Auto Racing Roundup : Bettenhausen, Snider Bump Simon

Veterans George Snider and Gary Bettenhausen Sunday completed the 33-car lineup for the next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, beating the rain and foiling 52-year-old Dick Simon’s bid to become the oldest starter in the history of the race.

Rain threatened to cancel the fourth and final day of time trials, as it fell throughout the morning.

Simon, who started the day as the slowest of the first 32 qualifiers, waited nervously through a three-hour rain delay.

Then the track was dry enough to open for a mandatory 30-minute practice session at 4:08 p.m. EDT, just under three hours from the scheduled conclusion of the time trials.

Snider, in one of A.J. Foyt’s two backup cars, qualified almost effortlessly with a 10-mile qualifying run of 209.025 m.p.h.

Snider, who will drive in his 21st 500, the most ever by a non-winner, drove a Cosworth-powered March rather than the Chevrolet V6-powered car that Foyt had hoped to get into the lineup.

That left Simon on the bubble, meaning his car would be bumped from the field if any other driver turned in a faster four-lap average speed than his 204.978 m.p.h.

First, Steve Chassey, who drove in the 1983 Indy 500, tried and failed, coming up with just one lap over 206 and another barely over 204 before pulling off the track.

Then came Bettenhausen, the 44-year-old son of the late Tony Bettenhausen, who was killed in a crash in practice in 1961 at the Speedway. Gary, choking back tears after completing his third and final qualifying attempt this year, joined his younger brother, Tony Jr., in the lineup with a speed of 209.756 m.p.h.

That bumped Simon and left Geoff Brabham of Australia as the slowest qualifier at 207.082. Rookie Rick Miaskiewicz made a try to bump Brabham, but only managed two laps at about 203. Then came Derek Daly, a veteran from Ireland, who had done one lap at over 206 before it started raining again.

That closed the track and ended qualifying with the 33 starters averaging a racing-record 210.358 m.p.h. The previous record was 208.138 set in qualifying for last year’s Indy 500.

Rick Mears will lead the field into Sunday’s race. Mears set the pace in the first weekend of qualifying, leading 23 first-day qualifiers with a record four-lap average of 216.828 m.p.h. and a single-lap record of 217.581. The slowest qualifier a year ago was Tony Bettenhausen at 204.824.

At the Dover Downs Speedway at Dover, Del., Geoff Bodine grabbed the lead off a late caution flag and out-raced Bobby Allison to win the NASCAR Budweiser 500.

It was Bodine’s second win this year. Allison finished three seconds behind Bodine, who had an average speed of 115.009 m.p.h. Dale Earnhardt, who battled for the lead throughout the race, finished a lap behind in third place.

Ricky Rudd, who won the pole, was fourth, and defending Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip was a second behind him.

Bodine took the lead at the end of the next-to-last caution period, which was brought about by a spectacular crash involving Jody Ridley, who bounced off the outside wall near the start/finish line on the 451st lap, then crossed the track and slammed into the inside wall.

Ridley was taken to a local hospital with slight facial burns and was held overnight for observation.

Of the 37 cars that started the race, 17 were running at the end. There were several blown engines and spinouts.

At the IMSA races at the Charlotte Motor Speedway at Harrisburg, N.C., Drake Olson and Price Cobb won their first Grand Prix race, finishing two laps ahead of Bob Akin and Hans Stuck.

Both teams fielded Porsche 962s, but the Bob Akin Motor Racing team was no match for Dyson Racing, which took the lead for good on lap No. 39 of the 138-lap event on the 2.25-mile course.