SPLIT DECISION

By SHAV GLICK

May 28, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

INDIANAPOLIS —

The participants can say all they want about it being only a race, not a political statement, but the fact is that today’s 84th Indianapolis 500 is a showdown between the host IRL and invaders from CART.

Ever since the split in 1996 between Tony George’s new Indy Racing League and the existing Championship Auto Racing Teams created rival open-wheel racing series, there have been few areas of agreement, or opportunities for accurate comparisons.

For the record:

12:00 a.m. May 29, 2000 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Monday May 29, 2000 Home Edition Sports Part D Page 12 Sports Desk 1 inches; 19 words Type of Material: Correction
Indy 500--The cars for Greg Ray and Juan Montoya were not identified correctly on D1 in Sunday’s edition. Ray’s car was in the bottom photo.

The racing public, and the racing fraternity, took sides.

CART backers claimed the IRL was “minor league,” that its only reason for existence was to guarantee little-known drivers for the Indianapolis 500, that the 500 wasn’t what it used to be.

IRL defenders countered by calling CART a “Formula One wannabe, complete with foreign drivers and foreign races,” with only two American drivers on its roster.

Arguments raged. Radically different engine sizes and philosophies--IRL teams owned their normally aspirated engines, CART teams leased their turbocharged ones--prevented the two from meeting on common ground.

There still is no common ground, but the strongest team in CART, Chip Ganassi’s Target championship duo of Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser, has agreed to meet the IRL on the IRL’s terms--in the Indianapolis 500.

It is high drama. The rest of the racing world is watching.

Montoya and Vasser vs. Ray, Unser, Cheever and assorted others. For good measure, there is a touch of NASCAR with Robby Gordon from Winston Cup and Jason Leffler from Busch Grand National.

The IRL-CART rivalry, plus the return of two-time winner Al Unser Jr. after a five-year absence, and the appearance of two women drivers for the first time--rookie Sarah Fisher, 19, and veteran Lyn St. James, 53--have generated more interest in today’s race than any other since the split. But there is no getting around the IRL-CART opposition.

Neither side has said anything to stir the pot.

“I welcome them with open arms,” 1997 winner Eddie Cheever said. “They are the best in the other series and have come to compete. This is the Indy 500.”

Said Vasser: “As far as waving CART flags, I don’t feel that way. We’re not trying to make a political statement. We’re here to race.”

The only negative is the weather forecast for showers.

In a remarkable development, the two series champions will start alongside each other on the front row--Greg Ray of IRL on the pole and Montoya next--after finishing 10 miles only .071 seconds apart in time trials around the 2.5-mile rectangular oval last Saturday.

Ray qualified his Dallara at 223.471 mph, Montoya his G Force at 223.372.

Vasser will start seventh, behind two A.J. Foyt drivers, Eliseo Salazar and Jeff Ward, former CART champion Scott Sharp and the NASCAR intruder, Gordon, who nearly won last year’s race when he was a CART regular. Gordon, a former off-road racing champion from Orange, was leading with less than two laps remaining when he had to pit for fuel and Kenny Brack went on to win.

In today’s 500, Gordon will be a teammate of Ray’s as both drive for John Menard.

Brack is not defending his 500 crown because he left the IRL for CART this year and Bobby Rahal, his team owner, was not willing to make the investment Ganassi did to make Indy a one-time deal.

Ganassi purchased four G Force chassis and 10 Olds Aurora engines for Montoya and Vasser to drive. The outlay for the one race is estimated at $2.4 million.

Until this year there had been no possibility of CART drivers entering the Indy 500 because they had a race on the same day or the same weekend. This year CART owners voted to keep the Indy 500 weekend open so teams could cross over if they wished. Only Ganassi wished.

An April snowstorm in Pennsylvania--Ganassi’s home state--threw him a curve. When a race in Nazareth was snowed out, the replacement date was May 27, the day before the 500.

“It would be understandable if this team hates me after this weekend, but as far as I can tell, they’re having a blast,” Ganassi said before the team took off for Nazareth. “I’m proud of Team Target’s effort these past few days and everyone’s attitude has been incredible. No matter what happens Saturday and Sunday, this has been a great experience for our team.”

Montoya started on the pole at Nazareth but wound up fourth.

Vasser has been to Indy before, driving in four 500s. His best finish was fourth in 1994 while driving for Jim Hayhoe. In 1995, his first year with Ganassi, he was leading on Lap 170 when he crashed in the third turn.

“I have looked back at that as the turning point in my career,” the Las Vegas resident said. “Even though I crashed, it marked the beginning of good things. I won the U.S. 500 at Michigan and I won the CART championship the following year.”

He also won the California 500 at Fontana two years ago, making him and Scott Goodyear the only drivers in the field other than Unser who have won two 500-mile races. Goodyear has twice won the Michigan 500.

Unser, the Indy winner in 1992 and 1994, has not raced here since. As defending champion in 1995, he inexplicably did not qualify and watched from the infield.

“It put a big hole in my chest not to be here,” said Al Jr., whose family has won nine Indy 500s. “It’s great to be back, it’s like a homecoming. The only thing that would make being here better would be to win No. 3 and pull even with Uncle Bobby and then look forward to getting even with Dad.”

Al Sr. has won four, Bobby three.

Unser has momentum on his side, having just won an IRL race at Las Vegas. It was his first since rejoining car owner Rick Galles and his first anywhere since 1995 after four winless years with Roger Penske.

Buddy Lazier, the first IRL Indy 500 winner, and Unser will start together on the sixth row with rookie Leffler between them. Ironically, Leffler is sponsored by Penske, who has not had a presence here since the 1995 race when his drivers, Unser and Emerson Fittipaldi, failed to make it.

The rookie entry is headed by Montoya and includes Fisher, the youngest driver in the race and the third youngest ever; Leffler, Sam Hornish Jr., Brazilian Airton Dare, Andy Hillenburg and Jaques Lazier, Buddy’s younger brother.

The average age of the 33 starters is 33.7 years. Only Troy Ruttman, the 1952 winner, and Josele Garza, the 1981 rookie of the year, have started the 500 at a younger age than Fisher, who less than a year ago was attending high school in Ohio. Garza was 19 years 70 days old. Ruttman was 19 years 81 days old in 1949. Fisher is 19 years 237 days.

The young woman has captivated spectators and media alike with her calm demeanor and confident attitude.

“The car is really comfortable at 210 or 211 [mph],” she said. “That’s where we think the race pace will be Sunday. The car is balanced all around. My plan is to run clean and keep on the leaders’ lap, work on making the car handle during pit stops and then if we’re still running with 100 miles left, go for it.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

IRL Leaders

Indy Racing League point leaders:

1. Robbie Buhl: 108

2. Buddy Lazier: 98

3. Scott Goodyear: 90

4. Al Unser Jr.: 77

5. Billy Boat: 76

6. Mark Dismore: 75

7. Eliseo Salazar: 74

7. Eddie Cheever: 74

9. Donnie Beechler: 67