Gentlemen, Raise Your Umbrellas : Indianapolis 500 Rained Out; Race Rescheduled for Today

For the fourth time in 70 years, rain caused postponement of the Indianapolis 500.

For a few moments Sunday it appeared that TV’s first live showing of the 500 might get under way, but just as the crews put finishing touches on the 33 machines, umbrellas began opening in the grandstands.

This time the intermittent rain, which began about 4 a.m., did not stop and in mid-afternoon the U.S. Auto Club gave up on its attempts to hold at least half a 500. The race would have been declared official if it ran one lap more than halfway--101 laps or 252 1/2 miles.

Sunday’s timetable, including ABC-TV’s, will now be in effect today. Channel 7 will start its telecast at 8 a.m. (PDT). The race would begin at 9.

If it rains today--weather forecasts call for a 70% possibility--the race will be held Tuesday, but TV plans beyond today are undecided.

Drivers were ambivalent about the delay.

For Rick Mears, the pole-sitter from Bakersfield, who was prepared to lead the fastest field in 500 history through the first turn, it was a disappointment.

“It’s no big deal for us drivers but it’s a disappointment because of the fans,” Mears said. “Some of them can come back and some of them can’t. They were here to see a race and now some of them will have to miss it. I feel sorry for them.”

Some drivers, such as Mario Andretti, who must start from the next to the last row, were pleased that the race did not start and then run only a little past halfway.

“It would be a big disadvantage for us if it were shortened,” Andretti said. “I like to think that I need all the time I can get to catch up.”

Others, such as Josele Garza, whose crew was still making repairs on his March following a four-car accident last Thursday, were happy with the extra time.

“I feel relieved because I doubt if we could have got in a full race,” Garza said. “It would have taken us at least one pit stop to make some changes to the car, and then we’d have to play catch-up. The delay will give our crew a much needed break.”

Phil Krueger, who is driver, crew chief and head mechanic of Bob Wilkie’s year-old March, welcomed an extra day to work on his patchwork car.

“We’re one of the least prepared cars in the race, so with the delay, this will give us time to attend to one or two things,” he said. “There’s never enough time to prepare a car.”

An hour after the scheduled start, the rain had let up sufficiently for USAC officials to announce that “we’re going green in an hour and a half.”

Seventy-seven vehicles, ranging from two-ton trucks to Corvette pace cars, were running around and around in an attempt to dry the 2 1/2-mile track. At 1 p.m. it was almost completely dry, but 15 minutes later, as crews hastily covered their $250,000 machines, the race track began to darken as a misty rain returned to wipe out the work of the vehicles circling the track.

The only other times rain postponed the race were 1915, 1967 and 1973.

In 1915 it was delayed two days before Ralph DePalma won his only 500. In 1967, they ran 19 laps before rains brought out a red flag and a day’s delay. That was the race in which Parnelli Jones had his second win all but sewed up in the STP turbine when it quit four laps from the end, presenting A.J. Foyt with the third of his four wins.

The 1973 delay of two days was part of the most traumatic month of May in Indy 500 history. There was already a pall over the event as popular Art Pollard had been killed in a practice earlier in the week.

As the cars came down to take the green flag at the start, Salt Walther’s car crashed and burst into flames along the front straightaway. Walther was badly burned, 9 spectators were injured and 11 cars damaged in the accident.

Before the debris could be cleared, rain began to fall.

Two days later, when the race finally started again late on a gloomy Wednesday afternoon, it was stopped for more than an hour when Swede Savage crashed in the fourth turn and a pit worker was killed when he was hit by an emergency truck.

The whole mess finally ground to a close after 133 laps with Gordon Johncock leading at the time.

There was no checkered flag and no swig of milk in Victory Lane for Johncock, and no winner’s banquet. As an added insult, Johncock’s check was attached by creditors.

The 500 has been stopped short of the magic figure on three other occasions.

In 1931 the start was delayed two hours but Frank Lockhart ran the full 500 miles to take the checkered flag at 7:10 p.m.

THE LINEUP

FIRST ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 4 Rick Mears (Bakersfield), March-Cosworth 216.828 1 Danny Sullivan (Louisville), March-Cosworth 215.382 18 Michael Andretti (Nazareth, Pa.), March-Cosworth 214.522

SECOND ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 3 Bobby Rahal (Dublin, Ohio), March-Cosworth 213.550 11 Al Unser (Albuquerque, N.M.), Penske-Chevy 212.295 7 Kevin Cogan (Redondo Beach), March-Cosworth 211.922

THIRD ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 33 Tom Sneva (Paradise Valley, Ariz.), March-Cosworth 211.878 5 Roberto Guerrero (Colombia), March Cosworth 211.576 30 Al Unser Jr. (Albuquerque, N.M.), Lola-Cosworth 211.533

FOURTH ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 66 Ed Pimm (Dublin, Ohio), March-Cosworth 210.874 20 Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil), March-Cosworth 210.237 21 Johnny Rutherford (Fort Worth), March-Cosworth 210.220

FIFTH ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 12 *Randy Lanier (Davie, Fla.), March-Cosworth 209.964 15 Pancho Carter (Brownsburg, Ind.), Lola-Cosworth 209.635 81 *Jacques Villeneuve (Canada), March-Cosworth 209.397

SIXTH ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 25 Danny Ongais (Santa Ana), March-Buick 209.158 55 Josele Garza (Mexico), March-Cosworth 208.939 16 Tony Bettenhausen (Indianapolis), March-Cosworth 208.933

SEVENTH ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 61 Arie Luyendyk (Netherlands), Lola-Cosworth 207.811 8 Geoff Brabham (Noblesville, Ind.), Lola-Cosworth 207.082 14 A.J. Foyt (Houston), March-Cosworth 213.212

EIGHTH ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 22 Raul Boesel (Brazil), Lola-Cosworth 211.202 71 Scott Brayton (Coldwater, Mich.), March-Buick 208.079 42 *Phil Krueger (Indianapolis), March-Cosworth 207.948

NINTH ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 59 Chip Ganassi (Pittsburgh), March-Cosworth 207.590 31 Jim Crawford (Scotland), March-Buick 208.911 6 Rich Vogler (Indianapolis), March-Cosworth 208.089

TENTH ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 95 Johnny Parsons (Indianapolis), March-Cosworth 207.894 24 Gary Bettenhausen (Monrovia, Ind.), March-Cosworth 209.756 2 xMario Andretti (Nazareth, Pa.), Lola-Cosworth No speed

ELEVENTH ROW

No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Engine Speed 84 xGeorge Snider (Bakersfield), March-Cosworth No speed 9 *xRoberto Moreno (Brazil), Lola-Cosworth No speed 23 yDick Simon (San Juan Capistrano), Lola-Cosworth 204.978

*--Rookie driver. x--to compete in backup car. y--Added to field as alternate after withdrawal of Dennis Firestone.