The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 7

S-8 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR MONDAY, MAY 28, 1990 500 MILE RACE Tires keep Little Al from setting blistering pace were blistering. When you have everybody blistering in the race, then it's Goodyear's fault. When you get the (first- and second-place) guys not blistering any tires, it's just the handling of the car. We missed (the correct setup) Just a little." Unser seemed so close again to his first "500" victory. Now he must wait another year, but he can't wait until the next race, next weekend at Milwaukee.

"It was a real good month for Galles-Kraco and Team Valvoline," said Unser. "We learned an awful lot this month. I had a good shot at the pole, which was the first time ever. It was a good race for us, I'm really happy for the team, and I'm really happy for myself. We'll go on to Milwaukee and chase the championship now." 200 miles per hour, it gets your attention." Unser, of course, had commanded attention with his 228-mile-per-hour practice lap before settling for seventh starting position in his rain-delayed qualification run.

He was on a mission to make up for last year's shattering disappointment, but not fulfilling it didn't leave Unser feeling empty. "I'm a lot happier this year than I was last year," said Unser. "I go to Milwaukee in a lot better frame of mind. It's OK. Anytime you lose this race, you're not very happy.

But what can I say? The team did great." Indeed. Brightening Unser's day was the fact his Galles-Kraco teammate, Bobby Rahal, finished second. "Two-four ain't bad," said Unser. "I wish Bobby would've won It, to be honest with you, since I couldn't." Unser didn't blame Goodyear for his blisters. He credited the crews of Arte Luyendyk and Rahal neither of whom encountered any tire blistering for projecting the correct chassis setup.

A rare warm day this May was one theory for the tire problem several drivers encountered, but Unser could only guess. Why didn't Luyendyk and Rahal get slowed down by tired tires? "As soon as I figure that one out, we'll get (Luyendyk and Rahal)," Unser said, grinning. "They didn't blister 'em, so they outsmarted everyone else, for sure. "It's not Goodyear's fault that they but still managed to soldier home in fourth place. At 115 laps, Fittipaldi was clipping off 220-mph-plus laps while Unser, in second, ran in the 217 bracket.

But a deja vu duel wasn't to be. "When the tires blistered. I had to back off the pace to finish the race," said Unser. "Up until then, the car was perfect. I was trying to stay second to Emerson.

As soon as I started driving the car hard, the tires blistered. I'd see them forming and then as soon as they blistered I started losing the back end and they really blistered bad. "The car Just feels like it wants to swap ends on you, like whammo! If you've ever driven a car sideways at By DAN DUNKIN STAR STAFF WRITER Earlier this month, Al Unser Jr. set a blistering pace. In the Indianapolis 500, his tires couldn't take it.

They got blistered. A problem that cost Emerson Fitti-paldi a second consecutive "500" victory also ironically plagued Unser, the runner-up in the '89 race after he and Fittipaldi touched tires in a tangle on Lap 199. Fittingly, if not all that closely, Unser was running second behind Fittipaldi after 80 laps when he noticed his right-rear tire blistering. Because of the re-occurring problem, he spent the rest of the race wrestling an uncooperative car f- Adversity for Andrettis Mario, Michael and John pay early visits to Pit Row with case of racing woes IMl i 'i-, 'V X. Til STAR STAFF PHOTO KELLY WILKINSON By DAN DUNKIN STAR STAFF WRITER Dame Fortune dealt the An-dretti family a triple blow in Sunday's Indianapolis 500.

Naturally, she knocked out the old man first. Not exactly a news flash. Mechanical problems and a spin took Mario, Michael and John Andretti out of competition in chronological order, the first time all three have failed to finish at Indy since John joined his uncle and older cousin here in 1988. The gremlins got Mario first. Numerically, it was a special "500" for Mario his silver anniversary.

Ultimately, it was just another typically agonizing day for a man whose heart is growing heavier than his right foot. Running solidly in third place, Andretti 's engine blew at the end of the backstretch on Lap 60. For the 17th time at Indy, Tom Carnegie told us Mario was slowing down, unable to finish. Minutes later, Mario made his annual sentimental Journey down pit road, acknowledging respectful fans and dealing with his 21st consecutive year of disappointment since his one and only "500" victory that seems a century ago. Mario was asked the obligatory "Andretti Jinx" question.

"Well." said Mario with a two-second sigh, "What can I say? It Just seems like things keep breaking down. "No celebration," he added in understatement about his 25th "500," "unless Michael wins." At that moment, Mario's son, Michael, appeared to have a strong shot at winning his first "500." He, too, was running third when a rear wheel bearing failed in the first turn of Lap 93. The timing was horrible. Michael was ready to assume the lead as Emerson Fittipaldi and Bobby Rahal took pit stops. When Michael entered his pit, there was a brief brake fire.

It was repairable, but the problem took Michael out of contention, putting him 22 laps behind. He re-entered the race and ran hard until a bad vibration forced him to park it after 146 laps. He finished 20th. "You've got to go back out, but at least we were able to go out and still show 'em what we had," Michael said. "We were able to pass Emmo (Emerson Fittipaldi) and Little Al (Unser We were running 220s and pretty comfortable.

"If I would have been in front, it would have been a different story. I would have been gone." Would have. Should have. Could have. How many times have we heard the lament that lives with Mario every May and has trickled down through the family.

Hard luck now haunts Michael, who led Indy last year when his engine seized after 163 laps. At 27, however, Michael has many more chances left than his 50-year-old father. As does John, also 27, who spun out on Lap 136, finishing one spot behind his cousin. "I never thought about it (the so-called Andretti Jinx) until I got here," said John. "Now I've caught it.

