Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 56

8D DAYTON DAILY NEWS AUTO RACING Hard work paying off for 18-year-old Sarah Fisher She has been called 'Jeff Gordon in a skirt' i-lrl T7? painted exactly like her dad's sprint car. "Being a racing family, we don't focus on holidays, we focused on racing," Reba said. "That's what marks our calendar." Sarah embraced the sport with open arms. "I always say your family tries to involve you in their similar interests," she said. "Like, if your parents play basketball, they try to get you to play basketball I enjoyed racing so much I went for it, took it as a great hobby and now am trying it as a career." a ff ''i m.

hjUfc Vi.i.mi an Indy car. "The Indy Racing League is not where you learn how to race in those cars," St. James said. "I raced midgets and they have a lot of power, but not like an Indy car. That's a whole new ballgame." David Fisher, Sarah's father, believes his daughter is absolutely ready for the big leagues, mainly because of track experience.

"It takes awhile to adapt, in any auto sport," he said. "Each type of car you get into takes a different technique and you've got to learn that technique. You get in an Indy car, you've got to learn instincts. "Her win percentage and performance against the best in the country has gained her recognition in the entire racing area." Hewitt, who finally competed in his first Indy 500 in 1998, dismisses talk that Fisher isn't ready for the IRL. In fact, he compares her favorably to St.

James and Janet Guthrie, who competed in the Indy 500 before it became an IRL event inl996. "As far as Lyn St. James and Janet Guthrie, she's got more talent than both of them," said Hewitt, who was recently named one of sprint-car racing's 25 greatest drivers of the century. Mack McClellan, a local racing legend and a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, compared Fisher to three-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon. "In my estimation, and this is bold, but she can be the next Jeff Gordon," McClellan said.

"Their background is very similar." Gordon, like Fisher, also began his career behind the wheel of quarter-midgets and go-carts, prompting McClellan to proclaim: "She's Jeff Gordon in a skirt." It figures, considering her family background. Her father raced go-carts and sprint cars for more than 30 years and her mother, Reba, raced go-carts for 10 years. And Sarah's grandmother earned a pilot's license almost 60 years ago. "No one tells us what we can do," Reba said. "We don't teach (Sarah) limitations." And so at age 5 Sarah began racing and asked that her ride be SARAH FISHER SIGNED with Team Pelfrey of Huber Heights on Aug.

24, before test Sept. 1 at Las Vegas Speedway. She will participate in her first IRL race today enduro tracks, after being called "Jeff Gordon in a skirt," she is primed to begin her stiffest challenge. She signed with Team Pelfrey of Huber Heights on Aug. 24, passed the Indy Racing League rookie test Sept.

1 at Las Vegas Speedway under the watchful eye of three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Johnny Rutherford and will participate in her first IRL race today in the Lone Star 500k at Texas LORI CAINASSOCIATED PRESS passing the Indy Racing League rookie in the Lone Star 500k in Texas. currently drives in the North American Auto Racing Series? "With my background, it's not as tremendous a jump as some people think," Fisher said. "I think I'm ready because I want to do this so badly and the ability will come to you. You devote all your time to it and you want to do it. I've done that at all my other events." Many agree that Fisher is ready for the IRL, particularly her peers in NAMARS; but there are doubters, like Lyn St.

James, the only woman to compete in the IRL. St. James, who once taught Fisher in her driver development program, is quick to call Fisher "poised and talented," but hopes she isn't being forced into the IRL "because of someone's sense of urgency." St. James has raced cars since 1974 when she was 27, but didn't take her rookie test to compete in the Indy 500 until 1992. She says Fisher should forget about racing in the IRL this season and spend more time learning how to handle pole for IRL finale When Fisher turned 12, her father gave up racing cars after 30 years to devote more time to his daughter's career.

"It was hard for him to step down from racing," Reba Fisher said. "That makes him a really good father." And Sarah a better driver. A driver consumed by racing. "I have no social life," Sarah admits. "I do have a boyfriend and when I have time, I spend it with him and a couple of friends.

There's no real time to go partying, but that's not the type of person I am." According to those who know her, Fisher is a good student (she graduated from high school with honors and is enrolled at Ohio State) and a smooth driver. "She's got a lot of talent," said Matt Westfall of Ludlow Falls, the defending NAMARS points champion. "She's raced the best in sprints and the best in midgets and she's right up in the front with them." NAMARS driver Wayne of Tippecanoe said as long as Fisher isn't concerned with winning immediately, she'll do OK. He predicts she'll fast become a fan favorite in the IRL, which is starved for a personality to boost its shrinking fan base. "She's a down-to-earth, good person who doesn't have a big head," Chinn said.

"The fans love her. A lot of that is the female end of it. You don't see many females racing." If Sarah Fisher has her way, that should change. Contact Dava Lanct at 225-7492 or e-mail dave lancecoxohio.com id o.ai, The Bushwhackers rormerWWr lug learn Champs Jddli By Dave Lance Dayton Daily News Sprint-car legend Jack Hewitt of Troy drove a long, rocky road to success and isn't quick to gush over newcomers. Especially women.

Where 18-year-old Sarah Fisher is concerned, however, Hewitt makes an exception. "I'm not much on women race-car drivers, but she's come up the hard way and any racer would give her credit," he said. "She doesn't have her helmet off worrying about her hair and looking all pretty. She wants her helmet on. "She's going to get breaks and sponsors no one else can get because she's a woman, but at least she works hard." And her talent matches her work ethic.

