The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 26

C4 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR FRIDAY, MAY 1 9, 1 995 Schwitzer Award cites tire-less work Speedway speed chart The top speeds from Thursday and for the month for qualified and non-qualified cars that have run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. DNR: Did not run. QUALIFIED CARS Louis Schwitzer won the first race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909 with an all-rubber tire. He would have little use for the 1995 winner of the Schwitzer Award, given for technological achieve- bwMllHHilllil On the schedule Today Mini sprints and midgets at Kokomo; Indy-car practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Sprints at Bloomington; USAC midgets at the Speedrome. Saturday ASA Challenge Series at Indianapolis Raceway Park; ASA stocks at Raceway Park; Late models, street stocks and modifieds at Brownstown; Non-wing sprints, modifieds, thunder cars and trucks at Putnamville; Qualifying Day 3 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Sprints, street stocks and bombers at Paragon; Stocks, figure-8s at the Speedrome; Wing sprints and midgets at Lawrenceburg; Winston Cup at Charlotte, N.C.

Sunday Busch Grand National at Nazareth, EX drag racing at Raceway Park; IMSA at Halifax, Nova Scotia; Late models and super stocks at Salem; NHRA at Englishtown, Non-wing sprints, hobby stocks and street stocks at Kokomo; Qualifying Day 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; World of Outlaws at Parkersburg, Va. Pit Pass Curt Cavin ment. Other drivers would. Ohio engineers Chris Munroe and Don Nowickl, in conjuction with the Penske Racing team, have developed a tire monitoring system that electronically follows the changes in tire pressure. It has safety ramifications almost beyond belief.

Two months ago at Michigan, Penske test driver Scott Sharp was flat-out on a straightaway when the Epic Technologies equipment found a tire pressure problem. A team engineer immediately told his driver to drop the power before the corner. The sequence was telling; Sharp's tire had a wire stuck through it. "And we've had several situations where the driver thinks he's had a tire going down and we say, 'No, you don't have a said Penske engineer Gary Den- in the developmental stage with the unit only in the Penske cars. A plastic variation of the tire monitor system has been in passenger Corvettes since 1989 while the new Lincoln Continental will carry the package.

The Indy-car model is powered by a battery with a life of 150 hours. It is the smallest and least expensive winner in the history of the Schwitzer Award. Penske humor continues A press release on fake Malboro Racing stationery circulated through the rain-soaked media room Thursday. "Roger Penske today announced that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has provided a 1962 Watson Roadster for evaluation by Marlboro Team Penske as they continue to prepare for the 79th annual running of the Indy 500. Plans call for Emerson Fittipaldi to practice with the '62 winning car with two-time winner Rodger Ward and legendary chief mechanicdesigner A.J.

Watson to work with the engineering staff." Said Penske in the release, "Our problem is chassis, not engine, and we'll evaluate any successful chassis we can get our hands on." St James gets sponsor Three-time Indy starter Lyn St. James announced a sponsorship package Thursday (Giant, Whit-lock and Strum Auto Supply) that will put her in the 99T car of Simon Racing. The car is a '94 LolaFord. A sponsor spokesman said he learned of St. James' lack of finances by reading the Chicago Tribune.

St. James practiced in the 99 car Thursday, posting a lap of 216.118 mph. ton. A change of 2 or 3 pounds of pressure can significantly alter the grip of a car. The Epic system transmits feedback to the pits every 18 seconds, but if the tire pressure changes by more than 1 pound per square inch, an alarm is set off.

The tiny housing 86 grams that fits in the palm of a hand Is mounted In the wheel of all four tires. An electronic message is fed to a transmitter located In the tub next to the driver, with the anten- na positioned in the roll hoop behind the driver's head. The Penske camp realized the need for such a device after the devastating sequence at Phoenix in 1993. Then-Penske driver Paul Tracy crashed and teammate Emerson Fittipaldi apparently drove through the debris. Gaining speed for the restart, Fittipaldi, the race leader, lost control of his car because he did not realize the deflation.

It is difficult for a driver to feel a tire losing pressure while driving in a straight line. "We decided we couldn't let that happen again," Denton said. "If you have a puncture," said Schwitzer Award committee chairman Steve Roby, "by the time a driver leans on (the tire), it's too late." The device debuted at Michigan last year and has been used exclusively by Penske's team since. Munroe said the electronics cost about $200 per wheel, which would be reduced if mass produced for several teams. However, this season, the device will remain Your One Stop Glass House Shop Car Day's Month's No.

