THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 : Teamwork on First Turn? It’s a Safe Bet

For the first time in 72 years, the front row of the Indianapolis 500 will have three teammates lined up across the 50-foot wide track when they take the starter’s flag today.

Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and defending champion Al Unser will be in cars of different sponsors, but all will be under the control of car owner and team boss Roger Penske. All will be in Penske PC-17s, the latest in British-built equipment, powered by Ilmor-Chevy engines, another British-built product with an American sounding name.

With his own men leading the parade of 33 cars into the first turn, it would seem likely that Penske would assure that the 72nd running of the world’s most famous automobile race would have a safe start. But it doesn’t always follow.

“We’ll have some serious discussions of the first turn and the first lap,” Penske said. “We don’t want any repeats of 1982.”

That was the year that Penske had Mears on the pole and Kevin Cogan alongside him. A.J. Foyt was on the outside.

As the field roared toward the start-finish line, seconds before the start, Cogan veered sharply to the right, bouncing off Foyt’s car back across the track where he was rammed by the charging Mario Andretti. Cogan, who said a piece broke in the driveshaft of his Penske PC-10, and Andretti were out of the race, as were trailing cars driven by Dale Whittington and Roger Mears that were caught in the confusion of the false start.

“Once the green flag drops, the three guys are on their own,” Penske said. “But there is such a thing as being careful that early in the race.”

Mears, as he did in 1982, will bring the field down for the start at the speed he feels comfortable--probably between 195 and 200 m.p.h.

“I’ll be more concerned with being smooth and careful,” Mears said. “Very careful. Who goes through the turn first depends on whatever order we’re lined up in.

“If it was one car at a time, the guy on the outside would have the best line, but if the car on the pole gets there first, the guy on the outside has to lift. Everybody else has to line up. It’s a one-car groove going through there.”

Mears qualified at a record 219.198 m.p.h., Sullivan at 216.214 and Unser at 215.270, making it the fastest front row in history.

“It doesn’t mean anything as far as determining the outcome of the race,” Sullivan said. “But I think it was a pretty good statement to the other teams to see all three of us in front. They’ve got to be thinking they’re all a little bit behind.”

The main concern for the Penske phalanx is Mario Andretti, who will be right behind Mears on the inside of the second row. Coincidentally, it’s the same spot he was in in 1982 when he gathered up the out-of-control Cogan.

“Mario will be sticking his nose in there somewhere,” Mears said. “I’ve never seen him not do it. He’ll try to be right on my tail, but this time I’ve got two guys up there with me.”

Andretti, winless here since 1969 despite being the favorite on a number of occasions, has waged a speed battle all month with Mears except on qualifying day when his Lola-Chevy mysteriously lost its speed. After running better than 220 m.p.h. in practice, Andretti could coax only 214.692 m.p.h. from his ill-handling machine.

“I’ll admit I’m still disappointed, but since then we’ve completely rebuilt the engine, and I’m very happy with the car,” Andretti said.

During Thursday’s final practice, Andretti was once again fastest with a lap at 215.105 m.p.h. with a full tank of fuel.

“We’re really not so badly off as I feared,” he said. “We’re starting behind three very seasoned and reliable drivers and alongside two equally talented drivers (Al Unser Jr. and Arie Luyendyk). If there is any group of guys to be starting with, these are the ones.

“I’ll be trying to get to the front as fast as I can. When you’re out in front, you don’t have to worry about anyone else’s dirty air. The turbulence out there in traffic is terrible.”

Not so fortunate are three veterans, two-time Indy-car driving champion Bobby Rahal, four-time winner Foyt and three-time winner Johnny Rutherford. They are all in the back half of the field, mixed in with five rookies and a number of drivers in slow cars.

Dominic Dobson, a road-racing instructor from Fairfax, Calif., heads the rookie contingent. Dobson, driving a car with a single engine that is so tender that the team did not practice Thursday, set a rookie qualifying record of 210.096 m.p.h.

Other rookies are John Andretti, Mario’s nephew, and a proven Indy-car driver who had four strong finishes last season; Billy Vukovich III, grandson of the 1953 and 1954 winner, and the United States Auto Club super modified champion; Rocky Moran, 38, and Tero Palmroth, 35, both with limited oval-racing experience. Palmroth is a former ice and speedboat racer from Finland who served in the Finnish Navy as an attack boat pilot before taking up driving a race car.

Rahal, the 1986 winner, failed to qualify on opening day and took a slower than desired time on the second day to assure getting in the race. His crew accepted a 208.526 speed, which left him in the seventh row. Thursday, however, with 40 gallons of fuel instead of the 10 he used during qualifying, Rahal clipped off a 212 m.p.h. lap with his Honda-Judd engine.

“If the race runs according to form, we could have a big advantage by taking one pit stop less than the cars with the Chevy engines,” Rahal said. “The Judd is getting great mileage.”

Mario Ilien, designer of the Chevy engine, was not impressed by Rahal’s comments.

“If your car is slower, naturally you will have better fuel economy,” Ilien said.

Everyone knows the Chevrolets have more horsepower, but the question unanswered is their reliability, their ability to complete 500 miles around the tortuous 2 1/2-mile rectangular oval that has changed little since it was first laid out in 1909.

The Cosworth V-8, developed from a Ford Formula One engine, has been in every winning car at Indianapolis since 1978.

