SIMMONS EYES THIRD POLE, FIRST WIN AT PIKES PEAK

Jeff Simmons has won two pole positions in his Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ career. Both have come at Pikes Peak International Raceway where the series returns Aug. 21 for the Pikes Peak 100. Simmons, 29, was a rookie in 2003 when the series made its first stop at the 1-mile oval in Fountain, Colo. In his fourth career race, Simmons won the pole with a speed of 154.220 mph competing for Keith Duesenberg Racing. He led the first three laps before being passed by Cory Witherill and settled for second after a long duel with Arie Luyendyk Jr. Last year, Simmons returned to Pikes Peak for his second race of the season. It was his debut in the No. 24 Team ISI car fielded by Kenn Hardley Racing. Despite a lack of time to get to know the team, Simmons established the track record with a qualifying speed of 154.574 mph. He led the first 16 laps before spinning at the exit of Turn 4. He was able to continue running but lost a lap and finished ninth. This year, Simmons returns to Pikes Peak with his eyes more on the checkered flag than a third consecutive pole. “Last year, Pikes Peak was my first race with Kenn Hardley Racing, so winning the pole was a big boost to everyone, but we didn’t have enough time to work on the car,” said Simmons, who remains with the team in 2005. “It wasn’t good for the long run. This year, we want to make it better for the race. “Pikes Peak is one of the more challenging tracks we go to. That’s partially the track. The banking seems to change throughout the corner, it’s not consistent. And there’s also pretty sizeable bumps in Turns 1 and 2. It also seems to be somewhat windy, especially in the afternoons, which with the higher altitude gives us less downforce. We seem to do well on the tracks that are tougher to drive.” After a string of bad luck had Simmons in 12th place in the point standings after the first three races this season, he has improved to eighth with three consecutive top-five finishes, including a victory July 24 at Milwaukee, which also is a 1-mile track. Another driver looking for his first victory is Wade Cunningham, who will celebrate his 21st birthday on Aug. 19. Cunningham leads the points by 27 on the strength of top-five finishes in all nine races. He has finished second five times, including Milwaukee where he led 54 of 100 laps. “I expect the people who were quick at Milwaukee to be quick at Pikes Peak,” Cunningham said. “I’ll be looking to solidify our position in the championship. It’s race to race. There wasn’t much good coming into the race in Kentucky, and we did better than the best we thought we could do with what we had. It’s like a victory for me and the team, so everyone’s confidence is way up, because when we get it right, we should be well on it.”