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Racing News - August 2001
They will be schedule to run at 12 IRL events next year. And no, they won't be running at Indianapolis. The Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 have no support races. This will be cheaper than running Indy Lights. I noticed that the next Indy Lights race has been canceled due to lack of cars, so you might see these Indy Lights teams join the IRIPS next year. I wonder how this will effect the existing series that have offered support races to the IRL in the past.
The court has denied Cart either of these requests today.
This has been Brack's break-out year in Cart, as he has been winning races and leading the Cart points most of the year. Now what is the reason for this? Anyone notice that the year things start going right for the team, the team owner has been away in England running the Jaguar F1 team all year? Well as we all know, Bobby Rahal has returned to the states as he was fired from the Jaguar team before the year was out. Does he have time to screw up Brack's bid for the championship?? I say definately! At least it will be won by some Indy 500 winner.
What I'd like to know is why wasn't Robbie Buhl penalized? On lap 42, he came jumping out of the pits while two cars were side by side going down the tight pit lane already. He forced Alex Barron up into Buzz Calkins, crashing both their cars and putting them out of the race. Buhl was not penalized, infact he went on to lead the race at one point and finished 5th! Barron should have just kept going straight and let Buhl fend for himself instead of running into Calkins. I talked to Calkins about it and he said, "That's two weeks in a row that his pit guy has let him go early. Must work because he has almost won the last two races. So goes racing."
Due to rainy weather canceling qualifying Saturday, the starting lineup is based on the current point standings. Consequently, Sam Hornish and Buddy Lazier will start the inaugural event from the front row. Be sure and look for Robby McGehee's car. The St. Louis native is having a special "baseball" paintjob put on his car in honor of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.
Barrichello finished 2nd in Hungary and did not wear his #2 hat in the post-race interview this time. However he did comment that Ferrari hadn't won the constructor's championship until HE arrived. We could feel sorry for any driver in the shadow of Schumacher, but Rubens sounds is obviously a pompous ass.
This means that Brack will be back in Indy this May!!! Only he'll still be in CART... At least he's not driving the VIAGRA car. Poor Mark Martin...
Rookie Anthony Lazzarro may be sitting in Jacques old ride at Sam Schmidt Motorsports in St Louis in two weeks.
Danica finished 2nd in the highly competitive European Formula Ford series last year. This was the highest finish for a female ever. She was also the first American to finish that high since Danny Sullivan in 1974.
"The track was a mess, the worst I've seen in racing since I got involved in 1968," said Panther co-owner/team manager John Barnes. "You could see where they had done the grinding. There were 3/8-inch dips. It launched the tires right off the ground." IRL director Brian Barnhart hopes a sealant applied to Kentucky Speedway this week will return the oval track to its racy self. The IRL could also dial in more downforce to keep the cars stuck to the track, but this would slow the cars about a half second a lap. After practice this Friday, it will be determined if the race will be held or not. Most likely it will be held and the IRL drivers will be in for a bumpy ride.
