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Northern Light IRL: Post Race Notes: Excite 500, Texas Motor Speedway

18 October 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

FORT WORTH, Texas- Post-race notes from the Excite 500 on Oct. 15 at Texas Motor Speedway, the final race of the 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series season.

Scott Goodyear won the race, while Buddy Lazier clinched the Northern Light Cup as series champion, earning a $1 million bonus. Airton Dare clinched the RaceSearch.com Rookie of the Year Award, earning a $50,000 bonus.

NOTABLE

This was the third career Indy Racing Northern Light Series victory for Scott Goodyear and his second at Texas Motor Speedway. He won in June 1999 at TMS. His other victory came in March 1999 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Scott Goodyear edged second-place Eddie Cheever Jr. by .140 of a second at this event, the fourth-closest margin of victory in series history. The closest margin, .059 of a second, came in the Casino Magic 500 in June 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway. Scott Sharp won that race over Robby McGehee.

The combined margin of victory for the two Indy Racing Northern Light Series races this year at Texas Motor Speedway - 416 laps and 624 miles of racing - was .199 of a second.

Scott Goodyear extended his series record of career top-five finishes to 17.

Scott Goodyears winning average speed was 175.276 mph, the fastest in series history. The previous record was 169.182, set by Scott Sharp in the Casino Magic 500 in June 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway.

This was the fourth Northern Light Series race this season in which the winning average speed was faster than 160 mph. The Indianapolis 500 average was 167.707, while the average of The Belterra Resort Indy 300 in August at Kentucky Speedway was 164.601.

Buddy Lazier recorded the 24th top-10 finish of his Indy Racing Northern Light Series career, extending his series record.

Buddy Lazier finished the season with six top-five finishes, more than any other driver. Lazier and Eddie Cheever Jr. each finished with a series-high seven top-10 finishes this season.

Scott Goodyear completed 1,806 of the 1,832 laps contested this season, a 98.6-percent completion rate.

Eddie Cheever Jr., Scott Goodyear and Stephan Gregoire all were running at the finish in eight of the nine races this season, more than any other driver.

Mark Dismore, Robby McGehee, Buddy Lazier and Eddie Cheever Jr. each led laps in six of the of the nine races this season, more than any other driver.

This is the first year in series history that a car not owned by either A.J. Foyt Enterprises or Team Menard won the entrant championship. Foyt won in 1996 and 1998; Menard in 1996-97 and 1999.

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.