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bob jennings' WORLD O' RACING  05/30/2000

"500" pre-race; ain't no sunshine but it's still a great show

Indy Racing League champion Greg Ray during the 1999 "Indianapolis 500"

 Bob Jennings

I began this piece a week ago, following the completion of "Indianapolis 500" qualifications. It was meant to look back at what had occurred during practice and qualifications at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and look ahead to the race. Given that I worked four days last week, taking Thursday off to go to the Speedway for Carburetion day and also considering that "500" weekend is especially busy, I ran out of time. I thought I could finish this Saturday evening but my long time friend Guy Nadeau arrived earlier than expected from Chicago and so this piece becomes primarily a post-race look at the pre-race activities for the "500."

First let me say that I think Juan Montoya drove about as perfect a race Sunday as any driver could. He was clearly the class of the field and deserved to win the "Indianapolis 500."

For me the race was disappointing in that Al Unser Jr. had problems and fell out of the race early. I really wanted Little Al to win his third "500." When it became clear that Buddy Lazier was the only hope of having an Indy Racing League regular win the "500" I cheered loudly for Buddy. It was obvious however that nobody was going to beat Juan Montoya, not Buddy Lazier, not Al Unser Jr., not anyone.

Montoya was in the zone and while he was dominating the race I was most reminded of Parnelli Jones in the 1962, 1963 and 1967 runnings of the "500." Montoya played it smart at the start of the race and was patient waiting for the right moment to strike. When it came time Montoya struck and from that point on I never saw him make a mistake the rest of the race.

The possibility of Juan Montoya winning the "Indianapolis 500" was very real from the time Chip Ganassi entered cars for Montoya and Jimmy Vasser early this year. So Montoya's win was no surprise whatsoever. I have to admit that the two drivers I least wanted to see win the "500" were Montoya and Jimmy Vasser. I have nothing against Montoya personally and when I was following CART before the Indy car split I was interested in Vasser. However being an Indy Racing League proponent I certainly didn't want one of two CART drivers in the race to win. Immediately after the finish of the race I was embarrassed about Montoya's win and though I didn't exactly say it, I was pissed off. It didn't take long however for that feeling to go away.

To begin with Montoya didn't beat the IRL competitors any worse than he's been beating the guys running in CART. Vasser, certainly one of the leading drivers in CART (he wouldn't be on the Ganassi team if he weren't) wasn't anything special in the "500," not the equal of Buddy Lazier, Eddie Cheever, Eliseo Salazar or Jeff Ward. I saw Little Al pass Vasser during the race too. So what that says to me is that Montoya is bigger than CART and is one of the larger talents to show up in the past several years. Not only that but Montoya is just on loan to CART while on his way to Formula One. I don't think any of the other "biggies" in CART, Michael Andretti, Paul Tracy or whoever would've been nearly as strong. Juan is going to have a huge racing career and it's appropriate that his likeness will be emblazoned on the Borg Warner trophy. He's obviously an appropriate "Indianapolis 500" winner, just as Jim Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi and Jacques Villeneuve were.

Next, Chip Ganassi runs the best open wheel racing organization in America. Ganassi also deserved to win the "Indianapolis 500." Like Montoya, the Ganassi team is bigger than CART. The Target Ganassi organization is reminiscent of the Penske team that used to run at Indianapolis with a big exception. Unlike Penske who was able to manipulate the rules and competition to his advantage Ganassi's team had to play by Indy Racing League rules and they did a masterful job. I not only hope that Ganassi comes back to the Speedway next May. I also hope the Target cars show up at another IRL race this season.

The feeling in the air for Sunday's race was more electric than it's been for a few years, perhaps since the 1994 "500" when Al Unser Jr. won his second "500" and he and Emerson Fittipaldi led all but seven laps and dominated the race in the pushrod Ilmor Mercedes V8 powered Marlboro Penskes. Even the rain and three hour plus delay in starting the "500" failed to dampen the spirit and enthusiasm of the people around me in the north end of the track. I felt the electricity and when I watched the local replay of the ABC TV coverage I saw well over 300,000 people waiting for the start of the race with every bit as much anticipation (and more) than I see in August for the "Brickyard 400."

