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Bussell Opens IRL IndyPro Series Campaign With Runner-Up
Finish While Teammate Festaıs Bid for Victory Foiled By Late
Wreck
HOMESTEAD,
Fla. (Sunday, March 26, 2006) Cheever Racingıs maiden
voyage as part of the IRL IndyPro Series came within
19-thousandths of a second of victory today at Homestead Miami
Speedway as young drivers Chris Festa and Nick Bussell both
had legitimate shots at winning the season-opening Miami 100,
with Bussell ultimately scoring a close, runner-up finish.
Festa, a
20-year-old from Atlanta, qualified sixth and settled into
third position by Lap 5, just ahead of the fourth-place
Bussell, and stayed in close pursuit of the front-running
Howard and Jonathan Klein in a four-car train for the next 49
laps. But on Lap 54, Klein drifted up the track, Festa slipped
alongside him on the inside, and the two made contact and slid
down into the inside wall. Neither driver was hurt, but their
day was done.
Bussell, the
23-year-old from Grand Rapids, Mich., who started from the
eighth position, took the lead for the first time on a
brilliant restart on Lap 60 of todayıs 67-lap event around the
1.5-mile speedway oval. He got around Jay Howard, who had led
the previous 53 laps, and then did his best to hold off
hard-charging veteran Jeff Simmons the rest of the way.
Bussell and Simmons traded leads during the last seven laps,
but Simmons was able to slingshot around the outside of
Bussell off the final turn and beat him across the line by
inches in the second-closest finish in series history.
Next up for the IndyPro competitors is
next weekendıs Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
CHRIS FESTA
"I donıt know what to say. It was just
one of those things. I'll take part of the blame because I
maybe shouldnıt have put myself in that position with so many
more laps to go. We had a really good race car. Better, for
sure, than the two cars we were following all race long. I was
just patiently sitting back there, biding my time, and waiting
for the right moment to try and get around them. (Jay) Howard
came down really low, Jonathan (Klein) went up high for the
clean air, and I saw a chance to get by. Unfortunately, there
wasnıt enough room for the both of us, there was contact, and
that was the end of it. I feel really disappointed, but I know
I had a good car and I know weıll be back. Live and learn. Iım
glad our next race at St. Pete is only a week away."
NICK BUSSELL
"Right now, I feel disappointed at
coming so close to a win and not getting it. On the other
hand, it was a great start for our brand new team and Iım
looking forward to some really good things this year. It took
a lot of work for most of the race to get the car to work just
right. I was taking care of my tires for the end of the race
and was able to stay right there with the top three. I
definitely was working best in clean air, so I took a
conservative line around the track for most of the race, which
helped me at the end. Then, on the (Lap-60) restart, I
absolutely had to get around Jay (Howard) because I needed the
clean air. I managed to get around the outside of him, then
got down to the bottom pretty easily. Unfortunately, Jeff
(Simmons) and all his experience got the better of us. Thatıs
the second time heıs gotten me on the last lap of a race! I
think weıve definitely got a good thing going here with
Cheever Racing. Our best days are ahead of us, for sure."
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