MIPS: Dodge completes successful first test.

Neither the unfamiliarity of the Menards Infiniti Pro Series nor the scores of track workers busy disassembling tents or hauling out the rubbish from the sold-out weekend at Chicagoland Speedway fazed Geoff Dodge on Monday.

In fact nothing, not even open spaces of the 1.5-mile paved oval overwhelmed the Knoxville Nationals "Fast Track To Indy" Rookie of the Year. But he hung on every word of advice and encouragement that four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rick Mears dispensed during the rookie test.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think this day would come," said Dodge, who ran a car, prepped by Brian Stewart Racing. "It's awesome to have you give me some pointers."

"Well, I never thought I'd get to the Indianapolis 500 until about six months before I got in the car," replied Mears, driver coach for the Menards Infiniti Pro Series. "Everything looked good; just remain consistent."

Dodge did just that with his remaining laps in preparation for the 2006 season in which he's guaranteed at least six races through the "Fast Track to Indy" partnership between Knoxville Raceway and the Indy Racing League. Knoxville Raceway director of business development Bruce Neimeth said two potential major sponsors already are "very interested" in supporting the grass-roots programme.

"It's a whole new ballgame and a lot of fun," said Dodge, who was acclimated to the car and all that goes into preparing for a race by being an unofficial team member over the weekend.

Sure he skipped his 10 a.m. microeconomics and 2 p.m. statistics classes at Colorado State University to drive around the speedway at 185-plus mph. In a sense, though, he was attending class, with Mears, Menards Infiniti Pro Series point leader Wade Cunningham and Brian Stewart Racing team manager Doug Hoy the instructors. Plus, this could be "a life-changing moment," Dodge acknowledged.

Two months after the Fast Track to Indy programme was announced at The Milwaukee Mile and a month after the Knoxville Nationals, Dodge was preparing for a seat upgrade on tyres donated by Firestone. He initially gave lip service to his chances of winning the Knoxville rookie title.

"I was home from the shop after working on race cars and was watching a rerun of 'Wind Tunnel,' he said. "I thought, 'Man that would be an unbelievable deal for somebody.' But given my limited experience in the 410 sprint car, which is really an entirely different animal than the 360 (he had run), I figured there was going to be a lot of really good young racers there that would be vying for the Fast Track programme. I didn't think about it too much because it seemed too farfetched to happen to me.

"We got to Knoxville and we went to the rookie meeting where they talked to us about the programme. It was still something I didn't think I really had a shot at it. There were a lot of good racers in there with me. We just focused on doing our own thing through the whole Nationals."

Dodge's outlook changed a few days later at the facility in Knoxville, Iowa.

"When it all shook down about Sunday afternoon, I kind of took a look and they said we were leading the points," he said. "It dawned on me we had a real shot at it. When we got it, it was just absolute elation. I couldn't believe it. I'm just really excited to get started.

"I think it's a great opportunity that never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd get."