IRL IndyCar Test in the West Race Report

Brack Battles for Top Spot at "Test in the West"

Team Rahal's Kenny Brack, who made his IRL debut here in 1997, was in the thick of the contest for bragging rights today as the IndyCar "Test in the West" continued at Phoenix International Raceway.

The former IRL series champion (1998) and 1999 Indy 500 race winner led the 19-car field in the first of two timed sessions with a speed of 175.641 mph around the short Phoenix oval. He failed to improve on that time in the afternoon session but still ended the day second overall.

The Andretti Green Racing trio of Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti and Michael Andretti are also featured in the results, running fifth through seventh on the day.

Roger Yasukawa had his morning practice cut short by a mechanical problem aboard his Super Aguri Fernandez Racing Honda, then came back to turn the 17th best time in the afternoon, 18th on the day. Andretti Green rookie Dan Wheldon is not taking part in this portion of Test in the West, as the Briton is not scheduled to compete at this event, the second round in the 2003 IRL IndyCar Championship, March 21-23.

Today's action was the first of two test days at this desert southwest oval, which concludes at 4 p.m. MST tomorrow. The 19-car field also tested earlier this week at the ultra-quick California Speedway, where Kanaan and Franchitti finished third and fourth, respectively.

Kenny Brack (#15 Miller Lite/Pioneer Team Rahal Honda) 2nd fastest overall, fastest in the morning practice: "It was a pretty good day for us. We tested here once earlier this winter, so we unloaded off the truck with a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do today. We're still learning about the new Honda IRL engine and the latest Dallara chassis, the cars are different from when I raced in the IRL in the late 1990s. But we are gaining more and more information as we get ready for the season opener in Homestead [Florida] next month."