NA-F2000: IRL: Phoenix Race Report, Notes

SUNDAY, MARCH 22, RACE DAY Order of the Day 10:45 a.m. -- U.S. F2000 warmup 11:35 a.m. -- U.S. F2000 driver introductions Noon -- U.S. F2000 race, 50 laps/50 miles 1:05 p.m. -- Pre-race parade 1:10 p.m. -- Pep Boys Indy Racing League cars to grid 1:14 p.m. -- CARA/Children's Hospital check presentation 1:25 p.m. -- Indy Racing League driver introductions, followed by lap in Corvettes 1:40 p.m. -- Invocation by Ken Bowers 1:53 p.m. -- National Anthem, sung by Gypsy Wind 2:04 p.m. -- Starting command by Sonny Howard, CEO of Dura-Lube and grand marshal of the Dura-Lube 200 2:08 p.m. -- Green flag, Dura-Lube 200, by honorary starter Mark Page, senior vice president of operations for Pep Boys *** 8 a.m. UPDATE: STAR Formula Mazda driver Bill Tichenor remains in critical condition with a head injury at St. Joseph's Hospital after his Turn 1 accident Saturday in the 50-lapper.

IRL photographer Walter Kuhn was released this morning from Good Samaritan Hospital. *** The crew of the #15 Reebok R&S MK V reported at 8:45 a.m. today that the car has been repaired from Saturday's accident and Eliseo Salazar will start it in its original starting spot of sixth for the Dura-Lube 200.

MARK SCOTT (team manager, Riley & Scott): "Eliseo's accident was caused by hitting a low spot in the track. At first, we weren't sure if a tire deflated or if it was something on the track. The Goodyear tire data showed the tire did not deflate. There's a bump in the Turn 2 area we didn't know about because we hadn't been running that low on the track until then. The more experienced teams knew it was there and how to handle it. As a matter of fact, Foyt came over later on and in very colorful terms described how the same bump had got his boy. Eliseo did not have any physical injuries but at first didn't know what happened and blamed himself for the accident. The damage to the car was extensive. Dollar-wise, damage is probably about $150,000. The transmission, rear suspension and left front suspension was completely destroyed as was most of the bodywork. The bell housing was slightly damaged and the chassis had only superficial damage. The engine was okay and not replaced. The only thing left from the original car is the engine, chassis and right front suspension. The remainder of the pieces were cannibalized from the backup car. The backup car is the sister car to this one. The chassis are consecutive numbers. It was a matter of bolting on the new parts. The repairs were completed last night by 10:30 and the car is over in tech right now. We asked IRL officials if we could do a few test laps to check out the car. They turned us down because of IRL policy. I think it's the right rule, though, and don't have any problems with that decision. We're confident the setup will be okay. Our crew is very experienced at making major changes and repairs on the fly based on our long-distance racing background. We're good at doing this type of work, but don't necessarily like it. Unless there are any major weather changes that would affect track conditions, I think the car will be fairly close to the settings we want to run with." ***

*** J.J. Yeley, who makes his Pep Boys IRL debut today in the Dura-Lube 200, won his third straight Southern California Racing Association (SCRA) feature at Manzanita Saturday night. *** The Pennzoil/Panther team's vent man and fueler have painted their helmets to match the one Panther co-owner Jim Harbaugh will be wearing during the 1998 National Football League season as quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. Harbaugh, who is about to begin his 12th NFL campaign, was traded by the Indianapolis Colts early last month.

"It was a nice surprise when I got here," Harbaugh said when the Panther Pack showed him the helmets. "The last time I saw them (in Orlando), they had horseshoes on them."

The Pro Bowler reports to Baltimore next week for pre-season training and conditioning. He will continue to wear the No. 4 jersey, synonymous to the car number on the Pennzoil-Panther G Force driven by Scott Goodyear.

