By Eric Powell
allstate400atthebrickyard.com

Wednesday, July 9, 2003

NASCAR Winston Cup Series rookie Tony Raines turned in the fastest lap of the first week of private testing July 9 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, recording a lap of 179.918 mph in the No. 74 BACE Motorsports Chevrolet.

For the second day in a row, Jeff Green was second fastest at 179.874 in Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, while Casey Mears was third in the No. 41 Target Dodge of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates at 179.696.

Speeds increased dramatically from Tuesday, as the top seven drivers all recorded speeds faster than Jeremy Mayfield’s 176.214 lap, fastest Tuesday. Rain showers forced the lunch hour to be extended an extra hour today, and the track was closed an hour early at the end of the day due to a thunderstorm.

Most drivers focused on qualifying setups in cooler temperatures Wednesday after a day of finding race trim in the 90-degree heat Tuesday.

"Yesterday we were messing around, trying to figure out which car we want to run and just doing race runs," said Raines, a native of the northwest Indiana community of LaPorte. "We picked one out and decided to work on qualifying (today) because we thought it would get rain-shortened. I think this car has got potential. We’re encouraged, (but) it’s going to take a lot more speed when we come back in August."

Although testing pays nothing and earns the team zero Winston Cup Series points, Raines said being at or near the top of the charts in any test - but particularly in preparation for an important race like the Brickyard 400 - is great for a team such as BACE, which lacks a major sponsor.

"It gives this team a boost," he said. "When you’re on top of the charts, they (the crew) just walk different, stand a little taller. That is certainly good for morale - everyone works a little faster, little harder. When you have a good car, it stays a good car. It’s hard to make a bad car fast. It gives us a little more confidence when we come back in August."

Sterling Marlin is as confident about his chances for the 10th running of the Brickyard 400, scheduled for Aug. 3, as he has been in years. While he clocked the fourth-fastest lap of the day at 179.341 in the No. 40 Coors Light Dodge, the race package the team developed pleased him the most.

"This place is pretty tricky - a lot of combinations work and some don’t, and this morning we hit on something right before it rained, so I think we can tune on it a little more," Marlin said. "The motors we have in now are just test motors, and you can run a half-second quicker. This car ran really good at Pocono and Michigan. We hit on a really good race setup yesterday, and I think we can improve on it some more."

A second round of NASCAR Winston Cup Series private testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gets underway Monday, July 14. Reserved-seat Race Day tickets for the Brickyard 400 remain available. Tickets and parking can be purchased on the World Wide Web via www.imstix.com or by calling the IMS Ticket Office at (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700. ***

NASCAR Winston Cup Testing Report, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Wednesday, July 9, 2003

***

BRICKYARD 400 TESTING NOTEBOOK

It’s getting hot in here: During the grueling 400, 500 and 600-mile races that NASCAR Winston Cup drivers compete in each week, they can find some relief from the triple-digit temperatures prevalent in the cockpit of their race cars thanks to the "cool boxes" that circulate cool air through their helmet.

But quite often "cool boxes" aren’t used, and many drivers went without the benefits of their cooling units during July 8-9 testing at Indianapolis. Heat and humidity played a factor on July 8, in particular, when temperatures soared into the 90s.

"We’re not smart enough," quipped Jeff Green, on why some drivers don’t have cool boxes during the test. "These guys had the cars ready for testing before the last race, and we only have one cool box for each team. It wouldn’t be that hard to do, and it would probably be a good thing, but you’re in and out so much, it’s not like you’re setting in the car for 400 miles. It would be good if you were running 50-lap runs at a time, just because it keeps fresh air moving."

During last year’s Brickyard 400, heat indexes soared above the 100-degree mark. Asked if he could imagine racing in that kind of heat without a cool box, Green said the heat is harder on the crews and fans than the drivers.

"It’s not so bad because there’s always air moving around us," Green said. "It’s our job. It’s what we do for a living, so we’ve just got to suck it up a little bit." ***

Speaking the NASCAR language: Open-wheel racing driver Max Papis, who competes in the CART series for PK Racing, was an interested onlooker during NASCAR testing July 8-9 at IMS. Papis, who impressed observers during a test of Everham Motorsports’ No. 91 Winston Cup car April 16 at Kentucky Speedway, spent time with the Evernham crew and also talked with 2000 Brickyard 400 winner Bobby Labonte.

"I had the test a few months ago with Ray Evernham and came over here just to understand better the NASCAR world and increase my knowledge," said Papis, a native of Como, Italy. "At the moment, I’m just discovering this new world of racing, at its very different from what I’ve been doing and definitely very interesting."

When Papis asked if this racing seemed like a radical departure from IRL IndyCar^TM Series competition at IMS, he said there are more similarities than one might think.

"Not really," Papis said. "I’m really impressed with how quick these cars are around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I was not expecting at all for them to be as quick as they are. Yesterday I looked around a bit and went into Turn 1 and said, ‘Wow, this is pretty quick.’"

Papis has one previous start at "The Racing Capital of the World," the 2002 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, where he competed for Red Bull Cheever Racing and finished 23rd, four laps down due to brake problems. ***

Rain rains on Raines’ parade: NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver Tony Raines and baseball legend Jim Palmer both threw out the first pitch before the start of the Indianapolis Indians’ baseball game on July 8. The AAA-level Indians play at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis.

But a severe thunderstorm swept through the area a few minutes after the start of the game and ended Raines’ evening at "the yard." Still, his enthusiasm for the experience was not dampened.

"It was pretty cool," said Raines. "It was an Indians’ representative, myself and Jim Palmer (on the pitcher’s mound), which was kind of neat. When I was a kid and following baseball, I remember him well. I told him, ‘I pitched in high school, so I think I could give you a run for your money.’ I’m really impressed with the stadium. It would have been an awesome game to watch." ***

Speedway spared: At 7:40 p.m. (CDT) on July 8, the same storm cut short Tony Raines’ evening with the Indianapolis Indians in downtown Indy swept across the expansive grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Although it has yet to be confirmed by the National Weather Service, local law enforcement authorities reported that a tornado touched down less than a mile west of the Speedway’s Turn 4. Miraculously, Speedway officials report that the only damage to the facility was two downed trees in the infield. No damage was reported by any of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series team testing at the Speedway.

Share:

• 
  Facebook
• 
  Twitter
• 
  MySpace
• 
  Digg
• 
  StumbleUpon
• 
  del.ico.us
• 
  Google
• 
  NetVibes
• 
  Reddit
• 
  Newsvine

• News Index
• Print This Page
•