The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 18

B-4" -THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR- SUNDAY, MAY 28, 1989 $ktch white line, Binford stresses juiom ynunn- aw iiiiiiii iininii 1 'I 1 I Foyt discusses likes, dislikes, art of survival kJ rv Pit Pass By THE STAR STAFF THE FABLED name of Due-senberg once again will appear at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Speedway Museum director Kent Lifflck has selected the 1921 Duesenberg which Jimmy Murphy drove to victory In the 1921 French Grand Prix at Le Mans, France, to make an honorary lap of the 2'b-mile ova! before the start of the race today, i- It will be driven by former, stock car driver and Chicago, J1L, businessman Harlan Duesen berg, grand nephew of Fred arjd August Duesenberg. Duesenberg's father, Wesley Duesenberg, worked with the Duesenberg brothers on this very car prior to shipping it tc France for the July 24. 1921i French Grand Prix. Murphy purchased the car one of four taken to Europe by the Duesenberg team upon return to the United States and installed a Miller engine to win the 1922 500-Mile Race.

SHELLY SAVAGE, the 221-year-old daughter of the late race driver Swede Savage, has beerj hospitalized at San Bernardino, with acute leukemia and is desperate for financial assisr tance. Miss Savage, who was 6 when her father lost his life after a fiery accident during the 1973 Indy 500, has no Insurance cov-' erage, according to veteran mei-; chanic Jim Wright. 1 Wright, the engine builder fof Jim Crawford's Bulck who was working on Savage's crew back In '73, is coordinating any dona tions and he can be reached at 290-1926. cir 4- 4 I rtPJJl STAR PHOTOMAX TRUBY I Trophy winner Rick Mears picks up a replica of the Bora-Warner J)URING SATURDAY'S annual public driver's meeting, chief steward Tom Bin-ford warned drivers of violating the new "white line rule." Earlier this month, the speedway issued a warning that any driver racing consistently with all four wheels below the white line would be subject to a stop-and-go "Very few of you have been driving with all four wheels below the white line In practice and qualifications," Binford said. "You will be penalized during the race If it is done In a continuous pattern.

But we'll try to use our good sense in the situation." Binford also cautioned the field about a stupid start, like 1988 when Scott Brayton spun and collected both Roberto Guerrero and Tony Bettenhausen In the second turn of the first lap. "I've said It plenty of times before, but I can't emphasize It enough. It's a shame if you turn a 500-mile race Into a one-mile race for yourself," Binford said. MATTHEW SOLINSKY. a 21- year-old senior at Indiana University, was presented the 1 989 Ray Marquette Scholarship Award Saturday by Ozzie Olson.

Olson, the former Indy-car sponsor who owns the Olsonite Corporation In Detroit, gave So-linsky a $1,000 check during the American Association of Auto Racing Writers Broadcasters' annual breakfast in Speedway Motel. Marquette, an IU graduate who was a longtime motorsports writer for The Star before becoming vice-president of USAC, was one of eight USAC officials killed in a 1978 plane crash. Solinsky, who will serve as sports editor for the Indiana Dai-ly Student, will be Olson's guest today at the race. It's a lovely lady and I've named my Marlboro PC-18 Chevrolet "The lying Beauty" because she's so smooth, responsive and even-tempered. Her last attribute is probably the best because the last thing you want at Indy is for your car to throw a tantrum going into, a corner at 220 But from the opening day of practice to qualifying and through our final practice run, "The Flying Beauty" has been fast and very predictable under every type of condition.

During practice and qualifying at Indy, drivers usually run with a minimum amount of fuel on board. But when you start a 500-mile race with 40 gallons of methanol. It can really change the handling characteristics and, in many cases, make your race car pretty evil. Last Thursday on Carbure-tion Day. we ran 216 mph on full tanks and I couldn't have been more pleased.

The car was balanced nicely and handled the same on hard or soft compound tires. "The Flying Beauty" was also happy running in traffic, I tried to run behind four or five cars going into a corner to simulate racing conditions and the car was great. I could always keep a Troohv for winnina the 1988 Indianaoolis 500. Mears aot the trophy at the drivers' meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Saturday. Emmo looks for slight improvement By DAVID BENNER STAR STAFF WRITER Today, A.J.

