Conference oass::racers

    Michael is exceedingly fast, but when you combine the Andretti bad luck
    at Indy with the Newman-Hassholes bad luck at Indy the karma is pretty
    negative.  Michael has the ability to get it done.  He needs support
    from his team, a cool head on race day, and a few of the breaks to go
    his way.

    I think the pole will go to some Buick-powered dark horse like
    Luyendyk.  They won't last the 500 miles though.

    For the race, who knows, Emerson is always super-fast there
    ("fantastic, beautiful, the car was really flying Jack").  
    
    Little Al will qualify poorly and probably have the fastest car at the
    end of the race.  If it's decided in the last 25 laps he'll be a
    contender.  
    
    Tracy's never done well there.  

    Gordon is fast on the ovals this year, but he's impetuous and maybe a
    little to gung-ho for a 500-miler.  Having said that, he's maturing and
    having a win under his belt takes some of the pressure off.  Plus
    which, if you'd have seen how deep he was going into 3-4 in qualifying
    at Nazareth before lifting, you'd know the boy is crazy fast.  
    
    You can't count Rahal out if he has a good car.

    My wild-ass pick is Villenuve.  The kid is good, cool, fast, and smart.
    It may be too soon for him, but I think he has the combination of
    youthful exuberance and maturity you need to finish and finish first. 
    Plus his team is first rate and has the combo to beat this year,
    Reynard-Ford.  Also, they have way cool souveniers. :-)
    
    In general, the Mercedes IC108's poor gas mileage may hurt them on pit
    stops.

    One dark horse for the race is Fabi.  Forsythe is a very well equipped
    team and they were incredibly fast for a time at Nazareth.  If they can
    work the setup and do competitive stops they'll be right there at the
    end.

    George

I tend to agree with your assessment George.  Though, if I really have to
pick one I'll go for Emo this year.

Thanks for starting this Mark and I look forward to seeing info as the month
progresses.

re: .1
I also agree with most of this (we're probably all wrong then :-))

The Buicks will probably be fast in qualifying again.  I'd guess there will be
2 on the front row - Brayton and Luyendyk.  I don't think any Buick has ever
gone 500 miles, though, and there's no reason to think that will change.

Michael will lead at some point.  (Hasn't he led every race so far this year?)
He may even appear to have the field "covered", but isn't apt to finish.
I'm not an Andretti apologist, but I'd like to see him win.  He's consistently
the fastest driver in Indy Cars and deserves a spot on the Borg-Warner trophy.

I'd have to pick a Ford to win.  The Mercedes (Chevy) engines don't seem to be
getting as good a mileage as the Fords.  In a long race like Indy, the penalty
for this goes up.  They are apt to need an extra stop or miss a yellow that
others catch.  My top Ford picks are Michael, Villeneuve, Gordon, and Pruett.

Villeneuve did a great job in the race last year.  He was the only one who was
able to cling to the lead lap with Emmo and Al (aided by better mileage, btw).

Gordon was the most exciting in 94, going around the outside of people through
turn 4.  He didn't let the narrower confines hold him back like many did.

Unknowns at this point:
  o Will Firestone tires make a difference?
  o Will the new aluminum block Honda debuting at Indy be a factor?  

    Re: last
    
    Sad to report that Comptech has pulled out of Indy due to lack of
    sponsorship.  Parker Johnstone had the aforementioned aluminum-block
    Firestone-shod Honda up to 230+ in practice, supposedly at 45 in.
    boost.
    
    Agree on the Mercedes/Ilmor fuel mileage.  An extra stop, under green,
    could be a killer for the M-B teams.
    
    George

I think Andre Ribeiro and (more importantly?) Scott Goodyear will have the
new Honda at Indy.  I think they may be on Firestones, too.  Who knows, maybe
that will be the hot combination.

    Per USA Today, Mr. Luyendyk went 233+ at Indy over the weekend. 
    Messrs. Andretti, Boesel, Brayton, and Rahal were all at least 3mph
    slower.
    
    This ought to be a fun week.  Does anyone know if ESPN is going to do
    the nightly update show that they did last year?
    
    George

Fastest on first weekend of practice

 1. 233.281  Arie Luyendyk        Menard
 2. 232.408  Scott Brayton        Menard
 3. 229.429  Michael Andretti     Lola/Ford
 4. 228.351  Scott Goodyear       Reynard/Honda/Firestone
 5. 227.457  Raul Boesel          Lola/Mercedes
 6. 226.986  Teo Fabi             Reynard/Ford
 7. 226.757  Robby Gordon         Reynard/Ford
 8. 226.478  Bobby Rahal          Lola/Mercedes
 9. 226.188  Jacques Villeneuve   Reynard/Ford
10. 226.057  Paul Tracy           Lola/Ford

    To answer my own question in .6: no, there will *not* be a weekly
    update show.  ESPN will show a 2 hour qualifying preview on Friday, May
    12, at 12:30 pm EDT.
    
    George

What is the track record at Indy, for practice, qualifying or the actual race?

Dave

    
    To hit 233 MPH as an average speed around the track....what is their 
    top speed down the straight. 
    
    Do you think we will see 240+ average lap speeds this year?
    
    The way they are going...something will have to be down to keep the 
    speed down...240 is now almost reachable, at this rate 250 MPH will be
    seen somewhere in the next 5 years.
    
    								-mike-

    Re: -2
    
    The track record is held by Roberto Guerro (sp) during qualifying in
    1992 I believe. I think he did 236 if I'm not mistaken.
    
    Re: -1
    
    Knowing the speedway and USAC, they will try to make moves to slow down
    the cars. One of the things they are doing is actually starting a new
    Indy series called the Indy Racing League. The car specifications will
    all be more or less the same, thus allowing for better competition but
    also probably limiting the speed. The 500 will be part of this series
    and not necessarily the current IndyCar line up. That's a whole other
    discussion though.
    
    The speeds today in the straigtaways at Indy average in the 240 area which
    up until the last few years were around 230 - 235 - 240. The difference
    is in the turns where the cars should have to slow. But with "ground
    effects" through the car design that is not the case. Indianapolis even
    changed the turns to discourage cars from going to low into the turns.
    
    Like everything in racing though, the engineers, crews and drivers find
    a way to go faster and faster. 
    
    
    Mark

.10> To hit 233 MPH as an average speed around the track....what is their 
.10> top speed down the straight. 

I think I heard Brayton say he was reaching a trap speed of 240.  I assume the
"trap" is at the end of one (or both) of the straights.

.10> Do you think we will see 240+ average lap speeds this year?

Not this year.  I don't think the Menards have that much left over the 233s they've
run already.

The speeds in the future are all dependent on how they set the rules.  I think
they will want to keep the casualty rate the same as now or lower, so they will
change the rules to keep the speeds down.  Although a lap of 250 is probably 
"possible" now (given no rules and lots of money), I doubt that it will ever
be "allowed".

    re: 10, 11

    The track records for practice and qualifying were set by Roberto
    Guerrero in 1992, driving a Kenny Bernstein Lola-Buick.  Bobby G did
    around Luyendyk's current speed in practice and 232.8 in qualifying.

    Best average race speed was set by Luyendyk in 1990, 189 and change.

    Not sure of best race lap speed.

    Trap speeds at the end of the back straight were 247 last year for the 
    209 ci Penske-Mercedes.  Everyone assumes the Penske drivers were
    lifting at that point, sandbagging if you will, to keep the lap speeds
    down and avoid a punitive rules change by USAC.  According to Mario
    Illen in the current Car and Driver, the M-B 209 produced 1024 hp and
    579 lb.-ft.  For comparison, the Ilmor-D produced 815 hp and 380
    lb.-ft., respectively.  Figure the IC108 in the current Penskes is up
    about 25 hp, and the Ford XB Series II is up another 20 hp.

    The big factor this year is tires.  With both Goodyear and Firestone
    bringing new sticky compounds to the Speedway, the grip the guys are
    getting is phenomenal.

    IRL Vs. CART is all about power and money, and nothing about speed
    reduction; but the IRL rules should drop lap speeds back into the 220s.
    Tony George was aiming at 207-215 as a target and I expect that to be
    exceeded in the first year.

