Northern Light IRL: Nashville Post Practice Notes, Thursday
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
July 20, 2001DONNIE BEECHLER (#11 A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "The track is very nice. The car is getting better. We've been trying some different lines around the track. My teacher, I think, has given me a B minus for a grade."
SAM HORNISH JR. (#4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "Pretty much, we're working on our race setup. We're not quite as fast as we'd like to be right now, but we'll keep working on it. We're, actually, running a little bit faster than we did in testing here. The Pennzoil Panther guys found some extra speed, but we could always use some more. I'm never happy until there is no chance you can lose."
BUDDY LAZIER (#91 Tae-Bo/Coors Light/Delta Faucet Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "We're very happy right now. We're gaining every session. The first day of the weekend was two thumbs up. We're very pleased." (About qualifying): "I hope we have a good qualifying run like we had in Kansas and Richmond. This racetrack is real challenging and very unique. You'll see two, three or even four-wide racing down the straightaways, but it's hard to say what the corners will be like. The turns are very challenging, but I bet you'll see cars two-wide during the race once we get more rubber on the track."
BILLY BOAT (#98 CURB Records Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "This CURB Records team is still very happy with our speed. With the cooler track temperature it's kind of a give-and-take. I think we have a little more grip now, but with the cooler and denser air the cars are slowed down just a little bit. The racing groove is starting to get wider, especially on the entry to the corner, but the center of the corner is still real narrow and it's still a ways away from being a two-wide racetrack. This is really the first chance we've had to practice at night, and I can already tell this is going to be a great event under the lights here at Nashville Superspeedway. We'll just continue to work hard to keep the CURB Records/Beck Motorsports car toward the front and be as well prepared as possible for a long and very competitive race."
ELISEO SALAZAR (#14 Harrah's A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "We're fine-tuning the setup, trying some different stuff, and we went quicker. So its looking good, but tomorrow will be the real test."
ROBBY McGEHEE (#10 Cahill Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "I love it because it has some driver interaction. I like tracks where the driver matters. I think I would have loved Richmond. This track, as far as flatness, it's a lot like Phoenix. It's not easy flat like Atlanta or Texas. It's like Phoenix. It's hard flat where you have to have a good race car to go flat, and if you do you're fast. Our engineer has a great shock program."
AIRTON DARE (#88 1-800-BAR-NONE/TeamXtreme G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "Tonight's practice went real good again. We are still improving the setup. That is our main focus right now. The RPM motor is pulling hard, so right now we can concentrate on gaining downforce and keeping the car neutral. At first the car was a little loose, but after the first pit, we had the balance back. Tomorrow will be more fine-tuning the setup and getting ready for qualifying."
FELIPE GIAFFONE (#21 Hollywood G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "We struggled a bit today. We just couldn't get the balance right. The track is really nice, but we haven't found the right qualifying setup to get over the bumps in Turn 1. We'll work on it tonight. We ran full tanks as well, and we'll have a good car for the race. We just need to see if we can get our qualifying setup right tomorrow. The fans are going to see a great race. The field is going to be really, really close. Night racing, I think, is fun for everybody, as well. The track is going to be tricky to pass on, and your car has to be handling well to pass. That's why it's important to be starting up front here. We'll see what tomorrow brings. At least I know the Hollywood Treadway-Hubbard team does great pit stops. We almost always pick up spots in the pits. So we'll go back to the hotel and relax a bit. I like the night races because I can sleep in a little in the morning, like when I'm at home."
JEFF WARD (#35 Heritage Motorsports/Firestone/Menards G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "The goal tonight was to learn this racetrack and to get the car running well. We would have liked more time to play with the setup of the car, but I'm happy with our results during the second practice. We can still trim the car for qualifying tomorrow, and we ran all night on the same set of tires. We'll be able to take off a couple of seconds. I'm confident that we'll have a good weekend. This team knows how to put a good race car together."
MARK DISMORE (#28 Delphi Automotive Systems/Bryant Heating & Cooling Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone): "This is definitely a challenging track. It's the most unique track we'll run on this year. We were not able to test here, so we're pretty happy with the speed we were able to find. We're still going to find some more speed tomorrow, but I think today was a good start considering it's our first time on this track. Everyone here at Nashville has been great. I'm looking forward to seeing full stands on Saturday."
EDDIE CHEEVER JR. (#51 Cheever Indy Racing Infiniti Dallara/Firestone): "We made a lot of gains in the second practice, and the car is better. Nashville is a very difficult track, and the field is very tight. We figured something out towards the end of the session that should help us. We did all of our full tank work today, so tomorrow we will concentrate on running a bit quicker."
ROBBIE BUHL (#24 Team Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G Force/Infiniti/Firestone): "I was happy with my car in the first session today. The car repeated what we had in testing. When we left here we had a good, comfortable car. We just improved on a couple of things today in terms of aerodynamic packages in the car. We're really focusing on our tire wear now. It's a race of surface, and we need our tires to last. If we only go 30 laps on a set of tires, we're cooked. We knew we had a good balance in the car, and we went with fresher tires, and this is what we get. It's rewarding. It's going to be tough. When you watch (Sam) Hornish and (Buddy) Lazier, they're repeating lap after lap with consistency. I am happy with the car, and the Infiniti power is excellent. We just have to keep working for that victory. You would never know that this team is capable of winning if you just look at our black-and-white results. We have the right package, we just have to get it done."
Text provided by Paul Kelly
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