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2001 BRICKYARD 400 NEWS
Indiana native Gordon wins third NASCAR Brickyard 400 By Bruce Martin Jeff Gordon's victory in Sunday's NASCAR Brickyard 400 moved him from greatness to immortality. Gordon won the Winston Cup glamour event for the third time, storming from 27th place, using a brilliant pit strategy and holding off Sterling Marlin by just under a second to give himself a belated birthday present. Gordon became the first three-time winner of the Brickyard 400 in just eight tries. By contrast, the Indianapolis 500 was 25 years old before it had its first three-time winner in Louis Meyer in 1936. One day after his 30th birthday, the native of nearby Pittsboro scored his 56th career victory, won $428,452 and was hailed by the sellout crowd of 340,000 that basked in the Hoosier sunshine. "This has been an amazing week for me," Gordon said. "It's the best way to celebrate my 30th birthday. It's been a phenomenal day. It's absolutely amazing. To have all these people still here cheering us on, I was choked up in the car. I love Indianapolis and I love the state of Indiana. It's been so good to me." Driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Gordon finished 0.943 seconds in front of Marlin's Dodge Intrepid. Johnny Benson Jr. was third, followed by Rusty Wallace and rookie Kurt Busch. Gordon's starting position was the deepest of any Brickyard 400 winner, breaking Dale Jarrett's mark of 24th in 1996. "It's really special because we started so bad today and we kept working and working," crew chief Robbie Loomis said. "When you get in a situation like we were in today, you have to count your blessings. This is the greatest race team with the greatest driver." "I don't race for statistics; I race to win, and that's what we did today," Gordon said. About the only thing Gordon could not do right was a burnout on the frontstretch after he won the race. It was Gordon's fourth Winston Cup win of the season. His crew made the race-winning move when Gordon made his final pit stop during a caution period that began on lap 131 for debris. Gordon was among several drivers who opted for two tires rather than four. That put him behind Marlin, who decided not to pit. "Lately, we haven't had any pit strategy things go for us, and that was the key," Gordon said. "At the end of the race, we took two tires on our last pit stop and that was the decision. Robbie Loomis makes all the calls in the pits. We were between two tires and no tires and I thought we needed two." When the green flag waved on lap 135, Gordon drove to the inside of Marlin in the first turn to take the lead. "We took a gamble here by not pitting," Marlin said. "We got caught in slow traffic and lapped traffic and the car pushed. (Team manager) Tony Glover made the call not to pit. He wanted me to make the decision, and I told him that's why he made the big bucks so he could make the decision. Our car was pretty good, but we weren't good on new tires. We decided to stay out and take the gamble." Gordon was driving away from the field before teammate Jerry Nadeau crashed in the third turn of lap 138 to bring out the final caution. The green flag waved on lap 143 and Gordon once again drove away from the field. "For some reason on our car, we have a lot of trouble on restarts," Marlin said. "I wanted to get close enough to him to put more pressure on him and make him hit the wall. He hit it one time in (turns) 3 and 4, but I really couldn't get close enough to him to make him make a mistake and get him a little loose. I just couldn't get close enough." Seventeen laps later, Gordon drove into auto racing history. There were 18 lead changes among 12 drivers. Gordon averaged 130.790 miles per hour. After a series of early cautions, Marlin overtook rookie Kevin Harvick -- who won Saturday night's Busch series event at nearby Indianapolis Raceway Park -- and grabbed the lead on lap 45. Pit stops began again on the 62nd lap as Steve Park, Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte and Ward Burton traded the lead before the yellow waved for debris on the 75th lap. That was when most of the leaders pitted, except for Tony Stewart. Park passed Stewart's Pontiac Grand Prix for the lead on the 80th lap midway point, taking an inside route on the third and fourth turns. Stewart, who decided not to pit under caution when the rest of the leaders made pit stops on the 76th lap, was unable to hold the low line on the track to fend off Park's Chevrolet, which had pitted for new tires and fuel. Meanwhile, Gordon was not a factor. "We started the race with a lot of doubt in my mind," Gordon said. "It was amazing starting back there where we were at, just how much air was moving around and the car was buffeting and I couldn't do anything I wanted to do. I thought I was in serious trouble at that point. We made some adjustments, made the car better, but still was not a threat. "But we kept our chins up. We worked hard on it, and there was one time that I said to Robbie Loomis that we just need to get out in clean air. When the caution fell just after we came out of the pits, that's when the race really changed for us. That's when we became a top-five car." By becoming the first three-time winner of the Brickyard 400, Gordon has elevated his status to a legend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "It tells you how prestigious an event is when they start really highlighting a two-time or three-time winner," Gordon said. "It's just like the Daytona 500. I think Richard Petty won it seven times so the big events are obviously very important races. "I think with this race still being young in our community and to the NASCAR fans, it's something that is very prestigious just to be a part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I never dreamed I would win one Brickyard 400, so this is overwhelming to me, really."
