IRL: Indy 500 pre-race driver quotes Part 1

INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, May 3, 2001 - Quotes from selected Indy Racing Northern Light Series drivers and team officials about the 85th Indianapolis 500 on May 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (drivers listed in alphabetical order):

MICHAEL ANDRETTI (No. 39 Motorola/Archipelago Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone):

About returning to Indianapolis for the first time since 1995

"I'm just really tickled to death to be back and really excited. I think we have a real good shot at doing well here and maybe my best shot ever. So I'm looking forward to it."

About teaming up with Panther Racing

"I think the two teams joining forces is going to be very strong. They have a lot of information on these race cars, and we have a lot of things that we do, as well. And I think bringing them together is going to really make it a strong combination."

About absence from Indy and decision to return

"Well, it was really tough, especially the last couple of years because it was starting to feel like we may never get back here. Last year, watching Juan (Montoya) run out front was really depressing for me because I felt like if I would have been here we could have kept him honest, and it would have been interesting. I just felt like, you know what, this isn't fair. I need to be there, too, and that's when I really set it in my mind that I was going to try to do whatever I could to get back here."

About tight schedule in May for CART teams competing at Indy

"I don't really want to think about it. But it's going to be tough. We're actually going to miss the first two practice days of the month because we'll be at Nazareth. And, of course, the weather's going to be beautiful in Nazareth, so we're not going to have to worry about a rainout. So we'll be here on Monday, it'll be our first day of practice, and we'll run here all week. Of course, we know the weather's going to be beautiful in Indianapolis for qualifying weekend, so we're going to be able to get the car in on Saturday, and Sunday we'll work on our race setup even a little more. Then we'll head to Japan; I have some commitments in Japan Tuesday and Wednesday with Honda, who by the way I want to thank for letting us come here, as well. Then we have the race, we race there Saturday. Then we make our way back home, and then I come back out here Wednesday before Carburetion Day, and we run the whole weekend here. Then we head off to Milwaukee on Wednesday. So it's going to be a little tight."

About competing against Indy Racing League drivers at Indy

"You've got to remember these guys have been running these cars for quite a few years, so they know exactly how they react. They are quite different from what we're used to, so they do have an advantage there. There are some quick drivers here. If you look at Kenny Brack coming over from here, he's done very well in our series. So obviously you guys in IRL have talent. We're kidding ourselves if we think we're just coming here to run to race Penske and Ganassi for the win. I think we cannot forget the IRL regulars either. So we know that, we realize that, and we're staying focused on the whole field, not just a couple cars."

BILLY BOAT (No. 98 CURB Records Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone):

"Our first goal with a new team and a lot of new people, especially for Indy, is to get out on the track, get comfortable and work up to speed. One thing about Indianapolis is that you can't take anything for granted. You have to go through the gates prepared and with every team member already giving 125 percent. Our two main goals, by far, are to get the car up to speed and be a first-day qualifier. That's very important for us. We need the following week of practice to prepare for the race, so putting the car in the show on the first day is critical for us."

Effect of three-week schedule on planning

"Our strategy needs to be to get the car solidly in the race on the first day and then work on race setups the following week to ensure that we have a good race car. This is the biggest race in the world, and there's going to be a lot of deal-making going on during that second week with people trying to put second cars in the race and drivers walking around with their helmet in their hand trying to get in different cars. That's something we don't want to have to worry about - we just want to know that our car is solidly in the field, and then we can focus on having a solid car all day long for the race."

About the mystique of Indy

"When I was growing up, my dream was to get to race in the Indy 500. I was able to realize that dream a couple of years ago when I got to drive for A.J. Foyt, and that was obviously the highlight of my career. I know what it's like when you sit on the pole here - I know the media attention you get - I know that you really begin to realize just how important this race is and how much focus this race receives. Most anyone you talk to on the street knows about the Indy 500, and it's the one race of the year that most people watch even if they have only a casual interest in racing. It's the race they watch, and it's the one they remember. They remember how you did. I know what it's like to sit on the pole, but to win this race definitely makes a career. To have your face on that Borg-Warner Trophy is something they can never take away from you. It's something that gives you a place in history."

Personal anecdotes about Indy

"Like motorsports in general, Indy has its highs and its lows. Obviously, when I sat on the pole in '98, that was a huge point in my career. Last year, to be able to get in the race and get qualified with the gun going off is something I'll never forget. Something I never want to do again - but something I'll never forget because it really makes you realize how important the race is when you come that close to not being able to participate. This is also a race where my whole family comes back for most of the month - they'll be here for three weeks. I bring the whole family in, and everyone enjoys the race together, and it makes for a great time. Even though our kids are young, they know what this race means. They know how big an event it is, and I think they appreciate it."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 68 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone):

"I'm very excited about racing at Indianapolis for the first time, and I'm really looking forward to May 27. We've spent some time there testing, and I've just begun to realize what a tough race it will be to win. Each corner of the track is different, which makes it a very difficult track to master. I've always respected Rick Mears and all his accomplishments, but since I've been to the Speedway that respect has grown - it's unbelievable that he has won there four times.

