Vail native Jaques Lazier has joined older brother Buddy Lazier in Sunday’s 33-car Indianapolis 500 field. The younger Lazier, who was bumped out of the top 22 late in first-day qualifying May 15, will start 27th after producing a 4-lap average of 221.228 mph Saturday.
Lazier’s speed is more than 6 mph slower than polesitter Tony Kanaan, but Lazier said he was forced to take his foot off the accelerator on his first lap.
“I’m very happy with a 221,” Lazier told Indianapolis reporters. “I think, realistically, if we wouldn’t have had the car step out on us, we would have had a pretty big moment there.”
Lazier, who was a mid-race substitute for NASCAR regular Robbie Gordon at last year’s Indy 500, is driving for first-year Playa DEL Racing.
“Four weeks ago, we had a tub that wasn’t painted and a bunch of parts, and basically, we’ve been thrashing ever since to try to get the package ready,” Lazier said. “The team’s put a lot of late hours in, and we’re here, and we’re living the dream right now, and we’re qualified for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ and in my opinion, the greatest spectacle anywhere.”
Footnotes
Wheat Ridge’s Gary Taylor overtook Bobby Harr of Arvada to win Saturday’s Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association feature at I-76 Speedway in Fort Morgan. Harr led from lap 4 to lap 15, and Taylor paced the field during the last five. Harr settled for second, and Littleton’s Chris Deshon came in third. … Saturday night winners at Rocky Mountain National Speedway included Grand Junction’s Jeep Berry (late models), Aurora’s Wayne Houston (modifieds) and Denver’s Bill Riddick (super stocks).
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
