Battle of Indy-pendence

Some call it Tony George’s folly, but it still is the Indianapolis 500.

There will be 33 starters today in the 80th version of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” just as there are supposed to be.

The winner will get a swig of milk, more than a million bucks and his mug on the Borg-Warner trophy, just like Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, the Unser family and Ralph Harroun.

There will be no asterisk beside the winner’s name in the record books, even though Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vasser and others will be in Michigan for the inaugural U.S. 500, instead of here.

But this race will be different.

It is the first of the Indy Racing League era, the first in which George guaranteed drivers in his IRL a position in the field if they could run 220 mph. Twenty-one of them did.

That, say critics, is George’s folly. If such a rule had not been made, the missing “name” drivers probably would be here. But they are not.

And hanging over the race, like a dark shadow, is the death of Scott Brayton, the popular veteran driver from Coldwater, Mich., who won the pole in dramatic fashion on May 12 before losing his life in an accident six days later. Memories of the funeral, only last Wednesday, are constant reminders of the dangers on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2 1/2-mile rectangular oval.

“Everyone, obviously, will miss Scott, but as far as the race is concerned, on Sunday I won’t think anything at all about him,” said Arie Luyendyk, the 1990 winner and Brayton’s teammate last year. “You’ve got to be so focused that you can’t let anything be a distraction. Your entire focus must be on your race car, and the cars around you.”

Brayton’s death also caused the makeup of the starting field to change dramatically.

Instead of Brayton, a 14-year Indy 500 veteran, on the pole, the start will be led into the first turn by the fastest rookie in history, Tony Stewart, a native of Indiana and the prize graduate of U.S. Auto Club open-wheel, short-track racing. The 25-year-old is there with a qualifying speed of 233.100 mph.

“I expected to lead into the first turn, even when I was on the outside of the front row,” the self-assured Stewart said. He originally qualified third, but moved to second when Luyendyk’s speed was nullified on pole-qualifying day because his car was seven pounds overweight, and then to the pole on Brayton’s death.

The front row of Stewart, Davy Jones and Eliseo Salazar is the first without any front-row experience since 1985, when Pancho Carter, Brayton and Bobby Rahal formed the front line.

“To live only a few miles from here [Rushville, Ind.] makes this a dream come true, but it wasn’t until Tony George introduced the IRL that I had any shot at all of driving at Indy,” Stewart said. “I was headed for the Winston Cup, like Jeff Gordon, when [USAC Vice President] Cary Agajanian got me a ride with Menard’s team. It was an incredible break for me.

“I keep hearing about those guys up in Michigan wishing they were here at Indy. Well, you won’t hear me saying I want to be up in Michigan. As far as I’m concerned, right here at Indy is the only place to be.”

Stewart has not yet won in the IRL, but he made an impressive debut by dueling with Buzz Calkins at Walt Disney World last January before finishing second. He also led at Phoenix but dropped out because of an electrical problem.

There are faster cars in the race than the precocious pole-sitter’s, however.

Luyendyk, the only former winner in the race, will start 20th in the fastest car on the track. The Flying Dutchman, after his original disappointment in losing his front-row position on pole day, came back the next day and ran 236.986.

It may be a record that stands for years, because next year’s IRL rules call for normally aspirated engines with speeds perhaps 20 mph slower than this year’s.

It also is a performance that placed Luyendyk, the winner in Phoenix, solidly in the favorite’s role, despite starting from the middle of the seventh row.

“Winning this year would mean as much to me as my first win,” Luyendyk said. “One reason I decided to join the Indy Racing League instead of going with CART was that I wanted to win the Indy 500 again. Not having those other guys [Unser, Andretti & Co.] here doesn’t bother me.

“Without sounding like bragging, the way my car has been running, I think they would all be running for second here anyway. I know I am capable of winning against anyone.”

Watching Luyendyk racing up through the field may be the highlight of the race. He once went from 14th to fifth in the first lap.

“My car has been fastest at the track nearly every day, so I am looking forward to moving up as quickly as possible,” he said. “I’m not crazy, though. Anyone in mid-pack is in a bad spot. The turbulence will be terrible.

“By no means will I just go for it. I will move cautiously, patiently and not get too aggressive. Get cocky at this place and it will bite you.”

Another fallout from Brayton’s death is the return of Danny Ongais, 54, after a 10-year absence to drive Brayton’s car. He will start in the back of the field, behind 17 rookies, in a car qualified at 233.718 mph.

“This is a high-speed car, the way Scotty wanted it, and we wanted a driver used to high speeds to drive it,” said Larry Curry, Team Menard manager. “Danny fits that role.”

In 1987, Ongais’ last year at Indy, he crashed one of Roger Penske’s cars during practice and could not be cleared to drive. Penske put Al Unser, in the twilight of his career and hanging around the Speedway without a ride, into the car and he responded with his fourth win.

“I’ve never thought about that [as a lost opportunity],” Ongais said. “Once I left the car, it didn’t concern me that Al stepped in and won. It was a different situation.”

Al Unser recommended Ongais as a replacement for Brayton. Unser is here to help coach his nephew, rookie Johnny Unser.

The race, despite the inexperience in the field, should be fast. It has the fastest 33-car average in history, 227.807 mph.

A completely resurfaced track, which provides a more consistent grip in the turns, and improved tire compounds--brought about because of a tire war between Goodyear and Bridgestone/Firestone--have contributed to the higher speeds.

“When the race speeds get as high as expected, it puts a lot of stress on the equipment,” Luyendyk said. “Keeping the car going the first 450 miles without wearing it out will be critical.

“That’s when you want all the pieces together so you can race the wheels off your car the last 50 miles and go for the win.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Today’s Races

INDIANAPOLIS 500

* The race--200 laps around the 2 1/2-mile, asphalt-on-brick Indianapolis Motor Speedway track.

* Sanctioning body--Indy Racing League and the U.S. Auto Club; also open to CART, NASCAR, SCCA, Formula One and other drivers through international FIA listing.

* Time--9 a.m. PDT (TV coverage begins at 8).

* Television--Channel 7.

U.S. 500

* The race--250 laps around the two-mile, asphalt Michigan International Speedway track in Brooklyn, Mich.

* Sanctioning body--CART.

* Time--11 a.m. PDT.

* Television--ESPN

RACE LINEUPS: C6