Pep Boys 400K
Summary: Scott Sharp proved to be the class of the field in a bizarre, crash-filled race. The IRL's first visit to Dover proved to be a rough race for a number of teams, as the high-banked mile track, better known as a stock-car venue, proved a tough nut to crack for the Indycar teams. Tony Stewart, back in a G-Force chassis for the first time since Phoenix, broke the IRL's all-time qualifying record for a one-mile track (a record that had been set at Phoenix in an old car in 1996), in addition to shattering the Dover track record by some 30 MPH. The field was pretty tightly bunched as even Jim Guthrie, just returning with a new team after his Indy crash, qualified respectably despite having run zero laps at speed in practice owing to various car problems. The car count was low due to John Menard's having withdrawn the Robbie Buhl and J. J. Yeley entries in what was said to be a dispute with the IRL over rules enforcement, as well as the absence of Stan Wattles (whose withdrawal left only the Riley & Scott factory team to represent that make), and the withdrawal of Buzz Calkins's team after practice. Further complicating the R & S situation was a serious crash that Eliseo Salazar suffered on Saturday, leaving him with a broken pelvis. (Scott Harrington would start their car on Sunday, but it was withdrawn after completing only one lap.) The start of the race was something of a surprise as Davey Hamilton, from his front-row spot, jumped Stewart on the start and assumed the lead. However, Stewart (in a G-Force chassis, rather than the Dallara that the team had been racing since Indy), quickly retook the lead and was on his way. Soon the field began dividing into packs, with Stewart and Scott Sharp contesting the lead, followed by a group including Jeff Ward, Scott Sharp, and Mark Dismore. However, on lap 21 Ward smacked the wall exiting turn 4; his car spun down the banked front stretch and Scott Goodyear collided with Jack Miller trying to avoid Ward. Goodyear was able to continue after a nose change, but Ward and Miller were out. Meanwhile, Kenny Brack was having a disappointing day, in and out of the garage area with engine problems. During the yellow, the leaders pitted but Raul Boesel stayed out, inheriting the lead for the first time in his IRL career. Shortly after the green, though, Stewart took the lead back from Boesel. If he was disappointed, Dismore was more so; his engine blew on lap 42, marking the first of many mechanical failures that struck nearly every car in the field over the course of the day. After the yellow for Dismore's engine, Stewart began to stretch out his lead with only Sharp remaining in contact; meanwhile Hamilton contested third with Eddie Cheever and Greg Ray (substituting for the injured Billy Boat). Owing to the very short laps (lap times were in the 20-second range), many cars were lapped by the time Sam Schmidt spun and hit the wall exiting turn 4 on lap 95, wiping out a remote-controlled CBS camera in the process. After the green, Sharp led but things got testy immediately when Cheever and Ray touched wheels in turn 2 and crashed heavily on the backstretch. Both drivers came out of their cockpits uninjured and angry and had to be separated. Replays were inconclusive, although later statements by Cheever seemed to indicate that he thought he was clear of Ray, which he was not. (Cheever, being examined in the infield care center, demonstrated his health by jumping off the examining table and doing pushups.) The attrition began to have some interesting effects on the running order as Robby Unser was up to 3rd, Lazier (who had been very slow early) was in contention and Marco Greco, who was fast in practice but lost an engine in qualifying, cracked the top-10 along with Steve Knapp making his second IRL start. Stewart pitted during the yellow with an unusual problem brought on by the rough Dover surface: the dashboard had fallen off into his lap! There was concern about shorting out the engine computer wiring, but the dash was finally taped back up in a series of stops, and without losing a lap. After the green, the attrition continued; Boesel retired with a blown engine on lap 125, and then Knapp clouted the wall on lap 150. He was taken out on a backboard but no serious injuries were found. During the caution, Hamilton, who appeared to perhaps be on his way to his first IRL win, had to pit for a new engine computer and lost two laps which he was never able to make up. At the end of the caution, several cars stopped to top off fuel, but the jacks on Arie Luyendyk's car collapsed and there was concern about the rear suspension, which would resurface later. After green on lap 164, Sharp led Lazier, Unser, Stewart, and Luyendyk; but Stewart dropped from the running order shortly after because his car would not steer properly. The crew traced a wisp of malodorous smoke to a failed half-shaft joint, which was replaced but at a cost of many laps, taking Stewart out of contention. The pace was very fast and by lap 184 only Sharp, Lazier, Unser, and Luyendyk remained on the lead lap. Unser dropped from that list when he crashed in turn 4, suffering a foot injury and completing a weekend of total devestation for Team Cheever. Lazier's crew outdid Sharp's on the subsequent pit stops, and he led after the green until repassed by Sharp on lap 203. Simultaneously, the rear end of Luyendyk's car (damaged by the jack failure earlier, perhaps) abruptly snapped around in turn 3, putting him into the wall for the final caution in this crash-filled race. After the green, Sharp rapidly built up a large led, which he held until he began slowing his pace around lap 235. This provided the final bit of drama and almost proved to be Sharp's undoing, as Lazier rapidly cut down the lead and made a final charge to finish only a car length behind at the checkered flag. (In fact, Sharp's car was so slow on the final straight that Lazier had to lock his brakes to avoid ramming Sharp after taking the flag.) Only ten cars finished, with all of those except the top three experiencing one kind of mechanical difficulty or another. Marco Greco kept his nose clean and was rewarded with third place, the best finish of his IRL career; Brian Tyler's 12th was also his career best. The win allowed Sharp, the 1996 co-champion, to assume the outright points lead for the first time in his IRL career. Most observers agreed that the race was enjoyable but too long, and that the "Monster Mile"'s concrete would need additional work to accomodate the IRL cars. (from IRL Underground)
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