SPORTS WEEKEND : MOTOR RACING / SHAV GLICK : Ray Driven to Make Indy-Car Racing a Big Wheel Again

In another era, Greg Ray might be a racing superstar.

He has won three of the last four Indy car races, has sat in the front row for the Indianapolis 500 the last two years, is good looking, personable and articulate.

His problem is that he races in the Indy Racing League, which has yet to reach acceptance with the racing public. Ray can’t understand why, and he has what he thinks would change the public’s perception.

“I think if we ran at Daytona the Friday before the 500, it would be great exposure for us and would show those hundred thousand fans what our racing is--aggressive, fast, exciting, with lots of passing. If people see us, they will like what they see.

“NASCAR races at Indianapolis, so our racing at Daytona would even things up. What a lineup it would be, the IRL on Friday night, the Busch race on Saturday and the 500 on Sunday. It would be the racing event of the year.”

In the real world, though, Ray hopes open-wheel racing fans will forget about the IRL-CART feud and appreciate good racing when they see it. And that includes the media, too, he said.

“The last three years has seen a lot of . . . propaganda in the media, perpetuated a lot by CART, which has damaged both of our series. When the IRL first came out, a lot of people didn’t like what Tony George was trying to do, especially some writers who opposed it.

“Unfortunately, peer pressure caused other press to side with them. The result is that, instead of writing about what great racing we have, the biggest issue in stories is the lack of crowds.

“I don’t understand it. When someone sets a world record, no one ever writes about how many people weren’t there, they write about the great performance. The focus should be on what good racing we have. Then people will start to come.”

The IRL season resumes Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Vegas.com 500. Ray has a 44-point lead over Scott Goodyear with two races remaining, Sunday’s and the finale at Texas Motor Speedway on Oct. 17. Ray can win the Pep Boys Million if he finishes third or better in the two races.

If Ray wins, it will be the second IRL title for car owner John Menard. Tony Stewart drove Menard’s car to the championship in 1997. When Stewart left for Joe Gibbs’ Winston Cup team this year, Ray got the ride in Menard’s Dallara-Aurora.

After a disappointing Indy 500 in which he had a pit accident while leading on Lap 120, Ray came back to win two races at Pikes Peak and one at Dover, Del.

“I love what I’m doing and right now I’m having the time of my life, but I can’t forget what I’m doing,” said Ray. “We can’t be too conservative Sunday, but we can’t be too aggressive, either. We just have to pick our time, keep out of trouble, stay focused and be patient. If we do that, we’ll be OK.”

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Three decades of Wilkings-promoted racetracks in Los Angeles County will end Saturday night when Ray Wilkings, vice president and chief operating officer of Irwindale Speedway, conducts the track’s racing program for the final time.

Wilkings, whose father, Marshall, took over Saugus Speedway in 1970, is leaving Irwindale next Friday to join Rebco Racing Enterprises in Cumming, Ga. Ray Wilkings followed his father as manager of Saugus Speedway and ran it until it closed in 1995.

Almost immediately, Wilkings began planning Irwindale Speedway, which opened last March.

“For all intents and purposes, Ray Wilkings has been Irwindale Speedway,” said Jim Williams, track president and chief executive. “His work ethic, his leadership, and his dedication to this facility have been something that is admired not only here but nationwide.”

Bob DeFazio, who has been the track’s director of operations, will be Irwindale’s new general manager. His first official act was to designate Oct. 2 as “Ray Wilkings Night” at the track.

“We want to give all the fans, track employees and competitors a chance to say goodbye to Ray and [his wife] Darlene because they meant a great deal to a lot of people here at Irwindale.”

MOTORCYCLE MARATHON

Motorcycling’s version of the 24 Hours of Daytona will be held this weekend at Willow Springs Raceway with the running of the 10th WERA/Willow Springs 2000.

The 24-hour race will start at noon Saturday with teams shooting for the distance record of 2,215 miles--886 laps--set by Team Suzuki Endurance of Lake Elsinore in 1991.

Racing officials expect a new record over the nine-turn, 2.5-mile course because of recent advances in motorcycle and tire technology.

Teams will have four to seven riders, but only one bike is permitted. The only lights on the track are on the front straightaway to aid in scoring.

Willow Springs Raceway is off California 14 in Rosamond, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles.

SPECIAL INCENTIVE

It appears that the way to inspire a driver to win is to fire him.

Joe Nemechek was dropped from Felix Sabates’ team for next year so the NASCAR veteran went out and won his first Winston Cup race last Sunday at Loudon, N.H.

A week earlier, Bryan Herta, who is not in Bobby Rahal’s plans for 2000, won the Laguna Seca CART race for Rahal.

Maybe Al Unser Jr. is a good hunch bet Sunday in the Texaco Houston CART race. Roger Penske has dropped Little Al after six years, one national championship and one Indianapolis 500 win--but no wins since 1995.

