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By KEVIN KELLY
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2001
She is still a story, only now for different reasons.
A novelty when she qualified for the Indianapolis 500 as a 19-year-old rookie, Sarah Fisher has proven to be a legitimate talent in open-wheel racing.
"Last year (the attention) was completely because of my gender," Fisher said during a news conference Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I don't think it really had to do with any racing talent at all because I didn't have the chance to prove it yet. I'd only had three races, and I was such an odd entity they were going to pay more attention to me.
"It was overwhelming for me being so young and unaware, kind of new to the world. This year I've been able to enjoy it so much more."
Fisher, who finished 31st after wrecking last year, qualified on the outside of row five (222.548 mph) for Sunday's event. That means she'll start in front of two of the biggest names in the business -- Al Unser Jr. (19th) and Michael Andretti (21st).
"As far as gaining the respect of my peers, I think I had that almost close to the beginning," she said. "I think there's definitely a lot of respect right now."
With 13 IRL races to her credit, all with Walker Racing, Fisher is on a roll.
She has two top-three finishes in the past five races, including a second-place showing in the Grand Prix of Miami on April 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"For those of us who've worked closely with Sarah right from the beginning it was less of a surprise to us that she had the talent," team owner Derrick Walker said. "In time, that is going to surface even more and show what she can really do."
Which, she hopes, is become the first female driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and not be satisfied with anything less.
"It's not just a jog in the park," Fisher said. "It's still a job that I've got to do. I've still got to produce the results that everybody else does or I'm not doing a good enough job for him. He's put a lot into this team. He really cares about this program and we both do."
ENDURANCE RACE: For Winston Cup drivers in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, exhaustion will set in after NASCAR's longest race concludes Sunday.
But in the engine shops, where mechanics must build an engine more durable than any used for a 500-mile race, the entire week is draining.
Most teams will have about 10 qualifying engines and 15 race engines to choose from this weekend. Qualifying is today.
"Our wives and families know that when this week comes around, they may not see much of us," said Doug Yates, engine builder for Robert Yates Racing.
SCHOOLED IN NASCAR: The Universal Technical Institute and NASCAR broke ground Tuesday on a $12-million facility in Mooresville, N.C., that will house the NASCAR Technical Institute.
Construction is to be completed in spring 2002 with classes to start in the summer. More than 1,800 students are expected to participate in a 57-week program focusing on automotive training and motorsports technology.
- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.
WHAT: Indianapolis 500.
WHEN/WHERE/TV: Sunday, race (Ch. 28, noon).
2000 WINNER: Juan Montoya.
FAST FACTS: The race has taken place every year since 1911, except when the United States was in World Wars I (1917-18) and II (1942-45). Arie Luyendyk set the race record of 185.981 mph in 1990. John Andretti made history in 1994 by competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, N.C., on the same day. Tony Stewart accomplished the feat in 1999 and will try to repeat this year. Michael Andretti will race in his first Indy 500 since 1995. Montoya, who races Formula One, was Indy's first rookie champion since Graham Hill in 1966.
POINTS STANDINGS: 1. Sam Hornish Jr., 136; 2. Eliseo Salazar, 105; 3. Scott Sharp, 96; 4. Jeff Ward, 82; 5. Felipe Giaffone, 80; 6. Buddy Lazier, 73; 7. Sarah Fisher, 72; 8. Buzz Calkins, 71; 9. Greg Ray, 69; 10. Billy Boat, 63.
WHAT: Coca-Cola 600.
WHEN/WHERE/TV: Today, qualifying (FX, 7 p.m.); Sunday, race (Ch. 13, 5 p.m.); Concord, N.C.
2000 WINNER: Matt Kenseth.
FAST FACTS: Jeff Gordon's first Winston Cup victory was the 1994 Coca-Cola 600. He has won seven poles at Lowe's, most among active drivers.
POINTS STANDINGS: 1. Dale Jarrett, 1,559; 2. Gordon, 1,545; 3. Rusty Wallace, 1,497; 4. Johnny Benson, 1,480; 5. Sterling Marlin, 1,421; 6. Ricky Rudd, 1,411; 7. Steve Park, 1,387; 8. Tony Stewart, 1,387; 9. Bobby Hamilton, 1,309; 10. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1,302.
WHAT: Carquest Auto Parts 300.
WHEN/WHERE/TV: Friday, qualifying, 1 p.m.; Saturday, race (Ch. 13, 1 p.m.); Concord, N.C.
2000 WINNER: Jeff Burton.
FAST FACTS: Four of the 19 spring races at Lowe's have been won from the pole. Jeff Gordon won spring and fall races from the pole in 1992. This season, 23 drivers have made their Busch series debuts. Last season 19 made their first start.