    You're not going to get real speed reduction at the Speedway ( :-) )
    until you go to a 600-650 hp car with very steep reductions in
    downforce and an artificially high drag coefficient.  The incremental
    changes we've seen in recent years will only give relief for a couple
    of years, and then the magic of race car engineering will pop the
    speeds back up.

    George

Monday's top speeds (as of the 2 p.m. "lunch" break)

1. 234.107  Arie Luyendyk
2. 231.315  Paul Tracy
3. 229.832  Scott Brayton
4. 228.676  Michael Andretti
5. 228.531  Robby Gordon

The report also noted that Alessandro Zampredi was the day's fastest rookie
so far at 226.080.

Indy speed records

Official (only qualifications and race are "official" speeds)

  1 lap   232.618  Roberto Guerrero, 1992
  4 laps  232.482  Roberto Guerrero, 1992

Unofficial (practice)

  before today:  233.433  Jim Crawford, 1992
  now:           234.107  Arie Luyendyk, 1995

    Daily Indy practice speeds (along with lots of other info) can be
    found at the ICR Interactive homepage:

    	http://205.138.168.1/indy/

    Prime Network (SportsChannel in metro Boston) is carrying a nightly
    half-hour update show.  Due to hockey/NBA playoffs it moves around the
    schedule, but it's on tonight at 8 EDT.

    Michael Andretti has conceded the pole to the Menard crew and
    Newman-Hass is starting work on its race day setup.  Michael feels that,
    unless someone can find a lot of speed this week, Arie or Brayton have
    a lock on the pole, weather weirdness excepted.

    Tracy is 2 mph faster than Michael.  One wonders if Paul is the
    designated wall-hitter for N-H, sent out to find the edge of the
    envelope in practice.  :-)  I, for some strange reason, am starting to
    suspect Andretti the Younger is playing it cool and may have something
    to show us on race day.

    Remember I said the Reynard-Ford was the combo to beat this year? 
    Well, that's obviously wrong, at least at the Speedway.  The fastest
    non-Lola is, surprise, Mauricio Gugelmin, who did 229+ yesterday in the
    PacWest Reynard-Ford.  Gug has not shown a lot of speed on the ovals,
    so this must be heartening to him and the team.

    The other Reynard teams, and all the Mercedes-powered teams, seem to be
    trailing badly in the speed derby.  They may have decided to drop out
    of the pole contest, get it in the show with a respectable time, and
    spend the next two weeks working on race day setups.  This is probably
    a good strategy if you are not in contention for the front row.

    George

    Forgot to mention in .16 that Arie's 234 yesterday was one of only nine
    (9) laps he ran.  234 in nine laps, then he parked it for the day.
    
    George

    * Reprinted Without Permission *
    The Indianapolis News    May 4, 1995
    
    
    	Keith Ward, was named Wednesday to replace Tom Binford as chief
    steward of the Indianapolis 500-Mile race for 1996. Binford announced
    he will be stepping down after this year's race following 22 years as
    head official.
    	The US Auto Club appointed Ward, who also was named to become the
    first chief steward of the Indy Racing League. The 500 wwill be part of
    the IRL's inaugural four race (at the moment) season in 1996.
    	Binford assumed the chief steward's duties in 1974 from Harlen
    Fengler. A year-to-year arrangement streched out to nearly a quarter-
    century.
      	"I guess I'm a little bit in awe", Ward said. "I'm looking forward
    to the challenge with the team we have in place."
    	"I learned an awful lot of things from Tom. I'm grateful USAC would
    have this confidence in me and that Tony George (Indainapolis Motor
    Speedway President) has that same confidence in me."
    	Ward who lives in Brownsburg, has been a USAC official for 28
    years. He started as an observer, was named assistant steward in 1979
    and a full steward the following year. He has spent the last 10 years
    on the control tower with Binfor on race day.
    	His duties have included controlling the pace car activity through
    the month, fuel distribution on race day, chief steward  of the pit
    stop competition and involvement with rookie orientation.	

    Re: last
    
    Binford was announced as the new Commissioner of the IRL yesterday.
    
    Davey Hamilton, west coast supermodified guy, hit the wall in practice
    and has leg and knee injuries.
    
    George

Top times for Thurs 5/11/95 at mid-day break:

 1) 234.656  Scott Brayton    (new unofficial track record)
 2) 234.332  Arie Luyendyk    (also over his previous unofficial record)
 3) 230.977  Maricio Gugelmin (hasn't shown much speed on ovals before)
 4) 230.852  Scott Goodyear   (Honda-powered)
 5) 230.775  Paul Tracy
 6) 230.144  Andre Ribeiro    (Honda-powered rookie)
 7) 229.xxx  Michael Andretti
 8) 229.xxx  Robby Gordon
 9) 229.xxx  Teo Fabi
10) 229.xxx  Jimmy Vasser

Conditions today have been cool (perfect).

Other news:

 o Davey Hamilton is still the in hospital, to undergo further examination of his
   knees.  Because of a mild concussion, he won't be cleared to drive until after
   the weekend.  He may not have been ready to try to qualify this weekend
   anyway.

 o AJ Foyt has hired Scott Sharp to drive a 2nd car for him.  Quotes from Foyt
   made it clear that Cheever is still his number 1 driver.  He just said he
   always likes to run a 2nd car.  I'd already given up on seeing John Andretti
   try the double-header again, but AJ hiring Scott Sharp makes an Indy ride for
   John even less likely.  

    Top times for Thurs 5/1/95 at end of day:
    
     1) 234.656  Scott Brayton
     2) 234.332  Arie Luyendyk
     3) 232.246  Scott Goodyear
     4) 231.839  Robby Gordon
     5) 231.523  Andre Ribeiro
     6) 230.977  Maricio Gugelmin
     7) 230.775  Paul Tracy
     8) 230.055  Teo Fabi
     9) 229.838  Michael Andretti
    10) 229.574  Bobby Rahal
    
    Records today:
     o Brayton - fastest unofficial lap
     o Ribeiro - first rookie ever over 230
     o Ribeiro - first driver ever to take 2 different cars over 230 in
                 a single day (both #31 and #31T)
     o Goodyear - fastest lap ever by a Canadian driver
     o most drivers over 230 on a single day (6 - previous record was 4)
    
    Other news:
     o Davey Hamilton underwent surgery for a broken ankle.  He also has
       badly bruised knees.  He is expected to be released from the
       hospital on Friday.  His accident is now being blamed on a broken 
       wheel, possibly damaged while changing tires.  Use of this brand of
       wheel (Mag Tech) has been suspended.
    

Top practice time for Fri 5/12/95 at the mid-day break

 1) 234.xxx  Scott Brayton
 2) 233.724  Michael Andretti
 3) 233.xxx  Arie Luyendyk
 4) 231.821  Mauricio Gugelmin
 5) 231.630  Jimmy Vasser
 6) 231.339  Robby Gordon
 7) 231.101  Scott Goodyear
 8) 230.556  Jacques Villeneuve
 9) 230.085  Bobby Rahal
10) 230.073  Paul Tracy

Brayton has been running 4-lap qualification simulations.  His quick lap came
in a group of 4 that were 233,234,233,234.

The Penskes are still struggling.  Their best speeds today have been Emmo
at 224 and Unser at 222.  I read somewhere that if everyone was qualified
at the best practice speed through yesterday, that Emmo and Al would be in
row 10, just ahead of Hiro Matsushita. :-)  Is this some kind of fateful payback
for last years dominance?

  05/13/95 - found the ABC wild satellite feed at T1-17 in the clear

    Hiro is ahead of Tracy on the grid...
    
                                            -mike-

    I'm new here but I have to take offence at that comment!
    Just wait till "BUMP" day then we'll see where Tracy ends up!
    This is the year of the Canadian drivers!!!!
    

    Looks like Goodyear and Villeneuve are set to do well.
    
    Goodyear may have his last chance to show what he can do. It's a long
    way back after a year of no racing.
    
