The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 14

MONDAY, MAY 31, 19? -i PACK 14 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR Oh, No! NOT THIS Rain Dampened Spirit Of Historic '500 His order was punctuated by the clicking of camera shutters. For the record, the race began as scheduled at exactly 11 a.m. AS FAR AS THE infamous' "snake pit" was concerned, the collective attitude was, "What race?" The infielders come to party. Beer is their common denominator. Typical of the beer-swilling kind was the grubby young man in cowboy boots who passed out in front of the News Bureau Building.

Noticeable on his left arm was a tatoo which read: "As You Are, I Was. As I Am, You Will Be." It took three state troopers to drag him off to the track hospital. He revealed that he'd been "staying on the lower levels" of the track this year because "I'm slowing down just a Then he looked around his property and beamed, "This is a dream come true." HIS HAIR WAS A BIT mussed; perspiration had soaked through the underarms of his light-colored suit. Still, he looked elegant. Ten-fifty, and Jim Nabors launched into his inimitable version of "Back Home Again in Indiana." The balloons were let loose three separate flights of red, white and blue.

Their appearance brought a standing ovation. Then all eyes along the main stretch focused on Tony as he sat atop the pace car and issued the most famous command in all of sports: "Gentlemen, start your engines!" The first drops hit at 9:55 a.m., but subsided. At 10:25 a.m., the sun glowed through the haze momentarily when comedian Bob Hope was introduced On the track, Johnny Rutherford was stuffing cotton in his ears. The master of all this annual motorized madness, 73-year-old track owner Tony Hulman, was strolling among the race cars, signing autographs and waving to the folks in the grandstands, who recognized him and greeted him with warm applause. THE MAN TRULY enjoys race day.

Asked if he ever entertained thoughts of retirement, he replied tersely, "No." His eyes twinkled. Tony said he got about four hours of sleep in his Speedway Motel suite Saturday night. "I got up at five minutes after five," he said. "I didn't hear the bombs (which open the track at 5 a.m.) go off this year." By JEFF DEVENS It had to happen. The most historic 500-Mile Race just had to have rain.

An ominous sense of "oh, no, not this again" overcame you as you entered the Indianapolis Motor Speedway yesterday for the 60th running of the richest, most prestigious auto race in the world. Consider' the numbers involved: Of course, this is our Bicentennial; the Town of Speedway is observing its 50th "birthday" (it was incorporated in 1926), and this was the 30th anniversary of the "500" under the ownership of Anton (Tony) Hulman. BUT OVERSHADOWING the glory of the day was the great gray sky threatening rain, and thoughts of 1973 when it look three days to complete the race and last year's rain-shortened classic filled one's head. 500 Race Rutherford. "A.J.

got sideways and started sliding out to the wall and I just knew he was going to hit it. But he got it straightened out and I repassed him and gave him a wave as I went by." BUT FOYT CAME bouncing back to lead laps 4-12, then gave up the advantage on a pit stop to Carter in the No. 48 Jorgensen Eagle. It was that pit stop that almost "cost" Foyt, too. A wrench with a long extension handle was being checked to see it it would adjust the rear wing controls and stuck on a bolt.

So Foyt roared out of the pits with the long wrench draggingand barely missed a black flag call-in as the wrench fell off on the track. Wally Dallenback, who 1 't keep his No. 40 Sinmast Wildcat handling properly, led laps 17-19, then teammate Gordon Johncock took over for the next 18 laps. BUT GORDIE, who won the rain-abbreviated 1973 Indy race, began hav Continued From Page 1 pleted 100 laps, Foyt not only wouldn't have been around if the race had run its course, but he might have been in the fence. WORRIED because his Gilmore Coyote had been handling so badly, A.

J. had the nose removed from the car, peered at the suspension and almost swallowed his tongue when he discovered a broken sway bar. "Whooeee, I was lucky," he said. "No wonder the damned thing wouldn't handle." His crew made repairs during the long delay while the track was dried and then, just after the drivers were summoned back to their machines, the rain began again. "In view of the forecast for more rain, we don't think it will be possible to finish the race over the full distance," said Binford.

