Sam Hornish practices for the 87th "Indianapolis 500" on May 9, 2003

Scott Dixon qualifies for the 87th "Indianapolis 500" at 230.099 mph on May 11, 2003

photos by Bob Jennings

Roger Penske won the "Indianapolis 500" in May for the thirteenth time with Gil de Ferran driving the winning Penske car in a race winning way. I realize de Ferran, the current "maestro" of Marlboro Team Penske, is likely to become the 2003 season champion for the Indy Racing League. Remember, I predicted de Ferran was going to be IRL champion before the season got underway.

Recall that de Ferran got his block nearly knocked off at Phoenix when Michael Andretti plowed into the winner of the 87th "Indianapolis 500" in much the same way the Brazilian slammed into Christian Fittipaldi in one of those ridiculous street races early in the 1997 CART season. 

The de Ferran - Fittipaldi melee happened at Surfers Paradise or Long Beach or some place like that. Who cares what happens in CART any more any way? Roger Penske, the founding father of CART says the organization will be dead within two years. I agree with the "captain." CART is running out of money and unless Bernie Ecclestone or someone like that steps in to rescue the corporation, they will become part of the past. 

CART is hardly worth mentioning in 2003. Still, it wasn't all bad and I had some good days at Milwaukee, Michigan, Mid Ohio, Road America and Nazareth. The old CART days, with "Roarin' Roy" Nadeau and Charles "Tim" Pendergast were good ones. When this Indy car war is over once and for all, it will be the right time to unleash that flood of memories. 

Gil de Ferran is a legitimate "Indianapolis 500" winner and Indy Racing League champion. He's a classy, intelligent, skilled competitor who has turned out to be one hell of a racer. That de Ferran came back from his Phoenix injuries in March to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then win again last weekend in Nashville, absolutely impresses me. My critical assessment from a few years ago was off the mark and I was wrong about Gil. 

The decisive pass de Ferran put on Helio Castroneves on lap 170 of the 87th "Indianapolis 500," after forcing his Penske teammate behind the lapped car driven by A.J. Foyt IV, was a classic. I was reminded of a similar move Arie Luyendyk put on Bobby Rahal in turn three on lap 168, during the 1990 "500," to take the lead and his first "Indy" victory.

de Ferran is a good racer in the same way my all time favorite racer Al Unser was good. Gil puts his foot to the floor when the need arises and carries out his mission on the race track in such a smooth, quiet manner, you don't realize it's happening at the time, kind of the way the "Iceman" from the San Antonio Spurs, "skinny" George Gervin, used to put points on the scoreboard in NBA games twenty to 25 years ago. 

I used to love the NBA and going to see the perennial loser Indiana Pacers at Market Square Arena. I used to be a rock solid Republican. I used to love Formula One. I used to be - -. It's always been about the "Indianapolis 500" and the satellite races in whatever series for old Bob Jennings while other people and things come and go.

Despite his subtle demeanor, Gil de Ferran can be a tiger too. In his eight starts in 2003, de Ferran has led in five events with a total of 337 laps at the front. That's second on the season so far to Scott Dixon, who has run in the lead for 544 laps in eight races. Texas Motor Speedway is the only track where Scott Dixon hasn't led at least one lap during the 2003 IRL season. 

Scott Dixon, the New Zealander, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on July 22, is something special in a race car, one of the best I've seen to come along in many years. 

One of the few CART races I watched closely in recent years was the Lehigh Valley Grand Prix Presented by Toyota at Nazareth Speedway on May 6, 2001. That was the day Scott Dixon became the all time youngest (20 years, nine months, 14 days) driver to win an Indy car type event, driving a Reynard - Toyota for the faltering (and now defunct) PacWest Racing team. 

I was impressed immediately with the 2000 Indy Lights champion. I don't recall which CART race it was, later that season, maybe a street race. I was sort of watching the race on TV when the camera focused on young Scott Dixon. I recall commentator Tom Kendall commenting on the "steely-eyed" Dixon and that comment left a lasting impression.  

Perhaps the best way to judge Scott Dixon's performance in his first season of Indy Racing League competition is to compare the New Zealander's relative performance against his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Tomas Scheckter. 

Dixon has a season high three wins. Tomas has yet to get his second career IRL victory. Scott has led a series leading 544 laps in eight races while his South African teammate has run in first place 261 times in five races, which ranks third behind Dixon and de Ferran. Dixon has finished in the top ten six times. Scheckter's best finish was fourth in the "Indianapolis 500" and Tomas has had five top ten results in 2003. Dixon is third in IRL points with 288, which is only fifteen behind series leader Tony Kanaan. The New Zealand driver has started four races from pole position while his teammate has two poles. 

To punctuate Scott's superlative season, he became the only driver in Indy Racing League history to lead a race from flag to flag when he led 206 laps in the rain shortened event at Richmond. 