Driver (Indy starts) Year ChassisEngine Top Speed Top Speed 3 Paul Tracy (3) '95 LolaFord DNR 231.315 4 Bryan HertaQ) '95 ReynardFord DNR 231.048 5 Robby Gordon (2) '95 ReynardFord DNR 231.839 6 Michael Andretti (10) '95 LolaFord DNR 233.882 7 Eliseo Salazar (R) '95 LolaFord DNR 227.244 8 Gil de Ferran (R) '95 ReynardMercedes DNR 229.451 9 Bobby Rahal (12) '95 LolaMercedes DNR 230.085 11 Raul Boesel (8) '95 LolaMercedes DNR 230.610 12 JimmyVasser(3) '95 ReynardFord DNR 231.630 14 Eddie Cheever (5) '95 LolaFord DNR 228.932 17 Danny Sullivan (1 1 '95 ReynardFord DNR 227.987 18 Mauricio Gugelmin (1) '95 ReynardFord DNR 231.821 20 Scott Pruett (3) '95 LolaFord DNR 229.703 21 Roberto Guerrero (10) '94 ReynardMercedes DNR 228.004 24 Scott Goodyear (5) '95 ReynardHonda DNR 232.246 25 Hiro Matsushita (3) '95 ReynardFord 221.076 229.680 27 Jacques Villeneuve (1) '95 ReynardFord DNR 230.556 31 Andre Ribeiro(R) '95 ReynardHonda DNR 230.144 33 Teo Fabi (7) '95 ReynardFord DNR 231.493 34 AlessandroZampedri(R) '94 LolaFord DNR 229.938 40 ArieLuyendyk(IO) '95 LolaMenard DNR 234.913 54 Hideshi Matsuda (1) '94 LolaFord DNR 217.161 60 Scott Brayton (13) '95 LolaMenard DNR 234.656 80 Buddy Lazier (2) '95 LolaMenard DNR 226.501 91 Stan Fox (7) '95 ReynardFord DNR 226.677 NON-QUAUFIED CARS Car Day's Month's No. Driver (Indy starts) Year ChassisEngine Top Speed Top Speed 1 Al Unser Jr. (12) '95 PenskeMercedes DNR 224.489 1T Al Unser Jr. (12) '95 PenskeMercedes DNR 227.261 2 Al Unser Jr. (12) '95 PenskeMercedes 218.510 218.510 2T Emerson Fittipaldi (11) '95 PenskeMercedes DNR 216.403 3T Paul Tracy (3) '95 LolaFord DNR 229.926 4T Jimmy Vasser(1) '95 ReynardFord 224.092 227.181 5T Robby Gordon (2) '95 ReynardFord DNR 231.339 6T Michael Andretti (10) '95 LolaFord 223.953 227.906 7T Eliseo Salazar (R) '94 LolaFord 220.572 217.181 8T Gil de Ferran (R) '94 ReynardMercedes 223.741 226.301 9T Emerson Fittipaldi (11) '95 LolaMercedes 223.775 223.775 10 Adrian Fernandez (1) '95 LolaMercedes DNR 228.566 10T Adrian Fernandez (1) '95 LolaMercedes 218.325 221.429 11T Raul Boesel (8) '95 LolaMercedes 219.416 224.528 14T Scott Sharp '95 LolaFord DNR 222.921 15 Christian Fittipaldi (R) '95 ReynardFord DNR 226.489 15T Christian Fittipaldi (R) '95 ReynardFord 221.784 227.923 16 Stefan Johansson (2) '94 PenskeMercedes DNR 225.366 16T Stefan Johansson (2) '94 PenskeMercedes DNR 226.598 in Danny Sullivan (11) '95 ReynardFord 221.560 225.457 18T Mauricio Gugelmin (1) '95 ReynardFord 220.767 224.938 19 Eric Bachelart '94 LolaFord DNR 227.261 20T Scott Pruett (3) '95 LolaFord DNR 228.979 21T Al Unser Jr.

