The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 4

S-4 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR MONDAY, MAY 25, 1992 Steady Rahal satisfied to walk away with fifth-place finish 1 hey rolled (the car) back to the garage, which is more than a lot of people can say." Bobby Rahal ished 11th, seventh, first, fifth, second and fifth in even-numbered years. He hasn't placed better than 19th In odd-numbered years. He retained his lead In the PPGIndyCar point standings heading to the next race June 7. Rahal has 61 points, winner Al Unser Jr. 56 and Emerson Fitti-paldi 48.

"We've held our points lead, which Is about the only good thing you can say," Rahal said. "Well. I shouldn't say that. We have a car in one piece and I'm in one piece. "After today's race, you can an excruciating headache he developed late In the race, Rahal felt comfortable running with everyone but the dominant Michael Andretti.

"We could run with (Eddie) Cheever and we could run with the Buicks," he said. "It seemed to ebb and flow. My car wasn't the best on full tanks but it got real good when we'd lose a little fuel. "But when there are that many yellows It's hard to get a feel for the race." Rahal did manage to extend his even-year success story at the Speedway. Since his debut In 1982, the 39-year-old has fin "Having that flat, under normal conditions I probably would have been able to get back that lap pretty easily," Rahal said.

"When they close the pits (under the yellow flag until the pace car catches the leader), now that forces your hand. "It really takes your ability to work off those yellows to get back on the lead lap." Rahal continued. "It removes a lot of the chances of doing that." Rahal, who ran as high as third place earlier in the race, was only able to unlap himself briefly while the leaders pitted. Other than the tire setback and property, a 1992 LolaChevy-A, was one of but 12 machines running at race's end. That's one less than the number of cars damaged in accidents Sunday.

"They rolled (the car) back to the garage, which is more than a lot of people can say," Rahal said. I'm happy I'm walking normally and all that. I'm just disappointed we ran so good and then to have that happen." The tire sliced on Lap 115 and Rahal pitted under green. The wound of the cut deepened when a yellow came out a lap later for the Jeff Andrettl-Gary Bettenhausen crash. By MARK ROBINSON STAR STAFF WRITER All things considered, driver and now car owner Bobby Rahal will take his fifth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 and run with it.

Run, as in out of the line of fire. A flat tire midway through Sunday's accident-marred race forced Rahal to pit under green-flag conditions in his Miller Genuine Draft Special. The 1986 "500" champion lost a lap and was never able to recover and challenge the front-runners. But Rahal was happy that his Pena t- rusirates i' Cheever, Luyendyk only half good 4 A lx Vrx tv. Is, fV 'r i f.

By DAVID BENNER STAR STAFF WRITER For 300 miles, there wasn't a better team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday. After 500 miles, there wasn't a more disappointed team at the conclusion of the Indianapolis 500. Cheever and Arie Luyendyk, teammates for Target-Scotch VideoChip Ganassi Racing, were a dangerous duo well past the halfway mark of the race as they resided in the top five. But then a good day went bad. First, Cheever was penalized a lap for passing under the yellow sometime around lap 115 (it will be announced officially today).

Then Luyendyk hit the Turn 4 wall on lap 135. It was a done deal, although Cheever would eventually finish sixth in his '92 LolaFord. Well, sort of a done deal. Ganassi Racing was expected to file a protest Sunday night over Cheever's penalty which, if rescinded, could move him as high as third. "That's said Cheever, who supposedly was ratted on by eventual winner Al Unser Jr.

"I don't recall passing anybody under the yellow. We'll protest it, they'll probably show us some films and that will probably settle It. When they told me about It right away on the radio, I couldn't believe it." And Ganassi wouldn't comment. "I don't want to talk right now," the team owner said after the race. Whatever the outcome, it's doubtful it will settle Cheever.

He started from the middle of the front row and led nine laps, but considered the entire day a waste. "It was terrible," he said. "Halfway through the race, it was a nightmare. I couldn't even get 215s at one point. The start of the race, my car was a jewel.

We were so strong. I was Just thrilled. "Somewhere after about the 80-lap mark, my car started picking up an enormous amount of push. I thought I broke something, then I don't know what happened. I had one really bad spell where I was a little down on power.

