The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 1

TODAY'S CHUCKLE Bumper sticker. "Love a nurse. They call the shots." The Indianapol TAR WEATHER TODAY Thunderstorms High 85; Low, 66 Yesterday High, 81; Low, 67 Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty" II Cor. 3 17 Tir ir MONDAY, MAY 31, 1982 VOLUME 79, No. 360 Copyright 1982 The Indianapolis Star MOTCW DtLIVSHtD $1 Ob PtH WK Coo, nul IUICU i ur i DCUJI iu w.

Johncock hangs on to 9 win 65 00 ill IP Wm-mwmMm by a nose By ROBIN MILLER It was one of the sorriest starts but, without a doubt, the finest finish ever at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After three hours of dueling, fueling and grueling combat, Sunday's 66th Indianapolis "500" came down to the last lap. fh 1 (5lr pnolo ov jeH Arttarry Gordon Johncock in car 20 finishes an eyelash ahead of Rick Mears to win 66th 6500' Johncock stays doubtful until checkered flag And Gordon Johncock. a relentless competitor whose career has been overshadowed with disappointments, earned the decision few will ever forget by beating Rick Mears by only one car length. It was the closest race ever to occur at the Speedway, and the official margin of victory was 0.16 of a second breaking the 2.1 second triumph Wilbur Shaw had against Ralph Hepburn in 1937.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, it was the most exciting race in IMS history as everyone in the estimated throng of 350,000 would most surely agree. Unfortunately, it was neither an exciting nor lengthy day for Kevin Cogan, Mario Andretti, Roger Mears or Dale Whittington. They were elimnated in two separate crashes coming down for an aborted start. The race was stopped for 54 minutes before finally getting under way. Johncock, whose other Indy win in 1973 was tarnished by death, destruction and rain, had to use all the resources in his 46-year-old body and most of the Speedway's -mile surface to stave off Mears.

Because of the circumstances surrounding their final pit stops, Gordy owned an 11-second lead on Rick with just 10 laps remaining. BUT MEARS, TOSSING Roger Penske's Gould Charge PC-10 through the corners at better than 198 miles an hour, began reeling in Johncock's STP Wildcat. After 193 laps, he was within seven seconds; at 195, he'd closed it to four seconds, and with two trips left, the margin was down to one tick of the watch. As they crossed the starting line and took the white flag to begin the last tango, they were side-by-side. "When he came up next to me as we took the white flag I thought that might be it," said Johncock, who was Other '500' stories and pictures.

Pages 10, 11, 12, 13 and 19 and in sports section. Half pSge of pictures, Page 52 leading here in '77 when his engine expired only 16 laps from the end. "I figured we would probably go into the first turn side by side because I sure as hell wasn't going to back off. "BUT EVEN THOUGH I knew he was behind me, I never saw him again." Mears, the record-setting polesitter who was out in front for 77 of the 200 circuits, took his 15 foot defeat like the class act he is. "I knew when I took the white flag I probably didn't have enough steam to get by him on that lap," replied the 1979 Indy victor.

"If I'd had a couple more laps, I think I might have been able to get by. "But I've got nothing to complain about. I guess we put on a pretty good race and that's what we're out there for." Mears didn't make his move until they flashed through the short chute and entered the fourth corner. His Gould Charge dived below the yellow line and it looked as if he might have an opening. BUT AS NO.

1 was heading for the inside, No. 20 was making the same manuever. Some called it blocking, Mears called it racing and Johncock labeled it necessity. "I knew I had to go as hard as I could on that last lap," acknowleged Johncock, whose last Indy-car triumph came in a 1979 opener at Phoenix. "I was pushing so badly I had to run low and use all of the fourth turn just to make it." Mears, leading 77 of the 200 laps in the Geoff Ferris' design that he qualified at a record 207.004 mph, said, "I PT tkv- tSt 4v -t "To tell you the truth.

