Ray out - J. Lazier in at Menard.

Following the arrival of Jaques Lazier with the team, John Menard has confirmed that 1999 Indy Racing Northern Light Series Champion Greg Ray has left his squad and that Lazier will be Team Menard's driver for the remainder of the 2001 season.

Jaques Lazier has replaced 1999 Indy Racing Northern Light Series Champion Greg Ray as the driver for Team Menard in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series, team owner John Menard confirmed on Thursday.

Lazier, 30, from Vail, Colo., will make his first start in the No. 2 Johns Manville sponsored Dallara-Aurora at the Gateway Indy 250 on Aug. 26 at the Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis. Team Menard made the official entry change at noon (EDT) Thursday.

Ray, 35, from Plano, Texas, joined Team Menard in 1999 with immediate success. He earned the first three victories of his career and the Indy Racing championship with the team that season. Ray also won the pole for the Indianapolis 500 with Team Menard in 2000 and started on the front row at Indy in each of his three seasons with the team.

Team Menard and Ray endured tough seasons in 2000 and this year. Ray earned one victory, at Atlanta, and finished 13th in the Indy Racing Northern Light standings in 2000. This year, Ray won again at Atlanta and is 13th in the Northern Light Cup point standings after 10 races.

"I wish Greg Ray well," Menard said. "I have the highest regard for him, but the chemistry of the team just wasn't working out."

Ray made 29 starts with Team Menard, more than any other driver in the team's history. He recorded all five of his career victories with the team, all of his league-record 13 poles and nine top-10 finishes.

Lazier, younger brother of 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2000 Northern Light Series champion Buddy Lazier, comes to Team Menard from Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Jaques Lazier made four consecutive starts since joining the Schmidt team in late June for the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond, Va.

He earned the MBNA Pole at Richmond in his first start with the team and finished a career-best third in the Harrah's Indy 200 on July 21 at Nashville, Tenn. Lazier started the Indianapolis 500, Casino Magic 500 at Texas and the Radisson Indy 200 at Pikes Peak for Team Xtreme Racing before joining Schmidt's team. Lazier has 22 career Indy Racing starts since his debut in March 1999 at Phoenix. He has nine career top-10 finishes.

"I think it's an awesome reflection on the quality and talent of our race team," team owner Sam Schmidt said despite being left without a driver just one week before the next race on the calendar. "We took a driver that wasn't even on John Menard's radar map and put him in a position to replace a championship driver. I am not pleased with John Menard, and I am disappointed in Jaques. As for St. Louis, we will pick up the pieces again and go on."

Schmidt has scheduled an Indy Racing League rookie test for Friday at the Gateway International Raceway for 1999 Toyota Atlantic champion Anthony Lazzaro. Buoyed by their recent successes, the first year team had planned on running two cars at Gateway for Lazier and Lazzaro, who made his NASCAR Winston Cup debut just a week ago at Watkins Glen, finishing 34th. Now it seems as though Schmidt could only run Lazzaro if, as expected he passes his rookie orientation test on Friday.

Ray's future is uncertain but unless he decides to move on to another series (CART being the most obvious choice) he shouldn't remain on the sidelines for too long and it will be very interesting to see which team either adds another car to their stable or drops their current star.