Harbaugh will be reunited with former Indianapolis Colts coach Ted Marchibroda in Baltimore. The phrase, "Let it rip," was coined during the Marchibroda/Harbaugh era in Indianapolis and Harbaugh has used the phrase on occasion during conversations with Goodyear.

Harbaugh will man the stop sign in the team's pits for the Dura-Lube 200. *** IRL veterans Lyn St. James and Jeret Schroeder teamed with Tom Volk to finish fourth in the World Sports Car class of the Exxon Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring Saturday night at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. They teamed up in the Exhaust Systems/Purity Farms Chevy Kudzu.

The race was won by Gianpiero Moretti, Mauro Baldi and Indianapolis 500 veteran Didier Theys in the MOMO Ferrari. *** The 1998 U.S. F2000 National Champion now has a direct track to the Indianapolis 500, A.J. Foyt Enterprises and the U.S. F2000 announced today in the Phoenix International Raceway media center.

The 1998 champion will earn the opportunity to test one of Foyt's Aurora-powered Dallaras run on the Pep Boys IRL trail at the end of the season.

A.J. FOYT: "I've looked at the F2000 series for a couple years and like what I see. The cars are similar to IRL with the exception of horsepower and size. With the cars being flatbottom, there is close competition. It's close traffic and wheel-to-wheel racing. The F2000 champion will be given a test with me. The only drawback is, if it's my son, he definitely will not get a ride. The biggest thing to work on is moving up to a higher horsepower and heavier car. This series gets them used to running close together so they can graduate up to the higher speeds. A test site hasn't been determined but I like P.I.R. as a test track. Here at P.I.R., if you can get the car to do well here, you'll probably do well at Indy. Turns 1 and 2, and 3 and 4, are totally different, so if you can get it right here, you can set up the car."

