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IRL: Brack Avoids Fuelish Problems, Hangs on for Second Straight Win

17 August 1998

FOUNTAIN, Colo., Aug. 16, 1998 - Kenny Brack ran out fuel in Turn 4 on the last lap but coasted down the front straightaway to win the Radisson 200 on Sunday at Pikes Peak International Raceway, his second consecutive Pep Boys Indy Racing League victory.

Brack, from Karlstad, Sweden, beat runner-up Robbie Buhl to the finish by 7.542 seconds for his second victory of the season in the Power Team Racing Dallara/Aurora/Goodyear owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt. Brack won the VisionAire 500 on July 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"The last five or six laps, we were half-throttle," Brack said. "It wasn't easy. We started to save fuel about 15 to 20 laps into the run after the last stop. I even went to sixth gear pretty early.

"I have to thank A.J. He was driving the car with me like he was in Charlotte the last 30 laps."

Brack, who started fifth, earned $112,950 for the victory. His average speed was 133.515 mph, and he led twice for 28 laps on the 1-mile oval.

Brack inherited the lead on Lap 197 of the 200-lap race when leader Buhl dove into the pits for one gallon of fuel. Tony Stewart, who ended up third, also was forced to pit for one gallon of fuel on Lap 198. Brack made his last pit stop on Lap 120.

Defending series champion Stewart took the points lead from Scott Sharp, who finished 11th. Stewart leads Sharp, 242-233, after eight of 11 races. Brack climbed to third at 232.

Pole sitter Billy Boat was running fourth when he ran out of fuel on Lap 198. He ended up ninth.

Jeff Ward dominated the first half of the race in his ISM Racing/Superflo/Prolong G Force/Aurora, leading three times for 97 laps until crashing on Lap 118. Ward led by nearly 13 seconds when he crashed in Turn 2, triggering the last of three caution periods during the race.

"I believe we cut a tire," Ward said. "We went up in Turn 4 and barely made it through. It just took off on the straightaway and didn't feel good at all. By the time I got to Turn 2, it just went straight up to the wall."

Arie Luyendyk finished 22nd in the 25-car field, but he achieved a significant milestone in the Sprint PCS-RadioShack-QUALCOMM G Force/Aurora/Firestone. Luyendyk became the first driver to earn more than $3 million in career Indy Racing League earnings, as his $33,000 paycheck boosted his career total to $3,019,653.

The next Pep Boys Indy Racing League event is the inaugural Atlanta 500 Classic presented by MCI on Aug. 29 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.