Fourth Place Finish for Fisher – "Fantastic!!"
Photos Below
(Nazareth, PA) April 21, 2002 --- Less than one week after stepping into the #24 Purex/Aventis Dreyer and Reinbold Racing machine, Sarah Fisher stepped up to finish fourth in the Firestone Indy 225 today at the Nazareth Speedway.
Substituting for co-owner/driver Robbie Buhl, sidelined after a racing incident in Fontana three weeks ago, Fisher ran as high as second after a strong pit strategy allowed the team to stretch the fuel mileage and finish strong after a final pit stop on lap 126.

"It's been such a fantastic week: the team has been awesome, the car handled great, and my engineer John Martin knew exactly what we needed to do," Fisher exuded.

Although Buhl wasn’t behind the wheel, his track experience was hard at work. With two career poles, two career wins, and the clinching of the 1992 Indy Lights championship all at Nazareth, his knowledge of the one-mile track provided a foundation for Fisher to build upon.

"Robbie's had such great success here, and his experience was such a tremendous advantage for me," Fisher said. "I've never worked with such an awesome driving coach. One of the reasons it was so great is that he can feel it---you can see it in his eyes."

Buhl, team co-owner Dennis Reinbold and team manager John O’Gara made the pit calls, which helped to propel Fisher to the front.

"We were the next to the last car on the lead lap and we had nothing to lose," said Reinbold of the early pit strategy. "We topped off the fuel early, and got some help from the yellows for a change. This has been a great week-end for DRR, and everyone on the crew contributed to our success."

Despite a close call from wheel-to-wheel contact with Billy Boat midrace in turn three, Fisher had a clean run.

"We almost had a little trouble getting banged around out there, but my spotter kept me where I needed to be," Fisher said. "The Infiniti engine gave us the power we had to have for that last pass--it's the best low torque engine I've ever driven."

Buhl wasn’t at all surprised by Fisher’s success. Although she’d not driven an Indy car since the end of last season, she and the team were patient about bringing her up to speed.

"She’s absolutely fearless out there," Buhl said. "I knew the team would give her a great car to drive, and we just worked to get her confidence up on the track."

Fisher credited owners Buhl and Dennis Reinbold for providing her the opportunity to get back behind the wheel. She tested with the team for the first time on Tuesday prior to the race, in her first visit to the track.

"This team has been unbelievable, and after being out the car for seven months, today there's no place else I'd rather be," she added.

Prior to Sunday’s race, Buhl and Fisher visited co-sponsor Aventis headquarters in nearby Bridgewater, NJ, with 90 students at the Holy Family Academy in Bound Brook, NJ, and young patients at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. As the national spokesperson for "Racing with Kids," Buhl visits local children’s hospitals each race weekend to encourage the patients and their families.

Buhl, who has been cleared to drive by IRL Medical Director Henry Bock, will return to the #24 car to complete testing of a revamped Infiniti engine prior to opening day efforts at Indianapolis.

Making a few adjustments
Sarah and her father
Sarah with Mitch, Racing for Kids Coordinator.
     

Sarah with car
Morning Practice
Sarah's new vehicle
     

Afternoon Practice
Return to Pit after Practice
Sarah with one of the team engineers Mike O'Mara.

Saturday Morning 4-20
168.054 QT Inside 10th Row
Sarah on qualifying: "The car was a bit different than this morning's practice because the tire pressures did not come up. That was really unexpected and I had to dump the throttle over in turn 3. We've been making slight adjustments since we tested here Tuesday, our focus has been more on Sundays 225 laps."


Morning Practice
(Russ LaBounty Photo)
Sarah with Felipe Giaffone
(Russ LaBounty Photo)
Finish of Morning Practice
(Russ LaBounty Photo)

Race Day
(Russ LaBounty Photo)
Sarah hard at work
(Russ LaBounty Photo)
Pit Stop
(Russ LaBounty Photo)

John O'Gara straps Sarah in for race.
Purex Team
Sarah was running in 2nd by lap 43, thanks to great pit strategy by the Purex team.

Sarah in a tight spot with Jaques Lazier.
(Russ Labounty Photo)
Anthony Lazzaro's wheel get too close, do they touch?
(Russ Labounty Photo)
No question, that's contact with Felipe
(Greg Gage Photo)

One more with Felipe Giaffone too close !
(Greg Gage Photo)
Left to right, Reba, Dave and Sarah Fisher after 4th Place finish.
HAPPY?