Northern Light IRL: Greg Ray ready for temperature increase for race time at PPIR
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
June 17, 2001GREG RAY (#2 Johns Manville/Menards Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone):
"I think it's going to be at least two or three degrees hotter tomorrow. The surface temp is really tough on us. Once the track gets over 140 degrees it gets really tough on the equipment, on the guys and the car. Team Menard is a great team, and we have a lot of great guys. Through the years we've continued to grow together and learn the appropriate setups. It's going to be the car that is consistent and has the best pit strategy that wins tomorrow. It's not about who is fastest. I have a good feel for the track. I am just really fortunate. The car was set to the edge, and maybe we edged it the wrong way. I felt a couple of big gusts in (Turns) 1 and 2. Anytime you have high winds it's a compromise. Sometimes it's better to have the wind at your back in low gear. Sometimes you have to concentrate on pushing through (Turns) 3 and 4. You never can tell what's best. Sometimes it's a gamble." (About the two day format): "It's nice to have hour long practice sessions. It's tough on the guys and some of the smaller teams because you have to make decisions quicker. I like the three day format." (Will the race still be as dramatic with the slower speeds?): "That's the $100,000 question. If something miraculously changes you have to be ready. The car is never going to be perfect. You have to gamble both ways and roll your dice. It's going to be like driving 160 mph rush hour traffic."
Text provided by Paul Kelly
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