Track: Walt Disney World Speedway
Date: Saturday, January 25, 1997
Start time: NA
Weather: Warm, humid
Serial: #3 of 10 in 1996-1997 season
History: IRL race #2, Indycar race #2 at this track
Config: 1-mile triangular, flat track
Wing package: Short track
The debut race for the new cars was unfortunately halted by rain prior to its scheduled distance, but before that some interesting racing took place. For the first time in over thirty years, a field of throaty, normally aspirated Indycar engines fired up and rolled off the grid without any turbo whine. Unfortunately, that grid consisted of only 19 cars; several teams were unable to field an entry due to engine and parts shortages. Polesitter Tony Stewart ran away and hid from the start, but there was tight racing just behind with Buzz Calkins in hot pursuit, and Scott Sharp, Mike Groff, and several others just behind. The race was very clean with only one accident, which occurred on lap 100 when rookie Jaret Schroeder spun into the wall in turn 1, and Arie Luyendyk was forced into the inside wall trying to avoid him. Neither driver was injured but both were out. Things got more interesting after that caution, as Calkins and Eddie Cheever gradually reeled in Stewart, with Calkins taking the lead when Stewart pitted on lap 130. Things began happening quickly after that. With the skies darkening and rain threatening, every driver went to their "passing gear" and went all out in an attempt to move up. For a brief while it appeared that Calkins was going to repeat his IRL-inagurating triumph of a year ago, but on lap 141 his engine began smoking, and two laps later he coasted to the pits with a broken engine. Stewart assumed the lead and appeared to be the race winner when the yellow was thrown for rain on lap 146. But as he crossed the line to take the yellow, Stewart's car broke an oil line and the luckless driver spun into the wall, continuing a string of IRL near-misses for the young phenom. A very surprised Eddie Cheever inherited the lead and, when the deluge finally came three laps later, the veteran driver had his first Indycar victory after seven years of effort. Cheever accomplished a unique feat: he won the race without leading a lap under the green flag.
Fin St Qual Car C/E/T Driver Entrant Laps Status Laps Pts
Spd # Led
1 5 163.547 51 G/A/G Eddie Cheever Cheever 149 Running 3 35
2 14 159.355 10 G/I/F Mike Groff Byrd-C'ham 149 Running 33
3 6 163.332 6 G/A/F Scott Goodyear Treadway 149 Running 32
4 4 163.785 1 G/A/G Scott Sharp Foyt 149 Running 31
5 11 161.341 91 D/I/F Buddy Lazier Hemelgarn 149 Running 30
6 9 162.272 27 D/A/F Jim Guthrie Blueprint 148 Running 29
7 7 163.280 14 G/A/G Davey Hamilton Foyt 148 Running 28
8 12 160.214 22 D/A/G Marco Greco Scandia 147 Running 27
9 10 161.638 33 D/A/G Fermin Velez Scandia 147 Running 26
10 1 166.013 2 G/A/F Tony Stewart Menard 146 Crash FS 133 28
11 3 164.046 12 G/A/G Buzz Calkins Bradley 144 Engine 13 24
12 2 164.964 5 G/A/F Arie Luyendyk Treadway 97 Crash T1 23
13 16 151.483 17 D/A/G Danny Ongias Chitwood 94 Suspension 22
14 15 154.859 30 G/A/G Jeret Schroeder McCormack 93 Crash T1 21
15 18 No Spd. 40 D/I/F Jack Miller Sinden 85 Suspension 20
16 8 162.660 4 G/A/G Jeff Ward Galles 63 Gearbox 19
17 17 No Spd. 21 D/I/G Roberto Guerrero Pagan 56 Fuel Pump 18
18 13 159.553 18 D/A/G John Paul Jr. PDM 17 Oil Pump 17
19 19 No Spd. 77 G/A/G Stephan Gregoire Chastain 2 Fuel Pump 16
Laps under green: 140 of 149 laps (94.0%)
Caution flags: 2 for 9 laps (6.0%)
#1: lap 100, crash (Luyendyk, Schroeder), T2, 6 laps
#2: lap 146, rain, 3 laps [during caution: oil leak/crash (Stewart), FS]
[race ended under red flag]
Red flags: 1 for 20 minutes
#1: lap 149, rain, 20 minutes, race called
Lead changes: 3
St: Stewart 1-130
#1: Calkins 131-143
#2: Stewart 144-146
#3: Cheever 147-149
C/E/T finish averages (# started / avg finish):
Dallara: 8 / 11.4
G-Force: 11 / 9.0
Aurora: 15 / 10.1
Infiniti: 4 / 9.8
Firestone: 7 / 7.6
Goodyear: 12 / 11.4