Pep Boys Indy Racing League field is wide open for Phoenix classic
18 March 1999
By Ron Greenindyracingleague.com
PHOENIX - Every team and driver in the Pep Boys Indy Racing League has reasons to win the MCI WorldCom 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.
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Kelley Racing and its drivers, Scott Sharp and Mark Dismore, could list a scroll full of reasons why they should or could win this desert classic. Sharp is the defending Phoenix race winner and would like to be the first repeat Pep Boys Indy Racing League winner at one event by driving his Delphi Automotive Systems Dallara/Aurora/Goodyear into victory circle. He will get his chance March 28. The MCI WorldCom 200, a 200-lap race, begins at 2 p.m. (MST) and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Net. If recording a repeat win is not enough incentive for Sharp to win, maybe redemption is. Though he finished the recent "Test in the West" at PIR tied for the second-fastest time, Sharp ended the test driving a backup car after the 1-mile oval bit him. In cool conditions, Sharp spun, and his car backed into the Turn 2 wall. The car sustained light rear-end damage.
Motivation and momentum, always two key elements to a victory, may put a first-time winner in the MCI WorldCom 200 winner's circle. Dismore, Sharp's teammate at Kelley Racing, is as hungry as a driver can be. In 1998, Dismore led in three races but came up short each time at the checkered flag.
At the "Test in the West," Dismore topped the speed charts after the two-day test. He wheeled his MCI WorldCom Dallara/Aurora/Goodyear to a lap average of 175.627 mph (20.498 seconds). That's faster than last year's PPG Pole speed of 172.753 set by Jeff Ward.
Another driver with a strong reason to win is Greg Ray.
Ray replaced Tony Stewart in the Team Menard seat in 1999 after Stewart completed his transition to full-time stock car racing. Stewart started third and finished second at Phoenix in 1998 in the Menards-Glidden Dallara/Aurora/Firestone, one of the most coveted rides in the Pep Boys Indy Racing League.
Under the comparison microscope, Ray is performing well. He tied Sharp at the "Test in the West" with the second-fastest speed and has been fast in Firestone tire testing sessions.
Two other favorites to win the MCI WorldCom 200 are local Phoenix favorites.
Billy Boat, driving the A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Aurora, was born in Phoenix and lives in nearby Glendale. Boat finished third in last year's race after starting second.
Quickly rising to Pep Boys Indy Racing League royalty is Phoenix-born Eddie Cheever. As a car owner and three-time winner in the young series, Cheever is respected. His win in the Indianapolis 500 last year was the obvious feather in his racing career cap.
Though Cheever finished 10th in the 1998 Phoenix race after starting 20th, he must be considered a threat. His other two wins have come at the roller coaster Walt Disney World Speedway, including the 1999 season-opening TransWorld Diversified Services Indy 200, proving he knows his way around tricky, 1-mile ovals.
Pep Boys Indy Racing League reigning champion Kenny Brack made his breakthrough win in 1999 at the superspeedway in Charlotte, but he proved he can win on a 1-mile track when he won at Pikes Peak in the very next race. So you can't count out Brack.
And who knows, the MCI WorldCom 200 could yield a surprise winner like it did in 1997. Many along pit road raised an eyebrow when Jim Guthrie put the small-budget Blueprint Racing machine on the front row next to powerhouse Stewart. But his upset victory over Stewart stunned the racing community.
Maybe it can happen again.
MCI WORLDCOM 200 NOTEBOOK
Schedule: The MCI WorldCom 200 starts at 2 p.m. (MST) March 28. PPG Pole qualifying starts at 11:20 a.m. March 27.
Practice sessions start at 10:45 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. March 26, 8:35 a.m. March 27 and 9:15 a.m. March 28.
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On the air: The MCI WorldCom 200 will be televised live at 4 p.m. (EST) March 28 on FOX Sports Net, the network's debut Pep Boys Indy Racing League telecast.
SpeedVision will televise PPG Pole qualifying at 2 p.m. (EST) March 27. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network will broadcast a 30-minute pre-race show at 3:30 p.m. (EST) March 28, followed by the live race broadcast at 4 p.m. A 30-minute PPG Pole qualifying show will start at 3 p.m. (EST) March 27 on the IMS Radio Network. The Phoenix-area IMS affiliate is KGME-AM Sports Radio 1360, Phoenix.
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Tickets: Tickets are available for the MCI WorldCom 200 on March 28. Call (602) 252-2227 for more information.
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