Belterra Casino Indy 300
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Photo Credit: Shelley Howell
(Sparta, KY) With the power of the new Chevy Indy V8 Gen IV engine behind her, Dreyer and Reinbold driver Sarah Fisher was able to post the
fastest
speed of the race at the Belterra Casino Indy 300. Due to heavy push at the
beginning of the race Sarah ended up finishing in the 14th position.Fisher and teammate Robbie Buhl were the first cars to pit under green, with a conservative stop to ensure accurate fuel mileage readings with the new motor. With only one yellow flag, an afternoon of full throttle of racing left both racers with stiff wrists since the lack of caution time meant the brief break to routinely flex their hands rarely came.
Fisher fought a big push during the first half of the race, but the GMAC/AOL team made the necessary adjustments and later posted the fastest race of the field on lap 189 with a speed of 219.4 mph.
“We had a decent finish and did what we could do with the engine at this point” said Fisher. “We started out in the race with a lot of push, but were able to manage that down toward the end and make it work for us. Our passing strategy was good, and our pit stops were mostly spot on. With the transition to a new team setup and the new engine, our team has stayed strong through it all. Best of all we had a primarily smooth ride - we drafted, we passed… we finally raced the #23 car. That’s what we’ve asking for, and I’m feeling great about what we have. We can only move forward from here, and that’s a great position to be in.”
“Overall, a pretty good day for us, said Dan Miller, Fisher’s crew chief. “It’s good to see Sarah knock some rust off and passing cars. Having the fast lap of the race is a big deal for us, and proves there were zero issues for the team with the entire installation package. Now we can look forward to maximizing our package and our first race win.”
Photo Credit: Russ LaBounty
Saturday,
August 16, 2003Sarah qualified with a speed of 217.911, her best of the weekend. She will start the race from the 9th position. Sarah was the 3rd quickest Chevy. Sam Hornish, Jr. sits on the pole.
"It feels great. We are very excited. We are still working on a race car. Chevy can give us all of the horsepower that they want to, but we have to have a car that can match that. We are just trying to get our program together. We have a new engineering staff, so we are just working on all of the little problems. It takes time. There are still some things that we need to do. There are still some ideas that I've got floating in my head right now of things that I want to do in the warm-up. We'll just have to start out from here tomorrow. We are in race trim right now, so it's not like we have to switch over anything. We just want to have a good race car tomorrow." Said Sarah after Qualifications.
Afternoon practice sessions found Sarah in the 19th position with speeds of 216.112. Scott Dixon was still the top speed at 219.807. The top Chevy (3rd) was Vitor Meira with a speed of 219.449.
During the morning practice sessions Sarah was running in the 14th position with speeds reaching 216.849. The top speed was Scott Dixon with a speed of 218.659. The top Chevy was Buddy Rice with a speed of 217.950.
Photo Credit: Webmaster
Pre-Race Quote
“This is the weekend for the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing GMAC/AOL car.
We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to drive with the new Gen
IV Chevy Indy V-8 engine. Kentucky was a big weekend last year when we sat
on the pole, so we have some shoes to fill there. With the crowds as great
as they are in Kentucky, and our testing with the new engine to take place
just before, we should be in great shape. We also look forward to seeing
those crowds at the Festival of Speed, Thursday, Aug. 14 at Newport on the
Levee. I’ll be throwing out the first pitch at the Cardinals/Diamondbacks
game, as well.”
Photo Credit: Lou Ann Baker
 Photo Credit: Webmaster |
 Photo Credit: Webmaster |
Diary: Check out Sarah's latest
entry to her diary