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IRL 250 at Gateway
Sam Hornish Jr, in the No. 4 Penzoil Panther Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, leads the field at the start of the Indy Racing Northern Light Series at the Gateway International Raceway.
IRL 250 Unser Jr. Wins Inaugural Gateway Indy 250 with Hometown McGehee Finishing Tenth

by Betty Magrath, SLFP.com
photos by Bob Moore, SLFP.com

MADISON, IL, (SLFP.com), August 26, 2001 - From the moment the flag dropped for the Indy Racing Northern Light Series at the Gateway International Raceway, August 26, it was all about speed and maneuvering in a crowded field of 23 cars.

Threatening weather on Saturday canceled qualifying runs. As a result, the field was set with drivers in position by entrant points.

IRL 250
Al Unser Sr. (left) greets his son, Al Unser Jr., during opening ceremonies for the Indy Racing Northern Light Series.
Small Red Sq
Sam Hornish Jr. led the pack in the No. 4 Penzoil Panther Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone for the first 58 laps on the 1.25-mile oval track. Hornish gave up the lead on lap 59 to Al Unser Jr., driving the No. 3 Galles Racing Starz SuperPak G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone.

Prior to the race, the Indy drivers were introduced to the crowd with great fanfare. St. Louis RAMS football cheerleaders formed a welcoming line headed by Al Unser Sr. The crowd cheered wildly for local favorites, Robby McGehee, Chesterfield, MO, and Donnie Beechler, Springfield, IL.

Activities were highlighted with a parachute jumper landing on the track with the Indy Racing League flag. Shortly after, Unser Sr. gave the official announcement, "Gentlemen, start your engines," although Sarah Fisher, in the blue No. 15 Walker Racing Kroger Special Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, was part of the starting lineup and finished 11th.

The fierce battle on the field raged between Unser and Hornish through lap 190. Unser gained control of the race after a caution period when Donnie Beechler, in the No. 11 A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, crashed on lap 188. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Unser went on to win the 200-lap race by a margin of 1.1834 seconds over Mark Dismore, in the No. 28 Delphi Automotive Systems/Bryant Heating and Cooling Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone.

IRL 250
John Wesley, a fulltime firefighter with the City of Rockhill, in St. Louis County, volunteered his time to work on the fire/rescue team at Gateway International Raceway. "I enjoy racing and this gives me a chance to be around the cars and mingle with the drivers.
Small Red Sq
Buddy Lazier, in the No. 91 Tae-Bo/Coors Light/Delta Faucet Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, came into the race hoping for a second consecutive championship in the Series. However, he was unable to overcome fuel pressure problems throughout the race and finished 13. His younger brother, Jaques Lazier, driving the No. 2 John Manville/Menards Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, also experienced engine problems and was forced to drop out of the race after 139 laps. Eliseo Salazar, in the No. 14 Harrah's A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone also experienced electrical problems after 127 laps.

Driving the No. 10 Cahill Racing's Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, which sported a baseball scheme honoring the St. Louis Cardinals, Robby McGehee battled rookie Anthony Lazzaro, in the No. 44 Parsons' Project G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone. Lazzaro dropped out after 77 laps with electrical problems.

"The Cahill Racing team had excellent pits tops today," McGehee noted after the race in a statement. "We've come a long way in that area this year, and I'm really proud of everyone on our team. If we have good pit stops at Chicago and Texas like we had here, it will really make a difference."

"I think we put on a great show and I'm sure both I and the Indy Racing Northern Light Series will be back here at Gateway for many years to come," he concluded.

The average speed of the 250-mile race was clocked at 136.379 m.p.h. with No. 24 Robbie Buhl pulling the fastest race lap at 166.487 m.p.h.

Hornish finished the race in third place but leads in the Northern Light Cup Series with 411 points. Two races remain in the 2001 run for the Northern Light Cup - Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. on Sept. 2 and a return to Texas on Sept. 16. McGehee is 17th in the overall driver point standings following Sunday's race and Cahill Racing is 18th in the entrant point standings.Red Dot

Robby McGehee
Driving the 'fastest baseball in St. Louis', Robby McGehee, finished 10th in the No. 10 Cahill Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone. His car had been specially painted as a promotion honoring the St. Louis Cardinals team. Other sponsors included Atlas Van Lines and ABC Moving and Storage, and other supporting companies: Parallaxmusic.com, the Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel and Suites, Dollar Rent-a-Car and Compton Roofing.

Archived Stories:
Gateway Int'l Raceway Welcomes Local Drivers for Indy Racing Northern Light Series
St. Louis Cardinals and Atlas Van Lines To Support McGehee at Gateway
Juan Montoya Easily Wins Motorola 300
PacWest Drivers Seek Title in Motorola 300 Final at Gateway

Check out the Sports Page for more information on additional events.

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