The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 70

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 1992 AUTO RACING THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR Demise of Truesports team saddens IndyCar fraternity Auto Racing By RICK SHAFFER At Budweiser. the team's sponsor since 1986, will apparently be on Kenny Bernstein's car next season, but that still leaves the man the middle driver Scott Pruett. Pruett has been linked to the Budwelser-to-Bern-stein rumor from Day 1. "Nothing has been finalized," Pruett maintained. "There has not been any formal announcement that Kenny is getting the (Budweiser) deal.

What I can say is that if he does get the deal, he's considering that opportunity. I'm hopeful that Budweiser and myself will continue our relationship." You have to feel for Pruett, who worked his way to respectability as a rookie, only to suffer a major setback after Injuring his legs and back in a 1990 testing accident. "More than anything else, I'd like the opportunity to really show what Scott Pruett can do," he said. "I've never been in a position to do that. "Last year it was a development car.

My first year, it was a development engine. This year, it's a development car. "All those things together, I don't think anybody has seen my true ability." PRUETT MAY get the chance to show it, but not in the way he might have Imagined. Yet another rumor has Bernstein staging a series of tryouts with Pruett and the men who drove for him at Indianapolis Roberto Guerrero and Jim Crawford on both a road course and an oval. partner Carl Hogan will be leasing is second to none And while their team will remain a one-car operation for now, two cars aren't out of the question in the future.

"It certainly gives us the capacity to expand that's what we're always looking for," said Hogan. "When or if that happens still remains." "I think we can grow into, that building whereas the building we're in, we're growing out of," added Rahal. The Truesports announcement also confirmed one of the hotter rumors of the season. In fact, rumors surfaced as early as last year that the team would be closing its doors, drained by the financial burden of building its own "made in America" Truesports chassis. Ironically, the Don Halliday-designed '91 Truesports was arguably the best chassis in Indy-car racing last year, lacking only-f a first-rate engine.

The team was able to secure Chevy power for '92, but the results have been disappointing and in June, Home resigned after Trueman decided to abandon the Truesports chassis project. The show must go on. And so it was last week when Barbara Trueman announced she would cease operation of the Truesports team at season's end, lease her shop to the Rahal-Ho-gan team and have her company, Red Roof Inns, serve as an associate sponsor on Bobby Ra-hal's car. Rahal, who drove for the team from 1982 through '88, was an Integral part of the team's success and recorded 18 victories (including the 1986 Indianapolis 500) and the '86 and '87 Indy-car titles. Rahal While the news was not unexpected, it was still somewhat shocking.

After all, the Truesports team was a winner right off and stayed that way until longtime president Steve Home opted to use Judd engines instead of Chevys in 1988. That miscalculation notwithstanding, the team always maintained high standards. "It's obviously kind of sad," said Rahal. "Let's face it. When a team with the kind of history Truesports has goes away, you notice it.

"But things change and things happen. It's happened In racing before and it's going to happen again." Rahal sees similarities in the his new team and his old one, but stresses Rahal-Hogan has its own identity. "Our spirit is very similar to the spirit Truesports had, but I think we're a little different. There is a lot of original Truesports influence on our team, but I won't say it's Truesports revisited or reborn For Rahal, the move will be one of convenience he lives in Dublin, Ohio, next to Hilliard, where the shop Is located. More importantly, the facility he and 1 STAR PHOTO KEITH PRITCHARD -Dan Drinan (right) and Mark Gerke go for a wild midget-car ride Saturday.

Drinan was critically injured. rDrinan survives horrid midget crash Thanks To My Clients! who enabled me to attain a 1992 residential sales volume of $2,000,000 through August! When you Talk to Tucker, give me a call at 271-1700. SALLY FRYE, CRS, GRI 1 i i' 1 LJ in excess GOOD BETTER said USAC spokesman Dick Jordan. "It demolished (Drinan's) race car both the front and the back were tore up but it looks like the cage pretty much saved him." Drinan remains the national midget points leader, but Stan Fox of Janesville, won Saturday's 25-lap race (the Rex Eas-ton Memorial). Fox, who had a record-setting qualifying run, overtook Johnny Parsons Jr.

on the 16th lap. Fox, who earned $2,000, established a track qualifying record for midget cars with a time of 32.297 seconds at an average of 111.465 mph. Parsons finished second. Sills, who earned $9,000 from a $40,000 purse, finished 10 seconds ahead of Steve Butler of Kokomo. Jeff Swindell of Memphis, was third.

"I have to hand it to my crew," said Sills, who blew an engine during an earlier practice session but earned the pole position with a newly installed motor. "They dug in when we lost that motor. We didn't have a lot of time to do that. "Everything worked out. The car worked really nice all day long." Sills, who qualified for the 30-car field with a fast time of 31.523 seconds and an average of 114.202 mph, snapped the three-year Bettenhausen Memorial winning streak of Chuck Gurney.

Gurney, a Livermore, driver whose five career Bettenhausen victories were more than any other driver's, finished sixth. There was no winning time or average speed posted for the race because of two yellow flag situations for minor accidents. Sills easily pulled away on each restart to regain his large lead. F. C.

