SPARTA, KENTUCKY - Sarah Fisher climbed from her car, broke into a mile-wide smile and buried her face in her hands.
The 21-year-old driver, already in her fourth season in the Indy Racing League, became the first woman to win the pole position in a major auto race Saturday when she nudged Billy Boat from the top spot in qualifying for the Belterra Casino Indy 300.
``I've never been this excited to race. Just get me in the car!'' she said. ``It's amazing how much fun you have when things are going right.''
Fisher, who left Walker Racing after last season, was without a ride until she joined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and teammate Robbie Buhl and finished fourth at Nazareth, Pa., in her first start this season. She led four laps late in the race at Michigan two weeks ago before finishing eighth.
``Being a woman in racing is nothing I've ever looked at seriously. I've always just been a driver,'' said Fisher, who in 1999 became the youngest driver in IRL history.
``To be able to be just a driver with competitors like Billy, like Robbie, that's all that matters in my heart,'' she said.
Fisher, who turned a lap on the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway tri-oval at a track-record 221.390 mph, will lead the 25-car starting field Sunday.
While Fisher became the first woman to take the pole in a major series, Shawna Robinson won poles for a NASCAR Busch Series race in 1994 at Atlanta and a 2000 ARCA event in Michigan.
Boat, who in 1998 set an IRL record with six poles, qualified at 221.364, with Felipe Giaffone next at 220.430 and Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves fourth at 220.387. Sam Hornish Jr., knocked off the pole by Boat, was next at 220.341.
``We can't complain,'' Boat said of his second-place start.
Fisher, whose best previous start was second at Richmond last year, went out among the early qualifiers and took a warmup lap before coming in without making an attempt.
Waiting until later in the qualifying order, as the track temperature - which started the day at more than 120 degrees - cooled under lengthening shadows, Fisher steered her G Force-Infiniti into racing history.
``It's been a long year for me, not having a job at the beginning at the season,'' she said. ``It's just been a recycle of my first year in Indy cars, because I've had to regain my confidence. Now I know I can do that every single lap. It's been great up to now.''
Fisher also was fastest in the final practice Saturday morning, turning a lap at more than 222 mph.
``We've been working on the car every race, getting it a little further,'' she said. ``We got it to the point it's fast and easy to drive. When it's easy to drive, it's fun. It's when it's loose or pushing like crazy that you don't want to come to the race track.''
Boat, who started from the pole at Nashville last month, said Fisher is a legitimate contender.
``She's come a long way this year. You can see she's gotten her confidence back. That's good to see,'' Boat said. ``She's been fast all weekend, and there's no reason she won't be fast in the race, so she's definitely a favorite.''
Led by Fisher, the top 11 qualifiers on the newly repaved track broke the former record of 219.191 mph by Scott Goodyear two years ago. Among the others were two-time defending race winner Buddy Lazier, who qualified ninth at 219.866, and IRL points leader Gil de Ferran, who qualified 10th at 219.557.
Al Unser Jr., who missed the past two races while undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse, qualified 14th at 218.328.
``It felt great,'' Unser said of his return to racing. ``It's like skiing. Once you learn it, you can do it the rest of your life. Or riding a bike. You just get back on it and ride away.''
He said his start from the middle of the pack shouldn't be that important in the race.
``The draft is real big, so getting in the show good and safe is really what's important,'' he said. ``Then having a good race car that's very consistent, that's what's important.''
Tuesday
October 22nd, 2024
1:30AM
