Stewart Turns Fastest Lap in IRL Speed Tests at NHIS
9 July 1997
STEWART TOPS SPEED CHART IN NEW HAMPSHIRE IRL TEST LOUDON, N.H., July 8, 1997 _ Tony Stewart, fresh from his Samsonite 200 victory at Pikes Peak, turned a lap at 152.672 miles an hour today in a Team Menard G Force/Oldsmobile Aurora to lead five other drivers on the second day of an Indy Racing League open test at New Hampshire International Speedway. Stewart's lap edged Treadway Racing's Scott Goodyear, who had a lap at 152.323, and Team Scandia rookie Jimmy Kite, who turned the circuit at 151.899. The three-day test concludes Wednesday with a Goodyear tire test and additional practice. Two- time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk is scheduled to be in the cockpit for Treadway and AJ Foyt Enterprises is expected to be on hand with drivers Davey Hamilton, the IRL series points leader, and Billy Boat. *** At 11:42 a.m., Buzz Calkins in the #12 Bradley Motorsports machine had an engine failure going into Turn 1 and did a half-spin to hit the outside wall with the left side between Turns 1 and 2. The car sustained left side and rear damage. Calkins was awake and alert and was transported by ambulance to Concord Hospital for further evaluation. Update at 3:45 p.m. from Dr. Mike Olinger, IRL assistant medical director: Calkins has a broken left ankle and a mild closed head injury. He will be admitted for overnight observation at Concord Hospital. He remains awake, alert and in good condition. *** QUOTES: TONY STEWART: "It (NHIS) doesn't seem much different than last year. Last year with the turbos, you had to be sensitive with the throttle. With these cars, you don't have that. It's more of a driver's track here." (about his win at Pikes Peak): "As much as we'd like to savor it, Pikes Peak's over. It's time to concentrate on Charlotte and here, time to get back to business." (about the close lap times among the top three here): "It doesn't surprise me. Everybody's starting to get a handle on these cars. Like I said at Pikes Peak, it's NASCAR-style racing. I expect the rest of the year to be just like this." VINCENZO SOSPIRI: (NOTE: His first experience on a one-mile oval was at Pike Peak two weeks ago): "This one is a little more difficult (than Pikes Peak). It's narrow ... long straights ... tight corners. You have to use your brakes a lot. It's okay. It's just a question of getting used to them, to know when is the right time to hit the power in the center of the corner so coming out you don't touch the wall. The thing that's a little bit difficult to understand is where is the middle of the corner? Once you find out exactly where it is, you can free up the car at the exit and go quicker." (about the IRL ... he's running the last three races): "What I like is the competition that you have here. Like last race, everyone running together. It's quite fair for them (the other drivers) and for me. It's nice for the crowd." *** TOP SPEEDS OF THE DAY (FROM TEAM CLOCKS): Car Driver Team C/E/T Laps Time Speed ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3T Tony Stewart Team Menard G/A/F 130 23.58 152.672 6 Scott Goodyear Treadway Racing G/A/F 148 23.634 152.323 33 Jimmy Kite Team Scandia D/A/G 131 23.70 151.899 12 Buzz Calkins Bradley Motorsports G/A/G 48 23.76 151.515 7 Eliseo Salazar Team Scandia D/A/G 94 24.23 148.576 22 Vincenzo Sospiri Team Scandia D/A/G 141 24.90 144.578 97TEST-47
