To some degree, Jim Guthrie also took a leap of faith when he purchased a Dallara chassis for his Blueprint Racing car for the 1996-97 season. He started ninth and finished sixth at Walt Disney World Speedway in the first race. Two months later in the Phoenix 200 on the 1-mile oval, Guthrie led three times for 74 laps and held off Tony Stewart by .854 of a second at the checkers.
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