2 June 2000.  Qualifying at Milwaukee

World Speed rookies Pete Mercier and Akihiro Asai qualified today for the Toyota Atlantic Championship race at the Milwaukee Mile, which is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Central, tomorrow, June 3.

Single- car qualifying for Mercier, a Milwaukee native who drives the #14 World Speed – Northwest SpeedWerx/Walker Racing Swift 008.a, did not go as planned, “Pete hit the wall coming into Turn 2.  He basically got caught in the wind coming out of Turn 1.  The car sailed as he was coming into Turn 2, and he just lost control,” said Team Owner, Chuck West.

Qualifying allotted each driver 2 timed laps under a green track, in which Mercier was unable to complete, placing him at the back of the grid for the race.  Akihiro qualified 15th and turned a 26.571 at 139.822 miles per hour.

“This is my first time running in single-car qualifying, so I was a little conservative.  It’s definitely something I have to get used to because the track was so fast.  It went from green to checkered in no time at all,”  commented Asai, who is racing in America for the first time and racing on his first oval in his professional career.  “I’m not nervous for tomorrow, probably more excited than nervous.”

Pole position was captured by Dan Wheldon, driver for PPI Motorsports, with a new track record time of 25.150. The 60- lap race on America’s Legendary Oval, will begin at 3:15 p.m. Central, tomorrow, June 3.  There will be a fifteen-minute warm-up session  at 9:00 a.m.

ESPN2 and ESPN International will broadcast the race at Milwaukee on Sunday, June 11 with a replay on ESPN2 on Wednesday, June 14.  Round five of the 12-race CART Toyota Atlantic Championship season takes place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.