The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 17

the Indianapolis Star SUNDAY, MAY 12, 11)91 i badly pole to six Miller i Foyt in front as rain, heat reign By ROBIN MILLER STAR ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR The expected speeds didn't show Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but there was so much unexpected drama It didn't matter. Rick Mears captured a record sixth pole position, A.J. Foyt qualified for his 34th consecutive Indianapolis 500 and some top teams failed to outsmart Mother Nature. Only 12 drivers qualified on a bizarre day that opened with bright sunshine and closed 15 minutes early because of rain. In between, Roger Penske had a good news-bad news afternoon, the Buicks got caught with their popoff valves down and the estimated crowd of 200,000 stood and saluted an awesome achievement from a 56-year-old legend.

After hlt- i Wild day, from 'Tex' to tech line A Won)! Q23JB) X- ting the wall Friday for the first time in his 14 years here, Mears limped away with a sore right foot. But If his throttle foot hurt TODAY'S SCHEDULE GATES OPEN: 9 a.m. PRACTICE: 10 to 11:30 a.m. QUALIFICATIONS: From noon to 6 p.m. (12 have qualified, 21 spots available) ADMISSION: $8 v'" Saturday, his performance didn't show It.

The three-time Indy winner showed why he's considered one of the best to ever strap on an Indy-car. The 39-year-old Callfornlan broke his own speedway standard for poles by averaging 224.113 miles per hour In a Penske Marlboro PenskeChevy. That was one mph slower than Emerson Flttl-paldl's IMS mark of 225.301, but considering the circumstances It was real fast. Mears went out to qualify In the heat of an 82-degree day. shortly before 1 o'clock.

Between a slick track and sudden wind kicking up, conditions were less than optimum. But, as he's so often done, Mears made some 200 mph adjustments In the cockpit and wound up with 8100.000 from PPG Industries and the 36th pole position of his Indy-car career. "I felt we had a helluva run, to run the way we did with the conditions we had," declared Mears, who had hot-lapped over 226 mph Saturday morning. "My guys did a super Job of preparing the backup car and I feel like we earned It (the pole) today. "We're fortunate to be running at all and It's a tremendous feeling." Despite his effort, Mears had to wait until the track closed at 5:45 to clinch the No.

1 spot for the 75th running of Indy on May 26. That's because his teammate, Flttipaldl, Kevin Cogan, Gary Bettenhausen and defending champ Arie Luyendyk gambled on the weather and lost. After setting quick time In Saturday morning's practice period (226.615) Flttipaldl was set to follow Mears out In qualifying. But with the Bulck-powered cars of Cogan and Bettenhausen opting to pass their original turn and wait until later. See POLE Page 5 v.

V': IN THE 22 years I've covered Indy for this paper I've pretty much seen it all. Records, great finishes, tragedies, courageous comebacks, disappointments, dumb decisions, funny moments and funnier characters. But Saturday was one of the most Interesting days I've ever spent at 1 6th Georgetown. 7 Even though Tom Carnegie never got to scream, "It's a new track record." there was no shortage of emotion and excitement for me. It began when A.J.

Foyt qualified for his 34th straightrace and 200,000 people roared their approval. I don't think anyone can fathom how far this tough 'ol Texan has come since they pried him out of the wreckage last September at Elkhart Lake. You'll probably never hear another cheer like that after Tex quits and. all In all. if that didn't make you tingle you ain't got no feelings.

A close second to Foyt was Rick Mears going from Methodist Hospital Friday afternoon to the pole position Saturday. Mears Is a gunflghter. he could have raced In T-shirts andor leather helmets. But the off-track action really made this day memorable. Posturing, strategy and mind games took the place of speed.

Indy's surface can change faster than a woman's mood and turn meaner than Bob Knight In a news conference. That's what happened Saturday. The old oval got hot and team managers, owners and drivers overheated trying to outfox the elements. When John Menard's Bulck tandem of Kevin Cogan and Gary Bettenhausen passed on their Initial attempts, along with Arle Luyendyk. the show began.

Emerson Flttipaldl had his helmet on and was about to climb In his car when Roger Penske pulled the plug. For the next two hours, nothing happened. Then it started sprinkling and suddenly, six cars were trying to get through the USAC tech line together. Order was restored and no punches were thrown. Just before 3:30, Bettenhau-sen took the track.

His warmup lap was almost 223 mph but he didn't take the green flag. Everybody on pit road looked north at Gary's crew and tried to figure out what they were thinking. "We Just wanted to test things and see how the track was," said the durable veteran. "I didn't come here Just to make the race this year, I want the pole." Cogan, who had run 226-plus Saturday morning, had mixed emotions. "I don't mind waiting and going for the pole, but I can't take much more of this." he admitted.

VI nee Granatelll pulled Luycndyk's car out of line Just before Flttipaldl rolled away at 3:52. Arle looked puzzled, if not angry. Meanwhile, after three laps. Emmo's average was almost 223 mph and would have been good See MILLER Page 11 t. ,1 UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL Rick Mears indicates he can't remember how many times he's won the pole at Indy.

