NASCAR WCUP: Crew Chief Club, Brickyard 400
5 August 1999
Event: Brickyard 400 When: Sat., Aug. 7 at 1 p.m. EDT on ABCWhere: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Together, Jimmy Makar, Larry McReynolds, Todd Parrott and Robin Pemberton have led their drivers to 72 wins, 386 top-five finishes, 609 top-10 finishes and 71 poles prior to this Saturday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Ford Quality Care Service/Ford Credit team of Parrott and Dale Jarrett won the 1996 Brickyard 400. The Parrott/Jarrett combo beat out then teammates Ernie Irvan and crew chief McReynolds.
Crew Chief Club souvenirs are available on the Chevrolet and Ford merchandise trailers. Fans can also log-on to the Crew Chief Club at their official website, www.crewchiefclub.com.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR INDY TEST THAT WILL HELP SET YOUR CAR UP FOR THE BRICKYARD 400?
Jimmy Makar - Interstate Batteries Pontiac of Bobby Labonte - "We took the car we raced up there last year back as a baseline car. That was the car we raced at Atlanta, Charlotte - places like that, and we took a brand new car we built that hopefully we were going to make our race car out of. The test was hectic. We ran into some snags that we didn't expect. We had a few curveballs thrown at us, but I think that through all the stress and strain of the test and all of the obstacles we had to overcome, I think we came out of there with a good test. Looking back on it, we didn't get to do all of the things we wanted to try, but nonetheless, we came out of there with a good race setup for the car. I think we know what we need for a qualifying setup now. We spent a lot of time trying to get our qualifying setup worked out than we really wanted to. I think we'll be okay when we go back. I feel real confident we'll be in good shape when we get there to race, even though we didn't really put up any big numbers like a lot of guys did for fast laps. I'm looking forward to getting back to Indy."
Larry McReynolds - Lowe's Home Improvement Chevrolet of Mike Skinner - "We had a good test because we were able to work close without the pressures of qualifying and getting ready to race. We learned a lot about the particular cars we had there. All in all, we had a good test. We ran pretty quick. It was the hottest I think it's ever been at a race track, but it will probably be that hot when we get back there. I'd rather practice and test in really hot weather and go back to Indy and be cool, than test in cool weather and go back and be hot."
Todd Parrott - Ford Quality Care Service/Ford Credit Ford of Dale Jarrett - "We had a good test up there. The main thing is to make sure that the car handles well under race conditions. It pays some money to qualify up front, but the big money is paid for winning the race, and that's what we worked on during our test."
Robin Pemberton - Miller Lite Ford of Rusty Wallace - "Everything we did we learned from. We started out working on qualifying and then we concentrated on race stuff. I think we had a good test there and we're looking forward to heading back."
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot photos and racing art, please visit The Racing Image Galleries and The Visions of Speed Art Gallery
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