An abbreviated list of her accomplishments: 1991, 1992, 1994 World Karting Association Grand National champion, 1993 Circleville champion, 1995 Dirt Track Racing Roundup Rookie of the Year, the first female to win a feature at the famed Winchester Speedway. "After a couple of years, it just came natural to me," Fisher said. Fisher's success isn't altogether unexpected, considering she began her racing career 13 years ago. Now, after all her success in quarter-midgets, go-carts and midgets, after all the experience she's gathered racing on dirt ovals, asphalt road courses, AUTO RACING Ray takes Associated PnEss Greg Ray overcame a series of engine problems to win the pole Saturday for the Indy Racing League's season-ending Mall.com 500 in Fort Worth, Texas, nudging himself closer to the series title. The three points Ray earned for the pole upped his lead in the season standings to 16 over defending champion Kenny Brack and virtually eliminated three others.

Now, only Ray, Brack and Sam Schmidt go into today's race at Texas Motor Speedway with a legitimate chance to win the title and a $500,000 bonus. "It's going to be a Texas-sized shootout," said Ray, who's from nearby Piano. Ray was surprised to do so well in qualifying after blowing out two motors and losing a third to electrical problems. Instead of using a backup car, he opted to go with the engine that was being saved for today. "We just sat down and said what do we do?" he said.

"We decided to go for it. I can't believe it." Mark Dismore, the polesitter when the IRL raced here in June, was leading the field again with a speed of 216.071 mph until Ray beat him with a lap of 216.107. This is the eighth race of 10 this season that Dismore will start in the first two rows. "I'll gladly trade a second place in qualifying for a win," said Dismore, whose best finish is third. "I'm sick and tired of coming up short." Scott Goodyear and Schmidt will start on the second row, with Brack and Davey Hamilton in the third.

"We've been tweaking and tweaking all weekend long, and that gave us a bit more confidence," Brack said. "It wasn't close enough for the pole." Qualifying 17th will be Sarah Fisher, who will become the second female driver in IRL history. At 19, she's also one of the youngest of either gender. "We did OK," she said. "But I wanted to go faster." SKINNER, EARNHARDT SECOND-DAY LEADERS Teammates Mike Skinner and Dale Earnhardt made the best of having to requalify in the second round of time trials for today's Winston 500 in Talladega, Ala.

Skinner led the way Saturday, turning a lap of 196.455 mph to earn the 26th starting position In the 500-mile race. Earnhardt was next at 195.385, and will start 27th in today's 43-car field. Both drivers were forced Into the second round by engine problems during Friday's qualifying. The engine In Skinner's Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet blew up before he could post a qualifying lap, while Earnhardt's failed near the end of a lap that left him 38th overall. "The guys in our engine department really lean on it for qualifying.

You've got to, and I support them 100 percent," Earnhardt said. "It just cost us Friday, But we know what happened to both of them." FRANCHITTI CLAIMS POLE FOR CART RACE Dario Franchitti broke his own lap record to take the pole for today's Gold Coast Indy and also moved closer to Juan Montoya in the CART FedEx points race. Franchitti earned a point for his pole-position win and now trails Montoya by 12 points with two races left, including toay's 65-lap event in Surfers Paradise, Australia. Franchitti broke the his own record set last year by .585 seconds, lowering the mark on the 2.795-mile Surfers Paradise temporary street circuit to 1 minute, 31.703 seconds 109.724 mph. "We haven't had too many poles this year, so we'll take this one," said Franchitti, who won his PENN TERRA PENN TERRA GOLF COURSE 18 HOLES CART Archie Griffin Two time Heisman Jlrophy yvinncr Motor Speedway.

Fisher, who lives in Commercial Point, a few miles south of Columbus, is the youngest driver and second female to compete on the IRL circuit. She has a long list of credentials and was, to use Rutherford's word, "impressive" in passing the rookie test. Could Fisher use more seasoning before getting behind the wheel of an IRL car, a different animal than the midget she second pole position this year and eighth in his career. Even with the pole, Franchitti knows winning won't be easy. "You've got to be inch-perfect, missing the wall and hitting the curbs just right," he said.

STRAIT GETS FIRST SUPERSPEEDWAY WIN Fifty-year-old Bob Strait came up with the first superspeedway victory of his career Saturday, winning the crash-marred Winn Dixie 300 ARCA race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Strait, driving a Ford, started from the pole but lost the lead to Mike Ciochetti moments after the start. Ciochetti went on to lead 41 of the 113 laps, but Strait got back to the top spot on lap 64 and remained in front the rest of the way on the 2.66-mile, high-banked oval. GOLF COURSE 1999 FALL SPECIALS (Effective October 9) 18 Holes Cart WEEKENDS BEFORE 12:00 18 HOLES WALKING PAINT SERVICE i i If W. CARROLLTON Eddie Cheever 1998 winner A 5 i'''r i.l NVA Pro Wrestlers fAlOMUG $17.50 $10.00 (ALL DAY WEEKDAYS AND WEEKENDS AFTER 2:00) 2000 Season Memberships On Sale Starting October 1st 7500 Salem Rd.

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