The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 1

toi 0 I 0 "mrr--n Vrtih i-r-Thi'i i wAClliKOTntyyiTr 3RD PLACE FINISH 11THPLACE FINISH LYN'S MAIDEN VOYAGE St. James only rookie to finish. Page S2. THE CRASHES COLD TEMPERATURES CULPRIT? Most accident-prone race in 25 years. Pages S6, S7 BIG AL IS PROUD OF LITTLE AL'S WIN 'Probably the greatest moment of my life.

Page S3 Star NDIANAPO SINGLE COPY 35C tie AJ. Holds off Goodyear in crash-marred race ill" is, there is Liberty" cor. 3:17 I 4 STAH STAFF PH0IO KtLLY WilmnSuN gamut 1 By ROBIN MILLER STAR ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR A ragged, rugged race that seemed to have no traction wound up with a gripping finish Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Al Unser Jr. dodged debris from 11 accidents, took advantage of Michael.

Andrettl's lousy luck and held off surging Scott Goodyear to win the closest Indianapolis 500 in history. Unser, whose last great chance at victory wound up against the third-turn wall after tangling with Emerson Flttlpaldi for the lead In 1989, saved his best for last to clip Goodyear by six feet (.043 of a second) eclipsing Gordon Johncock's .16 of a second decision over Rick Mears in 1982. It was the fifth consecutive victory for the old-style Chevro-let-A engine as the formidable Fords and ballistic Buicks were gunned down by a variety of problems. Unser started 12th In Allan Mertens' new design, was a lap behind at the halfway mark and didn't take the lead until An-drettl broke down with 11 laps left. Then the smooth 30-year-old second generation star used all of Rick Galles' Valvollne '92 GalmerChevy-A to nip Goodyear and become the first son to Join his father in Victory Lane.

"You Just don't know what this means," exclaimed Unser after an emotional embrace with his dad, four-time winner Al Unser, who finished third. "This Is my life and It's everything I thought it would be (winning). "I almost took It a little too easy coming off (Turn) 4 and Scott got a run on me. If the race would have been 100 yards longer he would have probably won It." Goodyear, starting 33rd In a car originally qualified by Mike Groff, bolted into contention early on in the Mackenzie '92 Lola-Chevy-A and nearly pulled off the greatest upset In the 76 years of competition. "I'm still disappointed we didn't win but I'm sure when It all sinks In tomorrow I'll feel much better," said Goodyear, whose third appearance here was easily the finest of his career.

It took nearly four hours to complete one of the most danger- Robin Miller Bad luck of Andrettis continues THE 76TH Indiana-polls 500 already had inflicted severe damage to the An-drettl clan. Mario and Jeff were Injured and In Methodist Hospital as Michael tried to salvage a savage Sunday afternoon. His KmartTexaco '92 Lo-laFord-Cosworth was untouchable and only 11 laps from apparent victory when that old black Andretti magic reared Its ugly head and turned off the power. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. But there was Michael, walking away from another bitter chapter In Andretti lore at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He stood beside a safety truck, then decided to get back In his broken racer and be towed in rather than face the horde of people asking what happened. Or how he felt. Talking to Andretti wasn't possible, nor was It necessary. In the space of four hours, the defending Indy- See MILLER Page 12 ous, bizarre and eventually exciting Indy 500s as the man who started first never made the green flag and the man who almost didn't start nearly claimed the checkered flag. See UNSER Page 11 -f l' Mr.

the Winner's Circle after capturing endures "Where the Spirit of the Lord his first Indianapolis 500 victory. emotional within one straightaway, and one car, Unser's, of being first to the checkered flag. "I thought coming off of (Turn) 4 this might happen," Goodyear said. "I was in the slipstream the (engine) revs came up. "I was close enough to him and starting to get a good tow.

He knew it, and he started to weave. I had to wait for him to take a set and by that time, I was ready to slip underneath him." The finish line approached. The opening finally appeared. Goodyear dove to to the inside, alongfhe pit wall. i i i'vl i i i i in.

in in i Mil 11 Al Unser Jr. is joined by his family in Goodyear 2nd-place racer was oh so close THE HELMET came off. Then the head sock followed, revealing the contrast of tears streaming down his cheeks and the smile on his face. Sunday afternoon, Scott Goodyear's emotions were caught somewhere betwixt and between. After all, when you don't know whether to laugh or cry, Bill Benner what wrong's with a little of both? Excited? How could he not have been? At that moment, the hearts of about 400,000 spectators were over-revving, and Goodyear was 50 percent of the reason.

Elated? That too, because, as he would say, "This was the race of my life." But disappointed? "Without a doubt," replied Goodyear, knowing how close he had come to the most stunning victory In the history of the Indianapolis 500. How close was thisclose. By maybe 6 fi t- By time, an .5 i ir in i i ri ii I Al Jr. evens the score for win that got away lis? i 1 STAR PHOTO GREG RAINBOLT Scott Goodyear is caught up in a mixture of emotions after losing the Indianapolis 500 by .043 second. By RICK SHAFFER STAR STAFF WRITER Al Unser Jr.

evened a score with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Maybe the place even owed him one. But now the 30-year-old resident of Albuquerque, N.M., can replace the win that got away with one he got to keep. Unser lost the 1989 Indianapolis 500 when Emerson Fltti-paldl's car tapped his car with IV2 laps to go and put him Into the Turn 3 wall. He put that all behind him Sunday as he held off Scott Goodyear to win his first "500," the closest ever.

"Sure, I thought about it," Unser said In comparing his win to the 1989 loss. "But my deal In '89 ended when I talked to Emerson at the victory banquet and we got everything straight. That race was over. "So nothing can give me back '89, nor can anything take '89 away from me." Sunday, the hard-charging Goodyear nearly took '92 away as well. i "I was faced with that again (Sunday)," Unser continued.

"As Scott (Goodyear) will tell you, winning was everything as we went down the main straightaway together." What helped set up the dramatic finish was when Unser passed Goodyear for second place on Lap 188. "We were very equal." said Unser, who started 12th but ran In the top 10 from Lap 40 on. "Scott and I caught up to some lapped traffic, and one car slowed htm enough In Turn 4 to let me catch up. "Then we caught another car In Turn 2, and that wrecked his momentum, and that's where I caught him." Afterward, Unser was looking at an obvious runner-up finish as no one appeared capable of catching front-running Michael Andretti. That Is, until Andrettl's car was stricken on Lap 189 and Unser assumed the lead.

"I felt bad for Michael, but not for long because Scott Goodyear was right up my exhaust," Unser said. "Up to that point, we were racing 'or second." See AL JR. Page 11 official 43 thousandths of a second. 1 can't tell you how to measure that. Think of a blink of an eye.

A heartbeat. An Instant. But when It comes to second place, it might as well be an eternity, because it's the other guy's face In this case, that of Al Unser Jr. that goes on the trophy. In Sunday's 76th 500-Mlle Race, the 32-year-old Canadian had started as far back as back gets: 33rd.

But at the end of this demolition derby-turned-trophy dash, he had bobbed and weaved through the carnage to stand "I just didn't have enough to get past him," Goodyear said. "1 knew It was going to be very, very close. I Just wish the start-finish line had been another hundred yards down the straight." So close. So far. But It couldn't diminish one of the most remarkable drives In Brickyard history for this unsung native of Toronto, who was making his third "500" start but, with finishes of 10th and 27th.

had yet to establish a significant identity. Even this month. Goodyear had taken an odd route Into the i Sea BENNER Page 9.