IROC: Post Practice Quotes, IROC at Indy
5 August 1999
Andy Hillenberg: (IROC Test Driver) "I think the cars are really better than last year, and I think it will be a really great race on Friday afternoon. The race was good last year and if we can keep improving on the car, it will be a great race this year."Dale Earnhardt Jr.: (First time driving Indy) "I am really excited to be at Indianapolis, it's an honor to be at such a historic facility and to get a chance to race on it. I have been looking forward to the opportunity to come here in a Winston Cup Car, but the IROC series has given me the opportunity a lot sooner than I expected."
" I just want to give them (IROC) a lot of thanks for inviting me to the series this year. I am really looking forward to the race and hopefully, with a little luck, me and my old man can battle it out again like we did at Michigan."
Greg Moore: (Greg spun his practice car coming off of turn two during a practice session Wednesday morning. He hit the inside wall, totaling out the front of the IROC car.)
"Well, I'm starting near the front and that's really an advantage here. It's going to be a difficult track to pass on; it's more of a one-groove track, obviously different than Daytona and Talladega. After what I did today, well, I've just got to make sure I stay out of trouble."
"I think it's going to be a fun race, between Earnhardt and Earnhardt Jr. driving around here and all these guys- It's going to be fun for sure. It will be my first time ever racing at the speedway, and on the other hand, I can now say that I hit the wall at the speedway too!"
Kenny Brack: " It's a tremendous track to race on, it's challenging. It's going to be different than the other IROC races, and rather we can keep the NASCAR drivers behind us, I don't know. It's going to be very different-it's going to be a lot of fun.
(Comparing IROC car driving to IRL car driving at INDY) "Basically you do the same line with these cars as you do with the IRL cars but, obviously, these cars are handling differently. You've got to nurse these cars in another way, which takes some getting used to.
"I think if I have some luck with the car we can do a pretty good job here."
Eddie Cheever Jr.: "In the beginning when you start running here it's a totally different track then when you're running an Indy car. But, after a while, after you get dialed in there are a lot of similarities. You're going a lot slower, but in many ways you feel as though you're going just as fast. I had a very hard time the first day, or two, but now I'm having fun-really looking forward to it. Actually, this is the most laps I've run at Indy at on time."
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