I don't know what I was thinking on the last lap. I'd seen Rick in my mirrors for several laps. On the last lap, I had my hands so full trying to go as hard as I could to hold him off. I didn't have time to look." As it was, Johncock came across the finish line just 0.16 of a second the closest winning margin in 66 runnings of this classic ahead of Mears. For the eyes and not the clock, that was about a car length and a half.

THAT MARGIN the way he had to win it made his second "500" victory a lot more special to Johncock than his first. "There will never be a thrill like this today." he said. "I guess because See WINNER Page 11 By DAVE OVERPECK Long years of experience more of it bad than he cares to remember have made a pessimist out of Gordon Johncock. Right to the end, he was expecting his second 500-Mile Race victory to evaporate before his eyes. "When he (Rick Mears) came up beside me on the white flag lap.

I thought that was it," the 45 year old Coldwater (Mich.) driver said afterward Sunday. "I though we were going into the first turn side by side because I wasn't going to back off." But the first turn of the 200th lap was the last time Johncock saw Mears. "WHEN WE WENT into the first turn," said Johncock, "he went out of my vision. How they finished probably could have tried going under him but I might have crashed both of us. He did a hell of job and beat us fair and square." ALTHOUGH JOHNCOCK was in front for the final 40 laps, Mears was in his mirrors almost all the way.

"If my car (designed by Gordon Kimball) had handled like it did from Laps 155 to 190 I don't think Rick See '500' Page 11 Star Want Ad Service closed for Memorial Day In observance of Memorial Day, The Indianapolis Star's Want Ad and Public Service Counter will be closed today. Want ads may be placed Monday by phone from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. only, by calling 633-1212. Gordon Johncock In Victory Lane British unleash war's heaviest (Unofficial standings) FIN ST NO Driver Laps Reason Out 1 5 20 Gordon Johncock 200 Running 2 1 1 Rick Mears 200 Running 3 10 3 Pancho Carter 199 Running 4 7 7 Tom Sneva 197 Engine bombardment on Port Stanley ports trom the British war fleet said.

Harrier "jump jets" on Britain's two aircraft carriers also pounded the airfield at Port Stanley and surrounding military encampments, the British Defense Ministry said. The air and sea shelling was re- By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL British warships unleashed the heaviest bombardment of the Falkland Islands war Sunday on the island capital of Port Stanley in a drive to retake the last Argentine stronghold on the South Atlantic archipelago, re The Weather 5 16 6 8 7 24 8 12 9 14 10 18 11 17 12 30 13 15 14 13 15 11 16 6 17 22 18 31 19 3 20 25 21 26 22 9 23 28 24 29 25 32 26 27 27 21 28 20 29 33 30 2 31 4 32 19 33 23 10 Al Unser 197 Kunning 91 Don Whittington 195 Running 42 Jim Hickman 189 Running 5 Johnny Rutherford 187 Engine 28 Herm Johnson 186 Running 30 Howdy Holmes 186 Running 19 Bobby Rahal 174 Engine 8 Gary Bettenhausen 158 Engine 52 Hector Rebaque 150 Pit fire 53 Danny Sullivan 148 Accident 12 ChipGanassi 147 Engine 94 Bill Whittington 121 Engine 68 Mike Chandler 104 Gearbox 27 Tom Bigelow 96 Engine 14 A.J. Foyt 95 Transmission 34 Johnny Parsons 92 Accident 35 George Snider 87 Tow in 25 Danny Ongais 62 Accident 69 Jerry Sneva 61 Accident 39 Chet Fillip 60 Body damage 66 Pete Halsmer 38 Transmission 16 Tony Bettenhausen 37 Accident 75 Dennis Firestone 37 Rear end 21 Geoff Brabham 12 Engine 55 Josele Garza 1 Engine 4 Kevin Cogan 0 Accident 40 Mario Andretti 0 Accident 31 Roger Mears 0 Accident 95 Dale Whittington 0 Accident Inside Today's Star News Summary On Page 2 Arts, LifeStyle 19-21 Leisure 22,23 Obituaries 37 Bridge 37 Sports 27-34 Careers. 25 Statistics 51 Joe Crow says: Rick was mear fractions of a second away from victory. sources as saying the jets hit the Invincible with an Exocet missile and bombs, causing serious damage.

