The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 17

The Indianapolis Star SUNDAY, MAY 12, 1985 Section 5D dunffllSffneirs Long wait's over: FIRST ROW SCOTT BRAYTON 37 Brayton Engineering Bukk-March Pancho's on pole PANCHO CARTER fi Valvoline Buick Hawk BOBBY RAHAL 10 Budweiser Truesports Cosworth-March 6uick-Mar(R :42.351 :42.309 :42.222 :42.464 212.510 212.721 213.159 211.944 211815 213.189 214.199 210.000 :42.490 :42516 :42.017 :42.805 :42.502 211.755 :42.533 211.600 42470 211.914 42.452 212.004 Totals 2:49.957 211.818 Totals 2:49.528 212.354 Totals 2:49.346 212.583 SECOND ROW EMERSON FITTIPALDI 40 7-Eleven Cosworth-March MARIO ANDRETTI 3 Beatrice Lola -Cos worth DON WHITTINGTON 20 STP Oil Treatment Cosworth-March And when 6 o'clock came, the pole was Carter's. "I guess I was more concerned than anything else," said Carter, son of former Indianapolis driver Duane Carter Sr. "There was nothing to get nervous about because there was nothing else I could do. But I would've liked to have everybody qualified and this press conference at 3 in the afternoon. I would have felt a lot better." Well, maybe not a lot better.

Because the sweet moments have not been many in Carter's 11-year Indy-car career. In 115 previous champ car races, Pancho won just once the 1981 Michigan 500. And he has paid the price that many drivers must, surviving a terrible crash while practicing at Phoenix in 1977, a crash which has left indelible scars, including a permanent limp. "You hope that you have some kind of rewards," Carter said. "I don't know if it's perseverance or what.

I've just always tried to do the best I can and it worked out today that best I did was the best anybody could do." When Carter climbed out of the cockpit Saturday, he was convinced along with about 200,000 others that his best would not be good enough. "After everyone had run in the 214s and Mario had done 215 and Scott 215 in the morning, I felt 215 was definitely possible," Carter said. "I was fairly sure that Mario, the See CARTER Page :42.382 :42.498 :42.557 :42.715 212.354 211.775 211.481 210.699 :42.666 210.941 :42.513 211.700 :42.664 210.951 :42.780 210.379 Totals 2:50.623 210.991 :42 557 211.481 42.630 211.119 :42.534 211.595 :42.635 211.094 Totals 2:50.356 211.322 By BILL BENNER STAR STAFF WRITER Pancho Carter has attended 34 consecutive Indianapolis 500 Mile Races. Which isn't bad, considering he won't be 35 years old until next month. But come this May 26, when the green flag signals the beginning of the 69th race, Pancho will have the best seat in the house.

It's called inside, front row pole position. In Saturday's first day of qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the curly-haired, Brownsburg, driver went out fourth and came home first. Steering the Buick-powered No. 6 Valvoline Hawk to the fastest qualification run in Speedway history 212.583 Carter edged another Buick driver, Scott Brayton, by two-tenths of a second to claim the biggest prize in motor racing outside of the winner's circle. But he had to wait a while before it was official.

