Rain Brings Disappointment as Indianapolis 500 Field Set

By SHAV GLICK

May 24, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

INDIANAPOLIS —

The rear end of the 33-car Indianapolis 500 field was shuffled and reshuffled Sunday before rain halted the final day of qualifying four hours early at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Saturday’s entire 11th row--Lyn St. James, rookie Jacques Lazier and Stephan Gregoire--was wiped out, St. James by Raul Boesel, Lazier by Johnny Unser and Gregoire by Jack Miller. Boesel’s car is the only Riley & Scott chassis, built about two blocks from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in the race.

When Gregoire was dropped from the lineup, it became the first time since 1982 that car owner Dick Simon failed to qualify a car for the 500.

Anticipating she would be bumped, St. James practiced earlier in a backup car entered for her Team Pelfrey teammate, Robby Unser, but when the engine blew, the car spun into the wall, damaging the right side.

“There is nothing you can do when the engine blows,” she said. “It’s hugely disappointing. Ultimately, I did what no driver wants to do, and that’s crash.”

Hemelgarn Racing prepared another car for St. James, but the rain came before she could attempt to re-qualify.

Robbie Buhl was next to try and his hopes were dashed because of engine failure. A.J. Foyt, with Billy Boat and Kenny Brack already in the race, offered a third car to Buhl.

With rain rapidly approaching, veteran Mike Groff squeezed 220.066 mph out of his Dallara, enough to sideline Scott Harrington, but not enough to prevent himself from becoming the driver on the bubble.

When sprinkles started falling, Groff appeared to be safely in the 33rd spot, only to have Buhl roll out in Foyt’s car and his 220.115 average bumped the bumper.

“I told Robbie we had two cars available, to jump in them both,” Foyt said. “I said, ‘Which one’s pedals fit you best, take it.’ They said the rain was 10 or 15 minutes away, so I asked Robbie, ‘Are you comfortable?,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’ Then we saw raindrops on pit road.”

Buhl said he saw little beads on his visor, but didn’t worry about it because no one was in front of him to kick up spray.

Less than a minute after Buhl completed his four laps, rain began to fall heavily and the time trials ended.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

INDIANAPOLIS 500 / THE FIELD

Starting lineup for Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, listing driver, car number, chassis-engine and four-lap average qualification speed in mph around the 2 1/2-mile track (w-former winner; r-rookie):

ROW 1

1. w-Arie Luyendyk (5), G Force-Aurora: 225.179.

2. Greg Ray (2), Dallara-Aurora: 225.073.

3. Billy Boat (11), Dallara-Aurora: 223.469.

ROW 2

4. Robby Gordon (32), Dallara-Aurora: 223.066.

5. Mark Dismore (28), Dallara-Aurora: 222.963.

6. Scott Sharp (8), Dallara-Aurora: 222.771.

ROW 3

7. Sam Schmidt (99), G Force-Aurora: 222.734.

8. Kenny Brack (14), Dallara-Aurora: 222.659.

9. Scott Goodyear (4), G Force-Aurora: 222.387.