INDIANAPOLIS 500 / UPDATE : A Day of Rest for Most Drivers Not in the Field

Seven berths remain to be filled for the May 30 Indianapolis 500, but when 17 cars practiced Monday, only four of them were with drivers who had not already qualified.

Brian Bonner, a rookie last year, made his first appearance in one of the Leader Card Buicks. The fastest lap among drivers who had not qualified was John Andretti’s 220.157 m.p.h. while testing Hiro Matsushita’s Lola-Ford Cosworth. Matsushita reached 217.633 in the same car.

Rocky Moran replaced John Morton in the McCormack Motorsports Buick and ran 210.748.

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There will be twice as many Formula One champions in the 500 on May 30 as there will be in the Grand Prix of Monaco Sunday.

Defending F1 champion Nigel Mansell, Mario Andretti (1978), Emerson Fittipaldi (1972 and ‘74) and Nelson Piquet (1981, ’83 and ‘87) have qualified for the 500.

The only F1 champions on the world circuit are Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

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Gary Bettenhausen, like all of John Menard’s drivers, competes in only one Indy car race a year--the Indianapolis 500. Bettenhausen, whose family name has been part of the race since his father, Tony, came here in 1946, put their effort in perspective:

“It’s like asking a football team that plays one game a year to play in the Super Bowl.”

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All drivers who qualify for the 500 are signing a helmet donated by the United States Auto Club that will be auctioned to benefit the Kara Hendrick Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

Mail-order tickets for the helmet are 10 chances for $10 and can be bought from the foundation at 4053 Francis Ave., Chino, Calif. 91710. The helmet will be awarded during the second annual Kara Hendrick Memorial race in October.

Kara Hendrick was killed Oct. 5, 1991, while racing her midget car at Cajon Speedway in El Cajon.

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Mike Groff, test driver for Bobby Rahal, was in Phoenix testing the new Honda engine Monday. . . . Rookie Robby Gordon, still unqualified, will not be on the track until Wednesday when his boss, A.J. Foyt, is scheduled to return from Houston. . . . Tom Sneva, who won the 500 in 1983, has been walking around the garage area, helmet in hand.