LAST LAPS

The American Power Boat Assn. will hold its first racing program at Long Beach Marine Stadium in 25 years Sunday with more than 125 boats expected. Featured will be blown alcohol K-Racing Runabouts capable of 150 mph. Also on the circle racing program will be pro stocks, super stocks, cracker boxes and Grand National marathon boats. Racing will start at 10 a.m.

The California State Demolition Derby will be run Sunday night at the L.A. County Fairgrounds on the Fairplex track. Robert “The Wrecker” Rice of Hawthorne is defending champion in the 30-car field. Sunnyside Promotions is dedicating the event to the late Don Basile, who conducted his first demolition derby in 1946 at Carrell Speedway.

Joe Black of Laguna Hills, driving Citre Shine, won the stock championship of the APBA national offshore series and has set his sights on the world championships Nov. 15-21 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Although defending world champions Bruce Penhall and Dennis Sigalos won their final Super Vee race in Ocean Spray Fountain, the Orange County pair lost the season title to Jeff Harris and Art Lilly.

Roots of the National Hot Rod Assn. are in hot rodding, and Steve Gibbs, NHRA museum curator, doesn’t want young hot rodders to forget it. Toward that end, Gibbs is holding a series of Twilight Cruises in which street rodders can display their pre-1970 street-legal cars in the parking lot. The next one is set for Wednesday at 5 p.m.

When John Force lost in the first round of the NHRA Keystone Nationals last Sunday, it was the first time the eight-time funny car champion lost in consecutive first rounds since 1989, a run of 206 consecutive races. . . . Cort Wagner of Los Angeles took top GT honors in the Petite LeMans race in Atlanta, qualifying his Porsche 911 for the 2000 24 Hours of LeMans. . . . For the record: Tickets for next year’s U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are not yet on sale, as reported here last week. They will go on sale Oct. 1.

NECROLOGY

Family, friends and colleagues of Bob Russo, long-time motor racing publicist, paid their final respects Wednesday at St. Louise Church in Covina. A resident of Covina, Russo, 71, died after an eight-month battle with throat cancer.

He had been public relations director of the National Hot Rod Assn., Riverside International Raceway, Ontario Motor Speedway and Mickey Thompson enterprises. He was one of the founders and first president of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Assn.

Survivors include his wife Shirley, daughter Terri Freeman, both of Covina, and two grandchildren.

This Week’s Races

WINSTON CUP, MBNA Gold 400

* When: Today, first-round qualifying, 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, second-round qualifying, 8:30 a.m.; Sunday, race (TNN, 9:30 a.m.)

* Where: Dover Downs International Speedway (oval, 1-mile, 24 degrees banking in turns), Dover, Del.

* Race distance: 400 miles, 400 laps.

* Defending champion: Mark Martin.

* Next race: NAPA Autocare 500, Oct. 3, Martinsville, Va.

BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL, MBNA Gold 200

* When: Today, qualifying, 11 a.m.; Saturday, race (TNN, 10 a.m.)

* Where: Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Del.

* Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.

* Defending champion: Matt Kenseth.

* Next race: All Pro 300, Oct. 9, Concord, N.C.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS, The Orleans 250

* When: Today, race (ESPN, 5:30 p.m.)

* Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (tri-oval, 1.5 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns), Las Vegas.

* Race distance: 250.5 miles, 167 laps.

* Defending champion: Jack Sprague.

* Next race: Kroger 225, Oct. 1, Louisville, Ky.

CART, Texaco Grand Prix

* When: Today; provisional qualifying 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, final qualifying, 10:45 a.m. (ESPN2, tape, 1 p.m.); Sunday, race (ABC, 1 p.m.)

* Where: Houston street circuit (temporary road course, 1.53 miles, 10 turns), Houston.

* Race distance: 198.9 miles, 130 laps.

* Defending champion: Dario Franchitti.

* Next race: Honda Indy, Oct. 17, Surfers Paradise, Australia.

INDY RACING LEAGUE, vegas.com 500

* When: Saturday, qualifying (Speedvision, noon); Sunday, race (ESPN2, 11:30 a.m.)

* Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (tri-oval, 1.5 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns), Las Vegas.

* Race distance: 312 miles, 208 laps.

* Defending champion: Arie Luyendyk.

* Next race: Lone Star 500, Oct. 17, Fort Worth, Texas.

FORMULA ONE, European Grand Prix

* When: Saturday, qualifying, 4 a.m. (Speedvision); Sunday, race, 4:30 a.m. (Speedvision; Fox Sports West, tape, 10 a.m.).

* Where: Nuerburgring (road course, 2.831 miles), Germany.

* Race distance: 189.677 miles, 67 laps.

* Defending champion: Mika Hakkinen.

* Next race: Malaysian Grand Prix, Oct. 17, Kuala Lumpur.