IROC/IRL: Unser second, Cheever fourth in Michigan True Value IROC race
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
June 10, 2001
BROOKLYN, Mich., - Drivers with Indy Racing League ties, past and present, dominated the True Value IROC race today at Michigan International Speedway.
1996-97 Indy Racing champion Tony Stewart won the race, followed in second by current Indy Racing Northern Light Series star Al Unser Jr. 1998 Indy Racing champion Kenny Brack finished third, while current Indy Racing star Eddie Cheever Jr. was fourth.
Defending Indy Racing Northern Light Series champion Buddy Lazier finished sixth, while Indy Racing standout Mark Dismore was 11th.
Stewart, now a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, took the lead from Indy Racing Northern Light Series driver Eddie Cheever Jr. on Lap 3 of the 50-lap race and never trailed thereafter.
"My goal was to get by Cheever as soon as I could," said Stewart, who finished sixth in the Indianapolis 500 last month. "Once I got in front, I was able to run the line I wanted to run. It gave me the flexibility to move around the racetrack and try things, and use my mirrors as a gauge to see if I'm making ground or losing ground."
Unser finished 2.875 seconds behind Stewart. Unser was substituting for IROC regular Scott Goodyear, who suffered a broken lower back last month in the Indianapolis 500.
"It's great to be back," Unser said. "We had a good car, and that made it easy. The competition is tough with the talented drivers that are driving.
"I would like a permanent invitation for next year; I'm just subbing for Scott and wish him a speedy recovery. I hope we made him proud today."
The battle among the front-runners went three-wide at the end of the race.
"Cheever tried to block me, but I was low enough that I got by," said 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner Brack, who now races in CART. "I got back up to third place. For me, in this type of car, that's a great achievement. I'm very happy with my run."
Said 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Cheever: "Kenny made a brilliant move going three-wide. He used me. He convinced me that he was going to stay in line, and he pulled out and went on, and it was too late for me. It was a very tactical race. It was hard racing."
Unser, Cheever, Lazier and Dismore flew from Michigan to Texas Motor Speedway immediately after the race to compete tonight in the Casino Magic 500 Indy Racing Northern Light Series race. Dismore will start from the MBNA Pole in Texas.
Cheever climbed into a tie for third with Stewart with 39 points in the True Value IROC standings, just five points behind leader Bobby Labonte. The final round of the four-event series matching 12 elite drivers in identically prepared Pontiac Firebird Trans Am stock cars is Aug. 4 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
POST-RACE QUOTES FROM INDY RACING DRIVERS:
EDDIE CHEEVER JR.: "It was a great race. I enjoyed it. It was not a bad day, but my car was loose, and I almost spun a few times. I never really got tight. I thought I got rid of Kenny at one point, and Labonte and I started dueling down the straightaway. I thought I could pass him. Then, here comes Kenny, and he bumps me and goes around me. That's the fun thing about this. Kenny's car was all over the place, and Labonte and I were trying to deal with him. I love this. Michigan is a fun place. I like to mix it up with those NASCAR guys. Kenny made a brilliant move going three-wide. He used me. He convinced me that he was going to stay in line, and he pulled out and went on and it was too late for me. It was a very tactical race. It was hard racing. My right rear tire was destroyed. I almost had a few loop-de-loops out there.
AL UNSER JR.: "I knew right away I had a good car. It's great to be back. Coming back is like old hat. We had a good car, and that made it easy. The competition is tough with the talented drivers that are driving. That's what happened out there. Tony knows the track, and he drove well and hard. We just didn't have the stuff today. We had a good handling car, though. It felt super through the corners. (Did you think you could pass Tony Stewart?): "I was surprised I couldn't make a better challenge on Tony. With Tony, he had a little bit more than I did. He could get away a little more. But the cars are just so equal. When I drove them this morning, it was the first time I'd been in an IROC since 1998. They are just night-and-day different than the last time I drove them and today. They're just phenomenal. We never even thought about running this track wide open then. And now that race is almost entirely open. Jay (Signore) and his team made it a real easy to go out there. (Is it tough to drive in IROC and in the Casino Magic 500 on the same day?): "Not at all. I love racing. It's really pretty easy. Jay had the cars set up so well it was a pleasure to drive. I barely broke a sweat. It was just driving. If you have a car that isn't working well, then it becomes a handful. Now the big race for me is coming up in Texas. We qualified 11th, and we've got our work cut out for us. But keep an eye on Eddie down there."
BUDDY LAZIER: "I'm a rookie. I think the whole pack I was with, we were saving our tires, maybe a little too much, and we lost the draft. All three or four of us who were together were real fast at the end. We just saved our tires too much and just laid back a little too much and at a crucial time, lost the draft. About 10 to 15 laps into the race, someone got loose in front of us and lifted, and that's when we lost the draft. I was hoping for a yellow or something because my car was really good at the end. Running in IROC is great fun. I really enjoyed Talladega, and today was a real eye-opener for me as a rookie. I hope I get a chance to come back here again. I really enjoyed it. The racetrack is flatter, so you're sliding around a lot more. The more experience you have at it, the more you know what to do. It's pretty hard the first time out. It's fun to mix it up with all these guys from all the different series. It's just a fantastic series. Just a blast."
MARK DISMORE: "We were loose all day. I never really felt comfortable in the car. When it's like that, you don't really want to race hard. We just never could get right. We only had a little practice time here. I thought about pulling it in, but you want to finish the race. You want to run good here, but when your car's like that, you don't want to take chance. You definitely don't want to get into something and have that impact things tonight."
Text provided by Paul Kelly
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