The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 31

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WWW.INDYSTAR.COM ma. MONDAY, MAY 3002 65 MONTH OF MAY RACE DAY REPORT Fromt row sill Li- r. 1 fatter I I (ft 5 daring race Junqueira, Buhl and Boesel continue recent trend of leaders at start of race not being there at the end. iiiinin -mm" 'm I mm i trMTiraiMirf imr- Ammm i Mitt Krygw staff photo Not his day: Crew members for Bruno Junqueira (33) try to restart his car after it stalls during his first pit stop as other drivers pass him as they head back out to the track. Junqueira, who started on the pole, was leading the race before his problem in the pits.

He eventually blew an engine and finished 31st. 1 )tzmi ft 0 By Phillip B. Wilson phillip.wllsonlndystar.com Front row meant an early advantage Sunday but nothing more in what has become a recurring Indianapolis 500 theme. For the fourth time in five races, a front-row car didn't finish 200 laps first on Sunday. Once upon a time, from 1988 to 1991, front-row qualifiers won every 500.

But the frontirow skid marks extend even farther. The average front-row finish in the five-year span since 1988 is 18th. Just three of the 15 cars have placed in the top five while 11 have been 16th or worse. "This field is that much more competitive throughout," said Robbie Buhl, the second-fastest qualifier who was hampered by handling problems and finished 16th. "It doesn't drop off." The fastest 33-car field in history, separated top to bottom in qualifying average by 4.753 mph, produced a repeat winner in Helio Castroneves, who came from the inside of row five.

Last year, he won from the 11th spot. This year's pole sitter, Bruno Junqueira, lasted 87 laps before the Chevrolet engine let go on his No. 33 Chip Ganassi Racing Force. He finished 31st. No.

3 qualifier Raul Boesel struggled to find speed all day, especially in traffic, in the No. 2 John Menard Dal-laraChevrolet and slipped back to 21st. "It's a great place to start and it jazzes you up," Buhl said of the front row, "but really, what's it translate to on race day? If you start in the top three rows or four rows and you've got a good race car and you get some luck with the way the yellows fall, you've got as good a shot as anybody. "Yeah, at the start of the race it puts you up front, but that doesn't mean anything. Where are you when it ends?" The only front-row qualifier in the past five 500s who has tasted the traditional drink of cold milk was Juan Montoya in 2000.

He won from the second spot "It's about the best car right now," said Johnny O'Gara, Buhl's team manager. "If you want to finish in the top five here, you've got to have a great car." Buhl pronounced his car OK, but far from great. Or as O'Gara quipped, "We just had the potatoes. We needed some meat to go with it." The No. 24 Dreyer Reinbold Racing ForceInfiniti was pushing from the outset, when Buhl was sandwiched between the front-row Brazilians at the initial green flag.

Instead of running side-by-side, the three cars were in single file, which led to speculation it would require a restart. The green flag continued to wave, so Junqueira kept setting the pace despite reporting a problem from the first lap, presumably with his gearbox. His lead lasted 32 laps until his first pit stop. By lap 40, each of the front-row cars had fallen back. Boesel was seventh, Buhl 12th and Junqueira 21st.

By lap 80, Buhl was 14th, Junqueira 15th and Boesel 22nd. Boesel was a front-row surprise considering he hadn't been in an Indy car since last May. He was named to replace PJ Jones during the opening week of practice. But this race resembled Boesel's previous five Indy starts, when his best finish was 12th. "When the pack behind me caught up during our first run, they could just go right by, and I had a hard time getting back to them," Boesel said.

"The car was not very good in traffic." Call Phillip B. Wilson at 1-317-444-6642. PL-jL-VVv- jLQ ftiry Hook photo Getting ready: Robbie Buhl prepares Mutt iiryjr staff photo for the start. Buhl battled handling Worn out: Team Menard crew member John Dininger places a used tire from Raul Boesel's car over the wall after a problems and he ended up 16th, pit stop, eoesei struggled to Tina speed tnrougnout tne race, tading trom his third starting position to finish 2ist. Crashes at the track Five cars made heavy contact with the wall.

