One Last Lap for IRL at Fontana

The Indy Racing League will bid farewell to Southern California on Sunday, ending 10 years of open-wheel racing on the California Speedway’s two-mile oval.

Despite having home bases close by for Honda and Toyota, their two engine manufacturers, and a number of high-profile team sponsors in the area, the IRL cut the Fontana race from its 2006 schedule.

Little will be at stake in the Toyota Indy 400 but pride as Dan Wheldon, the charismatic Englishman who won the Indianapolis 500, clinched the series championship last month, and Danica Patrick, the IRL’s cover girl, has already assured herself rookie-of-the-year honors.

For Buddy Rice, the 2004 Indy 500 winner, the end can come none too soon -- either as an upbeat finish to a disappointing season or to get 2005 behind him so he can start looking toward better times.

Rice missed defending his Indy win because of an injury, was in the top five only twice and failed to finish seven times in 16 races.

This after a 2004 season in which he won three races, five poles and was third in the championship.

“Maybe California will change things around for us,” he said. “Coming to Fontana definitely gives me a lot of confidence because our cars are strong on the big ovals.”

As for his season-long problems, Rice dismissed them with, “It goes in cycles and certain people, like the AGR [Andretti Green Racing] group know how to get the job done. When everything’s going your way, it’s going your way. When it’s not, it’s not.”

Rice, never totally at ease with the media blitz that accompanied his winning the 500 last year, has also had to live in the shadow of Patrick, his Rahal Letterman Racing teammate. Perhaps never before in motor racing has one person created such a stir as Patrick did after becoming the first woman to lead the Indy 500, almost winning it -- she was leading with six laps remaining -- and finishing fourth.

Wheldon won the 500, but it was Patrick whose picture was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Patrick was given a special area during a pre-race autograph session at Milwaukee that led to the AGR team of Wheldon, 2004 series champion Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and team owner Michael Andretti boycotting the session.

“That was an unfortunate incident,” Patrick said. “Each one of them came to me privately and told me it had nothing to do with me or my attitude, that it was only about being fair to everyone. They knew it wasn’t my idea.”

The media never seems to get enough of the photogenic 23-year-old, and the IRL and her sponsors never tire of having her on parade. It can be hectic, though. This was her pre-Fontana week:

* Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.: KTLA morning show, media luncheon, tape “Best Damn Sports Show” for later that evening, followed by appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

* Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.: With teammates Rice and Vitor Meira, tour of American Honda Motor Co., in Torrance, followed by helicopter flight to Honda Performance Development in Santa Clarita, for personal appearances and autograph sessions.

* Today: ESPN News interview, Speed Channel interview and year-end sportsman-of-the-year interviews with HBO and Sports Illustrated at the track during the day. At night, appear in CARA Charity Raceway Rendezvous in speedway infield.

* Saturday and Sunday: Time to go racing, qualifying Saturday at 3 p.m., race Sunday at 12:50 p.m.

“I’ve never raced at Fontana so I’m looking forward to it,” Patrick said.

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Also This Weekend

Fontana won’t be the only place that Toyota will be a major sponsor this weekend. The fourth annual $150,000 Toyota 200 on Sunday will climax three days of motorcycle racing at Willow Springs International Raceway. Also Sunday will be the Roadracing World 250/50, the longest 250 Grand Prix race in the country. Qualifying for the Toyota 200 is today, the 250/50 on Saturday. Details: 661-256-6666.

Veteran driver Wally Pankratz, 60, who is retiring after this season, will be feted Saturday at Ventura Raceway with the night’s program named in his honor. Pankratz will drive in the USAC midget feature. Also on the 6 p.m. program will be VRA 360 sprint cars, and NMRA TQ midgets on the fifth-mile clay bullring.

Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield will host two NASCAR races for Southwest Series and Grand National West stock cars Saturday night before closing down. The half-mile track and surrounding facilities have been sold to a real estate developer.