The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • 23

Monday. May 25. 1970 THt INDIANAPOLIS NIWS erk And Roadster ontinue Racing To rr 1 1 1 i v. Li 'Pi i may 'T' fA i Speedway's Fastest Field Averages 167.1 By LYLE MANNWEILER, Assistant Sports Editor Jim Hurtubise is "goin' home and goin' fishin' and get ready for the next 500-Mile Race. The 500 is not next Saturday's Memorial Day Classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Jim failed to qualify for the race for the second straight year. The 500 he is going to get ready for is the Sept. 6 entry fTt lT on the United States Auto 164.444) Saturday he went out Club's championship schedule fSau fnd at the new Ontario Motor time the best Speedway in Southern Califor- a lbX905)' ma. "I'm just going to relax "while," the 37-year-old North Tonawanda, N.Y., driver said just moments after yesterday's POSEY MADE FIRST MOVE The scene Hurtubise found when he did return to the track late in the afternoon was a final qualification period end ed with his car fourth in typical one. With the field filled Saturday, the entrants played line.

"I plan to do some fishing. And work with my boat. And get my car ready for Ontario. I'm going to enter this same car there, too. We shoulda their usual waiting game to see who'd make a move.

Maybe fate would change their luck. Rookie Sam Posey was the first to make the move. His Driver Sammy Sessions (right) grabs crew member Bill Spangler after surviving the "bubble" spot. AP. HERE WE GO AGAIN Comeback Seen For Turbine this one so we'll make crew wheeled his No.

95 into it out there." the lineup at 5:02. Moments Jim gave it the old college later he spun the car, forcing try to make it, though. A blown a 15-minute delay in the pro-engine earlier in the afternoon ceedings. At that time there set his plans back 2 hours, 30 were nine cars in line. Kevin minutes.

That's how long Jim Bartlett, bumped from the field and his crew took to change during Saturday's action, was engines. next in line but didn't even get At 5:45, with cars forming a try. in the qualifying line, Jim fol- His car failed to start. Bill lowed his snowmobile pull-'Puterbaugh had trouble start- cart out. There were six other ing his car, but finally suc- cars in front of him and Arnie ceeded.

He returned to the pits, Knepper on the track. however. Jim had tried to qualify last Denny Zimmerman tried, too. weekend, finishing the attempt He qualified, but his 158.912 Job For Joe Driver Joe Leonard, who qualified for the 500-Mile Race's opening "cast" a week ago, takes time to autograph a cast on the ankle of Mrs. Millard Sutton of Columbus.

Ind. Leonard will start Satur-' day's Memorial Day Classic at the Speedway on the outside of the sixth row. The NEWS Photo, Jim Young. $300 for fifth best went to Jig- from Al Unser's pole-winning ger Sirois for his 157.487 in the 170.221 to Sessions' 165.373, is ried heavily with the rules committee. The air intake size was 22.9 square inches in 1967, when Parnelli Jones' famous No.

40 turbine ran away from the field for 196 laps before a $6 part sidelined it. The inlet area had been reduced to 15.9 when Andy Gran-alelli's STP team qualified Joe Leonard on the pole with a record 171.559 miles per hour a mark which still stands at Indianapolis and put Graham his job to help Adams try to get the turbine up to speed. The best lap Sirois recorded during two weeks of testing was 160.4 miles per hour far below the speed needed to qualify it. The only turbine left from the ballyhooed "turbine revolution" has an Allison engine with an 11.9-square-inch air inlet area, the size set prior to the 1969 race. That's the size recommended by Baynes, and it was his testimony that car the smallest since 1963's 3.321.

turbine, the only such entry. The only "early" qualifier Saturday's qualifying filled Br Associated Press Remember the turbine race car? The last one in Indianapolis racing failed to make the 33-car starting field, but its owner thinks turbine power will make a comeback at the Speedway. Jack Adams, owner of the City of Memphis Special driven by Jigger Sirois of Hammond, will go to the United States Auto Club rules committee soon and ask that the air inlet size be increased to make it competitive again. He'll take with him Paul Baynes, an engineer for Allison Division of General Motors the man who recom 'A v- the field early. In fact, 9 of the 10 that qualified finished their work just 2 hours after the track opened for time trials.

