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Tuesday, March 13
Horrific wreck still haunts champ
By Jack Arute
Special to ESPN.com
You can't blame Buddy Lazier if he has a love-hate relationship with Phoenix International Raceway. He went from last to first there last season to start his march to the Indy Racing League championship. But, it was also the scene of a crash that changed his life forever.
|  | | Buddy Lazier went from last to first when he won last season at Phoenix. |
In 1996, Lazier's car suffered a wing de-lamination while at speed during a practice session that resulted in a horrifying crash for the former Junior Olympic downhill skier and a back broken in 40 places. Lazier returned to the IRL less than eight weeks later to win the Indianapolis 500, but still shows the effects of his broken back.
"That was a major injury," Lazier said. "The injury is always a little bit on my mind, but I don't think it affects my driving. If anything, it makes me a better race driver.
"It (the accident) was so traumatic that I'll never forget it. That was a major, major injury with a lot of pain.
"I go into Turn 1 and I try either too hard, because I don't want to give anything up, because that's where I was injured, so you're either too aggressive or you're not aggressive enough. It's constantly on your mind."
Lazier credits the IRL's narrow rules package for his worst to first '00 Phoenix performance.
"I think to me the series is built on the right foundation," he said. "There's a lot of attention to closeness of competition, so that anybody in the field whether you start dead last or start on the pole you can still win the race if you get right on that day."
Everything went right for Lazier in last year's outing. After struggling with his primary car in practice and qualifying a disappointing 24th, Lazier and his owner, Ron Hemelgarn, decided to switch cars.
"We couldn't do anything with the primary car," Lazier said. "I have to tell you, I was frightened in the car, and I don't normally frighten easily."
The team switched to their Riley & Scott backup and dropped to 28th on the grid. To make matters worse, Lazier awoke race morning with a stomach virus. It was just another part of his bad karma at Phoenix.
By the end of the day, however, Lazier became the first driver in IRL history to start last and go on to win a race. He took the lead for the first time on Lap 151 of the 200-lap race only to lose the top spot during his final trip to the pits. By lap 161 Lazier was back in the lead and was never challenged again.
The win helped change Lazier's feelings about Phoenix, but not enough to erase his painful memory.
"Now we know that we can achieve success at Phoenix," he said, "but it still haunts me."
His paradoxical feelings about Phoenix are tough on Lazier, because he enjoys the Arizona desert and the track's fans.
"I love the community and the town," he said. "I have a grandmother that has an apartment here and I love the area."
He says that a good outing in the Pennzoil Copper World 200 on March 18 would help him to love the track.
"We will just have to see which side of the fence this year's visit falls on," he said. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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