Race No. 6
Motorola 300
Gateway International Raceway — Madison, Illinois
May 22-24, 1997
Saturday Quotes from drivers and managers at Gateway: | Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda |
| JIMMY VASSER | |
| "It was going great. The car was quick all race long until the last stint. We should have taken new tires. We lost the balance on the car after that. If we keep putting ourselves in a position to win, we'll win." | |
 | Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes-Benz |
| GREG MOORE | |
| "I'm extremely disappointed and frustrated because we had the car to win. I knew I was faster than most. Paul and I were very fast and the car was solid throughout the race. On my fourth pit stop, we only took on fuel and I passed Tracy in the pits. It was an excellent strategy and I was in great position to win. I picked up something on the track, that's what caused the flat tire. I lost a lap in the pits and I lost a second one to the leaders because of cold tires." | |
 | Marlboro Penske Mercedes |
| PAUL TRACY | |
| "Patrick was pulling away. My approach was to get by Greg (Moore), then get by Alex (Zanardi), and try to get into the top three. I got by Alex, and I guess Patrick was trying to conserve fuel. I was able to get a sharp run at him and carry it down the front straight. The car was just really, really hooked up for the last part of the race. I was really fast through Turn 3 and coming off of Turn 4." | |
 | Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford Cosworth XD |
| MICHAEL ANDRETTI | |
| "What a day! It was up and down all day. The car was loose all day. I thought the engine was making funny noises then we had a huge vibration. Tim (Homburg, tire specialist) took it to Goodyear to check the balance. It was six ounces out of balance which is huge in racing. We were out of pit sequence which looked like it was going to work to our advantage when everyone pit for fuel on the yellow for moisture. We led 50-some laps and we're praying for a downpour. We could have kept going under the yellow if a steady sprinkle kept coming down. We made an adjustment on each stop. Everyone got by me after the restart because my car was so loose. Early on in the race I was holding on for dear life." | |
 | Marlboro Penske Mercedes |
| AL UNSER, Jr. | |
| "We knew this was going to be a tough day, but I really didn't think it was going to be this tough. I just didn't have luck on my side at all. My car was working pretty well, we had a little too much understeer, but other than that, we could race with just about anyone. We kept working our way to the front and kept getting knocked right back down. We were bitten by some pit opening sequences a couple of times and in the end our gear box is what got us. My crew fought every step of the way and sometimes that's just not good enough. It's what we call racing luck. The #3 97 Marlboro Penske Mercedes (Paul Tracy) was the lucky car today, so the good news is that we know this team is still on a roll. Maybe in Milwaukee it will be my turn." | |
 | Brahma Sports Team Reynard Ford |
| SCOTT PRUETT | |
| "We were fighting the brake pedal in traffic and the rear brakes were heating up. The pedal went to the floor and I was carrying too much speed into the corner. The back end just came out from under me. I took a big hit. It felt like someone jumped on my chest. The Brahma guys did a great job preparing the car and in the pits. It is disappointing because we are in a championship battle and we need all the points we can get. I have to say that it is really a credit to the designers of these cars that you can take a hit like that and be able to walk away." | |
 | Ralphs/Food 4 Less Della Penna Racing Lola Ford |
| RICHIE HEARN | |
| "It was a wild race to cap-off a very up-and-down weekend for us. The nice thing is to finally finish one after all of he bad luck we've been having lately. The rain and all the yellows certainly made it a tactical war out there. We would have liked to finish higher, of course, but then if you told me this morning we were going to finish ninth I would have been pretty happy." | |
 | Kmart/Budweiser Swift Ford Newman/Haas Racing |
| ROBERTO MORENO | |
| "The gearbox started to seize up for a lap and a half. At first the team thought I had an engine problem because they looked at the telemetry and it said the oil pressure completely dropped. I think they looked at it after I had stopped on track and the (engine) revs were down. It's very disappointing to end early here. We wanted to keep the Kmart/Budweiser car in the race for the fans and employees of Budweiser that came to the race. I hope that having the race will encourage more people in St. Louis and surrounding areas to watch all of our races on TV." | |
 | MCI Arciero Wells Reynard Toyota |
| MAX PAPIS | |
| "We are on a learning curve and sometimes there are bad days. This is one of them. It was a frustrating weekend because we could not run very much, it was just one problem after another all weekend." | |
 | Pennzoil Special Reynard Ford Davis/Craig Racing |
