The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • 29

M-4y. )ly 2. 1971 THI INDIANAPOLIS NEWS Battle Foyt Whs gallons to 40 and limited total fuel to be used ers behind pie'wtro missed hitting ft' STB 1 JSL 140 A 1 '1 W'sfcs By LYLE MANNWKILER Assistant Sports Edilor MOUNT POCONO, Pa. They've finally done it. They've taken the racing out of auto racing.

It was the Poco-No-Go 500, a scries of pit stops upon pit stops upon pit stops which, ironically, produced a winner because one driver needed to have made one more pit stop. This may sound pretty harsh, but look. The 33 cars in yesterday's 500-mile race at the Pocono International Raceway made 245 pit stops. That's not quite 7Mt per car. For the 3,699 laps of competition, if such a word still exists in the sport, it works out to roughly a pit stop every 16 laps.

There were 26 leaders. Of the 25 lead changes, only two were the result of driving skills. The rest came when the leader pitted. Jimmy Caruthers slipped past Mario Andretti on the Ilth lap to wrestle the lead away and Roger McCluskey assumed the front spot on the 136th lap when Gordon Johncock hit the mainstraight wall after a tire blew which isn't driving skill, but at least wasn't on a pit stop. When all the shuffling was over it was A.

J. Foyt Jr. who won the' lion's share of the $400,000 purse. But if it hadn't been for McCluskey running out of gas on he 199th and last lap, it would have had just a different closing chapter on a sad mystery story. Foyt made 11 pit stops.

McCluskey had only 10. The increased pit stops have been brought about in the wake of all the troubles the United States Auto Club experienced during the month of May and the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race this year. Three fiery accidents, which resulted in two driver's deaths and critical injuries to another, a crewman's death and 15 spectators hurt, brought quick action by USAC. It cut the race-cars on-board fuel capacity from 75 Rutherford wasn't through, however. Fifty- four laps later he brought out the yellow cau- tion light again when he made three complete loops in Turn 2.

He continued racing again and finally finished fifth. Of the 10 yellow caution periods, three were to tow in cars that had run out of gas. One was for Al Unser, slightly hurt when his car hit the wall. The race had to be stopped; after that one so workmen could repair a damaged metal guard rail. Indianapolis 500 winner Gordon Johncock provided the last skill-driving demonstration.

Leading on the 136th lap, his right rear tire was cut on debris on the track from a blown engine. When the tire blew, it sounded like cannon. Johncock's car smacked the wall just past the start-finish line, but the Indianapolis driver held firm and guided the crippled car into the grass. He was given 14th spot. Other leaders experienced similar fates if not as harrowing.

Leaders Andretti, Jimmy Caruthers, Bill Vukovich, Mark Donohue and Bobby Unser fell to" mechanical problems. "We were getting great said one of McCluskey's crew members. just mis-figured some place. I think it was on those 28 laps of green (actually 26 with two yellow restart laps) after Al accident. "We figured he'd used 25 gallons for those 28 laps.

We should have known that wasn't right." The Offenhauser engine in McCluskey's car had been detuned to about "800 horsepower," down from the usual 825-850. "We were looking for reliability," said Roger. Foyt, who had just won his fourth USAC 500-mile race (three at Indianapolis), said, "I developed a terrible vibration in my car and my crew couldn't find it. I decided to play it safe just in case a half-shaft locked up. I guess it was just my day." A.J.

was no stranger to the Pocono lead. He'd set the pace four other times during the race. from 375 to 340 gallons. So instead of hoping for 1.3 miles per gallon to go the distance, crews could now aim for 1.4. But instead of traveling 39 laps between stops, it was cut to There are five mandatory pit stops something every car had fulfilled after only 118 laps yesterday.

With the increased time spent in the pits, the race's over-all average fell. Foyt averaged 144.944 miles per hour in winning yesterday a 500-mile average just a bit slower than the record set in the 1958 race in Indianapolis. Pocono got its first good crowd in three years (a record 75,000 one former Pocono official estimated slightly less than the 140,000 the track did announce as the crowd). They started leaving in droves just past the half-way point They'd come to see racing not necessarily at 180 or 190 miles per hour but racing. With the race less than half over only 17 cars were left.

Under one yellow nine of these pitted at the same time. Only seven were going at the finish. Once only four cars lined up behind the pace car on a yellow. The rest were in the pits. McCluskey, perhaps the man who should be the bitterest, defended the new system.

"It's good," he said, "It's the same for everybody." The day wasn't filled with only minuses. Mario Andretti provided the first plus by grabbing the lead on the first lap from pole-sitter Peter Revson. Five cars back, Johnny Rutherford provided the first thrill by spinning into the outside wall on the first turn. His car brushed the wall only. He continued on around, checked the damage (a slight bump on the car's rear wing) and continued racing.

