Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: ‘Super Sub’ Barron makes bid for fulltime job

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 | 10:50 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

After Alex Barron's razor-thin victory over Sam Hornish Jr. in Sunday's Indy Racing League Firestone Indy 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Jim Aust, Toyota's vice president of motor sports, called Barron "The best-kept secret in the sport."

That is one moniker Barron, 32, would like to shake. Ditto for "Super Sub."

Barron, filling in for the injured Felipe Giaffone in Mo Nunn's Toyota G-Force, earned his second career IndyCar Series victory and -- he hopes -- a shot at a full-time ride next season.

Barron appeared to be set in the IRL after running a full schedule last season with the upstart Blair Racing team. Barron posted 11 top-10 finishes and a victory and finished fifth in IRL points, but Blair Racing closed up shop at season's end and Barron was relegated to carrying his helmet from race to race this season looking for a ride.

"It's definitely tough," Barron said of his role of substitute driver. "Finishing fifth in the championship and winning a race last year, everything seemed to die somewhat slow there at Blair Racing. We thought we were going to have a go this year ... but it has been a long year for me.

"To get the opportunity to drive a competitive car, I figured to get back in (to the IRL), that's the kind of car I wanted to be in and here at Mo Nunn Racing, they definitely have the package to win races."

His victory Sunday -- in the fourth-closest finish in IRL history -- has put Barron back on the radar screens of other team owners, he said.

"I have been getting some calls lately -- even before this ride -- but in order to get back in full time and run, I want to make sure it's in a competitive car and I want to go after a championship," Barron said. "I haven't had a chance to do that for a long time and that's what I'm really seriously looking at for 2004."

Barron's stint with Nunn marks his third stint this season as a substitute driver. He filled in for the injured Gil de Ferran with Penske Racing in Japan back in April and drove in the Indianapolis 500 for Nunn after Arie Luyendyk was injured during a crash in the first week of practice for the 500.

Tracy came back on Saturday and regained the pole in the final qualifying session and then dominated Sunday's race for his second consecutive victory and fifth of the season.

In Sunday's post-race press conference, Tracy was asked if he was worried that he might be fined by CART for his comments.

"Well, I had somebody suggest to me maybe I should buy one share (of CART stock), put a suit on, and as a shareholder say I could make comments, not as a competitor," Tracy said. "At this point, it would only cost 10 cents."

CART's stock, which traded at a high of $35 per share in 1999, closed Tuesday at $1.74 per share on the New York Stock Exchange.

A list of the participating establishments can be found at www.cart.com, but currently there are no listings for any Las Vegas-area viewing parties.

Schatz also won Saturday's main event, worth $20,000, and Friday's preliminary feature at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Danny Lasoski, who finished second to Schatz in both Saturday's and Monday's features, holds a 57-point lead over Steve Kinser heading into tonight's event at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.