IRL: Dismore and Olds on Dover Pole
1 August 1999
DISMORE WINS 26TH IRL POLE FOR OLDSMOBILE
Kelley Racing Teammates Dismore and Sharp Sweep Front Row for Second Time
in 1999;
IRL Aurora V8 Powers 18 Fastest Qualifiers for MBNA Mid-Atlantic
200
DOVER, Del. - For the second time this season, Kelley Racing teammates
Mark Dismore and Scott Sharp captured the front row in their
Oldsmobile-powered Dallaras after a dominant performance in qualifying
today at Dover Downs International Speedway. Dismore and Sharp will reprise
their side-by-side start in June at the Longhorn 500 at Texas Motor
Speedway when the green flag falls for Sunday's MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200.
After consistently topping the speed charts during practice, the
Kelley teammates were the only drivers who exceeded 182 mph in qualifying.
Dismore tamed the intimidating "Monster Mile" with a 19.711-second lap
(182.639 mph) to claim his second career IRL pole - and the 26th
consecutive pole for Oldsmobile's IRL Aurora V8. Sharp, winner of the
preceding race in Atlanta and defending champion at Dover Downs, circled
the all-concrete oval in 19.735 seconds (182.417 mph) to capture the
outside front row starting spot.
"I couldn't ask for the car to be any better than it was," said
Dismore, 42, of Greenfield, Ind. "Considering the heat and the fact that I
was able to run within a couple of hundredths of my practice time, I've got
to be happy. Scott and I basically have the same tools. I'm really hungry
for a win. My strategy for tomorrow is to go like hell!"
Oldsmobile engines powered the fastest 18 qualifiers as the only
Nissan Infiniti Indy in the field qualified 5.63 mph slower than
Dismore's pole-winning speed. Twenty-two of the 23 starters will use IRL
Aurora V8 engines in tomorrow's race.
Suffocating 97-degree heat, an IRL-mandated high-drag aerodynamic
setup, and a 500-rpm reduction in maximum engine speed produced slightly
slower qualifying times than last year's inaugural event when Tony Stewart
set the absolute track record at 185.204 mph. "This place is so fast that
you don't really feel the changes in the engines," said Sharp. "We're just
working to keep all four wheels under the car tomorrow. We made some subtle
changes that would make the car easy to drive. Mark and I won't take any
chances out there."
Greg Ray qualified third at 181.068 mph in Team Menard's
Glidden Oldsmobile Dallara, the seventh time this season he has been among
the four fastest qualifiers. "We definitely left something on the table
with the gear ratio we selected because I was hitting the rev limiter
pretty hard," Ray revealed. "Qualifying third is really more than we
expected. I think we're
going to be really good in the race - it's going to be 100 degrees, it's
going to be very humid. If the race stays green for long periods, you're
going to see the guys who are in good shape go to the front - and that's
what I'm hoping for!"
The MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200 will start at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday,
August 1. The race will be televised on tape delay on the FOX network
starting at 3:00 p.m. EDT. It will be broadcast live on the Indy Racing
Radio Network.
MBNA MID-ATLANTIC 200 TOP FIVE QUALIFIERS
Driver Entrant Engine Speed
1. Mark Dismore Kelley Racing Oldsmobile 182.639 mph
2. Scott Sharp Kelley Racing Oldsmobile 182.417
3. Greg Ray Team Menard Oldsmobile 181.068
4. Sam Schmidt Treadway Racing Oldsmobile 181.005
5. Scott Harrington Harrington Mtspts. Oldsmobile 180.415