CART: Tracy, Franchitti Road America qualifying
pr...@motorsport.com
struggled with a rain-slicked track in qualifying and will start 24th and
25th respectively for tomorrow's Motorola 200 at Road America.
Rain showers before and during the session caused problems for a lot of
drivers, with many taking off-course excursions, including Tracy and
Franchitti. Before his off-track incident, Tracy posted a fast lap early in
the session of 109.822 mph (2:12.695 seconds) while Franchitti marked a
101.923 mph (2:22.978 seconds) before sliding off the track with eight
minutes to go.
Because of the rain, Franchitti's track record set last season in qualifying
stayed intact (145.924 mph = 1:39.866). Fastest of the day was Kenny Brack,
with a lap of 117.969 mph (2:03.531 seconds) around the 4.048-mile, 14-turn
permanent road course. Second fastest was Alex Tagliani, with a fast lap of
117.832 mph (2:03.674 seconds).
Highlights from today's qualifying will air at 1:00 a.m. EDT Sunday on
ESPN2. CART 2Day airs at 11:00 a.m. EDT Sunday on ESPN.
Drivers will take to the track one more time before the race, with a
30-minute warm-up scheduled for 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The 55-lap Motorola 200
starts at 1:00 p.m. (EDT) tomorrow, and will be televised live by ESPN.
PAUL TRACY
"To say we've had a really tough weekend would be an understatement. It
doesn't seem like we can buy a break. It seems like every time we get in a
position to put in a good lap - clear track with new tires - we get a red
flag or worse. Those circumstances can hit anyone, but they've managed to
find Team KOOL Green too often this weekend. I'm not sure what happened
with the spin. It was really slick out there. We've got a transmission
problem, but I don't know if that happened during the spin or before it.
You never like to start at the back - never. But I came through the field
last year (engine cut out just before the green flag), so I know I can do
it. There's only one strategy tomorrow - flat out from green to checkers.
DARIO FRANCHITTI
"It was a very disappointing session. We went out with what we thought was
a wet setup but it was absolutely not. We came in and made big changes and
then I went off. What can I say, you've got good days and bad days and
today will have to be filed under the latter. We know that yesterday we had
a good car and we'll have to just try to keep focused on the more positive
aspects of this weekend. It was similar at Michigan, I started last and
finished second, and at Cleveland I came from 14th to win the race. The
Team KOOL Green car has served me well under adverse conditions this season.
I have no reason to believe we can't do it again."
-TKG-
---
http://www.motorsport.com -- your source for motorsport news on the Internet