"It was quite harrowing," the Indianapolis pole-sitter said. "Mike Mosley had a ring-side seat. I'm sure his eyes popped and hit his goggles when he saw me. I was just too low and too fast. "I just want to say thanks to all those Happy A.

J. Foyt waves to crowd after Pocono 500 victory. AP. Double Win Comes To Reds Strangely Can Smile Now Casper career and I've come to ex- son, who closed with a 34-33 pect certain things. Whenever 67 and almost forced a I don't play well, I feel I'm playoff by nearly holing out a letting myself down and 170-yard approach shot for an my family, friends and the eagle on the 18th, and Hale Irwin, who sank a 40-footer people who have followed me through the good years." Well, Billy didn't let" anybody down yesterday at Chicago's Midlothian Country for a birdie on the last hole.

Hinson's six-iron shot landed only 4 inches from the pin. Two shots off the pace tagged another knuckler against the left-field barrier at the 375-foot, mark to send Morgan scooting home with the deciding marker. move the ball pretty good, but that one no move," explained the soft-spoken Cuban. "That one hang over the plate. When I hit knuckleball, I try to go right field.

There no way I can hit it out. No, I no like to see him come in." It was the fifth hit of the day for Perez. "They were pitching to Bench," said Sparky. "Today they were trying to stay away from "Dog" (Perez). He was hot today." Even hotter was the Dodgers' Willie Davis.

He lashed out seven hits in nine at-bats, including five in a row. Rose Jour and trails Davis among active players in total' hits 2,022 to 2,020. The Dodgers and Reds will meet again tonight (7 o'clock, Channel 6). Andy Messersmith (7-6) will go for L.A., but Anderson was undecided on his Club. He sank a pair of pres- were J.

C. Snead, Hubert sure-packed putts on the last Green and Bruce Crampton, By TAYLOR BELL Chicago Daily News CHICAGO The grim reapers of the professional golfers tour have been trying to write an epitaph to Billy Casper's career for two years and there were times when he felt he was digging his own grave. But don't bother to seno flowers. "People have been saying that' I've lost the desire to compete, that I'll never win another that I don't have it anymore," said. "And, frankly, I have wondered if I'd ever win again.

At my age, I've had a lot of success and earned a lot of money. But pride is very important, too. "It's a terrible feeling to go out on a golf course and play badly. I've had a wonderful two holes to card a 35-3469 for a 12-under-par total of 272 and a one-shot victory in the 70th Western Open the third round leader who faded to a 73. "It's a wonderful feeing to know that I still can win," said the 42-year-old Casper, the father of seven.

i i Ml nil i i ii, Hal King second game, too. L.A. took a 2-0 lead, but Perez knocked in the doubling Dave Conception in the sixth and Pete Rose smashed a single in the eighth to score pinch-runner Darrel Chaney with the tying marker. Then in the 10th Joe Morgan drew a one-out walk and moved to second when Dodger catcher Steve Yeager couldn't hang onto a Hough knuckler. That brought Bench to the plate and Hough worked so carefully on him he eventually walked him.

Perez then Tjed at 273 were Larry Hin- Billy Casper gets victory kiss from son, Bobby. AP. I Vrr rHn nrzi sn snrS I PER TIRE NbLimit Foul Idea No Jewel CUSTOM fTTi POWER CUSHION LT By DICK MTTTMAN Sports Writer CINCINNATI Strange pitches go strange distances when they do strange things like going across the heart of the plate. That's what NationaI League West leading Los Angeles found out during along day yesterday that saw the Cincinnati Reds revive their fading pennant hopes. The Reds won both games to trim the Dodgers' margin to nine games.

In the first game Don Sutton came in with a screwball to Hal King, up from Indianapolis just two weeks, and the left-handed pinch-hitter parked it over the right-field fence for a dramatic, two-out, last-of-the-ninth, game-winning homer. The final score was 4-3. It was a knuckleball that was the Dodgers' undoing in the rauvdelayed second game. Charlie Hough got his knuck-ler out over the plate with two out in the bottom of the 10th and hot-hitting Tony Perez' smashed it off the wall, again with two out, for a 3-2 victory. "This gave us our pride a said white-haired Reds' manager Sparky Anderson, "but we've got to catch the other teams before we can catch L.A." It was ailing catcher Johnny Bench who played a key role in each game by drawing a walk in the decisive frame just before the fateful blows.

In the first game he was a pinch-hitter. Sutton whipped Inside fast balls right at him (in retaliation for his game- tying homer at L.A. last week) missed outside and then tossed an intentional wide pitch to bring up King, the potential winning run. "They were trying to jam me as much as they could," said Bench, who is hobbled by a pulled calf muscle. "I was just looking for something I could hammer." King, who was recently recalled from Indianapolis, then went to the plate.

