Bob Jennings

"Faster than a bullet from a gun. He is faster than everyone. Quicker than the blinking of an eye. Like a flash you could miss him going by. No one knows quite how he does it but it's true they say. He's the master of going faster." - George Harrison 1978

As some of you know, George Harrison (rest in peace) was a major racing enthusiast. In the years after the breakup of the Beatles, Harrison closely followed Formula One and became friendly with the likes of Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter and Alan Jones. It wasn't uncommon to see Harrison and his pal Ringo Starr hanging out at Grand Prix events. George was a fixture on the international motor sports scene. George and Ringo even attended the 1994 CART race at Phoenix International Raceway as guests of Emerson Fittipaldi. When interviewed by ABC in Phoenix, Harrison said it was his first trip to an oval race. 

I remember the first time I heard Harrison's recording of "Faster" with the sound of a bullet being fired on the "intro." I thought it was a terrific musical attempt at interpreting racing. In the video for the recording of "Faster," George is chauffeured by Jackie Stewart. Initially I thought the song was a tribute to Stewart, but I heard later it was written for Ronnie Peterson, who died in September 1978 from injuries in the Grand Prix of Italy at Monza. No matter who inspired Harrison's composition, the song tells a story of speed and danger and it makes me visualize high speed racing cars with someone going "faster." 

While I was at the 86th "Indianapolis 500," Harrison's recording of "Faster" came to mind as I watched Tomas Scheckter running away from the field for much of the race. "Faster than a bullet from a gun. He is faster than everyone." If anything describes 21 year-old Tomas Scheckter in his first attempt at the "Indianapolis 500," it is the lyrics of our beloved George Harrison. I wonder if George Harrison ever came to watch the "Indianapolis 500." The Beatles stayed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway motel when they played at the Indiana State Fair in 1964. But I don't know when and if George ever was in town for the "500," although I wouldn't be surprised if he was at the Speedway for the Formula One race in September 2000. 

It's official, possible legal moves by a pissed off Barry Green aside. Tony George declared Helio Castroneves as the winner of the 86th "Indianapolis 500" on Wednesday July 3. As expected, George's pronouncement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway set off a storm of protest in the media. Of course Robin Miller weighed in with his usual spin on the ESPN website, blasting the judgment by George, which denied the appeal from Barry Green. 

Regarding the issue of who won the 86th "Indianapolis 500," there was never any doubt in my mind that Helio Castroneves won the race, after I understood what had taken place. Does that mean Castroneves was a more deserving winner than Paul Tracy? No. As much as I dislike Tracy, I acknowledge he drove an excellent race to move to the front from 29th starting position and he is very much a talented competitor. In contrast the Castroneves run on May 26 can best be described as mediocre. Every one knows, including Helio and Roger Penske, that Castroneves was the beneficiary of pit strategy and a yellow flag on lap 199. Helio would've been lucky to finish in the top five otherwise. The Marlboro Team Penske number 3 wasn't an "Indianapolis 500" winning car on May 26 in any way, shape or form.   

But that's not the issue. The issue is who was leading when the race went to caution. 

I have a relatively limited view of the "Indianapolis 500" from my photo position inside turn three. My line of vision is probably just a bit more than one quarter mile. Tony Smith is a friend of mine who lives in suburban Chicago. Tony came to the 1999 "500" and sat in one of the vista grandstands at the north end of the Speedway with my wife. From his seat Tony could watch me as I went through my race day routine. He said that I worked hard during the race, taking photos and shooting video. Tony is correct. I do work hard. I shot 20 rolls of film at the 86th "500" and also took about 45 minutes of video footage. 

This is probably a good thing because it gives me something to do. I'm such a nervous person that I need to keep busy doing one thing or another most of the time. I'm one of those people who gets up in the middle of a movie to stand outside the theater for a cigarette. In the years before I took up serious photography (1981), I kept a meticulous scorecard as the "500" progressed. So, in those days I was probably more aware of what was actually going on in the race than I am today. After all, you don't see much looking through a 35 mm SLR camera and a 200 mm telephoto lens. However I like it better this way. I can always watch the video of the race later.

Watching cars through a camera lens gives a sense of detailed perspective that I don't get when I look at race cars with the naked eye. Freezing the speed of a sleek racing car going more than 200 mph, as I stand by the side of the track, turns me on more than anything else at a race. When I'm shooting a picture, if I can actually spot the lettering on a decal on the side of a car, through the lens, as it flashes by, I know I have a good photo. When I get my photos back I get the same fun I had when I took the photo. When I post the photo on this website, I get yet another big kick. So for me, shooting photos at a race is sort of like recreating a moment multiple times. 

The Paul Tracy pass on Helio Castroneves happened in my line of vision. I was standing just south of the apex of turn three on May 26. I decided to put down my cameras to watch the final ten laps of the race, since it was shaping up to be exciting. For that I'm pissed off with myself because I could've captured a great shot of Tracy lining up Helio (with a 135 mm lens; I was that close) for the pass, which occurred actually as the two were exiting the corner, beyond me but still in my line of vision.  

My initial reaction was disappointment when Tracy made the pass. I wasn't aware of the Laurent Redon - Buddy Lazier mishap at the other end of the track. The crowd was roaring so loudly that it took me a few moments to realize what was going on when the lead was restored to Castroneves. My first thought was the order of the race had reverted to the previous lap. I admit I don't spend a lot of time looking at rule books. It was only later as I was driving home from the "500," listening to a discussion of the race on WIBC, that I realized what had actually taken place on lap 199.

What I did know was that I was happy Helio Castroneves, not Paul Tracy, was the winner of the 86th "Indianapolis 500." For me it was purely an IRL - CART thing. Just 12 months earlier I was thoroughly pissed that one of Roger Penske's cars won the 85th "Indianapolis 500." But on May 26, 2002, I was thankful that Helio and Penske were "500" winners for the sake of the Indy Racing League. But that's a subjective appraisal and it says nothing about who actually won. What do you expect from an IRL fan?

My objective analysis is this. From the ABC video footage, it's obvious the Redon - Lazier crash occurred before Tracy made the pass. At the time of the crash, Tracy was directly behind Castroneves, about 2/3 of the way down the backstretch. If Brian Barnhart made the call for caution at that moment, then the Tracy pass was illegal. That Barry Green didn't have the telemetry on Tracy's car hooked up to race control as Roger Penske did on Helio's car, whose fault is that? If Tracy didn't see a yellow light flashing on his in car instrumentation as Castroneves did, that shouldn't make any difference. 

So you have two conflicting accounts of what should've taken place. Barry Green alleges that Tracy made the pass before the yellow light flashed on at the exit of turn three, and that should be the determining factor for the issue. The Indy Racing League says the caution period started when race control called for caution and the telemetry on Castroneves' car indicates the call was made before the pass.             

As Brian Barnhart acknowledged after reviewing video on May 26, the issue was close. It's not unlike an official's call in football and basketball. Brian Barnhart was the boss of the "Indianapolis 500" just as Tom Binford, Harlan Fengler, Harry McQuinn, Tommy Milton and others who served in the capacity of chief steward before him. How often did Harlan Fengler make unpopular, controversial and even incorrect decisions during his tenure from 1957 through 1973? The difference is that Fengler was an arrogant little "so and so" who got under nearly everyone's skin. However Barnhart has thus far distinguished himself in the role of chief race official for the Indy Racing League, administering in an efficient, tough, fair manner. Nothing suggests that Barnhart would call a race in a way that would benefit a regular IRL competitor for the sake of one series over another. I doubt if the specter of an angry Roger Penske entered Barnhart's mind when he called for caution for the Redon - Lazier mishap. Brian was reacting to danger on the track in the only way he could or should.  

So that brings the question not down to who knew what when as far as the drivers go, as Barry Green implies, but rather when did the race go to caution. The use of in car telemetry and the positioning of the Castroneves and Tracy cars when the crash occurred can be the only clues to the answer and both of these elements reveal that Helio won the race because he was the leader when the race went yellow. 

