Night fliers bid for fourth victory.

The SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway on 29 June will be the 15th scheduled night race in Indy Racing League history and, if either defending champion Buddy Lazier or Scott Sharp - last year's fifth-place finisher - wins, he will become the IRL king of nocturnal racing.

Each driver has won three races under the lights. In addition to the inaugural Richmond race, Lazier, driver of the #91 Hemelgarn Dallara-Chevrolet, has taken the chequered flag at Nashville 2001 and in 1997 at Charlotte. Sharp, who drives the #8 Kelley Dallara-Chevrolet, has won night races in 2000 and 2001 at Texas and in 1999 at Atlanta. Two-time night winners are Greg Ray (Atlanta, 2000, 2001) and Kenny Brack (Charlotte, Atlanta, 1998).

Arie Luyendyk won the IRL's first night race, in June 1997 at Texas. Chilean driver Eliseo Salazar earned the only IRL victory of his career to date later that year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That was only time the Vegas race was run at night.

Other one-time night winners were Scott Goodyear (Texas, 1999) and Billy Boat (Texas, 1998). Mark Dismore earned his only victory under the lights in the second Texas race in 1999. However, the race was scheduled for a day start that was delayed by rain and finished after dark.