AVONDALE, Ariz, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004 – Seven Menards Infiniti Pro Series 
drivers completed a total of 1,095 laps during testing Feb. 10 at the 
reconfigured Phoenix International Raceway.

Thiago Medeiros posted the fastest lap of the day at 156.718 mph, 22.9712 
seconds in the No. 11 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone.

Rookie Jesse Mason was second fastest at 154.687 mph, 23.2728 seconds in the No. 3 Brian Stewart Racing Dallara/Infiniti Firestone, but his test ended early 
after he made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 4. There was significant 
damage to the right side of his car, but Mason was uninjured.

Another rookie, Phil Giebler, was third quickest at 154.457 mph, 23.3074 
seconds. Giebler, a former Red Bull Driving Search candidate, ran his first laps 
in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series in the No. 2 Keith Duesenburg Racing 
Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone.

The 2004 Menards Infiniti Pro Series season-opener, the Homestead 100, is 
scheduled for Feb. 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. ESPN2 will broadcast the event at 4 p.m. on March 4.

POST-PRACTICE QUOTES:

THIAGO MEDEIROS (No. 11 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/ Firestone): “The car ran pretty well. We started to try some things, like make more 
mechanical changes than aero package because sometimes during a race weekend, we don’t have time to set up the car and make those big changes. We’re trying to 
set up the car for qualifying and for the race.” (About the reconfiguration of 
Phoenix International Raceway): “The track is about 10 feet wider in the exit to 
Turn 2. It just makes the track safer, I think. It’s also a little bit quicker 
because you can carry a little bit more speed into the turn and have a little 
more room on the back straightaway.” (About testing with a teammate for the 
first time): “Arie (Luyendyk Jr.) is a very good driver and a good guy. It’s 
better because we are testing different things, and now he can see my data, and 
I can see his data. We can learn from each other, and hopefully, we’ll have a 
nice friendship between us and work together the same way.”

ARIE LUYENDYK JR. (No. 5 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/ Firestone): “We found out that our wing was broken, and it caused our car to not make much downforce on the front. We were struggling with a push all day. We put Thiago’s wing on the front of our car, and then we discovered we had much more grip, so that basically put us back to square one.” (What’s it like to be back in a Menards Infiniti Pro Series car?): “I did the 24 Hours of Daytona and tested a 
(NASCAR) Southwest Tour car here, so it was a little bit of getting used to the 
Pro Series car. After a few laps, I was fine.” (About the reconfigured Phoenix 
International Raceway): “I like it because you have more room on the outside of 
(Turn) 2. But then again, you don’t have many references because the bridge is 
gone, and the wall is different on the outside of (Turn) 2. It’s a little harder 
to find a reference point on the outside of Turn 2.”

PHIL GIEBLER (No. 2 Duesenburg Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): (About his 
first experience in a Pro Series car): “It’s definitely different from what I’m 
used to racing in Europe. This is my first time turning left all around the 
racetrack. It took a little bit of time to get used to it, and obviously, you 
don’t trust the car at first. You just have to build up to it, so that was the 
biggest thing. We’re running good now, and we’re running consistent, which is 
what I wanted to do. We’re making changes, and we’re making progress and 
learning a lot, so things are heading in the right way.” (How did you meet Keith 
Duesenburg?): “They’ve been following what I’ve been doing in Europe. They knew I was back in the States. It’s kind of lucky it all came together, and we’ll 
see where it goes from here. We’ll see if we can come up with all the funds. 
Right now, I’d be happy to do the series and make a title attack.”

JESSE MASON (No. 3 Brian Stewart Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “We were going quicker and having a pretty good day, actually. We were fighting a 
push all day, but we were getting better. At the end there, we took too much push 
out, and it kind of snapped around on me. I was feeling a little bit loose and 
should have come in, but I just kind of drove through it. That’s what happened.” 

BRAD POLLARD (No. 24 Kenn Hardley Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “We 
learned a lot. I got more used to the car, and we did pretty good. The track 
changed a lot from the last time I was here. I just took my time and went 
slowly. I tried to learn what the car would do in certain situations and just 
adapt. The guys made great changes all day and kept giving me a great car to 
work with. I learned a lot. They taught me a ton today.”

MARTY ROTH (No. 4 Marty Roth Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): “We had
a lot of work to do, and that’s why we came here. The tires are a little different, 
and the track’s a little different. It was a good day. We learned a lot. The car 
ran great, and we should be in great shape for the race.”

PAUL DANA (No. 91 Team Ethanol Hemelgarn 91/Johnson Motorsports 
Dallara/Infiniti/ Firestone): “We got a lot of track time. I was getting a 
little tired and little inconsistent there at the end. We’re all scratching our 
heads and are a little frustrated, because we should have quit at lunch. We were 
awesome until lunch. We were making gains, the car was going quicker and 
everything we were doing was working, and somewhere, we lost the plot after 
lunch. We’ve been junk all afternoon. Everyone else went quicker in the 
afternoon, but we went slower. We need to figure out what went wrong.”