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Motor Racing : Andretti Heads Long Beach Field

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Thirty-one Indy-car drivers, headed by national champion Mario Andretti, have entered Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, first of 14 races making up the PPG Indy-car series.

Andretti is also the defending champion in the 150-mile race around Long Beach’s 11-turn, 1.67-mile street circuit, which was used by Indy cars for the first time last year. Andretti also won in Long Beach in 1977 when the race was for Formula One cars.

Twenty-four cars will qualify for the $648,000 race in two 75-minute sessions, Friday at 2:15 p.m. and Saturday at noon. The race will start at 2 p.m. Sunday.

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Nearly every prominent Indy-car driver is entered, with the exception of Rick Mears, last year’s Indianapolis 500 winner, and A.J. Foyt. Mears is recuperating from leg injuries suffered in a crash last summer, and Foyt will wait until Indianapolis to make his Indy-car debut this season. Al Unser has replaced Mears in Roger Penske’s March-Cosworth.

Kevin Cogan, who also suffered foot injuries in a crash last year at Pocono, Pa., will return to action for the first time as Michael Andretti’s teammate in another March.

Four other races are scheduled as supporting attractions to the Grand Prix. Saturday, there will be a pro-celebrity race and a Sports Car Club of America championship event for Super Vees. Sunday, there will be a pro kart race and a Jim Russell Pro Series race.

Among the celebrity drivers will be motorcycle champion Kenny Roberts, former Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones, Olympic swimming gold medalist Steve Lundquist, pro football’s Mark Gastineau, and entertainers Jackie Jackson, Eddie Van Halen, Lorenzo Lamas, Tony Danza and Perry King.

The Super Vees, which have become a training ground for Indy-car hopefuls, may give fans a look at future champions. The Grand Prix entry list includes five former Super Vee national champions--Geoff Brabham in 1979, Al Unser Jr. in 1981, Michael Andretti in 1982, Ed Pimm in 1983, and Arie Luyendyk in 1984.

Luyendyk, a native of Holland, drove in one Indy-car race last year and is expected to be a candidate for Rookie of the Year this season. Super Vee favorites include Jeff MacPherson, Mike Miller and Jeff Andretti, whose brother Michael and father Mario will be in Sunday’s main event.

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Grand Prix entries, with car numbers:

1. Mario Andretti, Nazareth, Pa., Lola-Cosworth; 2. Tom Sneva, Paradise Valley, Ariz., Eagle-Cosworth; 3. Bobby Rahal, Columbus, Ohio, March-Cosworth; 4. Danny Sullivan, Louisville, Ky., March-Cosworth; 5. Al Unser, Albuquerque, N.M., March-Cosworth; 6. Pancho Carter, Brownsburg, Ind., March-Buick; 7. Geoff Brabham, San Clemente, March-Cosworth; 9. Roberto Guerrero, Colombia, March-Cosworth; 12. Bill Whittington, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Lola-Cosworth; 18. Kevin Cogan, Redondo Beach, March-Cosworth; 19. Dale Coyne, Plainfield, Ill., Lola-Chevrolet.

20. Bruno Giacomelli, Italy, March-Cosworth; 21. Johnny Rutherford, Fort Worth, Tex., March-Cosworth; 22. Dick Simon, San Juan Capistrano, March-Cosworth; 23. Raul Boesel, Brazil, March-Cosworth; 24. Rocky Moran, Arcadia, March-Cosworth; 25. Danny Ongais, Santa Ana, March-Cosworth; 27. Dick Ferguson, Los Angeles, Lola-Cosworth; 30. Al Unser Jr., Albuquerque, N.M., Lola-Cosworth; 33. Howdy Holmes, Ann Arbor, Mich., Lola-Cosworth; 34. Jim Crawford, England, Lola-Cosworth; 36. Dennis Firestone, Los Angeles, March-Cosworth.

40. Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazil, March-Cosworth; 55. Josele Garza, Mexico, March-Cosworth; 57. Randy Lanier, Fort Lauderdale, Lola-Cosworth; 62. Arie Luyendyk, Holland, Lola-Cosworth; 71. Michael Roe, Ireland, Lola-Cosworth; 76. Jacques Villeneuve, Canada, March-Cosworth; 98. Ed Pimm, Dublin, Ohio, Eagle-Cosworth; 99. Michael Andretti, Nazareth, Pa., Lola-Cosworth.

SPRINT CARS--Three-time California Racing Assn. champion Dean Thompson will make his 1985 debut Saturday night in Ascot Park’s “Salute to Long Beach.” Thompson, 34, who has won 100 sprint car main events, was sidelined by bladder surgery and has missed the season’s first seven events. Also entered in the Kraco-CRA feature are John Andretti, eighth-place finisher in last year’s U. S. Auto Club standings, and Lealand McSpadden, who returned from a tour of Australia last week to win a sprint car main event at Baylands Speedway near San Jose. Andretti is Mario’s nephew.

STOCK CARS--Modifieds will return to Saugus Speedway Saturday night with track champion Ken Sapper looking for his second win. Chuck Pittenger and Dan Press, who led portions of last week’s race, will be back for another shot at Sapper. . . . Cajon Speedway will open its 25th season Saturday night in El Cajon with a 30-lap main event for super stocks and a 20-lap event for pro stocks.

SPEEDWAY CYCLES--National champion Kelly Moran is still trying to qualify for his first main event at the Orange County Fairgrounds as the speedway season enters its third week. He will try again Friday night against top money winners Keith Chrisco, Mike Faria and Brad Oxley. . . . Ascot Park’s new 5,000-seat South Bay Stadium will hold its first speedway program next Thursday night, on a 220-yard oval. Retired world champion Bruce Penhall has been working with Chris Agajanian, youngest son of the late J. C. Agajanian, on the track design.

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MOTOCROSS--The SoCal Pro Points series will continue Sunday at Quail Canyon, near Gorman, then will move to Ascot Park April 19 and Carlsbad Raceway April 21.

SPORTS CARS--The Atlanta Grand Prix for Camel GT prototypes, third event in the International Motor Sports Assn. championship series, will be held Sunday at Road Atlanta. The next race after that is the Times-Nissan Grand Prix of Endurance April 28 at Riverside. Atlanta favorites include Al Holbert, Jim Busby-Rick Knoop and Pete Halsmer-John Morton in Porsche 962s; Bob Tullius-Chip Robinson and Brian Redman-Hurley Haywood in Jaguar XJRs; John Paul Jr.-Bill Adam and Ken Madren-Wayne Pickering in Porsche-Marches; and Darin Brassfield-Steve Shelton in Chevrolet-Marches.

POTPOURRI--Ascot Park will have a little something for everyone Sunday night with a program of off-road TT buggies, mini-stocks on a quarter-mile oval and National Midget Racing Assn. three-quarter midgets. . . . Pro karts will race Friday night at Saugus Speedway. . . . Last year’s Superbikers International, with riders from road racing, dirt track and motocross competing at Carlsbad, will be shown Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on Channel 7. . . . Riverside International Raceway’s monthly drag program is set for Sunday. . . . James Hyneman, sports information director at UC Riverside, has been named director of public relations at Riverside International Raceway, replacing Bob Russo, who resigned to handle Danny Sullivan’s Indy-car promotions.

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