    We know the Buicks will not finish, the Hondas should be reliable if
    you count their F-1 history, even Honda's indy history has been reliable 
    if under powered.
    
    I'll put a buck on Scott.
    
    Fred
        

    re .26
    
    I would say a buck on Scott is money well spent.
    
    I feel the same way you do Goodyear has just the right combo and I
    can't but help feel that he's somehow in the right place at the right
    time...Engine,Tires,and his attitude are all positive right now. If he 
    could turn a 230 MPH in warm weather yesterday then he must have a
    pretty quick car even compared to the Buick boys...
    
    Penske who is right...right now I'm not even so sure they can make the
    show...their times have been very bad all month.   ....and yes, right
    now Tracy is behind Hiro on the grid...hard to believe..but true!
    
     								-mike-

    SO.....
    
    It appears as though Mr. Penske is getting a tad bit nervous, what with
    the reports that he now has purchased Roberto Guerrero's back up
    car....
    
    A 94 Reynard!!
    
    Little Al says all he needs is"one good day"in the Reynard and he's in
    the show.  HA!! I guess the 2 MONTHS he's had in the 95 chassis wasn't
    enough!!  218 won't cut it JR.
    
    ASTA LA VISTA PENSKE!!
    
    
    in the 95 chassis wasn't enough!

Saw a quick blurb on the morning news of someone smashing the outside wall.  Was
it Brian Herta?  They said it was a Reynard and that he had done a 218 lap or
something.  Any details?

Dave

    Herta 180ed coming out of Two, hit the wall on with the left side of
    the car, flew a bit, and ended up in the grass.  He was unconcious when
    transported to Methodist, but came around quickly .  Was scheduled to
    do sheet time last night and today.  Check out Indy Countdown on Prime
    (9 PM EDT on SportsChannel) for details.
    
    George

    Last night on ESPN they reported that Penske had purchased a 94 Buick
    Menard from Pagen Racing. They also brought last years winning car that
    Unser Jr. drove out of a museum in California to run!
    
    Brian Herta was also involved in an accident, which resulted in a 
    concussion. He was awake when transported to Methodist Hospital.
    
    
    
    Mark

    
    ITEMS WANTED:  1 27 INCH TV
    		   MUST BE CABLE READY
    		   TO PICK UP ESPN
    		   NEEDED BY MAY 28TH
    
    	CONTACT:   AL UNSER JR.
    		   PIT 40 
    		   INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
        	   INDIANAPOLIS, IN
    
    	
    	

    Entry List:
    
    	#	Driver			Car/Sponser
    
    	1	Al Unser Jr		95 Penske-Mercedes Marlboro
    	1T
    	2	Emerson Fittipaldi	95 Penske-Mercedes Marlboro
    	2T
    	3	Paul Tracy		95 Lola-Ford Cosworth Kmart/Bud
    	3T
    	4	Bryan Herta		95 Reynard-Ford Cosworth
    	4T				Target/Scotch Video
    	5	Robby Gordon		95 Reynard-Ford Cosworth
    	5T				Valvoline/Cummins
    	6	Michael Andretti	95 Lola-Ford Cosworth Kmart/Texaco
    	6T			 	Havoline
    	7	Eliseo Salazar		95 Lola-Ford Cosworth
    	7T				Cristal/Mobil1/Copec
    	8	Gil de Ferran		95 Reynard-Mercedes Pennzoil
    	8T
    	9 	Bobby Rahal		95 Lola-Mercedes Miller Genuine
    	9T				Draft
    	10	Adrian Fernandez	95 Lola-Mercedes Tecate Beer/Quaker
    	10T				State
    	11	Raul Boesel		95 Lola-Mercedes Duracell Charger
    	11T
    	12	Jimmy Vasser		95 Reynard-Ford Cos. Target/STP
    	12T
    	14	Eddie Cheever		95 Lola-Ford Cos. AJ Foyt Enterprises
    	15	Chritian Fittipaldi	95 Reynard-Ford Cos.
    	15T				Marlboro/Chapeco
    	16	Stefan Johansson	94 Penske-Mercedes Alumax
    	16T
    	17	Danny Sullivan		95 Reynard-Ford Cos. Visa/PacWest
    	17T
    	18	Mauricio Gugelmin	95 Reynard-Ford Cos.
    	18T				Hollywood/PacWest
    	19	TBD			94 Lola-Ford Cos. AGFA Car
    	19T
    	20	Scott Pruett		95 Lola-Ford Cosworth Firestone
    	20T				Patrick Racing
    	21	Roberto Guerrero	94 Reynard-Mercedes Pagan Racing
    	21T
    	22 	Carlos Guerrero		95 Lola-Ford Cos. Herdez-Vamos
    	22T				Mexico
    	24	Scott Goodyear		95 Reynard-Honda  Reynard-Honda
    	24T
    	25	Hiro Matsushita		95 Reynard-Ford Cos. Panasonic
    	25T				Duskin YKK
    	26	TBD			94 Lola-Ford Cosworth Patrick Racing
    	27	Jaques Villeneuve	95 Reynard-For Cos. Players LTD
    	27T				/Kleine Tools
    	28	Jeff Andretti		94 Lola-Mercedes Indy Regency Racing
    	29	Jeff Andretti		94 Lola-Mercedes Indy Regency Racing
    	31	Andre Ribeiro		95 Reynard-Honda LCI
    	31T
    	32	TBD			95 Reynard-Ford Cos.  Forsythe Racing
    	33	Teo Fabi		95 Reynard-Ford Cos. Combustion
    	33T				Eng./Endeck
    	34	Alessandro Zampedri	94 Lola-Ford Cos. The Mi-Jack Car
    	36	Michael Andretti	Lola-Ford Cosworth Kmart/Texaco
    	38	Paul Tracy		95 Lola-Ford Cos. Kmart/Bud
    	40	Arie Luyendyk		95-Lola Menard V6  Glidden
    	40T
    	41	Eddie Cheever		95 Lola-Ford Cosworth AJ Foyt Ent.
    	42	Michael Greenfield	93 Lola-Greenfield  Greenfield
    	42T				Industries
    	44	TBD			94 Lola-Ford Cos. Arizona Executive Air
    	48	Eddie Cheever		95 Lola-Ford Cosworth AJ Foyt Ent.
    	49	TBD			94 Reynard-Honda Comptech Honda
    	51	TBD			93 Lola-Menard V6  Quaker State
    	51T
    	54	Hideshi Matsuda		94 Lola-Ford Cosworth Zunne Group
    	54T
    	55	Marco Greco		95 Lola-Mercedes Brastemp
    	59	TBD			95 Unlisted  Rahal-Hogan Racing
    	60	Scott Brayton		95 Lola-Menard V6  Quaker State
    	61	TBD			93 Penske-Mercedes  Bettenhausen
    					Motor Sports
    	64	TBD			94 Reynard-Ford Cos. Project
    	64T				Indy/Van Dyne/Phos
    	66	Jim Crawford		93 Lola-Buick Burns Adcox Motorsports
    	68	Fredrik Ekblom		93 Lola-Buick Burns Adcox Ms
    	71	Dominic Dobson		94 Reynard-Ford Cos. PacWest
    	71T
    	75	TBD			94 Reynard-Ford Cos.  Walker Racing
    	77	Davy Jones		95 Lola-Ford Cosworth
    	77T				Byrd's Cafateria/Bryant Heating & Cool
    	80	TBD			93 Lola-Menard V6 Glidden
    	80T
    	81	Dennis Vitolo		92 Lola-Buick  Pagan Racing
    	81T
    	82	Eddie Cheever		94 Lola-Ford Cos. Copenhagen Racing
    	84	Eddie Cheever		95 Lola-Ford Cos. AJ Foyt Ent.
    	88 	Gil de Ferran		94 Reynard-Mercedes  Pennzoil
    	90	Lyn St. James		95 Lola-Ford Cosworth Simon Racing
    	90T
    	91	Stan Fox		95 Reynard-Ford Cosworth Delta
    					Faucet/ Jack's Tool
    	94	TBD			94 Reynard-Ford Cos. Arciero/Wells 
    					Racing
    	95	Davey Hamilton		94 Reynard-Ford Cos.
    					Delta/Reebok/Alfa Laval
    	96	Didier Theys		94 Reynard-Ford Cos. Hemelgarn Racing
    	97	Davey Hamilton		93 Lola-Ford Cosworth Alfa
    					Laval/Terra Pak
    	98	TBD			94 Penske-Mercedes  Penske Racing
    	99	Dean Hall		95 Lola-Ford Cosworth  Subway
    	99T				

    
    TEE HEE! weel thanks to (HA HA) Davey Jones and (HA HA) Stephan
    Johannson (HA) it will be the first time in my lifetime that Roger has
    missed the (HA HA) show.
    