2001 BRICKYARD 400 RACE RESULTS:
Pos St No Driver Make Pts Bonus Laps Status
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1. 27 24 Jeff Gordon Chv 180 5 160 Running
2. 8 40 Sterling Marlin Dge 175 5 160 Running
3. 26 10 Johnny Benson Pon 165 0 160 Running
4. 37 2 Rusty Wallace Frd 160 0 160 Running
5. 34 97 Kurt Busch Frd 160 5 160 Running
6. 19 22 Ward Burton Dge 150 0 160 Running
7. 13 1 Steve Park Chv 156 10 160 Running
8. 2 9 Bill Elliott Dge 147 5 160 Running
9. 7 32 Ricky Craven Frd 138 0 160 Running
10. 36 8 Dale Earnhardt, Jr Chv 139 5 160 Running
11. 11 29 Kevin Harvick Chv 135 5 160 Running
12. 6 88 Dale Jarrett Frd 127 0 160 Running
13. 1 26 Jimmy Spencer Frd 129 5 160 Running
14. 30 43 John Andretti Dge 121 0 160 Running
15. 15 18 Bobby Labonte Pon 123 5 160 Running
16. 22 99 Jeff Burton Frd 120 5 160 Running
17. 9 20 Tony Stewart Pon 117 5 160 Running
18. 16 12 Jeremy Mayfield Frd 109 0 160 Running
19. 35 5 Terry Labonte Chv 106 0 160 Running
20. 20 33 Joe Nemechek Chv 103 0 160 Running
21. 31 30 Jeff Green Chv 100 0 160 Running
22. 25 6 Mark Martin Frd 97 0 160 Running
23. 38 21 Elliott Sadler Frd 94 0 160 Running
24. 10 66 Todd Bodine Frd 91 0 159 Running
25. 14 15 Michael Waltrip Chv 88 0 159 Running
26. 29 01 Jason Leffler Dge 85 0 159 Running
27. 39 55 Bobby Hamilton Chv 82 0 159 Running
28. 40 36 Ken Schrader Pon 79 0 159 Running
29. 32 90 Hut Stricklin Frd 76 0 159 Running
30. 42 31 Robby Gordon Chv 73 0 159 Running
31. 5 02 Ryan Newman Frd 75 5 159 Running
32. 17 50 Rich Bickle Chv 67 0 159 Running
33. 33 92 Stacy Compton Dge 64 0 159 Running
34. 28 14 Ron Hornaday Pon 61 0 158 Running
35. 21 77 Robert Pressley Frd 58 0 158 Running
36. 43 44 Buckshot Jones Dge 55 0 158 Running
37. 18 11 Brett Bodine Frd 52 0 158 Running
38. 41 25 Jerry Nadeau Chv 49 0 135 Out
39. 4 28 Ricky Rudd Frd 46 0 107 Running
40. 24 93 Dave Blaney Dge 43 0 100 Out
41. 3 19 Casey Atwood Dge 40 0 38 Out
42. 23 17 Matt Kenseth Frd 37 0 2 Out
43. 12 96 Andy Houston Frd 34 0 1 Out
NEWS brought to you from WIBC - 1070 on your AM dial : Results from Saturday's qualifying for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1. (26) Jimmy Spencer, Ford, 179.666. 2. (9) Bill Elliott, Dodge, 179.565. 3. (19) Casey Atwood, Dodge, 179.361. 4. (28) Ricky Rudd, Ford, 179.233. 5. (02) Ryan Newman, Ford, 179.037. 6. (88) Dale Jarrett, Ford, 178.848. 7. (32) Ricky Craven, Ford, 178.444. 8. (40) Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 178.207. 9. (20) Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 178.042. 10. (66) Todd Bodine, Ford, 177.711. 11. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 177.459. 12. (96) Andy Houston, Ford, 177.249. 13. (1) Steve Park, Chevrolet, 177.186. 14. (15) Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, 177.141. 15. (18) Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 177.134. 16. (12) Jeremy Mayfield, Ford, 176.835. 17. (50) Rich Bickle, Chevrolet, 176.762. 18. (11) Brett Bodine, Ford, 176.737. 19. (22) Ward Burton, Dodge, 176.703. 20. (33) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 176.661. 21. (77) Robert Pressley, Ford, 176.588. 22. (99) Jeff Burton, Ford, 176.502. 23. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 176.450. 24. (93) Dave Blaney, Dodge, 176.363. 25. (6) Mark Martin, Ford, 176.343. 26. (10) Johnny Benson, Pontiac, 176.287. 27. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 176.180 28. (14) Ron Hornaday, Pontiac, 176.094. 29. (01) Jason Leffler, Dodge, 176.080. 30. (43) John Andretti, Dodge, 175.967. 31. (30) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 175.884. 