The Exocet, a French made missile that skims the surface of the sea at 600 mph, homes in on a target with television and radar. It was responsible for the sinking of the British destoyer Sheffield and the crippling attack on the requisitioned supply ship Atlantic Conveyor. IN THREE BRIEF communiques late Sunday, the junta's military command acknowledged the heavy air and sea bombardment of its troops in Port Stanley but claimed to have shot down two attacking Sea Harriers and damaged a third. It said its jets damaged "the nucleus" of the British fleet but did not explain. The reports from the war fleet said British ships unleashed their 4.5-inch guns on the Argentine garrison at the capital late Sunday and that the shelling was the heaviest in the war for the 200-island archipelago that Argentina seized April 2.

A POOLED dispatch that passed British military censors said the "heaviest bombardment" was "seen as a softening-up for what could be the final push." The reports also said two Argentine Skyhawks and two Mirage jets were shot down in attacks Saturday See CARRIER Page 9 garded as a prelude to a major assault by Britain's 4,000 paratroopers and marines advancing in pincer thrusts on Port Stanley. Some units reportedly were less than 25 miles from the capital. FIVE THOUSAND Argentine troops are believed to be entrenched with heavy artillery and armored personnel carriers in the capital. Four other Argentine garrisons Goose Green, Darwin, Teal Inlet and Douglas were retaken Saturday and 1,400 Argentines were taken prisoner by 600 British troops, the British Defense Ministry said. It emphatically denied reports from Buenos Aires that two Super Entendard jets and four Skyhawks penetrated British air defenses and seriously damaged the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible with a deadly sea-skimming Exocet missile and follow-up bomb runs.

"A NUMBER of Argentine naval aircraft attempted to attack the carrier battle group this afternoon. None of our ships was hit," the Defense Ministry said. One Argentine Skyhawk fighter-bomber was believed to have been shot down by an escorting destroyer off the Falklands, the ministry said. Telam, the Argentine government-owned news agency, as well as other private news outlets quoted military Comics 24 Steincrohn 36 Crossword 37 17 Editorials. .14 Want Ads 38-51 Finance 25 Weather 51 Graham 37 Wilson 38 Indianapolis Humid with 80 percent chance of thunderstorms today; early morning low, 66; high, 85.

Ninety percent chance of thunderstorms tonight Showers ending Tuesday; early morning low, 64; high, 73. Indiana Showers, thunderstorms today; early morning lows, 62-68; highs, 77-88. Storms continuing tonight. Mostly cloudy Tuesday; early morning lows, 60-67; highs, 68-76. CRIME ALERT If You See A Crime Committed Or Spot Suspicious Activity Call This Number 911 Star Telephone Numbers Circulation 633-9211 Main Office 633-1240 Want Ads 633-1212 Scores After 4:30 p.m 633-1200 Today's Prayer We give thanks, Lord, for our country's freedom and for the brave who gave their lives protecting and defending our freedom.

We pray, Lord, keep us united in this great nation. Amen MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.16 second (closest finish in history) WINNER'S TIME: 3 05:09.14 WINNER'S AVERAGE SPEED: 162.026 mph LAP LEADERS: 1-23. Foyt; 24 25, Don Whittington; 26, Ongais; 27-35, Foyt; 36-41, Rick Mears; 42 59. T. Sneva; 60 63, Rick Mears; 64, Foyt; 65-94, Rick Mears; 95-108, Johncock; 109 127.

Rick Mears; 128. Johncock; 129 141. Rick Mears; 142 154, T. Sneva: 155 159. Rick Mears; 160 200.

Johncock.