"WE FEEL THE race should have been restarted earlier," said Jim Gil-more, Foyt's sponsor. "I know that A. J. feels we could have made a helluva run at passing Rutherford if we had gotten a restart." Johncock, who had already drawn a $500 fine for an "improper" entrance into the pits, would have liked to see the race go on, too. "My weight jacker had broken and I couldn't do a think with the car," said Johncock.

"We got it fixed while the race was stopped, and since we had plenty of fuel, we could have made a heck of a run at it. But we also might have finished 22d; you never know." MARIO ANDRETTI, who started 19th and moved up as high as sixth before having problems with his CAM2 McLaren, thought he had his problems straightened out, too. So did Tom Sneva, who had his early bid for the front stymied when a coil spring came flying up off the Victory Lane track, cracked the windshield, dented his helmet. Sneva was one of six drivers a lap behind the three front-runners and be had to settle for sixth place behind Carter and ahead of Al Unser and Andretti. DRIVING THE sleek American Racing Wheels Parnelli powered by the only Cosworth engine in the field, Al was one disappointed man, plagued by an engine that not only wouldn't deliver the hoped-for power but was gobbling up fuel like it was going out of style.

But Al couldn't have been more disappointed than old pro Roger Mc-Cluskey, who figured he had his best chance ever at an Indianapolis victory with a brand-new Hopkins car. But Roger didn't complete his ninth lap. slipping in oil spilled by either .100,000 fans were cheated because of the rain. "Jf they didn't like the racing when we were going," he said, "they don't know what racing is about. We had some great racing going on out there.

It was like on a dirt track." Rutherford said that Foyt had an edge' during the first five laps. "HE ASSED me in No. 3 turn and slid right up in front of me," he said. "I really had to anchor it down and I think he had some real problems keeping it off the wall." Later, Foyt would charge that Rutherford had gained 18 seconds on a yellow light. Rutherford claimed the charge was not valid.

"A.J. failed to check with his pit crew on stops," he said. "He made one more stop than we did. I slowed when everybody else did. I wouldn't cheat any more than A.

J. or Bobby (Unser) or anybody else would." THE FACT THAT A.J. was in second place when the race was halted was a major point of disagreement for the Coyote crew, which claimed that Rutherford had gained 13 seconds when both drivers were running under the yellow light caused by Jerry Grant's tow-in. A protest was planned by Foyt but scrapped when, as Gilmore explained afterward, "the USAC group through the computer clarified the positions of the cars for the restart." But that restart never came. After a 2-hour, 20-minute delay during which the pavement became dry to race again a second downpour finally ended things.

GILMORE, however, believed that the restart could have come sooner, possibly enabling A.J. to overtake Rutherford in what might have been an exciting trophy dash to beat the rains that were moving in again. "My personal opinion is that they could have started sooner," he said. "I thought it was a much longer delay than necessary. The track seemed dry 2y2 Hours The rainy end to the 500-Mile Race yesterday kept some fans sitting in their cars without moving for up to two and a half hours.

Mud in the infield bogged down others. Once outside the Track gates, traffic moved, but not all that fast. ABOUT a third of the fans had quit the grounds when the first rain fell and the racers were ordered off the track at 12:48 p.m. The others waited until the 3:21 p.m. official halt and then waited some more in their cars.

Traffic lanes into the track had been complicated by record crowds. Police reported vehicles at times in the morning were lined up on West Billy Vukovich or Dick Simon, doing a three-quarter spin, then bouncing into the outside wall on the third turn tail-first. EVEN WITH his early departure, McCluskey wasn't first out of the race. That distinction went to rookie Spike Gehlhausen, who pitted during the pace lap and never rejoined the field. Even with Gehlhausen missing, the action on the track was fantastic as six drivers shared the lead during the 102 official laps.

Rutherford, the pole-sitter in the Hy-Gain McLaren, won the dash for the first-turn lead and held it for the first three laps. He lost the advantage momentarily when Foyt zipped around him on the inside of the third turn but quickly regained the No. 1 spot as Foyt gave himself a thrill. "A.J. had just gotten by me when he slipped in some water that had come out of David Hobbs' car," said Crowd's and everything appeared ready to go.