    Kudos to Emmo! He gave it one heck of a shot, and perhaps had he not
    been waved off on Saturday, he might have stayed in it. Bad Bad
    Roger!!! He blew that decision.
    
    Paul 
    
    P.S. Little Al: I hear they have a commentator opening at ABC (Danny
    made the race!!).
    

Errmmmm, can I change my prediction in .2 [Emmo] ? :-{ 

Can't Roger buy one of the cars that has already qualified?  I guess he said he
wouldn't do that, but is there a deadline for switching drivers?

Dave

    Yup, he can buy a quailfied car.  The car and new driver would start
    33rd.  Roger has said he won't do this. 
    
    I don't know if there is a deadline (aside from 11am Sunday).  There is
    probably a BS USAC rule about this.
    
    George

1995 Indy 500 Lineup

Row 1
   1. 231.604  Scott Brayton         95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear
   2. 231.031  Arie Luyendyk         95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear
   3. 230.759  Scott Goodyear        95 Reynard/Honda/Firestone

Row 2
   4. 229.294  Michael Andretti      95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
   5. 228.397  Jacques Villeneuve    95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
   6. 227.923  Mauricio Gugelmin     95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 3
   7. 227.531  Robby Gordon          95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
   8. 227.403  Scott Pruett          95 Lola/Ford/Firestone
   9. 227.350  Jimmy Vasser          95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 4
  10. 226.867  Hiro Matsushita       95 Reynard/Ford/Firestone
  11. 226.588  Stan Fox              95 Reynard/Ford/Firestone
  12. 226.495  Andre Ribeiro         95 Reynard/Honda/Firestone

Row 5
  13. 226.402  Roberto Guerrero      94 Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear
  14. 226.314  Eddie Cheever         95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  15. 225.911  Teo Fabi              95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 6
  16. 225.795  Paul Tracy            95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  17. 225.753  Alessandro Zampredi   94 Lola/Ford/Firestone
  18. 225.551  Brian Herta           95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 7
  19. 225.496  Danny Sullivan        95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
  20. 225.437  Gil de Ferran         95 Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear
  21. 227.818  Hideshi Matsuda       94 Lola/Ford/Firestone

Row 8
  22. 227.081  Bobby Rahal           95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear
  23. 226.028  Raul Boesel           95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear
  24. 226.017  Buddy Lazier          95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear

Row 9
  25. 225.023  Eliseo Salazar        95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  26. 227.803  Adrian Fernandez      95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear
  27. 226.875  Eric Bachelart        94 Lola/Ford/Firestone

Row 10
  28. 226.375  Christian Fittipaldi  95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
  29. 225.346  Lyn St. James         95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  30. 225.831  Carlos Guerrero       95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear

Row 11
  31. 225.711  Scott Sharp           95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  32. 225.547  Stephan Johansson     94 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
  33. 225.135  Davy Jones            95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear

Alternates
  34. 224.907  Emerson Fittipaldi    95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear
  35. 224.432  Frank Freon           92 Lola/Buick/Goodyear?

Field average speed: 226.212 (1994: 223.270)

1995 Indy 500 Lineup by chassis/engine/tire combination (ranked by avg speed)

95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear     avg speed: 229.551
----------------------------------------------
   1. 231.604  Scott Brayton         95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear
   2. 231.031  Arie Luyendyk         95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear
  24. 226.017  Buddy Lazier          95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear

95 Reynard/Honda/Firestone  avg speed: 228.627
----------------------------------------------
   3. 230.759  Scott Goodyear        95 Reynard/Honda/Firestone
  12. 226.495  Andre Ribeiro         95 Reynard/Honda/Firestone

95 Lola/Ford/Firestone      avg speed: 227.403
----------------------------------------------
   8. 227.403  Scott Pruett          95 Lola/Ford/Firestone

95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear   avg speed: 226.971
----------------------------------------------
  26. 227.803  Adrian Fernandez      95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear
  22. 227.081  Bobby Rahal           95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear
  23. 226.028  Raul Boesel           95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear

95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear    avg speed: 226.817
----------------------------------------------
   5. 228.397  Jacques Villeneuve    95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
   6. 227.923  Mauricio Gugelmin     95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
   7. 227.531  Robby Gordon          95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
   9. 227.350  Jimmy Vasser          95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
  28. 226.375  Christian Fittipaldi  95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
  15. 225.911  Teo Fabi              95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
  18. 225.551  Brian Herta           95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
  19. 225.496  Danny Sullivan        95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

94 Lola/Ford/Firestone     avg speed: 226.815
---------------------------------------------
  21. 227.818  Hideshi Matsuda       94 Lola/Ford/Firestone
  27. 226.875  Eric Bachelart        94 Lola/Ford/Firestone
  17. 225.753  Alessandro Zampredi   94 Lola/Ford/Firestone

95 Reynard/Ford/Firestone   avg speed: 226.728
----------------------------------------------
  10. 226.867  Hiro Matsushita       95 Reynard/Ford/Firestone
  11. 226.588  Stan Fox              95 Reynard/Ford/Firestone

94 Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear  avg speed: 226.402
------------------------------------------------
  13. 226.402  Roberto Guerrero      94 Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear

95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear       avg speed: 226.056
----------------------------------------------
   4. 229.294  Michael Andretti      95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  14. 226.314  Eddie Cheever         95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  30. 225.831  Carlos Guerrero       95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  16. 225.795  Paul Tracy            95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  31. 225.711  Scott Sharp           95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  29. 225.346  Lyn St. James         95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  33. 225.135  Davy Jones            95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  25. 225.023  Eliseo Salazar        95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear

94 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear     avg speed: 225.547
-----------------------------------------------
  32. 225.547  Stephan Johansson     94 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

95 Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear  avg speed: 225.437
------------------------------------------------
  20. 225.437  Gil de Ferran         95 Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear

    Re: last
    
    Isn't Johannsen running a Mercedes?

> Isn't Johannsen running a Mercedes?

The source I got the lineup from says Ford, though it had a couple
of mistakes in it.

He was running a Mercedes in his Penske chassis.  The Reynard
he switched to came from Arciero.  I think they run Fords, so
maybe he wasn't able to switch it over to a Mercedes.

The cars Penske acquired from Rahal/Hogan were already running
Mercedes engines, so they could were able to stay with Mercedes.

    OK, thanks.  And thanks for compiling that info.
    
    George

In the last desperate attempts for teams to find speed, I was 
surprised that I didn't hear of any teams switching tire brands.
On Sunday of the first qualifying weekend, it appeared that the
Firestone tires lost less in hot conditions than did the Goodyears.
Why didn't any of the slow teams on Goodyears try out Firestones
yesterday?  Are the loyalties that strong or are there rules or
contracts that prevent switching?

    Well, Penske is the Goodyear tire distributor for much of the US,
    so switching is probably not an option for him.  

I'm looking forward to probably seeing a first time winner at Indy this year.  
This is much more fun than just wondering "which" Penske driver will win
again.

There are only 3 former winners in this year's race - Luyendyk, Rahal, and
Sullivan.  Sullivan hasn't shown much speed all month.  Rahal has been a
little better, but I can't see a Mercedes winning the race.  Arie could be
there if the Menard goes the distance, but that doesn't seem likely.
I wouldn't call the Menard (Buick) engine "unproven".  It IS proven.  It has
proven over and over again that it can't go 500 miles.  Until it actually
does, I won't believe that it can.

