MILKA DUNO TO MISS NASHVILLE RACE
TURN 4 crash after Running practice laps within 0.3 mph of Tomas Enge

LEBANON, Tenn. (July 12, 2007) – Damage sustained to the #23 CITGO Racing Dallara Honda in a crash in turn four today at the Nashville Superspeedway will cause IndyCar Series rookie Milka Duno and the SAMAX Motorsport team to miss Saturday night’s Firestone Indy 200. Duno was uninjured in the accident. Unfortunately it was determined that the #23 CITGO Racing car is not repairable in Nashville.

Duno arrived at the Nashville Superspeedway on Wednesday, July 11, to get some track time in preparation for what would have been her sixth IndyCar Series appearance. This was also the IndyCar rookie’s first look at the 1.3 mile race track.

The team called on Tomas Enge to assist in setting up the car for the shortest of the superspeedways. No stranger to SAMAX Motorsport, Enge has been a driver with the team in the Grand-Am Series and has significant experience in the IndyCar Series.

The Nashville Superspeedway is known as a very bumpy race track; however, both Duno and Enge commented on how well the car performed after only a few laps on the D-shaped oval on Wednesday. Enge posted a top speed of 195.2 mph before handing the car over to Duno who then ran comfortably at 194.9 mph.

Milka Duno’s Comments:
“This race track is really bumpy and not easy. Today, the car had stiffer springs and the bumps in turn four were more of a challenge today then yesterday. I am so disappointed because I was having the best laps of the year with my times and handling of the car. In an IndyCar you can only have one style of driving, one feeling. It’s not like prototype driving. But, I’m glad I had the help of Tomas and was able to learn from him because I know that he had been having good lap times on the track. During my laps on Wednesday I was experiencing the same feelings Tomas had – especially in the corners. I have learned so much from him in such a short time. His observations have been invaluable in the setup of the CITGO Racing car.”

Team Principal Peter Baron’s Comments:
“Our best race weekends in IndyCar have been Kansas and Indianapolis where we had multiple test days before the event. With this being our first year in the series, it’s important to get as much testing as possible at each track prior to the events. We had a great day on Wednesday and its unfortunate we had a set-back today.”

Tomas Enge’s Comments:
“The biggest adrenaline rush existing is IndyCar racing. I’m thrilled to again be behind the wheel of an IndyCar and to be able to lend a hand to some of the most accomplished and respected racing professionals in the industry. Milka did a great job yesterday and it is really a shame about today, but this is a difficult track and a difficult series and I remember similar incidents in my rookie year.”

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, marketer and transporter of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt and other industrial products. The company has been a major sponsor of American racing for 21 years in such series as NASCAR, Grand-Am Racing and now the IndyCar Series. CITGO is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information on CITGO visit www.citgo.com.




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