The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 1

fiti)L Star rm INDIANAPOLI MONDAY, MAY 25, 1987 "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty' II Cor. 3:17 ft ft ft ft cop) 25 Cents 4th Al 4 title claims 65009 Big Late-race problems undo favorite Mario: Guerrero runner-up Airborne tire kills spectator in stands 1970 After capturing the pole, Al Unser Sr. dominated the race. Unser led 190 of the 200 laps and finished 31.8 seconds ahead of runner-up Mark Dono-hue. He averaged 155.749 mph in his Johnny Lightning ColtFord.

1971 Unser finished 23 seconds ahead of runner-up Peter Revson to win his second in a row. Unser, who started fifth in his Johnny Lightning FordColt, averaged 157.735 miles. He grabbed the lead for keeps on the 116th lap. 1978 Unser held the lead for 121 of the 200 laps and finished 8.19 seconds ahead of pole sitter Tom Sneva. Unser, who started fifth; averaged 161.363 in his 1st National City Cosworth.

li-. By ROBIN MILLER STAR ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR A driver nobody wanted in a car nobody needed came out of nowhere to win Sunday's 71st Indianapolis 500. Al Unser wheeling a year-old carengine combination that Roger Penske didn't really want to run and only getting the ride because another driver was injured, capped an unpredictable month by earning his fourth Indy victory. Starting 20th in the Cummins March 86CCosworth, Unser did his usual heads-up job in outlasting Mario Andrettl and outsprinting Roberto Guerrero to join A.J. Foyt as the only four-time Indy winner.

Unser finished 4.496 seconds ahead of Guerrero on a day that turned out to be safe for the drivers but deadly for one spectator. Lyle Kurtenbach, 41. of Rothschild, was killed when struck by an errant tire while sitting in the grandstand between the third and fourth turns. Five days from his 48th birthday, the veteran who also won in 1970. '71 and '78, eclipsed brother Bobby to become the oldest winner ever and gave Penske a sixth Indy triumph.

Not bad for a guy who' walked into Gasoline Alley without a ride for the first time In 22 years. "Al did a super job," said Penske, who abandoned his PC-16 chassis for '86 Marches and didn't have enough engine parts to provide a Chevy for Unser. "He's got a ride with us next year for sure." Unser, who stepped in for Rick Mears and won the CART championship for Penske in 1985, replaced Danny Ongais two days before the second weekend of qualifying. "I think this is the nicest one, not because it's No. 4 but because I'm older and because of the circumstances this month," said Unser, who began his speedway career in one of Foyt's cars in 1965.

"But let's don't kid each other: Mario had us covered." STAR PHOTO MARK PLEW of the race. Pancho msmsw rusk fi. 'XML By BRUCE C. SMITH And BETH ROSENBERG STAR STAFF WRITERS A 41 -year-old Wisconsin man was killed in a grandstand at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday when he was struck In the head by a tire that came off a race car and flew over the track fence. "I saw (Roberto) Guerrero hit the tire with the nose of his car, sort of like a slingshot, hurling It over the fence," said spectator Curt, Wellman, whose seat was in the same section of the stands.

"It was like a black meteorite going over the crowd It was like a bullet. If you didn't see it coming, you wouldn't have had a chance." Killed was Lyle Kurtenbach, a cement additive salesman from Rothschild, whose trip to the speedway was part of an annual family reunion. He was taken to the speedway's Hanna Emergency Medical Center and then flown by Life-Line helicopter to Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:46 p.m., less than an hour after the incident. Authorities said an autopsy will be performed this morning. Kurtenbach was the 10th spectator to die in the history of the race, and the first race fan since 1938 killed at the speedway as a result of the race.

Two spectators were killed in 1960 when scaffolding collapsed along the backstretch. Speedway officials said Kurtenbach was hit in the head by the wheel while he was standing in the top row of Stand a grandstand structure about 50 feet tall on the outside of the track. "It's very tragic and it definitely mars the day," said Chief Steward Tom Blnford. "At the end of the race. I thought we had a good day.

better than we had expected. But this is a shame." According to witnesses and the United States Auto Club's See TIRE Page 2S Eventual race winner Carter spun to avoid a illilllf" STAR STAFF PHOTO JEFF ATTEBERRY his record-tying four Indianapolis 500 wins in the wn taps For sure, it was a race that belonged to Andretti, then looked like Guerrero's before winding up in Unser's experienced lap. Andretti, who took off from the pole position and was untouchable in the Hanna Car Wash Lola T87Ilmor-Chevy, had a brilliant drive and his second win in sight, only to be dealt another cruel blow at the Jn-dianapolis Motor Speedway. After leading 170 of the first 1 77 laps and with more than a lap cushion on second-place Guerrero, Andretti's afternoon was shattered by a backfire and a subsequent mechanical failure. "It's not the deepest disappointment, just the most recent," said Andretti, who wound up ninth after being felled by a faulty fuel metering unit.

"There was no one who could challenge us today. It was the easiest race of my life and my crew gave me the perfect car. "We just got cheated." As gracious as Andretti was in defeat, so was the man he's been running against for three decades. "I feel sorry for Mario. He's worked very hard and if he hadn't broken I couldn't have See BIG AL Page 12S Unser Sr.

races past obstacles to take Indy By BILL BENNER STAR STAFF WRITER He came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with his helmet in his hand and his feet on the ground. Al Unser Sr. was back pounding the pavement, all right, but not in the ultra-fast, four-cornered manner to which he has become accustomed. Sunday afternoon, however. Unser completed an improbable journey from the unemployment line to the finish line with a record-tying fourth victory in the Indianapolis 500.

In doing so. Unser not only pulled alongside A.J. Foyt for the most Indy wins, but he also surpassed his brother. Bobby, as the oldest man to first see the checkered flag fly. Unser will turn 48 Friday.

Not bad for a man who couldn't find a ride when the month began, who only latched on to Roger Penske's team when Danny Ongais was ruled unable See OBSTACLE Page 2S All '500' raccnews is in this section All race-related news is in the first section of today's edition of The Star for your convenience. Other news, sports and features are in the following sections. Al Unser Sr. indicates winner's circle. 7 trri Al Unser and Kevin big crash.

1 Cogan (7) get by a sliding Josele Garza on the first lap iy' 1 car How They Finished 2S Little Al prefers to discuss dad's win 3S Hard luck forces Guerrero to settle for 2nd 3S -Trusty Cosworth continues reign at track 4S- Gary Bettenhausen dodges attrition 5S Reigning Rahal quickly became mortal 5S Fuel-short Simon still pleased 6S Pit Pass 6S Mears, Sullivan happy for teammate Unser 8S Stan Fox earns big kiss after fine showing 8S Broken oil seal ruins A.J.'s chance for No. 5 9S Fans had comfort of living room in infield Pictures 10S-12S Rookie Barbazza, crew celebrate 3rd-place finish Page 9S Mario's blessed ride is cursed one more time Page 3S 1 -jas wktr-.