My top 3 picks for a first-time winner this year are:

1) Scott Goodyear - The Honda is fast enough.  I don't know if it will last,
   but it has a better chance than the Menards.  Scott has shown well in
   500 mile races, picking up two wins at Michigan when he wasn't the
   fastest car in the starting field, and coming from 33rd to 2nd at Indy
   in '92.  He "deserves" a win at Indy after the exciting and clean battle
   he had with Unser that year.  Scott is a big fan favorite.  I think the
   crowd will be behind him and it sometimes seems like the crowd has an
   impact.  Goodyear winning on Firestones will make great ad copy.

2) Michael Andretti - Almost always the fastest (at least for a while).
   He also "deserves" a win.  This is as good a year as any for the Andretti
   luck to change - Mario is gone and there are no Unsers in the field.

3) Scott Pruett - I think he has the best combination for the race with a
   Ford engine and Firestone tires.

 o Team Penske has withdrawn the 9T and 11T cars borrowed from Rahal/Hogan,
   so Emmo is no longer the 1st alternate.  Franck Freon moves up from 2nd
   alternate to 1st.  I don't know who is 2nd alternate now.  Noone else got
   bumped.  Unser completed a run Sunday at 224 or so, but that car was also
   withdrawn.  I don't remember who else actually completed an attempt on 
   Sunday that was too slow to make the field.

 o This will be the first time since 1962 that there won't be an Unser in 
   the race.

 o The family that has been represented in the most races is the Bettenhausens,
   followed by the Unsers and the Andrettis.

 o The average age of drivers in the race is 33 years, 6 months.  It isn't
   known yet if this is a record or not, but it is believed to be the
   youngest field in modern times.

 o The oldest driver in the field is Lyn St. James, who turned 48 in March.

 o The youngest driver (for the 2nd year in a row) is Jacques Villeneuve,
   who was 24 in April.

 o The driver who has appeared in the most Indy 500s is Scott Brayton.
   (I think)

    
    Re: last

    Yup, this will be Scott Brayton's 17th 500.

    Losing the Penskes from the field really emphasizes how the guard has
    changed since the late 1980s.  Rutherford, Al Sr., Foyt, Gary
    Bettenhausen, Gordon Johncock, Rick Mears, Tom Sneva, and Mario are all
    
    Re: last

    Yup, this will be Scott Brayton's 17th 500.

    Losing the Penskes from the field really emphasizes how the guard has
    changed since the late 1980s.  Rutherford, Al Sr., Foyt, Gary
    Bettenhausen, Gordon Johncock, Rick Mears, Tom Sneva, and Mario are all
    gone.  Emerson, who only started in IndyCar in '84, is now the grand
    old man, followed up by Rahal, who has the most oval-track wins among
    active drivers.  Michael and Al Jr. are the peak-of-the-career
    veterans, with lots of young and hungry folk nipping at their heels.
    This is a time of transition, which is why a young charger like Gordon
    or Villenueve could walk away with it all next Sunday.

    I think my picks for the win, in order of likelihood are:

    	1) Andretti -- fast, consistent, experienced; despite reputation,
    		       has never "thrown away" an Indy 500

    	2) Gordon -- Aggressive, gaining experience and confidence, Walker
    		     knows how to strategize a 500 mile race, Reynard-Ford
    		     is the combo to beat over 500 miles IMHO

    	3) Villenueve -- Brilliant, cool-headed, like Gordon has a great
                         pit strategist in Barry Green, and a Reynard-Ford

    	4) Goodyear -- Fast combination, proven 500-mile finisher and
    		       winner, can stay out of trouble

    with Luyendyk and Fabi as dark horses.
    
    George

Revised 1995 Indy 500 Lineup 

The car Herta qualified, then crashed, can't be repaired so he is switching to
his backup car and has to move to the back of the field.  Emmo's car has been
withdrawn, so he is no longer the 1st alternate.

Row 1
   1. 231.604  Scott Brayton         95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear
   2. 231.031  Arie Luyendyk         95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear
   3. 230.759  Scott Goodyear        95 Reynard/Honda/Firestone

Row 2
   4. 229.294  Michael Andretti      95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
   5. 228.397  Jacques Villeneuve    95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
   6. 227.923  Mauricio Gugelmin     95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 3
   7. 227.531  Robby Gordon          95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
   8. 227.403  Scott Pruett          95 Lola/Ford/Firestone
   9. 227.350  Jimmy Vasser          95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 4
  10. 226.867  Hiro Matsushita       95 Reynard/Ford/Firestone
  11. 226.588  Stan Fox              95 Reynard/Ford/Firestone
  12. 226.495  Andre Ribeiro         95 Reynard/Honda/Firestone

Row 5
  13. 226.402  Roberto Guerrero      94 Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear
  14. 226.314  Eddie Cheever         95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  15. 225.911  Teo Fabi              95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 6
  16. 225.795  Paul Tracy            95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  17. 225.753  Alessandro Zampredi   94 Lola/Ford/Firestone
  18. 225.496  Danny Sullivan        95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 7
  19. 225.437  Gil de Ferran         95 Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear
  20. 227.818  Hideshi Matsuda       94 Lola/Ford/Firestone
  21. 227.081  Bobby Rahal           95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear

Row 8
  22. 226.028  Raul Boesel           95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear
  23. 226.017  Buddy Lazier          95 Lola/Menard/Goodyear
  24. 225.023  Eliseo Salazar        95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear

Row 9
  25. 227.803  Adrian Fernandez      95 Lola/Mercedes/Goodyear
  26. 226.875  Eric Bachelart        94 Lola/Ford/Firestone
  27. 226.375  Christian Fittipaldi  95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Row 10
  28. 225.346  Lyn St. James         95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  29. 225.831  Carlos Guerrero       95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  30. 225.711  Scott Sharp           95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear

Row 11
  31. 225.547  Stephan Johansson     94 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear
  32. 225.135  Davy Jones            95 Lola/Ford/Goodyear
  33. 225.551  Brian Herta           95 Reynard/Ford/Goodyear

Alternate 
  34. 224.432  Frank Freon           92 Lola/Buick/Goodyear?

Field average speed: 226.212 (1994: 223.270)

A trivia question (and I don't know the answer): When did a car with a 
carburator (not fuel injection) last win the Indy 500?

Alan

No idea, but I'd guess it was in the 60's....

Dave

    I don't really know much about Indycar, but it seems to me that
    the Firestones may be a little softer giving better grip, allowing
    King Hiro to qual above Paul Tracy for e.g.
    In which case come the race will they need more tyre stops?
    
    Matt_curious

    Yes, plus which, they have to start the race on the tires they
    qualified on.
    
    If the Firestones are faster because they're softer, they'll be in
    trouble in a 500-mile race.

What is the pace car for this years race?

Dave

    LT1 Vette.

    I have mixed feelings about the Penske team's failure to qualify
    (mostly for Emmo).
    
    As rough as it is on the team, it might be good for the sport.
    After the Penske team's dominance last year I was afraid I would
    see a repeat of what happened in the Can-Am series.
    
    While it's true that the gas crisis in the early 70s did not bode
    well for those gas guzzlers, IMO it was the constant dominance of
    Penske Porche and McClaren that killed the Can-Am series.
    
    There were plenty of excellent drivers, but most had only one car
    and did not have an 18 wheeler filled with spare motors etc. to
    bail them out if them got into trouble during qualifying.
    
    I believe Emmo and a few other drivers indicated that Penske knew
    he would have problems in the corners without the engines from
    last year due to design problems.  Take away the power of last
    year's engine and the cars were very unstable in the corners.
    
    It will be interesting to see if the motor rules change again if
    the Menards dominate this year's race.  Personally, I wish there
    was a rule that if anyone wanted to race at Indy, they had to run
    the entire series using the same engine (adjustments being allowed
    for road courses vs. oval of course).
    

    
    Mr.Reese, yes that would be an interesting rule to see, however IMO the
    whole mystique and excitment of the "INDY" is that the manufacturers
    use it as a proving ground for new or prototype equipment. This puts
    the Indy in a class of it's own.
    
