2008 Indy Japan 300
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| 3rd (A) round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season | |
 |
|
| Date | April 20, 2008 |
| Official name | Indy Japan 300 |
| Location | Twin Ring Motegi |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.520 mi / 2.446 km |
| Distance | 200 laps 304.000 mi / 489.241 km |
| Weather | 54°F, Mostly cloudy |
| Pole position | |
| Driver |
Hélio Castroneves ( Penske Racing)
|
| Time | set by driver points |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver |
Hélio Castroneves ( Penske Racing)
|
| Time | 27.6476 (on lap 12 of 200) |
| Podium | |
| First |
Danica Patrick ( Andretti Green Racing)
|
| Second |
Hélio Castroneves ( Penske Racing)
|
| Third |
Scott Dixon ( Chip Ganassi Racing)
|
The 2008 Indy Japan 300 was the third round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season, for drivers who competed in the series in 2007 and teams that had entered for 2008 who were not former Champ Car teams that were in transition. This was because the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach occurred on the same weekend and there was no way of changing dates to avoid the clash when the reunification took place. Originally scheduled for the afternoon of April 19, 2008 at the 1.52-mile (2.45 km) Twin Ring Motegi in , the race was delayed by 22 hours until the morning of April 20, due to water seeping up onto the track from previous heavy rains. The race was historic in that Danica Patrick became the first woman to win a race in the history of top-level American open-wheel racing.
Due to rain in the region, qualifying was cancelled and the field was set by driver points. Thus, the grid was:
NOTE: A "Transition Team" is a former Champ Car team joining the IRL after reunification earlier in 2008. The contract for the Long Beach race could not be changed in time so Long Beach and Motegi took place at the same weekend.
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