Old-Timers Do the Bump to Race Indy

Two former champions made it, but one didn’t as the annual “bump day” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway turned up its anticipated last-hour heroics Sunday.

Tom Sneva and Gordon Johncock squeezed into the 33-car lineup for Sunday’s 76th annual Indianapolis 500. Three-time champion Johnny Rutherford, unable to bring his car up to speed, was not so fortunate.

Rutherford was the last driver on the track when the 6 p.m. gun sounded to end time trials, but he couldn’t get around any faster than 217 m.p.h., and he needed at least 219.174 to bump rookie Ted Prappas of Los Angeles from the starting lineup.

Prappas was still celebrating edging fellow Angeleno Mike Groff from the field when Rutherford was on the track.

“I didn’t have time to even think about being on the bubble myself,” Prappas said. “The last two weeks had been the lowest of my life, but the last five minutes were the highest.”

Officially, Prappas bumped Scott Goodyear of Canada, but Groff was Goodyear’s backup driver. When Goodyear was bumped, Groff gave him the car Groff qualified. The switch caused Goodyear to be dropped to the rear of the field, where he will start 33rd.

Sneva did not even sit in a car until Saturday morning, when he was chosen to drive a Lola-Buick for John Menard, who already had Gary Bettenhausen and Al Unser in the race.

“We may need some Geritol in that garage,” Sneva said. At 44, he is the youngster of the group. Bettenhausen is 50 and Unser, a four-time winner of the 500, will turn 53 Tuesday.

Rocky Moran was Menard’s first choice for the third car, but the Pasadena driver couldn’t fit into the tiny Lola cockpit.

“I was the last guy standing in the parking lot (when Menard was looking for a driver),” Sneva said. “I remember kickball games when I was a kid when I got picked last. It’s the same. I was just there.”

Mario Andretti had suggested Sneva to Menard, saying on Friday, “If I were a car owner, I’d put Sneva in my car.” Menard said he agreed, but couldn’t find Sneva.

“I was out playing golf,” Sneva said.

Sneva was on his third and last effort when he qualified at 219.737.

At hour later, when Johncock bumped rookie Jim Vasser of San Francisco with a 219.288 effort, it made a record 10 former winners, with 20 victories among them, in Sunday’s race. The old record was nine, in 1987.

“I’ve been coming here since 1965, and outside of 1971 when (teammate) Peter Revson and I blew eight engines between us and I didn’t qualify until the last day on my last chance, this last month is the worst,” Johncock said.

“I’m not going to lie to you. A couple of times I felt like going home to the farm (in Michigan) and forgetting this.”

Vasser made one of the quickest turn-arounds in qualifying history when he jumped into the Hayhoe-Cole team’s other Lola-Chevy and became the fastest rookie in history with a four-lap average of 222.313 m.p.h.

“We had been prepared for a week to be bumped,” Vasser said. “I was just happy we were bumped early, so we got another shot. With the uncertain weather, there were all kinds of scenarios. My job was simple. I just get in the car and qualify it.”

Groff, the last man bumped, and Rutherford, the last man on the track, weren’t the only ones disappointed Sunday. Tony Bettenhausen, who had been in 10 of the last 11 Indianapolis 500s, fell short with laps no faster than 215 m.p.h., after running 222.4 a week earlier in practice. Others who tried and lost included Kenji Momota, who qualified early in the day and then was bumped by Vasser; Mark Dismore, Johnny Parsons and Didier Theys.

Dominic Dobson, who didn’t get a Chevy engine for his car until last Thursday, qualified at 220.359 for his fifth 500.

Two teams filed a protest against Johncock, alleging that he had used the same Buick engine that had been used by Buddy Lazier to qualify another car. Both protests were disallowed by the United States Auto Club.

“There is no rule in our rulebook against such a situation,” chief steward Thomas Binford said. The engine apparently had been sent back to Buick for rebuilding after Lazier qualified last week, and after it was returned, it was placed in Johncock’s car.