    Reading the news today and it appears as though Roger was a little
    hasty in his decision to pull the 9T car. Binford says no go, and now
    Rahal/Hogan have a third car potential. Nice move Penske!! Go sulk
    somewhere else! Should be interesting to see what happens today if
    someone SMACKS the wall, and the car ends up in the show.
    
    Herta has been cleared, and will be in the show. Hopefully not for a
    repeat of the first crash!!
    
    I've bet my wife on Michael breaking the curse! Sure hope he doesn't
    blow it cause I think I'll really miss her!! But If he does....GO
    TRACY!
    
    Pablo
    
    
    
    P.S. I believe for the last carburated winner you would have to go
    further back than the 60's....early to mid 50's would be my guess as
    the fuel injected engines became fully integrated by '55.
     

     re: Pablo,

          It's Ms. Karen Reese, not Mr. Reese.

          Mike

Top 10 practice speeds on Carb Day 5/25/95

 1. 228.392  Scott Goodyear
 2. 227.439  Andre Ribeiro
 3. 227.342  Michael Andretti
 4. 227.278  Hiro Matsushita
 5. 227.112  Paul Tracy
 6. 226.677  Jacques Villeneuve
 7. 226.598  Alessandro Zampredi
 8. 226.335  Carlos Guerrero
 9. 225.541  Mauricio Gugelmin
10. 225.146  Christian Fittipaldi

The Firestones are still looking good to me, 3 of the top 4
in this list (Goodyear, Ribeiro, Matsushita).  What a shock
it would be to see Hiro place well.

Well, I'm off to the race after work today.  I hope it doesn't
rain.

--Mike

    
    Terribly sorry MRS. Reese!! No disrespect intended, just my ignorance!!
    
    Pablo

    There's a difference between MRS. and MS. too.  I believe Karen
    prefers MS.  

    
    
    BACK OFF!!! I made a mistake. 
    
    PLEASE MS. Reese, can you ever see it in your heart to forgive me!!
    

    > BACK OFF!!! I made a mistake.
    Easy on the coffee.  I know Karen, and I just chuckled when I read
    "Mrs...." knowning she was prolly on the floor laughing her guts
    out.  No biggie.

    
    Well, I seem to have pulled this conference out into left field so it's
    time to get back to the matter at hand....INDY!
    
    TRIVIA TIME: 1. Who has driven in 17 Indys and never led a single lap?
                 2. Who lost a race when an over zealous mechanic dumped
                    water into the magneto instead of the rad?
                 3. What slight NO-NO was Jules Goux famous for?
    
    Have the answers if needed. (found in local paper)
    
    Pablo
    
    

    re: last
    
    1.  Scott Brayton
    
    2.	dunno
    
    3.	Joules baby had a few pops (champagne) during the event.
    
    George

    
    Well, it was a good effort but the only question you got right was 3.
    
    Indy just ended....WAY to go  Jacques!!!!!
    
    Pablo
    

Re: 365.1 LJSRV2::ALLEGREZZA "George Allegrezza @LJO"   

>>My wild-ass pick is Villenuve.  The kid is good, cool, fast, and smart.
>>It may be too soon for him, but I think he has the combination of
>>youthful exuberance and maturity you need to finish and finish first.
>>Plus his team is first rate and has the combo to beat this year,
>>Reynard-Ford.  Also, they have way cool souveniers. :-)

Always go with your wild ass picks!

A few thoughts

At the end of the race they interviewed Scott Goodyear.  He said they were
going to protest the black flag incident.  His owner said he would review the
film of the event.  If passing the pace car is indeed against the rules, then
they haven't got a hope. 

The first Indianapolis 505

The Stan Fox crash was damn nasty.  I know he sustained some type of head 
injury, but I wondered about his legs and feet.  It looked like his legs 
were completly exposed after the car came apart and was sliding down the 
wall.  From what I could see it looked like his feet were hitting the wall.

With all the wreckage that was on the track and given that it was the first 
lap, I kind of expected that they would have pitted all the cars, cleaned up,
let the crews inspect the cars, and then restart the race.  I guess they
don't do that though.

All the trash on the track was pretty disgusting.  I am surpised nothing 
happened.  The one corner was a complete mess.  I guess with 400,000 people
there is no way to keep crap from flying around.   

Why does Gomer keep singing the Indiana song year after year?  Isn't there 
someone else famous from Indiana that could step in.  How about Dan Quayle?

Paul

    Can anyone post any news on Stan Fox?
    
    Ta Matt.

From this mornings Atlanta Constitution (w/o permission):

	FOX STILL LISTED AS CRITICAL, BUT CONDITION STABILZES

Indianapolis - Stan Fox remained in critical but stable condition Monday
after a brain scan found no additional injuries stemmng from his crash in the
Indianapolis 500.

Fox, 42 of Janesville, Wis., was injured just seconds into his eight Indy 500
when his car veered to the right and slammed into a wall, then was cut in
half by another car.  

Henry Bock, the speedway's medical director, said Fox remained unconscious and
the next three to five days will be critical to his recovery.

Paul

    Re: .66
    
    Just call me Swami.  :-)
    
    Steve Horne has said that there will be no protest.  He agrees, after
    viewing the video, that Scott passed the pace car before it hit the
    pits.  A damn shame for Scott, Tasman, Honda, and Firestone, but
    you can't step out of bounds and keep possession of the ball, and you
    can't pass the pace car.  Ain't much else you can say.
    
    Does anyone know who was driving the pace car during the race? 
    Rutherford or the Chevy VP?
    
    George

Re -1 (swami)

Glad I have the Atlanta Constipation in front of me.

It says that a celebrity only drives for the start of the race.  I am not 
sure if it was Rutherford.  Don Bailey, a speedway employee handles the
duties during the race.

Bailey refused to comment on Monday.  "No, no, no.  We're busy," he said,
slamming the door wehn questioned.

By the way, Steve Horne the owner of the team, said that the pace car was
going 30 - 50 MPH to slow.  I thought it was going kind of slow as well.

Paul

    Who ever was driving the pace car and waving, I'll bet won't be doing it
    next year. They had a lot of problems, too many.
    
    What was the year that the pace car headed into the pits then couldn't
    stop ? who was driving it ?
    
    What about the speed in the pits a lot of them, (Bobby R.) claim there 
    coputers said 90 and were clocked at 110. Mayby they need the speed traps 
    like the F-1 boys just went to.
    
    I was hoping for both Canadians, would have liked Scott to win as he
    has paid more dues. Villeneuve makes it look too easy (2 laps down and
    all)
    
    Fred 

    Johnny Rutherford normally drives the PC at IndyCar events.  The GM VP
    who runs Chevrolet was the celebrity driver at the start.  I guess it
    was too much to ask of USAC to put an experienced ex-driver in the seat
    during the race rather than the old-timer who mows the grass in front
    of the museum or some damn thing.

    Scott got a tough break on that, for sure.  Man, I can't wait for 
    USAC to run a few more of these every year (IRL).  

    I think it was 1971 when the pace car just didn't stop and crashed into
    a grandstand full of photographers at pit out.  It was a Dodge or
    Plymouth Challenger convertible for sure.  

    George

    I hope Stan pulls through ok. I rewatched the incident several times
    after comentators said it looked like something broke.
    It looked to me as though he just lost it, first he went slightly
    sideways which sent him down towards the grass, then he came up off
    the grass too hard and the back end went the other way and he headed
    on up the banking. I suppose he could have caught an oil patch, but
    that early in the race it seems unlikely. Any thoughts?
    
    Matt.

    Haven't seen my tape of the race yet, but . . . 

    Fox only ran 100 or so practice laps at Indy over the course of the
    month.  He's an experienced driver who's competed at the Speedway
    before, but one wonders if he might have been better served running
    more laps in traffic during practice.  The handling of the car must be
    quite challenging when running in that level of turbulent air.

    Having said that, if he got crowded down onto the rumble strips  by
    someone on his right, he probably would not have had any options.
    Cheever said Fox just jinked right; could something have broken when he
    hit the rumble strips?

