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Los Angeles, CA. - The 27th Copper World
Classic at Phoenix International Raceway (March 19-21) was the
second consecutive year that Indy Racing League, Infinity Pro
Series, USAC Silver Crown and USAC Midgets were the four featured
racing divisions. It was the fourth year for the IRL Indy Cars as
part of the CWC event and the 60th Indy Car race at PIR. A. J. Foyt
won the first PIR race during 1964 in a Watson roadster that kicked
off his ten-victory season in 13 National Championship races that
year. It was the eighth Indy Car race at PIR under the IRL banner
and Tony Kanaan's second consecutive PIR triumph made him the first
PIR repeat winner of an IRL race. Kanaan told a Sunday night Phoenix
TV news sports host, "This was my toughest race because of the
heat, but
I'm Brazilian so I'm use to the heat." Track management
does not release attendance figures. Attendance Sunday seemed to be
a bit higher from last year and published estimates in the Phoenix
newspaper were in the 25,000 to 30,000 range.
The IPS 100 and USAC Midget 25-lap features and
S/C 15-lap consolation race (that transferred the top six finishers
to the 30 fastest qualifiers for an all-time high CWC S/C field of
36) ran Saturday. The USAC Silver Crown 100 and IRL 200 ran Sunday
with the IRL race shown live on ABC (including the Phoenix ABC
affiliate). The Phoenix "Valley of the Sun" really lived
up to that motto. It was the hottest CWC weekend ever. The Phoenix
high temperature Friday was 92 and tied the record for that date.
Saturday was 95 (new record) and Sunday was 97 (new record). The
average Phoenix high for those dates has been in the upper 70s.
Humidity was 22% Sunday and wind was 12 mph. Last year for the
CWC the high Sunday was 82 degrees.
The CWC total car count this year was 118, down
one car from the 119 last year.
There were 37 Midgets, up from 29 Midgets at the 2003 CWC. There
were 49 Silver Crown cars, down from 53 cars last year. Five S/C
cars did not post qualifying times. IPS qualified 12 cars, down from
15 IPS cars in 2003. Four IPS rookies had rides this year. IRL had
20 cars, down from 26 IRL cars last year. IRL had three official
rookies-Mark Taylor, Ed Carpenter and Kosuke Matsuura.
IRL drivers who raced in the 2003 CWC and did not
have IRL rides for the 2004 CWC were: Felipe Giaffone, Jaques and
Buddy Lazier, Sarah Fisher, Shigeaki Hattori, recuperating driver
Kenny Brack, retired drivers Michael Andretti and Gil deFerran,
Roger Yasukawa, Scott Mayer and Al Unser, Jr. A press
conference in the PIR-CWC Media Center Sunday revealed Pat Patrick
and Unser will join forces for the first time at the Indianapolis
500 and for the following 2004 IRL races. The $10 CWC Indy 200,
80-page program had a color cover with artwork by Manley showing two
IRL cars, including 2003 CWC winner Kanaan in the # 11 Seven-Eleven
sponsored Dallara/Honda. CWC race starters as usual were Bryan
Howard for the IRL and Tony Roberts for the two USAC divisions.
The one-lap track record in qualifying fell three
times this year. The Midget standard of 26.436 (136.178 mph) is now
26.049 (138.201 mph). The S/C mark of 25.449 (141.459 mph) is now
25.317 (142.197 mph). The IPS record of 24.014 (149.912 mph) was
blown away with a run of 22.953 (156.836 mph). Only the IRL Indy
Cars did not better the existing one -lap mark of 20.012 (179.888
mph). Englishman Dan Wheldon, a second year IRL driver, earned his
first IRL pole position with a lap of 20.597 (174.779 mph).
His previous best IRL start was fourth at California Speedway in
Fontana last season. Team Andretti-Green swept the front row
with teammate Kanaan alongside.
The four 2004 features made 104 CWC feature
winners; there were two first-time CWC winners. Thiago Medeiros (IPS)
and J. J. Yeley (Midgets) made the total 59 different CWC winners
over the years. Kanaan (IRL) scored the second IRL triumph of his
career and second at PIR. Dave Steele (S/C) won his third
consecutive CWC S/C feature to tie a CWC series record set by
current NASCAR driver Ken Schrader (1987-89-90). Yeley said
over the track PA system, "I finished second last year in the
Midgets. If I don't win another race all year, this (CWC victory)
makes my year." He really wanted one of the distinctive
and coveted copper globe CWC trophies for his trophy case.
