The Indy Racing League: Hard Work Equals Success

The Indy Racing League took a big step forward when they raced their new chassis and engines at Walt Disney World Speedway in late January, 1997. There has been a lot accomplished in a very short time. Just nine months ago (April ‘96), the cars and engines were still on computer screens and piles of engineering drawings. On January 25, all the effort, hard work, and dedication of everyone involved paid off when 19 cars took the green flag for the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World. Sure, 3 of the cars were "provisional" starters and some of the cars has less than desirable speeds, but it was not so long ago that a racing series called CART had trouble fielding 20 cars for a race, and that series too is now very successful. Hats off to all involved in the dream of making the Indy Racing League a reality.

As far as the competitiveness of the race goes, Tony Stewart had the field covered during practice, qualifying, and the race. Stewart is an excellent racer and has the record to prove it. He is also part of the highest budgeted team in IRL and when he breaks the ice with his first victory in the series, you can bet he will be hard to stop.

The racing within the pack was surprisingly good. There were consistent battles for 2nd though 7th for most of the race. In the end, it was Eddie Cheever that came away with the victory after Tony Stewart broke a motor (and spun) and Buzz Calkins blew his Bradley Motorsports Aurora. Cheever took the lead as the skies opened up... drenching the track and bringing the second running of the Indy 200 to a close after 151 laps.

The real surprise was that cars powered by the Infiniti engine were competitive. There were only three infiniti engines running in the event and two of those finished in the top 7. The engine has had very limited test time. It is expected that by the time that the Phoenix race is run in March, that both engine manufacturers (Aurora and Infiniti) will have most of the bugs worked out.

There is some concern about the low car count and many are wondering if there will be 33 cars available at Indy this year. Keep in mind that Indy is the biggest one day sporting event in the world and that means opportunities for corporate exposure. If there are 33 cars available, you can bet that the money will be there to put them on the track.

The outlook for the future is very bright. Tony George has proven his dedication and commitment to the series. He has personally went to bat to line up finances for many of the teams and has spent much of the last year making this series a reality. Leo Mehl was an excellent choice for the director's job. His years of experience as director of racing at Goodyear provides the series with the expertise it needed in both marketing and competition. With the work ethic presented thus far by those involved in the series, the Indy Racing League will flourish during the next few years.... providing oval track fans with a new crop of racing stars.

Terry Callahan
January 30, 1997