INDIANAPOLIS 500 DAILY REPORT : Bonus Eases Sting of Not Being in Field

President Tony George of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway offered new incentives for time trials this year with bonus prizes for the fastest qualifiers on the second, third and fourth days. Pole sitter Roberto Guerrero received $145,000 from PPG for his first-day speed of 232.482 m.p.h.

Jim Crawford, Mike Groff and Jimmy Vasser earned an expected $25,000 for being fastest qualifier on the second, third and fourth days, respectively. Groff is not in the 500, however, having given up his ride to teammate Scott Goodyear, the Mackenzie team’s No. 1 contract driver. Groff is the first alternate.

One of Dominic Dobson’s crewmen is Harvey Armstrong, defensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts. His role is different from most.

“I’m the enforcer,” Armstrong said. “Like before qualifying, I told Dominic if he didn’t do 220 (m.p.h.) or better, I wouldn’t let him out of the car. Now we’ll see what I tell him before the race.”

Ted Prappas, the last--and slowest--driver to qualify for Sunday’s Indy 500, is the fastest slowest qualifier in the race’s history. His qualifying speed of 219.054 m.p.h. is faster than the 33-car average last year of 218.590. Two-time winner Gordon Johncock previously held the distinction of being the fastest slowest qualifier, at 213.812 last year.

A.J. Foyt, 57, qualified for his 35th consecutive Indy 500. Sixteen of the 33 drivers in this year’s 500 were not born when he first qualified in 1958. The youngest driver in the race is Canadian rookie Paul Tracy, 23.

Chief mechanic Bernie Myers of Dale Coyne’s team received the Clint Brawner Mechanical Excellence Award given to the mechanic who made the most significant accomplishments at the track this month.

Myers put two rookies, Eric Bachelart of Belgium and Brian Bonner of Boston, into the field. Coyne also received the award two years ago.

Bobby Rahal, who has been Mr. Consistency in Indy car racing, earned $5,000 for following his usual pattern during qualifying. Rahal’s four lap times in his Lola-Chevy were 40.147 seconds, 40.149, 40.153 and 40.152 for a differential of only .006 seconds. That bettered the old mark set in 1971 by George Snider by .01 seconds.

If it seems to you that the rear tires on an Indy car are wider than the front tires, you’re right.

The tread width in the rear is 14 inches. In the front, it is only 10 inches.

Except for a two-hour practice on Thursday, the track will be closed until race day.