NorthernLight IRL: Olds and Scott Goodyear on Kentucky Pole
26 August 2000
BELTERRA RESORT INDY 300 TOP SIX QUALIFIERS
Driver Entrant Engine Speed
1. Scott Goodyear Panther Racing Oldsmobile 219.191 mph
2. Eliseo Salazar A.J. Foyt Racing Oldsmobile 219.067
3. Greg Ray Team Menard Oldsmobile 219.031
4. Sarah Fisher Walker Racing Oldsmobile 217.672
5. Jeff Ward A.J. Foyt Racing Oldsmobile 217.540
6. Jeret Schroeder Tri Star Motorsports Oldsmobile 216.554
GOODYEAR WINS INAUGURAL KENTUCKY POLE WITH UPDATED IRL AURORA V8
Scott Goodyear Captures First IRL Pole; Oldsmobile to Start on Pole for
37th Consecutive IRL Race
SPARTA, Ky - Oldsmobile's updated IRL Aurora V8 propelled Indy Racing
Northern Light Series title contender Scott Goodyear to the first pole of
his Indy Racing League career today in qualifying for Sunday's Belterra
Resort Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Goodyear edged Eliseo Salazar by 14
thousandths of a second with a fast lap of 219.191 mph in Pennzoil Panther
Racing's Oldsmobile Dallara. Salazar secured the outside front row starting
spot at 219.067 mph in A.J. Foyt's Oldsmobile G-Force.
GM Racing introduced new high-velocity cylinder heads for the IRL
Aurora V8 at the inaugural Indy car race at Kentucky Speedway. Oldsmobile
engines equipped with the new components dominated qualifying as IRL Aurora
V8s powered the 14 fastest qualifiers for the 200-lap, 300-mile race.
Greg Ray, the defending series champion and winner of the last two
poles, was the third fastest qualifier at 219.031 mph and will start Team
Menard's Oldsmobile Dallara on the inside of the second row. Ray will start
alongside Sarah Fisher, the fastest rookie driver, who qualified fourth at
217.672 mph.
"Winning three points for the pole certainly helped our chances for
the championship," said Goodyear, 41, of Carmel, Ind. "This is the first
time we've come to a race thinking about a qualifying setup; usually we
qualify our race car. We have to chase the points if we're going to have a
shot at the championship. We have a lot to learn because this is a new
track for everybody - not just the teams and drivers but also the chassis,
tire, and engine manufacturers.
"The engine was right at top rpm and performed at its peak,"
Goodyear noted. "I can feel the power that Speedway Engine Development has
found. I knew the engine was strong; my hat's off to the guys at Speedway."
Goodyear, third in the championship standings coming in to the
season's penultimate race, trailed points leader Buddy Lazier by 33 points.
The three bonus points Goodyear earned for the pole have trimmed Lazier's
lead to 30. Lazier, the fastest driver in Friday's practice, qualified
Hemelgarn Racing's Delta/Coors Oldsmobile Dallara seventh at 216.546 mph.
Eliseo Salazar will start on the front row for the second time
this season. "It was a perfect lap," said the Chilean. "I visualized it for
an hour, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I hit all my marks."
Salazar's teammate Jeff Ward took the fifth qualifying spot.
Greg Ray had only a single qualifying lap after his car failed
tech inspection and had to go to the back of the line. "The car was a
nano-inch too low," he explained. "We only had one flying lap, and we had
set up the car to run quick on the second lap. Qualifying third is a great
effort for the team, but I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't disappointed
that we're not on the pole. We've had a lot of changes on the team, and
we're working on chemistry and getting to know each other."
Oldsmobile is racing for its 36th IRL victory in Sunday's Belterra
Resort Indy 300. Oldsmobile has won all 15 IRL races contested to date on
1.5-mile superspeedways.
The Belterra Resort Indy 300 is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. EDT
on Sunday, August 27. The 200-lap, 300-mile race will be televised live by
ESPN and broadcast live on the Indy Racing Radio Network.
OLDSMOBILE QUALIFYING QUOTES:
Sarah Fisher, Walker Racing Cummins Special Oldsmobile Dallara, fastest
rookie driver, fastest driver in Open Test, qualified fourth: "I'm very
happy at this point. Derrick Walker has put a lot of effort into this team,
and he needs a payoff like this. Being a rookie driver on a new team in the
IRL, everything is new to us. We're gaining knowledge every time we go out
on the track. Our main goal is to finish this race."
Buddy Lazier, Hemelgarn Racing Delta/Coors Oldsmobile Dallara, IRL
points leader, fastest driver in Friday's qualifying session, qualified
seventh: "We slowed down a little from practice, and I wish we'd had a
different gear for qualifying because the track conditions were slower this
afternoon. The air temperature was hotter and the naturally aspirated
engines don't pull as hard in the heat. Every change that you make to the
engine in this format, you can really feel. The new engine pieces we tested
with last week and are running today have been a major gain. I feel the
power everywhere - bottom end, top end, everywhere. Power is a driver's
best friend!"