Northern Light IRL: Indy Racing Northern Light Series Notebook
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
March 16, 2001
Salazar staying fit with coach of Tour winner Armstrong; Carlson to drive for Tri Star
INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, March 16, 2001 - Indy Racing veteran Eliseo Salazar is following the lead of two-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.
Salazar is working with Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) of Colorado Springs, Colo., to develop a customized training program that aims to improve his aerobic capacity, muscular strength and mental skills. Salazar is driving the No. 14 Harrah's A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone this season for four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and team owner A.J. Foyt.
"This is going to be an important season for me, and I believe I am in the best position in my career," said Salazar. "I have been racing for 26 years, and now I am the lead driver for A.J. Foyt, who is a legend. I need to be at my best in every aspect of the game. That is why I contacted Carmichael Training Systems."
CTS was founded by Chris Carmichael, best known as the personal coach of Armstrong, who returned from cancer treatments to win the 1999 and 2000 Tour de France cycling championships. CTS is the official training authority for Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service Professional Cycling Team.
"What most people don't realize is how physically demanding auto racing is today," Salazar said. "When you are cornering at 225 mph, you are subjected to tremendous gravitational forces that take a lot of effort to withstand. Racing 500 miles becomes an aerobic exercise; your heart rate is elevated, and there are no timeouts and no power steering. Physical training has become a big part of racing."
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Carlson to drive for new-look Tri Star: Tri Star Motorsports and Immke Racing recently joined forces for the season-opening Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 on March 18 at Phoenix International Raceway, with Northern Light Series veteran Tyce Carlson as driver.
"This is a great fit," said Immke Racing owner Jim Immke. "(Tri Star principal) Larry Curry and I go back into the early 80s together when we were both drag racing. To be able to blend both teams together is very exciting.
"Where this merger of teams goes after Phoenix, none of us have had time to think about. Right now our focus is on qualifying well and running up front all day on race day."
Carlson will drive the No. 6 Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone for Tri Star, which made its Indy Racing League debut in 1999. Brayton Engineering will build the team's engines.
"To have Larry Curry engineering the car, without a doubt, this is the best opportunity I have ever had at Phoenix," Carlson said.
Curry guided Tony Stewart to the 1996-97 Indy Racing championship with Team Menard before forming Tri Star. The team will continue under the name of Tri Star Motorsports.
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Boat to kick ash at Phoenix: Indy Racing standout Billy Boat will put his involvement with Ash Kicker Racing into high gear this weekend during the Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200.
Boat, from Phoenix, will represent the anti-tobacco education program while driving the No. 98 CURB Records/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone fielded by Beck Motorsports at Phoenix International Raceway.
The "Ash Kicker" racing team is sponsored by the Arizona Department of Health Services' Tobacco Education and Prevention Program (AzTEPP) as part of an effort to educate youth about the benefits of a tobacco-free lifestyle.
Boat recently became involved with the program. Through an interactive program presented by Boat, children have learned the importance of discipline, commitment and drive.
"I am very proud and excited to be a part of the Arizona Tobacco Education and Prevention Program," Boat said. "I have talked to almost 10,000 kids about why they should be tobacco-free. The feedback we get from parents and teachers is outstanding.
"We have an important message to deliver to our youth."
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Atlanta To Mark Return of Miller: Indy Racing veteran Dr. Jack Miller will make his 2001 Northern Light Series debut April 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, driving for Cahill Racing with co-primary sponsors Olympus America, Inc. and OpalescenceÒ Tooth Whitening System.
Miller, who has made 21 career Indy Racing starts since 1996, will drive the No. 11 Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone starting at Atlanta, his first start with Cahill Racing.
"I am looking forward to the opportunity to partner with Larry Cahill," Miller said. "Larry and his team exude the competitive spirit essential to success in racing, and they are completely focused on getting to the winner's circle, and that's where I want to put the Olympus Racing/OpalescenceÒ Tooth Whitening System car. I know that the Cahill Racing team will give me the best car possible, and I can't wait to get behind the wheel."
Cahill Racing, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, tied for fifth in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series entrant points in the 2000 season, the team's third in the series.
Olympus America, Inc. has just broken new ground, as this constitutes its first major motorsports marketing sponsorship in the United States. Olympus America distributes a wide range of products for consumer, scientific, health care, commercial and industrial markets. These include film and filmless cameras, Microcassette(tm) and digital voice recorders, binoculars, film scanners, personal photo printers, medical and industrial endoscopes, biological and metallurgical microscopes and measuring instruments, clinical analyzers and other high-technology products.
Co-primary sponsorship comes from OpalescenceÒ Tooth Whitening System (Ultradent Products, Inc.) of South Jordan, Utah. Ultradent's stated goal is to improve the level of dental health care, and by actively developing products in cooperation with practicing dentists they have made procedures more predictable and hassle free.
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PDM lands two new associate sponsors: PDM Racing has added two associate sponsors starting at the Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 on March 18 at Phoenix, Salsachallenge.com and Dollar Rent A Car.
Jeret Schroeder is driving the No. 9 Summit Packaging Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone fielded by PDM.
Text provided by Paul Kelly
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