The highlight, without a doubt, had to be Lloyd Ruby's run. Plagued by bad luck all month long, Ruby made his 11th 500 with a 168.895 run, sixth best of all 33.. Jack with only average didn't come close to the 165.373-mph that everyone was shooting for. It did earn Denny $600 for posting the day's third fastest speed. Rookie John Cannon should have qualified.

But his crew waved him in as he was about to finish his fourth lap. After three laps in the 163s, a few more hundred yards on the track would have given him the $600. It -V Knepper came ihe closest, however. With 15 minutes' remaining he took the No. 53 Caves Buicki car out.

His 165.320-mile-per-hoUr average for. theia-mile run was just .053 off Sam Sessions low. Larry Dickson finished off the day with a 158.479 run. It was good enough for $400. The was Jim 1 a who helped A.

J. Foyt become the first man in, 20 years to have four cars make the race. With George Snider, Donnie Allison and himself-in, A.J. gave Mc-Elreath, who was bumped Saturday, the second chance. RUBY FINALLY MAKES IT After only six laps in the car McElreath qualified 1 at 166.821, the 16th fastest Hill and Art Pollard in the race.

None finished, and no 15.9-inch turbine won a race that year. Adams said he believes the inlet size should be 14.5 to 15.5 inches to be competitive with today's turbocharged engines. "I can't say that USAC will have to accept what we say," Adams said. "If the board is reasonable, and they have been reasonable in most cases, I can't see how they would refuse our request. The USAC board might not object as much as the rules committee, so far as I can see." What about the "expert testimony" before the rules mittee two years ago of turbine people such as Baynes that led to the virtual outlawing of turbine race cars here? "Oh, they had lots of graphs and charts to show what the turbine should do," Adams said.

"But out here it's a different story. We have temperature and gusty winds and bugs flying through the air. "You can make all the recommendations you want, but out here at the Speedway it's a different problem." mended two years ago that the three days in his car made it' turbine size be lowered. BEST SPEED WAS 160.4 with 166.397 and Ronnie Buck-num with 166.136. Billy Vuko-vich, after a month of headaches with one car, made a The 33-car field's average is GOODYEAR, OFFY HAVE 500 LEAD Goodyear will have a commanding 21-12 lead on Firestone in this year's 500-Mile Race.

Firestone has the fastest, pole winner Al Unser, who qualified at 170.221. However, five of the next six fastest are Goodyear drivers. Mario Andretti, last year's winner, was on Firestone tires. In the engine department, Offenhauser has the edge, 18-15, but four of the five fastest qualifiers were powered by Fords. All engines in the race are turbocharged.

a record 167.139, up from last successful jump into an unfa-year's 166.295. And the spread, miliar, car and ran 165.753. TIM NEWS Photo, Art Horrii. Jim Hurtubise goin' fishin. Baynes declined to comment about his dilemma, except to "We are hopeful that we can get USAC to make the engine size bigger again how much bigger, remains to be discussed." Baynes took a vacation from Race To Finish Is Johns Plan Only four rookies, the smallest number in nine years, made it Rick Muther (165.654), who was the last man bumped last year; NASCAR veteran Donnie Allison (165.662), Greg Weld (166.121) and Dick Simon (165.548).

The field also ranges from Brabham's 44 years of age to Bruce Walkup's 25. The average is 33.9. The average number of previous 500s for the field is 3.7. been in 12. Perfect for the Race Today's go-anywhere, do-anything Hush Puppies I By WAYNE FUSON, Sports Editor JOHNNY RUTHERFORD, the tbp sur prise in qualifying, will, start Satur- day's 500-Mile Race in the front row, right between the co-favorites, pole-win-j ner Al Unser and three-time winner A.J.

Foyt Rutherford isn't planning to out- sprint the favorites at the start. "I'll try to lead the race early only if I can do it easily," said the 32-year-old Texan yesterday when asked about his race strategy. "I'll be driving to finish, not to lead early. There's no way you can win the race early, but I expect Al and to want to lead it early." Rutherford's qualifying for four laps didn't come as a surprise to him. "I've known all along I could do it here.

