The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 35

Sports jno SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2005 C7 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WWW.INDYSTAR.COM AUTO RAGING ROUNDUP Busch repeats his win in Lowe's spring race Offseason rules According to the NFL's labor agreement, teams can schedule offseason workout programs for a maximum of 16 weeks between the end of the previous season and the opening of training camp. Workouts are voluntary, limited to no more than four per week and not permitted on weekends. During the workout programs, teams can schedule no more than 14 days of organized team activities (OTAs), during which full-scale practices, minus pads and contact, are allowed. All other on-field workouts are position-specific -for instance, receivers cannot work against defensive backs. Players are paid $100 per day.

Teams are allowed to schedule one mandatory, three-day mini-camp for veterans. If a team hires a new head coach after the end of the regular season, it can hold two additional voluntary minicamps for veterans. There is no limit on the number of minicamps a club can hold for rookies. 1 HSi2 John CMtton For The Star Battling to got ahoad: Billy Wease (left car) and Ron Gregory get close together as they fight for track position during Saturday's race. Gregory lost a close finish to Michael Lewis.

NIGHT BEFORE THE 500 Noblesville racers provide fans with fantastic finish Heidfeld takes pole German Nick Heidfeld delighted a home crowd in Nuerburgring, Germany, by winning the pole position for today's European Grand Prix, the first pole position of his career and first under Formula One's revamped qualifying format. Seven-time F-l champion Michael Schumacher, who has won three of the past four European GPs, was in 10th place after the qualifying for today's race. Heidfeld was timed in 1 minute, 30.081 seconds on the 3.199-mile circuit in his Williams-BMW. Kimi Raikkonen, winner of the past two races, was second quickest in L30197 in a McLaren-Mercedes. Third fastest was Heidfeld's Williams-BMW teammate, Mark Webber, in 1:30368.

The starting grid for the race was decided by a single-lap ses-sioa The race-day morning second qualifying session was voted out this week after six races. Kalitta leads qualifying Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying in the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, the fourth time he has been the No. 1 qualifier this season. Kalitta made the fast run Friday, finishing in 4.505 seconds at 329.26 mph. Rookie Robert Hight led Funny Car (4.729, 324.75) and Greg Anderson was No.

1 in Pro Stock (6.716, 204.57.) and that was the key." Lewis and his crew made the decision to change tires during a red flag on lap 20. The decision moved Lewis to the back of the field but eventually led to a spot in victory lane. Lewis pulled even with Gregory and Jerry Coons Jr. with five laps to go, then passed Coons and nearly passed Gregory on the fourth turn of lap 46. That set up a three-lap duel to the finish.

"Tires mean everything on a track like this," Gregory said. "Our tires started to fade a little bit there at the end and that was the key." Gregory had led since lap 32 when he passed Coons in rum four. Coons led from the start, with Gregory on his heels at every turn. After Gregory took the lead, he pulled away from Coons and Critical tire change helps Lewis beat Gregory in memorable 3-lap sprint at end. By Tom Hayes Star correspondent CLERMONT, Ind.

Two midget car racers from Noblesville, put on a three-lap drag race Saturday at the 60th annual Night Before the 500. It will be talked about for years. Michael Lewis and Ron Gregory battled wheel to wheel over the final three laps at Indianapolis Raceway Park, with Lewis taking the lead and then the win on the final lap of the 50-lap main event. "I thought we had waited too long to make our move," a jubilant Lewis said after the win. "We made some adjustments earlier NASCAR NEXTEL CUP Ml Ml I Gordon tries to climb 1 Associated Press A record number of cautions fell Kyle Busch's way and he did the rest, holding off a trio of fellow Nextel Cup regulars Saturday night to win the Busch Series Carquest 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

With the victory, Busch joined three others who have won consecutive spring races at the track, a week after he became the youngest winner on the truck series. He will start sixth in the Coca-Cola 600 tonight. "That's the main thing. That's the biggest race. That's the most prestigious race," Busch said.

"It's going to be a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication, but I'm up to the task." Sterling Marlin, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle followed Busch to the finish line, with rookie Reed Sorenson rounding out the top five. Four of the 11 cautions slowed the pace in the final 30 laps not including one for a three-car wreck after the leaders took the checkered flag but Busch pulled away on each restart to beat Marlin by about a half-second. "I was just kind of trying to save my stuff a little there at the end," Busch said. "I knew there was going to be some more cautions." He matched the achievements of the late Tim Richmond, Mark Martin and Jeff Green in successfully defending his win from 2004. Here's a rare opportunity to purchase paradise in SW Indiana.

144 acres ot: woods, rolling land, flat land, wildlife, fields, 2 wonderfully stocked ponds. This private retreat Includes a huge home with at least 6,000 sq ft, a 4c gar, and barn. This home has rustic elegance wunbe-lievable character 200 ft in the rear of the home overlooks pondswoods. Hunt, fish, ride the range whorses or 4-wheelers or just relax -you can do it all here! 1 4 At "A iffnTttf v-f NFL Some of the activities remain voluntary. From CI need for offseason employment is laughable.

Structured workouts have become the norm, so much so that they're governed by the NFL's labor agreement. Teams are allowed a maximum of 16 weeks of organized offseason training. These days, when players aren't on the field, they're huddling with their position coaches in the classroom. Or they're in the weight room. Tight end Dallas Clark said a typical week during the Colts' offseason conditioning program has players running and lifting on alternate days.

"You get here around 8 a.m. and are finished around noon. It helps our success as a team," he said. "It's not even summer and we're here as a team." That's in stark contrast to how offseasons used to be handled. Colts president Bill Polian, who entered the league in 1978 as a scout with the Kansas City Chiefs, said back then "there was no offseason program to speak of.