I'm severely ft assure them he's alright after his 1 probably say that anybody who managed to do that won the race." i- is STAR PHOTO MIKE LAUGHLIN seventh make the car go sideways or spin out." Boesel, who finished seventh in 1988, third In 1989 and 28th in 1990, did not compete on the Indy car circuit last season. He is elated to be back this year. "I'm very happy to be with Dick Simon," said the driver who labored on the IMSA circuit In 1991. "I hope our association is not Just for this season but for a long time. I have no problems whatsoever about working with the organization when Hiro comes back.

It's a fine racing team." 1 eras Luyendyk was also down after he emerged from his garage, the 1990 "500" winner a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time on the 135th lap. "When I came up to lap Dominic Dobson when I was between 3 and 4, he came down low, pinched me low because he didn't see me," said Luyendyk. "At the entrance of pit lane and 4, there's an elevation change in the road and you bottom out when you come into the pits. So he pinched me all the way down there and the front end bottomed out really hard. "It felt like something broke because I had no steering left.

Now the wheels were lifted off the ground and I basically had no steering. By the time I got the steering back and things settled, I was up in the gray area where it's dirty and fighting the wheel all I could to bring it away from the wall. I felt like I was going to get It, realized I wasn't and pulled up my feet." He smacked the Turn 4 wall hard, destroying the right side of his car. But except for a bruised foot, Luyendyk escaped without major injuries and if not for the accident, he believed he could have challenged Michael Andretti who dominated the race before dropping out on lap 189. "My car was handling real well after we made an adjustment and we picked up a lap on Michael." he said.

"The only problem I had was my car, the front end was touching the ground a little too hard in the front. The balance was really good, but I couldn't go flat-out because the car would bottom out and, what happens, the front wheels get lifted off the ground and you lose grip In the front. "I didn't think I could get (Michael) at that particular stage of the race. What I was waiting for was one more pit stop to make an adjustment and I think I could have cured the problem with bottoming out, which caused some understeer. which caused some push.

I think I could have given him a run for his money. I was doing 222s. 223s and that wasn't too bad. "The car was good, I was really happy with it and the team." event and drove a steady race over the final 250 miles to earn his third Top Ten finish in the past four races. "It ran like a clock all day long," Boesel said of his blue and yellow Chevrolet-powered Lola entered by PanasonicSEGA.

"I was very comfortable near the finish, running 222 and 223 miles an hour. 1 got used to the car more and more as the race went along. I'm happy considering the circumstances about how I got in the car." Opportunity knocked for Boesel the first day of qualifying the Personals Plus duo i I crash on the 135th lap of Sunday's race. Brazilian Boesel takes of his chance, finishes hardest part of the race was to maintain my concentration." Boesel, like many of the other drivers cited tire problems created by the cold weather as the reason for many of the mishaps when the race went green. "The tires were not up to temperature, people were not very careful and I think the conditions caught a them off guard," he said.

"I tried to warm the tires as much as I could on the yellow laps. I was going left to right. I tried to smooth on the restarts. I didn't want to spin the tires and Arie Luyendyk waves the crowd to advantage when Hiro Matsushita suffered a fractured leg when he crashed In his backup machine. Owner Dick Simon put Boesel In the other Panasonic car the next morning and later in the day, the machine was in the show.

The Brazilian will drive the No. 11 car until Matsushita returns, then a decision will be made which machine in the Simon stable he pilot. Mobil Oil do Brazil will be Boesel's major sponsor. Boesel's ride Sunday was not totally enjoyable. SUNROOFS Limited Lifetime Warranty Against Leakage Starting at only It? Also Rustprooflng Running Ofl Sale: Paint Sealant By JOHN BANSCH STAR STAFF WRITER Raul Boesel arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway In early May without a Job.

He departs with full-time work. The 34-year-old from Curiti-ba, Brazil went from the unemployment line to an everyday Job by finishing seventh Sunday In the "500" In the car originally assigned to Hiro Matsushita. Boesel, who started 25th, climbed into the 10th halfway through the accident-marred HNDIM, Say it sweeter in 4- "It was a hectic race, as hectic as I've ever seen," he said of the grind which produced 13 accidents. "I was lucky to escape all those wrecks, I had two or three of them happen right In front of me. One involved the Penske drivers (Rick Mears and Emerson Fittipaldi on the leader's 75th lap), the other Jeff Andretti (on lap 115)." The carnage made It difficult to stay In the race mentally, according to Boesel.

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