Indy 200 Warm-Up Report
24 January 1999
Lake Buena Vista, FL-January 24, 1999 Transworld Diversified Services Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway Sunday Morning Warm-up report. The morning warm-up got underway at 11:10. The torrential rain storm that struck the Orlando area last evening left behind over three inches of rain. The storm system thankfully moved out early this morning but the track surface required extensive drying which in turn delayed the schedule. Clear skies, a breeze from the west and tow truck racing helped in getting the racing surface usable. The re-scheduling of the morning warm-up required a compressed schedule from 30 minutes of practice to 15 minutes. In order to stay on schedule for the time between the end of morning warm-up and the driver introductions the stewards determined to reduce the time on track. The hectic re-scheduling took away precious time for the teams to make any major adjustments to their particular set-up when the morning warm-up started. The session was interrupted three times due to on-track incidents. Jason Leffler brought out the first caution. Leaving the pit area on cold tires, Leffler spun across the warm-up lane out onto the track and was able to avoid contact with the wall. Fortunately, Leffler was also able to avoid making contact with any other competitors. Leffler's team immediately began assessing the vehicle for mechanical problems. A quick inspection determined that the car was sound other than flat-spotting of tires. The second caution period was brought out by Andy Michner. Again cold tires and a green track caused the incident. Michner's car status was not available as this story went to press. The third and final caution was brought out by Raul Boesel. Mechanically all of the cars involved in the three incidents were in good shape. However, the concern over a "green" track was re-intensified. The top five driver's in the morning warm-up were pole-sitter Scott Sharp 161.594 mph, Tyce Carlson 161.355 mph, John Hollansworth 159.483, Billy Boat 159.292 and Raul Boesel 159.243mph. All of the driver's were commenting that the track surface is slippery and the need for patience in the early laps of today's race will be needed by everyone. Billy Boat summed up the mornng best when he commented "I think the track has more grip this morning. The guys that were trying to adjust for a push are now loose." In less than 2 hours we will know who has found the right balance on this racing surface. David Treffer -- The Auto Channel