DAN ANDERSEN (U.S. F2000 series co-promoter): "Our graduates aspire to make it to the highest forms of racing, like Jim Guthrie, Sam Schmidt, Greg May and Allen May have with their success in the Indy Racing League. Every young driver dreams of winning the Indy 500 and we've geared our series to help them achieve that goal by running ovals as well as road courses and street circuits. A.J. Foyt realizes the talent in the series and we're excited to start this new relationship with his first-class team. Not only will the test showcase our champion, but it will provide insight as to what other training we might offer our competitors to make the F2000 to IRL transition as smooth as possible." *** U.S. F2000 MORNING PRACTICE: 10:45 a.m. -- GREEN. 10:55 a.m. -- YELLOW, #31 Collias hit wall in Turn 2. Car sustained front end, right side, right rear and suspension damage. *** STATEMENT FROM ISM RACING, ISSUED 11 A.M., BY ROBIN BURGER< ISM PUBLIC RELATIONS: "It is our intent to run two cars in the 1998 Indianapolis 500. We also intend for those drivers to be Jeff Ward and Jim Guthrie. We are a new team with a long-range plan for participating in the Indy Racing League. Jim Guthrie is an important part of that plan. He is an integral part of our team and fully has our support and confidence." *** Betsy Bayless, Arizona secretary of state, will give the starting command for today's U.S. F2000 race. *** U.S. FORMULA 2000 RACE RUNNING; Lap 1: #13 Besnard leads into Turn 1. Leaders -- #13 Besnard, #2 McGehee, #14 Foyt. Lap 2: YELLOW, #4 Dayton, #22 Yott, #25 Coggins tangle, Turn 1. Lap 5: #33 Smith reported misfiring. #33 Smith to pits, fuel pump problem, returned to track. Leaders -- #13 Besnard, #2 McGehee, #14 Foyt, #88 Hampton, #44 Djelebian. Lap 9: GREEN. #13 Besnard got jump away from field on restart. #51 LeMond to fifth. #33 Smith sputtering down front straight. Lap 11: #33 Smith to pits. Lap 12: #13 Besnard, 10-car-lnength lead. #14 Foyt dropped to sixth. Lap 13: #51 LeMond to third, passes #88 Hampton. Lap 15: SECOND YELLOW, #14 Foyt stopped on course, entrance to Turn 3. #14 Foyt towed to pits, out of race, electrical. Lap 18: GREEN. Lap 19: #7 Hornish moves from sixth to fourth. Lap 20: Leaders -- #13 Besnard, #2 McGehee, #51 LeMond, #7 Hornish, #5 Lally. Lap 21: 29 cars on lead lap. Lap 22: #7 Hornish passes #51 LeMond for third. UPDATE: Duncan Dayton and Christian Coggins were examined and released uninjured from the infield care center. James Yott was examined and released with a bruised left shoulder from the infield care center. YOTT: "I got my bell rung pretty good and I have a stiff neck and shoulder. I was passing a car on the inside of Turn 1 and his right front contacted my right rear. I spun 180 degrees and hit hard into the wall between Turns 1 and 2. My car's left side was damaged." Lap 27: #28 Bottoms passes #5 Lally for fifth. Lap 28: THIRD YELLOW, #26 Williams hit wall, Turn 2. Lap 30: Leaders -- #13 Besnard, #2 McGehee, #7 Hornish, #28 Bottoms, #51 LeMond. Lap 33: GREEN. FOURTH YELLOW, #51 LeMond hit wall, Turn 4. Lap 39: GREEN. #5 Lally to fourth on restart. Lap 41: #13 Besnard leads #2 McGehee by .512 of a second. Lap 44: #13 Besnard leads #2 McGehee by .925 of a second. UPDATE: Mike Williams and Greg LeMond were examined and released from the infield care center. Lap 47: Leaders -- #13 Besnard, #2 McGehee, #7 Hornish, #28 Bottoms, #88 Hampton. Lap 48: #27 Dick, engine sour. Lap 50: FIFTH YELLOW: #7 Hornish, #34 Duit tangle, hit wall, Turn 2. #13 Besnard wins, followed by #2 McGehee, #28 Bottoms, #88 Hampton, #5 Lally. *** U.S. F2000 POST-RACE: Fastest Lap: #13 David Besnard, 27.925 seconds, 128.917 miles an hour, not a record. Margin of Victory: .285 of a second under yellow. Sam Hornish and Tim Duit were examined and released from the infield care center. JERRY FOYT: "We had the car set up for the last laps but we've been having trouble with the ignition switch all weekend. Once we got two laps down, and it cut out on Lap 16, we called it a day."

GREG LeMOND: "I'm fine, just very disappointed. I just don't know what happened out there. I was running well and was happy with my qualifying. I don't know what Lally was thinking. I was pushed into the wall and then tapped from behind. I was developing an oversteer and losing spots. I'm just bummed out. We spent two months getting ready for this race and don't get a chance to finish it." JONATHAN BOTTOMS: "I knew I was fast. We had some problems yesterday but felt like we could run with these guys." (about the final caution): "On the second-to-last lap, I came down to defend my position. He (Hornish) was set to go low. He got down on to the apron and that upset his car." (about ovals): "Phoenix and Disney were my first ovals ever. We're looking forward to going back to the road courses."

DAVID BESNARD: "The dirty air here is a problem at the speeds we run. If I was behind Robby, I would've had the same problem he was having. The yellows bothered me a little but with the turbulence, I wasn't too worried. I lost my clutch on Lap 4 or 5. Normally, I shift using my clutch but had to do without. In Australia, there are virtually no ovals so I enjoy the road courses. I like when I can use the gearbox in a race. I'm happy with where we're at now because we're going back to my strong point on the road course."

ROBBY McGEHEE: "It was a great race. Dave was very fast and it was very hard to catch him. Every time we made a run at him, we got a lot of dirty air. It seemed like every time I got close, the air would push me down or give me an understeer. Second place points are great. A championship is what will move me to the next level of racing. I love racing the on-mile ovals. It makes me wish we had more. We had some bad luck on road courses last season, but that's no reflection on our team. We're looking forward to the next segment of the season." *** Phoenix resident Mark Guhin is serving as an honorary crew member for driver Stephan Gregoire and the Chastain Motorsports team during the Dura-Lube 200.

