IRL: Brack on Target for MCI Pep Boys Million Heading to Atlanta
11 August 1998
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Brack will try at Atlanta to continue his march toward the $1 million jackpot offered through the MCI Pep Boys Million Dollar Driver sweepstakes. Brack won the VisionAire 500 on July 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to become eligible for the prize. He now must win at Atlanta and at the season finale Oct. 11 at Las Vegas to split $1 million with a lucky IRL fan that picked him to sweep the three races, all televised on TNN.
"It's a great motivational booster for a driver and a team, and it's wonderful for the series," Brack said. "For a fan, it's also fantastic."
If testing is any indication, expect Brack to be up front on the 1.5-mile oval at Atlanta. He recorded the fastest speed among drivers participating in a Goodyear tire test July 28-29 at AMS, 221.185 mph in the A.J. Foyt-Power Team Racing Dallara/Aurora/Goodyear.
"There are a lot of circumstances in every race, but speedwise we're right there," Brack said. "I run for a great team. A.J. has a very good car."
Brack and the Foyt team also have shown a knack for speed on 1.5-mile tracks this year. Brack finished third in the True Value 500 on June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway, a sister track to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of Brack's first IRL victory last month, also is a sister track to AMS and TMS.
"Finally, everything is falling together," said Brack, in his first year with Foyt's team. "I just hope it continues. We have a good package."
If Brack doesn't pull off the historic sweep, he still can split a big bonus with a lucky fan. Any driver who wins two of the three races will split $100,000 with a fan that selected him in the nationwide promotion co-sponsored by MCI and Pep Boys.
Scott Goodyear also is a primary contender for the $100,000 bonus in the Pennzoil Panther G Force/Aurora/Goodyear. He knows the secrets of speed on the 1.5-mile ovals of the Pep Boys IRL. Goodyear finished fourth in June at Texas, third in July at Charlotte and second last October at Las Vegas. Goodyear, Tony Stewart, Greg Ray and Jeff Ward each led at least one lap this year on the 1.5-mile tri-ovals at Texas and Charlotte.
The sweepstakes marks MCI joining the Pep Boys IRL family of sponsors and is one of the biggest racing prize payoffs during the 1998 season. The MCI Pep Boys Million Dollar Driver sweepstakes started June 15. Race fans can go to any of the 712 Pep Boys stores to enter through Oct. 5, or may enter via the Internet at www.mciracing.com or www.pepboys.com through Oct. 10.
Pep Boys is the nation's leading automotive aftermarket retail and service chain, with 712 stores in 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a leading provider of local-to-global communications services to business, government and residential users. The company's fast-growing portfolio of advanced data and IT services accounts for a quarter of MCI's approximately $20 billion in annual revenue. MCI operates one of the world's largest and most advanced digital networks, connecting local markets in the U.S. to hundreds of locations worldwide.
ATLANTA 500 CLASSIC PRESENTED BY MCI NOTEBOOK
Atlanta 500 Classic schedule: The inaugural Atlanta 500 Classic presented by MCI starts at 9 p.m. Aug. 29. Pep Boys IRL drivers will race 208 laps on the 1.54-mile quad-oval.
Georgia Power Pole Night qualifying for the PPG Pole starts at 6 p.m. Aug. 28. Practice sessions are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Aug. 27, 3:45 p.m. Aug. 28 and 4:30 p.m. Aug. 29.
Atlanta 500 Classic tickets: Tickets for the Atlanta 500 Classic presented by MCI are available by calling Atlanta Motor Speedway at (770) 946-4211.
Editors Note: The images displayed in this article (plus many more) can be viewed in The Racing Image Galleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.