Posting his speed at 11:30 in the morning, Carter had to hold on and hope while the practice week's fastest drivers mainly, Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Rick Mears and Don Whittington took their shots. They all fired and fell back. Totals 2:50.152 211.576 THIRD ROW DANNY SULLIVAN Miller American Cosworth-March GEOFF BRABHAM 7 Coors Light Silver Bullet Cosworth-March AL UNSER SR. 11 Hertz Special Cosworth-March Index To cSpilFltg' Rookies make splaxh in Indy debut Page 2 Windy weather slows favorites Page 5 Pit Pass, qualification chart Page 6 Bob Collins 2 Robin Miller 3 David Benner 10 Lines Shots 8 Big Fish 10 Bill Pickett 16 42 883 209.873 :42.729 210.630 :42.857 210.001 :42.899 209.795 Totals 2:51.368 210.074 42.786 210.349 :42.796 210.300 42 808 210.241 :42.796 210.300 Totals 2:51.186 210.298 :42.688 210.832 :42.73a 210.625 :42.774 210.408 :42 811 210.226 Totals 2:51.003 210.523 if fF FOURTH ROW AL UNSER JR. 30 Domino's Pizza RICK MEARS 1 Pennzoil Z-7 BILL WHITTINGTON 12 Arciero Racing Cosworth-March Cosworth-Lola Cosworth-March ton record run Bray jjfriK y- :42.918 209.741 42.803 210.266 :43.069 208.967 :43.462 207.077 Totals 2:52.244 209.006 :42.726 210.645 :42 809 210.236 :43.017 209.220 :43 043 209.093 Totals 2:51.595 209.796 43.081 208.909 :43.049 209.064 42.826 210.153 43.116 208.739 Totals 2:52.072 209.215 could have been better fe5 FIFTH ROW DICK SIMON 22 Break Free MICHAEL ANDRETTI 99 ElectroluxKraco Cosworth-Lola TOM SNEVA 2 Skoal Bandit Cosworth-Eagle Cosworth-March :43.329 207.713 :43.283 207.934 :43.210 208.285 43.101 208.812 Totals 2:52.923 208.185" 43.089 208.870 43.182 208.420 :43.175 208.454 43.186 208.401 Totals 2:52.632 208.536 :43.157 208.541 :42.933 209.629 :43.063 208.996 :43.156 208.546 Totals 2:52.309 208.927 SIXTH ROW DANNY ONGAIS 25 Interscope Special Cosworth-March ROBERTO GUERRERO 9 Master Mechanic JOSELE GARZA 55 SchaeferMachinists Cosworth-March Cosworth-March i VJ 1 1 I A 111 I iffl Aim 206.935 :43.544 206.687 :43.585 206.493 i :43.564 206.593 Totals 2:54.185 206.677 :43.434 207.211 :43.301 207.847 :43.491 206.939 :43.502 206.887 Totals 2:53.728 207.220 :43.033 209.118 :43.228 208.198 :43.293 207.886 :43.466 207.058 Totals 2:53.025 208.062 By KURT FREUDENTHAL STAR STAFF WRITER Scott Brayton made sure a dou-ble-whammy of "Buick Power" would blaze to history at the old race track Saturday.

First it was Brayton who smashed the track records for the 69th 500 -Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then Pancho Carter captured the pole in a similar car. Except for a "little failure," Brayton might have kept the pole. First out when the time trials opened at 11 Saturday morning, Brayton shattered the one- and four-lap track records in a new British March powered by an American Buick V-6 engine. He set the one-lap mark with a sizzling 214.199 mph clocking his third time around the 2Vi-mile oval and averaged 212.354 for his four-lap run. Trouble was, something went sour on Brayton's final lap, which averaged out to 210.256.

He shut off the engine just before crossing the finish line, coasted to a stop midway through the backstretch and had to be towed home. "I just had a little failure at the end," he said. "Had I completed the last lap, I felt it would have been a 215 lap. It would really have been a screamer. "The last lap cost me the pole, but I'm happy for Pancho." The "little failure" was in the transmission the result of a mishap with the starter.

For 22 minutes, Brayton not only sat on the pole but also had the one-and four-lap records. Pancho Carter, in a similar March-powered-by-Buick machine, took the conditional pole away from Brayton as the fourth qualifier and then withstood the assault of those considered as the top contenders Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Don Whittington and Rick Mears. Brayton knew his orange-colored SEVENTH ROW ARIE LUYENDYK 61 Dutch Treats Cosworth-Lola A J. FOYT 14 Copenhagen-Gilmore HOWDY HOLMES 33 Forsythe Racing Cosworth-March Cosworth-Lola 43.680 206.044 :43.790 205.526 :43.793 205.512 :43.491 206.939 Totals 2:54.754 206.004 :43.396 207.392 :43.365 207.541 :44.034 204.388 :44.147 203.864 Totals 2:54.942 205.782 :43.768 205.630 :43.599 206.427 :43.576 206.536 :43.499 206.901 Totals 2:54.442 206.372 in, MX EIGHTH ROW PETE HALSMER 59 Scot Lad Foods MICHAEL ROE 71 WTTV-Living Well Cosworth-Lola ED PIMM 98 Skoal Bandit Cosworth-Eagle Cosworth-March STAFF PHOTO VERN ATKINS Scott Brayton has a smile and a wave after driving to the No. 2 spot.

