The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 45

D12 SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2003 Sports THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WWW.INDYSTAR.COM AUTO RACING Brack starts strong in bid to bounce back IRL ----P-- i.i iii ii mi i nm i. tana, Calif. The team's chief operating officer, Scott Roembke, didn't think the crew made the Dallara faster, but he said it improved their familiarity with the IRL's new equipment. "It reconfirmed what we thought (about the setup) and just helped us learn the car better," said Roembke, an Indianapolis native. "We won those two sessions (at Homestead), but we didn't adjust to the heat of the day in the race.

"That's something we're learning." Brack noted the competitiveness of the top IRL teams, but the truth is, he has to beat this tricky 1-mile track first. He raced here three times from 1997 to 1999, crashing in each race. The first, which was his IRL debut, ended against the fourth-turn walL He doesn't dwell on it "I didn't have to pay the bill (for those crashes), so it's OK," he said. Fike suspended Infiniti Pro Series driver Aaron Fike is sitting out this weekend's event after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol last week near his home in Galesburg, III Fike, 22, also will miss Sunday's U.S. Auto Club midget race in Stockton, according to his father, Don Fike, who issued the suspension.

"He made a mistake and he needs to learn from it," Don Fike said. "Now we've got to see how he comes back from it." Fike, who won last year's Pro Series race in Joliet, 111., was replaced in the HemelgarnJohnson Racing car by former Toyota At-lantics race winner Tony Ave. Ave qualified fifth among the 15 drivers for today's race despite crashing in practice. Panther Racing's Mark Taylor, the winner of the Homestead race, won the pole at 149.91 mph. Notes Buddy Lazier made his season debut by running the ninth-best lap in Friday's second Indy- Ex-series champion, who was 11th in return to IRL, dominates practice for Purex 200.

By Curt Cavin curt.cavin!indystar.com PHOENIX Kenny Brack admits he underachieved in his Indy Racing League return last month. Now he's fighting back. The Swede, who won the IRL's championship in 1998 and the Indianapolis 500 the next year, led practice Friday at Phoenix International Speedway. He ran a sequence of laps in the 20.3-second bracket, something no one else could do once, much less twice. His speed was 177.200 mph.

Scott Dixon was second quickest at 176.074 with Dario Franchit-ti third at 175.729. Tony Kanaan was the only other driver above 175 mph. Brack and Team Rahal weren't celebrating their first-day success, however. They still have to qualify today and race strong Sunday, something they didn't do in either case in the season-opening event at Homestead, Fla. "You have to have a good race car in the race," said Brack, who spent four seasons in the IRL before moving to CART.

"And it takes time to learn what (the car) likes and what it doesn't like." The Purex Indy 200 is Sunday (330 p.m., WRTV-6). Brack was quickest in two of the five practice sessions at Homestead but then couldn't find the setup on race day, finishing two laps off the pace in 11th place. It was humbling for a driver and a team that finished second in CART in 2001. "In a way it was bad, but it was also good to get a kick in the (rear end)," Brack said. "It shows you where you're at and that you have to pick it up." Team Rahal did, scheduling test sessions at Phoenix and Fon- Chuck Fadely Knight RidderTnbune Back: Kenny Brack hopes to improve on the season opener (above) in Homestead, Fla.

He practiced well but struggled in the race. car session. Brack gave Honda day's USAC midget race at the top spot in practice with 135.069 mph. Dave Steele, the Dixon tops among the Toyota- defending Copper World cham- powered cars. Chevrolet's fastest pion, will start on the front row.

car was Jaques Lazier in Uth. call Star reporter Curt Cavin at J.J. Yeley won the pole for to- 1-317-444-5409. Food City 500 (Top qualifiers) Newman's Bristol track record earns 2nd pole of year Driver NASCAR Associated Press BRISTOL, Tenn. Ryan Newman won his seco ad pole of the season and earned Jeff Gordon's admiration.

Newman set a track record Friday by completing a lap around Bristol Motor Speedway at 128.709 mph, eclipsing the mark of 127.216 mph Gordon set a year ago. Speed 128.709 mph 127.343 127.123 127.022 127.006 126.779 126.587 126.570 126.562 126.445 1. Ryan Newman 2. Jeff Gordon 3. Ken Schrader 4.

Rusty Wallace 5. Bill Elliott 6. Mike Skinner 7. Jimmy Spencer 8. D.

Earnhardt Jr. 9. Kurt Busch 10. Tony Stewart It took Newman just 14.908 seconds to lap the 0.533-mile bullring, making him the first driver to do it in less than 15 seconds. In addition to losing his record, Gordon had to settle for second in qualifying for Sunday's Food City 500, turning a lap at 127343 in his times.

