|
SARAH MCCUNE TESTS INFINITI PRO SERIES CAR
INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, June 30, 2003 - USAC Midget series regular, Sarah McCune, accomplished a major goal last Friday when she tested with Sam Schmidt Motorsports in an Infiniti Pro Series car at Kentucky Motor Speedway. Sarah, a native of Perrysburg, Ohio completed 155 laps on the 1.5 mile oval with a quickest lap time of 29.07 seconds at a speed of 185.8 MPH.
Sam Schmidt, former driver and Infiniti Pro Series team owner, was enthusiastic about the results of Sarah’s test. “I was very impressed with her smooth driving style and maturity level. What made her performance even more impressive was that she had never raced in an Infiniti Pro car before, she had no experience with this type of gearbox, and yet her racing times were as good as, if not better than the other drivers who have been racing this type of car for quite some time,” said Schmidt.
McCune, 25, began racing quarter-midgets at age 11. In 1996, she became the first woman to win an ARCA Midget feature event. In 1997, she became the first woman to win a North American Auto Racing Series (NAMARS) feature en route to second place in the series point standings.
McCune competed in the USAC Midget Car series from 1998-99, becoming the first woman to finish in the top five in a national event. In 2000, she competed in both NAMARS and USAC Midget events and also tested a Team Pelfrey IndyCar Series car at Walt Disney World Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.
Between 2001 and 2002, McCune campaigned a limited schedule of USAC Midget events and also tested a Roush Racing NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series machine.
“I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test for the Infiniti Pro Series with Sam Schmidt Motorsports,” Sarah stated. “The team and car performed flawlessly all day and I give credit to Sam and the entire crew for their level of professionalism. The test went extremely well, and I was able to adjust quickly to driving the Infiniti car and achieve speeds comparable with more experienced Infiniti Pro Series competitors. The dream of competing in and winning the Indianapolis 500 is one giant step closer.”
The Infiniti Pro Series is the official development series for the Indy Racing League. During the 12-race 2003 schedule, drivers will compete on the same tracks in conjunction with IRL IndyCar Series events.
|
