IRL: Stewart Takes Points Lead After Winning New England 200
28 June 1998
|
Stewart, from Indianapolis, took the lead for good on Lap 163 when teammate Robbie Buhl made a pit stop. Stewart deftly sliced through traffic during the last 15 laps of the race in his Glidden-Menards Special Dallara/Aurora/Firestone, beating runner-up Scott Goodyear by 1.788 seconds.
Goodyear closed to within one second of Stewart with 11 laps remaining, but Stewart pulled away after clearing slower cars on the 1.058-mile oval. Stewart averaged 113.861 mph in an event slowed by six caution periods for 50 laps.
"Our car was real balanced," said Stewart, who started sixth. "We made changes to help the car stick in the corners. I tend to think that when we come to mile ovals, I get to show my abilities."
Defending league champion Stewart earned $122,950 for the victory, the third of his Pep Boys IRL career. He leads this season's standings by 17 points over Scott Sharp, who finished third. Stewart and Sharp were tied atop the standings entering this event, the fifth of 11 races in the series this year.
Davey Hamilton finished fourth in the Reebok-Nienhouse Motorsports G Force/Aurora/Goodyear, with two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Arie Luyendyk fifth in the Sprint PCS-RadioShack-QUALCOMM G Force/Aurora/Firestone.
|
Pole sitter Billy Boat finished 21st in the 26-car field after suffering a broken left thigh in a four-car accident on Lap 95. Boat will stay overnight in Concord Hospital and be transported to Indianapolis on Monday, said Dr. Henry Bock, IRL director of medical services. Boat is in good condition, Bock said.
Jeff Ward led twice for 46 laps, second only to Stewart. But his race ended on Lap 55 with mechanical problems in the ISM Racing-Prolong-Team Tabasco G Force/Aurora/Goodyear.
Goodyear led three times for 44 laps in the Pennzoil Panther G Force/Aurora/Goodyear. But his chances for victory were hampered by mechanical problems that forced him to race in fourth gear for the last 80 laps.
The next Pep Boys IRL event is the Pep Boys 400K on July 19 at Dover Downs International Speedway at Dover, Del.
Editors Note: The images displayed in this article are available for larger viewing in The Racing Image Galleries and The Visions of Speed Art Gallery.