32. (90) Hut Stricklin, Ford, 175.874. 33. (92) Casey Atwood, Dodge, 175.833. 34. (97) Kurt Busch, Ford, 175.816. 35. (5) Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 175.706. 36. (8) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 175.497. 37. (2) Rusty Wallace, Ford, provisional. 38. (21) Elliott Sadler, Ford, provisional. 39. (55) Bobby Hamilton, Chevrolet, provisional. 40. (36) Ken Schrader, Pontiac, provisional, 41. (25) Jerry Nadeau, Chevrolet, provisional. 42. (31) Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, provisioinal. 43. (44) Buckshot Jones, Dodge, provisional. Failed to qualify (7) Mike Wallace, Ford; (4) Kevin Lepage, Chevrolet; (45) Kyle Petty, Dodge; (27) Rick Mast, Pontiac; (71) Dave Marcis, Chevrolet; (84) Shawna Robinson, Ford; (49) Andy Hillenburg, Ford; (13) Hermie Sadler, Ford; (37) Derrike Cope, Pontiac; (57) David Keith, Ford; (95) Ed Berrier, Ford. Other speeds (4) Kevin Lepage, Chevrolet, 175.637; (2) Rusty Wallace, Ford, 175.517; (36) Ken Schrader, Pontiac, 175.497; (31) Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 175.339; (37) Derrike Cope, Pontiac, 175.087; (7) Mike Wallace, Ford, 174.975; (21) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 174.808; (25) Jerry Nadeau, Chevrolet, 174.601; (13) Hermie Sadler, Chevrolet, 173.816; (95) Ed Berrier, Ford, 173.477; (55) Bobby Hamilton, Chevrolet, 173.444; (57) David Keith, Ford, 173.067; (27) Rick Mast, Pontiac, 172.808; (44) Buckshot Jones, Dodge, 172.731; (71) Dave Marcis, Chevrolet, 172.596; (45) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 172.582; (84) Shawna Robinson, Ford, 171.966; (49) Andy Hillenburg, Pontiac, 169.706. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LABONTE CAPTURES IROC CROWN SATURDAY AT INDY Bobby Labonte's win in Saturday's International Race of Champions event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway allowed him to clinch the 2001 series championship, the first of his career. Labonte won two of the four series races, the other in April at Talladega. Labonte edged Tony Stewart by .324 seconds Saturday to claim his third career IROC race win and the series title, which comes with $250,000 in prize money. "This goes back to (Dale) Earnhardt. This is a great championship. He was here last year," said Labonte, who earned his first Winston Cup victory of the season last weekend at Pocono. "This black No. 3 (Labonte's IROC car), it might looked like I drove like it a little bit today, but I really felt heart-felt right now that he's not here." Earnhardt had won the past two series titles, clinching both at the Indianapolis race. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BODINE SPONSOR-LESS AFTER SEASON from Atlanta Journal-Constitution #11-Brett Bodine, one of the few owner-drivers left in Winston Cup, is searching for sponsors to replace the ones he's losing at the end of the season. But his recent on-track performances are giving him some good fodder for his sales pitch. He has been running at the finish of the past 26 races, and he got his first top-10 this season at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona last month. At New Hampshire, he wrecked his primary car in practice and had to use a car built in the mid-1980s. He drove it to a 13th-place finish, his fourth straight top-15 run. Bodine said he needs at least $8 million a year from a sponsor to run up front consistently. He now operates on far less than that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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