Saturday was his sixth. Mears cools off 4500' field with hot gamble If everybody had gone out when we did, I think we would have been the fastest anyway. I was really pleased to put in those numbers at that time of day Rick Mears By RICK SHAFFER STAR STAFF WRITER By Rlck Mears' standards, winning a record-breaking sixth Indianapolis 500 pole Saturday was a little different. Mears' past pole positions have usually been record-breaking runs that were an exclamation point to a month he had dominated. Saturday's pole arrived courtesy of a gamble that paid off for him, a gamble that failed for teammate Emerson Fittipaldi and some timely help from Mother Nature.

Shortly before 1 p.m., Mears and team owner Roger Penske decided to gamble on the heat and humidity and the three-time Indy 500 winner responded with qualifying ended for the day. While Fittipaldl's one- and four-lap records (225.575 and 225.301. respectively) were safe, so was Pole No. 6 for Mears. "It was a decision that had to be made," said Mears of the choice to go out In the heat of the day.

"If the situation had been reversed and Emerson had been ahead of me In the line, we would have done the same thing. Emerson has been strong all week. He had a great shot at winning the pole." Penske took the responsibility for the moves that helped one driver and deprived the other. "I really feel sorry for Emmo," Penske said. "With the time he had, he would at least have been on the front row.

"But when he came around for the last lap and 1 saw It was going to be a 221.8, I knew that wouldn't be fast enough to beat Rlck. I felt we needed a 225 to be safe against the Buicks. "So we shut him down and tried to get him back In the qualifying line." The weather, however, took a turn In Mears' favor and the Bulck challenge never materialized. And, of course, Mears was able to collect the pole winner's booty, which included a $100,000 prize awarded by PPG Industries. "I thought we had a hell of a run." Mears said.

"Still, If the weather had cooled down, I See MEARS Page 10 keep the pole from defending race champion Arle Luyendyk and Bulck-powered competitors Kevin Cogan and Gary Bettenhausen. Later on, Fittipaldi had a 223 average going and was waved off. Then the rains came and laps of 223.447. 224.221. 224.344 and 224.444.

That was good for an average speed of 224.113 for the driver of the Marlboro PenskeChevy. Penske then decided to pull Fittipaldi from the qualifying line to try during a cooler period and Foyt leaves pained limp behind with grand drive into front row QUALIFYING ORDER TODAY Driver (Car No.) Top Speed 1. Stan Fox (91) 224.771 2. Kevin Cogan (9) 226.677 3. Mike Groff (50) 220.956 4.

Gary Bettenhausen (51) 224.989 5. Tony Bettenhausen (16) 221.124 6. No driver (26) 221.250 7. Geoff Brabham (21) 218.547 8. Scott Pruett (19) 217.412 9.

Scott Brayton (22) 223.558 10. Arie Luyendyk (1T) 224.037 11. Arie Luyendyk (1) 225.649 12. Emerson Fittipaldi (5T) 219.394 13. Mike Groff (50T) 215.311 14.

Hiro Matsushita (7) 209.785 15. No driver (20) 219.282 16. Hiro Matsushita (7T) 207.306 17. Dominic Dobson (66) 213.432 18. Willie T.

Ribbs(17) 204.021 19. Scott Brayton (22T) 221.588 20 Ted Prappas (31) 211.949 21. Pancho Carter (11) 209.663 22. John Paul Jf, (93) 216.789 23. Tony Bettentfausen (16T) ....219.947 By DAN DUNKIN STAR STAFF WRITER A few minutes before Saturday's first and most familiar qualifier for the 1991 Indianapolis 500 climbed gingerly Into his cockpit, the Ben Davis Marching Band provided a fitting sendol'f.

It played Thanks for the Memories and King of the Road. True to his legendary form, Anthony Joseph Foyt 56 years young, played a scintillating encore for his sea of speedway fans. With all but trumpets blaring down the main straightaway as Indy's Icon triumphantly qualified for his 34th consecutive and likely his last "500." the four-time winner didn't Just make the show, he darn near stole it. Shaking off the pain lingering from a horrifying crash last September at Elkhart Lake, Foyt exceeded even his most fervent followers' expectations with a four-lap average of 222.443 in his trademark No. 14 GllmoreCopen-hagen LolaChevy.

FoSt'almost two hours, Foyt's speed stolid for his fifth pole position. Then Rlck Mears topped it. Well, top this. You're as old as you feel, right? Foyt's lower legs and feet still feel like they're on fire. Eight months ago, his ability to walk again was In Jeopardy much less his skill to floor It.

So Foyt put himself through rehabilitative hell to put himself far ahead of schedule and, Saturday, ahead of 31 other drivers most many years his Junior. Foyt will start next to Mears. It marks Foyt's eighth front-row Indy start. Remarkable may not be the right word. "It's been a long, hard fight." said Fdyt.

thanking all who helped him recover. "I mostly (came back quickly) for my health; I didn't want to be a cripple the rest of my Hie." Foyt said this comeback was definitely his most difficult Including one from a serious stock car accident In 1965. The cantankerous, outspoken Foyt learned a little humility the hard way. "I had a lot more severe Injuries In the delicate part of my feet that you use all the time," Foyt said. "I used to laugh at jople that cut the sides See FOYT Page 11 i STAR PHOTO JACKIE MERRELL A.J.

Foyt's four-lap average o) 222.443 puts him in the middle of the first row..