Bob Jennings

Thursday May 10, 2001 top speeds - "500" practice

"Now here I sit high gettin' ideas. I ain't nothin' but a fool to live like this. Out all night and runnin' wild. Woman sittin' home with a month old child. So dang me. Dang me. They oughta' take a rope and hang me. High from the highest tree. Woman would you weep for me?"   

Roger Miller, the old "king of the road" he was and what a clever fellow with words. I always loved Miller's lyrics from the 1964 hit record "Dang Me." The song reminds me of John Dailey. I made countless promises to myself to use Miller's words on this website and now I have. Poor Roger Miller lays in the cold, cold ground somewhere, his remains decomposing while insects eat what's left of the talented song writer and musician. By the way when did Roger Miller die? Has it been a while? Maybe there's nothing left for the bugs but bones to crawl on.

Just think. That's what's in store for all of us, yours truly included. "Here I sit high gettin' ideas. I ain't nothin' but a fool to live like this." I sure look more closely at my annual statement from Social Security than I used to.

It's Friday night. This old man is tired after another week of trying to hold on to two jobs and 50 plus hours of work so he can survive in this world of 30 and 40 year olds who don't know there's still a proud  warrior deep down inside his 55 year old body. Then there's the matter of his adorable wife who turns 33 in a couple days, for whom this old man has to find the money to support since the missus is currently unemployed. 

But I sip on my Wild Turkey 101 along with an occasional slug of Diet Pepsi, trying to write about the 85th "Indianapolis 500" with practice opening for the 86th "Indianapolis 500" in only eight days. Is life crazy or what? I take another slug of "Turkey" and another puff on my Marlboro and type words into my 1999 model Micron Millennia 450 and wish I had enough money to drive out to Dancers on West Washington Street and look at the local "talent."  

You see, I painted myself into another corner. As is usually the case, I don't have enough time to make this website what I want it to be. I mean it is what I want it to be, an outlet for my love of racing, which is so strong that my wife claims it will eventually consume me. But I wish I could be more timely with my content.  

I have a half finished article about Michael Schumacher in another folder elsewhere on this computer. That's timely (isn't Schuey incredible?), but I'm trying to write about activity at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway taking place on May 10, 2001 on April 26, 2002. However come hell or high water, I'm going to finish writing my story of the 2001 "Indianapolis 500." Why? Because it was a neat May for me. Why was it such a neat May? Because there was so much personal interest for me to focus on.

Most of it had to do with Tony Stewart making his return to the "Indianapolis 500" after a one year absence, driving a car from the same Chip Ganassi Target team as Juan Montoya when the Colombian kicked ass the previous May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Who am I kidding? Most of it had to do with Tony Stewart's quest for "Indianapolis 500" victory. Al Unser Jr. was at the Speedway too. But as striking as Little Al's Galles Starz G Force number 3 looked, the now 40 year old redhead was only the 32nd fastest qualifier in the 2001 "500" field and out of the race early, unlucky to be in the way when Sam Hornish showed his inexperience and spun on cold tires on a lap 16 restart.

Obviously I haven't gotten over my disappointment from the announcement that Tony Stewart will forego the 86th "Indianapolis 500" in favor of NASCAR Winston Cup. It stinks? It really stinks? I'm so sick of NASCAR and the way it's butt covers the world of racing! Ryan Newman sits on the pole for Sunday's Winston Cup race at California Speedway when both he and Tony Stewart ought to be getting ready for the "Indianapolis 500." 

Instead of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, we get a bunch of CART "retreads" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month. I don't like Max Papis getting a ride in one of my favorite IRL cars, one of the Team Cheever Red Bull Dallara - Infinitis. C'mon Eddie. What's wrong with you? I thought you were an IRL guy. What's wrong with giving Tracy Hines or Kasey Kahne a chance? 

What Robin Miller wrote last week on the ESPN website was "dead on." Most of the time Robin Miller is full of it, but this time he was on the mark. These Indy Racing League car owners aren't giving the USAC drivers an opportunity to get into Indy car racing the way it was meant to be when Tony George started the IRL. I don't blame Tony George. For that matter I love Tony George! He even went to the expense and trouble to create the Infiniti Pro series so the USAC guys could get a shot at rear engine race cars. 

By the way, what's wrong with Tom Kelley? Tom, you're a Fort Wayne boy. Where's your loyalty to your fellow Hoosiers? Why are you putting actor Jason Priestley in your Infiniti Pro series entry? I think Tom Kelley has stood too long under the hot sun on some Florida golf course while his brain fried. He's not thinking right. He fried his brain in the sun while he got his tan. Jason Priestley? That's almost as stupid as telling Chevrolet you're going to run Toyota engines in 2003 while you get ready for 2002.     

