Drivers Won’t Buy Indy Clash

The first year was for credibility. This year, it’s back to racing.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for practice on Saturday with new cars, new drivers, and a who-needs-‘em attitude about the rival Indy-car series, Championship Auto Racing Teams.

“I think all the glitz and glamor we went through last year … now it’s not something that’s unexpected. It’s expected,” second-year Indy driver Tony Stewart said Thursday. “So this year, it’ll be a little easier to focus on getting your work done each day and going out and trying to be fast.”

Last year’s 33-car field was the fastest ever for the 500, averaging 227.807 mph in qualifications. But speeds won’t be nearly that fast this year because of the new chassis and engines mandated by the Indy Racing League, which appears no closer to a reconciliation with CART than it did a year ago.

So what, asked Stewart, one of the young, rising stars in Indy racing - CART or IRL.

“I think both series can survive on their own,” he said. “I think CART is a strong series, and I think their vision of where they want Indy-car racing to go in the next 10 years is right for what they want to do, but I think (Speedway president and IRL founder) Tony George had a vision of where he wants the IRL to be in the next 10 years, and I think he’s very right on what he’s trying to do also.”

Jarrett hits the road

If there’s one thing Dale Jarrett wants to round out his resume, it’s a road-course victory.

“It makes us a little more determined, I think,” Jarrett said as he prepared for this weekend’s Save Mart Supermarkets 300 at Sears Point Raceway. “(We want) to show we have all the facets of our game together.”

Nestled in the wine country of Sonoma County in Northern California, Sears Point’s twisting 2.52-mile track is quite a hurdle for Jarrett, who admits road courses aren’t his forte.

“It’s the biggest challenge we have on the Winston Cup circuit, as far as I’m concerned. (Sears Point) wasn’t built with stock cars in mind, absolutely,” he said. “They didn’t think about having 3,400-pound cars with 700-some horsepower out here going around. It is a challenge, and I think that’s what I enjoy about it.”

No need to share

Thanks to a rain shower, Warren Johnson didn’t have to share his record with anyone else.

Rain wiped out the final round of last weekend’s NHRA event at Virginia Motorsports Park, but by that time Johnson had already set a speed record.

During qualifying, the 53-year-old, three-time pro stock champion from Duluth, Ga., became the first driver to push a pro stock car past 200 mph, reaching 200.13 in a Pontiac Firebird. He then increased the mark to 200.53 in the first round of the finals before the rain.