Therefore in my mind Brian Barnhart made the correct decision in restoring the race lead to Castroneves and backing up his decision when he rejected Barry Green's original appeal on May 27 and Tony George was correct in supporting Barnhart's call on July 3. 

The furor over the manner in which George reasoned his decision in announcing that Team Green's second appeal had been denied is unfortunate but to be expected. We live in a politically correct world today and that makes it difficult to give definition to things. Even if he sometimes phrases responses in his own way, Tony George is a man who makes things happen in a big way and usually makes correct decisions. Tony George isn't a wordsmith. But so what, few of us are. George is a visionary who puts his money where his mouth is. Robin Miller is a wordsmith, as good as they come, but his ability to reason is one step shy of being impaired by the well known mix of the writer's anger, natural resentment towards the world and a basic tendency towards perpetual discontent. 

So I say quit arguing over semantics. Tony George made his decision in a logical, sensible and appropriate way and used the information he had at his disposal, which incidentally is the best information we have, to support Brian Barnhart's original judgment. This wasn't Bush versus Gore in Florida in November 2000, with "hanging chads" on punch card ballots. 

This brings us to the next issue of the day and that's whether the "Indianapolis 500" is as big an event as it was in years past. This one's tougher than the question of who won the 86th edition of the "greatest spectacle in racing."

It's complicated to describe the way I really feel about this. I love the "Indianapolis 500" more than anything else in this world. I always have. I always will. No doubt this passion has hindered me in a lot of ways throughout my life. It keeps me from focusing on life's usual matters the way I should. It interferes with personal relationships. It's distracts my business career. It costs money. It takes time. It's probably an overall negative. 

But I can't help it. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the center of my universe. The month of May is the beginning and end of each year. The "Indianapolis 500" is what I live for. There's never been anything that's made me feel the way the "500" makes me feel. My heart belongs to the "Indianapolis 500."

For me the "Indianapolis 500" is every bit as special as it's ever been. The "500" hasn't missed a beat since the Indy Racing League took over. The drivers who fight to have their image emblazoned on the Borg Warner trophy are just as worthy as any who ever raced for the right to be called "Indianapolis 500" champion. If anything, the racing has been better than ever since the IRL began operations. But things have changed. There's no denying that.

However it hasn't been the Indy car war that hurt the "Indy 500" most. It happened way before that. Things changed somewhere between 1985 and 1990. CART fans write to raise hell with me and call me a "steaming turd" because I blame their series for nearly destroying the sport of Indy car racing. However I have an advantage on them because I've been around long enough to watch what's happened and I understand it better than they do. That's not a boast. It's the truth because I've been so obsessed with racing for so long, to my detriment I might add, that I see what's happening and not merely what I want to see.

To be fair, CART isn't the only problem. But the direction of the series, starting about 1986, certainly made it a lot easier for NASCAR to move to the forefront of public preference. In 1986, CART added the Toronto street race and Roger Penske's original Ilmor Chevy V8 turbo engine was introduced to competition. You know the drill by now. Street races, foreign drivers, selfish manipulation of the competition, escalating costs which weren't justified at the box office, these are the things that CART brought to Indy car racing and I resent those who made the decisions that brought on the current dilemma facing Indy car racing.

American racing has now been taken over by a bunch of Madison Avenue types, in the name of NASCAR, who know how to market personalities. CART has Cristiano da Matta. NASCAR has Dale Earnhardt Jr. That's not to say da Matta isn't a terrific talent because obviously he is. da Matta is probably far more talented than Dale Earnhardt Jr. in an overall sense. Judging by the way Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman have prospered in NASCAR, it's obvious to me that open wheel racers are generally superior in skill to their stock car racing counterparts. 

But so what. Let's not forget that racing in America has its roots in rural areas. In the cities you have the "stick and ball" sports. In the cities there is social diversity. In the Midwest and Southeast, people adhere to more traditional ideas. To these people, who do you think is going to be more appealing - Cristiano da Matta or Dale Earnhardt Jr. or anyone of another 25 American guys?

I'm firmly convinced that a large percentage of NASCAR fans could care less about the racing on the track (except when they throw bottles at Daytona). What they care about is the driver whose identity they want to borrow for a day with their caps, tee shirts and flags proclaiming allegiance to Dale Jr., Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin. Which kind of racing do you think is better, 1500 pound specially built aerodynamic bullets capable of racing 500 miles at more than 200 mph or tube frames with sheet metal that slightly resemble the Chevy Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix (you can't even say slightly resemble about the Ford Taurus and Dodge Intrepid), weigh 3500 pounds and lumber around forty mph slower than Indy cars, bumping and banging into each other along the way?

However regardless of the merits of Indy car racing, and it sure wasn't helped by countless races where 1000 horsepower race cars followed each other around parking lots and narrow streets, driven by a bunch of jockey sized foreigners, no matter how talented they are, NASCAR struck a chord with the American sports fan. It became a matter of heroes engaging in weekly competition at race tracks filled with hundreds of thousands of fans and millions more watching on television sets at home. 

Racing has always been a niche sport, NASCAR has broken from the pack and joined the "stick and ball" mainstream. Bill Elliott, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fell into the same realm as the heroes of the other big league sports. Indy car drivers did not. But rather than try and compete, Indy car racing became a series of indulgent whims by a bunch of greedy men and we all know the rest of the story.

There was a time, as late as 1985, when Indy car racing could've run with NASCAR if only the proper moves had been made. ESPN was only starting its reach on cable TV and the general public hadn't yet caught on to what we racing fans had known for years. Racing still belonged to race fans and party goers, but it was moving into the consciousness of more people. There was an opportunity to grow and Bill France and company took advantage of that opportunity. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway didn't lose the opportunity to lead racing but it's psuedo partner in a tense relationship, the CART series, did. 

Tony George was correct to react in the manner he did when he created the Indy Racing League. He was trying to protect his family's business property and maintain his turf, rather than put the future of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the "Indianapolis 500" in the hands of people he didn't trust. I'll always defend the move to create the IRL. Considering what George had to work with when the series began, that the racing in the IRL is superior to anything else in the world, is a testament to Tony's vision.    

In 1985, there were bleachers along the inside of turn two, the backstretch, turn three, the north chute and turn four, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, all jammed with fans on race day. Back then, there was the infamous snake pit behind the bleachers in turns one and four, crowded with drunk young people ready to raise hell and celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer. Back then, the "Brickyard 400" was still nine years away and NASCAR had yet to rule the American racing scene and wasn't a national obsession. Back then, CART was relatively new and fresh and they hadn't forced those asinine street races down our throats and filled their race cars with a bunch of Formula One wannabes. Back then, the Indiana Pacers were more concerned with mere survival, never mind NBA respectability or playoff hopes and sports fans and local media didn't have to divide their focus in May between the "500" and the NBA post season. Back then, there was no such thing as the Internet (other than for military, intelligence and scientific use), and personal computers, as we know them today, hadn't appeared yet. Back then, the "Indianapolis 500" was the undisputed king of racing, paying the biggest purse, drawing the largest crowds and getting the most attention. 

Things aren't the way they were back then. There's no sense telling a lie to myself or anyone else for that matter. The "Indianapolis 500" is still a huge event, a one of a kind spectacle unlike anything else in this world. It's a religious experience to me. Race day is my high holy day of each year. I believe in God and I see him more clearly during the "Indianapolis 500" than anywhere else. But as big as the event still is, it's obvious there is something missing that was once present. It's an intangible, almost impossible to define. As I write this, I struggle to capture the right words. 

Perhaps it's best expressed this way. The "Indianapolis 500" is still the greatest show on earth. Indy is still the single most important, famous and popular race in the world. But for a large number of reasons, some completely unrelated to racing, the event isn't quite as immense as it used to be in the minds of as many people. Hell, maybe its' just a change of taste, like short hair on the heads of young men in my father's generation versus youthful long hair in my generation versus short hair worn by young men again today.  

However, as I wrote earlier in this compilation of assorted observations, the "Indianapolis 500" is still the number one person, place or thing in my life and I believe it's likely as important to a lot of other people too. Even in this day and age, of a wide and varied array of entertainment outlets, the "500" remains a very big deal to millions of people throughout the world. It still stands out from all the other racing events in a unique way. You want quick proof? Think about all the public discussion which has taken place about the Castroneves - Tracy finish since it occurred on May 26. 