“The Chevys are going to be awful tough to beat this year because there are so many of them,” said Michael Andretti, who will start on the inside of the fourth row in the fastest March-Cosworth in the field. There are six Chevy-powered cars, all in the hands of proven winners.

The first four--Mears, Sullivan, Unser and Mario Andretti--are all former winners here. Al Unser Jr. was a runaway winner of the Long Beach Grand Prix last month and the sixth driver, Emerson Fittipaldi, is a former two-time world Formula One champion.

“It’s tough to count on all six of them breaking,” Michael Andretti said. “Our best chance is for a very hot day. If the oil and the grease and the rubber start oozing up from the track surface, it’s going to get very slippery, and that will slow down the faster cars. I’m hoping it’s real hot on Sunday.”

He may get his wish. Forecasts for today are for sunny skies with temperatures in the high 80s.

Mears, who won the Pocono 500 last year in a March-Chevy, sees no problem in going the distance.

“Five hundred miles is 500 miles, no matter where you do it, so I don’t see all this question about the Chevy being capable of finishing,” Mears said. “The main thing is to establish a pace fast enough to win but slow enough to finish. I think it will be a very competitive race. I wouldn’t be surprised if my toughest competition at the end came from my teammates, but I’m not counting out a number of other drivers, too. Especially Mario.”

Al Unser, who won last year in a March-Cosworth, says there is more than the Chevy engine that is different as far as the Penske team is concerned.

“The new Penske is a happy race car,” Unser said. “It’s forgiving, it’s predictable and it’s comfortable. A race driver can’t ask for much more than that. Except to be leading on the last lap.”

Unser, who will turn 49 today, hopes to become the first to win five Indy 500s today, but he discounts the significance of the numbers. Foyt, who will start today from the eighth row alongside rookie Vukovich, also has four wins.

“Thinking about No. 4, or No. 5, or any number is something for you reporters, not for us,” Unser said. “A.J.’s not in this race because he’s after his fifth win. He’s after a win, period. I’ve read where the only reason he’s here is because he wants a fifth win. That’s got nothing to do with it.

“He’s here because he’s a full-fledged race driver who is still a very competitive man. And if he feels the same way next year, he’ll be back, whether he or I or anyone else wins this year.”

Foyt, by starting today’s race, will add to one record that seems unapproachable. This will be his 31st consecutive 500, dating back to his rookie year in 1958 when some of the other drivers were Jimmy Bryan, Rodger Ward, Jim Rathmann, Pat O’Connor, Johnnie Parsons and Eddie Sachs, drivers either dead or long since retired.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 LINEUP

FIRST ROW No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Eng. Speed 5. Rick Mears (Bakersfield), Penske-Chevy 219.198 9. Danny Sullivan (Louisville), Penske-Chevy 216.214 1. Al Unser (Albuquerque, N.M.), Penske-Chevy 215.270 SECOND ROW 6. Mario Andretti (Nazareth, Pa.), Lola-Chevy 214.692 3. Al Unser Jr. (Albuquerque), March-Chevy 214.186 7. Arie Luyendyk (Netherlands), Lola-Cosworth 213.611 THIRD ROW 91. Scott Brayton (Coldwater, Mich.), Lola-Buick 212.624 20. Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil), March-Chevy 212.512 10. Derek Daly (Ireland), Lola-Cosworth 212.295 FOURTH ROW 18. Michael Andretti (Nazareth, Pa.), March-Cosw. 210.183 24. Randy Lewis (Hillsborough, Calif.), Lola-Cosw. 209.774 2. Roberto Guerrero (Colombia), Lola-Cosworth 209.633 FIFTH ROW 11. Kevin Cogan (Palos Verdes), March-Cosworth 209.552 81. Tom Sneva (Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Lola-Judd 208.659 97. Phil Krueger (Indianapolis), March-Cosworth 208.212 SIXTH ROW 22. Dick Simon (Capistrano Beach), Lola-Cosworth 207.555 8. Teo Fabi (Italy), March-Porsche 207.244 15. Jim Crawford (Scotland), Lola-Buick 210.564 SEVENTH ROW 4. Bobby Rahal (Dublin, Ohio), Lola-Judd 208.526 30. Raul Boesel (Brazil), March-Cosworth 211.058 92. *Dominic Dobson (Fairfax, Calif.), Lola-Cos. 210.096 EIGHTH ROW 14. A.J. Foyt (Houston), Lola-Cosworth 209.696 56. *Billy Vukovich III (Crsgld, Calif.), March-Cosw. 208.545 16. Tony Bettenhausen (Indianapolis), Lola-Cosw. 208.342 NINTH ROW 23. *Tero Palmroth (Finland), Lola-Cosworth 208.001 35. Steve Chassey (Carmel, Ind.), Lola-Cosworth 207.951 98. *John Andretti (Indianapolis), Lola-Cosworth 207.894 TENTH ROW 48. *Rocky Moran (Pasadena), March-Cosworth 207.181 84. Stan Fox (Janesville, Wis.), March-Chevy 208.578 17. Johnny Rutherford (Fort Worth), Lola-Buick 208.442 ELEVENTH ROW 71. Ludwig Heimrath Jr. (Canada), Lola-Cosworth 207.215 29. Rich Vogler (Indianapolis), March-Cosworth 207.126 21. Howdy Holmes (Ann Arbr, Mich.), Mrch-Cosw. 206.970

*--Rookie.

Average speed of field--210.188