"My God that's an unbelievable lap that Ryan put out there," he said. "Those guys have to be real proud of that." Ken Schrader qualified third in a Dodge, the best qualifying effort for BAM Racing, which fields his No. 49 Intrepid. The team's previous best effort was 16th at Texas last season with Shawna Robinson behind the wheel. Schrader gave new crew chief Scott Eggleston and owners Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau credit for the improvement.

"Beth Ann and Tony made a commitment to run a full season. They're getting all their cars alike," Schrader said. "They built all new stuff over the winter." Rusty Wallace, Newman's teammate at Penske Racing South, qualified fourth. Wallace, who has won nine races at Bristol, is look No. 24 Chevrolet.

As the two passed each other after, four-time Winston Cup champion Gordon bowed as if to say, "I'm not worthy." Newman's reply: "Man, I never thought I'd run a lap that fast." Qualifying is quickly turning out to be Newman's specialty. Last season's top rookie has nine career poles in 45 attempts, and two in six races this season. Still, Newman never thought his No. 12 Dodge would be so fast. "I was so surprised with that lap," he said.

"I knew we had a fast car in practice, but I didn't think we were capable of going that fast, let alone beat Jeff. That's the most amazed I've ever been after a qualifying run to go that fast and not anticipate it." Gordon was also impressed, and he knows a thing or two about Bristol, having won there five ing to end his 67-race winless streak. Bill Elliott qualified fifth, giving Dodge four Intrepids in the top five on the starting grid. It was a boost for the manufacturer, the only one on the circuit without a victory this season. "The car's good, I think it's real good," Wallace said.

"I think part of the problem has been bad luck. But this is a track that it doesn't matter what kind of car you drive, you just have to have the fenders on it and still be running at the end." Green wins Busch pole David Green set a track record at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday to win the pole for a Busch Series race. Green turned a lap at 126.495 mph in his Pontiac to claim the top spot for today's Channellock Sunday's race: 12:30 p.m., WXIN-59, WNDE-1260 AM, FM Indianapolis Monument i www. indymohuments. com 3 250 (1 p.m., FX).

It's Green second pole of the season and 21st of his career. Jason Keller qualified second in a Ford with a lap of 125.947 mph. Tony Raines was third, Scott Riggs fourth and Winston Cup rookie Jamie McMurray fifth. 6245 N. College Avenue Indianapolis 259-1000 1: Tracy wins provisional Monterrey pole Tread lightly' Dnve responsibly otf-road 2003 Land Rover North America.

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WITH 0.0 APR FINANCING, YOU MOST CERTAINLY CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU. missed half the morning practice with an electrical problem. "We're really pretty happy with that," Carpentier said. Tracy, determined to make a run for the first title of his 13-year Champ Car career, was fast in the morning practice and carried it over to qualifying. Friday's fast lap by the Canadian-born Tracy was considerably quicker than the pole speed last year by Mexican favorite Adrian Fernandez.

He posted a lap of L18.929, 95.965 in the first round, and wound up starting the race up front when rained prevented Saturday qualifying. Bruno Junqueira was fourth, followed by Michel Jourdain who finished second in St. Petersburg and trails Tracy 22-16 in the points. Associated Press MONTERREY, Mexico Paul Tracy posted a fast lap early and wound up winning the provisional pole Friday in the opening round of qualifying for the second race of the CART season. The winner of the season opener last month in St.

Petersburg, added another point to his early lead in the Champ Car World Series standings and could add another today (2:30 p.m., SPEED) in the final round of time trials for Sunday's Monterrey Grand Prix. "I ran my two warmup laps, then did it on the first flying lap," Tracy said. "It was a good thing I got it done then because I was never able to get another clean lap." Tracy's fast lap was timed in 1 minute, 17.220 seconds, a speed of 98.089 mph on the 2 road course in Fundidora Park. Getting a lap without running into traffic on the tight, winding circuit was difficult for everyone. Oriol Servia, driving for Patrick Racing, and Patrick Carpentier, Tracy's teammate at Team Player's, went from the middle to the second and third positions late in the 40-minute session.

Servia's fast lap was L17373, at 97.895. Carpentier got around the 12-turn course in L17391 at 97.872. "It was a little bit of a nightmare out there," Servia said. "It was impossible to get a clear lap." Third place was particularly gratifying to Carpentier after he i rzzz" I V- TAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMP liOiK. I ir-l A II Ik If 1 A ft.

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