Each year the "Greatest spectacle in racing" is a story unto itself, but there are also many links to races past at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway every time they run the "Indianapolis 500." That's where the history and tradition of Indy comes into play. At the same time, each of the 86 versions of the "500" has it's own story. It's like the lineage in a family. Each descendant is forever related to his forefathers by family traditions and habits that are passed from one generation to another. However every branch on the family tree has an individual story too. 

That was the case this May too. The tradition of the "Indianapolis 500" rises up like the old penthouse grandstands running down the main straightaway of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into turn one. But the history of the event balances with the current drama being presented the way the ultra modern pagoda nerve center blends in with the older structures on the massive Speedway grounds.  

The spirits of Ray Harroun, Joe Dawson, Jules Goux, Rene Thomas, Ralph DePalma, Dario Resta, Howard Wilcox, Gaston Chevrolet, Tommy Milton, Jimmy Murphy, L.L. Corum, Joe Boyer, Peter DePaola, Frank Lockhart, George Souders, Louis Meyer, Ray Keech, Billy Arnold, Louis Schneider, Fred Frame, Bill Cummings, Kelly Petillo, Wilbur Shaw, Floyd Roberts, Floyd Davis, Mauri Rose, George Robson, Bill Holland, Johnnie Parsons, Lee Wallard, Troy Ruttman, Bill Vukovich, Bob Sweikert, Pat Flaherty, Sam Hanks, Jimmy Bryan, Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Mark Donohue mix with memories of Rodger Ward, Jim Rathmann, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford, Rick Mears, Tom Sneva, Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Montoya to set the stage for current heroes to present their own version of the drama and magic that is the "Indianapolis 500."          

The general lack of interest in pre-race activity in May for the "Indianapolis 500" combined with cold, wet often February-like weather brought my spirits down. However all of the negatives seemed to be wiped away with beautiful blue skies and warm temperatures topping off at 80 degrees on Sunday May 26. It was the first time since the 1994 "500" that sun prevailed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the final Sunday in May for the entire day. The 1999 "500" was run for the most part under sunny skies although it clouded up and there were showers within moments of the finish. Other than that, it either rained in the morning (1998), the start of the "500" was delayed by rain (1995, 1996, 2000), postponed until the next day (1997) or interrupted by light showers twice during the race (2001).   

The early weather forecast for Sunday May 26 was "iffy" and called for possible rain during the day. However as the week progressed, the forecast improved. By Saturday May 25 the weather for the next day was looking better by the hour. Saturday night, I went outside and looked up at "starry" skies without a cloud in sight. When I awoke Sunday May 26, the sun was shining bright and the day was perfect for the 86th "500." 

I made the trip to the "Indianapolis 500" by myself for the first time since 1997. I didn't encounter any traffic on the way to the Speedway race morning (about 8:30 AM). When I crossed 38th Street, just east of Lafayette Road, I didn't see any tie-ups either. That made me think perhaps the malaise from practice and qualifications was going to overlap into race day. But the strip mall lot where I park my car, a mile from the north end of the Speedway, was many times more crowded than it had been the three previous years. I shared a ride with some other fans in the back of a pickup truck at Lafayette Road and 34th Street. As we traveled south on Falcon Drive to 30th Street, it became apparent the old excitement for the "Indianapolis 500" was back, at least for one day.

Cars filled yards in front of houses as neighborhood residents collected $10.00, $15.00 and even $20.00, the closer to the Speedway they lived, from race-goers who were anxious to get to the track. 30th Street was jammed with fans. Unlike recent "500" race days when bargain prices prevailed on the street market on "500" race morning, scalpers were getting more than face value for "500" tickets for the first time in years. Excitement and electricity filled the air and it was like we were back to the days when "Indianapolis 500" crowds probably did surpass 400,000 people and the throngs came to watch legends like A.J. Foyt, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford and Rick Mears fight it out for racing's biggest prize.

The threat of terrorist attacks on the world's biggest crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had been raised in the days immediately preceding the 86th "500." The threat frightened my wife and kept her away from the "500" for the first time since we married in January 1998. It didn't seem to affect many other people however and the promise of perfect weather probably did more to counter terrorist threats than anything else including the most competitive field in "Indy" history. I might mention that no one checked the two large photo equipment bags I was carrying and I didn't see any security checks as I entered the Speedway from the north about 9:30 AM. I guessed I either looked too old to harm anyone or too much like a typical "500" fan with my Indy Racing League tee shirt and baggy jeans, to catch the attention of track security. That surprised me somewhat because my stuff was searched on "500" pole day May 11 and also on both Saturday and Sunday on the weekend of the second SAP U.S. Grand Prix at the Speedway last September, immediately following the "911" attacks.  

My mom expressed some concern about the safety of my going to the "Indianapolis 500" in the days leading to the race. When I called her race morning, just before I left for the Speedway, her words to me were "keep your eyes open." I told her that I would go to the "500" even if there was a 100 percent chance of a terrorist attack. 

By the time I made it over to my photo location inside turn three, the grandstands across from me were filled with a rainbow blanket of color and the spectator mounds inside the track were crowded ten deep with fans. It did look like the halcyon days of the "Indianapolis 500" again. Even on the replay of the ABC coverage of the race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway looked more crowded than usual. The only empty seats I saw during the telecast were those directly behind the pits midway through the race and I don't know if the few ticket holders who were missing were taking restroom and concession breaks or not. 

It was a grand spectacle and like the (who knows how many) hundreds of thousands of other fans at the Speedway, I couldn't wait for the race to begin. When the monsignor for the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis gave the invocation, I looked up to the deep blue sky and thanked God for bringing me to my 47th "Indianapolis 500" and prayed that everyone emerge from the race safely. I also made the request for Al Unser Jr. to get his third Indy victory. Obviously the "man upstairs" didn't hear me on that one. Al Unser Jr. hasn't been doing the right things and I'll have more on that issue later in this piece, but I still like the guy and will continue to hope he wins races if and when he returns to racing. 

The Stealth bomber which made the flyover, the playing of "Taps," Jim Nabors' singing of "Back Home Again In Indiana" (I love that song even if I'm not too pleased with the current state of the State of Indiana), the red and blue balloons (they actually looked purple and orange) and Mari Hulman George's command "Lady and gentlemen start your engines" all came together to create the same magic and electricity I had experienced 46 times before and all of it was even happening under blue skies and sunshine. By the time we got to this point in the day there wasn't anything missing from the old magic, at least for me.

After all 33 cars passed by for the first time, I began thinking about the primary storylines at hand. Who would emerge as the strongest competitor in the fastest and most competitive "Indianapolis 500" in history? How would the diamond cut maintenance on the Speedway track surface affect tire wear and impact the outcome of the race? How fast would the Infiniti V8 package be and could the engine endure for 500 miles? Who would come out on top; CART or the Indy Racing League? Finally, for me the most important question was how would Al Unser Jr. do in the race?   

During the two parade laps and the pace lap, I frantically tried to take as many photos as I could. Then I shot video of the first few laps of the race. After the 33 cars passed by on the pace lap, gaining speed for the start of the race on the other side of the Speedway, I put down my camera and focused my camcorder on the video board inside the north end of the track. Although I could barely see the image on the screen because of the crowds on the mounds, I saw the 33 cars race into turn one and the words "green flag" flash on the bottom of the screen. 

From the video replays I've seen, the start of the 86th "Indianapolis 500" was one of the most single file formations I can recall. The green flag waved about the time the cars came off turn four, and pole sitter Bruno Junqueira was on it early. Later, on the WRTV "Trackside 6" race review program, Scott Sharp commented that the early green flag was an attempt by Indy Racing League boss Brian Barnhart to get the field into a single file formation by the time they got to turn one. If so, Barnhart's plan worked and it was a safe, if not an exciting, start. 

