Damage from Debris Ends Strong Run at ORP

O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis from above.









USAC Silver Crown Series rookie Thiago Medeiros enjoyed his best performance to date during the J.D. Byrider 100 at O'Reilly Raceway Park, running as high as fifth before a cut tire forced him to retire midway through the race.

"I was catching my teammate (Aaron Pierce) in fourth and the race was going well," Thiago said. "Then Brian Tyler bumped Josh Wise, and debris from that accident flew back onto the track. I couldn't avoid it, and it cut the left-front tire."

Thiago, who started ninth after qualifying was cancelled due to rain, was classified seventh. It was a disappointing result for the 24-year-old Brazilian and the PDM Racing team, who had high hopes for a strong finish following a productive test at ORP earlier in the week.

"We were really unlucky that qualifying was rained out, because we had to start on practice times, and we'd had an oil leak in practice," Thiago said. "We fixed the problem, but when we weren't able to qualify and improve our starting position, it put us at a real disadvantage."

J.D. Byrider 100 Results

1. Brian Tyler
2. Carl Edwards
3. Dave Steele
4. Aaron Pierce
5. Bryn Gohn
6. Wayne Reutimann Jr.
7. Thiago Medeiros
8. Josh Wise
9. Mat Neely
10. Jay Drake
11. Bud Kaeding
12. Bobby Santos III
13. Tim Barber
14. Rodney Weesner

Thiago On Air On Raceday

Thiago will be featured on Indianapolis radio station X103 (103.3 FM) on Thursday, August 3. The amiable Brazilian is scheduled to chat with X103 morning show personalities Stuck and Gunner at 7 a.m.

Thursday afternoon, Thiago will join NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series stars Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler for an interview with Michael Young, who will be broadcasting live from O'Reilly Raceway Park prior to the J.D. Byrider 100.

To listen to X103 -- and Thiago's morning show interview -- online, visit www.x103.com.

J.D. Byrider 100 Entry List

1 DAVE STEELE/Tampa, FL Randy Steenbergen-Team Six-R/Print Express - Verizon/
8 BRYN GOHN/Malabar, FL Stauffer-Adams Racing/B & W Enterprises - Goodson
Ott Chevy
14 JOSH WISE/Riverside, CA A.J. Foyt Enterprises/Jimmy Greer - C&R Racing
Incorporated/C&R/Chevy
17 MAT NEELY/Robinson, IL RW Motorsports/Rotondo Weirich/Stealth/HG Chevy
18 THIAGO MEDEIROS/Sao Paulo, Brazil PDM Racing/STP - Band Sports/C&R/Chevy
21 BRIAN TYLER/Mount Pleasant, NC Team Six-R/Kroger-Bounty - Pringles-Tide/C&R/Mopar
26 AARON PIERCE/Phoenix, AZ Sam Pierce/Sam Pierce Chevrolet - Bigelow Trailer
28 TIM BARBER/San Francisco, CA Ken Pierson/Eibach Springs - Shaver Motors/C&R/Chevy
29 BUD KAEDING/Campbell, CA BK-Leffler Motorsports/Loan City - Team ASE/DRC/Shaver
41 JAY DRAKE/Brownsburg, IN Jim Paternoster/Ferris Industries - National Parts Peddler/
96 RODNEY WEESNER/Portland, IN Weesner Motorsports/Hoosier Excavating - Indy RV
Center/Stealth/Chevy
00 WAYNE REUTIMANN JR./Zephyrhills, FLReutimann Motorsports/Case Contracting/DRC/Pink
199 CARL EDWARDS/Columbia, MO Carl Edwards-R.E. Technologies/Ford/C&R/Ford

Thiago Confident Following Productive Test at ORP

Thiago and the PDM Racing team hope a productive test produces winning results at O'Reilly Raceway Park. (Photo courtesy Blake Johnson)

Thiago enters tomorrow's J.D. Byrider 100 at O'Reilly Raceway Park with renewed confidence following a successful test at the Indianapolis track earlier this week. The USAC Silver Crown series rookie was the fastest of the four drivers who participated in the test session, recording an unofficial best lap of 22.36 seconds.

"I ran a total of 110 laps and we were able to test everything we wanted to," Thiago said. "We knew we weren't going to have much time during the event because of the tight schedule, so the test should turn out to be a real advantage for us. We also fixed the problem that ended our day in Milwaukee, so we are very confident for the race tomorrow."

J.D. Byrider 100 Schedule
Thursday, August 3, 2006
O'Reilly Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park)

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. -- Practice

6:45 – 7:15 p.m. -- Qualifying

7:45 p.m. -- Race

For more information, visit www.oreillyracewaypark.com