Richmond race prep
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
DOSWELL, Va. -- Marco Andretti will be battling for track space on Richmond International Raceway's 0.75-mile oval June 27 during the SunTrust Indy Challenge.
Some spectators who will be watching that night had the opportunity to share the racetrack with Andretti during his June 2 visit to Kings Dominion theme park just north of Richmond. Speeds were notably slower on the park's winding go-kart course, but the racing was no less spirited between Andretti and the winners of a drawing held earlier in the day.
"It was pretty physical out there, but I think Richmond (International Raceway) is just a little bit worse," Andretti joked after the event. "I had to force my way through a couple of people, but I think they understood."
Richmond resident Jeff Blyer was thrilled to be able to challenge an Andretti on the racetrack.
"He definitely shows he knows how to drive," Blyer said. "But I think I could give him a challenge if I had some practice."
Richmond has been a fixture on the IndyCar Series schedule since 2001. Andretti has had strong showings there in the past, with two top-10 finishes and 90 laps led in three races.
"It's great to see the smiles on the fans' faces, getting to race wheel to wheel with me," he said. "It was pretty enjoyable. I'll race anything with four wheels and a motor."
Andretti hopes his success against the fans on the go-kart track will carry over when he comes back at the end of the month to take on IndyCar Series competitors on the bullring.
"We were super strong at Richmond last year, we led some laps. This year is about leading the right lap - the last one," he said.
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