APRIL 17th 2011        

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

         Mike Conway Completes Comeback with First IndyCar victory April 17 2011 at the IndyCar Long Beach Grand Prix!

Big congratulations to TLX sponsored Mike Conway and the entire Window World Cares team for their victory today on the streets of Long Beach

Today marked Mike's first ever win in the IndyCar Series and the TLX Team was there to witness his historic comeback

 

It is a dream come true for all of us as, we have followed Mike’s rehabilitation and return to racing, said John H. Holdsworth, President & Ceo of TLX Inc and TLX Sports. We are so proud and pleased for Mike and his family and friends, nobody has worked harder than him to make it happen.

On the treacherous 1.968-mile, 11-turn Long Beach street circuit, Conway overtook Ryan Briscoe in Turn 6 of Lap 72 of 85 and went on to lead to the checkered flag for Andretti Autosport's first victory since June at Iowa Speedway.

It's been a long and arduous road for the 27-year-old Brit since May when he suffered severe back and leg injuries in a one-car crash late at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unbowed, he was determined to get back in the car and this year hooked up with Andretti Autosport.

"His comeback is now complete," said team owner Michael Andretti, whose first and final Indy car victories came at Long Beach. "The first time we put him in a race car, I could tell he had potential. I’m just so happy he was able to (win) this early and win one of the greatest races here in Long Beach. I’m just so proud of him and the whole Window World Cares team."

Conway, starting a season-high third, was as far back as 21st during the race and with 66 laps to go in 11th position, but with three cars losing track position because of a Turn 1 clog, he was able to get into position to challenge Briscoe and teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay. That came following a Lap 70 restart, when Hunter-Reay's car slowed (gear selector issue), and Conway trailed Briscoe by 0.7798 of a second.

Both drivers running on the Firestone alternate tires, Conway sized up the No. 6 Penske Truck Rental car on the short straight between Turns 5 and 6.

“I made the same move on Dario (Franchitti)," said Conway, whose previous best in an IZOD IndyCar Series race was third at Infineon Raceway in '09. "It was like they were struggling to get temperature in the tires. My car was good to go. I just took my time and picked my point, and was able to pull away.

“As soon as I got in the lead, I was thinking of winning already. But I knew I had to forget about it and get with the job at hand. The car was great. I could push all the time and control the gap. I made a mistake on a pit stop when I locked up. I thought our day might be done, but we had to hang in there and push all the way. On the restarts the car was awesome and it just came to life.”

"To get this result means a lot more than just points," he said. "I think it's just going to strengthen us as a team moving forward."

 

Article and content provided in part by IndyCar.com and Andretti Autosport.