racer was ready for an assault on But as happens so often, the the track records. He was clocked track, with the sun burning downi at speeds of better than 215 mph in changed in the short span of a the morning practice session when couple of hours and that took its 44 015 44018 :43.934 :43.957 204.476 204.462 204.853 204.746 :43.985 204.615 :44.092 204.119 :43.965 204.708 :43.991 204.587 Totals 2:56.033 204.507 :43.753 205.700 :43.912 204.955 :43.681 206.039 :43 646 206.204 Totals 2:54.992 205.724 the track was still relatively cool toll. "Track conditions changed from and had hoped for similar speeds when it really counted. Totals 2:55.924 204.634 S0' in i Iflr-" NINTH ROW KEVIN COGAN 18 Kraco Stereo See Brayton Page 2 of draw i in luck DEREK DALY 48 Kapsreiter Bier Cosworth-Lola JOHNNY RUTHERFORD 4 Vermont American Cosworth-March Pacers hope luck will bring change Cosworth-March 1 :43.881 205.100 :44.117 204.003 :44.460 202.429 44 810 200.848 Totals 2:57.268 203.082 :44.334 203.004 :44.091 204.123 :44.043 204.346 :44.182 203.703 Totals 2:56.650 203.793 :44.297 203.174 :44.200 203.620 :43.785 205.550 :43.761 205.663 Totals 2:56.043 204.495 I SF Rick Mears just glad to be bad Joining the Pacers for the festivities at the Waldorf Astoria's Starlight Roof will be the other non-playoff teams: the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Seattle Supersonics and the Los An-, geles Clippers. And, of course, we can't forget Commissioner David Stern who will serve as master of ceremonies (game show host?) for what is projected as an eight- to 10-minute event.

And here's what will take place with the whole thing under the scrutiny of te accounting firm of Ernst Whinney: Stern will reach into a clear, spherical, plexiglass container and draw envelopes containing the logos of the seven participants. He will hand them, one by one, to NBA Assistant Director of Security Horace Balmer, who will place the still-sealed envelopes under the numbers one through, seven. By DAVID BENNER STAR STAFF WRITER New York Take the Indiana Pacers to a carnival and they will probably get shutout in stuffed animals. Take the Indiana Pacers to Las Vegas and they will probably end up owing, not owning, the casino. Take the Indiana Pacers to something as simple as a coin flip and, as has been proven, they will lose it.

But today, ah today, it's a whole new avenue, a whole new gamble for the Pacers, who in the past have had bad luck signed to a guaranteed contract. Today is The Lottery. At approximately 1 p.m. (Indianapolis time, Channel 8) the Pacers will see if their luck has changed. The team that has posted the worst record in the National Basketball Association the past two seasons will participate in a seven-team lottery for the No.

1 choice in June's NBA draft. Stern will then open the envelopes, going backward from No. until he gets to No. 1. And then somebody will start a party that wil) last, oh, say, long after they win the.

NBA championship with that No, pick. The choice, naturally, will be, Georgetown's Patrick Ewing, the 7 foot center who is hailed as the next great messiah to lead a team from such things as a lottery to the promised playoff land. He's "franchise" player with an NBA championship probably somewhere, in his future. "Patrick doesn't just beat youj he tears you up," said St John's' Coach Lou Carnesecca, who saw" enough of Ewing in the Big East1 Conference the last four years to' claim him as a tax deduction Carnesecca's feeling isn't a shot in the dark by any means. "He does the things that make a See jtCERS Page 11 seemingly disappointing 209.796 mph.

That was slower than his top hot-lap of 213.371 during practice earlier in the week, and was only lOth-best on the day, placing him on the inside of the fourth row. There was the typical middle-of-the-pack response after the run you know the line, something about, "Just being happy to make the show." Regarding the qualifying run, which he made with a new engine aftpr his Cosworth blew in practice See MEARS Page 2 the fact he is back in a race car at all is the magic for Mears in 1985. Mears and the Roger Penske team played a waiting game with the wind through Saturday's qualifying, pulling the yellow No. 1 Pennzoil Cosworth-powered March 85C out of line early Saturday afteroon to wait for calmer air and a cooler track. Penske gave the word to head for the USAC technical inspection shortly before 5 o'clock.

The wind was still blowing, but the track had cooled down and Mears sprinted around the track, qualifying in a By BOB WALTERS STAR STAFF WRITER You have to excuse Rick Mears if the magic of being the defending Indianapolis 500 champion takes a back seat. With the kind of year Mears has had, the 1984 drive to Victory Lane seems a lifetime behind him. Literally. For those who saw the brutal accident at Sanair, Canada, last September that shattered his feet, and for those who saw him in the hospital and in subsequent rehabilitation..