Friday, June 27
Final Practice-
Sarah along with two other of the top four qualifiers (Hornish &
Takagi) crashed during the final practice session on Friday night at
Richmond. At 9:22 p.m. (EDT), Sarah made contact with the outside
retaining wall in Turn 2 and came to rest on the inside of the
backstretch. Her car was facing backward. There was minor damage to the
right front suspension and right rear suspension. Dreyer &
Reinbold Racing indicated it will repair Sarah’s car to keep her 2nd
place position on the grid. Teammate Robbie Buhl (#24) also
crashed by hitting the outside retaining wall in Turn 2.
“It just got loose on me,” Fisher said. “We had been real consistent, and
we were just warming up. I guess the only thing I can blame it on is not
letting the car get warmed up. The tires took a lot longer to warm up here
than normal. With it being a lot colder, I just didn’t give it enough time,
I guess. It didn’t feel like anything broke.”
Sarah had the crowd on their feet when she was the top speed until Dixon
snagged the pole. Sarah and her Chevy powered Dallara will start from
the front row in the 2nd position with a speed of 167.004. Sarah's car
is the first Chevy on the front row this season.
“It was a great run for us. The folks at GMAC and AOL have been
looking for a good run since Indy. This is our chance to shine. Chevy shines
on the short tracks. I come from a short-track background, and (engineer
Mark) Weida and I have a good rapport together. This is our one-year
anniversary (of working together), and it seems to have all come together
tonight. Tomorrow's a totally different story. We didn't get to really run
at night here today, so we'll see. I think we've got a good race car, and
we'll start from there. I love Richmond. It brings me back to short-track
days of running sprint cars and midgets. There is something about hustling
an IndyCar (Series car). This is really the only place that you can do that
and get away with it time after time. I’m looking forward to a good race
tomorrow. Running today was really starting from square one. We didn’t test
here all year. We have been kind of limited. It is my one-year anniversary
with my engineer (Mark Weida). It is the first time I have had the same
engineer for a whole solid year, and I’m so happy. We have really worked
well together, and we can really pick up speed at a new track. I have been
frustrated, but it is something that you have to evaluate from the outside
and say, ‘Look, we are all committed to this.’ We are all working really
hard. It is a team effort. You can’t point fingers. We all have to work our
hardest and get through it. I think it shows that the No. 23 GMAC/AOL team
does a wonderful job. They have a charismatic ability. They are really
happy, always laughing, always joking. That is what has gotten us through it
to this point. I found the speed everywhere today. Chevy here at Richmond,
they have it geared in the right torque bend. They have really done a lot of
studying to give us the greatest opportunity we can have. It is a setup
track. It’s about being able to work with your engineer and get the perfect
car. It is all of the categories working together. Everything has to be
perfect here in Richmond.” Said Sarah
Sarah ran 3rd quick today with speeds reaching 166.239- quickest was Dixon
at 167.164.
The IRL Crew, the official fan organization of the Indy Racing
League, has released the standings for the IRL Crew Most Popular Driver
Award for the IndyCar Series today. Sarah won the IndyCar Series award
in 2001 and 2002. Sarah is still in the lead.
Fans attending the SunTrust Indy Challenge can vote for their favorite
driver at the IRL Crew display in the midway.
Coverage thanks to *indyracing.com
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Photo Courtesy Artemis Images.
Photo Taken by Dan Helrigel.
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Pre-Race Quote
“I’ve always loved the short tracks, and Richmond is one of my
favorite drives in the IndyCar Series. My team would really prefer I not
try to take the car sideways through the turns, but my sprint-car
adrenaline churns pretty strongly on a track like this. It’s the kind of
racing that I grew up with, and it should be the most competitive track
yet for our Chevy engines. It's also exciting because it's the one-year
anniversary of the existing #23 team. It all got started at Richmond
last year, with Mark Weida and Dan Miller. It's great because the team
has been consistent, and we can continue to build upon our experiences.
Sooner or later, it is going to pay off. We just don’t know when.” Said
Sarah |
Photo Taken by Mike Hanson. |