Foyt will assume what is his rightful place In life: sitting In the 33-car field for the Indianapolis 500. This will be his 32nd "500" his chances on becoming the race's first five-time winner bad. He qualified on the inside of the fourth row with a speed of 217.136 mph In his GilmoreCopenhagen Lola-Cos-worth and has spent more time preparing his car than usual. Naturally, as it seems he has been since arriving at the Speed-jvay in 1958. Foyt will be a huge crowd favorite.

The noise will $tart as soon as he Is spotted In the garage area, then will build he strolls through Gasoline jMley and makes his way to the pit area. In all likelihood It will drown put whatever else Is going on at the time. That's because the jspeedway. although owned by the Hulman family. Is in reality A.J.'s place.

Consider those 32 starts, the four victories. 14 top- "T.0 finishes, the 10.755 miles driven, the legions of fans and the fact that next year, Foyt's Jspeedway career will have cov-t ered five decades: the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s. After qualifying two weeks ago, Foyt met with the media for nearly an hour. He laughed, joked, voiced his opinions and, to be honest, was absolutely charming as he offered his thoughts on a variety of subjects. here's a sampling.

On someone else, like fel-4ew four-time winner Al Unser winning the "500" an un- precedented five times: "I have no qualms about that. I Records are made to be broken. People say, 'What about Al tying you?" It couldn't have happened to a better friend of mine. I'd I much rather have somebody I like tie me or beat me than some s.o.b. I hate.

That's the facts, I believe me." On a dangerous driver at Talladega who endangered three drivers (including Foyt), then en- countered Foyt's honesty: "He's no race driver, he's caused wrecks. I told him after-I ward I know him 'Let me tell you something. You're a no- driving s.o.b. and the cheatin-Jgest s.o.b. that walks the On slowing cars down: "I've seen a lot of wrecks happen at very low speeds and I've seen wrecks happen at high speed.

I don't know If It would be a better show or not. People love to see speed. I'd rather Just see it full-out (no restrictions on the cars) myself." On the cars of the 1960s: "Mario (Andretti) and I were "'sitting on the pit wall the other day. He said. 'Can you believe in the '60s we got into cars ijwith 75 gallons of fuel, slid down 1n the seat and the fuel was clean up to our It scares hell out of me because I damn near wouldn't want to Jdrive one right now If we were Just riding in the parade with it." i On the safety of today's xars: "The cars are 500 percent "'safer, even though we're at (higher) speeds, because Ijof the car construction, heavy 'fuel cells and tires.

Like (Danny) 'Sullivan the other day. What I '('would have) happened to him if "-that had been a roadster or something, the man. I would say, would probably have been killed." On whether there be another group like Foyt, Andretti, the Unsers and Rutherford: "There were groups before us and there will be groups after us. I don't think they'll have as much fun as we had in the midgets and sprints. I'm quite sure they won't, because we had a helluva lot of fun racing through the years.

Believe me, they don't know what they've missed when they're not on a half-mile dirt race track." On the danger of racing: "I think it's a challenge. Peo- EDITOR NOTE: Two-time world driving champion Emerson Fittlpaldi Is one of the favorites to win this year's Indiana-polls 500 in the Marlboro PC-18 Chevrolet. Fittlpaldi is writing periodic reports of Ms month for United Press International. A YEAR AGO' 1 ran second to Rick Mears here at Indy and, in all honesty, everyone at Patrick Racing was thrilled with our finish. Even though we were on the same lap with Rick, I knew there was no way to get around him unless something broke.

He was just too strong because he had the perfect combination. Rick had the best-handling chassis, the strongest engine, quick pit stops and, of course, his own tremendous talent. That's why I wasn't upset with our second place because you have to be realistic In this business. Even though I had the, Foyt pie talk about It being a dangerous game, but we don't look at It that way. It is a dangerous game, but maybe It's like yourself.

You like golf or fishing on the weekends or something like that. I think we Just enjoy racing and the way It's changed through the years." On those changes: "I think that's one of the wonderful things about being in racing this long. If a man had told me when I came here In 1958 that you could run the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, run 220 miles an hour and never lift the throttle, I'd went and got a doctor to try to get the man committed. When Parnelll (Jones) went 150, that was the magic number. Hell, that ain't even the driver's test now." On surviving through years: "I think the ones you see who are older that are still racing have lived a pretty good life.

They didn't party every night. I'm not saying they didn't have a drink or something, but they took pretty good care of their body. I think those are the ones still racing. I've seen younger ones that didn't last that long. "I think one thing, both Al and I have been hurt, but not real serious where it crippled us up.