Next came the wait for the 33 cars to appear in my line of sight to see who was running where. I didn't bring a radio, deciding to listen to Tom Carnegie and Dave Calabro on the Speedway public address and follow the standings on the video board. That was a mistake. I should've had a radio because I didn't hear the p.a. system that well throughout the day and the video board was difficult to see because of the fans on the spectator mounds. This is always a thrilling but nervous time. I could hear the crowd roaring in the distance as they saw what was happening on the race track. All I could do was speculate and the suspense was maddening while I waited to see race cars.

When the cars finally came into view for the first time at speed, Bruno Junqueira's Target Ganassi G Force - Chevy number 33 was slightly ahead but Robbie Buhl's number 24 Team Purex Dreyer & Reinbold G Force - Infiniti was alongside on the outside when they came into turn three, followed by Raul Boesel's Menard/Johns Manville Dallara - Chevy and the two Hollywood Mo Nunn G Force - Chevrolets driven by Felipe Giaffone and Tony Kanaan. I looked for Al Unser Jr.'s Corteco/Bryant Kelley Dallara - Chevrolet number 7 and he came by in a pack of cars that included Robbie Gordon's number 31 Menard/Childress/Cingular Dallara - Chevy and both Marlboro Team Penske entries. So far so good.

According to a press release from the Indy Racing League website, Junqueira was the 174th different driver to lead a lap in the "Indianapolis 500." The "500" pole sitter beat Buhl to the finish line at the end of lap one by .5475 seconds. Bruno was flying and he quickly distanced himself from Buhl. By lap four, Junqueira had pulled out an .8512 second advantage over Robbie, with Boesel more than a second further back in third. The cars spread out quickly during the opening laps.

I didn't miss Tony Stewart at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May as much as I expected, before race day, because I was so excited about Al Unser Jr.'s prospects for a third "Indy" win. Unfortunately the first twenty laps of the race weren't living up to my pre-race hopes in regard to Little Al. The surface of the red, black and white Corteco/Bryant number 7 sparkled with bright sunshine bouncing off the high gloss finish. Unser appeared to be racing hard, but he wasn't improving his position. Other cars were moving past or falling behind, but Al Jr. seemed to be stuck around eleventh and 12th place.

Greg Ray became the first driver to leave the race when he did a half spin in turn one and hit the new SAFER barrier on the outside of the track with the rear of the car on lap 30. This brought out the first yellow flag of the race.  

You have to wonder what's going on in Greg Ray's career. Perhaps the fastest driver in the history of the Indy Racing League, Ray, the all time pole winner in series history with 15, is also a five time IRL race winner. Initially it appeared that Ray would become the logical successor to Tony Stewart and Arie Luyendyk as the leading contender in the IRL. But after throwing away potential winning opportunities in three consecutive runnings of the "Indianapolis 500" and insisting that Menard be a single car entry in the 2001 "500," John Menard got pissed off and fired Ray after the race last August at Kentucky Speedway. Ray's career hasn't been the same since. Greg was hired by Tom Kelley for a full time ride for the 2002 season. However when Ray failed to come up with sponsorship, he was replaced with Al Unser Jr. two weeks before the start of the season opening race at Miami. 

After being fired by John Menard, Ray's only IRL start for the remainder of the 2001 came with A.J. Foyt's team in last season's finale at Texas Motor Speedway. Greg signed with the team full time prior to the 86th "Indianapolis 500." I think Ray's yellow and purple Harrah's number 11 is one of the nicest looking race cars out there, but the machine was a problem from the moment it first appeared on pit road at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Greg had problems finding speed in practice and his qualifying speed of 227.155 mph was fourth slowest in the "500" field. Imagine that. Greg Ray was the fourth slowest qualifier for the "Indianapolis 500" after four consecutive years starting from the front row?  

Although his race ended 22 laps early at Richmond International Raceway, the first positive thing that's happened to Greg Ray in nearly a year came when he led 41 laps of the Indy Racing League event. However Eliseo Salazar returns to racing tonight at Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since the Chilean driver's testing crash last April at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With Airton Dare winning his first IRL race at Kansas Speedway and out performing Ray nearly each time out and Salazar bringing lots of money from Chile, you have to wonder about Greg's future with A.J. Foyt's team.    

Bruno Junqueira looked pretty good while leading the first 32 laps of the "500." His red and white Target Ganassi car 33 appeared to maintain the leading pace without difficulty. Robbie Buhl tried to hang on in second place until lap 25, when Tony Kanaan passed. But when Junqueira pitted for the first time, with the race under caution from Ray's accident, the "500" pole winner stalled the engine and his stop lasted 28 seconds. That took Bruno out of contention for the remainder of the race.

Once the first pit stop cycle completed, Tomas Scheckter emerged in first place, followed by Hornish, Kanaan, Sharp, de Ferran, Giaffone, Boesel, Castroneves, Vasser and Brack. Scheckter led the field into turn one on the restart on lap 36. 

The white and day-glow red Penske Marlboro cars, always easy to spot, seemed almost inconspicuous by their absence from the front of the race. de Ferran's car appeared to be running well, but the defending "Indianapolis 500" winner Castroneves looked sluggish as he ran in the middle of a pack of cars. On lap 38 Jimmy Vasser's white, dark blue and yellow car 19 (one of the nicest looking cars in the "500" in a year where there were many nice looking cars) passed Helio for eighth place. 

I didn't see it until I watched it later on television, but perhaps the most exciting moment of the race, with the exception of the Paul Tracy pass on Castroneves in turn three on lap 199, occurred on lap 49 when Hornish managed to move inside Scheckter into turn four and pull slightly ahead. But Tomas' royal blue metallic Red Bull car moved to the outside and put Sam's chrome yellow Pennzoil number 4 behind cars being lapped halfway through the corner. It was an exciting move and Tomas handled it masterfully! Scheckter, Hornish and Kanaan went three wide off turn four and the power of the Infiniti V8 enabled Tomas to hold his lead to the starting line.

While Hornish and Kanaan were battling for second place behind him, the leader Scheckter built his lead to almost two seconds. But the South African driver was using fuel at a rapid rate and he was the first of the leaders to make his second stop when he brought car 52 to the pits on lap 64. 

Unbeknownst to me until the next day when I read The Indianapolis Star, Al Unser Jr. actually led lap 69 before coming to the pits. Unfortunately it was the high point of Little Al's race; so much for my hopes for a third "Indianapolis 500" win. At least Junior added another lap to his all time "500" lap leading total, raising it to 110, albeit by pit strategy rather than speed.

From the aspect of leading races during the 2002 Indy Racing League season, Unser Jr. is doing pretty well. He led 39 laps at Phoenix and 54 laps at Nazareth but most of the laps in front of those races came as a result of pit strategy. Actually that's pretty good, to be able parlay pit strategy into a total of 94 leading laps during the first five races of the new IRL season. 

At Texas Motor Speedway, Al Unser Jr. looked as good as he ever has, finishing second to Jeff Ward in the closest finish in Indy Racing League history. Unser led 38 laps on the way to his photo finish loss to Ward in Texas. In the IRL race at Kansas, Little Al had another outstanding race until he dropped out on lap 189 with gearbox problems, leading 29 laps. 

Unser Jr. has a total of 161 leading laps, good for a tie for fourth (with Helio Castroneves) on the season to date, behind Gil de Ferran (508),Sam Hornish (361), Tomas Scheckter (321) and ahead of  Kelley Racing teammate Scott Sharp (60), Jaques Lazier (45), Eddie Cheever (43), Greg Ray (41), Laurent Redon (39), Bruno Junqueira (32), Jeff Ward (31), Shigeaki Hattori (28),Tony Kanaan (23), Felipe Giaffone (17), Airton Dare (9), Alex Barron (7), Eliseo Salazar (7) and Billy Boat (6). Unser currently stands sixth in IRL points with 207, behind Helio Castroneves (315), Gil de Ferran (307), Sam Hornish (296), Felipe Giaffone (269) and Airton Dare (226). 

The incident a couple weeks ago with Al Unser Jr.'s girl friend Jena Soto was unfortunate, stupid and very sad. 

