Firestone Indy Lights: Miller Lite 100

Topics:  Miller Lite 100

Wade Cunningham
June 20, 2009

NEWTON, IOWA

THE MODERATOR: Wade Cunningham, driving the No. 11 car tonight, Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Wade, you had a pretty good run going. You led 105 laps, and this is, I guess, your fourth consecutive top six finish. But you must be disappointed the way it ended?
WADE CUNNINGHAM: Absolutely. The two late pack cars had misfortune today and I dominated the whole race. Pulled away from the field at will, really, and just manage that second half gap. And
Saavedra was 25 laps down and trying to prove a point that he had the quickest car today. So I thought I did the sportsmanlike thing and let him go. But that's what he was there to do was just out to ruin my race, so he deliberately slowed down in front of me. That's how the pack caught back up.
Because at that stage with the lead we had, no one was going to catch us. So I'm just extremely disappointed with the way the day ended out, and I don't have many positives to say.

Q. There must be some positives in the sense that you did have a pretty good run going for most of the race. The car ran well, apparently on the track.
WADE CUNNINGHAM: Of course, the car was great. We took the lead, I'm not sure we were leading at the line. We took the lead at the first corner, running on the high line. And we had a great balanced car, and I was able to conserve tires.
When Harrington got in second place, he was quicker than J.R., and I pulled away from him twice. Just managed the whole race.
So I've got good equipment, but, a tight championship like this, you have to capitalize. And today should have been my win. I did get most laps led. But it would have been a yet day to get 25 points on J.R., and that was stolen from us. So extremely disappointed. And that's all I'm going to say.
THE MODERATOR: Let's open it up to questions.

Q. (No microphone)?
WADE CUNNINGHAM: No, the track was in great condition. I had a lost down force, and that's probably why we had good racing this year as opposed to last year. I was only a spectator. But you saw Jared and I running side by side. Bia and I, James and I. I don't know what happened behind me, but I'm sure there was a lot of good racing.
I actually think the conditions played into a better race, because the cars developed more gripping and a bit of consistency.

Q. (No Microphone)?
WADE CUNNINGHAM: He knew he was out of the race, and I think he was 25 points from the championship ahead of me in second place. And he knew that if he could take points away from me it would help him in the long run.
It would have been quite easy for him to pass Pippa Mann who was a half lap down, and five sets off the pace. He managed to pass me and I was the quickest car on the track past him.
So it was a conscious decision by him. I hope they do something because it's very un-sportsmanlike, and I'd hate for them to let it go and leave it for the drivers to sort out.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much for coming tonight, we appreciate it.