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Northern Light IRL: Sharp fast in Miami testing; Menard welcomes Johns Manville sponsor

20 January 2001

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

INDIANAPOLIS- Scott Sharp posted the fastest unofficial lap in testing Jan. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a speed of 198.3 mph on the 1.5-mile oval.

Sharps best lap in the Delphi Automotive Systems Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone fielded by Kelley Racing was 27.2 seconds. Sharp, Treadway-Hubbard Racings Davey Hamilton and Hemelgarn Racings Stan Wattles tested at Miami in preparation for the inaugural Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami on April 8 at the track, the debut of the Indy Racing Northern Light Series in south Florida.

"I absolutely love it here, I really do," said Sharp, whose only prior experience at the Speedway was finishing sixth in a 1996 Trans-Am race on the road course. "Within eight laps, I was within one mile an hour of the track record (Greg Rays unofficial test lap of 197.6 mph), and the whole Delphi team is working real well together.

"Weve got a few new key people, and one of our goals is getting everyone working together and building team cohesion. Thats really working, and the cars handling really well right now. Were real pleased with the Firestone tires, so everythings going quite well today.

"We kept working on the car, and later in the morning we ran 198 and change. By the time people really get dialed in, youre going to have to run 200 or faster for the pole."

But Sharp insists winning the MBNA Pole wont be a priority at this race in April.

"I think its going to be pretty evident that how you qualify here is going to be a lot different than how you race," Sharp said. "This is going to be one of those tracks where you can qualify anywhere in the field, and if you ve got a car thats solid 30-40 laps into a run, youre going to go to the front. At some tracks, qualifying and racing go hand in hand. Here, theyre at opposite ends of the spectrum."

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Johns Manville to sponsor Menard: Johns Manville, a leading manufacturer of premium-quality insulation and other building products, will be the primary sponsor of Team Menard and driver Greg Ray in the 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series.

The company has served as an associate sponsor of Menards Indy Racing program and a primary sponsor of the teams NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team in the past.

"Johns Manville has been a proud sponsor of Team Menard for over 10 years," said John OReilly, Johns Manville manager of national accounts. "With the high level of national media exposure, the Indy 500 is a fantastic platform for building JM brand identity."

The Johns Manville Indy Racing car driven by Ray will feature a new blue paint scheme.

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Sharp, Ray heading to Texas: 1996 series co-champion Scott Sharp and 1999 series champion Greg Ray will represent the Indy Racing Northern Light Series at the Texas Tour 2001 Media Day on Jan. 23 at Texas Motor Speedway. Drivers from the eight series that will compete on the speedways oval, road course and dirt track will appear at the media tour organized by TMS.

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On the road: Several Indy Racing drivers will sign autographs and many Indy Racing cars will be on display around the country in the upcoming weeks. A roundup:

Jan. 18-21: Indy Racing car on display at Barrett Jackson Auto Auction in Phoenix, site of the season-opening Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 on March 18.

Jan. 19: Pennzoil Panther Racing driver Sam Hornish Jr. will sign autographs from 1-3 p.m. (CST) at the Nashville Racing Expo.

Jan. 19: A Delphi Indy Racing car will be on display at the Nashville Predators NHL game in Nashville, site of an inaugural Indy Racing event July 21 at Nashville Superspeedway. 1996 Indy Racing League co-champion Buzz Calkins will represent the series at the game.

Jan. 20: Bradley Motorsports driver Buzz Calkins will sign autographs from 1-3 p.m. (CST) at the Nashville Racing Expo.

Jan. 20: Hemelgarn Racing driver Stan Wattles will sign autographs from 6-8 p.m. (EST) at the South Florida Fair in W. Palm Beach, Fla., not far from Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Indy Racing will make its south Florida debut with the Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami on April 8.

Jan. 20: A Delta Faucet/Coors Light/Tae-Bo/Hemelgarn Racing car will be on display at the NAMARS Banquet in Crawfordsville, Ind.

Jan. 20-21: A Delphi Indy Racing car will be on display at the Nashville Racing Expo.

Jan. 21: Blueprint Racing driver Jimmy Kite will sign autographs from 1-3 p.m. (CST) at the Nashville Racing Expo.

Jan. 21-24: A Pennzoil Indy Racing car will be on display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway booth at The Super Show at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas.

Jan. 24: 1998 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Billy Boat will appear at the Phoenix Open celebrity golf tournament.

Jan. 25-28: A Pennzoil Indy Racing car will be on display at the Phoenix Open Pro-Am golf tournament in Phoenix. The car will stay in the Phoenix area, on display at various sites, until the season-opening Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 on March 18 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Jan. 26: Indy Racing driver Tyce Carlson will appear at the Boy Scouts Pinewood Derby at 6 p.m. (EST) Carmel (Ind.) High School.

Jan. 27: Reigning Northern Light Series Rookie of the Year Airton Dare will sign autographs from 6-8 p.m. (EST) at the South Florida Fair in W. Palm Beach, Fla.

Jan. 31-Feb. 4: A Delphi Indy Racing car will be on display at the St. Louis Auto Show.

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.