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MEDEIROS CAPS RECORD-SETTING SEASON WITH TEXAS WIN
FORT WORTH, Texas, Saturday Oct 16, 2004 – Thiago Medeiros capped his record-setting IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series championship season with a victory in the Texas 100 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Six victories, including four in a row, top-10 finishes in the other six events, eight pole positions and 588 laps led lifted Medeiros to the IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series championship. He was primed to celebrate the title that was clinched two weeks ago, but a few moments of reflection and thanks were in order.
“The little things make a lot of difference in this series,” said Medeiros, who donned a cowboy hat in his first official press conference as champion. “I learned a lot in my first year and this year we worked together, so we got the best result in the championship. This means a lot. A victory is the best way to win a championship.”
“First of all, I’d like to just congratulate Thiago,” said Sam Schmidt, the former IRL competitor who turned his attention to developing drivers through the Menards Infiniti Pro Series after a 2000 practice crash left him a quadriplegic.
“He did a fantastic job all year. I watched him last year and he did a great job. He never did anything wrong. He wasn’t with a good team, but we definitely wanted him on our team this year. And it’s worked out really well. Everything clicked and it’s just been a fantastic year.”
As for next year, Schmidt doesn’t expect Medeiros to make a run for a repeat. “I mean, what else can he do?” Schmidt said. “I sincerely hope that he gets a ride in the IRL IndyCar Series and that he can go up there and prove what he’s capable of doing.”
Medeiros held to his strategy of keeping the low line around the 1.5-mile oval and was able to hold off the field from his pole starting position in the Texas 100. He led all 67 laps and beat teammate Travis Gregg to the line by 0.0562 of a second – the fourth-closest finish in Menards Infiniti Pro Series history.
“It was a really good race,” Medeiros said. “I was just looking in my mirrors and going by my mirrors. Everything went really well, and Sam Schmidt Motorsports did a good job.”
Medeiros, who also won the season-ending race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2003, was ahead of Gregg by 0.0725 of a second on Lap 57. But a caution period for debris on the backstretch set up a Lap 61 restart and an opportunity for Gregg to post his first Series victory. Medeiros became the first driver to successfully defend a race victory in the series.
Medeiros stayed low while Gregg tried numerous times to pass on the high side. On the white flag lap, Medeiros held an advantage of 0.1525 of a second. Gregg made a final attempt to dart around the champion in Turn 4 but didn’t have the momentum.
“I was expecting it to be a little more dicey, but we played it kind of smart,” said Gregg, who was competing in third race of the season. “I was just waiting for my time to get a good enough run. I was heading down the backstretch on the final lap, easing on the throttle, hoping to get a good run and pass on the high line. It didn’t happen today, but we’re happy for the second.”
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