I've just seen," said one veteran worker. "No problems at all," said Dr. Tom Hanna, the Speedway medical director whose staff normally is busy patching up drunks. just had a foot clinic here," Dr. Hanna said yesterday at his infield hospital.

"Race fans don't like to wear shoes and we've been busy patching up feet." A tour through the "snake pit" (the area inside the southwest curve) yesterday was like visiting Shakamak State Park. It was family day. Oh, there were the beer drinkers, the smoochcrs and the card players, but mostly Mother, Dad and the kids were just out to watch race cars. The presence of State Police canine crews in the infield probably has done more than anything to stop the rowdyism which almost always used to be prevalent in the infield. Rutherford is Black Brown White Cream Light Blue Pit Potpourri VUKY, J.

C. 'SPLIT' JUST TEMPORARY Driver Bill Vukovich Jr. and J. C. Agajanian, the colorful car owner, who parted company this weekend, will be back together again at the June 7 Milwaukee 150 race.

Young Vuky, rookie of the year in 1968, just couldn't get the Agajanian No. 98 up to qualifying speed, so he jumped into another car and qualified rather easily at 165.753. AAU Group To Move To Indianapolis Indianapolis has welcomed another member of the national sports family. The Amateur Athletic Union will move its national headquarters from New York to Indianapolis in the near future. No definite date has been set.

Frank McKinney 100-mcter backstroke silver medal winner in the 1960 Olympics, said the AAU will move its headquarters to Indianapolis this year. Regular occupancy is due late in 1970. The AAU represents the United States in the Olympic Games. It also sponsors Junior Olympics programs and is the governing body for 19 amateur sports. Other cities which were contenders for the new headquarters were Lincoln, Las Vegas, Memphis and Kansas City.

QDmb .00 $18 never had the right combination before. Now everything is right-rthe car, the crew everything." Does he think he has a chance? "Certainly. I have a good feeling about this race. I had this kind of a feeling only once before and then I won the 250-miler for championship cars at Atlanta." Rutherford, like. Foyt and Unser, spent much of yesterday preparing for the race.

i "We're ready," said Johnny. His crew Installed a fresh turbocharged-Ford engine and worked on all the "goodies" that drivers add for the race, although the car and engine and must be basically the same for the race as they were for qualifying. That brought; up a question. Some rail-birds have indicated that Rutherford, whose speed jumped tremendously the last day" or two before he qualified, might have been using softer tires, ones that might not stand long in the race. "Not true," said Rutherford.

"We used several kinds of compound, but these are the original they (Goodyear) gave us. We have no thoughts about wear at all." Rutherford, who has started in six previous 500s but has never finished higher than sounds like a new man, brimming with confidence. He could be a sleeper. 5 Infield Merry-Go-Round CPEEDWAY. officials were amazed at.

the behavior of the infield pieknickers. "It's the best brhHvrd crowd I've ever COME time during race week most of the former greats and near-greats make their way back to the Speedwnv. Former winners JOHNNIE PARSONS (1950) and BILL HOLLAND (1949) made it over the weekend. "These cars look like they could run forever," said Holland. "Man, they go fast now," said Johnnie.

"I sure knew when to retire, didn't The observer's station at the south end of the pits, where chief observer NORM HAUSER works, had a new name "Hauscr's Firemen at the emergency entrance to the track south of the pits found a way to beat yesterday's 90-degrce heat. They erected a blanket tent behind their fire truck for their own shade 3ARRY FORD, the actor who learned to drive race cars for the movie, "Winning," came back to look at the real thing. "They go a little faster than we did," he said. But Barry turned several laps at 133 miles per hour during filming of the race movie. And, that's not bad for an actor RODGER WARD, the two-time 500 winner, is a picture of sartorial splendor.

He's gone Hollywood since taking a job as public relations director of the new Ontario Speedway. Saturday Ward wore a violet colored sport suit. Sweet violet! This shoe goes to town with the all new soft sole. A Hush Puppies easy slip-on with strap end buckle. Try it in soft, seasonal colors in smooth leather.

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