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NorthernLight IRL: Radisson Indy 200 Race Fact Sheet

8 June 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

WHAT:
Radisson Indy 200; Sixth of nine races in 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light
Series season

WHERE:
Pikes Peak International Raceway, 1-mile paved oval

WHEN:
2 p.m. (MDT) Sunday, June 18

DISTANCE:
200 miles/200 laps

POSTED AWARDS:
More than $1 million

CARS:
Dallara, G Force and Riley & Scott chassis; Oldsmobile V8 and Infiniti Indy
V8 engines; Firestone tires

1999 RACE WINNER:
Greg Ray

2000 INDY RACING NORTHERN LIGHT SERIES POINTS LEADER (After Indianapolis
500, May 28):
Buddy Lazier

TV:

(Pre-Race)

"Indy Racing 2Day"
ESPN2 (live), 11 a.m. (EDT), June 18

(Race)

ABC (live), 4 p.m. (EDT), June 18
Announcers: Bob Jenkins, Tom Sneva
Pit reporters: Vince Welch, Jack Arute

(Qualifying)

ESPN2 (tape delay), 5:30 p.m. (EDT) June 17
Announcers: Bob Jenkins, Tom Sneva
Pit reporter: Vince Welch, Jack Arute

RADIO:

(Race)

Indy Racing Radio Network (live), 4 p.m. (EDT) June 18
Pre-race show starts at 3:30 p.m.
Area affiliate: KKFN-AM 950, Denver
Host: Mike King; Analyst: Larry Rice
Pit reporters: Ken Double, Doug Rice
Backstretch reporter: Mark Jaynes

(Qualifying)

Indy Racing Radio Network, 5:30 p.m. (EDT) June 17
Area affiliate: KKFN-AM 950, Denver
Host: Mike King; Analyst: Larry Rice
Pit reporters: Ken Double, Doug Rice
Backstretch reporter: Mark Jaynes

SCHEDULE (all times local):

(Friday, June 16)

7 a.m.: Indy Racing garage opens
11 a.m.--12:30 p.m.: Practice (two groups)
1:45--3:15 p.m.: Practice (two groups)

(Saturday, June 17)

7 a.m.: Indy Racing garage opens
10--11:30 a.m.: Practice (two groups)
12:30--1:45 p.m.: MBNA Pole qualifying
4--4:30 p.m.: Final practice
4:45--5:45 p.m.: Autograph session (Garage area)

(Sunday, June 18)

7 a.m.: Indy Racing garage opens
11:30 a.m.: USAC MCI WorldCom Midget Car Series race
1 p.m.: Cars to grid
2 p.m.: Radisson Indy 200 (200 miles/200 laps), immediately followed by Big
Head Todd & the Monsters concert

TRACK RECORDS:

(Qualifying)

Billy Boat, Dallara/Oldsmobile/Goodyear, 20.160 sec., 178.571 mph, Aug. 15,
1998

(Race)

Greg Ray, Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, 200 laps/200 miles, 1:28:35.633,
Aug. 29, 1999

THE TRACK:

1-mile paved oval
Front straightaway: 1,510 feet
Back straightaway: 1,350 feet
Width: 60-71 feet
Banking: Frontstraight, 7 degrees; backstraight, 3 degrees; turns, 10
degrees

Pikes Peak International Raceway is located just south of Colorado Springs, Colo., near the community of Fountain. Construction on the facility, which includes a 1.38-mile infield road course, began in 1996. Thirty-one suites are located atop the grandstands. PPIR also plays host to NASCAR, USAC and AMA events throughout the year.

THE RACE:

(2000 marks the fourth consecutive year the Indy Racing Northern Light Series has visited Pikes Peak International Raceway. Four Northern Light Series events have taken place at PPIR. One event took place in 1997 and 1998, and two races took place in 1999.

RACE NOTES:

(The winner of the Indy Racing events at PPIR has gone on to capture the Northern Light Series championship for that year. Tony Stewart, the 1997 Radisson Indy 200 winner, won the 1997 series championship. Kenny Brack won at PPIR in 1998 and went on to win the series championship, and Greg Ray, the defending Northern Light Series champ, won both events at PPIR in 1999.

(Three drivers and two teams with strong Colorado connections are entered for the Radisson Indy 200. Buddy Lazier, the 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner and driver of the #91 Delta Faucet/Coors Light/Tae-Bo/Hemelgarn Racing entry this, hails from Vail, Colo. Buddy's younger brother, Jaques Lazier, also resides in Vail and drives for Truscelli Team Racing, which is based in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Bradley Motorsports team, which is owned by Brad Calkins, a Denver businessman, is based in Commerce City, Colo., a Denver suburb. Buzz Calkins, Brad's son, has been the team's driver since the team was founded in 1996.

