The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 1

65TH RJDIANAPOLB Ipisti Page 1, auomffaaa. The Indianapolis Star Sec. WEATHER TODAY Chance of rain High, 62 Yesterday High, 82; Low, SO "HTiere the Spirit of the Lord is. then is Cor 3 17 VOLUME 78, No. 352 1981 The Indianapolis Star 60c 73c SUNDAY, MAY 21, 1981 Field 650(F Route to the track.

Page 13, Section 2 Lurk To The 33; an editorial. Page 6. Section 5 More stories and pictures on Page Section 2, in Sections 5, 6 and 7. and in Sports Section Penske with a 200 545-mph average in his Norton Spirit PC-9BCosworth. But unlike the last two Indy classics, in which he was leading before his new PC-7 and PC-9 failed, the wily 47-year-old from Albuquerque, N.M..

has put a lot of test miles on his chassis. "I WOULDN'T trade my race car for Copyright 4 'Vi .1 lVople and cars lined up 2tt A 3 i The order of the day 5 a.m. Gates open salute bombs. 5:30 a.m. Garage area opens.

8 a.m. Band parade. 8:30 a.m. Cars move to apron in front of respective pits. 9:45 a.m.

Purdue Band plays "On the Banks of the Wabash." cars are pushed to starting positions. 10 a.m. Celebrity caravan. 10:15 a.m. Final engine warm-ups.

10:33 a.m. Stars and Stripes Forever," Purdue Band. 10:35 a.m. Final inspection of track. 10:42 a.m.

National anthem. Purdue Band. 10:45 a.m. Invocation by Catholic Archbishop Edward T. O'Meara.

10:46 a.m. Taps. 10:48 a.m. Phil Harris sings "Back Home Again In Indiana," and balloons released. 10:51 a.m.

"Gentlemen, start your engines!" 10:52 a.m. Parade lap 10:58 a.m. Pace lap. 11 a.m. Start of race.

Skies- don9t cloud fun at Parade anybody's here." exclaimed the two-time Indy winner. "It's not a white-knuckle car. It always feels very secure, and that's what it takes to win a long race like this one." With the element of reliability apparently added to Geoff Ferris' latest design, one would think Unser to be confident of victory. "I really don't have that confidence." he said "It's not that I don think my car is a good one, but I really don't ever think I'm going to win until I've seen the checkered flag fall. "I've seen too many races slip away that I should have won.

Besides, this race is so complex nobody should ever be overconfident, and I'm certainly not." SHARING THE front row with Bobby U. are Mike Mosley and A J. Foyt. Mosley. the underrated little Cahforni-an who usually lets his throttle foot do his talking, carries the underdog's flag today.

Even though he whistled Dan Gur-ney's Eagle into the No. 2 spot at 197 141. Mosley has a Chevrolet for power. And because one of those engines has never finished near the front after 500 miles, the odds don't appear to favor the Pepsi Challenger. "I know a lot of people are skeptical, but I don't see any reason we can't run 500 miles and stay up front," Mosley said Foyt.

who held the pole after the first weekend at 196 078 mph. is gunning for his fifth Indy title in his first ground-effects machine. Designed by Bob Riley, Super Tex's Valvolme Coyote has adapted to high speeds very quickly especially since it had never been on any track before coming here. GORDON JOHNCOCK, the 1973 victor, starts from the inside of Row 2 in Pat Patrick's STP Special, and his Gordon Kimball-designed Wildcat VIII has been a fast set of wheels since it came off the trailer at Phoenix Bill Alsup, the most experienced rookie of the 10 in the field, goes from the third tier in Penske's A B. Dick Special, and Gordon Smiley, a swift sophomore in Patrick's Intermedics Special, is beside Alsup.

Al Unser is the other Bow 3 driver even though Bobby Hillin's latest Long-horn chassis hasn't developed as quickly See '500' Page 10 passed early for the three Canadians, when Miss DeWitt's car passed their seats. "H-e-y-y-y-y, Joyce baby! Holiday Inn, Room 24," they shouted in a vain attempt to impress their favorite. Another out-of-town visitor with a firm favorite was 11-year-old Kevin Michalski of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. "I'm waiting See PARADE Page 5 Want Ad Service closet! for holiday In observance of the Memorial Day holiday. The Star's Want Ad Service will be closed today and Monday Want ads may be placed by phone Monday, from 7:30 a m.

to 9 30 a m. only, by calling 633-1212. The Public Service Counter also will be closed today and Monday. (Star photo Frn K. FiMl and Ohio tre-ts By fcOBIN MILLER Today's 65th Indianapolis "500" has no favorite.

It has favorites. Eight teams, represented by a dozen drivers, appear to have a solid shot at coming away with the richest reward in motor sports. And because of the parity spread through the lineup; it should be one of the most competitive races in many Mays. With an eye on the skies i there's a 30 percent chance of raint. pole-sitter Bobby Unser will bring the 33-car field to the green flag at 11 a in front of more than 300,000 paying customers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

BUT UNLIKE years past, the 1981 version of "the greatest spectacle in racing" probably won't be dominated by just one or two men. Johnny Rutherford, after an early challenge from Bobby Unser, rolled to his third Indy triumph in 1980. Rutherford had a definite advantage in that race the only ground-effects car that had proven its worth the previous year. Going into this month, Lone Star R. said the other teams might as well stay home because they were all running for second; he had that much confidence that Jim Hall's Pennzoil Chaparral had retained its superiority after opening '81 with a victory at Phoenix.

