VOL. 52 ISSUE 28 JULY 14, 2015 P99
most of the race from that point,
with Baker and Smith taking a
few bites at the front in the clos-
ing laps.
Baker's line was unique, in that
he would run up in the cushion
and then shoot down to the
groove, giving him a tremendous
amount of drive. The problem was
those lines often intersected with
others.
"That was the only problem
with my line," Baker admitted.
"It was the fastest way for me
to get around, but unfortunately
sometimes when I was heading
back to the groove someone
was already there. I knew that
Briefly...
dianapolis Motor Speedway cannot
be worked out in the future. It's pure
speculation, but some Indy fans say
the Indiana State Fair is very much at
risk after the stage collapse tragedy
on the Indy Mile, during a concert in
2011. If the race were to be held dur-
ing MotoGP weekend it would hap-
pen during the middle of the Indiana
State Fair and the racing facility plays
host to a variety of programs during
the Fair, making scheduling difficult.
Due to approaching rain, the Indy
Mile program was abbreviated.
They ran only heat races with no
semis or LCQs. As it turns out the
storm system heading towards the
track almost completely evaporated
once it hit Indianapolis and there
was only a brief light sprinkle of rain,
which didn't stop racing. Also the re-
vised schedule, with fewer qualifying
races, meant that there was much
more of a cushion on the Indy Mile
track this year compared to most of
the past races where the groove was
normally much wider. The weather
leading up to the race was also a fac-
tor on the way the track shaped up
this year, with Indianapolis receiving
rain nearly every day the week lead-
ing up to the race weekend.
Indianapolis racer Dan Ingram was
honored as Grand Marshal of this
year's race. Ingram recently retired
for good after making a remarkable
comeback to racing that last couple
of years. His unexpected comeback
happened nearly 20 years after be-
ing in a coma that spanned nine days
when he crashed at Springfield in
1993.
Bryan Smith won the four-lap Dash
for Cash and the single champion-
Baker moved up
to fourth in the
standings with his
second win of the
season.
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