The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 98

OOP THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1998 J1 1 A. tea i Once Lap count recovers after down years a staple, race coverage is now a luxury Breaking down the laps A look at the prequalifying practice period at the Speedway, comparing the activity of the last two years of Championship Auto Racing Teams participation (1994-95) with the first three years of the Indy Racing League (1996-98): Year Days Tot. laps Avgday 1994 6 11,713 1,952 1995 7 11,522 1,646 1996 4 4,278 1,070 1997 4 3,222 806 1998 6 7,364 1,227 Penske team used to rule die front row Associated Press A front row without a Penske car is almost as rare as a race without a Penske driver. Front-row starts by winner Al Unser Jr. and teammate Emerson Fittipaldi In 1994 snapped a rare streak of two years that car owner Roger Penske had been shut out in the lead row.

In 1995, of course, neither Unser nor Fittipaldi qualified for the race, and they haven't been back after that because of the CART boycott. Except for 1975, 1985, 1992, 1993. 1995 and 1996. Penske has had at least one car start from the front row of each Indianapolis 500 from 1971 to '94. The 1988 front row of Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser marked the first time 500 history the top three starting positions were held by teammates.

Mears and Unser had the first two spots again in 1989, along with eventual winner Fittipaldi, who Joined the Penske team in 1990. Then Fittipaldi and Mears gave Penske the top two spots again, and this time they were joined on the front row by eventual winner Arie Luyendyk. In 1991, Mears gave the Penske team another front-row start by taking the pole position. A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti joined him on the front row.

In 1994, Unser started from the pole. Fittipaldi was on the outside, and Raul Boesel was in the middle. The teams participating in the Indianapolis 500 this year drove more pre-quallfy-Ing day laps than in the first two years of the Indy Racing League combined. But the lap count this year was still 35 per Pit Pass Curt Cavin cent off what the Championship Auto Racing Teams posted in their final two years at the Speedway (1994 and '95). The IRL teams ran 7,364 laps last week.

CART ran at least 11,500 in each of its last two years. In fact, the CART teams averaged 2,332 laps on the day before pole day. The IRL teams ran 1,633 this year. These numbers reflect two things: the value of the dollar for the fans and the depth of the teams' pockets. Running laps is costly, regardless of the series.

Despite these facts, IRL officials tried to put their own spin on the month, which they deemed a rousing success. "Any unbiased observer would have to say this (past) week was as good as any other practice week we've had on the track," said Fred Nation, vice president of corporate communications and public relations. Chuck Whetsel, the IRL's timing and scoring director, said it is difficult to compare laps to previous years because only green flag laps were counted this year. Tires even in qualifying What happens in the race with tire performance remains to be seen, but in qualifying, the competition between the manufacturers was close. Goodyear grabbed the first and third starting positions with Billy Boat and Kenny Brack, team- the south side of the Gasoline Alley entrance each day the track Is open.

They have been there for years. "This is the best thing that's happened to this race," Stevenson said of Hewitt's qualification. "He's what we need." Notes The pole was the second in Billy Boat's brief IRL career. He also was No. 1 In Las Vegas qualifying last October Arie Luyendyk qualified the same car he won the pole and the race with here last year.

It was the first chassis ever built by Force Greg Barn-hart of Syan Racing has purchased Chitwood Racing and will keep Andy Michner as the driver. Sixteen of the 33 drivers will be making their first or second start in the 500, Including the first three on the grid Jack Hewitt is not only the oldest rookie (46), he also is the oldest driver overall A.J. Foyt started 34 500s In his career. This entire field has a collective 95, Including 25 from last year. Luyendyk, Roberto Guerrero and Raul Boesel account for 35.

Greg Ray might be happy starting from the middle of the front row, but that position has not produced a race winner since Mario Andretti in 1969. The top seven qualifiers have Dallara chassis. Davey Hamilton has the fastest Force. www FONTAINE! fill TRUCK EQUIPMENT COMPANY 2770 Bluff Rd. IN 46225 mates at A.J.

Foyt Racing. Greg Ray of Knapp Motorsports put Firestone In the second spot with his surprisingly underfinanced run. The next four rows are balanced among the tire companies. Firestone drivers occupy the entire second and fifth rows; Good-year-shod drivers sit on the third and fourth. Firestone won the season's first race at Orlando with Tony Stewart.

Goodyear won at Phoenix with Scott Sharp. Based on volume, Goodyear will be favored. It has 22 of the 33 cars in the the field. Firestone, however, has won the past two 500s with Arie Luyendyk and Buddy Lazier. Quite a sight There are Images that speak for every event, but arguably the best one for qualifying last weekend likely went unphotographed.

