IRL: Phoenix Treadway Racing qualifying report

Subject: Treadway Has Up and Down Day in Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ: After undergoing a turbulent morning, Treadway Racing and driver Sam Schmidt had to settle for the outside of row ten for the tomorrow's start of the Pep Boys Indy Racing League, MCI Worldcom 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

After running the second fastest time this morning a small fire occurred in the primary car during first practice. While the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, it did cause enough damage to force the team to switch over to the back-up car for final adjustments before making their qualifying run. The team worked quickly and in only a few laps, the #99T was merely one thousandth off the pace of the primary car and listed in the top five speeds of the day. As qualifications approached the day grew hotter and the track conditions on the famed one mile oval began to change. Soon there was a growing concern regarding the affects of the heat on the Treadway G-Force/Aurora/Firestone combination. The team had been working primarily on race day set up-running under full fuel loads-and were confident that while they may not be on the pole, they would be solidly in the top ten and in good shape for the big day. As the #99 Sprint PCS entry hit the track, Schmidt opted for a lower line through turns one and two which forced the car into a slight oversteer. With safety in mind, he selected discretion over valor and placed the car 20th on the grid and comfortably in the show.

Sam Schmidt: "The heat seemed to affect our set-up just a bit. I was a bit loose in turn one after the green flag, and the lap was much slower than it should have been. Lap two was great, so that's just how it goes. I think we will have a great racecar for tomorrow and I am looking forward to getting out there and mixing it up."

Noteworthy: Sam will pilot the #99 Sprint PCS/G-Force/Aurora/Firestone entry for Treadway Racing. Additionally, he has won two races at PIR in the Formula Ford 2000 Series, and features a second place finish in the Shelby Can Am Series.

Raceday will air live on FOX Sports Net at 4:00 p.m. (EST) featuring announcers: Jack Arute, Dave Calabro and Arie Luyendyk. Pit reporters are Vince Welch and Calvin Fish. In addition, the IMS Radio Network will have live coverage with pre-race show beginning at 3:30 p.m. (EST). For more information regarding Treadway Racing, visit www.treadwayracing.com on the Internet.