Drivers qualify for Grand Prix

By Barney Haney
Staff Writer

The initial 27 positions for the 44th annual Purdue Grand Prix race were set Monday night.

Drivers who failed to make the field can still qualify during tonight's "Bump Day" competition.

To qualify Monday, the racers, who are all Purdue students, were given two practice laps then, with a running start, they were timed on how fast they could complete two laps.

Adam Kasick, of the Delta Chi team, had the fastest time earning him the pole position, the lead spot. Over the weekend he posted a time of 45.527 seconds.

"It feels awesome, we worked pretty hard for this," said Kasick.

Kasick also participated in the race last year and led the race most of the way until a wreck towards the end caused him to finish in 22nd place.

When asked what was different between this year and last year, Kasick said, "The driver has a different state of mind."

Four other divers, along with Kasick, finished under 46 seconds.

Those drivers included James Weida, of Weida Racing, with a time of 45.671; Tom Gray, of Theta Chi, with a time of 45.702; Aron Oakley, of Farmhouse, with a time of 45.703; and Jason Bezy, of Sigma Chi, with a time of 45.724.

All of them qualified on Saturday.

Day two brought the racers heavy winds filled with snow.

Karl Unkel, a Theta Xi representative said, "I should have brought snow tires."

The snow cleared off right before time trials began, but came back to haunt the racers off and on causing unpredictable driving conditions.

The time to beat, set on Saturday by John Doll of the Triangle Fraternity team, was 48.667 seconds. No one could beat it Monday.

The 27 qualifiers from Saturday will be in the race unless a driver can beat their time tonight during "Bump Day" qualifications, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at the track.

Drivers who fail to qualify tonight can compete for the last six open spots in three 25-lap sprint races that will be held at 11:30 a.m. on the same day as the main race.

Brandon Roadruck, of the Cary Racing team, missed qualifying by seven hundredths of a second.

Roadruck said, "From the difference in the temperature Saturday to the temperature tonight we had a totally new setup. We pretty much had to start anew."

Roadruck said he thinks he'll qualify for the race yet by way of the 25-lap sprints.

"I made it in last year by winning a sprint," said Roadruck.

Saturday will decide the rest of the field during sprint races from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the main race will start at 3 p.m.

The Grand Prix Race is 160 laps, which is equivalent to 50 miles.

To find out more about the race and other activities of the weekend, go to www.purduegrandprix.org.

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