IROC: IROC at Indy Pre Race Driver Quotes
6 August 1999
DRIVER QUOTES ON IROC Kenny Brack: (IROC Rookie Season) - The 1999 INDY 500 Winner "It will be fantastic to get back to Indianapolis again after our tremendous success there in May when we won the Indy 500. It's going to be exciting to race stock cars there, especially in front of the best fans in the world. The NASCAR guys will, as always, be hard to beat in these types of cars but I hope knowing the track will bring me some extra speed to reach a podium finish. Realistically, I am looking to improve on my current championship position and also finish best among the open wheel driver in the series. Overall, it's been a very interesting first year in IROC, and has by far met my expectations. Now I only hope I get invited back next year so I can make use of what I learned this year". Adrian Fernandez: (IROC Rookie Season) "I am very excited to go back to Indy and run my last race for IROC. The track being different from the other races, I will have to adapt but I am excited to take the challenge and get back in the car. I hope to finish strong with positive results. It is a shame there are only four races." Eddie Cheever Jr.: (IROC Rookie Season) "It's been quite a year! I had a fairly good start in Daytona; at Talladega, I couldn't hold anyone's tow, and then, at Michigan, a spark plug lead fell off, which was a big disappointment to me because I was really enjoying my practice runs there. I guess you could say I haven't had much luck so far this season and we're going into the seventh inning stretch." "Indy is a very special place for me. It was the motivating factor for me leaving my Formula One career to return to the United States and attempt to learn how to conquer the great American ovals." "If I have any advantage here, it will be that I consider it my home track, but in the end, I know Indy from a single seater's perspective and come race day, that's just not gonna cut it. I plan to test here every day I possibly can and make my final IROC showing one my Indy brethren are proud of." Jeff Gordon: (5TH Series) "The IROC Series is a lot of fun. I'm especially looking forward to our next IROC race at Indy. I grew up right down the road in Pittsboro and Indy is one of the few places that we go that I actually get cheers from the fans." "Racing at Indy is an unbelievable experience. When I was growing up I always dreamed of racing there and when I decided to go NASCAR racing, I didn't know if I ever would. Then when the Brickyard 400 was added to the NASCAR schedule in '94, I was thrilled. Being able to, not only race there, but to win there, really fulfilled all of my dreams of racing at Indy." "Then the IROC race was added and being able to compete against champions of all forms of motorsports, at a place like Indianapolis Motor Speedway where some of the all-time greatest drivers in the history of the sport have raced, is a real honor." Greg Moore: (IROC Rookie Season) "I tested an Indy car in 1995 at Indy and managed to go 227 m.p.h. I will have a couple of days to test the IROC car at Indy and am really excited about finally racing at the Brickyard." "I have enjoyed the IROC races and all the NASCAR people I have met; made me feel right at home. Hopefully we can have a good result at Indy" Mark Martin: (8th Series) "It will be just short of a miracle for me to beat Earnhardt for the championship now. I still feel good about my chances for winning the race at Indy, but I doubt he will finish last. I really enjoyed racing the IROC cars at Indy last year and I think it's a great place to have the series finale. I hope to win at least one IROC race this year, but it won't be easy." Dale Earnhardt: (15th Series) "We have had a big time in the IROC series this year," said Dale Earnhardt. "It isn't easy to win a race with 11 other champions racing against you. I've won all three this year, but it wasn't easy. In all the IROC races I've watched and have raced, I don't remember any closer finishes than what we've had in all three races this year." "We're going to Indianapolis for the final race and it is going to be tough to win. Most of the drivers have raced at the Brickyard and half of them have been to the famous winner's circle and know what a special feeling that is. It has been a tremendous time for me and I think Dale Jr. too. The finish at Michigan will be a memory that I will cherish for a lifetime. To race against one another for an International Race of Champions victory just doesn't happen everyday. Now we're racing together at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a landmark in motorsports history, that will be special." "My attitude is, it is mine to lose. Mark has represented this series as its champion and I don't expect him to rollover and give it to me. He's a tough competitor, I think we've seen his determination in the past couple of weeks and the valiant effort he has given while injured. Mark has to win the race for any chance to clinch the championship and I have to finish something like eighth with no bonus points. If I can stay out of trouble and finish decent, I believe we'll have a good chance of winning the championship."
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