19.MAY.02
Rayovac
Blair Racing Qualifies 26th at Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS
(May 19, 2002) -- Rayovac Blair Racing driver Alex Barron of Menifee,
Calif. and Blair Racing qualified 26th today for the 86th running of
the Indianapolis 500; the legendary race will take place on May 26.
Today has been
a long awaited goal and dream for the young California driver, his
team owner Larry Blair and the Rayovac Blair Racing team members.
However, today's end result took the team one week longer than
originally planned. Barron and the Rayovac team have been impressive
throughout the beginning of practice that started nineteen days ago.
The team experienced the lows of racing when the Rayovac Blair entry
hit the wall in last Friday's practice; they quickly regrouped,
turning to its T car (backup car). The car had already been prepared
and was up to speed early last week. They chose not to attempt a
qualifying run last Saturday, the first day of qualifying; instead
waiting for optimal conditions after a week of additional practice.
Barron was the third fastest rookie for the month of May of the nine
rookie drivers who qualified on the famed Indiana oval. The 26th
starting position out of the 33 spots available for the prestigious
event will be another memorable life experience for Indianapolis
based Blair Racing.
"The
Rayovac Blair car ran great," said Barron from pit lane.
"This was the best speed we had all month, the car was solid. I
was very comfortable in the car, I sat back enjoyed the ride and
concentrated on being smooth and consistent. It is a great feeling
to have qualified for the Indy 500. It's been a long journey for me
to get to the Indianapolis 500 over the last three years. To come
here and have a dramatic month like we've had and put it in the show
as solid as we did and to have the fastest speed we've had all month
it just makes everything worthwhile. To run like we did today, the
balance of the car was great and my engineer John Dick taught me a
lot about this place. Larry Blair gave me a great ride and Tom Gloy
helped guide the team. This place can be overwhelming and I owe a
lot to John and the entire team for getting me through this. This
will be one evening we will enjoy but we do have a lot of things to
do and a race to go but the Blair team is going to celebrate. The
team deserves this time. The Rayovac car and Blair Racing I owe it
to them, they put together a really, really good car for qualifying.
We are looking forward to next weekend and we want to put all of the
drama behind us. We are starting a ways back in the race but we'll
take today's time. It's a long race and we are to just keep poking
at it just like we've done all season. I feel comfortable and we
have worked on race set up this week in addition to getting ready
for today. I have had a lot of support from my family, fans and I'd
like to thank everyone for their support over the years."
"The team
overcame some tremendous adversity and demonstrated incredible
skills and dedication putting us in the field," said team owner
Larry Blair San Jose, Calif. "As a new team owner in the Indy
Racing League this is a real privilege to be part of the long
tradition of the Indianapolis 500."
The order of
the day, the second day of qualifying, was to complete a four-lap,
ten-mile run that would constitute a complete qualifying attempt.
The Rayovac Blair team worked endlessly during the last four days of
practice to get ready for the second day of qualifying known as
"Bump Day." After Pole Day and after all entries attempted
to qualify, teams that waved off or were unable to complete
qualifying were second day qualifiers, which the Blair entry was.
All cars that qualified on the first day will start before cars that
qualified today.
Only one
practice remains for the Rayovac Blair team and the other 32
drivers; Carburetion Day will be the final two hours to run on the
2.5 mile oval that held its first Indy 500 in 1911.
The 86th
Indianapolis 500 starts at 11 a.m. (EDT) May 26. The race will air
on the ABC television network and the IMS Radio Network at 1:00 p.m.
EDT; check local listings.
More
information and live timing and scoring can be found at the IRL's
official website at www.indyracing.com.
Powerful facts
about Rayovac:
Rayovac is one of the world's leading battery and lighting device
companies. Rayovac also markets the number-one selling rechargeable
brand of battery in the U.S. with nearly a 70 percent share. In
addition, the company is the world leader in hearing aid batteries
with a 60 percent worldwide share. Rayovac trades on the New York
Stock Exchange under the ROV symbol. Rayovac markets a variety of
batteries including alkaline and heavy duty batteries; lithium coin
cells; zinc air hearing aid batteries; and rechargeable alkaline and
nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and chargers. The company also
markets a broad line of battery-operated flashlights and lanterns.
More information about Rayovac can be found at www.rayovac.com.
www.BlairRacing.com
keeps fans up-to-date with all the latest team news and
information.
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