(12) '94 ReynardMercedes DNR 225.107 22 Carlos Guerrero (R) '95 LolaFord 215.717 229.838 22T Carlos Guerrero (R) '94 LolaFord DNR 210.659 25T Hiro Matsushita (3) '94 ReynardFord DNR 222.255 27T Jacques Villeneuve (1) '95 ReynardFord DNR 227.560 31T Andre Ribeiro (R) '95 ReynardHonda DNR 231.523 33T Teo Fabi (7) '95 ReynardFord 226.935 226.998 40T Buddy Lazier (2) '95 LolaMenard DNR 218.765 41T Scott Sharp (1) '95 LolaFord 223.236 224.003 42 Michael Greenfield (0) '93 LolaGreenfield DNR 215.326 44 Jeff Ward (R) '94 LolaFord 213.295 225.253 44T Jeff Ward (R) '93 LolaFord DNR 215.260 51 Buddy Lazier (2) '93 LolaMenard DNR 221.506 55 Marco Greco (1) '95 LolaMercedes DNR 225.124 60T Scott Brayton (13) '95 Lola-Menard 223.780 233.288 64 Johnny Parsons (10) '94 ReynardFord 221.136 225.293 77 Davy Jones (3) '95 LolaFord no speed 221.828 77T Davy Jones (3) '94 LolaFord DNR 223.792 89 Emerson Fittipaldi (11) '94 PenskeMercedes DNR 220.745 90T Dean Hall (1) '92 LolaBuick DNR 211.064 92 Franck Freon (R) '92 LolaMenard 217.244 218.845 95 Davey Hamilton (0) '94 ReynardFord DNR 224.770 95T Stan Fox (7) '94 ReynardFord 217.812 218.812 96 Jim Crawford (8) '94 ReynardFord 211.815 217.045 99 Lyn St. James (3) '95 LolaFord 216.118 216.118 99T Lyn St. James (3) '94 LolaFord DNR 221.179 Lexan Sheet Lexan XL-1 Lexan MR5 Lexgard Thermoclear r' Cleaners Polishes N.Y. Screen Wire G.E. Silicones G.E.

Silpruf Bostik Urethanes PTI Glazing Tapes Patio Table Tops Dealer Boxes Acrylic Lexan Basketball jfjS Goals wRim LfmLJ Years ago, there were drivers who qualified on Race Day i ray Good Luck Pacers Racersl -CCQJjiJtjO)! There were several occasions during the 1920s on which drivers were given permission to make a qualifying attempt on the morning of the Indianapolis 500. Phil Shafer had made the lineup in 1923 in this fashion, and so had Wilbur Shaw, Donald Davidson's Indy 500 World-famous drivers. Break-neck speeds. Six-wheeled cars. average had made it.

Ralph Hepburn had been "bumped," and Phil would start last In the largest "500" field ever 42 cars. But wait. Chief Steward Eddie Edenburn had been completely unaware of any of this, and was totally aghast when he learned of the details upon his arrival a little later. Shafer had obtained his permission from a lesser official after Edenburn had left for his hotel the previous evening. When told, "But, we've done it before," Edenburn replied, "Yes, when we had short fields and we were trying to bolster the lineup.

We never 'bumped' anybody." So poor Phil Shafer's effort had been for nothing. Hepburn was reinstated to the field, and Shafer watched from the sidelines as his second car, driven by H.W. "Stubby" Stubblefield, finished fifth. It was sponsored, Incidentally, by the local Abels Fink automobile agency. Nobody ever tried to qualify on race morning again.

early on in his career, in 1928. But it hadn't been attempted in five years when Shafer asked for another race morning concession In 1933. Local residents were rudely awakened from their slumber as Shafer fired up his noisy Bulck-powered car at around 6 a.m. Since qualifying had been increased that year from four laps to 10, it took the colorful Texan almost 14 minutes to get through just the timed portion. Having returned to the pits, Shafer was told his 107.974-mph Yours for just $5.

i plus tax Get all the stats, facts and MILLER Continued from Page 1 figures on every race with The 1995 500-Mile Race Record Book. It's always Thursday's top 10 practice speeds 1. 33T, Teo Fabi, 226.935 mph; 2. 22, Carlos Guerrero, 225.717; 3. 4T, Jimmy Vasser, 224.092; 4.

6T, Michael Andretti, 223.953; 5. 60T, Scott Brayton, 223.780; 6. 9T, Emerson Fittipaldi, 223.775; 7. 8T, Gil de Ferran, 223.741; 8. 41T, Scott Sharp, 223.236; 9.

15T, Christian Fittipaldi, 221.741; 10. 17T, Danny Sullivan, 221.560. WFW Tint interesting. Always exciting. And sometimes, even bizarre.

NHRA leaders lose engines to vandals during break-in INDIANAPOLIS ON SALE NOW our Public Service Counter or use the coupon below to order by mail for $7. Not just something you read. Something you use. r-r" 11: Please send me copy(ies) of the 500-Mile Race Record Book at $7 each (postage, handling and tax included) Total "Leave Me Alone Media Scum" Ongais, Al "Uh, I Don't Know" Unser or Lloyd "Could You Speak Up?" Ruby. The spectrum ran from Dick Simon, who could always fill a notebook, to the late Mike Mosley, who never had an answer longer than three words.