Other than the mediocre run at Texas Motor Speedway while Target teammate Scheckter fought off Al Unser Jr. to lead the first three quarters of the "Bombardier 500k," Dixon's only other less than impressive race came at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Although the New Zealander managed to lead fifteen laps before being passed by Michael Andretti on lap 32, Dixon had a foolish spin on the main straightaway under yellow, throwing away at least a seventh place finish with less than ten laps remaining in the race. At the same time, Scheckter led a race high 63 laps in the "500" and finished a solid fourth. 

This comparison isn't meant to diminish Scheckter's immense talent as a racing driver. Why would I do that? Tomas is one of my favorites. It's meant to show how good Scott Dixon is. Make no mistake, Tomas Scheckter is one of the brightest talents in the Indy Racing League and he's going to become a big winner and a crowd favorite. But he doesn't have as much experience as Dixon and needs a bit more polish before he matches Scott on a consistent basis.   

There have been rumors circulating this summer that Chip Ganassi was going to pull out of the Indy Racing League after this season and take Scott Dixon to NASCAR. This rumor has been denied repeatedly. There have also been reports that Dixon has some opportunities in Formula One. In response to that, Ganassi says he has a contract with Scott for 2004. 

If Scott Dixon is one of the best to come along in years, the best Indy car driver to come on to the scene in many, many years, perhaps even more so than the original Indy Racing League "poster boy" Tony Stewart, is the current IRL "poster boy" Sam Hornish. If ever there was the perfect Indy car race driver, it's the 24 year old from Defiance, Ohio.  

Talk about Rick Mears, the "rocket" had nothing (except Roger Penske) on the dark haired kid who lives (or did) in an apartment over the garage of his parent's home in western Ohio and enjoys his weekly bowling league in the small town "heartland" with his intended bride and high school friends.

But Sam Hornish had the misfortune to be committed to Chevrolet in a season when Chevy came up with shit in the power department. If you think General Motors screwed their employees when they "borrowed" $70 billion from their employee pension fund, GM did another disservice to Sam Hornish Jr.  I realize "the general" is the cornerstone of corporate America, but the guys who run the corporation haven't behaved the way they should, not as bad as the crooks at Enron, but still not the right way. 

By the way, when is George W. Bush going to send Ken Lay, Andy Fastow, Wendy Gramm and some of those other rotten bastards (and "bastard-ettes") to jail and take away the money they stole from rank and file Enron employees? Those of us who are disappointed (and potentially former) lifelong members of the GOP are waiting for you to do the right thing Mr. Bush. 

Mr. President, show me I was right when I pulled the lever in the voting machine for you and then spent the next five weeks intently watching the 24 hour cable networks to see if you were going to become our leader almost three years ago. I don't like your tax cut and I'm having my doubts about your ability to rebuild the economy. Prove me wrong when I tell my mom the Republicans care more about money than people. 

Back to racing.

Think about how good Sam Hornish would've been this season had he driven for Target Chip Ganassi, Marlboro Team Penske or Andretti - Green Racing. As it is, Hornish has driven some of his best races with the "dog" that powered his Pennzoil Panther Dallara number 4 this year. 

For that matter, Hornish has added substantially to his reputation in a season in which he has only led four competitive laps, because everyone who has the slightest clue about Indy car racing realizes Chevrolet has given Sam Hornish and the Pennzoil Panther team a lot of nothing in 2003. But the two time Indy Racing League champion is still racing as hard and passing as many cars as he did in each of his record tying eight career IRL victories.

In 2001, Hornish and the Pennzoil Panther crew had to hold off a surging defending series champion Buddy Lazier for his first IRL title. Last season, it was Hornish versus the might of Marlboro Team Penske and Sam came up with the title over Helio Castroneves at Texas Motor Speedway by a couple feet. 

In 2003, the biggest challenge for Hornish has been the Chevrolet Gen III Indy V8 engine and while it's been an insurmountable obstacle, from a race winning attitude, the Ohioan has become a hero to his more fortunate competitors who race with Toyota and Honda power. You can bet that Gil de Ferran and Scott Dixon both know how much talent Sam Hornish possesses. 

Hornish started his fourth Indy Racing League season with a tenth place finish at Miami, followed by a 21st at Phoenix, after an early race crash with A.J. Foyt IV. Sam finished sixth in Japan. 

It was a quiet month for Hornish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May. The Pennzoil Panther Dallara - Chevy started eighteenth in the 87th "Indianapolis 500" after a disappointing qualifying run of 226.225 mph. But in the race, Hornish found a speed and a rhythm as the race wore on. He made it into the top ten at 150 laps. The Pennzoil Panther Dallara was running fifth when the Chevy V8 blew up with only five laps left to race. 

