THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 23, 1997 TAG: 9701230528
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: 58 lines
As the General Motors teams concluded January testing at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, the Indy Racing League prepared to race in Orlando with new vehicles that sound suspiciously like stock cars.
Sterling Marlin topped the speed chart as the NASCAR Winston Cup teams wrapped up January testing for the Feb. 16 Daytona 500. The two-time Daytona 500 winner reached 188.620 mph in his No. 4 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Second-fastest was Dale Earnhardt, who sorted out his Chevy well enough with new crew chief Larry McReynolds to reach 188.324. Third-fastest was Ken Schrader at 188.190, followed by Terry Labonte at 188.088 and Robby Gordon at 187.915.
No GM driver was able to touch the 189.458 mph reached by John Andretti on Jan. 15 in a Ford Thunderbird.
``Clearly, our best speeds are a little bit short of the Ford speeds,'' General Motors chassis engineer Terry Laise said. ``So I don't see any major change in the competitive balance from last year. We've been down on power here, we still are and we need some help.''
The fastest Pontiac was driven by Bobby Hamilton, who was 13th-fastest in the No. 43 Grand Prix at 186.432 mph. Laise and several Pontiac drivers said the Grand Prix also needs help, such as a spoiler height concession, from NASCAR.
``I think the Pontiacs need a little something,'' said Derrike Cope, who was 21st-fastest Wednesday at 185.124 mph. ``We could use a little spoiler to get us a little speed, at least to be even with the Chevys.''
As the GM teams packed up for a 15-day break before returning for Speedweeks practice on Feb. 7, the sounds of engines much like those of NASCAR stock cars were reverberating through Walt Disney World as the IRL prepared for Saturday's season opener.
The IRL will be using new, simpler chassis this year and stock-block, normally aspirated engines.
There's been trouble getting enough new parts, particularly Nissan engines, for the entrants, but IRL director Leo Mehl said during a press conference that he expected 18 cars on the grid Saturday.
The IRL is the brainchild of Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George, who has been taking cues from NASCAR and its president, Bill France, as George created his new oval-track series.
``The relationship is around oval racing,'' said Mehl, the former racing chief at Goodyear. ``I think that the Brickyard (NASCAR race) at Indy was a great cementing factor. Tony George and Bill France had to develop a great relationship to make that big step.''
The IRL, in turn, is taking a big step with its move into NASCAR territory with a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on July 26.
``If we had tried to go to Charlotte 10 years ago, I don't think we could have been successful,'' Mehl said. ``But there's a lot of interest. The race is going to make it because the facility is wonderful and what we're doing is different.
``We're going to race at night. And I've gotta believe that on that Saturday night that we race, most racing people in the United States will be very curious to see what we do in Charlotte.''