The inaugural "Brickyard 400" in 1994 was a huge media event with lots of novelty appeal just like the Formula One race coming this September to the Speedway is currently enjoying. After the first year however I've always had the feeling that the "Brickyard 400" is essentially just another race to NASCAR fans, nothing particularly special. The Brickyard race has neither the personality nor the entertainment the "500" possesses and I doubt if the F1 race will either. The "Indianapolis 500" still rules!

Having the Ganassi team and Al Unser Jr. in the race played a big part in that enthusiasm. Montoya's win will bring more attention and focus to the "500" than if Greg Ray, Buddy Lazier, Scott Goodyear or any of the Indy Racing League veterans had won because of the associated story lines that will be picked up in the media. That's beneficial to the "Indianapolis 500" and so it's good for me.  

But what about what was going on at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the two weeks prior to Sunday's race?

In May 1999 I couldn't take "official" vacation because I was involved in a project at work that was struggling to get off the ground. Fortunately during the week of practice for the 1999 "Indianapolis 500" there was a slight lull while we awaited test data. So I was able to go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each afternoon but one that week. It was one of those May weeks where the sun usually shines and the temperature suggests early summer rather than late spring, perfect weather to be at the track.  

One year later we are in the process of doing the final clean up for that same project. So I was able to go on "official" vacation this year for the primary purpose of spending time at the Speedway, to witness "500" practice.

Unfortunately, for the most part, the weather wasn't nice in Indianapolis during "500" practice week. There was rain beginning on Tuesday May 16 and it was cloudy and cool from that point through Saturday. In fact on Saturday May 20, while I sat high in the Grandstand E penthouse outside turn one during "500" qualifications I was colder than I'd been during the 1992 "Indianapolis 500." I was at ground level during the 1992 race and Pole day I was at one of the highest points at the Speedway where the wind blew hard. I had a recent bout with bronchitis and I probably shouldn't have been sitting up there.

The sun shone on the Speedway Thursday May 25 during Carburetion day for the first time since Monday May 15. Thursday's weather brought the fans to the Speedway in big numbers too. Robin Miller estimated the crowd to be 25,000 in The Indianapolis Star. It was a glorious day to be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway watching racing cars!

Today it's beautiful outside, sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70's. But bad weather hung around Indianapolis for most of the past two weeks. It's been one of those bad weather Mays for the "500." I think we were pretty fortunate to get the entire 500 miles in Sunday afternoon. I felt rain drops about 30 laps from the finish and the showers that came immediately following the race would've been heavy enough to shut down the track for the rest of the day.

"500" practice and qualifications offered parity among the competition just as there has been since the creation of the Indy Racing League. From the fastest Greg Ray (223.471) to the slowest qualifier in the "500" field Andy Hillenburg (218.285) there was only 5.186 mph difference. That compares to a difference of 5.08 mph from the fastest Arie Luyendyk (225.170) to the slowest qualifier Wim Eyckmans (220.090) for the 1999 "500."

Although Juan Montoya proved me wrong, I thought going into the race there were at least 14 legitimate contenders to win the "500." They were, in starting order, Greg Ray, Montoya, Eliseo Salazar, Robby Gordon, Scott Sharp, Jeff Ward, Jimmy Vasser, Robbie Buhl, Eddie Cheever, Mark Dismore, Scott Goodyear, Buddy Lazier, Al Unser Jr. and Billy Boat.

