8th Place Finish at Michigan !
Fisher Leads, Challenges for the Win at Michigan
(Brooklyn, Michigan) Sarah Fisher had the crowd on their feet with her foot to the floor as she swapped the leap with Felipe Giaffone in the last 15 laps of Sunday’s Michigan 400. She traded the lead position with Giaffone four times as she thrillingly darted in and among traffic and the race leaders.
“Don’t touch the car, don’t change a thing,” she ordered the Team SmartBlade Dreyer and Reinbold Racing crew as she pulled in for her last pit stop of the day. “The car is perfect, absolutely perfect.”
Fisher ran high, low, three-wide, and consistently fast on the banked Michigan track. Passing 2001 IRL Champion Sam Hornish and 2002 points leader Gil deFerran with ease, she set her sights on the race leader Giafonne on lap 185 and passed for the lead. Giafonne regained the lead on 186, with Fisher taking control of laps 187-190. Some 30,000 fans voiced their approval in witnessing the exiting race action.
“It makes it easy on the driver when the car is so good,” Fisher said. “Mark (Weida) and my team gave me the confidence to jam out there today. My spotter Tony (Hirschman) was awesome, as well. We ran some different lines during practice, both low and high lines, which prepared us for the race. I could drive that car anywhere.”
Fisher’s heavy right foot owes some thanks to engineer Mark Weida’s earlier ingenuity. Observing Fisher small feet didn’t allow much feel for the throttle, he created small wooden blocks which elevated her foot and provided better leverage and feel for full acceleration.
“Sarah felt like she was flat out, but the throttle trace showed she still had some room,” said Weida. “She wasn’t able to feel as well as she should have. I think we’ve fixed that issue.”
Fisher finished the race in 8th position, while teammate Robbie Buhl suffered a disappointing day with yet another engine loss, finishing 24th. During the 2002 season, Buhl has suffered more DNF’s as a result of engine failure than he has in his entire IRL career to date.
“Something broke,” Buhl lamented. “We still don’t know what yet but are trying to figure it out. Looks like possibly another valve-related issue. It was a frustrating day for the #24 Purex/ Aventis team because we weren’t handling well and hadn’t been running up front.”
Despite his misfortune, Buhl was extremely pleased with the performance of Fisher. With a casual smile, and an owner’s perspective, Buhl reemphasized the team’s selection of Fisher as a second driver.
“Sarah did a great job out there today,” he said. “The entire pit was screaming and yelling right along with the fans when she went into the lead. I think her performance today proves she’s the real deal."
Fisher qualified eighth, and was among the fastest 10 ten cars during pre-race practice sessions. Buhl started from the 11th position.
“Michigan is a really good, raceable track, and we were well prepared,” Fisher added. “Plus, I had a lot of fun. I was able to race with the top guys in points for the first time in three years. We’re definitely getting there.”