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Thursday, April 26

Drivers focus in on Atlanta
Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga. – Atlanta Motor Speedway looks nothing like the Brickyard.

Not with those sweeping, high-banked turns and a track that is nearly a mile shorter than Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

But Indy is definitely on the mind of those drivers who arrived at the 1.54-mile quad-oval south of Atlanta for Saturday's zMax 500.

"This is almost like a warm-up to Indy," 20-year-old Sarah Fisher said Thursday. "In fact, we're already preparing for Indy. We've got another car at home getting prepared. We've been strategizing about that race."

Eddie Cheever is 12th in the Indy Racing League standings after two races and looking to build some momentum heading to the world's most famous track.

"I'm telling everyone on my team to just consider Atlanta part of the Indianapolis 500," said Cheever, the 1998 Indy winner. "It is vital. We need more power, better aerodynamics, better driving and more focus."

Series leader Sam Hornish Jr. doesn't feel quite the burden to have a good showing in Atlanta. After all, he already won the first two races at Phoenix and Homestead, Fla.

"Coming into this year, we thought if we won a race or two we'd be happy," Hornish said. "We're to the point now where we're so pumped up. As long as we finish this race, we'll have a lot of confidence going to Indy."

Hornish, who is only 21, and Fisher are former go-cart rivals from Ohio who have emerged as the building blocks for the 6-year-old IRL -- still struggling to create a niche beyond its centerpiece race on the final weekend of May.

Hornish joined the well-financed Panther Racing team this year after a couple of top-10 finishes as a rookie with PDM Racing. Now, he has a chance to equal Kenny Brack's 1998 record for most consecutive IRL victories.

"When Tony George started the IRL, this is what he started it for," Hornish said. "He wanted to give young Americans like me a chance to get in the car. It's kind of neat that this is series is actually doing what it's supposed to do."

Fisher quickly became one of the most prominent drivers in the IRL simply by being a woman in a male-dominated sport. She proved to be more than a novelty at Homestead, running second to Hornish for the best finish of her career and pushing her to sixth in the season standings.

"We haven't won a race yet," said Fisher, who drives for Walker Racing. "But after producing a little bit of results, I think my team is earning all the attention we are getting."

Hornish and Fisher hope to develop the sort of rivalry that might bring fans to the track.

"The big thing this series needs is a poster person, somebody they can market," said Hornish, looking the part with a dash of beard under his lower lip and spiked hair. "The second thing we need to have a WWF-sort of rivalry. That would definitely be good for the series."

This is the earliest date for the Atlanta race, which was held during the humid summer months its first three years. Now, it's the lead-in for the biggest event of the season.

"Though the tracks are very different, a win, good pit stops, or a pole position right before the Indy 500 certainly is a great enthusiasm builder for the team," said Greg Ray, who put on a dominating performance to win last year's Atlanta race. "The guys work so hard, but it is possible to build that momentum and build that confidence."

Ray needs all the confidence he can get. Since capturing the IRL championship in 1999, Atlanta has provided his lone victory in 11 races.

Speed is not a problem for Team Menard. Ray has started third or better in 10 of those events -- including seven poles -- but has been plagued by crashes and mechanical breakdowns.

He was 22nd at Phoenix, 21st at Homestead and already finds himself in an 87-point hole to Hornish.

"We're really frustrated," car owner John Menard said. "We feel like a victory is right there."

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