I caught a glimpse of Mario Andretti at the Speedway Thursday May 18. He was there to be honored as one of the "Speedway Legends." Over the past couple years A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Gordon Johncock, Parnelli Jones, Rodger Ward, Jim Rathmann and A.J. Watson have had an hour dedicated to them during a day of "500" practice. This year Joe Leonard, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rick Mears, Mario, Andy Granatelli and Duke Nalon were the honorees. These heroes take a lap around the Speedway in one of the cars they made history in or a pace car from the past and then Tom Carnegie interviews them and they have a press conference. It's a nice piece of nostalgia.

Mario Andretti made some remarks at the Speedway that were featured in one of Robin Miller's columns in The Indianapolis Star. Mario continues to be highly critical of the Indy Racing League and he questions the quality of the racing and competition in the IRL. He's certainly one of the all time greats and his opinions merit attention because of who he's been. However I have to disagree with the most of the things he said at the Speedway. He sticks to the CART story line like Robin Miller and that ceased to be relevant a long time ago. In his old age Mario talks too much sometimes.

In some ways each May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a lot like every other. That's where the tradition comes from. I always see a lot of the same people at the Speedway year after year and like me they are getting older each time I see them. The personality of the week of practice leading to "500" qualifications is somewhat repetitive sort of like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I usually don't go to the opening day of practice but I almost always go the following day. This year I decided to spend Sunday afternoon May 14 with my wife before visiting my mom (it was Mothers Day).

I was at the Speedway the next day however. The rest of the week I was at the Speedway every day but Wednesday May 17 when the track was only open for 30 minutes as rain wiped out the rest of the day. Thursday May 18 was so windy that the track was closed for a few minutes due to wind gusts. Friday May 19 was cloudy again but conditions weren't so windy. Saturday May 20 was cold and gloomy. By Sunday May 21 I was tired as I always am after Pole day and I decided to stay home and watch Bubble day on TV.

Robin Miller wrote a column that appeared in The Indianapolis Star last week that basically repeats his disappointment in the "Indianapolis 500" in the post-CART era. Robin wrote about the small crowds at practice and qualifications. The estimate he gives for the crowd at the Speedway on Pole day was 20,000 calling it "probably the smallest pole-day turnout ever."  I would have to agree with Robin about the pre-race crowds. I'd expected larger crowds this May than in recent years for practice and qualifications with the return of Indianapolis crowd favorite Al Unser Jr. and the entry for Chip Ganassi's Target team. It was possibly the bad weather that kept people from coming. Maybe it will take more time and effort to bring fans back in their previous numbers to "500" practice and qualifications.

Even though the crowds were small there was a hint of the old glamour of "500" practice and qualifications. I noticed some of the old magic Friday May 19. I arrived at the Speedway about 2 PM and I had to pay to park in the strip mall parking lot across from the Speedway's main entrance on West Sixteenth Street. It's been years since I had to do that during "500" practice. There was a good practice day crowd too despite the cool temperatures and cloudy skies. It made me anticipate a big crowd for Saturday's Pole day, which didn't turn out to be the case.

"500" practice started under the shadow of the "Bob Knight crisis." The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened while much of Indiana and Indianapolis was focused on the fate of the Indiana University basketball coach. At the same time the Indiana Pacers were working their way through the second round of the NBA playoffs and the series with the Philadelphia 76ers. Now the Pacers are 2 - 2 in their series with the New York Knicks trying to advance for the first time into the NBA championship series. There are a lot more things taking place in Indianapolis than in years past and the "Indianapolis 500" has had to adjust to the changing times.

The table of information above is indicative of the competitive nature of racing in the Indy Racing League. The cars are designed to be competitive. It's a driver's series to be sure. The new IRL chassis and 3.5 liter engine package introduced in January at Walt Disney World looks to be a good one.

The new IRL cars look good too, fresher, newer and more sleek than the cars raced in CART, which look about the same as they have for the past seven or eight years. The new G-Force chassis is especially attractive with a raised nose similar in appearance to a Formula One car, higher side pods than the Dallara and a chiseled engine cover. The G-Force has swoopy lines while the Dallara has a smoother profile. There didn't seem to be an appreciable difference in performance at the Speedway between the 2000 G-Force and Dallara. Greg Ray qualified a Dallara on pole position while Juan Montoya won the race in a G-Force. The chassis count in the "500" was G-Force 18 cars and Dallara 15.

