They Attack in Waves, but Boat Remains Afloat

From hunter to hunted . . . Billy Boat knows it both ways. And after sweating out Sunday’s Bump Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he says it’s tougher being the hunted.

Last year, Boat qualified for the Indianapolis 500 at the last second, bumping Jack Miller from the 33-car field.

This year, it was Boat waiting and waiting, for 48 minutes while 12 attempts were made by eight drivers who took a shot at his four-lap speed of 221.528 mph, slowest among the 33 qualifiers. Boat, a former midget racing champion from Phoenix, was the day’s first qualifier, filling the field and setting the stage for Bump Day excitement.

The bumping started early.

Two A.J. Foyt entries, Eliseo Salazar and Donnie Beechler, promptly knocked Roberto Guerrero and Tyce Carlson out of the race.

Then Raul Boesel, flown from Brazil last week by Fred Treadway, sidelined Airton Dare, who then went out and bumped Didier Andre.

When Cory Witherill, a Native American from Santa Monica, stunned onlookers with a 221.621 average after having not broken 220 all week, it knocked Shigeaki Hattori from the field.

A few minutes later, Stephan Gregoire bumped Felipe Giaffone, leaving Boat the man on the bubble with 48 minutes remaining on the clock.

“We went out there at 5 o’clock and just started taking bullets,” Boat said. “Every time somebody would click off a 221, it was like someone was punching you in the stomach. Anything can happen and we were somewhat helpless at that point to just sit there and take the punches and roll with them.”

One after another, crews lined up cars and drivers took the green flag in hopes of bettering Boat’s 221.528. First Jimmy Kite tried, then Andre and Hattori, trying to get back in the lineup.

Next was Memo Gidley, whose Brayton Engineering team had purchased a spare car from Kelly Racing, a companion to pole-sitter Scott Sharp’s Dallara. After driving two laps and with none faster than 221.147, he pulled off.

While Boat was nervously watching the monitor, the Curb Records crew was hastily preparing a backup car, just in case.

Rumors were running rampant. Cary Agajanian, co-owner of Boat’s car, said he had heard that former Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack, who had won a CART race late Friday night in Japan, was here to drive Sarah Fisher’s backup car. The rumor was fueled by the public address announcer saying, “Will Kenny Brack please report to the Walker garage?”

Brack, however, apparently was home in Sweden.

Richie Hearn, making his first appearance this month, took a shot and failed. Then came Guerrero, valiantly trying to put Dick Simon’s G Force in the show to celebrate Simon’s 40 years in racing. The car didn’t come close.

The wave of drivers kept coming, Kite again, Giaffone again, Andre again, Hattori again, then Casey Mears in one of Derrick Walker’s spare cars.

With approximately 10 seconds remaining--almost exactly the time left when Boat made his dramatic run last year--Gidley went out a second time--and fell short again.

When it was apparent Gidley wasn’t going to qualify, the Curb-Agajanian-Beck Motorsports crew hoisted the 35-year-old Boat on its shoulders in pit lane.

“It was Cory [Witherill] who scared me,” Boat said. “I knew he hadn’t run 220 in two weeks and when he went out and ran 222, I figured all the other guys might pop up with some hot laps. Especially with all that time left, and all the wheeling and dealing going on among the teams.”

Witherill was the biggest surprise. With only one Indy car race--he was in the multi-car crash last month at Atlanta--in his career, the full-blooded Navajo did not have a lap over 219.746 before Sunday. The difference came late Friday when the underfinanced Indy Regency Racing team acquired a new Team Menard-built engine for qualifying.

On his second lap, Witherill posted a speed of 222.117.

“We worked so hard it will be an unreal thing to start the race next Sunday,” Witherill said. “The power we got from that new Menard power plant was just awesome.

“This means a lot to me to see a Native American, like my golfing friend Notah Begay, starting to get off in a high professional level. To be a part of the Indy 500 is something I’ve wanted for so long. And to be a Native American and representing them, it’s an unreal feeling.”

The 33 cars make up the closest 200-mph field, speedwise, in Indianapolis 500 history. Pole-sitter Sharp was 4.509 mph faster than Boat. The previous closest, when all cars were over 200 mph, was in 1999 with 5.087 mph separated Arie Luyendyk from Wym Eyckmans.

“I definitely think that Cary’s father, J.C. Agajanian, was up there looking after us,” Boat said. “The Agajanian family has huge history with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and I am proud to carry the family No. 98 in this year’s race.”

The Agajanians have won the 500 twice, in 1952 with Troy Ruttman and 1963 with Parnelli Jones.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Indy 500 Lineup

Order of start of Sunday’s 85th running of the Indianapolis 500:

ROW 1

*--*

1. (8) Scott Sharp Dallara-Oldsmobile 226.037 2. (2T) Greg Ray Dallara-Oldsmobile 225.194 3. (41) Robby Gordon Dallara-Oldsmobile 224.994

*--*

ROW 2

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4. (28) Mark Dismore Dallara-Oldsmobile 224.964 5. (66) Gil de Ferran Dallara-Oldsmobile 224.406 6. (5) Arie Luyendyk G Force-Oldsmobile 224.257

*--*

ROW 3

*--*

7. (33) Tony Stewart G Force-Oldsmobile 224.248 8. (35T) Jeff Ward G Force-Oldsmobile 224.222 9. (24) Robbie Buhl G Force-Infiniti 224.213

*--*

ROW 4

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10. (91T) Buddy Lazier Dallara-Oldsmobile 224.190 11. (68T) r-Helio Castroneves Dallara-Oldsmobile 224.142 12. (44) Jimmy Vasser G Force-Oldsmobile 223.455

*--*

ROW 5

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13. (4) Sam Hornish Jr. Dallara-Oldsmobile 223.333 14. (10) Robby McGehee Dallara-Oldsmobile 222.607 15. (15T) Sarah Fisher Dallara-Oldsmobile 222.548

*--*

ROW 6

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16. (52) Scott Goodyear Dallara-Infiniti 222.529 17. (77) Jaques Lazier G Force-Oldsmobile 222.145 18. (6) r-Jon Herb Dallara-Oldsmobile 222.015

*--*

ROW 7

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19. (3) Al Unser Jr. G Force-Oldsmobile 221.615 20. (44T) r-Bruno Junqueira G Force-Oldsmobile 224.208 21. (39T) Michael Andretti Dallara-Oldsmobile 223.441

*--*

ROW 8

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22. (33T) r-Nicolas Minassian G Force-Oldsmobile 223.006 23. (9T) Jeret Schroeder Dallara-Oldsmobile 222.786 24. (12) Buzz Calkins Dallara-Oldsmobile 222.467

*--*

ROW 9

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25. (51) Eddie Cheever Dallara-Infiniti 222.152 26. (99T) Davey Hamilton Dallara-Oldsmobile 221.696 27. (84) Donnie Beechler Dallara-Oldsmobile 224.449

*--*

ROW 10

*--*

28. (14) Eliseo Salazar Dallara-Oldsmobile 223.740 29. (35) Stephan Gregoire G Force-Oldsmobile 222.888 30. (88) Airton Dare G Force-Oldsmobile 222.236

*--*

ROW 11

*--*

31. (5T) Raul Boesel G Force-Oldsmobile 221.879 32. (16) r-Cory Witherill G Force-Oldsmobile 221.621 33. (98) Billy Boat Dallara-Oldsmobile 221.528

*--*

Field Average--223.303 mph (record, 227.807 mph, 1996); (r-rookie)