IRL: Dismore Fastest During Opening Practice for Atlanta 500 Classic
28 August 1998
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Dismore also produced the fastest lap during the afternoon practice on the 1.54-mile quad-oval, 223.224, in his Kelley Automotive Dallara/Aurora/Goodyear. Dismore has been one of the fastest drivers in the league this summer, but a variety of mechanical gremlins have produced consecutive finishes of 18th, 15th and 19th in the last three events.
"I'm not expecting to get the pole because if you do that, you just set yourself up for disappointment," Dismore said. "If we get in the top four starting positions, I'll be tickled. All we want for the race is to get a good finish for our fans and sponsors. Winning is not that important. We just want a good finish. That's what we're here for."
Jeff Ward was second fastest overall at 224.390 in the ISM Racing-Prolong-Superflo G Force/Aurora/Goodyear. Scott Goodyear was third fastest at 224.245 in the Pennzoil Panther G Force/Aurora/Goodyear.
PPG Pole qualifying starts at 6:30 p.m. (EDT) Friday. The inaugural Atlanta 500 Classic presented by MCI, a 208-lap race, starts at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Broadcast schedule: The Atlanta 500 Classic presented by MCI will be televised live on TNN at 9 p.m. (EDT) Aug. 29. Georgia Power Pole Night qualifying for the PPG Pole will be televised live on SpeedVision at 6 p.m. (EDT) Aug. 28.
The IMS Radio Network will broadcast the race live at 9 p.m. (EDT) Aug. 29, with a prerace show starting at 8:30 p.m.
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.