Anyway, back to Tony Stewart who I don't think is going to be the 2002 Winston Cup champion. I mean it's obvious that Stewart is the best driver in most of the Winston Cup races. Tony seems to go to the front at will. But it's something like when he was driving for John Menard in the Indy Racing League. If ever a race driver seems to find the wrong place at the wrong time, it's Tony Stewart. Darlington, Talladega, an engine failure at the start of the "Daytona 500," you name it. That snake is usually around to take a bite out of Tony's butt.

So Tony Stewart what are you going to do? Are you going to beat Sterling Marlin, who seems to be moving along to the Winston Cup title in the silver Coors Light Dodge car 40 in an orderly fashion? Perhaps you will, but it doesn't look that way right now. Come back home to Indy and beat Sam Hornish and those jerks from CART who think they're so damn good.       

Now it's Saturday morning and I have a headache from the two "shots" of Wild Turkey 101 I drank last night. It's the first time I drank any booze in a week and when I went to bed my head was spinning and I thought I was going to be sick. Now I can hardly wait until the coffee is ready.  

What the heck? Even without Tony Stewart, I'm getting pumped about the 86th "Indianapolis 500." I'm going to have to rely on Al Unser Jr. to bring me a "500" win this May. Can Little Al still do it? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Last Sunday at Nazareth, Unser managed to lead 54 laps with an incredibly slow Kelley Corteco/Bryant Dallara - Chevrolet number 7. Even if Al isn't as fast as he once was, he still seems to be able to read a race and bring what I call "race craft" into play.

There's a lot of interesting stories developing as we all get ready for Indy. There's the growing list of returnees to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which this May will include Bobby Rahal, Kenny Brack and Paul Tracy. I'm glad Kenny is coming back but Rahal and Tracy can stay home. I'll probably get a good look at Ashley Judd (what a babe!) in the pits, since she'll be at the Speedway with her new husband Dario Franchitti. I hope Brian Barnhart doesn't suspend Tomas Scheckter for his actions in the Indy Racing League events at Miami and Nazareth. That boy is as wild as his father Jody was when he first came into Formula One nearly 30 years ago. One of my long time favorites Johnny Herbert is making a bid to race in the "500" with Greg Beck's team. I wish Johnny had a stronger ride but I'm still anxious to see how he does. I'm also curious to see who John Menard picks to replace Jaques Lazier (what a shame) for the rest of the season. I just hope Menard doesn't pull an Eddie Cheever and put someone like Roberto Moreno in the car. Hey Mr. Menard, how about giving Donnie Beechler or J.J. Yeley a chance? There will be "soft walls" in the corners at the Speedway. Hopefully that will keep some guys from getting hurt. Can an IRL team beat the CART boys this time? I hope so. By this time next year it might  be difficult to tell who is CART and who is IRL, although Roger Penske may be pissed because Tony George won't let him build IRL cars and make a return to his old series. What's qualifying for the "500" going to be like? It ought to be one mad free for all again with all the strong car and driver combinations. How about the race itself? Will Sam Hornish be the new Vukovich?

So the questions swirl around in my head as I look out the window at the fresh green (that finally came) covering the trees and ground and I'm waiting for things to get going again just as I do every year at this time.

On Thursday May 10, 2001, I hustled out to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 5 PM, trying to get in at least 30 minutes of track time. I was still facing unemployment in three weeks as my contract was up the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. But I tried to put those worries behind me as I drove into the Speedway.    

To that point in May 2001, the big stories at the Speedway were still about who was back; Roger Penske, Tony Stewart, Michael Andretti and Arie Luyendyk. It was as if the usual "500" practice week story of speed had yet to define itself clearly. Perhaps that explains why the crowds for practice were so poor even with all the big names coming back to race.

The small crowds surprised me a lot. The weather had been sunny and warm for the most part. The competition was wide open. But people weren't coming out to the track in large numbers and I expected more. However like old age and hair loss there are some things one has to accept. This was the new reality.

Greg Ray led speeds on three of the first five days of practice with the Kelley drivers Mark Dismore and Scott Sharp fastest on the other two days. The two big names from the earliest Indy Racing League seasons, Tony Stewart and Arie Luyendyk were both running among the leaders each day. The Penske cars were beginning to make their presence felt. But so far there wasn't the old feeling of who would be fastest each day like the years when Rick Mears was putting up big numbers. This reminded me more of May 1993 when Nigel Mansell was at the Speedway and the personalities were more important than the speeds. However that's the beauty of the "Indianapolis 500." Each May brings a different feel from the ones that came before.