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A tale of two brothers: Buddy’s got a car

Daily Staff Writer

Editor’s note: This is a continuation of sports briefs on drivers Buddy Lazier and Jaques Lazier of Vail as they make plans for the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.Special to the DailyWednesday, Vail’s Buddy Lazier, winner of the 1996 Indianapolis 500, was named to drive a second entry for Dreyer & Reinbold. His new team did not have an opportunity to practice Thursday, but it plans to do so today. “At first, we had thought it would be this afternoon, but the thinking now is about doing a fuller day tomorrow,” Lazier said. After the track closed Thursday, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Hemelgarn Racing announced it has signed an agreement that will combine resources for Lazier. The arrangement includes a pooling of sponsorship dollars and team personnel. The car will carry Dreyer & Reinbold traditional blue, orange and yellow paint scheme, with the number 91 that long has been associated with Lazier and Hemelgarn.”This is my 28th year to be involved in this race,” Hemelgarn said. “We first ran Buddy Lazier in 1991, and it was important to us to help him get a quality ride.”Felipe Giaffone, the lead driver for Dreyer & Reinbold, has been involved in two crashes, and the crew has had to scramble to repair the cars.

“Felipe used up a lot of parts,” Lazier said. “This time of year at Indy, (shortage of) parts are an issue.” According to Reinbold, “It has been a challenge for us. For now, we will put Buddy in a back-up car. We are working to put his car on the track tomorrow.”Lazier expressed pleasure in being with this team because of chief engineer Owen Snyder. “I have raced against him many times, and I would rather race with him instead of against him,” Lazier noted. Snyder’s cars have gone to victory lane twice at Indianapolis. Jaques Lazier continues to search for a car to drive. “Right now, we don’t have anything solid,” he said. “There are a few things I am looking at, trying to put something together. I have a feeling it will be a Sunday deal.”Lazier believes he can climb into an unfamiliar car and achieve qualifying speed quickly. “Typically after 15 laps, I am within a tenth of a second of what the fastest car is going, so it can be done,” he said. A year ago, he qualified in the 20th starting position and ended up in 29th place after being involved in an accident. Thursday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 25 cars took practice laps with Kosuke Matsuura the fastest driver with a one-lap speed of 220.784 miles per hour. Adrian Fernandez, his teammate, was second-fastest at 220.007, and Helio Castroneves was third-fastest at 218.676.Practice continues through Saturday, with the final day of time trials on Sunday; Miller Lite Carb Day is Thursday, May 27; and the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500, to be aired live on ABC Sports, on May 30.


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