Unser problems brought Robin Miller out of his hole with three stories on the topic appearing on the ESPN racing website. In his first story, which was nothing short of sleaze, Miller used Unser's former motor home driver and Bobby Unser as his primary sources. Aren't those outstanding sources? 

The motor home driver is some low life named Steve Schweissgut, who actually provided drugs to Little Al. Schweissgut came out with his story, claiming he wanted to help Unser. Yeah right. It sounds more like getting even for something or another or else Robin Miller paid Schweissgut for his information. 

Everyone knows Bobby Unser is crazy as hell. Bobby was one of the greatest racers of all time, but there's always been a few cards missing from his deck. This is a guy who has deluded himself into thinking he's the center of the universe, had more wives than Carter has liver pills, gotten into a fist fight with a female police officer in Albuquerque, battled tooth and nail with the Federal government over a $75.00 fine and almost had his third win in the "Indianapolis 500" taken away because he passed 13 cars coming out of the pits under the yellow flag in the 1981 race.

Nice work Robin, you piece of crap. Anyone who can remember some of Miller's public problems, knows Robin has a history too. Fortunately for the former writer for The Indianapolis Star, most of us have more class than he does. 

Despite the fact Robin Miller exploited Al Unser Jr.'s problems in his usual tabloid manner, the writer/weasel didn't cause those problems. I don't condone Al Unser Jr. for his recent actions earlier this month or in the past. His behavior was ridiculous, especially in light of the fact he's trying to save his racing career. It's even more foolish because Al has been racing better this season than at any time since 1995. 

Although I hate to see Al Unser Jr. miss two or three Indy Racing League events, especially when he's been racing so well this season, I'm glad to see him confront his problems. I hope Unser perseveres with his rehabilitation for alcoholism, because it may be his final hope. My guess is Tony George, Tom Kelley and Unser's IRL sponsor this season, Corteco, probably delivered an ultimatum to Al. At the same time, I hope Kelley and Corteco fulfill their promise to restore Unser to the Corteco/Bryant Dallara number 7 when Al completes his program.  

I'm still for Al Unser Jr. however. I want to see him return to the race track and win like he did back in the glory days. Actually if Unser plays this thing in the correct manner, he could come back and totally revitalize his career. Americans tend to be forgiving when someone tries to correct mistakes. If Little Al comes back from his rehab, races like he did before these recent problems and win a race or two, he could become the same icon he was in the mid-1990's. 

Now back to the "greatest spectacle in racing" as the late Sid Collins used to say on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.

After the second pit cycle completed, Kanaan was in front with Scheckter, Hornish, de Ferran and Sharp completing the order of the top five. I was impressed with Kanaan's run in one of the colorful Mo Nunn Hollywood cars. Over the past few seasons, I regarded Kanaan as something of a CART "also ran." In other words, I didn't pay much attention to him. However when I watched this season's CART race in Japan on television I saw another side of the Brazilian driver. After a somewhat slow start in practice for the "500," Kanaan found some speed and from that point became a legitimate contender to win the race. While discussing possible race scenarios at work with Chuck Walden, on Friday May 24, I mentioned Kanaan's name on more than a few occasions. Tony and the number 17 car looked like a solid choice. So I wasn't surprised that Kanaan was leading the "Indianapolis 500" on lap 73 and looking in a strong position to win racing's most famous prize.  

I've been excited about Tomas Scheckter since he created a sensation in the Indy Racing League "Test in the West" at California Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway before the season's schedule got underway in March. A lot of it probably has to do with the fact young Tomas is the son of my earlier racing favorite Jody Scheckter.

I became interested in Jody Scheckter when I watched the 23 year-old South African make his Formula One debut on October 8, 1972 in the Grand Prix of the United States at Watkins Glen. 

That cold, dreary, overcast October day in upstate New York was spent focusing on Jackie Stewart's new blue Tyrrell 005 - Ford Cosworth V8, as the legendary "wee Scot" led from flag to flag on the way to victory over teammate Francois Cevert. It was one of my great racing days! 

I recall that puffs of smoke began to appear at the rear of Stewart's car on lap five and continued throughout the 59 lap race at Watkins Glen. I was thinking each lap, as Jackie passed by my position on the hill in the "Esses" (although I can't remember if my pal Joe Lowe and I were inside or outside the track), that it might be the final time he would come by because the smoke might mean terminal engine or gearbox problems. Fortunately everything held together on the squat blue "shovel T nosed" Elf Tyrrell and Jackie cruised to the 22nd Formula One Grand Prix victory of his career.

I also noticed the newcomer, Scheckter, in one of the cream and orange Yardley McLaren M19 - Ford Cosworths. I had seen Jody Scheckter's name somewhere in Competition Press & Autoweek magazine earlier in the season. But I knew next to nothing about the South African the day I saw him race for the first time at Watkins Glen.

The 1972 Grand Prix of the United States was a processional event and it must not have been much fun for people who didn't like Jackie Stewart. For the entire race, Stewart led Cevert and 1967 World Champion Denny Hulme in another McLaren M19. But Jody Scheckter was racing and moved to fourth place from his eighth grid position before finishing ninth. An impression had been made on Bob Jennings.

For 1973, Scheckter continued his part time status (five starts) with the McLaren team, as the third driver behind Hulme and Peter Revson. Jody was wild as they came (sound familiar?). He showed a lot of speed, had some good grid positions and led some competitive laps. However Scheckter crashed at Silverstone, creating a mess that took out nine cars at the first corner in the Grand Prix of Britain. Scheckter also came to the U.S. to race, competing in both the Can Am sports car series and in SCCA Formula 5000, where he beat Brian Redman in a fierce fight for the 1973 season championship.

When Francois Cevert was killed practicing for the 1973 Grand Prix of the United States at Watkins Glen and Jackie Stewart retired, Jody Scheckter was picked to be the number one driver for Elf Team Tyrrell for the 1974 season. Although it made me very happy for Jody to replace Jackie Stewart on the Tyrrell team, it was a mixed blessing for Scheckter. 

The 1974 Formula One season was good for Scheckter in the conventional wedge shape Tyrrell 007 - Ford V8. Jody won in Sweden and Britain and scored second place finishes in Monaco and Germany, thirds in Belgium and Italy and a total of 45 World Championship points. Scheckter was in a three way championship battle with Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni going into the 1974 season finale at Watkins Glen. Although Jody finished third behind Fittipaldi and Regazzoni for the World title, it was his first full Formula One season and he was regarded as the most exciting new driver to come to F1 since Jackie Stewart in 1965.   

Ken Tyrrell asked Jackie Stewart to work with Scheckter to temper Jody's aggression and recklessness. In the final analysis I think this was a bad thing because although Scheckter became one of the most intelligent race analysts on the Formula One grid, he lost some of the competitive fire which made him so exciting in the first place. 

Scheckter continued with Elf Team Tyrrell the next two seasons, winning the 1975 Grand Prix of South Africa in the 007 chassis and winning the 1976 Grand Prix of Sweden in the six wheel Tyrrell during the 1976 season. Jody moved to the new Walter Wolf team for 1977. Scheckter's first start for the team in Argentina, in the beautiful, "swoopy" (oh so) dark blue and gold Wolf WR01 - Ford, brought a surprise victory to open the 1977 season. That was too cool! Jody added wins later in 1977 at Monaco and Canada to finish second to Niki Lauda and Ferrari for the 1977 World Championship. 

Enzo Ferrari was quoted as saying "give me Scheckter and I will make him World Champion." After a disappointing 1978 season with Wolf, in which his best finish was a second place in the season finale at Montreal, Jody signed with the Scuderia for 1979. The Commendatore Ferrari delivered what he promised. Scheckter won in Belgium, Monaco and clinched the World Championship at Monza, with another Grand Prix victory, in the 13th of the season's 15 events.

Jody Scheckter's World Championship in 1979 obviously brought me a lot of satisfaction even though the run to the title was one of consistency rather than supremacy. In addition to his three victories, Scheckter had a total of 12 championship points finishes and only two retirements throughout 1979. It was a championship well deserved if not spectacular. By 1979, Jody Scheckter was the quintessential thinking man's racing driver, a far cry from the wild boy who came to Formula One seven years earlier.

