Lazier Dominates Richmond

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Jul 2, 2001

The IRL met the short track on June 30, and Buddy Lazier came out on top, dominating the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway. It was his second consecutive victory of the year, and he truly was dominate as he led 224 of the 250 laps. His victory put him in the record books along with Scott Sharp as winners of the most IRL events, six.

After the race, Lazier told the press, "This is one of the most physically demanding races I’ve run. I’m beat. We picked up a lot of momentum. This is two weeks in a row. I can’t believe it. It’s an amazing day." For most of the race he battled Eliseo Salazar and Eddie Cheever, Jr., but on lap 214 Cheever and Salazar tangled in Turn 3 when Cheever tried to pass Salazar on the low side. Both cars hit the outside wall and were finished for the night. Cheever was unhurt, while Salazar was taken to a Richmond hospital for X-rays.

This was the first race on a track of less than a mile in length for the IRL series, and they found that racing on a short track made for lots of bumping and banging, much like sprint cars, which most of the drivers in the IRL have driven. The track was damp much of the night, with one delay being made for rain, and this added to the slick conditions that contributed to several spins.

Sam Hornish, Jr. finished second in the event, and Al Unser, Jr. finished third. Hornish was quoted as saying after the race, "We were really hooked up there at the end. We really had a good set of Firestone tires. It was pretty slick to start off, but it kept getting better and better toward the end for me."

The next race for the IRL will be at the new Kansas Speedway, located just outside of Kansas City. This new facility should prove interesting, since it is basically a "D" shaped track and speeds should be very fast. Of course, the heat in Kansas City may play a role in the final outcome, since July is notorious for hot temperatures in the Kansas City area.

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