Ray and Olds Win Nashville Pole

Contact: Rick Voegelin
rickvoegelin@compuserve.com
GM Racing Communications
(831) 761-2201


Ray Rocks Nashville with Fourth Pole of Season, Extends Oldsmobile's Streak
to 47 Straight

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Friday, July 20, 2001 -- The home of country music
was rocked today by a brand-new beat as Greg Ray and Oldsmobile won the
pole for the first Indy Racing event in Tennessee. Ray drove Team Menard's
Oldsmobile Dallara to a 199.922 mph lap around the 1.33-mile Nashville
Superspeedway concrete oval to earn the No. 1 starting position for the
inaugural Harrah's Indy 200 on Saturday night. Ray won the pole for the
fourth time this season and the 13th time in his career. He extended
Oldsmobile's pole streak to 47 consecutive Indy Racing Northern Light
Series events.

    A brief rain shower scrubbed the track and raised the humidity just
before the start of qualifying. The heavy air prevented Ray from
duplicating his 200 mph practice speed. Sam Hornish Jr. had posted a speed
over 201 mph in the final practice session, but turned a fast lap of
199.750 mph in qualifying with Panther Racing's Oldsmobile Dallara to claim
the outside front row starting spot.

    "We actually thought we'd go a bit quicker," Ray reported. "The
track surface didn't have as much grip and the air density went up quite a
bit after the rain. We were geared to go 202, but never got to top gear.
That was as quick as it would go. It all comes down to conditions."

    "We're getting in the habit of coming in second," laughed Hornish, who
has finished as runner-up in the last three races. "We qualified second in
Phoenix and won there so we're not in bad shape. I'd always like to be a
little bit faster though.

    "This is really a handling track;" said the 22-year-old points
leader. "Whoever has the best handling car and makes the best pit stops
will be the one to beat."

    Oldsmobile engines powered the four fastest drivers and 19 of the
21 qualifiers. Mark Dismore will start on the inside of the second row
with Kelley Racing's Oldsmobile Dallara after qualifying at 199.239 mph.
Billy Boat sailed to the fourth fastest qualifying speed at 199.175 mph in
the Curb/Agajanian Motorsports Oldsmobile Dallara.

    "When the weather changed it became who had the best car for
the conditions," said Dismore. "It will be hard to pass in the race, so the
draft will play a role. You have to get under a guy's tail coming off the
corner, get a good tow and get around him on the straight."

    Boat continued to impress in the Curb Records Oldsmobile-powered
entry. "We didn't have quite enough speed for the pole but we have a good
race car," he said. "Track position will be key here, so we're happy to
have the car near the front of the field. It's tough to pass in the
corners."

    Defending IRL champion Buddy Lazier qualified Hemelgarn
Racing's Oldsmobile Dallara sixth on the grid despite feeling under the
weather. "I caught a little cold from my wife, but it's not affecting my
performance," explained Lazier, who trails Hornish in the championship race
by 60 points. "We had a great day today, but when you have a fast race car
and you don't start on the pole, you always feel you let something slip
through your fingers."

    The fresh concrete track surface has yet to yield a second groove,
making the prospect of passing in tomorrow's 200-lap race difficult. "The
groove has quite a bit of grip, but above the groove the track doesn't have
a lot of grip," Ray explained. "With time the track will mature, but not by
Saturday night. It's 50 percent handling and 50 percent horsepower."

    Lazier echoed Ray's sentiments: "In the first portion of the race,
you're going to want to be very particular about where you go on the race
track. I think we'll be moving up on the track inch by inch. It's going to
be very challenging."

Top Six Qualifiers
Pos./Driver/Engine/Speed
1. Greg Ray, Oldsmobile, 199.922 mph
2. Sam Hornish Jr., Oldsmobile, 199.750
3. Mark Dismore, Oldsmobile, 199.239
4. Billy Boat, Oldsmobile, 199.175
5. Eddie Cheever Jr., Infiniti, 199.100
6. Buddy Lazier, Oldsmobile, 198.681

Schedule

    The Harrah's Indy 200 will start at 7 p.m. CDT on Saturday night, July
21. The 200-lap, 266-mile race will be televised live on ESPN at 8 p.m. EDT
and broadcast live on the Indy Racing Radio Network.

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  E-mail from: Rick Voegelin, 20-Jul-2001