He has some aches and pains and I have a crippled arm. But we have lived a pretty decent lifestyle. We didn't hang in the bars every night, weren't falling down drunk. Neither of us has, that I know of. used drugs except when we were in the hospital and a doctor put us on them." On drug use In sports: "I think that's one thing hurting a lot of our young athletes.

It's a shame to see people in basketball, racing, football, all the sports, two or three times have to go back to a hospital. To me, I don't care what sport It is, I think give a man a chance one time. If a man ever goes back for a second or third time, for the younger generation looking up to him, he should be banned forever. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. "If you've got to have it, you've got a problem and you damn sure don't need to be driving a race car, playing basketball, football or whatever.

I think it's wrong and I think it should be stopped. I believe In giving a man a chance one time, but how many times do you give a guy two, three, four chances? To me that's bull-bleep." On losing an edge: "I don't think you lose something just overnight. I might not do the things I did 20 years ago, but I think I've gotten a little bit smarter. But every now and then I pull some dumb moves." On qualifying at Indy for the first time: "I was a nervous wreck. I don't care who you are or where you've been racing or if you're a one-time champion or a five-time champion all over the world.

But this place has a tendency to make anybody the first time very nervous. I don't think I came down out of the sky for a week after I qualified." I I I I I I I I I I I A.J. reasonable line and that's most Important with all the turbu-' lence 33 cars can stir up. My main concern Is the weather because if it's hot and humid on race day, the density, of the air creates less oxygen. This affects the drivers, for but this air also creates less downforce which'causes the cars, to slide more.

The humidity also saps the engines' power somewhat. 1 Obviously, everyone nulst deal with these conditions and whomever adapts the best will probably wind up winning. But if it's cool, like in the 70s. the race pace will be fast and I can think of at least seven or eight drivers who will be tough to beat. As for myself.

I've never felt better going into a race and obviously, this is my best chance to make Victory Lane at Indy. I'm starting third, on the outside of the front row next to Rick and Big Al. Those two have seven fndy wins between them and their oval-track experience is tough to beat. But I'm very confident and my team and I won't be satisfied with second place this year. Still, I'm not a greedy man.

I just want to Improve by one position. Indy 500 Race Special COLOR PRINT PROCESSING 2.99 4.99 6.99 Smith, Gordon grab feature wins at IRP IIMIMIllIIlllMUllglllJSlMUltmJUJJLKJ Emerson Fittipaldi same Chevrolet motor as Rick and my crew performed flawlessly in the pits, my car just didn't get hold of the race track like Rick's PC-17. For the record, my car was an '88 March and we referred to it as "The Beast," for obvious reasons. Later on in the year, we switched to an '88 Lola that I named "Lolita" and we ended up winning two races with her. This month, I've been blessed with the finest ride I've ever had at Indy.

It's a PC-18, the same car that Rick, Al Unser and Danny Sullivan are driving for Roger Penske. row spot. Smith took advantage of the restart at 18 laps to move in front and duplicate the win of his brother, Mike Smith. Groff was second, while John Brooks was third and Stuart Crow placed fourth. In qualifications.

Smith set a new absolute track record for the IRP oval of 19.581 seconds. an average speed of 126.122. Record speeds were also turned In by the Midgets, with Gordon clocking in at 21.923 seconds, or 112.649. Jack Calabrase, the 1988 winner, took the lead on the fifth lap, but slowed at 19 laps because of a broken shock bracket. Gordon won by about three seconds, the margin shortened by a couple of caution flags near the finish, with Jim Mahoney second, Mel Kenyon third, and Jim Keeker fourth.

SET ENGINE TO FACTORY ENGINE EMISSIONS I I IVI IIUI TUIIU Willi VII I I I I l.VUUI I I I 9 95 i 35MM 12 Exp. 24 Exp. 36 Exp. ftrmrfyvYfTrr COUPON STAR SPECIAL REPORT Saturday night was youth night at Indianapolis Raceway Park during the 44th annual running of the Budweiser Night Before the 500. Mark Smith.

20, of McMinn-ville. took the lead on a restart on the 1 8th lap and held of a challenge by Robbie Groff of Northridge, Calif, for the last 20 laps to take the 80-Iap feature. The race was for the SCCA Val-voline Championship In the Bosch-VW Super Vee Series. Jeff Gordon of Pittsboro, an 18-year-old who has only been out of high school for two weeks, won the 40-lap feature for the USAC Jolly Rancher Midgets. Groff took the lead at the start of the Super Vee event.

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