Fittipaldi Has Pole for Week With 225.301

Al Unser Jr. has waited a year to get another chance at Emerson Fittipaldi at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Fittipaldi won a next-to-the-last-lap shootout in the Indianapolis 500 last year.

Now Unser will have to wait another week for a chance at knocking Fittipaldi off the pole for the 74th 500 on May 27.

Fittipaldi, 43, the defending 500 champion from Brazil, ran four consecutive record laps Sunday for a record 10-mile average of 225.301 m.p.h. to put his 1990 Marlboro Penske-Chevy in the No. 1 starting position--temporarily at least.

Unser, who set an unofficial track record of 228.502 m.p.h. in his Lola-Chevy on Friday, was left waiting at the gate Sunday when the track was closed at 6 p.m. CDT.

An all-day rain Saturday and morning mist Sunday prevented time trials from starting until 4:34 p.m., which offered enough time for only 15 cars to qualify. At least three drivers capable of posting front-row speeds--Unser, Danny Sullivan and Arie Luyendyk--were among the candidates unable to make an attempt.

“Everybody in Indianapolis will have to wait until next Saturday for the fastest time of the month,” Unser said, only half jokingly.

Every driver in the qualifying order is guaranteed at least one opportunity to qualify before the 33-car field is declared full. Qualifying will resume Saturday. Once the field is completed, slower cars may be bumped from the field during next week’s trials.

Qualifying ended when sprint car champion Rich Vogler crashed one of Frank Arciero’s Penske-Buicks in the second turn at 5:54 p.m. Vogler was unhurt in the day’s only accident and was planning to drive a sprint car Sunday night at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Fittipaldi, who ran a practice lap of 228.102 m.p.h. about an hour before qualifying began, broke Rick Mears’ one-lap record of 224.254 m.p.h. on his first official lap and then continued to better it on each of the succeeding three times around the 2.5-mile rectangular oval.

His consecutive lap speeds were 225.006, 225.259, 225.366 and 225.575 for a four-lap average of 225.301. Mears’ four-lap record, set last year, was 223.885.

Mears, who has been on the pole here a record five times, had an opportunity to get his records back, but he could manage only a 224.215 average. That was good for the middle of the front row. Bobby Rahal, Unser’s Kraco-Galles teammate, was third fastest at 222.694.

It probably won’t last after next Saturday’s trials, but the second row at the moment is all Andrettis. Michael at 222.055, father Mario is at 222.025, and nephew-cousin John at 219.484. “In another hundred years, the Andrettis should be able to fill the field,” John said after putting his Porsche safely in the field. “As for being the third Andretti on our row, it’s this way: I’m not allowed to beat Mario yet.”

Fittipaldi, who won two world Formula One driving championships before coming out of retirement to join the Indy car circuit in 1984, switched from the Chip Ganassi-Pat Patrick team after last year’s winning season to become a teammate of Mears and Sullivan on Penske’s super team.

“I hope I stay there (on the pole), but I’m very anxious about it,” Fittipaldi said after the clock struck 6. “I think, for sure, it is an advantage to have qualified today. We can concentrate on running full tanks of fuel, and all we will be thinking about is the race.

“I hope (Unser) Junior doesn’t beat it, but I think he can. It’s a nice buildup for the public. Most of the drivers were very pleased to get it over with. We were all very anxious. It was raining, drying, raining, drying. Very much pressure.”

The last time the 500 had a provisional pole sitter was in 1981 when A.J. Foyt was the fastest of nine qualifiers in the first weekend. On the second weekend he was bumped to the outside of the front row by Bobby Unser and the late Mike Mosley.

Unser was philosophical about his plight, but Sullivan, who would have been next up had Vogler not crashed, was not happy.

“Emotionally, you get really pumped up for qualifying and I was ready,” Sullivan said. “I put on my helmet, got in the car and was really pumped up. Conditions were ideal and I wanted to go. Now we have to wait an entire week. It could be windy, all kinds of things can happen.”

Unser said he got up knowing that the 61st starting position drawn by car owner Rick Galles was not likely to be called, so he took it easy during the half-hour practice session before qualifying began.

“I wasn’t going to take the car out at all, but my father (four-time 500 winner Al Unser) said I had to, because there was always a possibility that enough drivers would pass (their qualifying attempt) that I might be called,” Unser said. “I went out, but I didn’t take it hard into (turns) one and three. I was very cautious.

“The car felt identical to the way it did Friday. I would rather have run today because conditions were perfect--cool and overcast--and you never know what next Saturday will be like.”

One rookie, Scott Goodyear of Canada, is among the 15 qualifiers and he is the slowest at 213.622, a speed that could be vulnerable if weather conditions are right next Saturday. “I don’t come from an oval background, so I was a little nervous on the first lap,” the former North American karting champion said. “This is the first time I’ve done anything like this. At least I got the big one over with.”

With the temperature at 52 degrees, conditions were so ideal that six of the qualifiers posted faster four-lap times than their fastest single lap during the week-long practice. The biggest improvement came from Kevin Cogan, who has been driving Jim Busby’s Nissan in International Motor Sports Assn. races; and Randy Lewis, a veteran campaigner who is the No. 1 driver for Arciero’s stable of used Penske-Buicks.

Cogan improved from 213.381 to 217.738 and Lewis increased his speed from one lap at 214.352 to four at 218.412.

Among those who will have to wait another week for their first effort are Bernard Jourdain, Pancho Carter, Eddie Cheever and former winners Foyt and Tom Sneva, all of whom who have practice speeds of better than 217 m.p.h. Also waiting are Mike Groff, Rocky Moran and the two Alfa Romeo drivers, Roberto Guerrero and the senior Unser, who hope the extra week will enable them to find added horsepower and more speed.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PARTIAL LINEUP No. Driver (Hometown), Car-Eng.: Speed FIRST ROW 1. Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazi), Penske-Chevy: 225.301 2. Rick Mears (Bakersfield), Penske-Chevy: 224.215 19. Bobby Rahal (Dublin, Ohio), Lola-Chevy: 222.694 SECOND ROW 3. Michael Andretti (Nazareth, Pa.), Lola-Chevy: 222.055 6. Mario Andretti (Nazareth, Pa.), Lola-Chevy: 222.025 41. John Andretti (Indianapolis), March-Porsche: 219.484 THIRD ROW 86. Dominic Dobson (Fairfax, Calif.), Lola-Cosworth: 219.230 12. Randy Lewis (Hillsborough, Calif.), Penske-Buick: 218.412 16. Tony Bettenhausen (Indianapolis), Lola-Buick: 218.368 FOURTH ROW 11. Kevin Cogan (Palos Verdes Estates), Penske-Buick: 217.738 19. Raul Boesel (Brazil), Lola-Judd: 217.381 51. Gary Bettenhausen (Monrovia, Ind.), Lola-Buick: 217.264 FIFTH ROW 21. Geoff Brabham (Australia), Lola-Judd: 216.580 70. Didier Theys (Belgium), Penske-Buick: 214.033 28. *Scott Goodyear (Canada), Lola-Judd: 213.622 *--Rookie. Average speed of field--219.177