Milka Duno reviews her 2009 races with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and looks ahead to 2010 in a narrative for indycar.com.
Well, I have to say that the 2009 season was filled with ups and downs, but overall it was pretty good. I was very happy to be back with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. I competed with them in 2008 and it was great to be back with them again for 2009.
I want to start off by saying thank you to my sponsor CITGO, Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl, Larry Curry and my entire crew. They all worked so hard this year to give me a good car and were a great support for me. I also have to thank the fans. They make coming to the track so wonderful and they helped make my third year in IndyCar a special one.
Click it: Duno bio, stats and more
My first race this season was in Kansas. I wasn't able to do the first two races with the team, but I was happy that I was able to do that one. Kansas is a very special place for me, because I made my debut in the IndyCar Series there. We had a really good qualifying and I started 12th, which helped kick off my season. We brought the car home with a solid result and I think it helped us build for the rest of the year.
I always enjoy the month of May. It's a wonderful experience. The fans are great and the energy is so positive. I will have to say that month was definitely filled with a lot of ups and downs, but luckily we all worked together and had a great result in the end.Â
This year I did a few more road course races than I did last year. I was excited to race on those circuits because I really enjoy learning and growing on the road courses in the IndyCar. I wanted to take every opportunity and learn as much as I could, so I flew out to Boston to the iRacing.com headquarters to practice on the simulator. It really helped prepare me for the upcoming races. When we went to test at Watkins Glen, I improved my time from last year by two seconds, which was a great step forward.Â
There were some races that we didn't get the results that we had hoped for -- like in Kentucky, Texas and Mid-Ohio to name a few -- but overall I think it was a positive season.
I didn't get to race the whole year. I did nine races, which was tough because I would go a month away from the team and I missed being at the track. I would spend my time watching and cheering for my team or work with my charity Milka Way and fly back home to Venezuela in between.
I hope to be back next year competing in IndyCar and to be racing full time. As a driver, I really feel like I have learned a lot and can't wait to get back in the car again.