It has to be very disappointing to Reynard and Riley & Scott that their new car wasn't represented in the "500" field, especially after Buddy Lazier's win in a Riley & Scott chassis at Phoenix. The R & S failed to show much speed in open testing at the Speedway in early April. Eddie Cheever who ran an R & S at Walt Disney World switched to Dallara before Phoenix. Ron Hemelgarn switched to Dallaras in early May and Derrick Walker took Sarah Fisher out of the R & S and put her into a Dallara a couple weeks before the Speedway opened for "500" practice.

Jonathan Byrd and Dennis McCormack stayed with the Riley & Scott chassis and Robby Unser had the fastest lap in their R & S at 214.982 mph. I'm surprised by the lack of speed at the Speedway by the Riley & Scott. Apparently the R & S is "hell on wheels" in traffic on the mile ovals but something is lacking at the Speedway. Missing the "500" has to be big embarrassment for Riley & Scott parent company Reynard.  

The previous IRL chassis, which was introduced in 1997, is still eligible to compete but the older cars weren't fast enough to crack the 33-car field. Dan Drinan was the fastest driver in the older IRL cars. Drinan had a 213.263 mph lap in Andy Hillenburg's backup Sumar Dallara.   

According to the drivers, the new cars create a heavy draft down the straights. Eddie Cheever has said that the new cars punch a bigger hole in the air than he's experienced before and I saw a lot of slingshot passes at the end of the backstretch during the "500." There were only two Nissan Infiniti V8 engines in the "500" field. Nissan was supposed to debut a brand new engine for the "500" but the introduction was delayed. I believe the delay has something to do with the new Renault - Nissan partnership. The current Infiniti V8 looks to have the speed to win with Eddie Cheever. Cheever finished fifth after running fast throughout the race. I believe it's only a matter of time before the Infiniti gets that first Indy Racing League victory.

With the new IRL 3.5 liter formula for the 2000 season came a new engine configuration. Some of the new Oldsmobile V8 engines featured a 180-degree crankshaft, which creates a higher pitched sound, something like a turbo whine. My ears tell me that the Kelley cars driven by Scott Sharp and Mark Dismore were using the new 180-degree configuration. It also sounds like Scott Goodyear, Buddy Lazier and Al Unser Jr. were also driving cars with that "180-degree whine."

A.J. Foyt has said that the 180-degree setup causes more vibration and his cars driven by Eliseo Salazar, Jeff Ward and Billy Boat had the same 90-degree crankshaft configuration that was in the IRL spec engines run from 1997 through 1999. Supposedly you can tell the cars with 90-degree setup because they have a louder sort of rumbling sound like the "old" IRL cars.

The two Team Menard cars driven by Greg Ray and Robby Gordon featured the "90-degree rumble" as did the two Ganassi Target cars and Eddie Cheever's Dallara - Infiniti if my ears are correct.

So we had the "180-degree whine" versus the "90-degree rumble" in May 2000 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Which setup was better? Well Montoya's car had the "90-degree rumble" so you can come to your own conclusions about that.

There were seven rookies in the "500" field. Juan Montoya, Sam Hornish, Jason Leffler, Sarah Fisher, Airton Dare, Jaques Lazier and Andy Hillenburg comprised this group. I'm pleased that Leffler was in the "500." I just wish some of his USAC buddies like Ryan Newman, Tracy Hines, Dave Darland, Dave Steele and J.J. Yeley had been in the race too.

I was disappointed that Dan Drinan was unable to make the "500." Drinan has the tenacity of a lion. He worked like a demon to get one of Ron Hemelgarn's "old" Dallaras up to speed before crashing on Tuesday May 16. He moved to Andy Hillenburg's backup and valiantly tried to qualify in the closing moments of qualifying on Bubble day May 21. I'd love to see Drinan get a break in the IRL.