Since then, however, qualifying has come and gone. And unlike '80 when he was fastest, Rutherford is in the middle of the second row. That's a bit misleading though, because seven drivers were quicker during time trials. J.R. WAS ASKED Saturday if he still felt everyone else was chasing him.

"Well, because of that blast of speed I'm more apprehensive than I was three weeks ago," he replied. "There appears to be more cars capable of winning than there's been in a long time, and it should be interesting. "But all that dazzling speed is not gonna be there except for a few guys, and they're gonna have to run 500 miles. I think a lot of people have caught up with us, but they've still got to beat us." One team, and more specifically one man, who fits Rutherford's synopsis is the elder Unser brother. Rapid Robert got the pole for Roger glimpse of the activity beginning to build at the starting line.

At precisely 12:30 p.m.. the shot signaling the start of the parade set off an echo of cheers and applause throughout the waiting crowd as the first units moved down Pennsylvania Street. Followed closely by an open car carrying Speedway native Joyce DeWitt, star of TV's "Three's Company" and this year's parade grand marshal, the lively marching music of the Purdue University band announced the fun had begun. Children whose attention had wandered stopped playing in nearby parks and among the bleacher seats, returning at a run to their curbside posts. THE SEQUINS ON the uniforms of the band's baton girls glittered brightly in the patchy sunlight, and even the most jaded adults began to catch some of the youngsters' excitement.

The anticipation grew among spec float of StokeK-Van (lamp 4 (Jlr kol bv Jtmr Clark) Street Saturday afternoon on both sides of the barricades and ropes intended to keep people off the parade route. "500" Festival officials scurried busily at the starting point at Pennsylvania and North streets, while several hundred policemen, sheriff's deputies and Indiana National Guardsmen struggled to keep a swelling crowd off the streets and nervously surveyed the bleachers and other seating areas for signs of trouble. As parade officials worked to get all the participants lined up and ready to go, they also kept a wary eye on the overcast sky. IN THE VIEWING areas, meanwhile, parents and other young adults slouched lazily in chairs or against the curb, many munching an apple or delving into a cooler for a snack. The kids, however, were a picture of nervous anticipation, leaning excitedly into the street, straining to catch a (Queen's Trophy inside Gale 10 on West 30th Afore pictures on Pages 4, 5, Section 2 Pictures of winning floats, Page 6, Section 2 A sixth-grade pupil reports on the Parade for The Star.

Her story is on Page 5 than 400,000. Most police officers, however, put the number of spectators at about 250,000. Despite the huge crowd which several officials called the largest in parade history police and "500" Festival officials had few problems maintaining order along the parade route. "People have really been behaving themselves this year," said assistant festival director Joyce Stout as she surveyed the block of North Meridian under her control. Indiana National Guard Col.

Bill Abel echoed her praise for the spectators, calling them "enthusiastic and exuberant, but no problem. I can't get too upset with someone who's just having a good time." The crowd's appreciation was evident throughout the afternoon. TV STARS WERE crowd favorites, as were the prize-winning floats, including the Sweepstakes Trophy winner entered by the National Automobile Dealers Association and the Elizabeth Arden Co. float which won the President's Award. As the parade's 12:30 p.m.

start neared, pre-parade nerves were evident Today's Prayer Dear Lord, the times we are able to share Your beautiful gifts with You can be our greatest joys, and we give You thanks for offering contentment and peace. Amen. TODAY'S CHUCKLE If living conditions don't stop improving in this country, we're going to run out of humble beginnings for our great men. Star Telephone Numbers Circulation 633-9211 Main Office 633-1240 Want Ads 633-1212 Scores After 4 30 633-1200 By JEFFREY W. PETERS Smart-stepping bands, lavish floats and smiling celebrities entertained thousands of people Saturday as the 25th "500" Festival Parade unraveled with the cooperation of warm if sticky weather.

Although early morning rains threw a brief scare into organizers of the nationally televised pre-race extravaganza, the overcast skies didn't deter several hundred thousand persons who lined the three-mile route. And, once" again, organizers and parade viewers alike called the spectacular downtown show the biggest and best ever held. Parade fans began filtering into the downtown area before 8 a and police officials said the early-morning crowd of 5,000 grew steadily throughout the day. BY EARLY AFTERNOON estimates of the crowd ranged from 100,000 to more Notice to subscribers Effective June 7. 1981, the home-delivered price of The Sunday Star will be increased to 75 cents.

Higher production and distribution costs including energy, wages, and the price of newsprint make this necessary. Your Star carrier will receive one-third of this increase. The Weather Joe Crow Says: The race fans' order of the day to the weathermen: "Gentlemen, start your sunshine!" Indianapolis Mostly cloudy, 30 percent chance of thunderstorms near race time; high, 80. Thundershowers likely tonight and Monday; low tonight, 62; high Monday, 75. Indiana Chance of thundershowers today; highs, 77-84.

Thundershowers likely tonight and Monday; lows tonight, 60-65; highs Monday, 70-80. tators waiting near the end of the parade route, and in the bleachers in front of the federal courthouse along Meridian Street there was a murmur of excitement as images of the parade's first units were reflected in the glass of the Indiana Bell Telephone Building. Among those anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first units in the parade was Chrissy Williams, 5, who had a tough time deciding, but singled out the tambourines as her favorite part of the parade. Several older fans had no trouble at all in deciding what they liked best. "THE GIRLS," chimed Rick Greven, Dennis Krogman and Jim Hord, three London (Ontario) residents here for the 500-Mile Race.

"The race is the big event," said Greven, "but the parade makes the whole weekend super." The high point of Saturday's parade Co. rounds corner at News Summary On Page 2.