rpm.espn.com: IRL downplays CART's Indy influence

ESPN Network: ESPN.com \| RPM \| NFL.com \| NBA.com \| NHL.com \| ESPNdeportes \| ABCSports \| EXPN \| FANTASY

Start your engines!
Play RPM.ESPN Stock Car Challenge!

Win a Honda S2000!
Play The CART Challenge powered by Honda!

Saturday, April 28
IRL downplays CART's Indy influence
Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga. -- The Indy Racing League is downplaying the rivalry with CART, which will send five of its regular drivers to the Indianapolis 500 next month.

The zMax 500 Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway was the final IRL race before the teams head to Indy.


	Sam Hornish Jr. is one of the IRL's favorites to take the traditional swig of milk in the Indianapolis 500 winner's circle.

"You've got work on your own car and try to make it the best it can be," said Jeff Ward, who started second at Atlanta. "It doesn't matter who you're racing against."

Longtime CART owners Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske are both mounting two-car efforts at Indy, while Michael Andretti is returning to the Brickyard for the first time since 1995.

Last year, Ganassi won the 500 with Indy rookie Juan Montoya, who moved from CART to Formula One this year.

"We got beat by Montoya, who just happens to be one of the best drivers in the world," Ward said. "I'm not ashamed of that. Just to stay on the same lap with that guy is an accomplishment."

IRL series leader Sam Hornish Jr. also downplayed Montoya's victory.

"Chip brought the best of everything, the best three of everything," Hornish said. "Juan beat the IRL in the pits. His pit crew was faster than most of the other teams and he was able to get back to speed faster than the other teams. That's what won him the race."

Sarah Fisher doesn't have any hard feelings for CART. Her team, Walker Racing, is the only one that competes in both series on a regular basis, with Tora Takagi driving in CART.

"I go to CART races to support Tora when I'm not racing," Fisher said. "There's not much of a rivalry for us since we're in both series."

The 21-year-old Hornish looks forward to racing against the CART teams.

"They all have a great amount of talent, a great amount of history," he said. "It can only help the race."

In fact, Andretti will be a teammate of sorts, running his Indy team from Panther's facility. Still, it would boost the IRL's prestige to have one of its own win the Indy 500.

"If we beat them, all the much better," Hornish said. "We've got a great bunch of drivers, too."

Rain, rain go away
Rain always seems to find Atlanta Motor Speedway when it's time to race.

After a warm, sunny day, an isolated storm rolled through Atlanta's southside about an hour before the start of the zMax 500.

Track officials could only shake their heads, wondering why they are continually plagued by weather problems.

NASCAR races at the 1.54-mile quad-oval, held in March and November, have been delayed several times by rain. Just last year, the Winston Cup finale was postponed a day because of inclement weather.

Atlanta's IRL race was held in the heat of summer the past three years, but track officials asked for an earlier date this season in hopes of having cooler temperatures.

They weren't counting on the rain, of course. Fortunately, the storm passed quickly and blowers dried the track, allowing the race to begin just a half-hour behind schedule.

500 What?
The Atlanta race was dubbed the 500, even though there's it has nothing to do with that figure anymore.

Under the 208-lap format used the last three years on the 1.54-mile track, the race covered 499.2 kilometers -- or 312 miles.

But the race was shortened to 200 laps this year, which is 308 miles or 492.8 kilometers.

Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

	Ray wins fiery IRL race zMAX 500 results Fiery crash halts IRL race at Atlanta Rain delays start of IRL race Ray drives to the max for Atlanta pole