POINTS STANDINGS: 1. Kevin Harvick, 1,966; 2. Jeff Green, 1,985; 3. Greg Biffle, 1,821; 4. Jason Keller, 1,812; 5. Mike McLaughlin, 1,670; 6. Jeff Purvis, 1,590; 7. Tony Raines, 1,585; 8. Jimmie Johnson, 1,579; 9. Randy Lajoie, 1,472; 10. Kenny Wallace, 1,455.
WHAT: Monaco Grand Prix.
WHEN/WHERE/TV: Saturday, qualifying, (7 a.m., Speedvision). Sunday, race, (8 a.m., Speedvision); Monte Carlo.
2000 WINNER: David Coulthard.
FAST FACTS: Michael Schumacher has won four times. Juan Montoya, last year's Indy 500 winner, will be in Monaco and will not defend his title.
POINTS STANDINGS: 1. Michael Schumacher, 42; 2. David Coulthard, 38; 3. Rubens Barrichello, 18; 4. Ralf Schumacher, 12; 5. Nick Heidfeld, 8; 6. Jarno Trulli, 7; 7. (tie) Juan Montoya, 6; Heinz-Harald Frentzen, 6; 9. Olivier Panis, 5; 10. (tie) Jacques Villeneuve, 4; Kimi Raikkonen, 4; Mika Hakkinen, 4.
WHAT: Advance Auto Parts Nationals.
WHEN/WHERE/TV: Friday, qualifying, 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 1 p.m. (5:30 p.m., ESPN2, taped); Sunday, eliminations, 11:30 a.m. (3:30 p.m., ESPN, taped); Topeka, Kan.
2000 WINNERS: Gary Scelzi (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Bob Panella (Pro Stock Truck).
FAST FACT: Force has won the past two years.
POINTS STANDINGS: (Top Fuel) 1. Mike Dunn, 630; 2. Larry Dixon, 627; 3. Kenny Bernstein, 625; 4. Doug Kalitta, 595; 5. Darrell Russell, 506; 6. Scelzi, 461; 7. Tony Schumacher, 447; 8. Doug Herbert, 376; 9. David Grubnic, 339; 10. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 315. (Funny Car) 1. Force, 627; 2. Bruce Sarver, 554; 3. Ron Capps, 536; 4. Frank Pedregon, 495; 5. Whit Bazemore, 467; 6. Del Worsham, 446; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 408; 8. Gary Densham, 407; 9. Dean Skuza, 387; 10. Tony Pedregon, 386. (Pro Stock) 1. Warren Johnson, 541; 2. Mark Pawuk, 534; 3. Jim Yates, 531; 4. Coughlin, 498; 5. Kurt Johnson, 495; 6. Bruce Allen, 408; 7. Mark Osborne, 392; 8. Ron Krisher, 361; 9. Richie Stevens, 355; 10. Mike Edwards, 347. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) 1. Matt Hines, 427; 2. Antron Brown, 331; 3. Angelle Savoie, 323; 4. Craig Treble, 280; 5. Geno Scali, 237; 6. Reggie Showers, 232; 7. GT Tonglet, 201; 8. Steve Johnson, 170; 9. Shawn Gann, 170; 10. Joe DeSantis, 150. (Pro Stock Truck) 1. Greg Stanfield, 479; 2. Panella, 465; 3. Randy Daniels, 463; 4. Jeff Gracia, 376; 5. Scott Perin, 223; 6. Don Smith, 208; 7. Todd Patterson, 201; 8. Jeff Naiser, 178; 9. Mike Coughlin, 178; 10. Mike Corvo Jr., 171.
UP NEXT: MBNA e-commerce 200, June 1, Dover, Del.
POINTS STANDINGS: 1. Scott Riggs, 1,190; 2. Joe Ruttman, 1,110; 3. Terry Cook, 1,041; 4. Jack Sprague, 1,029; 5. Travis Kvapil, 1,024; 6. Rick Crawford, 1,001; 7. Ted Musgrave, 984; 8. Ricky Hendrick, 981; 9. Randy Tolsma, 937; 10. Matt Crafton, 833.
UP NEXT: Miller Lite 225, June 3, West Allis, Wis.
POINTS STANDINGS: 1. Kenny Brack, 49; 2. Helio Castroneves, 47; 3. Cristiano da Matta, 40; 4. Paul Tracy, 40; 5. Jimmy Vasser, 30; 6. Gil de Ferran, 30; 7. Tony Kanaan, 26; 8. Scott Dixon, 24; 9. Christian Fittipaldi, 22; 10. Michael Andretti, 20.