Race No. 6
U.S. 500 - Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, MI
May 26, 1996
Practice Quotes from drivers and managers at Michigan:
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#12 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda |
JIMMY VASSER | |
| "[Starting on the pole] is a great accomplishment for me and Target/Chip Ganassi Racing. And there's $1 million in cash to get to the checkered flag first, and I hope I can get it." | |
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#3 Marlboro Penske Mercedes |
PAUL TRACY | |
| [about his accident Friday]"We were running in our backup car because we were saving the primary car for race day. We were setting up to pass the #2 car [Al Unser, Jr.] on the outside, and we just got too tight for two cars; so I had to get out of it and the rear end came around. Unfortunately, the front end took a heavy shot and the left front corner is damaged, so the chassis needs to go back to Penske Cars for repair." | |
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#2 Marlboro Penske Mercedes |
AL UNSER, Jr. | |
| "Basically, Paul was trying to pass me on the outside and showed up late.
There were no apologies on my side. He was
on a hot lap and tried to do something ... he ran out of room. "We were all lucky. [about his car for the race]: "My Marlboro car is really good. The handling is super. Right now the biggest thing on our minds is to get to the front of the race. If we can do that, we'll be in great shape at the end." | |
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#19 Panasonic/DUSKIN Lola Ford Cosworth |
HIRO MATSUSHITA | |
| "I was just getting started, going out for the warm up. I saw [Unser] go by and then I saw another car flash in my mirror. Then I felt the whack as I was hit in the rear. Considering this is Michigan, we were lucky to sustain only suspension damage." | |
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#20 Firestone Lola Ford Patrick Racing |
SCOTT PRUETT | |
| "This week has gone without a hitch. We've run at the top of the track and the bottom and we've been able to run in traffic. The car and the tires have been terrific. I can't believe it. The speed has been easy. I'm not doing anything special. Knock on wood that it will continue tomorrow." | |
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#49 Motorola Reynard Honda Brix Comptech Racing |
PARKER JOHNSTONE | |
| "We're approaching last year's car. We found a good part of the problem and we're concentrating on getting the car in as good a shape for tomorrow." | |
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#99 Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes-Benz |
GREG MOORE | |
| "We had a very good day. The car we'll use for the race is ready, and we are now working on the backup to improve the setups. Both cars are set up identically. During today's three sessions, I started rather slowly. I dislike going fast at the beginning of a session. It's important to be comfortable with the car before reaching speeds in excess of 230 miles per hour. Tomorrow, we will work on better balancing the car, even though our Players' Team has already delivered a very good and dependable car. I think our chances for Sunday are excellent. Winning here at such a major event is great and the first prize of $1 million really adds to the package." | |
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#6 Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Lola Ford Cosworth XD |
MICHAEL ANDRETTI | |
| [While in backup car] "My leg got real hot and I started to panic because I thought I might be on fire. We thought maybe the engine blew but actually a hose clamp broke and spilled hot water on my leg. I started the session in my race car. I'm really happy with it. It's really good in traffic and alone. I think we will put on a quality show tomorrow. The fans will see the best race cars and the best drivers. It could turn out to be a really exciting race. It was really close last year and the competition is even better this year." | |
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#11 Kmart/Budweiser Lola Ford Newman/Haas Racing |
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI | |
| "We ran very little in the race car. We just wanted to check everything out one last time before the race. We ran in the 227-228 mph range comfortably with a good fuel load. I think our car will handle very well in the race. We just need to make sure we make the checkered flag. It would be great to win the U.S. 500. This time last year, I scored my highest Indy car finish [second place in the Indy 500]. I'd like to do just as good here, if not better." | |
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#21 PacWest Reynard Ford Cosworth |
MARK BLUNDELL | |
| "I'm reasonably happy with
our progress today. We ran a high fuel load in each session and the car was
generally comfortable and useable in traffic. We're slightly down on speed,
but that's stabilized and now we just need to make the car as user-friendly