However it was almost as if having accomplished a World Championship, Jody Scheckter became bored with racing. In 1980, his season was a complete disaster. Scheckter only had one points finish and even failed to qualify for the Grand Prix of Canada. By July he announced he was retiring from racing at the end of the 1980 season at the age of 30.  

Watching Tomas Scheckter take an unusually high line through turn three lap after lap in the 86th "Indianapolis 500," I was reminded of his father Jody's earliest days in the big time. I can almost visualize Jody Scheckter in the Tyrrell 007 when I look at the photo at the top of this page. I was still keeping a close watch on Al Unser Jr. but I was also starting to focus on young Scheckter's run to "Indianapolis 500" victory.  

On lap 74, Sam Hornish blew an opportunity to win the "Indianapolis 500" for the second year in succession. Many will recall that Hornish spun on cold tires on a lap 16 restart last May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hornish's "boo boo" in the 2001 "500" caused Al Unser Jr. to retire after Unser hit the outer wall in an attempt to avoid Hornish's spinning car. The mishap caused the 2001 Indy Racing League champion to lose four laps due to an extended pit stop. This time Hornish went wide coming off turn four and brushed the outside wall. Hornish limped to the pits with car number 4 and the machine was taken to the garage area for repairs to the suspension.    

So Bruno Junqueira lost his bid when he stalled during his pit stop, after leading the first 32 laps of the race. Now Hornish had lost his chance and another potential "500" winner was out of contention.      

The yellow flag came out for the safety crew to clean up debris from Hornish's "screw up." Scheckter took advantage of the yellow to pit on lap 81. Tomas was in for a total of 19 seconds while the Red Bull Cheever crew cleaned the radiators on car 52. 

During the same series of stops, a fire erupted in Robby Gordon's pits when a vent hose stuck. This extended the yellow while pit road was cleaned up and Menard crew moved their equipment to Greg Ray's vacated pits. 

After Jimmy Vasser retired from the "500" on lap 89, Bobby Rahal complained to ABC about the gearbox in Vasser's car not being very good. Rahal was upset over the Indy Racing League spec Emco gearbox units. Bobby, does that mean you won't come back next May? I hope so. We didn't need you in the first place. By the way if the reader wants an example of Bobby Rahal's efforts before he was fired as head of the Jaguar Formula One team, review the performance of the Jaguar R3 this season. The Jaguar R3 was Rahal's brainchild. 

At the same time as Vasser slowed, smoke began pouring from the rear of Junqueira's Target number 33. Incidentally, the failure on the Vasser car was the only gearbox problem reported during the "500." While Vasser and Junqueira were leaving the race, Hornish's car returned after lengthy repairs, 15 laps behind the leader Kanaan.

As Kanaan came off turn three on lap 90, he must've caught some of the fluid left on the track from Junqueira or Vasser, because the Hollywood number 17 did a partial spin and hit the outside wall with the rear of the car. In avoiding Kanaan's crash, Rick Treadway scraped the wall in turn four, losing a right front wing on car 55. 

With Kanaan's retirement, that meant three of the fastest cars had lost an opportunity to win. Tony did a good job. Maybe he'll be a full time Indy Racing League competitor next year. That would be okay with me. I liked the way the Brazilian carried himself at the Speedway in May.   

I noticed the left side end plate on the rear wing on Buddy Lazier's car 91 was missing. Apparently Buddy must've made contact with another car sometime near the halfway point of the race although I never heard who. Lazier made a stop on lap 92 for repairs and the rear wing was replaced. In photos taken later in the race, a number 91T is visible on the rear wing of Buddy's silver and purple Coors Light Dallara. 

I expected Lazier to have a much better season in 2002 than has developed. In the nine IRL races so far, Buddy's best finishes have been seventh places at Phoenix, California and Kansas. I hope the Hemelgarn Dallara - Chevies are up to Lazier's skills because no driver more closely represents the Indy Racing League to me than Buddy Lazier and I'm a big admirer. I'll be happy when Buddy wins his ninth IRL event. At Chicagoland Speedway, Lazier led the IROC race from start to finish to win, beating Al Unser Jr. and Helio Castroneves to the checkered flag. That had to make Buddy happy. Hopefully it will jump start Lazier's IRL season.

Max Papis went to the pits for an extended stop to have a brake problem corrected. It seemed as if every time I looked I saw Papis' number 53 Red Bull Dallara - Infiniti. I would be focusing, preparing to get a photo of Scheckter or Eddie Cheever, in the other Red Bull cars, and after I clicked the shutter I would discover I had just taken a picture of Papis.

Bobby Rahal personally selected Papis to replace him in the Miller Lite entry when the "Ohio dingdong" retired from driving after the 1998 season. Papis had three CART wins driving for Rahal (Portland in 2001 and wins at Miami and Laguna Seca during the 2000 season). Last season Papis got in the way of teammate Kenny Brack's quest to win the CART championship a couple times and Max was fired by Rahal. For 2002, Papis landed with the Tom Wieringa's low budget Sigma Autosport team in CART. Papis was doing a pretty good job, with third place finishes at Long Beach and Milwaukee in the Sigma Lola - Ford Cosworth. But the team couldn't pay its bills and Cosworth pulled the plug at Portland and Papis missed the race. 

Papis is looking for work and was on TV during the Portland race making his pitch. Unfortunately the Italian driver didn't get much chance to shine at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May despite having one of the fastest cars potentially. He qualified 18th for the "500" and was running 13th when he stopped to make repairs.          

After Kanaan's crash the lead of the race fell to Hollywood Mo Nunn teammate Felipe Giaffone for two laps until Felipe also stopped for tires and fuel. Upon Giaffone's stop, Scheckter picked up the lead again. When the green flag was waved on lap 98, Scheckter led de Ferran into turn one.

The thing I find so fascinating about these 50 lap field rundowns, provided on the Indy Racing League website, is how the data tells the story of the level of competition for the 86th "Indianapolis 500." Look at the running order after 100 laps. There were so many good drivers in the lineup that some really tough racers were running in the lower positions, because the competition was so deep. In a normal race lineup, many of the drivers running in the second ten places and below would be battling for the lead. This was a constant thought going around in my head throughout the race, as I stood under the bright Indiana sunshine in turn three with temperatures reaching 80 degrees on a glorious day. 

I'm not saying the field for the 86th "Indianapolis 500" was the most talented in history. I'd make that claim for the races in 1966 and 1967, when a collection of the greatest racing drivers ever, from many of the top racing series throughout the world, were running in the "500." I'm referring to legends like Grand Prix stars Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Denis Hulme (all World Champions) and America's Dan Gurney racing against the established U.S. Indy car heroes of the time, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Rodger Ward, Mario Andretti and Lloyd Ruby, along with an up and coming group which included Al Unser, Bobby Unser and Gordon Johncock, and two drivers who would become all time NASCAR greats, Cale Yarborough and Lee Roy Yarbrough.    

We didn't have the Clarks, Stewarts, Hills, Foyts, Jones, etc. in the field for the 86th "Indianapolis 500," like we did in 1966 and 1967. What we did have, unlike 1966 or 1967, was a strong collection of contemporary Indy car drivers from both the Indy Racing League and CART, in cars prepared by top class professional racing organizations from both series, from the top of the field to the bottom. As I wrote in my most recent piece on this website, there were 26 drivers in the starting field for the 86th "500" who I considered legitimate contenders for victory. This was the 47th consecutive time I attended the "Indianapolis 500." I'd have to rate the starting lineup for the 86th "500" the most high quality field, from the front to the rear, I've seen.  

In my mind, the only big time open wheel racers missing from this year's "500" were Tony Stewart and this season's CART sensation Cristiano da Matta. This mix of accomplished and up and coming talent were racing each other in high tech racing machines, made about as equal as possible, given the age we live in. That made for wide open racing not thought possible before the start of the Indy Racing League. 

