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IRL: Treadway Racing Endures Rocky Start at IRL Season Opener

28 January 1999

Orlando, Florida: After many testing miles and fast speeds at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Florida, the Treadway Racing team could not believe their fate. In a bizarre twist of circumstances, the team's two-car effort made individual contact with the wall of the famed tri-oval which forced them into being the first two cars to retire from contention at the Indy 200 last weekend.

In the early laps of the race, rookie Jason Leffler, pilot of the #5 Treadway Racing/G-Force/Aurora/Firestone car learned the warm/cold tire lesson early. While on cold tires and a green track, the talented rookie had a small brush with the wall in turn one and was forced to end his day on lap two of the 200-mile event.

As Leffler's car was towed back to the garage, all hope turned to teammate Sam Schmidt. Again, fate stepped in, and "Super Sam" had his brush with turn one while battling handling difficulties in the #99 Sprint PCS/G-Force/Aurora/Firestone Special. Thus ended a tough day for the Treadway Racing team.

Fred Treadway: "We are just really glad to have both drivers safe and uninjured. It was not the ideal race for us, but there is always the next one and right now we are concentrating on the upcoming Phoenix race. We'll take the cars home and gear up for our next opportunity. I'm focusing on the positives and I think we will do just fine at the next race."

Sam Schmidt: "I'm not really sure yet what happened. The car just came around on me in turn one."

Jason Leffler: "I'm a little embarrassed about what happened. I was on cold tires on a green track. It's just that simple."

The Treadway Racing team is focusing on the next stop on the IRL trail, which will take place on March 28, at the Phoenix International Raceway. In the meantime, they have several tests planned and ample time to set their sights on the next goal.