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INDY 500: Rain ends short day at the Speedway

18 May 2000

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE DAY #5 FAST FIVE:
Driver             Entrant            Engine        Speed
1. Juan Montoya    Ganassi Racing     Oldsmobile    221.566 mph
2. Buddy Lazier    Hemelgarn Racing   Oldsmobile    221.510
3. Scott Sharp     Kelley Racing      Oldsmobile    220.886
4. Mark Dismore    Kelley Racing      Oldsmobile    220.395
5. Jimmy Vasser    Ganassi Racing     Oldsmobile    219.800

    The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, but the rain in Indiana
falls mainly on Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Persistent precipitation
today shortened the scheduled seven hours of practice for the 84th
Indianapolis 500 to just 33 minutes. Track officials finally threw in the
very wet towel at 4:00 p.m.

    Reigning CART champion Juan Montoya edged out 1996 Indy 500 winner
Buddy Lazier by 56/1000ths of a mph to take the top spot in the abbreviated
session. Scott Sharp backed up his fast time on Tuesday with the third
fastest lap today. Sharp was joined in the Fast Five by his Kelley Racing
teammate Mark Dismore. Jimmy Vasser was fifth fastest in Ganassi Racing's
Oldsmobile G-Force.

    It was an all-Oldsmobile show at the Speedway today as all 17 drivers
who recorded times used IRL Aurora V8 engines.

    Practice will resume at 11:00 a.m. Thursday morning, weather
permitting.