    George

    That's what I meant by the comentators comments, but Stan clearly
    suffers a twitch of oversteer which points him at the grass initially
    it just looked as though the back went very "loose" and pendulum'd
    from one way to the other, I'll study it again , but don't think that
    anyone leaned on him.
    
    Matt.

    Re: last few...
    
    Fox is an experienced oval driver. According to Eddie Cheever, one of
    the better drivers in the 500 field. I'm not really sure if more
    practice time was a factor, but it couldn't hurt. Fox had raced in several 
    500's previously however. As Jackie Stewart would say, it was a
    "horrific" crash. I couldn't get over the fact that the tub broke in
    half...Thank goodness the harnesses held. ABC would have had a field
    day. I must commend them for there taste in not trying to speculate or
    offer anymore than they did when the incident happened. It did appear
    that he went into the rumble strip/grass area. No one has said yet if
    he was bumped or something broke before that.
    
    I also agree that the race should have been stopped and restarted. Let
    the crews check the cars for debris, and get them out there again. I've
    commented before that the starts in Indycar in general have been awful.
    It seems more an more, the cars are not just strung out, but drivers
    are jockeying for position within the "pack". In a 500 mile race you
    can't win it on the first lap. I think they need to have a serious look
    at how they can make it safe, yet picturesque almost. I know they want
    to avoid these types of crashes but nothing can compare to a great start 
    especially at Indy.
    
    Did anyone catch Pat Patrick's interview after Pruett had crashed with
    16 laps left? He was not too happy, but said something like, "I hope
    the crash was because something broke?" Like Scott, look out it better
    not had been your fault...He's only leading the Indycar points.
    
    As far as the pace car at Indy goes, before that "crash" into the
    photographers in th eearly 70's, ex-drivers were the only ones to drive
    the pace car. Since then, ex-drivers have driven the pace car, but so
    has James Garner, GM officals, Chuck Yeager and Carroll Shelby. The
    crash in 71 was by a local Dodge dealer owner.
    
    Let's hope Stan is OK...
    
    
    Mark
    

    Considering the pace car cost Goodyear the race (IMHO); have to
    admit it seems like poetic justice that Villeneuve won.  Remember,
    his problems with the pace car got him that 2 lap penalty.
    
    I think Goodyear was correct in his assessment; coming off turn 4,
    that pace car should have been moving, (let's face it, most of the
    cars behind the pace car were about to go flying).
    
    Is there a driver's school for pace car drivers? :-}
    
    
    Pablo:
    
    Not to worry darlin', just call me blissfully single Karen :-)
    

    
    
    news just in and the report this morning is that Stan Fox is STILL
    unconcious. Come on Stan....pull through.
    
    Pablo

I've noticed that on re-starts, the lead car is typically a looong way back
from the pace car - I'd assume so the lead car can pick their time to 
take off and avoid the risk of catching up with the pace car.  Was the 
pace car going much slower than usual, or did Goodyear just get too
eager to get away and screw it all up ?

martin

    re .all
    
    On this Indy/Goodyear/Pace Car issue...wouldn't it be great if USAC
    agreed to place on-board telemetry on the pace car.
    
    Then we could review exactly what the pace car really did. Monitor just 3
    channels in the pace car - % throttle, braking, and MPH - all this data
    is time-stamped, then timestamp each time the light changes colors and
    what color it has changed to...mate this to the video and in-car
    telemetry....and you know exactly what and when things are happening...
    
    In fact, I would settle for just having telemetry on the pace car...
    
                                                                -mike-  

Sounds good Mike - but too complicated for the likes of me.  I like
a simple rule of "No passing the pace car, unless waved by" :-)
m

    Re: .79

    Generally the leader backs way off heading into T3, forcing the guys
    behind him to roll completely out of the throttle in order to avoid
    rear-ending him.  Then, when the leader is assured the next three or
    four guys are totally out of the boost, he (the leader) nails it,
    hoping to hit the front straight just as the light changes and the PC
    goes below the blend line.  Emerson was the guy who made an art form
    out of this over the last few years.  (Ref: last restart, '93 500.)
    Obviously this only works if the pace car is properly driven and
    maintains the proper pace, something Goodyear was counting on that 
    ended up not happening.

    Re: .80

    USAC would insist on an analog hydraulic logic computer, with the
    relays actuated by hand-formed brass pushrods.

> Re: .80
>
>    USAC would insist on an analog hydraulic logic computer, with the
>    relays actuated by hand-formed brass pushrods.

Preferably mounted in a Studebaker or a Hudson.....

Dave

I just got back to work today after attending the Indy 500.
I sat in turn 4 just past the apex, and could see roughly from
the turn-in to 4 to the start/finish line.  I chose to sit in
turn 4 because I like to see the restarts and who is entering
the pits.

By the end of this race I was thoroughly disgusted by the pace
car inconsistency and USAC over-officiating determining the
outcome more than the drivers/cars did. 

There were pace car problems 4 separate times that I saw.

1) Unable to pick up the leader (Villeneuve).  I couldn't see
   what was actually happening (I think the pace car was on the
   back stretch).  What I could see, though, was the race cars
   continually coming through turn 4 at nearly full-speed, trying
   to catch up with the "pack" (which didn't exist).  This is
   while there was a problem on-course that necessitated the
   yellow in the first place.  This can't have been very safe.

2) On some mid-race restart (not sure which lap - will need to
   watch tape), the pace car entered turn 4 at a good clip
   with the flashing lights off (indicating a restart this time)
   while there was a safety truck on the track just a few hundred
   yards ahead.  When the pace car got to where they could see
   down the front straight (where the truck is now), it slowed
   down and turned the flashing lights back on.  This would
   indicate there wasn't very good communication between the 
   pace car and other officials (maybe their radio was out and
   they were having to use a pit board :-) ).

3) On the next to last restart (Pruett leading, Goodyear 2nd),
   the pace car seemed to be slower than normal.  Pruett had
   to back off to avoid passing the pace car and got passed
   by Goodyear.  As Pruett was trying to catch Goodyear, he
   crashed.

4) On the last restart, the pace car came thru turn 4 even
   slower than with Pruett.  The timing on restarts is critical
   at Indy.  If you are the slightest bit too slow to get on
   the gas, you will get passed going into turn 1 (ask Pruett,
   or Nigel Mansell, or practically any other driver - it's 
   happened to most of them).  I'm not sure the drivers can
   even see the pace car at the point they start accelerating.
   They are dependent on the pace car doing what it is supposed
   to do and running a consistent (from one restart to the next)
   pace.  By the time Goodyear got into 4 and saw how fast he was
   catching the pace car, I think he was committed and unable to 
   slow enough.  As I was watching it, I thought I saw Goodyear
   slow slightly, then accelerate again, as though he realized
   he wasn't going to be able to stay behind the pace car so he
   just went ahead and took off.

   Goodyear is not a rookie at Indy restarts (like Nigel was).
   He was leading the field on the first restart (after the Fox
   crash).  He timed that one "almost" perfectly, and still got 
   passed by Arie.  He was 2nd in the order on the Pruett restart,
   timed it correctly, and got past the other Scott.  For him to
   mis-time the last restart so drastically also tells me that
   the pace car was too slow (besides the fact that it just plain
   looked slow).

At the next-to-last restart, I was looking forward to a great
race to the finish between Pruett and Goodyear.  I was expecting it
to be like the Unser/Goodyear duel in 92.  Pruett and Goodyear had
the fastest 2 cars in the field at this point (by far).  The 2 of them
just checked out on 3rd place Villeneuve.  Jacques was probably a second 
a lap slower.

I was sorry when Pruett crashed, because it spoiled the good race to the
finish.  At this point, I thought Goodyear could just coast home.  He had
been running laps over 220, when earlier race leaders (including Michael)
were running 214s.  To have his  apparent victory snatched away by the
pace car going slower than normal through turn 4 really ruined the race
for me.