Indianapolis 500 Lineup The lineup for the May 24 Indianapolis 500, listing driver, hometown or country, chassis-engine, and four-lap average speed in miles per hour: Row 1 Driver: 1. Roberto Guerrero, San Juan Capistrano Chassis-Engine: Lola-Buick Speed: 232.482 Driver: 2. Eddie Cheever, Aspen, Colo. Chassis-Engine: Lola-Ford Cosworth Speed: 229.639 Driver: 3. Mario Andretti, Nazareth, Pa. Chassis-Engine: Lola-Ford Cosworth Speed: 229.503 Row 2 Driver: 4. Arie Luyendyk, Netherlands Chassis-Engine: Lola-Ford Cosworth Speed: 229.127 Driver: 5. Gary Bettenhausen, Monrovia, Ind. Chassis-Engine: Lola-Buick Speed: 228.932 Driver: 6. Michael Andretti, Nazareth, Pa. Chassis-Engine: Lola-Ford Cosworth Speed: 228.169 Row 3 Driver: 7. Scott Brayton, Coldwater, Mich. Chassis-Engine: Lola-Buick Speed: 226.142 Driver: 8. Danny Sullivan, Aspen, Colo. Chassis-Engine: Galmer-Chevy A Speed: 224.838 Driver: 9. Rick Mears, Jupiter, Fla. Chassis-Engine: Penske-Chevy B Speed: 224.594 Row 4 Driver: 10. Bobby Rahal, Dublin, Ohio Chassis-Engine: Lola-Chevy A Speed: 224.158 Driver: 11. Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazil Chassis-Engine: Penske-Chevy B Speed: 223.607 Driver: 12. Al Unser Jr., Albuquerque, N.M. Chassis-Engine: Galmer-Chevy A Speed: 222.989 Row 5 Driver: 13. Stan Fox, Janesville, Wis. Chassis-Engine: 1991 Lola-Buick Speed: 222.867 Driver: 14. John Andretti, Indianapolis Chassis-Engine: Lola-Chevy A Speed: 222.644 Driver: 15. R-Eric Bachelart, Belgium Chassis-Engine: 1990 Lola-Buick Speed: 221.549 Row 6 Driver: 16. R-Philippe Gache, France Chassis-Engine: 1991 Lola-Chevy A Speed: 221.496 Driver: 17. Scott Pruett, Dublin, Ohio Chassis-Engine: Truesports-Chevy A Speed: 220.464 Driver: 18. John Paul Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla. Chassis-Engine: 1990 Lola-Buick Speed: 220.244 Row 7 Driver: 19. R-Paul Tracy, Canada Chassis-Engine: 1991 Penske-Chevy A Speed: 219.751 Driver: 20. Jeff Andretti, Nazareth, Pa. Chassis-Engine: Lola-Chevy A Speed: 219.306 Driver: 21. Jim Crawford, Scotland Chassis-Engine: Lola-Buick Speed: 228.859 Row 8 Driver: 22. Al Unser, Albuquerque, N.M. Chassis-Engine: Lola-Buick Speed: 223.744 Driver: 23. A.J. Foyt, Houston Chassis-Engine: Lola-Chevy A Speed: 222.798 Driver: 24. Buddy Lazier, Vail, Colo. Chassis-Engine: 1990 Lola-Buick Speed: 222.688 Row 9 Driver: 25. Raul Boesel, Brazil Chassis-Engine: Lola-Chevy A Speed: 222.434 Driver: 26. R-Brian Bonner, Boston Chassis-Engine: 1990 Lola-Cosworth Speed: 220.845 Driver: 27. R-Lyn St. James, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Chassis-Engine: 1991 Lola-Chevy A Speed: 220.150 Row 10 Driver: 28. R-Jim Vasser, Discovery Bay, Calif. Chassis-Engine: 1991 Lola-Chevy A Speed: 222.150 Driver: 29. Dominic Dobson, Fairfax, Calif. Chassis-Engine: 1991 Lola-Chevy A Speed: 220.359 Driver: 30. Tom Sneva, Paradise Valley, Ariz.. Chassis-Engine: 1991 Lola-Buick, Speed: 219.737 Row 11 Driver: 31. Gordon Johncock, Hastings, Mich. Chassis-Engine: 1991 Lola-Buick, Speed: 219.288 Driver: 32. R-Ted Prapass, Los Angeles Chassis-Engine: 1991 Lola-Chevy A Speed: 219.173 Driver: 33. Scott Goodyear, Canada Chassis-Engine: Lola-Chevy A Speed: 221.801 Field average--223.479 (Record for 33 cars, old mark, 218.590, 1991). R-rookie.