(Buddy Lazier is the Indy Racing Northern Light Series points leader. Lazier finished second at the Indianapolis 500 on May 28. He has one win this season, at the MCI WorldCom Indy 200 on March 19 at Phoenix International Raceway. He started 26th and last in that race before charging to victory.

(Defending Indy Racing Northern Light Series champion Greg Ray has had a disappointing start to the 2000 season, finishing 17th at Orlando, 19th at Phoenix, ninth at Las Vegas and 33rd at Indianapolis. But Ray's 1999 season was equally disappointing until he won the Radisson Indy 200 in June 1999. After winning that race, Ray won two of the next three events en route to the series championship.

(Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr., of Albuquerque, N.M., is making his first competitive appearance at the PPIR oval in the Galles ECR Racing Tickets.com Starz Encore Superpak G Force/Aurora/Firestone.

(Sarah Fisher, 19, from Indianapolis, will make her first start at Pikes Peak International Raceway in an Indy Racing car. Fisher drives the #15 Walker Racing Cummins Special Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone. She drove in the MCI WorldCom USAC National Midget Series race at the track last August.

(Three Indianapolis 500 winners are entered in this event: 1998 champion Eddie Cheever Jr., 1996 champion Buddy Lazier and 1992 and 1994 champion Al Unser Jr.

(Six Indy Racing Northern Light Series rookies are confirmed to participate in the Radisson Indy 200: Airton Dare (TeamXtreme); Doug Didero (Mid America Motorsports); Sarah Fisher (Walker Racing); Shigeaki Hattori (Treadway-Vertex Cunningham Racing); Sam Hornish Jr. (PDM Racing); and Jeret Schroeder (Tri Star Motorsports).

(CARA Charities will present the second annual Party @ Peaks "Rockin' the Rockies" at 6 p.m. (MDT) June 16 at PPIR. Tickets are $25, and proceeds benefit CARA Charities. "Rockin' the Rockies" will feature 1950s motif, food, beverages and activities such as a dunk tank and lip-sync contest.

(The popular musical group Big Head Todd and the Monsters will perform a concert at PPIR immediately after the Radisson Indy 200. The three band members are natives of the Denver area.

SERIES NOTES:

(Robbie Buhl, who is tied with Scott Goodyear for second in the Northern Light Series points championship, switched from the Oldsmobile V8 to Infiniti Indy V8 engine for the Casino Magic 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 10. Buhl, who drives the Team Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G Force/Infiniti/Firestone, also will use the Infiniti for the Radisson Indy 200.

(Scott Sharp will become the all-time victory leader in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series if he wins the Radisson Indy 200. Sharp is tied with the retired Arie Luyendyk and Kenny Brack with four career victories. Sharp's most recent win was the Kobalt Mechanics Tools 500 presented by MCI WorldCom in Atlanta on July 17, 1999.

STATISTICS (Through the Indianapolis 500, May 28):

2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series point standings

1. Buddy Lazier 138
2. Robbie Buhl 112
Scott Goodyear 112
4. Eliseo Salazar 110
5. Eddie Cheever Jr. 104
6. Mark Dismore 94
7. Billy Boat 91
8. Jeff Ward 86
9. Donnie Beechler 85
10.Al Unser Jr. 78

2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series money leaders

1. Juan Montoya $1,235,690
2. Buddy Lazier $810,750
3. Eliseo Salazar $614,200
4. Eddie Cheever Jr. $521,750
5. Scott Goodyear $518,550
6. Greg Ray $507,500
7. Robbie Buhl $493,200
8. Mark Dismore $488,750
9. Jeff Ward $467,800
10. Scott Sharp $447,000

2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series wins
1. Robbie Buhl 1
Buddy Lazier 1
Juan Montoya 1
Al Unser Jr. 1

2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series rookie points 1. Jeret Schroeder 77
2. Sam Hornish Jr. 64
3. Airton Dar 48
4. Doug Didero 32
5. Sarah Fisher 31

2000 Net Race Live lap leaders
1. Juan Montoya 167
2. Mark Dismore 122
3. Greg Ray 117
4. Buddy Lazier 92
5. Scott Sharp 59

2000 MBNA Poles
1. Greg Ray 2*
Mark Dismore 1

2000 wins by chassis
1. G Force 3
2. Riley & Scott 1

2000 wins by engine
1. Oldsmobile 4
*Ray earned the No. 1 starting spot at the season opener in Orlando after qualifying was canceled due to rain.

Text provided by Paul Kelly

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.