1996 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report

DAY 1 -- SATURDAY, MAY 4

Welcome to the 80th running of the Indianapolis 500. Our press room staff, headed by manager Bill York, is here to assist you and answer your questions during the month of May. Timing and scoring monitors are located throughout the facility with up-to-the-minute times and speeds. Notes and items of interest will appear on these pages at the end of each day during the month and will be additionally available on the Speedway's Internet website (www.brickyard.com). Performance histories will be issued twice daily if two sessions occur and on the Internet site.

Chief Steward Keith Ward closed the track for the day at 3:50 p.m. because of rain. The last time an opening day of the month of May was a total rainout was 1994.

The 16th annual "Save Arnold" Barbecue for Special Olympics of Indiana, the state's largest Special Olympics gathering, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday in the Flag Lot behind the main straightaway control tower. A sports exhibition will match drivers and celebrities with Special Olympians in a basketball shootout. All-time contributions to the Special Olympics of Indiana from this annual fundraiser exceed $1.3 million, with more than $100,000 raised in 1995. Nearly 5,000 guests, including Special Olympians, their families and supporters, are expected to attend this year's barbecue. Tickets for the barbecue are $10 each, include admission to the track, preferred parking, barbecue dinner and admission to the Speedway's Hall of Fame Museum, and are available at the Speedway Motel and IMS ticket office. Food for the barbecue has been donated by Kroger and Jug's Catering. Mari Hulman George, chairman of the Speedway, initiated the event in 1981 and has hosted it each year.

As rain descended on the Speedway throughout the morning, opening ceremonies for the 80th running of the "500" were moved to the Hospitality Tent No. 2 behind the Speedway Flag Lot. At 11:55 a.m., Bud Liebler of Chrysler presented the keys to the 1996 Dodge Viper GTS pace car to Speedway President Tony George, who accepted and presented them to Chief Steward Keith Ward, signifying the opening of the track for the month of May. Other dignitaries present included Mari Hulman George, Chairman of the Speedway; Laura George; Nancy George, Josephine George, Kathi George, Indianapolis Mayor Steve Goldsmith and Martin Levine, manager, Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation. After opening ceremonies, no cars were on pit road as rain continued.

Television coverage of the 80th running of the Indianapolis 500 and practice, qualifying and preliminary events will be aired nationally on a daily basis during May. Daily practice coverage is scheduled for Noon-2 p.m. daily on weekdays on ESPN2. Qualifying-day coverage is scheduled to be aired on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. The race will be aired again by ABC Sports. Locally, daily practice coverage will be provided by WNDY-TV. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network will air hourly reports on its affiliates throughout the month, plus its Indy AM, Indy PM and Indy Live shows and flag-to-flag coverage of the "500." Complete broadcast schedules for both national and local progamming are available in the press room. Oval-track racing celebrates its centennial season this year. John Notte, a USAC steward, did research that showed the first oval-track race was held Sept. 7, 1896 at Narragansett Race Park in Providence, R.I. It was a five-lap race on a one-mile oval. Seven cars participated. The winning time was 15 minutes, 1 second. It was won by one of two Riker-Electrics. The other five cars were Duryeas. The command to start was "Now go, if you can." The research showed 50,000 people attended. Eddie Rickenbacker and Ralph DePalma later raced at the track.

Facts and Figures (compiled by racing historian Bob Watson):

--The most rookies to start in an Indianapolis 500 was 19 in 1919. There were 19 first-time starters in the 1930 field, but Zeke Meyer and Chet Gardner had previously driven relief. Meyer was a relief driver in both 1928 and 1929. Gardner was a relief driver in 1929.

--There has been a total of 616 drivers to start an Indianapolis 500. There have been six rookie winners and seven who won in their first start. They are Ray Harroun (1911), Jules Goux (1913), Rene Thomas (1914), Frank Lockhart (1926), George Souders (1927) and Graham Hill (1966). Louis Meyer was a first-time starter in 1928 when he won for the first time, but he had driven in relief of Wilbur Shaw in 1927.

--There have been 155 drivers to lead the Indianapolis 500. Forty-three led in their first start, the most of any year in the careers of the 155 drivers.

--There have been two first-time starters to qualify for the pole, Walt Faulkner (1950) and Teo Fabi (1983). Lewis Strang started on the pole in 1911 by result of being the first entrant. Faulkner is the only driver to be a "500" fastest qualifier in his first two years, although he didn't start on the 1951 pole.

--The 33rd completed qualifying run of 1996 is expected to be the 500th 200-plus mile-per-hour qualification in Speedway history.

--The fastest qualification run for a first-time starter is a four-lap average of 226.495 miles per hour set by Andre Ribeiro in 1995. Ribeiro also has the fastest qualification lap by a rookie at 227.646.

--New one- and four-lap track records have been established on seven occasions by a rookie driver. Setting one-lap marks only were rookie drivers Rene Thomas (1914), Georges Boillot (1914) and Frank Lockhart (1926). Establishing new one- and four-lap standards were Walt Faulkner (1950), Jim Hurtubise (1960), Mario Andretti (1965) and Teo Fabi (1983).

