The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 35

i 1 My llmifffl SUNDAY, MAY 26, 1996 tJ The Indianapolis Star i-yajiaiiupawiwi' 1 AT II1Y: ROOKIES READY TO REV IT UP UYJ mm tarn fcl-B' In J' 3m 1 -s f4 in ft''-' Magic are powerless The Orlando Magic, minus power forward Horace Grant, put little struggle against the mighty Chicago Bulls, falling 86-67 to trail their playoff series 3-0. The Bulls try for the sweep Monday. NBA coverage: Pages 13-14 i I tl, 1 7 'j aA, AN. I XrrTS New look of coaching Generations of high school athletes dealt with their coaches both on the field and in the classroom. But increasingly, "lay coaches" have occupations away from the school.

A look at this growing trend. Page 14 I HA Ml wmmmmm mww i Staff Photo Greg GrHfo SIGNATURE DRIVER: Tony Stewart autographs one of the helmets being passed around at Saturday's driver's meeting as teammate Eddie Cheever looks on. In both senses of the word, Luyendyk is the class of this yean Indy field Some respect him, others reject him, but Indiana's Tony Stewart is a rising young star in the world of motorsports Robin Miller By Curt Cavin STAFF WRITER A woman on the move Connie Paraskevin-Young is a part-time Indianapolis resident with a full-time aspiration not just to qualify for her fifth Olympiad, but to know she gave her best effort in the cycling trials. Olympics coverage: Page 9 Amid all the posturing, hyping and outright lying concerning today's dueling 500-mile races stands Arle Luyendyk. The here, hanging In the lobby of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Motel, is artist BiMiMiimf in cerns.

Since he's recently been on both sides of the Indy-car fence, beaten the best in each camp and understands the politics of his business, Luyendyk's perspective is as respected as it is appreciated. He's happy to be the fastest driver in IMS history and a big favorite to win the 80th Indianapolis 500, but he's also realistic about the May-hem that's divided Indy-car racing. "With all those guys at Michigan, it's quite a bit different and, obviously, not the competition it's been In years past," he said. "There are less people that we have to beat and not as much sense of urgency. "A lot of teams don't have See MILLER Page 2 Ay Ron Burton's visual link to rac Stewart stayed focused, but he heard it, SZ.

He doesn't miss much. Perhaps the most flattering "7. thing ever said about this rising young star of motorsports is thaU he only needs to be told once. That sounds familiar. Ray Everft- ham, Gordon's crew chief in last; i year's Winston Cup championship run, has repeated the theme with! his driver.

Gordon, of course, has meteorically from Hoosler high school short track racer to NASCAR rookie to one of the top. five oval-track racers in America. Stewart is arguably on a like ride, See STEWART Page 2 TODAY'S SCHEDULE: Gates open, 5 a.m.; FanFest, 7-1 1 a.m.; race starts at 1 1 a.m., weather permitting. WEATHER: Forecast calls tor 70 percent chance of rain, highs in the mid-60s. INSIDE: Chart the race with our scorecard.

Page 2 Indianapolis 500 tickets, usually tough to find, are going for far less than face value. Page 2 Eliseo Salazar is suddenly one of the drivers to beat In only his second Indy 500. Page 8 Ken Anderson, racing engineer for rookie driver Buzz Calkins, has been pulling double duty. Page 8 driver with the most credibility at Indianapolis is also a credit to his profession and a breath of honest air in a month overrun with fast talkers. The 1990 Indy winner doesn't mouth the Indy Racing League party line or verbally abuse Championship Auto Racing Teams.

He speaks openly about why he's here, the expectations, the competition and his con ing's past, present and future. It's Jeff Gordon at the Brickyard victorious, as he was in the Inaugural 400 in 1994. Tony Stewart stood within an arm's length of the painting this week, absorbing its significance. An elderly gentleman approached with a message. "That's going to be you," he said.

Aulby keeps rolling on Indianapolis-based Mike Aulby beats top-notch bowler Walter Ray Williams Jr. 248-237 to win the Greater Baltimore Open, giving him his 26th professional title. Page 13 AT MICHIGAN: VETERAN FIELD WANTS WOHLD TO KNOW IT'S THE BES1 77 It's go for first U.S. 500; CART now looking ahead Yasser's at peace in the midst of Indy-car war Bill Benner ft I i A A ft A'V BROOKLYN, Mich. He's a racer Tony George would love, and the Indy Racing League would embrace.

Californian Jimmy Vasser worked years honing his skills. He came up through the ranks. He finally got that big break from someone who recognized the size of his talent Instead of the depth of his checking account. MICHIOAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY MAY 26, IW RACE TIME: 1 p.m. CDT from a flying start, following warmup and pace laps.

The pace car, a Mercedes-Benz S600 Coupe, will be driven by actor Paul Newman. COVERAGE: Televised live by ESPN, with Bob Varsha as anchor and Indy-car dri-' -ver Scott Goodyear as analyst; race can be Z-heard locally on radio station WMYS-1430 AM beginning at 12:30 p.m. WEATHER: Forecast calls for a slight chance of rain and cool temperatures. INSIDE: The U.S. 500 will test NASCARA style rules at its NASCAR-style track.

Page 4 Al Unser Jr. bemoans the 25 reserved spots at this year's Indy 500. Page 6 By Curt Cavin STAFF WRITER BROOKLYN, Mich. The ticket says the race Is tentative, but there's no need to check back. Today it will happen, despite months of speculation, bitter verbal exchanges and the agony of concerned fans.

The first U.S. 500, the official rebuttal to Tony George's power play at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will be held amidst projected cloudy skies, cool temperatures and 100,000 spectators, Roger Penske's Michigan International Speedway has never looked so vibrant or so one-track in May. There are grounds. Championship Auto Racing Teams, the collection of world-traveling Indy-car owners that feels betrayed by George, is ready to move forward in motorsports. That means more seasons that include road courses and temporary street circuits.

More growth internationally. And, If necessary, more U.S. 500s. "We have to," Chip Ganassi said, "and we're prepared to." Ganassi's top driver, CART points leader Jimmy Vasser, will start from the pole today in the 27-car field. He is young, focused, talented and every other image both American-based Indy-car series desire to project.

Scott Pruett has won at every level, too, having beaten even the stock car champions at Daytona in the IROC 'eries. Sal If-- i. M-V. IW! i if i A And it has all come together, so far anyway, in a season of sensational success: five races, three victories, no start lower than third, no finish lower than eighth and a big early lead In the race for the series championship. So now it is Race Day of Memorial Day weekend.

Vasser sits on the pole as the favorite. The man to beat. This should be his time 11 a.m. and his place the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to make racing history. Only it will be 1 p.m.

at Michigan International Speedway. As for making history how much and what kind that remains to be seen. Vasser, or for that matter, whoever wins today's running of CARTs U.S. 500, will either be a part of what CART promises to be "a new tradition" (we'll ignore the oxymoron) or a footnote in racing history, champion of the biggest race to only be run once. Pruett was winter testing at Sebrtng Fla when a pivotal CART board of dlreci; tors meeting concluded.

The telephone' rang. Pruett remembers everything about the moment. "They said, 'Hey, the Indy 500 istno" Staff Photo Patrick Schneider SEASON IN THE SUN: U.S. 500 pole sitter Jimmy Vasser makes his way througthe crowds after practice Saturday. See BENNER Page 5 SeeU.S.00Page5.