DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mikail Aleshin got a taste of racing on an oval in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the IndyCar Series driver will see more as he participates in a rookie oval test Jan. 28 on the variably banked Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The 3.56-mile circuit for the endurance race incorporates the 31 degree-banked Turns 3 and 4 and the 18 degree-banked section of the frontstretch at the start-finish line of Daytona International Speedway.
“It will be very important for me because I never have tested on oval so I am looking forward to it,” said Aleshin, who will make his series debut in the No. 55 SPM Racing car March 30 in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. “We had some time working on this test with the team at the shop so I’m quite happy to say that the team has really helped me a lot to get all the details fast.
“Ovals will be something really special for me. I’m looking forward to the start of the season.”
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammate Simon Pagenaud, who also competed in the Rolex 24, also is scheduled to test at Homestead. Aleshin co-drove a Ferrari 458 with Mika Salo, Boris Rotenberg and Sergey Zlobin at Daytona to fourth place in the GT Daytona class.
Franchitti offers support
Four-time IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti attended his first race since announcing his retirement in November to support former teammates Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan and his brother, Marino, who co-drove a Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates entry.
“It’s kind of a multi-faceted role this weekend,” he said. “It’s handy they’re all in the one place.”
Franchitti said in December that he hoped to be involved with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams in a capacity similar to four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears at Team Penske.
''Using that experience, working with the drivers and engineers, and just getting to hang around the track with my buddies still, that is important to me, to hang out with the team,” he said. “This is an awesome team. It's been great to be a part of it and I'm glad we're still going to be able to do that. Hopefully I’ll be as successful as that relationship that Rick has down with the Penske organization.”
Karam thankful for opportunity, looks to INDYCAR future
Sage Karam, the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights champion, drove a two early morning stints at Daytona in a Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates car. Both were twice the seat time he previously had in the Prototype.
"That's the cool thing about this team is it has a car in almost every series. My heart has always been IndyCar and is my main goal, but I'm a race car driver and would drive lawn mowers if I needed to," said Karam, who co-drove with five-time Rolex 24 winner Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and Jamie McMurray. "This was a great opportunity for me and I'm grateful they had confidence to put me in the car. I hope I did a good enough job that maybe you could see me in an IndyCar in the near future."
Of note
David Hobbs was the grand marshal of the race at Daytona. … IndyCar Series testing continues Feb. 3-4 at Sebring International Raceway with team days scheduled. … Memo Gidley underwent surgery on his left arm and left leg at a Daytona Beach hospital and has an unstable fracture in his back that will require surgery following a crash early in the race, according to a release by sanctioning body IMSA. Matteo Malucelli, also involved in the incident, was held overnight for observation.