Hicker Company, Inc. Realtors Since 1918 BEST CONTACT CS2f ALL SEASON RADIAL WHITEWALL 60,000 MILE LIMITED WARRANTY 4 FOR $15200 1W ATT DINflOV TORE CEOSJTTEDS past Parker for Indy Mile CDriOTlUA AC ALL SEASON RADIAL SPORTIVA AS WHITEWALL 40,000 MILE LIMITED WARRANTY 4 FOR $112 4 (or $142 4 for $162 1 4 for $192 1 P16S80R13 P18575R14 P21575R15 P17580R13 P19575R14 P225I75R15 1 P20575R14 1 P23575H15 1 4 for $192 4 for $232 1 4 for $272 1 P16580R13 P16575R14 P21575R15 P175B0R13 P19575R14 P22575R15 P18580R13 1 P205f75R14 P23S7SR15 1 Dtnotas ST Blaekwsll Sm Stors For Details STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS J- Springfield, 111. Jimmy wSills of Placerville, led Tfrom start to finish Saturday to the 100-mile Tony Betten- hausen Memorial race for USAC "Silver Crown dirt cars. His victory, though, was overshadowed by a horrifying three-Icar accident in the accompanying midget race. Dan Drinan, Mark Gerke and Kenneth Nich-ils all flipped in the melee at the entrance of Turn 3 of the 1 -mile oval.

Drinan, who lives in In--dianapolis, suffered multiple upper-body and head injuries and was taken to a St. John's hospital, where he remained Saturday "night in critical condition. Gerke was checked for a possible fracture in his back, but was expected to be released from the hospital late Saturday. Nich-pls was unhurt. "It was a devastating crash," jCarr screams By TOM LEIX STAR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Chris Carr ended three years Jf frustration Saturday night in the AMA Camel Pro Indy Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds by passing Scott Parker in the final straightaway to capture the annual 25-lap dirt-track motorcycle face.

Carr trailed by 35 yards with three laps to go but closed on the linal lap In edging his Harley-JDavidson factory teammate in the final 100 yards. Parker has dominated the and series the past few years, winning four consecutive titles and besting arr by one position in each of past three years. Parker took Jracy Continued from Page 1 Andretti In the KmartTexaco XolaFord Cos worth XB, followed by Rahal in the Miller A and Mario Andretti, dlso in a KmartTexaco Lola-IFord Cosworth XB. Starting sixth will be Scott "Ooodyear, making his best road-Icourse start in the Mackenzie LolaChevy A since the season Opener at Surfers Paradise. "We were dealing with a soft Jriotor," Goodyear explained.

-'We had hoped to use it (Saturday) and put In a fresh one for the race. In retrospect, we probably should have changed it, but (Sunday) is the day that counts most anyway." Rounding out the top 10 were Scott Pruett in the Budweiser TruesportsChevy Unser in the Valvoline CalmerChevy Danny Sullivan In the Kraco-MolsonSTP GalmerChevy A and John Andretti In the Penn-zoll LolaChevy A. Aftjjf- a two-race flatus, An All Season Steel Belted Radial Whitewall milt limited warranty 4 -13" Tires 4 -14" Tires 4-15" Tires $128.00 $148.00 $168.00 Start for "Sbs tive championship on the Camel Pro calendar. Carr, of Valley Springs, won- his fourth race on the 17-stop national tour. He covered the 25 miles In 15 minutes, 15.54 seconds, 49 seconds off Parker's winning time of a year ago.

Clermont resident Dan Ingram finished 11th in the feature on his backup motorcycle. His primary bike locked up during qualifications Saturday and he qualified for the feature by charging from fourth place to second in the final lap of one of the three semi-feature races. Carr also won the Camel Challenge, a five-lap dash featuring the top six qualifiers. He won $5,000 in the sprint. er had we not run out of fuel," Pruett said.

"We're seventh, but then you look at the pole and we're only eight-tenths (of a second) away." One other run of note came from Robby Gordon In the TargetScotch '91 LolaFord Cos-worth XB. Gordon was 15th In provisional qualifying but jumped into his backup and at one point was eighth fastest. He'll start 11th. "We didn't start off the weekend too well," said Gordon. "We lost time in both sessions with the other car so this is the first time I had driven this car." AMERHtPLUS ALL SEASON RADIAL WHITEWALL 50,000 MILE LIMITED WARRANTY 4 for $192 4 for $232 P16S 80R13 P17580R13 P18580R13 P18575R14 P19575R14 P20575R14 P21S75R15 P22575R15 P23575R15 17570R13 AmeriSport 40,000 mile limited warranty Sm Store For Details 18570R13 18570R14 19570R14 $37.95 $39.95 $44.95 $19 EXPIRES 8-31-92 Not Valid with other offers FILTER Most Cars Light Trucks Valid with other offers mi- so1 HTcn) 1 Iwi i COMPUTERIZED ALIGNMENT the lead on Lap 19 and held It through the next five laps before a crowd of 6,652.

"Scott Parker has owned the place the past few years," said Carr, "so it feels good to be able to come up with a win. But it's a good feeling to have him back on the track." Parker, of Swartz Creek, was competing in his first race since suffering multiple Injuries during a race in Oklahoma City in late July. Parker, who missed the last race at Peoria, remains second In the standings behind Carr. Four races remain In the 1992 season and Parker Is trying to win his record fifth consecu dretti rejoined the top 10 despite a boost problem that plagued his' car Friday and running out of fuel Saturday. "(Friday) we had a problem with the regulator so we qualified with one inch less boost," Andretti said.

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