Indy rookie Jack Hewitt, the 46-year-old short-track legend, qualified on the first day in rather Impressive style. As he left the media interview room, he walked Into a sea of fans, who embraced him as one of their own. In many ways, they are. The two people to hug him were Greg Stevenson and Scott West, the Inspirational leaders of the Alley Cats, a vocal group that lines Nazareth, and a U.S. citizen; Graham Hill of England (1966); Jimmy Clark of Scotland (1965); Gaston Chevrolet (1920), born In France but a Swiss resident who was living In Indianapolis at the time; Dario Resta (1916), of Italy but living in England; Ralph De-Palma (1915), of Italy but living In New York and later a U.S.

citizen; and Rene Thomas (1914) and Jules Goux (1913), both of France. 0 Many newspapers, citing diminished interest by readers and tight budgets, aren't here this year. By Mark Ambrogi STAFF WRITER I Gary Long has covered every Indianapolis 500 since 1981 for The Miami Herald until this lyear. was a budgetary decision, but' influenced by the product," he said. Although he still wants to be here, Long couldn't complain much.

He has frequently criticized what he feels is the diminished quality of the race since Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George debuted his Indy Racing League in 1996. That led to the feud with and the absence of Championship Auto Racing Teams and such well-known drivers as Michael An-dretti, AI Unser Jr. and Bobby Rahal. "It's very clearly not the same race," said Long, a Lafayette, native who mostly stayed with his family when he covered the race to decrease expenses for the newspaper. The Miami Herald is one of several major newspapers that have either stopped covering or reduced their coverage of the Indy 500 since the split.

The Saint Paul Pioneer-Press once was here for most of May. Last year, for the first time in years, it didn't come at all. Sports editor Emilio Garcla-Rulz said he didn't receive a single complaint when the paper didn't staff the race last year. The Pioneer-Press' competitor, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Is staying away from the race for the first time in 25-plus years.

Longtime writer John Gilbert had always covered both weekends of qualifying and the race. is definitely a dilution of interest with the IRL," Star-Tribune sports section editor Tim Wheatly said. "Frankly, we think our readers are more interested In NASCAR." So are the readers of The Philadelphia Daily News, said Bill Fleischman, the paper's motor-sports writer. He said he had been coming to the race since the early 1980s, but will be a no-show for the second consecutive year. "If a Gary Long and Bill Fleischman are not here, that happens from year to year," said Jan Shaffer, a Speedway public relations employee.

"I just heard from the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) paper and they're coming to cover Larry Cahill's team." Fred Nation, the Speedway's vice president of corporate communications and public relations, acknowledged the absences but said it isn't a trend that concerns him. He said the credentials office has seen no significant change in the number of requests. He said the Speedway issues credentials to more than 2,000 print, radio, TV and Web site journalists and photographers. Nation said the only major change in credential requests came in 1993 and '94, when there was a huge upturn in foreign media requests when ex-Formula One driver Nigel Man-sell was here. At that time, additional space was added to the press area to make room for the foreign journalists.

Nation said he believes some newspapers now are relying more on The Associated Press for 500-related stories for economic reasons. Newspapers such as The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, The St. Post-Dispatch, The Kansas City Star and The Cincinnati Post did not come for qualifying this year, as they frequently have in the past. But they are expected to cover the race. Speedway media regulars have noticed the empty chairs.

"This is getting to be a reunion of Gettsyburg veterans," Sports Illustrated's Ed Hinton said. "We're all getting older and there are fewer of us every year." Steve Crowe, motorsports writer for The Detroit Free Press, said the volume of columns on the quality of the race being diminished by the CART IRL split has editors wondering if the readers care. "But Indy is still Indy," Crowe said. His paper has trimmed coverage, but he said that has more to do with the Detroit Red Wings being in the NHL playoffs. The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News have continued to provide extensive coverage and published two special sections this year.

Dally coverage has been reduced some. In addition, the Indiana Pacers' playoff run has stolen some of the thunder from the 500 In both papers and on local television. Villeneuve the 11th foreign winner IF YOU OWN A TRUCK VAN THEN WE HAVE SOMETHING YOU NEED. CALL OR VISIT TODAY (3117 787-0718 www.fontaine.com OR weather nuard.A II 033 mmmmmi For home delivery 633-9211 'ft Via ssry Associated Press Jacques Villeneuve, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner, was the 11th foreign-born driver to win the race. Defending champion Arie Luyendyk, who also won In 1990, and Emerson Fittipaldi, the 1989 and 1993 winner, are the only foreign-born drivers to win more than once.

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