The count ran to 2-and-2, then he unloaded. "It was right up in my eyes!" he exclaimed. "When I hit it I knew it was gone. I went up there trying to hit the DaU hard." With the cheers of 46,047 ringing in his ears, King's thoughts went back to his time spent with the Indians, "It was not my plan at all to be there all year," he said with a smile. "I thought if I go down and start swinging the bat they'd bring me up.

I got off to a bad start down there. I got hit on the knee before the second game while I was warming up Jack Andu-Jar and that put me out two weeks." Fred Norman, In the opener, pitched his fourth com-, plete game since joining the Reds from San Diego three weeks ago. He now is 4-1 with Cincinnati and has had only one bad Inning in 42 with his new team. The Reds got some good but struggling hurling in the a o)IgOO HFh fesSJ F0R JL 5) rsfiT- qT3i iSBSHla Qcfl Cn fr-1 nfl By WAYNE FUSON, Sports Editor MAYBE the American Basketball Association should quit tampering with the rulesbook' while it's ahead. The ABA came up with two of the best innovations to hit basketball in decades with its red, white and blue ball and the 3-point shot, called the home run by most observers.

But now' Norman Drucker, the head whistle-blower of the ABA and a refugee from the NBA, is suggesting that the league go to unlimited personal fouls. That would mean, fellow double-dribblers, that a guy could commit a dozen personals and still be allowed to stay in the "ring." At present it's six fouls and you're out. College and high school basketball have a five-foul limit. Norman's theory is that the fans pay to see the stars and it's not fair when the stars don't get to play because of overloads of personal fouls. But an unlimited foul rule without some kind of a stiff penalty would create absolute mayhem.

If the ABA dumps the six-fouls-and-you're-out rule, it must come up with some kind of a severe penalty in its place for excessive brawling. It's true that ice hockey puts its wrong-doers in a penalty box, but that's hardly workable In basketball. It's also true that basketball, especially the pro variety, is hardly a no-contact sport any longer. You'd better be a pretty healthy character if you decide to go under the basket or you're liable to get killed. There is one foul change the ABA should make.

Any intentional foul should call for two shots, like it does now in high school and college basketball. The business of trading one shot for the ball in the closing seconds of a quarter when a team isn't up to its "limit" of 6ix team fouls and when a foul costs only one free throw Is ridiculous. The ABA's red, white and bluo ball and Its 3 point shot have been copied by people everywhere. Even parks around the country now have the 3-point line painted on their courts. The ball, of course, is accepted mnny places as a colorful innovation.

Only the NBA, the NCAA and the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations and the AAU are resisting. Como on, Norman, leave the foul limit rule alone. Faces In The Crowd rpHE United States Auto Club had better take another long, hard look at its sport. LYLE MANNWEILER, The News' man in Pocono yesterday, reports that thousands of fans tired of the pit stopping about halfway in the 500-mile event and started leaving. There were only seven cars still racing (if you use that word loosely) at the finish.

You can almost lose seven cars on a 2V4-mile track. It's obvious to almost everybody that the USAC rules changes (smaller wings and less fuel) after the rain-delayed and shortened Indianapolis race, which was also marred by two fiery crashes, just won't get the job done. Pit stops are great, but not as many as the fans saw at Pocono. The wings still are the major problem. Take when AL UNSER, the former two-time Indianapolis champ, got sideways.

His brother, BOBBY UNSER, who was close behind, thought Al could correct his car. But something happened and the thing, went into the wall with such force that it tore out a section of boiler plate. (That's another thing. USAC raised so much Cain that the Indiana Fairgrounds had to put in a concrete wall for stackers mainly. How then can it condone a championship car race on a track that has boilerplate walls? At least, Indianapolis' concrete wall held up last month.) USAC ordered a token clipping of the wings, but the violence of the crashes, most experts say, still is because of them.

They're fine so long as the car is well under control. But once a problem arises, then they're in big trouble A. J. FOYT, the champ, didn't stick around long. He left Pocono immediately after his victory to fly to Daytona where he'll race In Wednesday's stock car Firecracker 400 But back to Pocono.

The so-called "extended live coverage" by radio of the race extended only race fans' patience. It wasn't continuous coverage and what there was wasn't very informative. It's a bit disconcerting when a race driver who has just spun out is cut off in the middle of an interview when he's trying to explain what happened. One announcer seemed more interestedand Informed on the qualifying at Daytona than he did in telling you who was lending nt Pocono. But that's understandable, lie's normally a stock car announcer.

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