"Our team felt an obligation to the fans. And I'd say the same thing whether we would have been in fifth place or 10th place." The inevitable question: Could Foyt have overtaken Rutherford? "IT'S UNFAIR to say that we would have caught Johnny," Gilmore answered. "But we would have done our damnedest." Foyt, during the delay between showers, evidently felt the same way. Relaxed and confident now that he had had an opportunity to fix his machine, he agreeably answered reporters' queries as he sat near his Coyote. "Can you catch Rutherford?" someone asked.

"I think so." What about Rutherford and the "pacer" (which is supposed to make certain that drivers maintain proper distance and speed while running under the yellow)? To Get Out 16th Street as far east as Meridian Street. "Usually we get all the cars into the track by 10 a.m., but this year we got them in just before the start of the race at 11 a.m., Sheriff's Maj. P. Joseph Ems said. NO MAJOR incidents were reported by police yesterday at the track.

Thirty arrests were made at the track yesterday by the Indianapolis Police Department. A majority of the arrests were on charges of disorderly conduct and drunkenness. Most of those arrested ere in their 20s, police said, and the ratio of Indiana and out-of-state defendants was about 50-50. Marion County police arrested about 30 persons, 80 per cent of them from ing troubles of his own and couldn't challenge for the lead again. Tom Sneva did lead the 38th lap before his problems began.

Rutherford took over to lead laps 39-60 and Foyt regained it for the next 19 laps before falling back with tire troubles. And then it was time for Rutherford to make his big move, building up that 3.7-second lead and getting ready for a rain dance while the track dried off. i "I know A.J. and probably a couple of others would have) been after me," he said after the race was stopped. "And, yeh, it probably would have been a heck of a race to the checkered flag.

"I know A.J. wants that fourth Indianapolis victory badly but I'm just as happy I was the one to win this one." And Johnny smiled to show it as he became the ninth multiple winner' in Speedway history. The lltiin But he refused, saying, "I hate to eat before 1 race." A.J. SHOULD have gone ahead and snacked. He never got to race again.

And though the second-place finish, and 800 championship points made him the all-time leader in that category (ahead of Wilbur Shaw, Ted Horn and Louis Meyer), you can rest assured Foyt will find little satisfaction in that achievement. He wanted that fourth victory. Maybe just maybe it washed away in the rain on a gloomy Sunday in May. abundance last race day heat exhaustion. Roger McCluskey was the only race driver taken to the hospital and that was for a cursory checkup after his Hopkins-Offy spun out of control in some oil on the third turn early in the running.

Last year, more than 100 persons, including several of the bands that participated in pre-race activities, had to be treated for heat exhaustion and driver Tom Sneva suffered burns in a crash. THE NEAREST thing to a fatality yesterday was a brave, wild duck that repeatedly sought a seat in the middle of the first turn. It thought better after about five minutes when some race cars roared beneath it as it winged to a safer seat elsewhere. Dr. Thomas Hanna, director of the Speedway Hospital, said more than 80 persons were treated by late afternoon.

Several of them suffered fractures of the feet, amis and legs and one had a possible spine fracture, he said. Among those injured was a Speedway safety patrolman who was struck by a car while riding a motorcycle, and a woman who was hit by a car as she was walking. Neither suffered critical injuries. -j. Continued From Page 1 final stages of the Victory Lane ritual.

BY THE time Rutherford arrived at the press building for the winner's interview tie rainfall was heavy. "I feel sorry for A.J. (Foyt)." he said. "He was fixed (a broken sway-bar had slowed the three-time 500 winner until the first rain) and we would have had a heckuva race the rest of the way." That rain stopped 'the race just past the halfway mark that made tte chase official bothered Rutherford but not much. "I'm sorry the race was stopd this way.

but we were in the right spot at the right time. We didn't want to be in the same position we were a year ago (second behind Bobby Unser with no chance to catch up because of rain)." "YOU HANG around this place long Foyt Continued From Page 1 away from the pits, toward his garage with an armada of writers and photog-isphers in tow. When he reached his destination, he moved toward a corner chair. When the doors were shut, that was where A.J. Foyt was last seen.