The "Bombardier 500K" was terrific for fans of Al Unser Jr. and Tomas Scheckter like yours truly. It wasn't that much fun for Sam Hornish Jr. however as the Chevy V8 couldn't keep up with the Toyotas and Hondas. The Pennzoil Panther number 4 started the race from sixteenth on the grid and finished tenth, one lap behind winner Unser. 

One week later, at Pikes Peak International Raceway things went better for the Pennzoil Panther team. Unlike Texas Motor Speedway, where horsepower and low drag rule, the one mile Colorado oval puts a plus on handling which means the Pennzoil car 4 isn't at as much of a disadvantage. Hornish qualified fourteenth but raced to fifth place, his best finish of the year and the best for Chevrolet powered cars in the Indy Racing League to that time in 2003. Along the way, Sam passed cars like a knife going through soft butter. 

At the three quarter mile Richmond International Raceway, things went even better for Hornish as Sam qualified third and finished fourth. I love those in car TV shots from Hornish's car when he's on a charge! Sam goes around on the outside, coming within inches of touching wheels with the car he is passing. It happens time and time again, but the yellow Pennzoil car always makes it by. 

The race at Kansas Speedway was predictable. Hornish qualified seventeenth but fell out of the race after 156 laps with electrical problems. But last Saturday night on the 1.33 mile concrete Nashville Superspeedway, it was another vintage performance as Sam charged from twentieth on the grid to take the lead on lap 97. Car 4 only ran in front for four laps and in the closing laps, Hornish faded to an eleventh place finish. But he had things "movin' and a groovin" for a while.

When you consider how much power Hornish gives away to the Toyota and Honda teams, it makes what he's accomplished all the more memorable and it has turned on the fans and the media. It seems that everyone quietly acknowledges Sam Hornish is the supreme talent in the Indy Racing League.

You better get back up north Tony Stewart and show us you can beat Sam Hornish and some of our other Indy car guys - if you can - beat them  - that is. 

This summer, there have been good crowds at Indy Racing League events. 92,000 came to Texas Motor Speedway on June 7 for the "Bombardier 500k." I read an estimate the crowd at Pikes Peak was 30,000. There were empty seats at both ends of the PPIR grandstands but the crowd still looked better to me than previous years at IRL races in Colorado. 

The crowd at Richmond International Raceway was 40,000 to 50,000. Certainly it was the biggest crowd ever for the IRL at Richmond. It was reported on TV that officials at Richmond opened up two additional grandstands to fans who wanted to see the race and at least half the 100,000 seats at RIR were full for the Indy car race. So I guess that can be considered a sellout of sorts. 

National Speed Sport News reported a sellout crowd of 80,000 fans at Kansas Speedway for the IRL. Perhaps the race was sold out, but there were visibly empty seats throughout the grandstands. Still the crowd was large, surely in excess of 60,000. 

They need to add grandstands at Nashville Superspeedway because there was a sellout for the Indy Racing League, but since there were only 25,000 or so seats, only 25,000 fans were at the race. But it's clear there are areas like Dallas - Fort Worth, Richmond, Kansas City and Nashville where Indy car racing is gaining a larger audience and becoming a reasonably good draw.

Okay General Motors has paid for their sins and taken the drastic action of reaching an agreement with Ford Motor Company subsidiary Cosworth Engineering to use a 3.5 liter V8 engine originally intended to carry the Ford blue oval rather than the Chevy bow tie. Call the new package a Chevy Gen IV if you will. I think I will call it a Cosworth. It's not to humiliate GM, but rather to get them to raise their game to the level of Toyota and Honda. 

Actually, a Chevrolet - Cosworth marriage isn't much different than Ilmor, which is owned primarily by DaimlerChrysler, building Indy car engines for Honda.

Whatever you want to call it, the Chevrolet Gen IV - Cosworth V8 makes its Indy Racing League debut tomorrow at Michigan International Speedway powering the Pennzoil Panther Dallara. Sam Hornish qualified fourth with his new power, behind Tomas Scheckter, Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves for the "Firestone Indy 400."

Last July, Tomas Scheckter scored his only IRL win to date in Michigan, with a sensational late race charge in the Red Bull Team Cheever Dallara - Infiniti (what a neat car). Guess who's on pole for tomorrow's race in Michigan? You got it right - Tomas Scheckter. I'm happy.

I'm going to Michigan and I'm looking to have a good day. My other guy Al Unser qualified fifth for the race at Michigan. That equals Little Al's best start of the season, which came in April at Twin Ring Motegi. So I have the same feeling I had going in to the race in Texas last month. I think both of my guys have an excellent shot at winning. Perhaps my sympathies might be with Scheckter tomorrow, since he has yet to win. But you can be sure that if Al Jr. wins again, it will be a perfect day as well.

I haven't been to a race since the 87th "Indianapolis 500." I can't wait to get to Michigan International Speedway tomorrow. I can't wait for the show to begin. I hope the rain stays away.