Sunday
Sarah Fisher Makes History With Eighth Indy 500 Qualifying Attempt
Press Release“With Well Wishes From Janet Guthrie, Fisher Clocks Fastest Speed Of Month”
“The first run was a little hairy,” said Fisher, who is making her second qualifying effort at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway under the umbrella of Sarah Fisher Racing. “We just had to readjust some things from our first attempt and put in a solid run in our second time around. We were a little quicker than we were all week today, by ourselves, so I was really happy with that.”
Fisher began her attempt to qualify for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 on Saturday’s “Pole Day” with 16 laps during the morning practice session and, before retiring to her SFR garage for most of the afternoon, bypassing the teams original spot in the qualification line. Meanwhile, the stage was being set for the first 11 spots in the 33-car field. The team, then, returned to pit lane for “Happy Hour” after passing through the Indy Racing League technical inspection three minutes before it was set to close.
The No. 67 Dollar General crew sat in their pit box awaiting a window to do several simulated practice qualification runs. Unfortunately, the team could not find a window to practice and, instead, put themselves in line to make a qualification attempt. With a number of other competitors in line, their quest to make the Top 11 went unfulfilled, as the gun fired to end the day.
“We would have liked to have qualified Saturday, but with the weather and needing to make readjustments to the car, it just wasn’t in the cards,” continued Fisher.
Instead, SFR would have to wait until Sunday’s 2nd Day Qualifying to gain a spot in the second group of positions, spots 12-22. The team returned to pit lane for 25 minutes of practice, turning 9 laps with a best speed of 222.289 mph, before they rolled to the qualifying line.
Fisher completed her first attempt in the No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing Honda powered Dallara, with an average speed of 219.991 mph. Her four laps were: 222.661, 217.376, 220.561 and 219.116 mph. Her second laps’ speed was hampered as she wiggled coming out of the short-shoot in Turn 1.
“Boy, that first run really woke me up; obviously I didn’t have enough coffee this morning,” said Fisher, who was first out to qualify on Sunday. “The car just had too much push in it and wouldn’t take the extra speed going into Turn 1, with the wind. We then went back to our pit to make sure the car would tolerate that extra entry speed.”
SFR withdrew their first qualifying attempt to try for a more consistent run. Fisher’s second set of laps were 222.477, 222.230, 222.081 and 221.542 mph, giving her an average speed of 222.082 mph for her second attempt of the day.
When asked how things have changed since 2008, Fisher said, “I had yet to be in the right place at the right time for 10 years, and we are so lucky to have Dollar General by our side this year. A lot of people put their lives on the line to start a business and we were no exception. My husband, Andy, and I were committed to starting this team even though we didn’t really have the means to do it. Dollar General saw us struggling and stepped in and saved us.”
SFR will return to the racetrack Thursday afternoon in preparation for Fisher to make her 8th start in the Indianapolis 500, marking the most number of starts for a woman in the 93-year history of the race.
Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500, called Fisher this morning to wish her luck.
“Janet told me to be smart today,” said Fisher.
Just as Fisher reached the end of her press conference, she was asked what she would write on her Twitter for the day.
Fisher replied, “Thank God.”
The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues May 24 with the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition (HD) at 1 p.m. (EDT) on ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com, with broadcast coverage summaries available at www.indycar.com and www.sarahfisher.com.
About Sarah Fisher:
At just 28 years old, Sarah Fisher has already competed in seven Indianapolis 500′s, been voted “Most Popular Driver” four times in two separate Series (IndyCar and NASCAR), been awarded “Indy’s Best & Brightest Leaders Under 40″ and enters her second season as a team owner in 2009. Fisher is the first woman to qualify fastest for a major North American open-wheel event, the fastest woman to ever qualify for the Indy 500 and is the youngest woman to compete at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fisher has been a guest or profiled on a variety of national platforms such as, LIVE! With Regis & Kelly, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Today Show, Glamour, People and Forbes Magazine, to name a few. In 2008, she formed her own race team: Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR), and made her first start as a team owner in the IndyCar Series’ Indy 500. In May 2009, she will attempt to make her eighth start in the Indy 500, marking the most number of starts for a woman in the 93-year history of the race.
About Sarah Fisher Racing, LLC
Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) is an auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series, founded by IndyCar Series veteran racer, Sarah Fisher. Fisher announced plans to become the IndyCar Series first female owner/driver and the youngest team owner on February 27, 2008, at Homestead-Miami Speedway alongside her father-in-law and Team Co-Owner, John O’Gara. The team will compete in at least six IndyCar Series events in 2009, which includes the Indianapolis 500 with backing from Dollar General Stores.
- Sarah Fisher Racing Press Release
Article Tags: IndyCar, Press Release
