IRL: Day One at the Indy 500

05/03/97

Daily Trackside Report
Saturday May 3, 1997



Chief Steward Keith Ward closed the track for the day at 2:30 p.m. because
of wet conditions. It marked the third time in four years that Opening Day
was rained out. It also happened in 1994 and 1996.

The 17th annual "Save Arnold" Barbecue for Special Olympics of Indiana, the
state's largest Special Olympics gathering, is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Sunday in the Flag Lot behind the main straightaway control tower. Eight
teams of three Special Olympics athletes will be teamed with a celebrity or
driver for a basketball shootout. The barbecue will be held in tents
adjacent to the Flag Lot 3:30-7 p.m., with food
donated by Kroger and Jug's Catering. All-time contributions to Special
Olympics of Indiana from the annual fundraiser exceed $1.3 million, with
more than $100,000 raised in 1996. Nearly 5,000 guests, including Special
Olympians, their families and volunteers, are expected to attend this year's
barbecue. The afternoon sports exhibition is free and open to all Speedway
visitors. Advance tickets for the Save Arnold Barbecue are $10 each and
include admission to the track, preferred parking, barbecue dinner and
admission to the Hall of Fame Museum. Tickets are available at Brickyard
Crossing Inn and the IMS Ticket Office. Mari Hulman George, chairman of the
Speedway, initiated the event in 1981 and has hosted it each year.

As rain descended intermittently throughout the morning at the Speedway,
opening ceremonies were conducted under the Tower Terrace Suites, with Tom
Carnegie, in his 52nd year as chief announcer for the Speedway, serving as
master of ceremonies. At 11:55 a.m., Darwin Clark, general manager of the
Oldsmobile division and vice president of General Motors, presented the keys
to the 1997 Oldsmobile Aurora pace car to Tony George, President of the
Speedway. George then handed 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; Kathi George,
Josephine George, Indianapolis Mayor Steve Goldsmith; "500" Festival
President Al Smith, "500" Festival Queen Priya D. Kulkarni. The Speedway
High School band was also on hand as part of the traditional ceremony. This
year marks the first time that Oldsmobile has been in competition at the
Speedway and the marque is also pacing the race as part of its 100th
birthday celebration.

Eleven "500" rookies attended the preliminary meeting Friday for the 17th
annual United States Auto Club Rookie Orientation Program. Drivers attending
were Kenny Brack, Vincenzo Sospiri, Sam Schmidt, Affonso Giaffone, Tyce
Carlson, Robbie Groff, Jack Miller, Billy Roe, Russ Wicks, Greg Ray and Jeff
Ward. Carlson and Ward are required to take only two-phase "refresher"
tests. First-time drivers are required to run 10 laps in each of 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. Since 1981, rookie drivers
have logged 19,681 total laps, so only 319 are needed to reach the
50,000-mile mark. Last year's extended ROP included a total of 2,510 laps or
6,275 miles. A total of 140 drivers have participated in the program since
its inception and 97 of those have earned starting spots in at least one "500."

The USAC sprint car racing program scheduled Friday at Attica, Ohio, was
postponed to June 20 because of rain. The USAC sprint car racing program
scheduled for tonight at Rossburg, Ohio, has been canceled. Tonight's USAC
midget program at the 16th Street Speedway has been canceled.

The following 22 drivers have passed physicals, according to Dr. Henry Bock,
Speedway medical director: Kenny Brack, Buzz Calkins, Tyce Carlson, Eddie
Cheever Jr., Affonso Giaffone, Scott Goodyear, Stephan Gregoire, Robbie
Groff, Roberto Guerrero, Jim Guthrie, Steve Kinser, Jack Miller, Greg Ray,
Billy Roe, Eliseo Salazar, Sam Schmidt, Vincenzo Sospiri, Tony Stewart,
Fermin Velez, Jeff Ward, Russ Wicks and Alessandro Zampedri.

A total of 11 cars are now at the Speedway, none have passed technical
inspection and 11 are in the process. At 2:45 p.m., the temperature was 47
degrees with winds NW at 18 miles an hour. There was one yellow for 1 hour,
30 minutes, from scheduled starting time to track closing.