About tight schedule during May for CART teams also racing at Indy

"It will be a hard month for us with all the travel, but our goal is to stay focused and do all we can to make the show. We've been preparing as best we can so far, and once we get to the Speedway we'll be able to focus 100 percent on our Indy effort."

About Indy tradition

"I have an enormous amount of respect for the Indianapolis 500 and all the tradition that it represents, and I'm honored just to have the opportunity to compete there."

EDDIE CHEEVER JR. (#51 Excite@Home Indy Racing Car Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone, 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner):

About testing in April at Indy

"There's a lot of anxiety when you test at Indy for the first time in April because it's a very good snapshot of what your month of May is going to be like. The new Infiniti 35A did very well, and we are starting to get a handle on what the engine wants and the handling of the car, which is definitely different from last year's engine. We ran strong in difficult conditions, and our Firestone tires performed very well in the cold weather. At any point in time on that given day, there were three Indy 500 winners representing four Indy 500 victories on the circuit: me, Buddy Lazier and Al Unser Jr. We were up against some pretty good competition. The #51 Excite@Home car handled very well, and our straight-line speeds were very good. It puts us on a positive note heading into the Indy 500."

About the Indianapolis 500

"When you win the Indianapolis 500, you're part of history. People have been racing there for 84 years. Everybody wants to be a part of history. If you're an open-wheel driver, this is your special place, and it has been for many, many years. The beauty of the Indianapolis 500 is that it's draped in tradition. No racetrack has the history or size to even compare itself to Indy. I am still racing because I want a second Indianapolis 500 win. For me, winning the Indy 500 in 1998 was really a validation of a whole lifetime of effort. For over a decade now, I have been one of the many racing drivers making a yearly pilgrimage to the greatest racing circuit in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I have come to realize that the greatest honor for all the drivers who compete in the Indianapolis 500 is not the driving, but rather the amazing relationship that they are allowed to develop with hundreds of thousands of racing fans. At the start of every Indianapolis 500, when all the ceremonies are over and it is time to get strapped in my race car and I look down the front straight and see the hundreds of thousands of fans that share the same passion, I realize that I made the right choice with my life."

AIRTON DARÉ (No. 88 1-800-BAR-NONE Team Xtreme G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone, 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series Rookie of the Year):

"Our team is gaining momentum going in to the Indy 500, and this is the best time of the season for a team to do that. Last year I worked my way from the 21st position to the second position. This year we have a new, strong motor program with RPM Engineering that we have been very happy with. This is a big race for TeamXtreme and I because it is the first Indy 500 experience for 1 800 BAR NONE, and I get to race with my friend and former teammate, Jaques Lazier. We are going to take advantage of this momentum and carry it throughout the month of May. The team as a whole is confident because we have all of the elements needed to put together a great showing, even at such a demanding event as the Indy 500. We are seeing all of the puzzle pieces come together, and there is no better time for that than right now."

GIL de FERRAN (No. 66 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone):

"Returning to Indianapolis is sort of like a homecoming for me since I lived there for two years when I first arrived in the United States in 1995. I was able to qualify for the race that year but unfortunately never made it through the first corner (due to a multicar accident) so I am looking forward to hopefully getting some more racing in this year. It means a lot to me to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, particularly the fact that I am going with Marlboro Team Penske, which has a great history there. When I first joined the team, I thought if Roger (Penske) ever wants to return to Indianapolis that would be the only way I would like to go. To have the opportunity to return with Roger and the whole team is a big happening in my life. To me, it's one of the most prestigious races in the world and a title that I would like to add to my curriculum."

MARK DISMORE (No. 28 Delphi Automotive Systems/Bryant Heating & Cooling Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone):

"The one thing that I really pick on myself for is last year at Indy when I had such a great car and felt like I could go out and race against anyone, including Juan (Montoya). Right at the very end of the day before Pole Day, we threw a new set of tires on and I had been in the car for about two hours and the temperature had come way down. I think we were like sixth fastest at the time, and I knew I could probably go out and burn one off and be as fast as anybody. Leaving pit lane, I just got on it, lit the tires up and crashed the car. The car was so good. I knew that it was an awesome opportunity for me to win Indianapolis, or be as fast and competitive as anyone. And with Montoya having the reputation that he had coming in, I wanted it in the worse way to show that some guy from Greenfield, Indiana, could do whatever it took to beat this guy, and I blew it. I haven't forgiven myself for that since. It's behind me and it's not something that I dwell on, but I was definitely disappointed in myself for doing it. My season so far hasn't been as good as we planned, but I've been really happy with the setup of the car, so we have high hopes for Indy. Winning is absolutely a possibility."

-IRNLS/IMS-