He as done talking, he was done posing. Foyt finished second in yesterday's race that concluded with Johnny Rutherford in the top spot after 102 laps and a rain delay the Foyt team believed was a bit too lengthy. With Foyt's mouth and the garage doors closed, the spokesman became sponsor Jim Gilmore. "THIS IS VERY difficult." the soft-spoken Gilmore said in explaining that A.J. would not play "Meet the Press." "A.J.

needs a chance to think things through, a chance to think about this whole matter. He'll have something to say. probably tomorrow." It had been a day that had been as eventful as it had been frustrating for Spirits Dampened fit "WE SHOULD have a rule where the field bunches up, like in NASCAR, because the pacer is becoming almost impossible to police. Besides, it would provide a better show for the. fans," Foyt said.

"One time it might favor you and another time it might favor someone else." The questions and answers continued. Then Diana Gilmore, the sponsor's wife, arrived with a sandwich and a carton of milk for A.J. to consume during the wait. enough you learn a few things. A year ago.

we lost because of the rain. This year we won." Ruiherford admitted that the delay of two hours and 20 minutes between the red flag and the declaration that the race was official was a unique experience. "Naturally, it was different than we've laced before. The anxiety of sitting out there while the race was stopped was a new ordeal for me." RUTHERFORD called his second pit stop the turning point of the race. On the second stop, we changed the right tires.

The car came to life after that and I was surprised at some of the people I could pass." he said. When the race was stopped, Rutherford did not have a fuel problem. "We had very good fuel consumption," he said. He would not concede that the Foyt. On his first pit stop, a wing wrench stuck to the car as he raced away and A.J.

was nearly black-f lagged before the wrench fell away. Shortly thereafter, David Hobbs' machine broke a water hose, spraying the track with a load of the wet stuff that was to come later' in a more natural way. FOYT WAS trailing Hobbs when the water hit the track. A.J. nearly hit the wall in the third turn when he slid through it.

Then, if that wasn't enough, a front sway bar broke. During the rain delay, Foyt explained: "I radioed in and told them I'm really loose. I was just going into the turns and hooking it to the right (the car was pushing left). My heart won't stand that much longer." It didn't have to. During the delay, the sway bar was repaired.

Unfortunately, the weather stopped the proceedings before Foyt had a chance to charge at Rutherford. 10:30 yesterday morning to a 60 per cent chance of rain," the weather service spokesman said. "However, we had fgJt that most of the precipitation would be to the north of Indianapolis." They expected it to cover the top half of the state. It covered the top two-thirds. What Indianapolis got officially was about a quarter of an inch of rain.

Most of it was measured during the second downpour, which caused the race to end with Johnny Rutherford out front. The sluggish air mass that caused the race-stopper rain is expected to continue dampening the Indianapolis area for the next day or two. Hospital Unusually Quiet Forecast Changed Just Before Race By WILLIAM BOOHER Activity in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hospital was less hectic yesterday than in recent years, due primarily to a shortened 500-Mile Race. The rain eliminated one of the main physical ailments that occurred in Of Infield? outside Indiana. Most arrests were for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, and most involved persons in their 20s.

OUT-OF-STATE cases will be held at 9 a.m. today in Municipal Court, Room 14, at Speedway, where cases of Indiana persons will be heard on later dates. On the eve of the race, 137 persons were arrested. About 12 persons were hospitalized during the pre-race activities. Several were treated for dog bites.

One policeman said some of the "crazies" walked right into the dogs. "Then they wonder why they got bitten," he said. Maj. Ernst reported the revelers turned over a small foreign-made car and burned it Saturday night. A golf cart also was found in a ditch.

The National Weather Service changed its forecast of the possibility of rain from 30 per cent to 60 per cent 30 minutes before the 500-Mile Race started at 11 a.m. yesterday. Rain halted the 60th running of the 500-Mile Race after 102 laps. Friday, the weather service had predicted it likely (70 per chance) would rain on Saturday's "500" Festival Parade downtown, but there were only sprinkles. The same forecast said the rain would go away and stay until Mon-day.

Saturday's forecast called for about a 30 per cent chance of rain yesterday in the Indianapolis area. "We changed that forecast about.