Rick Mears Timed at 220 in Indy Practice Lap

Rick Mears turned the fastest lap in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history Tuesday, 220.048 m.p.h., leading a near sweep by the still-unproven Chevrolet V-8 engine for the top speeds in practice for the Indianapolis 500 on May 29.

Mario Andretti, in a Lola-Chevrolet, also bettered the former unofficial track record with three laps at 219 or better.

Mears’ teammates, Al Unser and Danny Sullivan, also driving new Penske cars powered by the Chevy; Al Unser Jr., in a March-Chevy, and Roberto Guerrero and Arie Luyendyk, both using the established Cosworth engine, also ran among the leaders.

Guerrero, however, became the first crash victim when he spun twice and clipped the outside wall. The tail section of his car flew off but he was not hurt. Last fall, Guerrero suffered a serious head injury and was in a coma for 17 days after crashing during tests at the Speedway.

Practice speeds are not official. Records may be set only during qualifying or the race itself.