As has been rumored for the past three weeks to a month, the Indy Racing League announced this morning that it will conduct its first feasibility tests on the 10-turn, 2.73-mile Daytona International Speedway road and oval course next week. source: paddocktalk.com - Anne Proffit The test, a two-day affair set for September 26-27 will feature the last four IndyCar Series titleholders: Sam Hornish Jr., Dan Wheldon, Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon. This quartet will be joined by 2006 Bombardier Rookie of the Year Marco Andretti and by Vitor Meira. The lineup constitutes the top four teams in entrant points during the 2006 season: Penske Racing, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Green Racing and Panther Racing. Although the schedule has not yet been set in stone, two of the teams will utilize the current 3-liter Honda H16R engine - using the current 10/90 ethanol/methanol fuel blend - while the other two teams will conduct the first on-circuit test of Honda's 3.5-liter engine paired with 100 percent fuel grade de-natured ethanol. Indy-style cars have not run at Daytona since 1959, but as John Lewis, vice president for League development pointed out, the cars' performance is very different from what is what that many years ago. "We're ecstatic about this test and Daytona has been extremely accommodating to us," he said. The League is using this compatibility test to find a new winter testing venue, other than Homestead Miami Speedway, site of the League's season opener the past few years. "We think this is a potential warm weather test venue for us. We're going to look at safety and speed of our cars on the road and oval course," Lewis explained.
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