After the checkered flag and cool-off lap, happy
Yeley made a Polish victory lap from the first to fourth turns and
then drove his No. 91 Beast/Ed Pink Ford Midget to the new Gatorade
Victory Lane on the west side of the Media Center. It was the
sixth PIR-CWC victory for Midget car owner and past USAC National
Midget Championship car owner Steve Lewis, of Laguna Beach, CA.
Lewis emceed a press conference Saturday in the Media Center to
promote his USAC Midget Twin-25s at Irwindale Speedway March 27.
Midget drivers present were Dave Steele, Tracy Hines, Josh Wise, Jay
Drake, Michael Lewis and Dave Darland. They answered questions from
Lewis and media members.
CWC drivers by States: MIDGETS-14 states (11 IN,
8 CA, 3 each IL and OH,
2 AZ, and one each CO, FL, IA, ID, MA, NE, NJ, TX and UT. One Lewis
backup car
had no driver. SILVER CROWN-19 states and Canada (15 IN, 7 CA, 4 PA,
3 IL, 2
each AZ, FL, OH and TX, 1 each CO, GA, IA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC,
OK, WA and Canada). IPS-5 states and 3 foreign countries (3
CA, 1 each AZ, CO, IN and
MO, plus 2 each from Brazil and Canada and 1 from Mexico).
IRL-7 states and 7
foreign countries (2 each CA and TX, 1 each AZ, CT, IN, MI, OH, plus
3 England,
two each Brazil and Japan, 1 each Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland and
South
Africa).
MIDGETS: Six chassis builders and nine engines
were represented in the 37-car field. Chassis--Beast built 29 cars,
Drinan had three, Stealth two, and one each from Competition
Welding, Edmunds and TCR. Engines--Ed Pink Ford built 10
engines, Esslinger Engineering built nine, Mopar eight, Ford three,
Fontana and Gaerte two each, and Brayton Ford, Van Dyne and Wirth-Tomassi
one each.
SILVER CROWN: Nine chassis builders and
17 engines comprised the 49-car field. Chassis-Beast dominated the
field with 39 cars. Eagle and J & J each built two cars.
Competition Welding, Drinan, DRC, Tex-Mex (Fillip), Trevis and
Tobias each built one car. Engines-19 were from Chevy, 9 Gaerte, 3
Mopar, 2 each Brannan Chevy, Ed Pink Chevy, Ford, and Wesmar, and
one each from Ed Pink Ford, Foxco, Ford Ostrich, Frampton Chevy,
Jones, Ott Chevy, Shaver, Van Dyne, Wells and Wiesman.
CWC Time Trial Variances: MIDGETS--26.049
(138.201 mph) to 29.916 (120.337 mph) for a difference of 3.867
seconds (17.864 mph). Five cars did not qualify. SILVER
CROWN--25.317 (142.197 mph) to 28.409 (126.720 mph) for a
variance of 3.092 seconds (15.477 mph). Five S/C cars did not
qualify. IPS-22.9539 (156.836 mph) to 25.0139 (143.920 mph) for a
difference of 2.0600 seconds (12.916 mph). IRL-20.5974 (174.779 mph)
to 21.7942 (165.182 mph) for a variance of 1.1968 seconds (9.597
mph).
CWC features (showing cars started, finished,
percentage; cars on lead lap, percentage; lead changes; winning
margin): MIDGETS-33 started and 15 finished (45%) with 14 of 15 on
lead lap (93%); three lead changes among two drivers; seven yard
winning margin. SILVER CROWN-36 started and 20 finished (56%)
with six of 20 on lead lap (30%); no lead changes; 50-yard winning
margin. IPS-12 started and 12 finished (100%). The winner led
all the way from the pole and lapped the field in an all-green flag
41- minute-race. He had a one mile + several car lengths winning
margin. IRL-20 started and 15 finished (75%) with 7 of 15 on
lead lap (47%); five lead changes among four drivers during pit
stops; 0.5344 second winning margin. The Midgets staged the
most exciting feature of the CWC weekend as usual. Winner Yeley
passed runner-up Steele on lap 24 of 25 and barely held him off on
the white flag lap. In order, the IRL, S/C and IPS were the next
most exciting CWC races this year.
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