In spite of this being the "greatest spectacle in racing", it is run
by amateurs whose ineptness often influences the outcome.  I'm so fed
up with how this race went, that I'm going to break my Indy attendance 
streak and skip the 500 next year.  I am going to spend my time/effort/$$
going to a different race instead (maybe Elkhart Lake, but I'll have to
see next year's schedule before I decide).

    Re: last
    
    Thanks, Mike.  Good report.
    
    All of us in the Northeast will be thrilled to know that New Hampshire
    International has announced that they'll be running under IRL sanction
    next year.  I'll bet someone a beer that they won't have more than 12
    cars in the field.
    
    I'm going to apply to be the pace car driver.  Can't do any worse that
    Clem Kadiddlehopper or whoever does it for USAC.
    
    George

     I was just wondering...since you aren't really on a road....do you
    even NEED a licence to drive the Indy pace car????
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Apparently not!
    Pablo
    

    
    My 2 cents worth....
    
    	First lap incident (accident):
    
    	That horrible crash on the fisrt turn  was apparently caused
    	because Fox's rear left wheel lost half of the traction on a small
    	touch to the turf  left of the track, then it skid and went
    	straight to the wall taking with him a few other cars. After hitting
    	the wall another car right behind punched a tire with the debris on
    	the track and other 3 cars went	out. Honestly, I can not describe 
    	the feeling after seeing all this right in front of me. 
    	I was in row R Sec 18 of that first turn terrace.
    
    	I hope the best for Fox and quick recovery(...)
    
    Last lap and Goodyear/Pace car incident:
    
    	Goodyear should NOT argue or be mad on his two laps penalty. HE
    ASKED FOR IT! I was listening with a scanning radio (freq. charts
    courtesy of MadMike) and I wish I had recorded this! Goodyear told his 
    crew that he was going to jump the pace car, the reply was basically 
    "be cautious, this is the last lap and you don't need to do it" he 
    responded "the other is too close" (Villenueve). When I heard this I told 
    the folks around, they were kind of surprised too... and the green flag 
    came and suddenly Goodyear was  around 30 cars ahead! 
    I yelled THE SUCKER DID IT, HE JUMPED THE PACE CAR!  
    Immediately after the two black flags were issued. 
    End of story.
    
    PS:
    	It could have been worse, there was a hare with a little bunny
    running in the grassy area behind the guardrail just next to the track,
    imagine them going under and running loose into the track!
    
    
    
    RO.
    

  fwiw:  on the satellite feed after the race, Dr. Jerry Punch suggested
that the name of the race be changed to the Infraction 500.

  I don't see how a driver with the experience of Rahal could have on
board telemetry and STILL be off by 13 mph, especially when USAC has
been very liberal with the black flag for pit road violations.

  If I remember correctly, both James Garner and Carroll Shelby hold/held
competition licenses, so either driving the pace car is not quite equivalent
to picking the guy who mows the grass.

  Even if Goodyear announced he was going to jump the start, it would have been
a lot closer call if the pace car had not been so inconsistent in it's speed;
it looked very clear to me that the pace car slowed down through turn 4
and that Goodyear tried to check up without wrecking the field or getting
rear-ended but was not able to do so safely.

  Any recent news on Stan Fox?  (Also congratulations to ABC for not putting
30 cameras on the mess and playing instant trauma center with speculation;
a couple of other networks should take a clue from that)

    
    The coolest move by ABC was one time when they came back
    from a commerical, they showed a replay, I forgot who it was,
    giving the finger to another car when he wouldn't let him by.
    
    On the first lap crash they never mentioned that Fox was almost
    completely exposed and the second time he hit the wall was
    feet first.  It was pretty tough to watch.
    
    -Dennis

    Re: half a peace sign, that was Luyendyk.  It was just his way of
    saying, "Menard is No. 1."  :-)
    
    George

    "We have debris on the track.   Lets see if we can figure out where it
    came from... oh, I believe we know where that came from.  Ah, looks
    like it came from Luyendyk's car.  Here's the replay..."
    
    Certainly one of the funnier moments in motor racing.
    
    Nearly as funny as the two announcers trying to explain European TV
    standards after they showed the (topless) woman on the boat during the
    Grand Prix of Monaco.  8^)
    
    Later...
    Steve
    

I just called Methodist Hospital's Stan Fox update line and got some
new info I haven't seen elsewhere yet.

The message says that Stan is improving.  His condition has been upgraded
to "fair".  He is making a good recovery, is conscious, has opened
his eyes, and is able to follow simple commands.

The family has asked that no more flowers be sent right now.  Cards,
letters, etc. can be sent to

  Stan Fox
  c/o Methodist Hospital
  P.O. Box 1367
  Indianapolis, IN  46206

The phone number for updates is 317-929-2000 (enter 9 when prompted).

    I don't mean to sound gory, but all I've heard about Stan were his head
    injuries.  I haven't heard of any injuries - extent or rate of healing
    - for his lower torso, feet, and legs.  Hard to believe there wasn't
    some damage to that area, though I hope I'm wrong.  
    
    Anyone have any insight on that?
    
    	Barb
    
    

Everything I have read/heard says that Stan did not suffer
any other injuries besides his head.  No broken bones or anything 
like that.

    Why pace car has to be an American car?
    
    Indy race is a long American tradition but todays CARS/ENGINES/DRIVERS
    are very international arn't they.
    
    Why not 512/tr or F40 or 348/tb or 911/turbo or NSX/r or Diablo or XJR?
    
    M

    Re: last 

    Politics, mostly.  The manufacturers bid to provide the pace car,
    courtesy cars, and service trucks.  The Speedway selects the highest
    bidder and the manufacturer gets to advertise, "we built the Indy 500
    pace car." A couple of years ago, Dodge offered the Stealth (a rebadged
    Mitsubishi 3000 GT) as the pace car.  The United Auto Workers  protested
    vigorously and the pace car was replaced by an American-built vehicle.

    I would think the manufacturers of the cars listed in .95 would have to
    link up with a sedan and truck manufacturer to have a complete bid
    that could get accepted by the Speedway.

    It's ironic, because all of the cars that run in the 500 and most of
    their engines are built in England. :-)  In fact, the only American
    built Indy car and engine on the horizon is the . . . Eagle-Toyota,
    now being built in Southern California by Dan Gurney's All-American :-)
    Racers organization and Toyota Racing Development.

    George

    now if we can only get the pace car driver to put his/her foot into
    it....   
    
    jim
    

    
    Is there a conference somewhere on the rest of the Indycar season? I
    mean I understand that this IS the most important race of the season
    but one can't discuss the Superbowl w/o talking about the rest of the
    season. If anyone knows where it is...speak up.
    
    Pablo.
    
    P.S. I believe when I first entered this conference back in early May I
    said something about this being the year for the Canuck drivers....nice
    finish by Tracy at the Miller 200. I believe that makes it 4 out of 7
    for the Red, White and Red.
    

> Is there a conference somewhere on the rest of the Indycar season? I
>    mean I understand that this IS the most important race of the season
>    but one can't discuss the Superbowl w/o talking about the rest of the
>    season. If anyone knows where it is...speak up.
 

Well, this is the place....  It gets kind of slow sometimes, but the only other
auto racing conferences are VANGA::F1 and VMSNET::[something]NASCAR.

I do have one question about the finishing order of the Indy 500.  If Scott
Goodyear was penalized 1 lap for passing the pace car, how come he is classified
like 11th, with only 195 laps completed?  Did they drop him 5 laps for ignoring
the black flag?

Dave   

    Scott's official finishing position was 14th.  They stopped scoring him
    after he ignored the black flag for three laps.  I'm told NASCAR does
    this also (surprise).
    
    George

    re: Note 365.99 by AIMTEC::BURDEN_D
    
    > but the only other auto racing conferences are VANGA::F1 and
    > VMSNET::[something]NASCAR.
    
    VMSNET::NASCAR$NOTE:NASCAR
    
    AND DON'T FORGET
    VMSNET::DRAG$NOTE:DRAG_RACING
    
    MadMike
    (moderator of both of the above)

    or maybe even TIMII::CARS_UK
    Which has some racing stuff......
    
    Matt