The race at the front during the first half of the 86th "Indianapolis 500" was orderly. Bruno Junqueira led the first 32 laps before he stalled in the pits, turning the battle for the lead over to Tomas Scheckter, Tony Kanaan and Sam Hornish, although the way Scheckter was flying through the field, I think he had a good chance of catching Junqueira before too many laps. After both Hornish and Kanaan experienced problems, Scheckter was left on his own at the front of the pack. But if you look at these tables with the standings at 50 lap intervals, you can see a lot of drivers moving around in the field, which meant there was a lot of racing taking place around the track.

After 113 laps, Scheckter led de Ferran, Sharp, Andretti, Tracy, Cheever, Giaffone, Castroneves, Barron and Ward. By lap 119, Scheckter led de Ferran by two seconds. Two laps later Scheckter stopped for tires and fuel, which began another series of pit stops. With the pit sequence concluded, the order of the top ten on lap 133 was Scheckter, de Ferran, Tracy, Andretti, Sharp, Giaffone, Cheever, Castroneves, Gordon and Hearn. de Ferran was keeping Scheckter honest, with margin between the first tow cars staying about two seconds. Thirteen cars remained on the lead lap.

On lap 138, Scott Sharp brought the Delphi car 8 to the pits with smoke coming from the rear. The Kelley team took the Dallara to the garage with engine failure and Sharp's day on the track was finished. 

On lap 145, in a battle of Team Green stable mates, Andretti passed Tracy for third, in spite of radioing to his crew of a vibration on the Motorola car 39.

Scheckter began to pour it on and pulled out a ten second lead on de Ferran. I wasn't aware of the concerns the Cheever Red Bull crew had about Scheckter's rate of fuel consumption, so for me, it was looking like one of those dominant runs to victory we experience every few years in the "Indianapolis 500." I'm referring to a run like Juan Montoya had in the 2000 "500" or Bill Vukovich's dominance in 1953, leading 195 laps on the way to his first "500" victory. Parnelli Jones' win in 1963 is another that comes to mind. My two favorites, of the truly dominant wins, were Jim Clark's victory (190 leading laps and a two lap margin of victory) in the 1965 "500" and Al Unser's first triumph in 1970. Another dominant win I can think of was Johnny Rutherford's third "500" victory in 1980. Although not as overwhelming as his drive to victory in 1970 when he led 190 laps, Al Unser's third "Indianapolis 500" win in 1978 was also pretty strong  with Al leading 121 laps after taking control of the 1978 race on lap 76.      

A feeling begins to set in, as the cars go by. Look at the photo of Scheckter at the top of this web page. I took the photo about the point in the 86th "500" which I'm writing about in this paragraph. As we become used to seeing one car solidly in first place as the race progresses and takes shape, that car begins to look like a winner. It's driver begins to become transformed from a race leader of the "Indianapolis 500" to an "Indy" winner. It's a special time, somewhat intangible but also very much a part of the "Indianapolis 500" magic I wrote about earlier in this piece.  

That's what I thought I was looking at when I watched Scheckter's car 52 go by in first place. For me, the neatest cars in the starting field for the 86th "Indianapolis 500" were the three Red Bull Cheever Infinitis. If Al Unser Jr. couldn't win (and by lap 150, it was obvious Al couldn't) than I wanted to see Tomas Scheckter or Eddie Cheever take the prize. I liked the way Nissan kept after their Infiniti engine program in the Indy Racing League in the face of much adversity like trying to beat General Motors. It seemed like the Infiniti was the best engine if it could hold together and by lap 150, I was enthusiastically cheering the blue Red Bull cars and especially Tomas Scheckter.

As he was racing around, taking an extremely high line, Tomas Scheckter wasn't thinking about anything but going faster than anyone else. The down side of this was that car 52 was burning fuel at a quicker rate than any other car on the track. Scheckter led the field in to the pits again, when he stopped on lap 150.    

 Now things were getting serious. Scheckter didn't resume his lead until lap 166, which meant he was out of the lead for 16 laps on a pit sequence. Tomas was scheduled to stop again on lap 180. If it took him 16 laps to pick up the lead again, the South African wouldn't make it back to the front until a few laps before the end of the race. That was cutting things close.

The order of the top ten on lap 168 was Scheckter, Tracy, Giaffone, de Ferran, Andretti, Castroneves, Cheever, Hearn, Barron and Lazier. On lap 170, Scheckter pulled out nine seconds on the field. Behind Tomas, Tracy and Giaffone were putting on an intense fight for second place.

I was looking at the video screen on lap 173, when I saw the image of Scheckter's car sliding along the SAFER barrier in turn four. Damn! The youngster had indeed found a way to lose the 86th "Indianapolis 500." What happened? 

Scheckter indicated something had broken on car 52. However recently Eddie Cheever has commented that his young employee screwed up for a fraction of a second at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, causing the accident which probably cost victory in the "500." 

Whatever his faults in the "Indianapolis 500" and in the other Indy Racing League races in which he has played such a large part this season, Tomas Scheckter has left his mark on the series. Unfortunately, much like his performance in Indianapolis in May, Tomas looked to have IRL wins at Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway well in hand when clutch and accident problems respectively took him out of both races near the end, while he was leading.

On May 26, I was counting down the laps to his "Indy" victory and I was extremely disappointed when Scheckter's "500" mishap occurred. It would've been cool for Tomas to win and I hope he gets another opportunity. The rumors are that Scheckter belongs to Tom Walkinshaw contractually and is eager to go to Formula One. However I hope Scheckter stays in the Indy Racing League for a few seasons. It will be fun to watch if the South African sticks around. This a kid who knows how to go faster than everyone around him. Tomas Scheckter is as wild and undisciplined as his father was thirty years earlier and also as fast. I like the way he races. I'll be cheering him on, like father like son.

Scheckter's crash brought a personality change to the 86th "Indianapolis 500." What had been a tidy battle for the lead became the wide open affair many observers had predicted before the race. 

Felipe Giaffone assumed the lead under yellow, on lap 173, after Scheckter's crash. But my immediate thoughts brought Gil de Ferran to mind as the race's most likely winner. However when de Ferran returned to the race after pitting on lap 175, the left rear wheel came off the Marlboro Team Penske car 6, while Gil was on the warm up lane in turn one. I saw the incident on the video screen and couldn't believe my eyes. It seemed almost inconceivable the Penske team would make such a costly mistake with a strong shot at the "Indianapolis 500" on the line. I crossed de Ferran off my mental list of potential winners. The Penske team had let their two time CART champion down. I will say this however. If a race driver ever looked like a potential "Indianapolis 500" winner to me, it's Gil de Ferran. 

For one reason or another, de Ferran makes me think about Rodger Ward from 1959 through 1962, when Ward's career was at its peak, driving A.J. Watson's Leader Card roadsters and dirt cars. Once Rodger Ward teamed up with A.J. Watson in 1959, he went from being a fast, but erratic racer to one of the smartest and quickest (when needed) guys to ever step into a race car. I used to think de Ferran was the original screw up and I had no use for him whatsoever. But Roger Penske, as smart a racer as there is, saw something in de Ferran. Since coming to the Penske team, Gil has gotten better and better. 

The pairing of de Ferran and Castroneves is brilliant. Isn't it interesting how much more I like de Ferran and Castroneves than I did when they were racing in CART? It's hard to dislike either Brazilian driver because they both seem like genuinely nice guys. Helio may be flashier and perhaps quicker of the two Penske drivers, but by only the smallest of measurements. de Ferran doesn't telegraph his moves like Castroneves does. But all of the sudden, there he is, sly as a fox and racing for the win. I really plugged into de Ferran for the first time last September when de Ferran stole the CART race in England from Kenny Brack in the final corner. Since that time, I have paid attention to Gil de Ferran and he's gained my respect.  

de Ferran's driving this season has been outstanding even if he only has one Indy Racing League victory. He had the race at Nazareth won until Roger Penske's gamble on fuel fell short in the final corner, allowing Scott Sharp and Felipe Giaffone to go by and finish one two. Gil's win at Pikes Peak International Raceway was one of the strongest in IRL history as de Ferran led the race for 217 of 225 laps. de Ferran is the season leader in IRL laps led with 508. His closest pursuer is Sam Hornish with 361 leading laps. Gil led 168 laps at Richmond International Raceway, losing the race with only two laps to go, when Sam Hornish made his sensational charge from third to overtake both second place Felipe Giaffone and the leader de Ferran. 