Guhin was the winner of a Phoenix-area promotion by IRL series sponsor Pep Boys.

Guhin is a lifelong race fan whose father was an insurance agent for the late Jim Hurtubise. *** U.S. F2000 driver James Yott returned to the P.I.R. infield care center for consultation and was transported after evaluation to St. Joseph's Hospital for examination of his left shoulder and back. *** Stan Wattles' Metro Racing Systems team didn't make the Dura-Lube 200 field but team members are on hand for the race today.

Metro team manager John Weland is spotting for Buzz Calkins. Crew members Greg Martin and David Pena are crewing for Brian Tyler and Chitwood Motorsports. Metro program manager Sylvia Proudfoot, at last look, was headed to the scoring stand. *** The last three IRL races -- at New Hampshire and Las Vegas in 1996 and Walt Disney World in 1997 -- all started with a Lap 1 caution. *** DURA-LUBE 200 RACE RUNNING: 1:45 p.m. -- Temperature was 85 degrees and track temperature was 122 degrees, according to Firestone tire engineers. 2 p.m. -- Track temperature was 123 degrees, according to Goodyear tire engineers. Starting Command: All cars away. Lap 1: #35 Ward takes lead into Turn 1. #35 Ward leads first lap, followed by #11 Boat, #1 Stewart. Lap 3: #51 Cheever, who started 20th, now 11th. Lap 5: #35 Ward leads #11 Boat by .6 of a second. Lap 8: #1 Stewart passes #11 Boat into Turn 3 for second. All 28 cars on lead lap. Lap 10: YELLOW, #91 Lazier hit wall in Turn 4. Lazier was examined and released from the infield care center. Lap 11: #51 Cheever now 10th. Lap 13: #3 Buhl to pits, crew tightened down bodywork in windscreen area. 26 cars on lead lap. Lap 15: #17 Tyler to pits, fuel topoff. #16 Greco reported smoking. Lap 16: #16 Greco to pits, cowling taken off, leaking fluid. Lap 18: GREEN. #15 Salazar moves to fifth. Lap 19: SECOND YELLOW, #18 Paul Jr., no contact, stopped in dogleg, restarted off tow line, to pits, four-tire change, fuel, returned to track. Lap 20: Leaders -- #35 Ward, #1 Stewart, #11 Boat, #14 Brack, #15 Salazar. Lap 22: #20 Carlson to pits, fuel, front wing adjustment. #15 Salazar team reports radio problem -- team can talk to driver, driver can't talk to team. Lap 23: GREEN. #17 Tyler slowed on front stretch. Lap 25: #17 Tyler to pits. Lap 26: #1 Stewart passes #35 Ward for lead in Turns 3 and 4. Lap 28: #11 Boat passes #35 Ward for second. Lap 30: #1 Stewart leads #11 Boat by 1.8 seconds. Lap 32: #14 Brack passes #35 Ward for third. THIRD YELLOW, #28 Dismore spun, hit wall in Turn 2. Lap 34: #17 Tyler car behind wall, crew working on gearbox. 19 cars on lead lap. Lap 35: #7 Kite, #30 Boesel to pits, both four tires, fuel, #7 Kite also front wing adjustment. #18 Paul to pits, fuel only. #97 Ray, four tires, fuel, wing adjustment. Lap 38: GREEN. #21 Guerrero pulled to a stop inside Turn 4. Lap 40: Leaders -- #1 Stewart by 1.8 seconds over #11 Boat, followed by #14 Brack, #35 Ward, #51 Cheever. #77 Gregoire has moved from 22nd starting spot to eighth. 2:30 p.m. -- Temperature was 84 degrees, track temperature 123 degrees, according to Firestone tire engineers. Lap 42: #8 Sharp passed #15 Salazar for sixth. Lap 44: #3 Buhl, after early pit stop, now 10th. Lap 47: FOURTH YELLOW, #6 Hamilton, #44 Yeley tangled in Turn 2, both out, accident. #17 Tyler returns to pit road. #3 Buhl to pits, damage to left front suspension, engine off. #4 Goodyear has scuff mark on nose cone from incident. Lap 48: #14 Brack, #35 Ward, #8 Sharp, #15 Salazar, #77 Gregoire to pits. #8 Sharp, four tires, fuel. #1 Stewart, four tires, fuel, front wing adjustment, 14.15 seconds. Lap 50: #28 Dismore back in his car, will return to race. #21 Guerrero missed pit, returned to track. Lap 53: #77 Gregoire to pits, black flag for inspection, returned to track. #7 Kite to pits. Lap 56: GREEN. #51 Cheever jumped ahead of #11 Boat on restart for lead. UPDATE: J.J. Yeley