Lady racer McCune tops 185 in IPS test.

Midget racing veteran Sarah McCune completed 155 laps in an IRL Infiniti Pro Series car last weekend during testing for Sam Schmidt Motorsports at Kentucky Speedway, posting an unofficial fastest lap above 185mph.

McCune posted an unofficial fastest lap of 29.07 seconds, 185.8 mph on the 1.5-mile Kentucky oval, home of the Belterra Casino 300 Indy Racing League event.

Team owner Schmidt, who fields drivers Brandon Erwin and Tom Wood in the Infiniti Pro Series, was pleased with McCune's performance.

"I was very impressed with her smooth driving style and maturity level," Schmidt said. "What made her performance even more impressive was that she had never raced in a Pro Series car before.

"She had no experience with this type of gearbox, and yet her racing times were as good as, if not better, than the other drivers who have been racing this type of car for quite some time."

The test marked the first time a female short-track standout had driven one of the 450-horsepower Infiniti Pro Series machines. Road racer Mishael Abbott tested a Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara-Infiniti in November 2002 at the Kentucky oval.

"I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test for the Infiniti Pro Series with Sam Schmidt Motorsports," said the 25 year-old. "The team and car performed flawlessly all day, and I give credit to Sam and the entire crew for their level of professionalism.

"The test went extremely well, and I was able to adjust quickly to driving the Infiniti (Pro Series) car and achieve speeds comparable with the more experienced Infiniti Pro Series competitors. The dream of competing in and winning the Indianapolis 500 is one giant step closer."

McCune, from Perrysburg, Ohio, began racing quarter-midgets at age 11. In 1996, she became the first woman to win an ARCA Midget feature event. In 1997, she became the first woman to win a North American Auto Racing Series (NAMARS) feature en route to second place in the series point standings.

McCune competed in the USAC Midget Car series from 1998-99, becoming the first woman to finish in the top five in a national event. In 2000, she competed in both NAMARS and USAC Midget events and also tested a Team Pelfrey IndyCar Series car at Walt Disney World Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Between 2001 and 2002, McCune campaigned a limited schedule of USAC Midget events and also tested a Roush Racing NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series machine.