With six Indy Racing League events remaining for 2002, de Ferran trails Castroneves by eight points (315 to 307) in the chase for the IRL championship. I won't be surprised if de Ferran doesn't end up with his third Indy car title (counting the CART championships in 2000 and 2001) in three seasons. 

In this 50th anniversary year of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, let's recall Sid Collins once again and return to the "greatest spectacle in racing" as we close in on the finish of the 86th "Indianapolis 500."    

Giaffone led the parade into the pits on lap 176 with a nine second pit stop. Tracy (13 seconds), Andretti (11 seconds), Cheever (10 seconds), Lazier (11 seconds) and Ward (nine seconds) also made their final scheduled stops, setting up the anticipated fight to the checkered flag. My mind was racing, trying to compose all sorts of scenarios for the final 25 to 20 laps of the race. These six drivers all looked to me as if they had a shot at winning. Alex Barron also placed himself up with the other contenders by having made an earlier stop on lap 165. However it seemed likely Barron would have to pit one more time if the race went green for the remaining laps. By the way my analysis was incorrect as Alex Barron ran to the finish without another pit stop.    

So while I was contemplating the coming wild and crazy possibilities of a Giaffone, Tracy, Andretti, Cheever, Lazier and Ward "free for all," Tom Carnegie reminded me on the public address that Helio Castroneves had moved into the lead when the other front runners came to the pits. 

I hadn't paid much attention to Helio Castroneves to that point of the race. I would occasionally take a photo, and I noticed the number 3 Marlboro Team Penske car was covered with oil and grime, which made Castroneves' day look even tougher with an obviously unhappy car. Now suddenly Helio was leading the "500" with less than 25 laps remaining in the race.  

The first few laps that Helio ran in front, I didn't especially associate Castroneves with another "500" win because I thought the 2001 "Indy" winner would definitely need to stop at the pits before the end of the race. Helio's previous pit stop had been on lap 158. However as the laps passed, I began to consider  there might be a back to back "Indianapolis 500" winner for the first time since 1971, when my guy Big Al won for the second year in succession, during those glorious Johnny Lightning days.

Castroneves led Barron, Giaffone, Tracy, Cheever, Ward, Lazier, Andretti, Hearn and Gordon when the green flag waved on lap 180. Now it was getting even more serious! I was hoping the ensuing contest would favor Cheever's Red Bull Infiniti or Lazier, both "old line" IRL guys from the very start of the series. But I had no idea how the final 20 laps would play out.

Giaffone and Tracy both passed Barron before the field completed a lap under green. Castroneves seemed to find some speed when it was needed and he had a 2.8 second lead on Giaffone on lap 183. However the Marlboro car was running a lot lighter on fuel than the others which probably accounted for Helio's ability to pull away. 

Cheever and Barron were having a ferocious fight for fourth and Eddie made it by. After 186 laps, the order of the top ten was Castroneves, Giaffone, Tracy, Cheever, Barron, Lazier, Hearn, Andretti, Ward and Gordon. At this point, Cheever was having a good fight with Tracy too. But two laps later, Cheever got wild coming out of turn one and slapped the outer wall at the exit of the corner, allowing Barron to go by into turn two.

As the fuel load decreased in Castroneves' car, Helio was able to pull away a little each lap from second place Giaffone. Castroneves had 2.6 seconds on Giaffone after 190 laps. Tracy, Barron, Cheever, Hearn, Lazier, Andretti, Gordon, Ward, de Ferran and Brack followed in order and were all still running on the lead lap. 

On lap 191, Castroneves led Giaffone by 3.35 seconds. However the margin began to drop as Felipe's multi-colored Hollywood G Force number 21 closed on Helio. By lap 193, Castroneves' advantage was cut to 2.79 seconds. Helio's lead dropped to little more than two seconds on the next lap as Giaffone drew ever closer. With five laps to, Giaffone cut Castroneves' lead to 1.25 seconds. The next time by, Helio was only .43 seconds in front. 

On lap 197, as they came by me, Giaffone tried to pass Castroneves but missed. The miscue allowed Tracy to pass Felipe for second. Where in the hell was my camera? When Castroneves crossed the line to begin lap 199, he was .22 seconds in front of Tracy, although the Canadian was running physically in front.

The following is from notes on the IRL website regarding lap 199:

"Lap 199: YELLOW. #34 Redon and #91 Lazier involved in an accident exiting Turn 2. Cars stopped along outside retaining wall on backstretch. #3 Castroneves under intense pressure from #26 Tracy, who was attempting a pass for the lead when the caution period started. Drivers do not race to the start/finish line after a caution starts in Indy Racing League competition, therefore #3 Castroneves remains the leader."

So there it is, the "Indianapolis 500" as I saw it on May 26, 2002. 

The race didn't develop (as far as Al Unser Jr. is concerned) as I hoped and it was a lot less competitive during the first 173 laps than I imagined it would be. But there were moments to appreciate. Foremost among them for me was Tomas Scheckter's fast ride at the front, a visual treat with sunlight bouncing off car 52. 

The final laps of the race were a mad dash as we all thought, even if the race ended under caution. It was unlike the usual closing laps of the "Indianapolis 500" where there might be two drivers fighting for the lead and sometimes three (like 1986 with Bobby Rahal, Kevin Cogan and Rick Mears or 1993, with Emerson Fittipaldi, Arie Luyendyk and Nigel Mansell). This time there were three, four, five cars fighting to get to the front with less than ten laps remaining. The only other time I can recall anything similar happening during the final laps of the "Indianapolis 500" was 1997 when Arie Luyendyk, Scott Goodyear, Jeff Ward, Tony Stewart and Buddy Lazier fought it out to the end.

Had the Redon - Lazier crash not taken place, Paul Tracy would be the winner of the 86th "Indianapolis 500." Everyone realizes that. For that matter, had there not been a yellow flag on lap 199, it's unlikely Castroneves would've made it to the finish. But the crash did occur and Helio Castroneves became the 16th driver to have multiple "Indianapolis 500" victories, joining a list which includes the names Tommy  Milton, Louis Meyer, Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, Rodger Ward, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Gordon Johncock, Rick Mears, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Jr. and Arie Luyendyk. He became the fifth driver to win back to back "500" wins, joining an even more select list (Shaw, Rose, Vukovich, Al Unser). Perhaps the most impressive thing about Castroneves' win is that it makes him the only driver to win the "Indianapolis 500" in both of his first two attempts. 

The credit for the Castroneves win goes to Marlboro Team Penske boss Tim Cindric, who gambled on fuel to put Helio into first place. Otherwise car number 3 wouldn't have led a lap. It wasn't one of the prettier wins in Roger Penske's history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but Penske was ecstatic about taking his twelfth victory as a car owner in the "Indianapolis 500." The usually reserved Penske even climbed the fence with Helio and the rest of the crew to celebrate.            

It didn't seem to matter to the overjoyed Castroneves that he was a lucky winner. If anything, Helio appeared to be happier than 2001 when he deservingly (unless you ask Robbie Buhl about the Brazilian's blocking in the later stages of the race) won the race with a strong run in the final quarter of the 85th "Indianapolis 500."

I came away from the race feeling good about my 47th trip to the "500." I felt like I'd seen a race and was pumped up on the walk back to my car. There were the usual collection of drunks along my route, many of them insisting that Paul Tracy was the winner. But I dismissed that for what it was, because even at that early moment in the Castroneves - Tracy controversy and as little as I knew about it, I was sure Helio was the winner of the 86th "Indianapolis 500." 

I arrived at my car, ready to enter the next phase of the annual "Indianapolis 500" experience; watching the ABC replay, reflecting on what I'd seen, absorbing the emotions of others, developing the many rolls of race film I had taken, and finally, relating my observations of May 26, 2002 on this website.                 

lead changes - 86th "Indianapolis 500"