as possible by Sunday. "We did 21 laps on the race car and a few more in the backup to play with the bars and see if we could find out anything else. I could draft up to the Reynards quite well, but it was a little more difficult to do the Lolas." | |
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#28 Shell Reynard Mercedes-Benz Team Rahal |
BRYAN HERTA | |
| "We're very pleased with the car. Both Bobby and I were able to scrub all of our tires for the race and we feel confident and we're ready. You won't be able to cruise on Sunday. It will be an all-out fight, especially with the Hondas. They still have plenty of power. Bur our Mercedes should be right in there." | |
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#4 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda |
ALEX ZANARDI | |
| "Two weeks ago, I was going fast, and it was not incredibly difficult to adapt to a new circuit. But in those two weeks, I've had time to think about it. When I went out this morning, I was much more comfortable and had much better sensitivity. I have the best combination with the Honda engine, Firestone engine and Reynard chassis." | |
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#31 LCI International Lola Honda Tasman Motorsports Group |
ANDRE RIBEIRO | |
| "Like everyone else, we
were working on preparing the car for the race, running all possible
situations and conditions, and exploring the various racing lines. I think
we have a very good car, but I was amazed to see how close everyone is right
now. "It's a very similar track to [qualifying weekend]. It's good for the team to have both cars competitive, and we definitely help each other." | |
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#32 Tecate Beer/Quaker State Lola Honda Tasman Motorsports Group |
ADRIAN FERNANDEZ | |
| "The car is very good in
traffic. We tried a few different adjustments this session, and everybody's
happy. We're very pleased with the car. "We were consistent all practice and I think we were the most consistent in all the practice sessions. We've been either second or first. The car has been good. We are just massaging the settings to make it work a little better." | |
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#5 Valvoline/Cummins/Craftsman Special Reynard Ford |
ROBBY GORDON | |
| [On his goal in the primary car]: "Be nice to it. It's got to run 500 [miles], and we probably did about 20 miles on the engine. We want to keep as many miles as we can off of it. I never did a burnout leaving pit lane in my primary car. That was all in the "X" car. I was just making sure I don't stall it." | |
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#18 Miller Racing Reynard Mercedes-Benz Team Rahal |
BOBBY RAHAL | |
| "It looks like the weather will be similar to today [Friday], and that's good. Cool temperatures should make for an excellent race. It also means that we'll be flat out all day on Sunday. Last year, I tried to pace it a little and I got behind. To stay up front, you have to race at a tremendous pace. That means 228, 229, 230 per lap, especially with the draft." | |
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#17 Hollywood Reynard Ford |
| photo Mike Levitt | |
MAURICIO GUGELMIN | |
| "We made a lot of
changes on the springs this last session, going from stiffer to softer, but
none of the changes made the car much better. We also tried three different
pop-off valves to try and get some boost. Basically, the car was better this
morning than it was in the last session. "We're still having problems with the pop-off valves. The boost just isn't there. I'm not even running 40 inches of boost. Mark's valves are like a rocket, but both of ours are terrible." | |
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#25 Arciero-Wells Racing Reynard Toyota |
JEFF KROSNOFF | |
| "We were able to see higher speeds today with the updated engine than we have all month, and we've improved the chassis today as well. It's nice to believe that you can race with guys now. That extra edge, the extra bit of performance that they found is going to make a huge difference in our race strategy. We are going to actually be able to challenge people rather than waiting for people to come back to us." | |
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#15 Valvoline DuraBlend Special Reynard Ford |
| photo Mike Levitt | |
FREDRIK EKBLOM | |
| "The balance
in the car is pretty good. We had a lot to do in a short amount of time
today scrubbing tires, checking the set-up, practicing our pit stops. "I don't know how much sleep I'll get tonight. But, it's not really because I'm nervous. It's because I'm excited. It's definitely going to be a busy day at the race track" | |
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#1 Brahma Sports Team Reynard Ford Cosworth |
RAUL BOESEL | |
| "We ran well today, we scrubbed tires, ran mostly full tanks and prepared for the race. We have a whole range of tires and staggers we can choose from. We need to make a few adjustments on the car, so it's more comfortable for me. In terms of the race, we just need to concentrate on ourselves, not worry about what the others are doing, and look to the finish." | |