IRL Season Opener Is One for the Book

Qualifying for today’s Indy Racing League season-opening race at Walt Disney World Speedway was done on paper Friday when rain prevented its being done on the track.

The lineup was set using the 1997 points standings, creating a situation in which some cars that had turned slower practice laps will start in front of some faster ones in today’s Indy 200.

“The rule book says that in this situation we have to go to current entrant points and, since this is the first race of the year, it reverts to the previous year,” Brian Barnhart, the IRL’s director of racing operations, said. “Non-points entrants then fill the remaining spaces in the lineup based on practice speeds.”

That format put Tony Stewart, the defending series champion and the fastest driver in Thursday’s practice, on the pole for today’s race, alongside A.J. Foyt entry Kenny Brack, who moved into runner-up Davey Hamilton’s seat over the winter.

The second row will include Billy Boat in the second Foyt car and Mike Groff, with two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk and Roberto Guerrero in the third row.

The top 20 spots were from the 1997 points list, but Jimmy Kite was moved from fifth to the back of the field after jumping into a backup car because of a crash in practice Friday after the rain let up late in the day.

The rest of the field--including Scott Sharp, who moved up to 20th--was based on Thursday practice speeds. Scott Goodyear will start 21st, and defending race winner Eddie Cheever will be 23rd.

Asked if he was concerned that the 200-lap race will begin with some of the slowest drivers ahead of some of the fastest drivers in the 28-car lineup, Barnhart said, “We’ve had some drivers express their desires that we should have used practice speeds to make up the entire lineup.

“But these guys are going to have to deal with passing and slower cars all day long, whether it’s the first lap or the 50th.”

With the rule book being invoked, Affonso Giaffone, Billy Roe and Jim Guthrie, who won the race at Phoenix last year, all failed to make the starting field. All were on new teams and none went fast enough in practice.