rpm.espn.com: Sarah Fisher

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

Put the pedal to the metal in ESPN's
Fantasy Racing 2002.
Get your teams today!

Thursday, December 6

Sarah Fisher
By Jack Arute
ESPN.com

Team: Walker Racing
Nationality: United States

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Poles
Top 5
Top 10
Money
Best finish

2001 19 0 0 1 2 $717,175 2nd, Miami

Career 0 0 2 3 $1,046,625 2nd, Miami

Sarah Fisher
Fisher

2001 Recap
The Good: As the only female to compete full time in the IRL, CART or NASCAR, Sarah generated reams of "mainstream" press attention. Starting the season at 20 years of age, the college freshman became a poster girl for the Indy Racing League's marketing and advertising efforts.

Season Highlight: Sarah finished second in the IRL's second race of the year at Miami-Homestead Speedway behind fellow Generation X-er Sam Hornish Jr.

The Bad: Her performances were plagued by mechanical failures and a series of accidents. Through most of the season, her team underachieved for a variety of reasons, including engineering changes and setup selection.

Season Lowlight: After qualifying a career best second at Richmond, Fisher was knocked out of contention in a singl- car accident. From the start of the race, she struggled with the setup of the car and mercifully retired after the lap 107 incident.

Key Stat: In 13 races, Fisher DNF'ed in all but four events. Miami was the only race where she completed the full scheduled race distance.

Sarah Fisher
Sarah Fisher finished a career-best second-place at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

2002 Outlook
What needs to be done: Car owner Derrick Walker needs to reinfuse a level of confidence in his 21-year-old driver. Sarah has the skills necessary to compete but needs some reassurance that performances will improve. A late season shakeup of Walker's IRL team should go a long way. Apparently, Walker's divided attention between CART and Fisher's IRL operation affected key communication.

Prediction: Walker and Fisher are committed to success in the IRL. The off-season will result in a reassessment of performance parameters. This team will rebound. Early positive results will turn things around quickly. The fact that Fisher remains a gender anomaly will continue to create press created distractions. Two years of handling such issues will make them less severe.

Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

	User comments on Sarah Fisher IRL off-season driver spotlight index