Luyendyk Has a Miserable Sunday

Arie Luyendyk, the fastest qualifier and only former winner in the Indy 500, called Sunday’s race “the most disappointing day in my career.”

Luyendyk, who started 20th after his original qualifying speed was nullified when his car was found to be underweight, had moved to second by Lap 95, when he tangled with Eliseo Salazar coming out of the pits.

“I stalled the engine and that started the problem,” Luyendyk said. “I beat him out of the pits. I beat him to the blend line and then he hit me. I was in my lane when he hit me.”

The collision damaged the right wing and sidepod of Luyendyk’s car, and by the time his crew repaired the damage, he was five laps behind. After struggling with a balky machine for 50 more laps, Luyendyk called it a day.

“Sooner or later, I would have picked up debris from my own car, so we parked it,” he said. “I am very proud of my crew for repairing it the way they did. I wanted to win for them more than myself.”

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Being in the winner’s circle with Buddy Lazier was a stark contrast for car owner Ron Hemelgarn. Last year, he was at Methodist Hospital with Stan Fox, who was critically injured in a first lap accident.

“A year ago at this time we didn’t know if Stan was going to live or die,” Hemelgarn said. “It was really neat to have Stan in the pits with me, cheering Buddy on. This was Stan’s victory too.”

In his 19 years at Indy, Hemelgarn has had 32 cars and 19 drivers.

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Twelve cars were running when Lazier crossed the finish line, but three of them didn’t make it through the fourth turn, so officially there were only nine running.

The fewest cars at the finish of an Indy 500 was seven in 1966 and eight in 1951, 1967 and 1982.

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The first congratulatory fax to reach the press room after Lazier’s victory came from two-time Iditarod Trail sled dog race winner Martin Buser to Hemelgarn. Buser has twice worked on Hemelgarn’s crew in the 500.

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Rookie Johnny Unser never made the start. The gearbox broke on the parade lap. It was nothing new for the Unser family.

Johnny’s father, Jerry, did not complete a lap after being involved in a multicar accident on the first lap in his only Indy start in 1958. Johnny’s uncle, Bobby, finished last in his debut in 1963 when he hit the southwest wall on his second lap.

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The fastest lap of the race was 236.103 mph by Eddie Cheever on Lap 78. Cheever finished 11th, 11 laps behind Lazier.

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The inaugural Indy Racing League championship ended up a tie between rookie Buzz Calkins, winner of the Walt Disney World 200 in January; and Scott Sharp, one of A.J. Foyt’s drivers. Each had 246 points to 240 for Robbie Buhl and 237 each for Richie Hearn and Roberto Guerrero.

“I think they should give it to the guy who won a race,” Calkins said. “In every other series they give it to the guy who won the most races.”

Calkins finished 17th, Sharp 10th in the 500.

The Indy 500 concludes the IRL season. The 1996-97 season will begin with the True Value 200 on Aug. 18 at Loudon, N.H.