IndyCar
IRL: Richmond: Post-race quotes
SARAH FISHER (No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G Force/Infiniti/ Firestone): "This weekend was a great start in communicating between my new team and engineer Mark Weida. The car got consistently better as the race went on although there was a lot of ...
Edited: Mar 27, 2008, 5:47 AM
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SARAH FISHER (No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G Force/Infiniti/ Firestone): "This weekend was a great start in communicating between my new team and engineer Mark Weida. The car got consistently better as the race went on although there was a lot of rubber on the track. On our second-to-last tire change, the car was great. I was able to run really good, consistent laps and was catching the pack Sam (Hornish) was in, and Eddie (Cheever) wasn't able to catch me. When I hit the wall, we had just changed the tires and gone back out. I don't think they were up to pressure yet. I should have been a little bit more patient and waited a little longer to make a move."
GREG RAY (No. 11 A.J. Foyt Racing/Harrah's Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): "We were having a good race. We felt good about leading Laps 118 to 149 and dodging that bullet there with (Billy) Boat. We're not sure what happened. I heard a noise. It sounded like the engine, so we brought it in to check it out. We went back out and lost oil pressure, so I brought it back in not to cause any problems for anyone else."
AIRTON DARE (No. 14 Harrah's/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): "It was a good race for us considering where we started. It was a little tricky on the restarts. I felt like we were driving on ice for the first three laps after a yellow. There was so much stuff coming off the tires on the restart, it was like it was raining rubber out there. But my car was good through the whole race. Toward the end, I could catch Little Al (Unser), but when I went to pass him, my car would just push up. But that race was the most fun I had this season so far."
RICHIE HEARN (No. 20 Motor Auction Group Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): "I had a lot of fun. I haven't been able to throw around an Indy car like this in a long time, so I had a great weekend. I had a good qualifying run, ran OK in the race and had a mishap in the pits where I missed my box. It just got really busy. I had a hard time seeing. I came in late and lost all my spots. It's all right. We could have worked on the car a little bit better. With only two practice sessions and no testing, it makes it a little tough. All in all, I'm not going to complain."
JEFF WARD (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing G Force/Chevrolet/Firestone): "We had a good weekend. Without testing here, we qualified well and had a great run. I had (Tomas) Scheckter behind me, and he dove underneath me and kind of startled me. We almost hit, and it kind of pushed me into the marbles. We went down the backstraight, and Hornish got me because I couldn't go through the corner. I went through (Turn) 2, and the car quit. I don't know what it was. The ignition failed, so I coasted down the backstretch. I thought we had a fuel pickup problem. I recycled the switch, it started back up, and I came into the pits. We lost three positions probably. Not a major step back, but it would have been nice to finish on the lead lap there."
LAURENT REDON (No. 34 Mi-Jack Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "Two of my fingers are a little broken, but apart from that, I'm fine. We had a very good car, and I think we showed that we were pretty quick. We could have won this race. We made a mistake during a pit stop, and then on the restart, I was pushing to come back to the lead, and we had a crash with Eddie (Cheever). It's disappointing because I'm sure we could have had a very good result here. We'll try harder at the next one."
EDDIE CHEEVER JR. (No. 51 Red Bull Cheever Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "That's two years in a row that I've ended my race in Turn 3. It's a great racetrack. I love racing here. I didn't have much of a car today. Tomas (Scheckter) and I had two different setups. Obviously mine wasn't the one for the race. The car was difficult tonight. It was a tight race. My spotter told me, 'Clear,' and (Laurent) Redon ran into the back of me. We rode to the medical center together, and he said he was sorry. As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of the story. I'm disappointed. We've wrecked a lot of cars this year. Maybe when we go to Kansas where we won last year, something might turn around." (About teammate Tomas Scheckter): "Tomas had a great drive tonight. It is the first strong race he has had all the way through, and he did it on a tough track."
MARK DISMORE (No. 2 Menards/Johns Manville/Pittsburgh Paints Dallara/Chevrolet/ Firestone): "That's short track racing, I guess. I got into another car early in the race and ended up pitting because I saw we had gotten into the wheel bearing. That's how we went down those laps, fixing it under green. Sure enough, a few laps later there was a yellow, which certainly could have helped us. But I saw the rear wheel smoking after the incident, and I was afraid it was going to blow, so I had to stop when I did. Surprisingly, the Johns Manville/Menards Dallara was really good, even after that. Now it's on to Kansas City. I'm looking forward to it simply because we have a really good superspeedway program."
