NorthernLight Indy Racing: Dismore and Olds on Vegas Pole
22 April 2000
OLDSMOBILE WARMS UP FOR INDY 500 WITH 32nd CONSECUTIVE IRL POLE IN LAS
VEGAS
Dismore Puts New 3.5-Liter IRL Aurora V8 on Pole in First Superspeedway
Race of 2000
LAS VEGAS - Oldsmobile's new smaller, faster revving 3.5-liter IRL Aurora
V8 took a giant step today when Mark Dismore won the pole for Saturday's
Vegas Indy 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After two races on tight
one-mile ovals, Oldsmobile's downsized Indy car engine flexed its muscle
for the first on the fast 1.5-mile superspeedway near Las Vegas. The next
test of the undefeated IRL Aurora V8's horsepower will take place on Pole
Day qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 on May 20.
Dismore won his first pole of the season and the third of his career
with a 208.502 mph lap in Kelley Racing's On Star/GM BuyPower Oldsmobile
Dallara. "Winning the pole rewards the guys on the team who work so hard,"
said Dismore. "They're the ones who stay up late changing engines and
working on the cars. Right now they're like six-volt batteries hooked up on
12-volt chargers, they're so pumped up!"
Dismore had to withstand a final challenge from Greg Ray, who started
Team Menard's Conseco Oldsmobile Dallara on the pole at the first two races
of the season. Ray was the last driver in the qualifying order, and had
Dismore's time clearly in his sights. Ray fell short with a 207.932 mph lap
that earned the reigning IRL champion a starting spot on the outside of the
front row.
"It's nice to be dead last because you know what you have to
do," explained Ray. "I knew Mark's time was going to be hard to hit. We
picked up a lot of track temperature and the wind was gusty. I caught a big
puff of wind out of the fourth turn and had to lift."
Dismore's teammate Scott Sharp was third fastest at 207.437 mph in
Kelley Racing's Delphi Automotive Systems Oldsmobile Dallara, followed by
Eliseo Salazar in A.J. Foyt's Oldsmobile G-Force (207.405 mph) and Billy
Boat in Team Pelfrey's Oldsmobile Dallara (206.225 mph).
Oldsmobile's IRL Aurora V8 dominated qualifying for the Vegas Indy 300
as the six fastest drivers relied on Oldsmobile power. The fastest Nissan
driver qualified seventh with a speed 2.835 mph slower than the
pole-winning time. Twenty-seven of the 28 starters (96% of the field) are
using Oldsmobile engines.
Oldsmobile is racing for its 32nd straight IRL victory in tomorrow's
Vegas Indy 300 - the longest active winning streak in a major American
motorsports series. Oldsmobile has won the last three IRL events at Las
Vegas Motor Speedway and the previous 12 IRL races on 1.5-mile
superspeedways.
Both front-row drivers expect the racing to be fast and furious with
the smaller engines mandated by the IRL rules in 2000. "When the track gets
hot and you're running on worn tires, you can't accelerate and decelerate
the way we did last year," Ray noted. "You have to work your way through
traffic and stay in the throttle longer than the other guys."
The Vegas Indy 300 is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. PDT on
Saturday, April 22. The 208-lap, 312-mile race will be televised live by
ABC Sports at 3:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast live on the Indy Racing Radio
Network.
Oldsmobile Qualifying Quotes:
Scott Sharp, Kelley Racing Delphi Automotive Systems
Oldsmobile-Dallara; qualified third: "We gave up a little bit for
qualifying, but we went faster in the hot conditions this afternoon than we
did in practice this morning. We made a few minor changes; the car was
stuck and we had the balance just right. We're quick enough."
Eliseo Salazar, A.J. Foyt Racing Rio Oldsmobile G-Force, winner of
inaugural IRL race at LVMS in 1997, qualified fourth: "The builders have
made such strides with the engines, the only difference between the
four-liter and the 3.5-liter engines is the torque. You feel it when you're
accelerating, but the engine's strong on the top end. I qualified here in
1997 at 204 mph with the four-liter motor, so that shows how much
improvement Oldsmobile has made with the new engine."
Jeff Ward, A.J. Foyt Racing Harrah's Oldsmobile G-Force, qualified
fifth: "Eliseo ran a 180-degree crankshaft in qualifying and I used a
90-degree crankshaft in my engine, which is also our race motor. The
90-degree motors have good bottom end torque and good throttle response in
racing situations. The cars have more downforce than last year so getting
around isn't a problem. The race is another story because you have to get
through traffic. The main line is the best line, so if you go up high you
have to lift. Gearing is crucial here, too. If you draft up behind someone
and hit the rev limiter, you'll fall back. It's tricky."
Billy Boat, Team Pelfrey Oldsmobile Dallara, qualified sixth: "Yesterday
was the first time this car was on a race track. We're making gains every
time we go out. The key here is to have a car that's good throughout a long
fuel run. A Top 5 qualifying effort is great for a small team like us. We
don't have qualifying engines, so we know we're giving up a little bit of
horsepower. We're going to run the same motor for practice, qualifying, and
the race."
Sarah Fisher, Walker Racing Cummins Oldsmobile Riley & Scott, qualified
13th: "We've been fighting a pushing car all weekend and turning 202's. To
run 204 in qualifying is great. I freed the car up on my second lap, drove
it real wide and swung up high to give it more momentum, and that helped.
We've been throwing all kinds of things at the car, and finally got it to
the state that it's starting to be driveable. This is the first time I've
been wide open all the way around this place, and you have to be wide open
to be competitive. We're making progress."
VEGAS INDY 300 TOP FIVE QUALIFIERS
Driver Entrant Engine Speed
1. Mark Dismore Kelley Racing Oldsmobile 208.502 mph
2. Greg Ray Team Menard Oldsmobile 207.932
3. Scott Sharp Kelley Racing Oldsmobile 207.437
4. Eliseo Salazar A.J. Foyt Racing Oldsmobile 207.405
5. Billy Boat Team Pelfrey Oldsmobile 206.225