April, 2000 -
Sarah Fisher, a 19-year-old IRL rookie driver for Walker Racing, who raced so competitively in her last race at Las Vegas, talks to NYAutoRacing.com about her young career in the IRL series and the prospect of this month's Indianapolis 500.
KM: That was an impressive drive in Las Vegas. How much confidence did you gain from there?
FISHER: Quite a bit. I've never run very competitively in the top like that before. We were running in the Top 10 the whole race, in the second spot when worse things happened. However, Derrick Walker was the spotter that weekend, it helps because he is a wonderful spotter and he gives me confidence when he spots.
KM: Do you think you would have won the race if you didn't have that spin?
SF: I don't know about that. I think there is a good possibility that we could finished in the top three, but we still had one more pit stop to go in the race and something could have happened there. Maybe not, my guys were really good in pit stops since they have done a lot of practicing.
KM: What do you think about Eliseo Salazar's comments about you after the race?
SF: He was as upset as I was. I was running second in front of him and I wasn't a lap down [Salazar thought she was running a lap down]. It was just a racing incident, he was stressed out and a lot of drivers would have stressed out too after they crash. I don't take his comments that hard at all.
KM: I think it is funny that he crashed all the time few years ago. I think his comments were kind of pathetic. What do you think?
SF: It happens to all of us. Since I am a rookie that makes me an easy target. Actually his comments make me feel good because when your competitors start hating you that means you are doing well.
KM: Do you think you can improve after the last race?
SF: Absolutely, there are tons of things that I can improve on. It was a large step forward from the race before to the Vegas 300, but there are 10 more steps for me to follow. Just because I was competitive in one race, that doesn't mean I am going to be competitive in them all. We are going to run the whole series and we are going to run as many laps as we can. I am a rookie and I can learn more in race situations, and we can get more improvement from each race.
KM: How's testing at Indy going?
SF: It's going very well. We did a private test on May 2nd and 3rd with a new Dallara chassis and it seems to work very well for us. I feel I have more confidence in the Dallara than the Riley and Scott we had and the Dallara is going to be the car to beat. The IRL is very competitive since everything is very much the same, so we need to try everything we can to improve. Indianapolis is a really important race and we want to do the best, so we're trying to see which car suits my driving style the best.
KM: Dallara or Riley and Scott chassis, which one is going to be at the race?
SF: I think our intention is to use the Dallara, so we are going to focus on the opening week of testing.
KM: What are the differences between the Dallara and the Riley and Scott chassis?
SF: Riley and Scott has a lot more down force from the drag and it feels like it really stuck on the racetrack. The Dallara is more like a light-hearted car and glides through the corners with less down force and it feels lighter while driving in the middle of the corner.
KM: Is it exciting to drive 218 mph around the track?
SF: Yes. However once you do it you feel accustomed to it. You don't think about it when you are doing it, you just keep your mind focused on what you are doing. It's a thrill and it is fun to tell people that I drive 218 mph on the track.
KM: What are you goals for qualifying and the race?
SF: I am not too concerned about qualifying. If we can get a solid position in the field, that's what I want. As far as the race goes, as long as we are consistent, run competitive and stay on the lead lap and with the Indy luck, we should pull out a Top 15 or Top 10.
KM: How do you feel about being one of the two female drivers in this year's Indy 500?
SF: I think it's neat. I can give some female fans something to cheer for, but I don't think it means anything to me in terms of being competitive. Since I am 19 and also a girl, I think can give little girls out there someone to look up to, and maybe we can get some more fans this way.
KM: Any pressure for this race in particular?
SF: Yes, a lot of luck has to happen in order to be in the Top 10. It's a long race and there are many pit stops, things can fail on and off the track. Luck is going to be a key in order to finish the race at the end.
KM: How much advice did Derrick (Walker) give you for this race?
SF: Tons of advice. He is giving it to me on a daily basis, and he is very focused on the Indy 500. He wants to win it and that's his goal, and also my goal. We are going to try hard to achieve that.
KM: Speaking of Derrick, after his CART driver Shinji Nakano was injured in Milwaukee testing, did he ask you to substitute Nakano for few races?
SF: No. We are really focused on the IRL and he doesn't want me to go into CART. We have two different programs and it would have interrupted the program I have with the IRL. My focus is on the IRL this year and we are trying to be the best there. I don't think he would interrupt my program with the IRL just to substitute for Shinji.
KM: Do you have any experience on road courses?
SF: A little bit. I raced a lot of go-kart on road courses, but I don't have any experience in Indy Car on road courses.
KM: Bryan Herta, Walker Racing's substitute driver for Nakano, lives in Ohio, too. Did he give you any advice for Indy 500?
SF: Not really. We talked about Vegas because that was the next race after CART's race at Long Beach. I sat in his de-briefing at Long Beach. It helps to listen to him, his engineer and team manager and learn a lot of racing techniques from there.
KM: What do you think about driving a competitive series like the IRL as only a 19-year-old?
SF: Being so young is really awesome. I don't think there are many people who have an opportunity like this. Getting a chance to drive for an elite team for my first full season in the IRL certainly helps me a lot.
KM: Did you always want to drive an open wheel car?
SF: I think so. I grew up in open wheel racing, and that is my dream. It is a natural transition to go into an IRL car, and Derrick certainly helps me a lot.
KM: A lot of young drivers use video games to learn the track, do you use it?
SF: I don't think that is a necessity because there is no comparison with real life. I remember I went to test at Phoenix, I came back and looked at three or four games with the Phoenix track on it and none of them were a good representation of what the track looks like. I think to practice an oval on a video game isn't that great. However, it is more of a necessity for the road courses because there are so many different turns and angles; it is certainly a way to learn the road courses with video games.
KM: Who did you look up to when you were younger?
SF: When I was little I looked up to Steve Kinser. He is really awesome in Sprint Car and it is what I grew up around.
KM: You are going to college in pursuit of your engineering degree and you considered going to Ohio State University but it seems like you are going to go college in Indiana instead. What's the scoop on that?
SF: No, I am not going to Ohio State. That was my plan last year, but I moved to Indianapolis so I can be at the race shop everyday. It's a shame that I can't go to OSU because both of my parents graduated there, but I am looking forward to go to school in Indianapolis in the fall this year. In terms of a degree, I know I have to get a degree and I want to get it in engineering.
KM: Finally, what' are your goals for this season?
SF: Definitely to win a race. With our performance at Vegas I think it is possible and that's my goal.