--Rookie drivers Ed Pimm, Raul Boesel and John Paul Jr. all started from the eighth row in 1985. This is the last time that an entire starting row consisted of all rookies.

--The first driver to successfully complete a drivers' test to run at Indianapolis was Henry Banks in 1936.

--The youngest rookie to start an Indianapolis 500 was Josele Garza at 19 years, 70 days and he won the 1981 Rookie of the Year honor. Michel Jourdain Jr., bidding to make his first start at Indianapolis, will be 19 years, 266 days. Jourdain Jr. drove for a team headed by Garza in Formula 2 last season in Mexico.

--The youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 was Troy Ruttman at 22 years, 80 days.

--The oldest rookie starter in the Indianapolis 500 was Lyn St. James at 45 years, 72 days and she won the 1992 Rookie of the Year honor.

--The fastest "rookie class" in Indianapolis 500 history is the six rookies in the 1995 field with a combined qualification average speed of 225.818 miles per hour.

--The fastest qualification run by a rookie driver that was NOT fast enough to make the starting field is 224.432 miles per hour by Franck Freon in 1995. Rookie driver Christian Fittipaldi initially qualified for the 1995 race with a speed of 225.246, but withdrew that speed in order to requalify in another car at a speed of 226.375. If Fittipaldi had kept his original speed, it would've made the field.

--Ten first-time starters have qualified for one of the first three positions in an Indianapolis 500 field. They are: 1915 -- Dario Resta, 3rd; 1922 -- Harry Hartz, 2nd; 1930 -- Shorty Cantlon, 3rd; 1931 -- Paul Bost, 3rd; 1932 -- Bryan Saulpaugh, 3rd; 1935 -- Floyd Roberts, 3rd; 1950 -- Walt Faulkner, 1st; 1957 -- Eddie Sachs, 2nd; 1978 -- Rick Mears, 3rd; 1983 -- Teo Fabi, 1st. Prior to 1915, positions were assigned by date of entry receipt or draw.

A total of 34 drivers attended the preliminary meeting Friday for the 16th annual United States Auto Club Rookie Orientation Program. The 20 drivers scheduled initially to take the track for the sessions are Richie Hearn, Fermin Velez, Buzz Calkins, Justin Bell, Tony Stewart, Michel Jourdain Jr., Racin Gardner, Randy Tolsma, Joe Gosek, Jim Guthrie, Michele Alboreto, Dan Drinan, Tyce Carlson, Scott Harrington, Mark Dismore, Robbie Buhl, Johnny Unser, Johnny O'Connell, Brad Murphey and Paul Durant. Others attending the Friday meeting were David Kudrave, Jeff Wood, Marco Antonio, Jack Hewitt, Kevin Thomas, Mark Cassella, Nick Fornoro Jr., Robbie Groff, Kevin Olson, Bill Rose, Russ Wicks, Billy Roe, Rob Wilson and Kenny Irwin Jr. Veterans Roger Rager and Ted Prappas also attended the meeting. First-time drivers are required to run 10 laps each in five phases of the test. The phases are 185-190 miles per hour, 190-195, 195-200, 200-plus and 200-plus with veteran observation.

A total of 120 drivers have participated in USAC's driver orientation programs since its inception in 1981. Eighty have earned a starting berth in at least one "500." The program has had a completion percentage of 83%, in terms of drivers completing all phases offered. In the past four years, the completion rate has been 100 percent.

The following 30 drivers have passed physicals, according to Dr. Henry Bock, Speedway medical director: Michele Alboreto, Justin Bell, Robbie Buhl, Buzz Calkins, Tyce Carlson, Mark Dismore, Dan Drinan, Paul Durant, Racin Gardner, Joe Gosek, Robbie Groff, Jim Guthrie, Scott Harrington, Richie Hearn, Michel Jourdain Jr., David Kudrave, Arie Luyendyk, Brad Murphey, Johnny O'Connell, Billy Roe, Eliseo Salazar, Tony Stewart, Randy Tolsma, Johnny Unser, Fermin Velez, Russ Wicks, Rob Wilson, Jeff Wood and Alessandro Zampedri.

Drivers will be on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis Monday at the first Indy Racing League Race Rock 'N Roll Driver Autograph Party and concert. The event is free and open to the public. Local band Daisy Chain, featuring Jimmy Ryser, will perform live starting at 5 p.m. Bob and Tom of Q95 (WFBQ-FM) will introduce the drivers starting at 5:30 p.m., and drivers will be available for autographs in four special tents.

Tonight's scheduled Skoal USAC National Midget Series program as part of the Clark Racing Series at Indianapolis Raceway Park has been postponed because of rain. It has been rescheduled for next Saturday night as part of a doubleheader with the scheduled Skoal Racing Indyana Sprint Classic.

A total of 22 cars are now at the Speedway, seven have passed technical inspection and 15 are in the process. There was one yellow for 2 hours, 50 minutes, from scheduled starting time to time of track closing. At 4 p.m. today the temperature was 62 degrees with winds SE at 8 miles per hour.

--IMS--