Greg Ray Turn 3 finished last for the second time in three years. Buddy Lazier and Laurent Redon hit each comcast other on the penultimate lap, setting up Mm. the controversy involving Helio Castroneves and Paul Tracy. Turn 4 0 Lap 30, turn one: Greg Ray does a half spin Into the end of the soft wall in turn one. Lap 90, turn three: Tony Kanaan does a :r.7 quarter spin exiting turn three and rear of car slides into outside wall.

High Speed Internet Service. Csii Today! 0 Lap 173, turn four: Tomas Scheckter hits soft wall 'vvf, turn four. Heavy damage to right side of car. Car slides down front straightaway. Lap turn two: Buddy Lazier and Laurent Redon crash in corner of turn two.

Turn 1 Greg Nichols staff graphic Kanaan learns slippery lesson is if Per Month for 3 Months! 30 Day Money Back Guaranlee' losing duck," said Boesel, who was making his 13th 500 appearance. "The other cars were like a vacuum cleaner, When they got (behind me), they really got a run for me. I couldn't make a run on anybody." Junqueira fared better than the two previous pole sitters. Greg Ray in 2000 and Scott Sharp last year each were the first drivers to exit the race. Junqueira led the first 32 laps on Sunday.

But even then, problems were beginning to surface. His pit crew told him to go to a higher gear because of the gearbox problems. He then fell to 19th after a slow pit stop on the 33rd lap. And finally, there was the smoke that ended his day for gtiod. "The balance was good," Junqueira said.

"We had no transmission problems, and the car seemed OK. I think I lost my gearbox, and that's what caused the car to fail." Junqueira, who resides in Indianapolis, finished fifth in his first ap 'SL 50 times faster than a 28.8k dial up connection Always on. No waiting to logon. No busy signals Does not tie up your phone line 7 email accounts with up to 10 MB of Web space each. Free technical help, 247 Plus everything you need to improve your Internet experience.

IT 9 He slides in oil while leading, finishes 28th; Boesel disappointed with mediocre 21st place. By Michael Pointer mlchael.polnterindystar.com Tony Kanaan heard the stories about how you need a little luck to win the Indianapolis 500. He learned Sunday just how much good fortune is needed in his first appearance in the race. The 27-year-old Kanaan was in the lead on the 90th lap when his car struck an oil patch caused by a mechanical problem involving pole sitter Bruno Junqueira. Kanaan spun and hit the wall exiting turn three, ending his day at the Speedway.

"I was the first one to hit (the oil). Must be a rookie mistake," joked Kanaan, a five-year Championship Auto Racing Teams veteran. Actually, It was more a case of ing at the wrong place at the wrong time. Junqueira, who had reported problems with his gearbox earlier in the race, watched helplessly as smoke started to billow from bis car. Kanaan, who was nearly two full laps ahead of Junqueira at that point, had the misfortune of being the first car to come upon the leakage.

Kanaan said he saw the oil, but the back end of his car got caught in it, spinning him into the wall. "That's the price you pay when you lead the race," he said. "You're the first one to hit the oil." Morris Nunn, owner of the Mo Nunn racing team for whom Kanaan drives, guessed Junqueira's car had blown a piston because it emitted so much smoke. "They had not thrown a yellow (flag) either," Nunn said. "That made Hatt Krygar staff photo Sending good vibes: Karen Kanaan, sister of race driver Tony Kanaan, prays for him while stationed in his pit area.

Kanaan, who started in the second row and led for 23 laps, was uninjured after slipping in oil from Bruno Junqueira's car and hitting the wall. He finished 28th. CcJ Vuday! pearance in the 500 last year and had high hopes this year, not just because he won the pole. He also won the CART race in Japan last month. "I was able to put some distance between me and the second-place car (early in the race)," he said.

"I really feel that if we did not have that problem, we could have won that race." Call Michael Pointer at 1-317-444-6641. it tough for Tony." Several drivers reported problems after Kanaan hit the wall. Raul Boesel said debris tore a hole in the side of his car. Boesel said that likely contributed to his lackluster performance. He finished 21st after starting on the outside of row one.

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