and Davey Hamilton were examined and released from the infield care center. Lap 57: #21 Guerrero slowed to pit exit warmup lane. Lap 58: Leaders -- #51 Cheever, #11 Boat, #1 Stewart, #77 Gregoire, #30 Boesel. Lap 59: FIFTH YELLOW, #5 Luyendyk, #22 Steele, #15 Salazar, #99 Schmidt tangled off Turn 2. #15 Salazar spun, was hit by #5 Luyendyk who rolled upside down and slid to a stop upside down in dogleg. #15 Salazar, left front damage, towed to pits. #5 Luyendyk out. #99 Schmidt to pits. Lap 62: #51 Cheever, four tires, fuel. #99 Schmidt, four tires, fuel. Lap 63: #7 Kite returned to track after crew fixed brakes, 11 laps down. Lap 65: #28 Dismore towed to pits. #22 Steele towed to pits, left front suspension damage. Lap 70: GREEN. #7 Kite behind wall. STEELE: "Two cars in front of me got tangled up. I tried to go below them and they hit me on the left side." Lap 73: Leaders -- #1 Stewart (took lead on Lap 67), , #77 Gregoire, #14 Brack, #35 Ward, #8 Sharp. Lap 76: #1 Stewart leads #77 Gregoire by 4.3 seconds. Lap 77: 11 cars on lead lap. Lap 78: #1 Stewart leads #77 Gregoire by 2.3 seconds. Lap 80: #35 Ward, running fifth, slowed on backstretch. #35 Ward stayed on track, dropped to 11th. Lap 82: #14 Brack passes #77 Gregoire for second. #35 Ward crew reports car lost sixth gear. Lap 84: #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by 5.2 seconds. Lap 86: #16 Greco black-flagged, to pits. #7 Kite remains behind wall, all four wheels off, crew bleeding brakes. Lap 89: 8 cars on lead lap. #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by five seconds. Lap 91: #1 Stewart turned the lap at 160.492. Lap 93: 7 cars on lead lap. Lap 95: #20 Carlson black-flagged, to pits, four tires, fuel. #23 Durant to pits, four tires, fuel. #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by 7.6 seconds. Lap 100: #1 Stewart lapped sixth-place #51 Cheever. 5 cars on lead lap. Leaders -- #1 Stewart, #14 Brack, #77 Gregoire, #8 Sharp, #11 Boat, #51 Cheever (-1), #4 Goodyear (-1), #12 Calkins (-1), #99 Schmidt (-1), #35 Ward (-1). Lap 103: #7 Kite pushed back to pit road. Lap 105: #17 Tyler to pits, four tires, fuel. Lap 106: SIXTH YELLOW, #23 Durant engine failure, spun, no contact, Turn 3, oil on track, pulled to garage. DURANT: "We blew the motor and spun in Turn 4." LAZIER: "It's just the worst thing a driver can ask for, not being able to control your car. I had engine failure in Turn 3 and spun. The diaper kept most of the oil for four to five seconds, allowing the car to slow down before spinning." Lap 108: #14 Brack, #11 Boat, #8 Sharp, #1 Stewart, #4 Goodyear, #3 Buhl, #10 M. Groff, all four tires, fuel. Lap 109: #17 Tyler to pits, ran over debris, tire check. Lap 112: #18 Paul reported smoking. 8 cars on lead lap. Lap 113: #97 Ray motioned around pace car to rear of field. 3:15 p.m. -- Temperature was 86 degrees and track temperature was 118 degrees, according to Firestone tire engineers. Lap 115: GREEN. #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by 1.9 seconds. Lap 119: SEVENTH YELLOW, debris on frontstretch. HAMILTON: "It's one of those deals. It got away from J.J. He took up most of the track. I had nowhere to go. I tried to get to where the track wall ended to slide by but never had the room. We thought we lost fifth gear and came into the pits but found we still had it. We were ready to move up. Oh well, this happens." YELEY: "I'm fine. I was just cursing along and don't know if it was turbulence or if the car got loose. We tried to keep from doing something like this. We'll be back for some test laps the first of April and then move on." LUYENDYK: "I slid across the track pavement with nowhere to go as Salazar spun in front of me. and then the car was upside down. My helmet was scraping the pavement and my hand, so I scrunched down and held on to the seat belts but I kept talking to my crew the whole time. I could hear the