Helio Castroneves beat Scott Dixon by 0.2402 seconds at Texas Motor Speedway after a dropped lug nut cost Dan Wheldon the lead he had built.
Helio Castroneves won the 2006 Bombardier Learjet 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 10, 2006, finishing 0.2402 seconds ahead of Scott Dixon. Dan Wheldon led the most laps but dropped to third after a pit error. Castroneves averaged 185.710 mph, the third-fastest race in IndyCar history at the time.
The 2006 Bombardier Learjet 500 was the sixth round of the 2006 IndyCar Series, run on June 10, 2006 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Helio Castroneves of Marlboro Team Penske won the 200-lap race by 0.2402 seconds from Scott Dixon. Dan Wheldon led a race-high 171 laps but a dropped lug nut during his final pit stop sent him back to third.
Where did the race fit into the 2006 season?
The Learjet 500 was the sixth of 14 scheduled IndyCar races in 2006 and the seventeenth running of the event. It took place over 200 laps, or 300 miles (480 km), on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Texas oval. Helio Castroneves led the championship into the weekend with 182 points, twelve more than Scott Dixon.
The date was confirmed for the calendar in September 2005. Texas Motor Speedway was celebrating its tenth season in 2006, and the track had earned a reputation for close-quarters racing and photo finishes. Tomas Scheckter, the defending winner, had also taken three pole positions at the venue.
Dixon had won the previous round at Watkins Glen. Hornish Jr. sat third in the standings with 162 points, while Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan were fourth and fifth with 157 and 138 points.
Track president Eddie Gossage offered a $100,000 fee to Michael Andretti and Al Unser Jr. if both competed at Texas. The pair declined, citing a lack of preparation time and sponsorship.
A dropped lug nut and a stalled engine decided a race that Dan Wheldon had almost won outright.
Who qualified fastest and what happened on the grid?
Sam Hornish Jr. took his ninth IndyCar pole with a time of 24.5197 seconds, equal to a speed of 213.624 mph (343.795 km/h). Wheldon was second on the front row, 0.0041 seconds slower, and Castroneves qualified third. Dixon took fourth and Scheckter fifth, while Bryan Herta started 18th after an engine change the night before the race.
Hornish Jr. had won the Indianapolis 500 two weeks earlier. After qualifying he said the run was good but slower than the team had expected, and that the car had been strong in the earlier practice sessions.
Four practice sessions were held across Thursday and Friday, lasting 90, 60, 60 and 30 minutes. Rahal Letterman Racing drivers Buddy Rice, Danica Patrick and Jeff Simmons received ten extra minutes to adapt to their new Dallara chassis. Dixon set the fastest time in the first two sessions, at 24.5455 and then 24.3782 seconds.
Qualifying ran on Thursday night, with each driver making two laps and the better one counting. Franchitti completed only one lap after his team repaired a fuel pressure problem, and Felipe Giaffone could not run because a throttle position sensor malfunctioned.
How did the race unfold?
Wheldon passed Hornish Jr. on the second lap and led for long spells, while Hornish Jr. stayed within reach. Only two cautions came out, both for retirements, so most of the order was settled during green-flag pit stops. By lap 115 the gap between Wheldon and Hornish Jr. was only 0.2 seconds.
Carpenter and Cheever began the first round of green-flag pit stops on lap 53, and most of the field followed over the next few laps. Wheldon handed the lead to Hornish Jr. during that round of stops, then regained it when Hornish Jr. made his own stop a few laps later.
The race started at 8:15 PM Central Daylight Time and was broadcast live on ESPN, with Marty Reid calling the action alongside Scott Goodyear and Rusty Wallace. Johnny Rutherford, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, drove the pace car, and an estimated 91,000 people attended.
The first caution came a lap after Wheldon gave up the lead, when Buddy Lazier's car slowed on the apron with what was reported as an electrical or drive shaft failure. Rice became the second retiree on lap 70, after his engine trailed smoke. Rice's exit marked his fourth successive DNF at Texas.
Why did the final pit stops decide the win?
Wheldon had led 171 laps in total, but a crew member dropped a lug nut on his final stop at lap 185. The delay cost him about two seconds against Castroneves' stop. Wheldon rejoined in third behind Castroneves and Dixon.
Castroneves had gained ground earlier in the stop cycles. A wing adjustment and a fast out lap helped him take second from his Penske teammate Hornish Jr. before the final stops began.
Hornish Jr. then stalled while leaving his pit stall on lap 193, which dropped him to sixth and ended his hopes. Castroneves took advantage of both setbacks and moved into the lead. Dixon cut the 1.2-second deficit over the final eight laps but could not get past.
The margin of 0.2402 seconds gave Castroneves his third win of the 2006 season and the tenth of his IndyCar career. Wheldon also set the fastest lap of the race on the last lap, at 24.4535 seconds, but finished third.
What did the drivers say after the race?
Castroneves climbed the front-stretch catch fence in his usual celebration and earned $115,800 in race winnings. He credited the pit crew, arguing that the contest was won at the pits and that the whole team had delivered.
Wheldon was dejected. He said he had wanted to lead early and dominate, which his team needed to close the points gap, and that most of the day had gone that way before the team slipped at the end. He also said his team had gifted another win to Penske because of the final pit stop. Dixon was pleased with second place, thanked Scheckter for helping him reel in the leader, and called the result good for the team and for points.
Hornish Jr. said the team wins and loses together. Meira felt his car was well tuned but cooler track temperatures and a fuel tank running low cost him two places on the last lap. Kanaan said his car was good but not good enough to challenge for the win, and Carpenter said the lack of cautions kept him from the leaders.
Final classification
| Position | Driver | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helio Castroneves | Marlboro Team Penske; 0.2402 seconds ahead; tenth IndyCar win |
| 2 | Scott Dixon | Target Chip Ganassi Racing; cut a 1.2-second gap in the final laps |
| 3 | Dan Wheldon | Led a race-high 171 laps; fastest lap on the final lap |
| 4 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Pole sitter; stalled leaving the pit stall on lap 193 |
| 5 | Scott Sharp | Pleased with the result and hoped for a team turnaround |
| 6 | Vitor Meira | Lost two positions on the last lap |
| 7 | Tony Kanaan | Car good, not quite good enough for the win |
| 8 | Kosuke Matsuura | Admitted setbacks during the race; next round at Richmond |
| 9 | Ed Carpenter | Felt a lack of cautions kept him from the leaders |
| 10 | Tomas Scheckter | Helped Dixon reel in the leader |
What did the result mean for the championship?
Castroneves extended his championship lead to 22 points over Dixon, 232 to 210. Wheldon's third place moved him up to third in the standings with 195 points, and Hornish Jr. dropped to fourth, one point behind him. Kanaan remained fifth, thirty points behind Hornish Jr., with eight races still to run in the season.