Playa Del Racing did not have the weekend that everyone had hoped for. Jaques Lazier solidly moved up through the field from his starting spot of 28th to leading the race for two laps before running out of fuel. Phil Giebler became the 2007 Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year after advancing as high as 9th after starting in the 33rd and last position.
Both the PDR machines unfortunately failed to finish the race due to accidents. Despite the premature exit the Playa Del Racing team feels optimistic about the future of the race team.
“We showed everyone that a small team like Playa Del Racing can compete with some of the biggest names in racing,” says Gary Sallee, co-owner of Playa Del Racing. “The crews, drivers, and engineers were all fantastic on race day despite the obstacles that were put in front of them.”
The Indiana Ice/Venture Logistics car No.21 driven by Jaques Lazier was one of the fastest cars on the track at several points throughout the rain shortened event. Lazier sat in 11th place during the first rain delay, and it didn’t take long before Lazier had his car in the first place position.
“The car was amazing today,” said Lazier. “We didn’t have to make any changes throughout the day, and I really felt like we had a solid top five car. Obviously we didn’t have the result that we were looking for, but I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”
The Playa Del Racing/Ethos Fuel Reformulator car No.31 driven by Phil Giebler was also solid throughout the day until an incident which ended up bringing out the caution just before the first rain delay. Despite finishing 29th overall the Giebler took home the Chase Rookie of the Year award.
“I didn’t want the day to end nearly as early as it did,” said Giebler. “The Playa Del Racing crew was amazing all day. I can’t thank the team, Ethos, or Chase enough for given me the honor of winning the Rookie of the Year award. This has been the greatest experience of my career, and I can’t wait to get back here.”