scraping and feel the heat on my helmet. It was pretty intense. Actually, it was quite cool. The car wasn't running that great all weekend but I was doing my best with it. We just need to move on now to Indy." Lap 122: GREEN. #11 Boat passes #8 Sharp for fourth on restart. Lap 126: #11 Boat passes #77 Gregoire for third between Turns 3 and 4. Lap 131: Leaders -- #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by .9 of a second, followed by #11 Boat, #77 Gregoire, #8 Sharp. Lap 133: EIGHTH YELLOW, #18 Paul Jr. spun, hit wall with right side in Turn 2. Car had right rear suspension damage. #12 Calkins, wing damage on right front. Lap 135: #11 Boat to pits, four tires, fuel. #8 Sharp to pits, four tires, fuel. #12 Calkins to pits, replaced nose. Lap 136: #99 Schmidt, four tires, fuel. Pace car brought field through pits. Lap 138: #77 Gregoire to pits, four tires, fuel. #11 Boat crew reports car can go rest of way on fuel. UPDATE: Arie Luyendyk and John Paul Jr. were examined and released from the infield care center. Lap 139: #30 Boesel, #7 Kite, four tires, fuel. Lap 141: GREEN. #8 Sharp passes #11 Boat for third. 5 cars on lead lap. Lap 142: Leaders -- #1 Stewart, #14 Brack, #8 Sharp, #11 Boat, #77 Gregoire. Lap 147: #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by .8 of a second. Lap 150: Leaders -- #1 Stewart, #14 Brack, #8 Sharp, #11 Boat, #77 Gregoire, #35 Ward (-1), #4 Goodyear (-1), #99 Schmidt (-1), #12 Calkins (-1), #30 Boesel (-2). Lap 155: #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by 1.4 seconds. Lap 161: #10 M. Groff to pits, four tires, fuel, wing adjustment. #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by 1.1 seconds. Lap 163: #1 Stewart laps fifth-place #77 Gregoire. Lap 167: #20 Carlson to pits, four tires, fuel. Lap 168: #1 Stewart leads #14 Brack by three seconds. Lap 169: NINTH YELLOW, #99 Schmidt spun at exit of Turn 2 and continued, no contact. Lap 171: #1 Stewart to pits, four tires, fuel. #14 Brack to pits, fuel only. #8 Sharp takes lead. #11 Boat to pits, four tires, fuel. #51 Cheever, four tires, fuel. Lap 172: #99 Schmidt to pits. Lap 174: GREEN. #16 Greco black-flagged, pit speed violation. #8 Sharp leads #1 Stewart by 1.1 seconds. Lap 176: #8 Sharp leads #1 Stewart by 3.5 seconds. Lap 179: #8 Sharp leads #1 Stewart by 3.3 seconds. Lap 181: 4 cars on lead lap. Lap 182: #8 Sharp leads #1 Stewart by 4.2 seconds. SALAZAR: "I'm okay. I had nowhere to go. I slid and I'm not sure if I got loose or if I was tapped but I got into Arie and hit him." PAUL JR.: "The car was a little loose. I fought it all day. I tried my best to keep it on the track. Two times, it got away from me. I saved it the first time but was not as lucky the second time. I feel bad for the team and I hate to disappoint them." Lap 186: TENTH YELLOW, #14 Brack, #10 M. Groff tangled in dogleg and into Turn 3. Lap 189: #7 Kite returns to pits with brake problem, behind wall. Leaders -- #8 Sharp, #1 Stewart, #11 Boat, only cars on lead lap. #77 Gregoire, in fourth one lap down, is between Stewart and Boat on track. KITE: "The brakes started with a little bit of a problem and it just kept getting worse. We came in and changed the calipers, went back out and the problem came back again. We don't know for sure what the problem is but I can guarantee you we won't have this problem at Indy. The car was running good. I just can't get into (Turns) 1 and 2 without brakes." Lap 196: #20 Carlson to pits, four tires, fuel. Lap 198: GREEN. #28 Dismore between leader #8 Sharp and second-place #1 Stewart. Lap 199: #8 Sharp leads #1 Stewart by two seconds. Lap 200: Scott Sharp wins the Dura-Lube 200 by 2.3 seconds over #1 Tony Stewart. #11 Billy Boat finished third, followed by #77 Stephan Gregoire (-1), #35 Jeff Ward (-1), #4 Scott Goodyear (-1), #99 Sam Schmidt (-2), #30 Raul Boesel (-3), #12 Buzz Calkins (-3) and #51 Eddie Cheever (-4).

