Fisher

It was definitely a tough weekend for the Dreyer & Reinbold team and my No. 23 GMAC/AOL/Chevy/Dallara/Firestone car. Going into the Nazareth race last year, I had the opportunity to test out the car before I made my debut with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team. This year, with the new engine program late in the season, we unfortunately weren't able to test on track, which is one of the trickiest on the IRL circuit to drive.

I was really excited for the race weekend activities mainly because I practically grew up racing sprint cars in Pennsylvania, so it's amazing to travel back to the state where I got my start as a young girl. Boy, does it bring back memories. I flew into town on Thursday for the usual activities that surround a race weekend. It wasn't quite as big of a weekend for appearances as last year when I was substituting for my injured teammate Robbie Buhl.

It is evident that the Indy Racing League is definitely growing and the fan base is incredible. This was obvious at the autograph session in downtown Allentown. The Andrettis are from Nazareth, so the session was basically in Michael Andretti's "backyard." I remember coming to races as a teen to see my favorite drivers and get my picture taken with them.

Fortunately, this year's race weekend consisted of three days instead of the usual two. When the weekend consists of only two days the time-crunched practice sessions and qualifications are shoved into one day. We started off Friday with our first practice session which just went OK. We were really working on rotation around the turns and dealing with tradeoffs between turns. What's good for Turn 3 isn't necessarily the best setup for Turn 2, so you have to choose the best one that will work for you. Also, Nazareth is only a mile oval so we had to deal with a narrow handling track. It's not the easiest track on the circuit but we were banking on my experience and solid finish last year to work to our advantage.

Friday night we had our usual team dinner. This gives me a great opportunity to spend time with my team since I don't get to visit much with them at the track. We ate dinner at Kicker's in Bath, Pa., where the generous owner took every good care of us. Later that night, we hung out with some friends from the IRL Fan Experience. They are a great group of people who travel to the races with us.

When we started day two of the weekend, we were far back on the speed charts. Our morning practice session consisted of a clutch line problem which cut our practice short. With the line being repaired, we didn't have time to get back out during the practice session to fine-tune the car.

After the session, I had the chance to meet some more Girl Scouts from the local councils just before qualifications. They're always an instant stress reliever and provide a change of pace from the track activity. It is great to be a part of such a well known organization and nothing brings a smile to my face faster that talking with young girls about my profession.

Although we'd missed most of the day's practice session, my team nailed the qualifying setup and I turned my fastest lap of the weekend, nearly a half-second faster than my previous best lap. Making it even more amazing, we achieved top speed on only one qualifying lap instead of the normal two, due to a radio miscommunication with my team. My team counts down the three or four warmup laps as I gain speed and warm up the tires, and then cues me to take the green flag laps for qualifying. Our one lap wonder was good enough for a twelfth place start, much improved over my 19th place start of last year.

We just keep learning. In this business you are constantly learning more about being a better communicator this is part of the reason why we have team dinners because it is essential to build rapport on and off the track so you almost know what each other is thinking without saying it. Since eye contact isn't an option from the car, we have learned to be very descriptive which leads to good racing.

	Fisher and friends hang out at Kentucky.

Saturday could have been a lot worse, point blank. During the final practice session, we were about 10 minutes from the end of the session when the car spun out of control and hit the wall. It was a pretty big hit with the rear end of the car, but the attenuator did its job in absorbing most of the impact. The IRL mandated the addition of the attenuator a couple of years ago, and its use has cut down on the number of driver back injuries dramatically. My padded hardest and seat also dissipate energy from contact with the wall, which thankfully means my head and back don't get walloped with massive G-forces. Don't get my wrong -- there is pain involved! But I know I'm extremely fortunate that the league has continued to improve its safety practices and learn from the hard hits of drivers who came before me like Sam Schmidt and Scott Goodyear.

The IRL safety crew was great as usual, and after being examined at the infield care center, I was airlifted to the local hospital for additional tests. The Lehigh Valley Hospital had a great staff and was excellent in caring for me. I spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital for observation and additional evaluation but my friends and family kept me company. For the most part, I was in good spirits despite my frustration of being unable to compete on race day. Just after the race was over, they released me from the hospital and outside of some major back pain; I made it through a long weekend.

The doctors' official diagnosis was a severe back contusion and I'll be evaluated on a day-to-day basis to determine when I will be cleared to drive. I spent the first part of the week at my parent's house in Commercial Point, Ohio, trying to heal. Obviously this week will be a slow week for me, but in order to get back in the race car as soon as possible, I'll have to wait patiently (which is a pretty tall order for me!).

My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who helped me make it through the weekend: everyone associated with the IRL Safety Patrol, my mom and dad, my friends, Lehigh Valley Hospital, the entire GMAC/AOL team and crew, and most of all, to the fans, for their prayers and get well mail. I have put a lot of pressure on myself to prove that I am the race car driver my dad brought me up to be. This past weekend's incident helps me to better appreciate how many people are really supportive of my efforts to race and be competitive.

The IRL heads to Chicago for the Delphi Indy 300 in Joliet, Ill. This will be the last race that I will be able to drive to since it is so close to Indianapolis. I hope to be back in the car for the Chicago race. If you are in the Midwest we hope to see you at the Chicagoland Speedway, along with some of my friends from home. The picture above was taken when they came out to cheer me on at the Kentucky Race -- they dressed up in some of my old uniforms as their special way of showing me support ... who knows what they'll come up with this time!

Thanks again to all of you for all the support and well wishes -- it's great to have you along for the ride!

S

IRL IndyCar Series driver Sarah Fisher drives the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing No. 23 Dallara/Chevy. She is providing a diary to ESPN.com. For more on Sarah, go to www.sarahfisher.com.