| GUALTER SALLES | |
| "That was hard. The team did a good job to keep me on the lead lap. We got down two or three times, but we never gave up and we would get back the lap. We didn't have the best car this weekend so it was clear from the start we needed to have a conservative race and get to the finish. At other races I have had a good car and we can't get to the end." | |
 | Shell Reynard Ford Team Rahal |
| BRYAN HERTA | |
| "About Lap 45, the cockpit was getting hot. I didn't think much about it. Then after our pit stop, I started smelling some fumes. I finally had to jump out because the fumes were getting to me. It's hard to pass out there. It was like a train and you have to play a waiting game. When I'd get close to another car, my car would start to skate around. It made the car very nervous." | |
 | Team Kool Green Reynard Honda |
| PARKER JOHNSTONE | |
| "With the exception of Tracy, I think we were one of the fastest cars out there. I congratulate the others on their excellent pit strategy. You know, sometimes it works for you and sometimes it works against you, and this time it worked against us. We had a very consistent car, but it was just frustrating. We had some handling problems in the beginning, and we never got the car all the way back. We made adjustments every time I came in, but we just never went quite far enough. With the rain on the track and everything, it was very hard to gauge just how good the car would be at the end. It was a very, very strange day. The most tiring part of the race was the extended yellow, not actually the racing itself. The way I've got myself positioned in the car is for comfort at racing speed. Because of the way the head pads are and everything else, driving around the track at speed feels perfectly normal. But when you slow down, you realize how badly out of alignment your skeleton is." | |
 | Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda |
| ALEX ZANARDI | |
| "The main problem was that we had no radio communication, so you can imagine the problems. It was so disappointing we had that problem because we could have saved fuel. I thought we had plenty, but we didn't have enough, so I ran out completely on the last lap. It is very disappointing but a fine day for the team." | |
 | LCI International Lola Honda Tasman Motorsports Group |
| ANDRE RIBEIRO | |
| "I am pleased with the finish, but we still need to improve. The car was balanced and we are getting more competitive, but we are still learning. It is a step in the right direction." | |
 | Tecate Beer/Quaker State Lola Honda Tasman Motorsports Group |
| ADRIAN FERNANDEZ | |
| "This was our best finish of the season so far. The car was very loose at the beginning and I lost a few positions. We were patient and improved the car a bit after the first pit stop, but it wasn't until the third stop that the car really felt good. I was able to push harder and close the gap. I was able to pass several cars and move up a few positions. It was the move of the year to date for me. The car felt really good after that." | |
 | Valvoline/Cummins/Craftsman Special Reynard Ford |
| GIL de FERRAN | |
| "It was a fantastic job for us. The car was really good on Thursday, but on Friday we lost our way and the balance. We made some changes overnight and the car still was not right this morning, so we gambled on same changes after the warm-up and it paid off. Derek (Walker) made a great call on the last stop; we were able to go to the front of the pack." | |
 | Bettenhaused Racing Alumax Aluminium Reynard Mercedes-Benz |
| PATRICK CARPENTIER | |
| "It's incredible and a very big boost to the team. We now know that we can run with the leaders and win races. It's amazing, I never thought this could happen so early in the season. With two laps to go, Tony Bettenhausen (the team owner) was yelling in the radio save the fuel, save the fuel. They wanted me to use sixth gear to save fuel, but I didn't want to listen at first. But, he came back on the radio and said Patrick, it's better to finish second than to get nothing. So I backed off after being passed." | |
 | Hollywood Reynard Ford |
| MAURICIO GUGELMIN | |
| "I had a couple of close calls. I was right on Fangio's gearbox when his engine blew, and I got all kinds of stuff all over my visor. My car drifted up into the marbles and I was lucky to save it. Later, Pruett lost it in front of me, but I had a little room to work with and was able to stay on the power and get inside of him. We're still looking good. We've been competitive at every circuit. It seems you have to be consistent and run hard and the wins will come to you. It's just a matter of catching some breaks. You can't chase it-that's the only way you can think about it." | |
 | Team Kool Green Team manager |
| BARRY GREEN | |
| "Seventh-place points are really valuable at this time of the year. It was an up-and-down day for us. The car worked well in the middle of the race, but not so well at the beginning or the end. All in all, we stayed out of trouble and got in the points." | |