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Indy Invades Speedway Motorsports

4 August 1997

Indy Invades Speedway Motorsports

    CONCORD, N.C., Aug. 4 -- The Indy Racing League (IRL)
successfully invaded the heart of stock car country -- Charlotte Motor
Speedway -- impressing the fans with speeds over 213 miles per hour and
extremely competitive racing.
    Charlotte Motor Speedway attracted the second largest crowd in the history
of the IRL outside of Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the inaugural VisionAire
500 on July 26.  This marked the first time in the history of modern
motorsports that Indy cars have raced in stock car country.
    "We are extremely pleased with the Indy car show.  We've shown that Indy
car racing is competitive and that it's accepted in the cradle of stock car
racing.  We are certainly looking forward to having the IRL back in Charlotte
next year," stated H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, chief operating officer and president
of Speedway Motorsports.
    The race was competitive with 13 lead changes and side-by-side racing.
Buddy Lazier wrested the lead from Billy Boat on lap 166 by beating Boat out
of the pits.  Boat chased Lazier for the remainder of the race, attempting a
nerve-racking pass through the grass on the front stretch.
    Lazier won the VisionAire 500 by 3.3 seconds over Billy Boat.  It was
Lazier's second IRL victory and the first since his 1996 Indianapolis 500 win.
Boat clocked the fastest lap of the race at 213.506 miles per hour, while
Lazier claimed the fastest leading lap at 212.089.
    "I think the race was fantastic.  I think the crowd was very, very good
for our first race here.  I was really worried about Indy cars coming into
NASCAR country, what was going to happen, but I think the crowd was fantastic.
I know we had them excited at the end.  They were all standing on their feet,"
stated IRL team owner Ron Hemelgarn.
    Speedway Motorsports , a leading promoter and marketer of
motorsports entertainment in the United States is the owner and operator of
Atlanta, Bristol, Charlotte & Texas Motor Speedways and 600 Racing and is the
operator of Sears Point Raceway.

SOURCE  Speedway Motorsports, Inc.