The season ends, and (players) scattered to their offseason homes and offseason jobs and offseason pursuits. They're gone until training camp." Colts offensive assistant coach Pete Metzelaars was a third-round draft pick by Seattle in 1982. His 16-year career with four teams spanned the eras when players basically were on their own during the offseason to when they benefited from team-monitored workouts. "As far as the lifting and the running," Metzelaars said, "it's very similar. The biggest change has been the OTAs." That's an acronym for "organized team activities." Polian described OTAs as "collegiate spring training without pads." Some players have workout bonuses included in their contracts.

Last year, the seven-year, $98 million contract Colts quarterback Peyton Manning signed included a $2,700 workout bonus for 2004. Defensive tackle Montae Reagor earns a $50,000 workout bonus through 2008. Offensive tackle Tarik Glenn gets $500,000 each offseason through '07 if he meets the required participation. Aside from a mandatory three-day minicamp, the offseason workouts are voluntary. That point was driven home during the summer of 2001 by Colts running back Edgerrin James.

Criticized for choosing to work out at the University of Miami rather than in Indianapolis with his teammates, he uttered the memorable, "I only went to college for 22 years, but I think I know the meaning of the word voluntary." James has stayed true to form, again opting to remain in South Florida instead of participating in the Colts' offseason program. He even chose to skip the three-day minicamp, subjecting himself to a fine. The absence of their career rushing leader aside, the rest of the Colts are making the most of their time together. Once again, participation is high. Once again, progress is being made.

This is the time, Manning said, "when your team is defined." Polian added the OTAs are critical at a time when the NFL's liberalized free agency routinely reshapes a team's roster. "That's the difference pre-'93 and post-'93," he said of the year free agency was instituted. "Free agency requires you to blend your team, to bring new people into your team and get them up to speed. You need this time." Call Star reporter Mike Chappell at (317) 444-6830. appeared to have the field covered until Lewis started his late charge.

"It's always a gamble when you decide to make changes during the race Lewis said. "Our crew made a gutsy decision and it paid off at the end." Lewis was the 1998 National Midget Car Rookie of the Year and had six national midget car wins prior to Saturday night. Gregory was the 2002 top rookie and has one career midget win on his resume. "That was about as good as racing gets on this track," Gregory said. "We had a good car, but tires won out tonight." In earlier features, Joe Hill won the 40-lap super trucks race over Tom Miller.

Steve Blair won the 20-lap stock cars feature. The USA modifieds 50-lap feature was won by Harold Scott. spot in 600 Today's race What: Coca-Cola 600, Lowe's Motor Speedway When: 4:30 p.m. TV: WXIN-59 Radio: WNDE-1260 AM, FM WORTHINGTON 9780 EGENOLF $700,000 Nick laham Getty Images Shop talk: Jeff Gordon (left) talks with fellow driver Mike Bliss after practice for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Gordon scored the first of his 72 career NASCAR victories in the race in 1994.

He'll start 2nd and seeks win after finishing 2nd to Hendrick teammate Johnson last year. Associated Press CONCORD, N.C. Jeff Gordon is normally unflappable, able to jump with ease from the seat of a speeding race car to a gig hosting "Saturday Night Live." Yet, there he was, butchering "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with a garbled rendition that brought boos from Wrigley Field fans this week in Chicago. The four-time NASCAR champion swears he didn't forget the words and denied accusations he was drunk. Turns out, the smoothest guy in the Nextel Cup series gets rattled every once in a while.

"The one thing that scares me the most is singing in front of anybody," Gordon said. "I was petrified. It was definitely a moment I'm not proud of, but it's a moment that's going to haunt me for a long time." The one place Gordon is always calm is in a race car, where he'll be tonight, searching for a win in the Coca-Cola 600. He'll start second beside pole sitter Ryan Newman. The race at Lowe's Motor Speedway has given Gordon his share of highs and lows.

He scored the first of his 72 career victories in this race in 1994, and added wins in 1997 and 1998. But teammate Jimmie Johnson has emerged as the driver to beat at Lowe's. He is the two-time defending winner of this race, and he won last season by leading 500 of the 600 miles. Gordon, meanwhile, finished seven laps down in 30th place. But Gordon thinks he's closed the gap on his teammate and is a legitimate threat to win the longest race on the NASCAR schedule.

He's also buoyed by the fast start the No. 24 team is off to this season: Gordon already has three wins, including the Daytona 500. "I think I picked up a lot on Jimmie when we were here in October," Gordon said, referring to his runner-up finish to Johnson. "Now it's just a question of whether or not that carries over into this next race. We're running really well right now." Johnson's Hendrick Motor-sports team has mastered this track.

Aside from his back-to-back 600 wins, Johnson also won in October and finished fifth in last weekend's All-Star race. "We could probably take a Volkswagen Beetle over there and run pretty competitive," said Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief. "Jimmie's got a great feel for a race car and he's got a great feel for Lowe's Motor Speedway." This time, however, all the drivers must adjust to a track whose surface was changed this spring. LMS president Humpy Wheeler used a diamond-grinding machine to smooth bumps in an effort to create better racing. What he got was a fast race track 18 drivers broke the track record in qualifying with Newman running a lap at 192.988 mph.

"That's not too fast," Newman said. "We go faster at Texas and Atlanta." But Gordon thinks the removal of the bumps, once the trademark of this track, has made the racing too fast to permit passing and side-by-side racing. "We're going too fast to put on a good race, but I don't think we're going too fast, safety-wise," Gordon said. "The track has a lot of grip, and it's really smooth and fast. I just wish the tire gave up a little bit more under race conditions." '2 Carpenter iRealtors Jamie Hall Office: 317-852-4091 Cell Phone: 317-691-2002 jhallcallcarpenter.comm im.