Unfortunately, it's an Andretti trait. That's the problem with being an Andretti." Like last year, Michael felt capable of finally beating the jinx. "I think we had a good shot both years," Michael said. "This year, people didn't know it as much because we were Just getting in the position we were in last year (for the race). "One by one through the race I was picking 'em off, picking 'em off." Mario was staying on the lead lap and had even gotten a bit of good luck when, after developing a puncture in his left-rear tire on the 46th lap, a yellow light came out.

The yellow kept him from pitting out of sequence. "We lucked out there," said Mario. "Then this happens. "We were reasonably on schedule and had no big dramas to that point. We were within striking distance.

The car was not phenomenal, but there was still time to adjust it. There were no big surprises (with the car) either way, and my guys were just doing great work to get me out of the pits." For another race day, however, Mario's mood was the pits. John Andretti spins out of the race on Lap 136 (above). Michael Andretti (left) looks dejected after brake problems and vibration forced him out of the race after 146 laps. Mario Andretti (below) wonders about the blown engine that ended his day.

1 I J- lis STAR PHOTOS GREG RAINBOLT After slow start, ABC finishes strong with '500' coverage When covering the Indiana two minutes late in the race, as John O'Neill "Since then, how often have you thought about it?" Arute asked. "What?" Al deadpanned. This was the last race for Ned Simon, 35, an ABC producer who's worked 10 of them. He was in charge of covering the pits, hospital and garage areas. He's moving to TNT.

ABC has a fascination with eyes. They tend to use tight shots of the drivers' eyes as they sit in their cars before the pace lap. They shamelessly mention the eyes, apparently afraid subtlety is out of fashion. A canned shot of Al Unser Jr. zoomed In on his eyes, but not before he fought back a smirk.

Said Page: "His eyes reflect his Intensity to win." Ick. Then there was a taped feature on A.J. Foyt played during a yellow-flag lull (thank you, ABC), when Arute referred to "the fiery eyes of A.J. Foyt." More revealing were Foyt's eyes before the race, in a live interview with Arute. As Arute referred to him as "sentimental Indianapolis.

A condensed version of the coverage airs 11:30 p.m. on June 10 on WRTV (Channel 6). I hate to whine, but here's another plea for the speedway to consider lifting the local blackout. It seems to me an ill-founded fear that attendance will be hurt, considering how many people come from all over the world, from places where they can watch the race live. Other points of interest: Color commentator Bobby Unser predicted this would be the fastest race ever and he was right, in that Luyendyk's average speed set a record.

Dr. Jerry Punch had an interesting way of describing the tension at the speedway in May: "We would never ask Jack Nicklaus to agonize over that one-foot putt for a week, nor would we ask Magic Johnson to remain at the free-throw line for a month," said the ABC analyst. Arute, interviewing Al Unser Jr. before the race, recapped the duel last year with Emerson Fittipaldi a duel Unser lost. favorite," it was hard to tell if Foyt's gaze remained even, or If I really saw a hint of annoyance.

There also were shots of the eyes of Mears and Tony Betten-hausen, among others, right before the drivers started their engines. Both shots were without comment, but anyone who knows what the Bettenhausens have been through knows why Tony dabbed at his eyes with a gloved finger. Careful viewers also might have noticed the commercial parade the post-race celebration has become. For his interview on ABC, Luyendyk wore a Goodyear hat. Then, it was Marlboro.

Then, Domino's Pizza, his main sponsor. All the while, someone from the Dutch Boy paint company kept pushing one of their hats in his face (pun grudgingly acknowledged). And after the traditional bottle of milk was emptied, Luyendyk and his wife, Mieke, both held Cokes aloft for the cameras as they began the victory lap. Gee, I wonder if he's going to Disney World, too'? polis 500-Mile Race, serendipity can matter as much as skill. If we assume that commercials are a necessary evil, then we also must assume that the folks at ABC, televising their fifth "500" live, would have to miss some of the action.

This year, the ABC crew was unlucky early, but it also was there when it counted. As Arte Luyendyk chased and eventually passed Bobby Rahal, ABC had all of the angles covered. They used a camera mounted on the back of Rahal's car to show Luyendyk close, then back off. They used the camera in the Goodyear blimp to show the gap between the cars. And they had a great shot as Luyendyk took the final lead after 168 laps.

It more than made up for earlier, when ABC was on a commercial break as Danny Sullivan hit the wall in the first turn, and as Stan Fox and then Tony Bet-tenhausen had engine trouble. Sullivan's crash was replayed the roles were reversed. It would have been a good credo for the whole telecast. But when ABC stayed with the camera in Al Unser car for a lap, instead of using the live sound so viewers could hear how he played the throttle, for example we heard some really irritating music. ABC also showed a few taped features during green-flag racing.

This is inexcusable. Once or twice, the network used a window in the corner of the screen to show an interview so viewers could keep track of the race. This should have been done all the time. Reporter Jack Arute did fine work in the pits. He got a fast interview at the track hospital to update Sullivan's condition after his crash, and he did a great job keeping track of the problems many of the teams were having with blistered tires to the point of getting a close shot of Rick Mears' used rubber.

ABC's broadcast went nationwide, but it was blacked out in when ABC came back, and Bet-tenhausen's predicament also drew prompt attention. But it took announcer Paul Page about a dozen laps to mention what happened to Fox. ABC also missed Pancho Carter hitting the fourth-turn wall because it was Interviewing Mario Andretti, who (surprise!) blew an engine. ABC did cut to Carter as his mangled car was wobbling toward the infield. Overall, the camera work was outstanding and there were fewer shots of the drivers' wives than last year.

True to his work. Page let the pictures tell the story, Including two minutes of silence as Luyendyk pursued Rahal, and another.