Monday, July 03, 2000
SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK
IRL drivers tip hats to NASCAR brethren
By Tom Groeschen
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SPARTA, Ky. — It was a rare sight, but there they were. NASCAR Winston Cup and Indy Racing League drivers signed autographs together at Kentucky Speedway, then raced side by side.
Winston Cup recently has dwarfed Indy racing as America's most popular motor sport, and the difference was reflected in longer lines for the NASCAR drivers' signatures. IRL drivers know they are fighting the uphill fight for the entertainment dollar.
“Motorsports seems to go in cycles,” IRL driver Buzz Calkins said. “Ten or 15 years ago, Indy racing was the thing. Now it's NASCAR.”
Steve Park, Michael Waltrip, Kenny Wallace and retired driver Ernie Irvan represented Winston Cup in a special appearance Sunday at Kentucky Speedway. Irvan sat in for the injured Jeremy Mayfield, who did not attend after bruising his shoulder in a wreck in the Pepsi 400 on Saturday night at Daytona.
For the IRL, drivers such as former Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever, Tyce Carlson, Sarah Fisher and former IRL season champion Calkins were meeting and greeting fans.
Park, Wallace, Waltrip, and Indy drivers Stephan Gregoire and J.J. Yeley later participated in a Legends exhibition race, which preceded the night's featured ARCA stock car race.
The Winston drivers were clearly the stars of this show. The speedway track announcer interviewed each over the PA system, and fans cheered as the talk turned to bringing a Winston Cup race to Kentucky.
“It looks like the fans here are hungry for NASCAR,” said Park. “And hopefully we can give it to them.”
Cheever, a former Formula One driver who has competed around the world, said NASCAR has earned its place as king of U.S. auto racing.
“They deserve every bit of the success they've had,” Cheever said. “They've successfully marketed themselves for 52 years, and it's paid off.”
Cheever and top IRL drivers sometimes get to compete against NASCAR's best in IROC (International Race of Champions) events.
“Drivers like (Dale) Earnhardt, it's fun to race them because they just go at it,” Cheever said. “There's bumping and jostling, but there's no whining or complaining.”
ROBINSON A STAR: Shawna Robinson, who started sixth in Sunday's ARCA race, also was a popular autograph choice here Sunday.
Robinson, 35, is the only woman to win a pole position for a Busch series race (Atlanta, 1994). She recently returned from a hiatus that included having two children, who travel with her to most races.
Robinson was trying Sunday night to become the first woman to win an ARCA race in the series' 48 years. She has run up front all year, standing fifth in the season points race.
Robinson has come a long way from the days she drove in the old GATR truck series from 1983-88. As a brassy teen, she would march unannounced into newspaper, radio and TV offices to promote her races.
“That's back when I was just marketing myself,” said Robinson, whose sponsors now include Kmart. “Most people were nice to me, some weren't. A lot of them were interested in doing something on a woman racer, so that was good for me.”
Robinson may run a five-race Winston Cup schedule next year for Michael Kranefuss, who co-owns the Winston teams of Jeremy Mayfield and Rusty Wallace.
IRL TESTS: Eddie Cheever, Sarah Fisher, Alex Barron, Tyce Carlson, Buzz Calkins, and J.J. Yeley tested here Sunday. Fisher, for the second straight day, turned the fastest lap at 217.832 mph.
Cheever, the 1998 Indy 500 champion, had the third fastest lap at 216.113 mph. “You have a beautiful race track here in Cincinnati,” he said.
More Indy teams are expected to test in coming weeks in preparation for the Belterra Resort Indy 300 on Aug. 27.
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