Day Ends Early for HVM Racing at Kentucky Speedway

October 2, 2011 – Sparta, KY – Simona De Silvestro and her HVM Racing crew had a positive outlook going into Sunday’s race at the Kentucky Speedway. Unfortunately, a series of issues ended the day early.

Throughout the race weekend, the Nuclear Clean Air Energy team worked hard to improve the car with each practice session. De Silvestro knew she was dialed in when she went out to qualify on Saturday afternoon, and put the car in P13 to start the race.

The first half of the Kentucky Indy 300 was fairly uneventful for De Silvestro and most of the field. The team planned to pit around lap 140, but brought the car in a few laps early due to a lack of fuel pressure. On restarting the car, as De Silvestro left the pits, with an overheated clutch, the car grabbed and turned her into the inside pit lane wall. After repairs, she was able to go back out for an additional few laps before the burnt clutch ended the team’s day early, putting them in P25.

“It’s obviously not the way I wanted to end this race,” said De Silvestro. “I feel like we had a solid run going. I was making passes and improving my confidence. It’s just unfortunate and I hope everyone in pit lane is okay. I’m proud of my Nuclear Clean Air Energy team for working so hard to give me a good car. We’ll keep trying and hope to bring home a good result at the season finale in Vegas.”

In two weeks, the stars and cars of the IZOD IndyCar Series will finish the 2011 season with grand fashion in Las Vegas. IndyCar has planned a plethora of activities and events for fans, leading up to Sunday’s race. The IZOD IndyCar World Championships at Las Vegas will take place on Sunday, October 16 at 3 p.m. ET. The telecast will air live on ABC.