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IROC: Michigan Race Set for Friday

11 June 1999

Brooklyn, MI - The count down to this Friday's IROC race, round 3, at Michigan Speedway is underway. Wednesday, the 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner Kenny Brack returned to practice and was joined by fellow Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever Jr. The CART FedEx Championship series driver Greg Moore also joined making it an Open Wheel Wednesday for IROC practice at the 2.0 mile banked oval. Moore and Cheever Jr. didn't take too long before winning accolades from veteran IROC test drivers Dave Marcis, Jim Sauter, and Dick Trickle, as Brack did on Tuesday.

Greg Moore has logged many laps at Michigan Speedway in the CART FedEx Championship Series. "As far as I am concerned, Michigan Speedway is a brand new track to me," Moore said. "I have to throw out everything I've learned about this track and start over," he continued.

"I am definitely going to need a few more laps here today," said the '98 Indy 500 champ Eddie Cheever Jr.

On Tuesday after his first run Kenny Brack said, "You can never go flat out here, You definitely have to get out of the throttle." IROC test driver Jim Sauter answered, "you'll go close to flat out, maybe not this morning, but you'll get there."

By Wednesday afternoon all three open wheel drivers were indeed flat out, in fine race form, and ready to mount a challenge against the other nine drivers. The practice cars bore a few scars, proving the comfort level Brack, Moore and Cheever Jr. had reached. IROC crewmember Bobby Thomas said, "they were really going at it, running each other hard and putting each other in situations they'll be in during the race."

Greg Moore said, "hey, it's all open wheel guys here practicing, maybe it will be a 1-2-3 finish for us here on Friday."

The third round of the True Value IROC series starts at 12:00pm local time on Friday and will be broadcast Saturday at 3:00pm on ESPN.

IROC is sponsored by True Value Hardware Stores, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., and DuPont Automotive Finishes.

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