Nowadays, drivers are more PR conscious than ever and very obliging, but not as many off-the-wall characters are out there. Politically correct has replaced four-letter responses and devil-may-care attitudes. Here's a quick 'capsulization of today's best and worst. Victory lane: Eddie Cheever (always articulate, funny and honest), Robby Gordon (usually says what he thinks, not what sounds good), Guerrero (after running for Kenny Bernstein, nothing scares him), Bobby Rahal (getting a little more candid as he gets older but always a thoughtful interview), Jim Crawford (marvelous sense of humor and brutally honest when you get to know him). Up to speed: Scott Pruett (offers a great perspective since he's been on both sides of the tracks and always accommodating), Paul Tracy (not terribly introspective unless it's after a crash and then he's super), Emerson Fittipaldi (between the 'For he can be pretty darn entertaining), Gil de Ferran (humble yet quite quotable for a rookie), Michael Andretti (never be a talker like his dad but he's starting to loosen up).

Yellow light: Al Unser Jr. (used to be a good interview before Penske PR chip was implanted), Jacques Villeneuve (walks around with his helmet on too much, hard to find), Hideshi Matsuda (tough to Interview a driver who can't say, "It was pushin' real bad in Turn breaks during practice in '89 and he slams into the wall at 220 mph but Is back in the garage 30 minutes later explaining what happened. "I'm like a James Bond martini, shaken but not stirred," Crawford deadpans to reporters. Mario Andretti is dominating Indy late in 1987 when his car and heart break simultaneously, yet he steps out of the cockpit and shares his emotions with an inquiring reporter and national TV audience. Emerson Fittipaldi and Al Un-ser Jr.

tangle in Turn 3 going for the victory in 1989 and both face the press with extreme class. Polesltter Roberto Guerrero crashes on the parade lap of Indy's coldest race in 1992 but doesn't make excuses or hide. He faces the toughest music of his career. Gordon Johncock and Rick Mears stage one of Indy's classic duels to the checkered flag in 1982 and, afterward, Johncock admits he was prepared to land on 16th Street before surrendering the lead, while Mears praised Gordy's fighting spirit. These are Just a few examples through the years and the fact remains that May in and May out, Indy drivers make the time and effort to elaborate and cooperate with the Fourth Estate.

Most of the truly engaging personalities have retired. Bobby Un-ser and Tom Sneva were superb at stirring the pot and being quo-teable, while Mario was racing's eloquent spokesman and A.J. Foyt always made great copy when he was on his soap box or mad about the "tub of he was driving. A reporter's worst fear was being assigned a sidebar on Danny I I Name Address I I I I City State ZIP I Daytime phone -I of Carmel continues to lead the series with five wins. Caruthers grabbed the points lead with his first win last Friday after two runner-up finishes.

He holds a narrow lead over Mel Kenyon of Leba-non and Tony Stewart of RushviUe. Hoosiers at IRP USAC open wheel standout Kenny Irwin Jr. leads a list of seven other Indiana drivers trying to qualify for Saturday night's Speedway ASA 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Irwin, already a two-time winner this year on the USAC sprint car circuit, will make his stock car debut in the 200-lap race, part of the A.C. Delco ASA Challenge Series.

As of Thursday, there were 48 pre-entered cars including ASA stars Butch Miller, Mike Eddy, Bob Senneker, Gary St. Amant and Scott Hansen. Other Indiana drivers Include Greenwood businessman Ray Skillman, Carl James (Ft. Wayne), John Freeman (Monticello), Larry Conroy (Grovertown), Todd Oliver (Ft. Wayne), Russ Gamester (Peru) and Brett Bell (Pittsboro).

Saturday night's race marks the return of the ASA series to IRP after a six-year absence. Star Special Reports Six engines used In the pro stock cars driven on the NHRA circuit by Darrell Alderman and Scott Geoffrlon were destroyed during a break-in at the team's racing shop, police in Fairfield, 111., said. The engines, valued at $500,000, were destroyed by a sledgehammer-type object, according to Investigators. Loss of the engines will keep Alderman and Geoffrion, who run 1-2 in the pro stock point standings, out of this weekend's race at Englishtown, N.J. They probably also will miss the Richmond, event June 1-4.

The break-in occurred between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to Fairfield police and the Illinois State Police. No arrests have been made. At the Speedrome The racing Daughtery family of Carmel goes for a third Hoosier Legends win tonight while Roy Caruthers tries to extend his newfound points lead in the USAC Midget Series at the Speedrome.

Brothers Dave and Steve Daughtery have each won Legends Cars features but Larry Fritz I I My check is enclosed Please charge my credit card Visa MasterCard Card number Exp. date Signature Return this coupon with your payment to: 1995 500-Mile Race Record Book Public Service Counter The Indianapolis News P.O. Box 145 Indianapolis IN 46206-0145 4.