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Sunday, April 8, 2001
Hornish holds off Fisher for win
Associated Press
Infiniti Grand Prix results
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The Indy Racing League might have found
its young stars.
Sam Hornish Jr., 21, led the majority of the inaugural Infiniti
Grand Prix on Sunday and edged 20-year-old Sarah Fisher for his
second victory in as many races this season. They also became the
youngest 1-2 finishers in Indy racing history.
|  | | Sam Hornish Jr. hoists the Infinity Grand Prix trophy after winning the inaugural IRL event at Homestead. |
Hornish also won the season opener at Phoenix International
Raceway last month, becoming the youngest winner in IRL history.
Fisher also is making history. Her second-place finish Sunday
was the highest of any female driver in a major racing series,
besting her third-place finish at Kentucky Speedway last year.
"I certainly think that the more young talent that we get here,
the better the series is going to be," Fisher said. "Especially
if the young talent is able to stay here."
If Sunday's race is any indication, the youngsters are here to
stay. Three other rising stars -- 26-year-old Felipe Giaffone,
26-year-old Didier Andre and 23-year-old Casey Mears -- finished
11th or better in the 26-car field.
The IRL has been looking to establish a young star since it
turned its first wheel in 1996. The closest it came was with 1997
champion Tony Stewart, but he left and became a star in NASCAR.
Hornish and Fisher finally might fill the void.
They were racing go karts against each other at age 13,
exchanging the lead in small towns across the Midwest at speeds
near 80 mph. Seven years later, they were running faster than 200
mph on racing's biggest stage -- the Indy 500.
Their combined age is 41, which makes their feat Sunday
remarkable considering that four of the top five drivers in last
year's IRL point standings were 41 years or older.
"I was worried that she was going to pull one of those kart
moves on me today," said Hornish, whose win was the third
consecutive for Panther Racing. "Thankfully, everything worked out
OK."
Hornish, a soft-spoken, 21-year-old who showed flashes of
promise last season as a rookie with a have-not team, looked like
more like a 21-year veteran with a strong come-from-behind win in
the final 30 laps.
Driving a yellow Pennzoil car, he lost the lead on lap 168 after
a slow pit stop.
"It was one of those things I got depressed about it, but it
took only two seconds before they got on the radio and said, 'Come
on, you can get it. You know you can get it,"' Hornish said. "It
was a confidence builder for me that it didn't upset them, so why
should it upset me?"
Hornish immediately moved from fourth to third on the restart,
passing defending IRL champion Buddy Lazier in Turn 4. With Hornish
driving by on the inside, Lazier slid too far up the track and spun
into the wall. Lazier finished 20th.
Hornish used the ensuing caution to his advantage. When Fisher
missed a gear change on the restart, Hornish zipped past her, then
started reeling in leader Eliseo Salazar.
"Restarts are my weakness," Fisher said. "Ninety-nine percent
of my restarts today were awesome. That one just made the
difference."
Hornish and Salazar drove side by side for more than a lap
before Hornish pulled in front for good on lap 185.
Fisher made a final push with five laps to go but couldn't get
within a few car lengths of the winner. She settled for second, but
her team treated it more like a victory.
"The fact that I didn't catch Sam doesn't matter," she said.
"I'm happy where I ended up. I think it's great that Sam and I are
up front racing together again."
Salazar, the 45-year-old Chilean who drives for A.J. Foyt
Enterprises, finished third behind the youngsters.
"Both of them are younger than I am, so what can I say?" said
Salazar, who raced in front of hundreds of family members, friends
and other supporters.
Two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr., the biggest name in IRL,
finished sixth and led a solid showing for the three-car Galles
Racing team. His teammates, rookies Didier Andre and Casey Mears,
finished 10th and 11th, respectively.
Pole sitter Jeff Ward finished fifth, and Greg Ray was 21st
after mechanical problems.
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 Sam Hornish Jr. takes the checkered flag for the second race in a row (Courtesy: ABC Sports).
avi: 1314 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Sam Hornish Jr. goes wheel-to-wheel with Eliseo Salazar and passes him to regain the lead (Courtesy: ABC Sports).
avi: 1688 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Sarah Fisher makes her move to pass Eliseo Salazar and claim second place (Courtesy: ABC Sports).
avi: 1569 k
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 Sam Hornish Jr. talks about recovering after a mistake that could have cost him the victory.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Sarah Fisher sounds off following her second place finish.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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