Brack Quickly Gets Dialed In

Last Monday evening, Kenny Brack was home in Upper Arlington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, planning for the next gig with his rock band, Kenny Brack and the Subwoofers, when the phone rang.

It was Bobby Rahal calling.

“How about coming to Indy and driving Buddy Rice’s car for us in the 500?” the co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing said.

Brack put down his guitar and started packing.

It had been nearly two years since a horrifying crash had nearly taken his life. He had needed eight surgeries and excruciating rehabilitation to recover, but the little Swede who won the 1999 race for A.J. Foyt didn’t hesitate.

It didn’t matter that he had not raced an Indy car since crashing Oct. 12, 2003, at Texas Motor Speedway. He was Rahal’s first choice, and Brack jumped at rejoining his old boss for another shot at the 500.

Saturday, in the second week of qualifying for next Sunday’s 89th 500, Brack put the stamp of approval on Rahal’s, and his own, decision by running four laps at an average of 227.598 mph -- faster than pole sitter Tony Kanaan had done last Sunday.

“I’m a believer in being prepared and, obviously, missing the first week does not rhyme with that philosophy,” Brack said. “I felt this situation is different because I already know the team, I know Vitor [Meira], Danica [Patrick] and Buddy. I still had lunch with the guys on the team and talk with Bobby a lot.

“But I had no thoughts of driving in the 500, none at all.”

The team is headquartered in Hilliard, another Columbus suburb.

Rahal already had two drivers in the field. Patrick, the rookie sensation who turned heads when she came within a bobble of winning the pole, will start fourth and Meira, in his third 500, will start seventh.

Brack, 39, won’t start on the front row, however, because his qualification came on the second weekend. He will start 23rd, in the middle of the eighth row, sandwiched between veteran Alex Barron and Australian rookie Ryan Briscoe, who was Saturday’s second-faster qualifier at 224.080.

“I don’t think the starting position will make a difference,” Brack said. “I think having a good race car is what matters. If you have a good car, then you could win from 33rd if you are just methodical and have a bit of patience. It is 500 miles and it’s going to be 10 pit stops or more.

“There’s a lot of stuff that is going to happen in the race, and you just don’t want to be one of the stories before the 200th lap.”

Brack was not called earlier because Rahal and Rice had expected that Rice’s injuries from a May 11 accident would not prevent him from qualifying last weekend. However, it was discovered that injuries to his neck and back had not healed sufficiently.

Having the fastest car and not starting on the pole is nothing new to Indianapolis, with its two-weekend qualifying procedure. It has occurred 19 times, the most recent being 1996 when Scott Brayton won the pole at 233.718 with Arie Luyendyk running 236.986 a day later. Luyendyk started 20th.

While on the sidelines last year during race week here, Brack and his Subwoofers played in the speedway fun zone, and he helped the team prepare Rice, his replacement, for the 500, which Rice won.

“It’s kind of crazy. I don’t know how much I actually helped, but I did what I could, the same as Buddy does for me this year.

“If nothing else, you get strengthened by the fact that you have people who have driven the cars on your side, helping you out. Vitor is a great driver, he’s doing a lot of the setup work.”

Brack said he has no plans to drive beyond the 500.

“Right now, this is a two-week project,” he said. “I’m going to do the best I can for the team and for all the sponsors and associates. Then, after that, I guess we’ll have to re-evaluate everything, but I’m hoping Buddy is going to be well and come back to the next race.”

That would be Texas Motor Speedway -- where Brack had his accident -- on June 11.

Ten drivers qualified Saturday, including Foyt’s son Larry and grandson A.J. IV, together on the 10th row. Asked if he was relieved that his grandson was in the field, A.J. snorted, “Hell no, I didn’t come here to run in the back.”

Only one spot remains, and only one car at the speedway is ready to take it. Arie Luyendyk Jr. completed his rookie orientation earlier in the day and was preparing for a qualification attempt when he brushed the wall.

He is expected to qualify today to complete the traditional 33 car field, but there will be no bumping on Bump Day.