| | Associated Press
FOUNTAIN, Colo. -- They came into Turn 1 three abreast, which is one too many for Pikes Peak International Raceway's narrow track.
The congestion sent Donnie Beechler and Al Unser Jr. into the wall with two just laps to go in Sunday's Radisson 200. Eddie Cheever Jr., who was already comfortably ahead, took the checkered flag on a yellow.
Beechler, running fourth, was trying to overtake Scott Sharp, in third. Both were moving up on Unser's slower car. With Sharp on the inside, Unser in the middle and Beechler up high, Beechler's left rear tire made contact with Unser's right front tire.
Beechler made a 180-degree spin and hit the wall, and Unser hit
the wall with the rear of his car. Neither driver was hurt.
"It looked like Sharp was passing me down low and Beechler was trying to pass me on the outside," Unser said. "Because I was a lap down, I tried to let off the throttle to not get caught up in it. Beechler came down and his rear tire caught my front tire."
Beechler said Unser was "to the right when we went into the corner and didn't give me any room. If it is anyone's fault, it was mine. I should have backed off. But I don't think it was anyone's fault. It was just a racing accident."
Sharp sped ahead of the contact and wasn't involved.
"I don't know what happened above me," Sharp said. "I would rather be on the inside, and I just went that way. Al was pretty quick, it wasn't like a really slow car that you could easily split. I thought, 'Hmm, Al is going to really have to get out of it for Donnie to be able to turn into the corner.'"
Rapid rookie
Brazil's Airton Dare had the best finish of his brief IRL career, taking second. Previously, Dare's best result was 10th, last week in Texas.
"I am happy for a podium finish and happy for the team and the sponsors," he said. "But I really wanted to win the race. So I'm happy, but not 100 percent.
"In the beginning of the race, the car wasn't very good. The car was really loose. The first pit stop, we made some changes on the car, and we lost some positions because it took some time to do it. After that, the car kept getting better and better.
"On the next stop, we made a change in tire pressure that was
good. But by the end of the race, it started to get funny again,
some understeer and oversteer. I was worried Sharp would catch
me."
Not Sharp enough
Sharp had a car capable of running away with Sunday's race. It just didn't stay that way.
"At times we had an incredible car, the class of the field," Sharp said. "But it went away a little faster than we hoped."
Sharp said he and Cheever "had a couple of good runs coming off
yellows with each other, and I was able to pull on him pretty good
both times. But it wasn't long before I saw a little gray car in my
mirror getting bigger. And then I got held up in traffic, and Eddie
was able to make some great strides at that point.
"Overall, I'm pleased. I haven't had the best of luck here in
the past. Our goals for the last two races were to climb our way
back into the points championship. With a win last week and a third
here, obviously we've done that."
Busy Beechler
Beechler had a full plate Sunday, racing twice at PPIR. He subbed for Tracy Hines in the 25-lap USAC midget race held prior to the IRL event and finished 20th. Then he battled for the lead in the 200-miler, eventually crashing with two laps to go.
Beechler saw double-duty because Hines was racing in Terre
Haute, Ind., on Sunday in a USAC sprint car race that was scheduled
for Saturday night but was postponed by rain. Ryan Newman of South
Bend, Ind., won Sunday's midget race here. | |
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