OPEN-WHEEL DRIVER, SARAH FISHER, PUTS HER BODY THROUGH THE TEST ON FASTEST RIDE IN TEXAS

FORT WORTH, Texas -- IndyCar Series driver Sarah Fisher, accustomed to routinely pulling heavy G-force loads during races, put her body to the test in another fashion today as she encountered forces of up to 4.5 Gs on the world-famous Titan roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas.

As part of her appearance with Texas Motor Speedway to promote the upcoming Bombardier Learjet 550k on June 9, Fisher spent the day strapping into the seat of the coaster and providing media an opportunity to experience the similar sensation of G-forces that occur while piloting an Indy car at speeds in excess of 220 mph.

“That was crazy,” Fisher said. “That was one of the best roller coasters I’ve ever been on for sure. You can definitely feel the G-forces at work on your body. The turns on the Titan are just incredible and I really like how it cornered. The biggest problem was that I wasn’t driving the roller coaster. I’m a control freak even when my fiancé Andy is driving the street car. I think the Titan definitely gave everyone else today a pretty good idea of the Gs we can experience driving an Indy car. Cornering and having the Gs put on your body is very similar especially at Texas because at Texas Motor Speedway we pull a lot of Gs in the banking and trying to keep yourself all squared up is impossible.”

The Titan is the tallest steel roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas and reaches a top speed of 85 miles per hour. Indy cars will speed around Texas Motor Speedway for the Bombardier Learjet 550k in excess of 220 mph. The first descent on the Titan is 65 degrees while Texas Motor Speedway is banked 24 degrees in the turns. While the speeds and banking/descents are strikingly different, the G-force load at times is very similar. Indy car competitors experience sustained forces of 4.5 Gs during the length of the 228-lap Bombardier Learjet 550k while riders on the Titan experienced similar G-forces for short periods during the three-minute ride.

The 26-year-old Ohio native will be looking to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing on Saturday, May 12. She will be one of three females looking to make the field, joining Danica Patrick and Milka Duno in the quest.

“It’s really neat to be part of the three women starting this year,” Fisher said. “It just shows progress in our sport that we’re following in the trend of the business world where there are a lot of women that are CEOs and a lot of women leaders. It is nice to have the IndyCar Series be the first to really have more than just one phenomenon. It’s all of us competing together.”

Fisher considers Texas Motor Speedway her favorite track on the IndyCar Series circuit and for good reason.

“I made my first IndyCar Series start at Texas Motor Speedway in 1999 when I was only 19 years old,” Fisher said. “Texas has a great facility and everyone here is so nice to work with and the fans are amazing. Outside of being in Indianapolis for the 500, I love coming to Texas.”

In eight career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Fisher has a best qualifying effort of ninth (fall, 2002) and a best finish of 11th (fall 200, fall 2002). The upcoming Bombardier Learjet 550k will be Fisher’s first appearance at Texas Motor Speedway since 2003.

Fisher’s name is etched in the history books in several categories. In 2002, she became the fastest woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 with a four-lap average of 229.439 mph and was also the first woman in North American motorsports history to win a pole position for a major-league Indy car race (Kentucky, 2002). Fisher’s second-place finish at Homestead in 2001 was the best-ever finish by a woman in Indy car racing.

Tickets are available for the Bombardier Learjet 550k as well as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Sam’s Town 400 on June 8 at Texas Motor Speedway by calling (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

For additional information, please contact the Texas Motor Speedway Media Relations department at (817) 215-8520 or pr@texasmotorspeedway.com.

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