Kenny Brack was examined and released from the infield care center. Mike Groff was awake and transported by helicopter to St. Joseph's Hospital for evaluation of a possible concussion.

BRACK: "I'm fine...just disappointed for the Power Team. The car was running great and we were four abreast going into the dogleg. Too many cars, too little track and nowhere to go. Our car was not as quick as Stewart's but we could've had a podium finish." *** DURA-LUBE 200 POST-RACE QUOTES:

SCOTT GOODYEAR: "It was unfortunate we couldn't lean on the car very much with the damage we had. We tried to stay out of the way and collect some points. We didn't do well at Orlando so the points here help."

JEFF WARD: "After we lost sixth gear, I had to take it easy, especially in Turns 1 and 2. Popping out of gear in Turn 1 can be a very scary thought. The car was good otherwise and we were able to run with the leaders."

ROBBIE BUHL: "It was disappointing we had our early problems. Hamilton and Yeley got into it and I tried to go to the left to miss it. I kept going left, left, left but I ran out of room and a flying tire still hit my left wheel. The crew did a great job fixing the damage and getting me back in the race. The car pulled to the left the rest of the way but it was okay. I wish Indy was next week. The Dallara chassis was great despite the problems and it kept running and running."

MARCO GRECO: "This was a tough race today. We had problems with the oil line and then the left rear shock. The car was loose most of the day and difficult to drive. We had to settle for staying out of the way and just collecting points." MARK DISMORE: "I went underneath Jimmy (Kite) into (Turns 1 and 2 and when

I went into the turn, I had enough room, but in the middle of the turn, I ran out of room. I got pinched and it just came around on me. When I brushed the wall, I damaged the nosecone."

BRIAN TYLER: "I jammed the gearbox and we basically lost 30 laps fixing that. After being so many laps down, I just tried to stay out of everyone's way."

SAM SCHMIDT: "There was never a dull moment. The car was pretty good. We had a real good duel with Goodyear and Arie until the wreck. Arie and I were side-by-side when someone up in front of us spun. I yanked down and spun my car and just saw Arie get collected. I was lucky and didn