ROBBIE BUHL (No. 24 Team Purex/Aventis/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G Force/Infiniti/ Firestone): "It seems we just can't buy a break. That was a brand-new ignition switch that was installed at Indy which failed and smoked up the cockpit. There's no consolation in our finish, and it certainly doesn't pacify what we've been through, but at least we were able to get back out there and take the checkered. We were 8 mph faster than anyone toward the end of the race, so we know what we can do. We just need a little more luck for things to go our way."
JON HERB (No. 16 Star Registry WeberGrills.com G Force/Chevrolet/Firestone): "The crew did a great job. The Menards people and the gearbox guys at SWE all came together to help us out with the GM guys to try to get our motor problem fixed, which we did. We had a good car when we started the race, but unfortunately when we went back out, it wasn't quite as good. I had my hands full a little bit. I ended up having to throttle-drive the car a lot through the middle of the corner. I carried a little too much speed into Turn 3 and wasn't able to get it turned in the middle. It just ran up on me, got in the marbles, and that was the end of the story."
TOMAS SCHECKTER (No. 52 Red Bull Cheever Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "I really have to thank the guys on the Red Bull Cheever team. It feels great to finish fourth. When you start 18th, you've just got to get through the field. In the beginning, I used a high line and passed a lot of people. I just have to thank my crew again. They gave me a setup on the Red Bull Infiniti that was unbelievable. We were behind in practice and qualifying this weekend, but we got it ready for the race. I was in second when I came up on a lapped car. He (Alex Barron) went to the inside. I tried the outside two times, and I got blocked both times. Sometimes it happens. At the end I think I had a good race."
ALEX BARRON (No. 44 Rayovac Blair Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): "We had a great car at the start of the race today. We did have a little understeer at the beginning. The temperatures changed, and the track was slippery at night. We did have perfect balance, and it was easy to move forward. I thought we were in good shape. The track actually got slicker the longer we ran due to the temps and the buildup of the cars that ran earlier today."
ROBBY McGEHEE (No. 54 Norwalk/Parsons Motorsports Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): "This is a great finish for us. To get a top 10 in only our second race together, we have to be happy. I know we were a few laps down, but just staying out there and staying out of trouble was a big feat. Even after we went down a couple of laps, it didn't make it any easier. We may have finished a few laps down, but at least we finished. On restarts I'd go right toward the wall, but then when the tires heated up, the car would get better. On the last set of tires, we were running fast. If we would have had more track time here, we would've done even better."
AL UNSER JR. (No. 7 Corteco/Bryant Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): "This is another great run for the Corteco/Bryant team. The guys prepared a great race car for me, and we were very competitive. We just weren't able to capitalize on other people's mistakes. I want to thank everyone at Kelley Racing for their great support. It was another Saturday-night fight at Richmond, and I loved every lap. I love this track and the Richmond fans. They are awesome."
KURT RITTER (General Manager, Chevrolet): "Chevrolet returned to open-wheel racing with two goals: to win the Indianapolis 500 and to win the IRL Manufacturer's Championship. We've now achieved both objectives through the exceptional efforts of GM Racing engineers, our affiliated engine builders and the teams and drivers who have made the Chevy Indy V8 the dominant engine in the IRL series. Chevrolet has won more championships in NASCAR, NHRA, road racing and off-road racing than any other manufacturer, and today's victory continued that winning tradition. Wherever there is a winner's circle, Chevy will be there."
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): "It was a tough night for the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske crew. I was taking it easy at the beginning of the race trying to keep up with Gil (de Ferran). I saw traffic ahead and thought I might have a chance to pass him, but I wasn't pushing too hard. The car had a little understeer and wiggle coming out of Turn 2, but nothing too bad. I thought all was under control, but I guess not, because all of a sudden I was coming out of Turn 2 backward and ended up making contact with the inside wall. It was a little weird actually because I really don't know what happened. The team did a fantastic job putting the car together and getting me back out in the race. They had to take the entire rear end from the spare car. They had to change the right front suspension, the front wing and the underwing. It is a real testament to the team that they could make all of the changes and we were able to run competitively and safely at the end of the race. It's quite a relief that we were able to score valuable points and maintain the lead in the championship. Now we need to come back strong in Kansas."
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