Daily Press from Victorville, California • 26

C6 The Daily Press Victorville Calif Thursday May XI 1992 AUTO RACING INDY 500 St James bathes in preparation ever qualify for Indy 500 uses high-tech method to practice for famed race Pit crews tune vital teamwork The annual Miller Indy Pit Stop Contest is far from an exercise in frivolity much more than an entertaining diversion three days before the race Quick and efficient pit stops can mean the difference between victory and defeat A 10-second lead on the track can disappear with a sloppy tire change or a miscalculation on fuel That's why race crews practice as much as the drivers stress consistency and quickness in the pits as the most important said Jim Prescott chief mechanic for Bobby Rahal the IndyCar series leader this season rehearse so that everyone knows exactly what going to do if a problem A look at last finish illustrates the importance of pit stops: Rick Mears hnd six pit stops totaling 3 minutes 25 seconds Michael Andretti made seven stops totaling 3:44 but he finished only 3149 seconds behind Mears "When the driver communicates that making a stop you panic just got to be prepared and ready to said Paul Harcus crew will go against pole-winner Roberto crew in one of the two pit stop semifinals Thursday The crews of Mario Andretti and Eddie Cheever will meet in the other semifinal then the two winning crews will meet for the championship pen at this race particularly at the But the finish will be where St James and history would rendezvous next In Janet Guthrie's three Indy 500 starts 1977-79 her best finish was ninth in St James embarks on her first Indy-car event from the outside of Row 9 (220150 mph) in a Lola-Chevrolet Its number has been changed to 90 in honor of her of the American sponsor JC Penney celebrating its 90th anniversary race I enter I want to win" said St James whose career was built on sports car success the significance of that here is obviously magnified So I really say Oh yeah going to go out and try and win this I think a victory here is a finish And historically known that if you finish here probably going to finish in the top St James said she has not had sleepless nights of late: a champion Nor has the historical enormity of Sunday's start translated into dreams of winning losing or anything in between But is she nervous? my mind is still focused very much on the race and nerves will come and she said get waves of it The thing is to keep it all in perspective and under And ask her about the burden of being a woman at Indy with the same caution you would approach the question of keeping a race car in bedroom know what it would be like not to be a she said have anything to compare it all troslness as she rtsites tor the began in 1966 when she sat on Associated Press rasst important race of any life' impression this race leaves on people and on me is that awesome power-fill scary exciting exhilarating and all those things But I also know dangerous as And never more than a few minutes after the gentlemen -and this year the lady are instructed to start their engines Her approach to start she said will be stay clean I mean important to have a clean start and clean race and I know going to be difficult to do seen a lot of pretty bizarre things hap- Coca Cola 600 Bonnett gets OK to drive again got enough running around to do Second woman to By Steve Crowe Knight Ridder Newspapers INDIANAPOLIS Lyn St James has two tubs in her Indianapolis apartment Only one is for bathing The other in the spare bedroom is for simulating what she and 32 men will immerse themselves in Sunday the Indianapolis 500 Each day this week the second woman ever to qualify for the most famous race will put on her driving uniform and helmet and strap herself into the racing tub formerly a full 1987 March chassis A cursor on a computer monitor in front of St James then takes her on her visualized laps Appropriate tension on the steering wheel simulates what the hard left-hand turns will be like now my goal is to get up to at least one or two days where I do a full three St James said Tuesday shortly before taking her daily speed bath St James go Nor does she seem to care that spending hours in a stationary race car might strike some as silly I really care what those people think said St James 45 the oldest rookie starter in Indy 500 history frying to do everything in my power to be prepared for a race the most important race in the world one never raced in as was pointed out at our rookie luncheon almost a third of the field is former winners You like giving away an edge so anything I can do to offset that even if just re Bonnett drove the car at around 168 mph in those tests during which NASCAR had no jurisdiction to prevent him from driving told Davey it would be an ideal situation for me good therapy if I could get approval to do it Turns out I did" Bonnett said Allison was not available for Chevrolet driver qualifying third at 175245 He was followed by Brett Bodine in a Ford at 175 109 Martin another Ford driver was fifth with at 174718 Ford has won all nine previous races this season and the final four of 1991 Allison the current points leader qualified a disappointing 17th with a top lap of 172862 in his Ford He was injured when his car hit the frontstretcb waii after edging out Petty to win The Winston on Saturday Allison was destroyed in the crash He had driven that car to victories in four of the last five races at CMS Lyn St James smiles hero hot mote willing to give it a The tub was headed from the Motorsports Research Group at McGill University to Daytona Beach where MRG is opening another branch St James a member of the board had it rerouted through her Indianapolis apartment The tub donated by the Machinists Union is what remained of the chassis from which Kevin Cogan escaped unhurt despite a horrific crash on the third lap of the 1989 race at Indy St Indy driving dream comment Tuesday "Davey of course is our Yates said probably be asking Neil to do the things necessary for Davey to do prefer that Davey dial in the chassis but play that by The Allison-Yates racing team can collect the Winston Million bonus with a victory in I Approval means race for position in 600 with car CHARLOTTE NC CAP) -Neil Bonnett inactive for more than two years from the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit received medical clearance to drive Davey Ford prior to qualifying for the Coca Cola 600 Bonnett 45 has been sidelined since April 1 1990 when an accident in the TranSouth 500 at Darlington left him with amnesia for several weeks as well as lingering dizziness Les Richter NASCAR vice president for competition gave Bonnett a waiver Tuesday after receiving a report from Dr Jerry Petty a Charlotte neurosurgeon with whom Bonnett has been conferring Allison the Winston Cup points leader is sore from injuries he received in a crash after edging Kyle Petty in the Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night Allison sustained a concussion and bruises to a lung and both legs in the wreck Ford Thunderbird was destroyed in the accident called me Monday night and asked if I thought I could do this for him and the Robert Yates Racing said Bonnett who drove a new Chevrolet owned by Dale Earnhardt in a speedway practice last week the outside of Turn 1 to witness her first 500 The first lap of the race won by Graham Hill was marred by a spectacular multi-car crash just remember seeing the parts flying and the total devastation and not even knowing what she said of the wreck in which the most severe injury was AJ cut finger remember as I was ducking and parts were flying saying to the guys next to me It just seemed so mysterious the Coca Cola 600 The $1 million prize goes to the driver who wins three of stock Big Four events in the same season Allison has won the first two the Daytona 500 and the Winston 500 to set up the opportunity at Charlotte His next chance comes at the Southern 500 at Darlington on Sept 3 pment Inc FAST Temporary Cook For Your Ante 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Only 775 for early morning delivery 7 days a week CALL 241-7755 ATTENTION BUILDERS: (4) Lots with Subordination (3) Prime one acre view lots in Desert Knolls with sewer curb gutter $59000 $75000 CONCORD NC CAP) Bill Elliott won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 stock car race driving his Ford to an event-record qualifying speed of 175 479 mph Wednesday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Elliott second in the Winston Cup standings edged Kyle Petty who will start race on the outside of the front row lap broke the event record of 174820 set last year by Mark Martin Petty who finished second to Davey Allison in The Winston all-star race Saturday night moved his Pontiac around the 15-mile superspeedway at 175353 Ricky Rudd was the top (1) Choice Corner Lot with view in Victorville For Info Call Stan 245-1225.