Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Jaques Lazier fills bill for Schmidt

Friday, June 29, 2001 | 10:33 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Sam Schmidt will be working with his third driver in as many races when the Indy Racing League visits Richmond International Raceway for Saturday's SunTrust Indy Challenge.

Schmidt, the Henderson resident and IRL team owner, has hired Jaques Lazier to drive the No. 99 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Racing Special this weekend. Lazier is the younger brother of 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Lazier.

Lazier replaces Henderson resident Richie Hearn, who drove for Schmidt at Pikes Peak International Raceway on June 17 in relief of the injured Davey Hamilton. Hearn finished ninth in his first IRL race since the 2000 Indy 500.

"The team was excited about a top-10 finish at Pikes Peak and I want to thank Richie for his fantastic efforts at the race," Schmidt said. "He did everything we asked of him and is certainly a talent in the seat.

"It has always been my position that I want the most experience available, given the budget limitations for our team this season. That being said, I am very pleased to have Jaques join us for Richmond. He is one of the rising stars of the Indy Racing League and with the right opportunity, I think everyone in the garage area agrees that it's just a matter of time before he follows in his brother's footsteps and wins races."

Lazier, 30, has made three starts in the IRL this season, with a best finish of ninth on June 9 at Texas Motor Speedway. He finished 22nd at the Indianapolis 500 in May and has made 18 career IRL starts with eight top-10 finishes.

"I am enormously excited about the opportunity (to drive for Schmidt)," Lazier said. "The team has demonstrated with the assistance of Davey and Richie that with the exception of some bad luck, they have what it takes to run up front.

"I already know several of the guys on the team and I'm looking forward to renewing those relationships and building new ones in a pursuit of giving Sam his first top-five finish and, ultimately, the win."

"It was my first Daytona 500 and I knew it would be a big learning experience, but the team and I have been able to capitalize on our lessons from that race," Busch said. "We still have a lot of learning left to do but I think we have come a long way so far this season."

In 16 starts during his rookie season, Busch has posted two top-five and three top-10 finishes. He is 23rd in the Winston Cup points standings, second in the Rookie of the Year race and has more than $1 million in earnings.

"I love night racing," Busch said of the Pepsi 400. "I am really looking forward to Daytona next weekend. We ran really well there for a good portion of the Daytona 500 and most importantly we were able to gain some good solid experience.

"Now we have the opportunity to apply what we have learned over the last couple of months and see what we can do this time around. Without a question Daytona is one of the most prestigious and dangerous tracks on the circuit and I am looking forward to testing the waters there again."

"All the mountain biking, weight lifting and training exercises that I do throughout the year are probably going to come in handy in Cleveland this weekend," Tagliani said. "It can get pretty hot running 100 laps on that airport runway in July. Maintaining your stamina and making sure you stay hydrated is important.

"I enjoy racing in Cleveland because, at times, it's almost like you're out on this wide-open highway, putting the pedal to the metal. But it's a track that can take its toll on car equipment -- as we discovered last year when our gearbox gave out in the last 20 laps, just when we were close to getting into the top five."

Tagliani is coming off a 12th-place finish on the road course in Portland, Ore.

Fisher hit the wall coming out of turn 2 where the track goes from a slight banking back to level. Her car spun into the backstretch and stopped.

Fisher was awake and alert but complaining of neck pain following the accident, according to IRL medical services director Henry Bock.

Fisher is expected to race Saturday night. ...

Several drivers from the Late Model division at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will take up a collection on Tuesday for Davey Hamilton, the former Las Vegas resident who suffered serious leg and foot injuries in a crash during a race at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this month.

Some of the top local drivers will walk through the stands to take donations for Hamilton and his family during the special July 3 racing card. All proceeds will go to help Hamilton defray the medical costs that are building up as a result of his injuries.

Savoie has 17 career national-event titles and last year joined Muldowney as the only female to win an NHRA Winston Drag Racing championship.

"I guess when they first introduced the idea of one day breaking Shirley Muldowney's mark to me, I didn't really think it was possible," Savoie said.

"But now, the closer I get to it, I realize that it would be a really big accomplishment. Shirley is a legend in this sport and for me to one day be able to say that I'm the winningest female driver in NHRA history would be such an honor."

Savoie holds a 33-point lead over Antron Brown going into next weekend's event.

Brian Till, STRANA's executive director, said he is talking with various tracks and sanctioning bodies about staging support races with the 5-ton race trucks, which are hugely popular in Europe, throughout North America beginning next year. A STRANA spokesman said LVMS officials were "very receptive" to bringing the trucks to Las Vegas, perhaps in conjunction with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. ...

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host "Match Race Madness" on Saturday, featuring two Pro Modifieds, two Jet Funny Cars, two AA/Fuel Altereds (including the legendary "Nanook" roadster), non-points bracket racing and a fireworks extravaganza. Gates open at 4 p.m.

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