Priestley gets new spotter.

With Jason Preistley's Infiniti Pro Series driver-coach and spotter Tony Renna unexpectedly competing for Kelley Racing's IRL squad thanks to the enforced absence of Al Unser Jr, former Barber Dodge driver Sarah Senske will fill in as the former Beverly Hills 90210 actor's spotter this weekend at Nashville.

While much of the attention at this weekend's Firestone Indy 200 IRL race at the Nashville Superspeedway will be directed to the IRL's most popular driver Sara Fisher, there's another rising young female open-wheel racer also in attendance, and she'll spend the weekend whispering in the ear of a Hollywood star.

Sara Senske, a graduate of the same Lynx Racing driver development program that produced Alex Barron (the highest-finishing rookie at this year's Indy 500), will act as the spotter for Kelly Racing driver Jason Priestley in the Infiniti Pro Series race. This is the second event in the new series' 7-race 2002 season.

It's a role she is familiar with, having been the spotter for fellow female racer Lyn St. James in the 2000 Indy 500. And her own experience as a driver, including a podium finish in the Barber Dodge Pro Series race on the Chicago Motor Speedway oval in 2001, makes her the ideal choice to guide Priestley through race traffic during the 77- lap event.

"Naturally I'd rather be behind the wheel than on the radio, but Jason is a terrific driver, Kelly Racing is a top team and I'm happy to contribute to their success in any way I can," says Senske, who turned 24 on Wednesday. "It's all part of paying your dues and learning as much as possible about every aspect of racing. I'm working very hard to put together a deal for a full-season ride in the Infiniti Pro Series next year, and this weekend's spotting job is all part of trying to get things up to speed so I can hit the ground running when it all comes together."

In addition to her spotting chores for Kelly Racing and Priestly this weekend, Senske, who hails from Kennewick, Washington and currently resides in Santa Rosa, California, also keeps busy as a driver for the CART Pace Car Team. She is also in talks with a CART team to do a one-off appearance in the planned Barber Dodge Pro Series race at the season-ending race in Mexico City. Earlier this year she tested impressively with a Dodge team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and she continues her studies as a psychology major at Sonoma State University.