The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 25

C4 MONDAY, MAY 29, 2000 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR 1 RACE DAY REPORT i i r. iff A-A JM i Photo Gary Mook i i SI Understanding his pain: Kara Lazier talks about the race with her husband, 1996 Indianapolis 500 champ Buddy Lazier, who finished second. Lazier's finish doesn't taste right A 5 V. mm -1 i 1 Consistent Lazier Buddy Lazier the past five years in the Indianapolis 500: 1996: first 1997: fourth 1998: second 1999: seventh 2000: second 4. a It" Second-place driver tries valiantly to chase down winner Montoya but gets no help from his IRL brethren.

By Michael Pointer STAFF WRITER Buddy Lazier learned that milk never tasted so good when he won the Indianapolis 500 in 1996. "I swear, during the race they're milking the cow," Lazier said. "It tastes so fresh you wouldn't believe it." He thought about that as he chased Juan Montoya over the final 85 laps of Sunday's 500. He was so close to another victory that he almost could feel the celebratory milk bottle pressed up against his lips, But Lazier said whenever he was ready to make a move, his fellow Indy Racing League drivers weren't there to help. "I'm a little disappointed because I got caught up in so much traffic," Lazier said.

"I was kind of hoping all the IRL guys would stand together and I could make a run on him and get a fair pass. But I wound up getting stuck and having to go down in gear two or three times." Lazier finished in second place by 7.184 seconds to Montoya, last year's Championship Auto Racing Teams season champ who won the 500 in his first Indy appearance. Lazier thought he might be aided by his fellow IRL competitors when it was clear he was Montoya's main threat. Instead, the opposite occurred, he said. "I got hammered," Lazier said.

"I got boxed in and it was by IRL drivers. They could have boxed off Juan because these guys are good enough drivers that they could have that. They (the IRL drivers) showed some great sportsmanship out there." Lazier didn't criticize any IRL drivers individually except for Eliseo Salazar, who he thought rode down on him when Lazier tried to pass following a restart with about 25 laps left. That causeu him to lose some of his momentum, he said. "We had a capable package," Lazier said.

"It Just didn't didn't fall our way." But Ron Hemelgarn, Lazier's car owner, noted that Ganassi Racing, Montoya's 1 1 team, had won the past four CART season titles. Losing to that formidable force made it a little easier to take, "I'm very proud of the way we ran because those guys have dominated," he said. "It says something about Hemelgarn Racing and it says something about the (IRL). "Both series have wonderful drivers. I-think each year you're going to see more and more teams come back to Indianapolis, which is great because now you'll get to race with the best," Lazier did win in one sense.

The 40 points he earned placed him atop the Indy Racing Northern Light Series standings with 138 points. He didn't put all the blame on his IRL competitors on Sunday. He said qualifying only 16th also hindered his chances. But he remained convinced a few more openings would have led to a victory. "Each lap, he (Montoya) was drifting up higher," Lazier said, "My idea was to actually make him bum his car down and that's what was happening.

His tires were coming up. That's when I got caught in traffic." Still, no one has been more consistent in the 500 since the IRL-CART split first affected the race in the 1996 than Lazier. He has a first, two seconds, a fourth and a seventh. "I've got eight starts overall here and I'm still only 32," Lazier said. "I'm still one of the youngest Indy-car drivers and one of the most experienced.

I've kind of got the best of both worlds." Lazier said he is sorry he likely won't get to face Montoya again until next year's 500 at the earliest. Even that matchup is questionable because Montoya may move to Formula One. "In the back of my mind, I was hoping the IRL guys would give me a break and at least let me get through," he said. Photo Paul Hurley would have behind. Trying to build momentum: Buddy Lazier (left) wished some of his Indy Racing League compatriots helped him in pursuing Juan Montoya in the closing laps; he finished a little more than 7 seconds Disappointed Salazar finishes his race where he started it "Somebody got in the way.

Backmarkers I kept losing seconds." Eliseo Salazar on negotiating traffic "HI lit k- mugm II 3rd-fastest qualifier places 3rd but believes that his car was good enough to win race. By Curt Cavin STAFF WRITER The third-place finisher in Sunday's Indianapolis 500 left the Indianapolis Motor Speedway disappointed. Eliseo Salazar thought he should have ended up in victory lane with the milk, the ring of flowers and the kiss from his girlfriend all the things Juan Montoya got. "I guess I'll be happy tomorrow," he said. Salazar's best run at the Speedway was certainly one to remember.

He fought his way through an early race miscue in the pits and troublesome traffic to finish within 15.7 seconds of Montoya. Only five drivers ended on the same lap as the eventual winner. Salazar started third and was at his racy best midway through race. He put breathtaking moves on teammate Jeff Ward, on former winner Eddie Cheever and virtually everyone else in contention, except Montoya. He wouldn't say which of the lapped cars gave him the most fits, but he told of his anger to every reporter who asked.

the 1995 race, the last held in the days of full Championship Auto Racing Teams participation. He was sixth in 1996. Sunday's drive wasn't without controversy, however. He and Cheever were warned by IRL officials to cool their aggressive driving, and Lazier shook his fist at Salazar for blocking him on the front straightaway on a restart. The third-place finish was Salazar's third top-five in four league races this season, pushing him to fourth in points, 28 behind Lazier, the leader.

Salazar finished fifth in the season-opening race in Orlando, Fla and fourth in the March race in Phoenix. He was 18th after starting a season-high fourth last month in the race in Las Vegas. "He's having a great season," said Foyt. "Both my cars ran very fast. We didn't have things fall our way.

Every time (the drivers) went to make a move, traffic was in the way." Salazar ran a final lap Sunday of 216.247 mph in his Rio-sponsored G-ForceAurora, which was second only to Robby Gordon's 217.775. That late strength was something else that factored in Salazar's disappointment. "It looked like we were catching Juan," he said. J. kept saying, 'Run at your pace, run at 95 A.J.

told me to stick to the plan. "The plan did rjpt work." said. He was asked to elaborate. "Backmarkers, just back-markers," he said. "I kept losing seconds." With reduced horsepower, the normally aspirated engines used in the Indy Racing League lack response.

Drivers say maintaining momentum is the key to running well at every track, but particularly at the Speedway. Craig Baranouski is the lead mechanic of A.J. Foyt Racing and spent Sunday's race in the pits of Ward, who finished fourth. But he kept his eye on Salazar, whom Foyt hired in the off-season to replace Billy Boat. Other than overshooting the pit mark on an early stop and losing track position, Salazar, 44, drove one of the best races of his career, Baranouski said.

"If it would have come down to (second-place Buddy) Lazier and Eliseo, I think it would have been a different outcome," he said. "But it was pretty much Montoya's day." Salazar's third-place finish solidified his status as a standout at the Speedway. He fourth in Air' Photo Bob Goshen Not close enough: Eliseo Salazar had his best race at the Speedway and at different points challenged all the leaders except winner Juan Montoya. His best previous finisfyvas fourth placjE). Somebody got in the way, ne.