I don't know which rookie, Juan Montoya or Sarah Fisher, drew more media attention at the Speedway this month. Fisher is the third youngest driver to start the "Indianapolis 500" and also the third female to qualify for the race. I've seen Sarah run in several USAC races and I think she's talented, probably the most talented of the women who've raced at Indianapolis. It's a good publicity angle to have Fisher racing in the Indy Racing League. Having both Fisher and Lyn St. James in the race added another touch of history to this years' "500."

It was relatively safe during "500" pre-race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, although there were several accidents. Eddie Cheever, Tyce Carlson, Donnie Beechler, Dan Drinan, Ronnie Johncox, Jack Miller, Hideshi Matsuda, Mark Dismore, Jimmy Kite, Andy Hillenburg, Memo Gidley and Billy Boat all hit the "Speedway concrete." Fortunately only Carlson and Matsuda sustained injuries and both will recover soon. There seems to be a problem in turn one. Some of the drivers say there is a dip that throws the cars off balance, possibly caused by the Winston Cup cars in the "Brickyard 400."

"500" Pole day was a decent show, not as frenzied as 1999 Pole day when 33 cars qualified, but still interesting. 23 cars qualified on Saturday. Pole position switched hands seven times during the day. Al Unser Jr. was the first qualifier at 220.293. The second qualifier was Eddie Cheever who averaged 221.270 mph. Robbie Buhl's 221.357 mph run knocked Cheever off the Pole and then Jeff Ward (222.639) beat Robbie. Eliseo Salazar beat Ward, his Foyt teammate, with a run at 223.231. Juan Montoya beat Salazar with his 223.372 mph run. Finally Greg Ray took the pole from Montoya in a battle of open wheel champions with a run at 223.471.

Ray did a tremendous job. I don't think his Conseco/Menards Dallara was working that good Pole day. He nearly tagged the wall coming out of turn one on an earlier qualifying attempt. He said his car was shaking badly during his pole run. I came home from the track on Pole day about 4 PM. At that time Montoya was on the pole. I took a nap and woke up just before 6 PM to discover that Ray had won "500" pole for the Indy Racing League. Greg we IRL fans thank you! At least we won the pole!

Due to all the crashes at the Speedway during practice and qualifications a lot of cars that would've been competing for qualifying spots in the "500" were out of action. That's probably why it took so long to fill the 33 starting positions on Bubble day. But wasn't that a great show during the final moments of qualifying? I thought the Billy Boat story was tremendous.

The TV coverage of the activity at the Speedway by ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 was outstanding. The daily two-hour practice coverage on ESPN2 told us everything we needed to know. The coverage on both days of qualifications on ESPN, ABC and ESPN2 was so comprehensive that I know people who preferred to watch the action at home on TV rather than hang out at the Speedway.  I'm currently watching the ABC replay of the "500" a second time. It looks like ABC applied a lot of creativity in their race production too and that they still consider the "Indianapolis 500" to be very important.   

The massive Formula One construction project was in its early phase during "500" activity in May 1999. Construction crews were grading the part of the F1 circuit, which winds through the Speedway infield and they were also building the elevator shafts for the new control tower. The Tower Terrace and pit side bleachers had been torn down and temporary bleachers had been put up in their place.

This May the rebuilding process is about 80 percent complete. The F1 circuit looks to be mostly completed. The new pit side garages were almost finished, as was the new Pagoda control tower. The changes that made the biggest impression on me however were the terrace seats on top of the new F1 garages and the new structures and walkways overlooking the Indy car garages.

It's been estimated the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has spent something like $40 million on the new construction. Everything has been done so extravagantly, perhaps over done. But the new construction reinforces the notion that the Speedway is the most famous and important racing facility in the world.

That notion was also reinforced with the 84^th running of the "Indianapolis 500."