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IRL: Las Vegas Round One - Goodyear Hottest In The Desert

9 October 1997

LAS VEGAS, NV: It's hard to find a "sure thing" in Las Vegas.  That
changes this weekend.  The Indy Racing League cars are making noise in
this 24 hour city.  It's a sure bet that excitement will be abundant
this Saturday as the IRL stars brighten the night-time desert sky.
The excitement is already building as the drivers took to the track
last night for the first day of practice. 

Scott Goodyear is always fast. Goodyear proved that point last night. Goodyear was the fastest of the night during practice for the Las Vegas 500. Goodyear, driving for Treadway Racing, ran a lap at 204.313 mph in the second of two practice sessions.

[ Scott Goodyear ]Scott Goodyear

Goodyear commented, " We didn't run that much this afternoon. We made a few adjustments, very minor. This is a fast track and you're in the turn for a long time. There is another couple miles an hour...not much more. We'll probably see 205, possibly 206." The Indy 500 runner up continued, "It takes momentum at this track to get going. There are a couple of shallow spots -- Turns 3 and 4. Pit lane exit and entrance definitely need more lighting."

Davey Hamilton, driving for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, had the second quickest speed of the night (just over 204 mph). Hamilton is battling Tony Stewart for the IRL series championship. Hamilton's run last night proved he is very serious about becoming the IRL champion.

"It's an important race and I'm going for it," Hamilton said. "A.J. gave me a great car and now I've got to keep the motor in it."

Hamilton continued talking about his practice runs, saying, "We ran the car hard. The session wasn't absolutely perfect but we decided it was close enough and we went with a long run setup." The driver of the Power Team car continued, " We ran 01 and 202 for a 20-lap run until we broke a motor. We've got the speed. We just have to have a little luck to go with it. We're going to go back to the garage and have a fresh one put in the car. It's one of these deals."

Robbie Buhl, the winner of the last IRL race (at New Hampshire) is strong in Vegas. Buhl lapped the track at 203.966 in the final practice session last night.

[ Robbie Buhl ]Robbie Buhl

Buhl, driving for Team Menard, said "The car feels good. It's just a matter of the conditions changing. It's a lot cooler than when we ran here before. We just need to keep the car with a comfortable balance and I think we're going to be able to do that now. The trick to a race is making sure you have a comfortable car from start to finish. I'm happy and I'm now just thinking about the race and what I need to do to have a good car the whole race."

Other drivers in the top ten for the practice session were: (4)Tony Stewart, (5) Arie Luyendyk, (6) Affonso Giaffone, (7) Eliseo Salazar, (8) Buddy Lazier (9) Jeff Ward, (10) Roberto Guerrero.

The second annual Las Vegas 500 will be run Saturday night at 10 P.M. (ET). The race will air on ABC Sunday afternoon.