The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 11
11 May 1997
Slow Day At The TrackINDIANAPOLIS: It was a good day to sit and watch fast cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today. The only problem was that there weren't too many cars running.
Steve Kinser qualified at noon. After that, there was not a qualifying attempt made until fifteen minutes before closing. Greg Ray went out and did three laps right around 215 mph and then came in before the checkered flag. He had run out of fuel. After that, Robbie Groff went out and qualified at 207.792 mph. That is the slowest speed in the field. Billy Boat took out the Conseco sponsored car for A.J. Foyt. This is Scott Sharp's backup car. He toured the speedway a couple of laps and brought it in before taking the green flag.
There were only a handful of cars practicing today. The sun was bright
but the wind was strong. That was just one of the reasons for the lack
of activity on the track. Another reason is that teams are saving
their limited supply of engines and engine parts. Still another reason
is the fact that most of the teams have already qualified their
primary cars. The biggest activity now is that of drivers looking to
jump into backup cars. Track activity will pick up as drivers get seat
assignments throughout the week. Those drivers, with limited practice,
will attempt to qualify for the world's richest auto race next
weekend.
It was a day when most drivers took the day off. In all, there were
only eight cars on the speedway asphalt today. The drivers that were
at the track spent the day chatting. The atmosphere was relaxed.
Qualifications will resume next Saturday at 11:00 AM CST.
It was still a decent day at the speedway. There were many families at
the track. It is tradition for many families to come to the speedway
on mother's day and just enjoy the day with the kids. Which reminds
me.... happy mother's day, mom!
Inside The Numbers: The Fastest Combination
INDIANAPOLIS: Trying to figure out the best chassis/engine/tire
combination to be fast at Indy is as hard as staying out of a funeral
home after skydiving without a parachute.
Engines: There are two manufacturers providing engines to the Indy
Racing League. They are Oldsmobile (Aurora) and Nissan (Infiniti).
Determining the fastest engine at Indy is easy. The first fifteen cars
of the twenty-one qualified are powered by Oldsmobile Aurora. But,
the points leader is Mike Groff. He uses an Infiniti.
The Infiniti engine is down on power at Indy and has been slow at the
other two races this season, but it has obviously been reliable which
must be considered for a 500 mile race. There have been many Auroras
expire during practice this month already. But, Jim Guthrie, the
winner at Phoenix ran almost a thousand miles on his Oldsmobile. For
a shorter race, the Aurora may be the way to go, but for Indy....could
the Infiniti reliability be the real consideration?
Chassis: The two chassis manufacturers for the IRL are Dallara of
Italy, and G Force of Sussex, England. Riley and Scott of Indianapolis
will begin providing a chassis this summer. There is a pretty equal
mix of chassis entered this year. Twelve of the twenty-one already
qualified cars are using the G Force chassis. The Dallara and G Force
chassis appears in every row of the starting field. In the previous
two races this year, one victory went to Dallara and the other to G
Force. Choosing a winning chassis here at Indy is also a toss up.
Tires: Five of the fastest six cars are using Firestone tires. Five of
the next six spots are occupied by Goodyear. Beyond that, there is an
even mix of Firestone/Goodyear tires used by the qualified cars. The
Menard team thought that the tires made a difference. John Menard's
cars tested here at the speedway prior to May. They logged over 300
miles using Firestone tires. In a surprise move just before practice
began, they switched to Goodyear. Later in the week they switched back
to Firestone because they could not match the speeds they had attained
during their many practice sessions. . The switch didn't work as their
speeds remained the same. The tires seem to be equal (at least on the
Menard cars).
The unique thing about these corporate battles for who's best is that
all the manufacturers are sharing information. They are doing it for
the sake of the success of the Indy Racing League. It is
working. There is not a clear advantage by any chassis/engine/tire
combination. This makes the league competitive and exciting to watch.
Sospiri: A Well Kept Secret
INDIANAPOLIS: Wearing street clothes last Saturday, Vincenzo Sospiri
had to be introduced to the safety patrol that was guarding the gates
of gasoline alley. Dick Simon escorted the young rookie through the
gates and told the yellow shirted guards "this is my new driver and
he's fast, very fast". The guards know the bright star from Monaco by
sight now. On May25th, the entire world will know the name "Vincenzo
Sospiri". He is starting his very first Indianapolis 500 from the
front row.
Sospiri knows where he is. He understands the history associated with
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As a race driver, he reacts
appropriately. In slightly broken English, Sospiri was talking about
how he feels when he walks through gates of the famed speedway. He
said "I come through the tunnel and the bumps go up my spine".
Sospiri said that he has wanted to race at Indianapolis since he first
saw it on television when he was fourteen years old. It took sixteen
years, but the man has made it...... and made it big.
The thirty year old driver could have very well remained "across the
pond". He was the test driver last year for the Benetton Formula One
team. He was a good one too. So good in fact, he was faster in testing
than the main driver for that team. He stated that the "politics" in
Formula One stopped him from moving into the primary seat for
Benetton.
Sospiri says that his team has not ran too many laps at the speedway
this month because of a lack of engines. He ran the car a little on
Thursday and then again yesterday before qualifying for the front row
with the third fastest speed.
Vincenzo said that The Indianapolis 500 is very popular in Europe. "I
think what you most follow is Formula One, of course, and after
that...or immediately equal to that is the Indy 500." He finished his
comments by saying "I am very happy to be in this race".
Sospiri started racing go karts in 1981. In 1982, at the age of 15, he
was the champion in the 100cc junior cadet class with 15 victories. He
advanced to Indy through Formula Three and Formula 3000.
Steve Kinser Makes Indy Lineup
INDIANAPOLIS (12:30 PM): Track activity this morning looked like a
ghost town compared to yesterday, when 21 cars qualified for the 81st
Indianapolis 500.
There were only three cars on the track in the early morning practice
session. Robbie Groff, Steve Kinser, and Greg Ray were the drivers
making the early morning laps. Groff was the first in line for
qualifying. He made a warmup lap but did not take the green flag.
Steve Kinser, the 14 time World Of Outlaws champion was next in
line. He took the number 44 Sinden Racing One
Call/Menards/Dallara/Aurora out and qualified with a speed average of
over 210 mph. The most successful driver in the history of the Outlaws
series passed his rookie test at Indy in 1981, but crashed just before
qualifying. He had never returned to Indy until this year. He tested
an IRL car for A.J. Foyt at Walt Disney World earlier this year.
In other news this morning, it was announced that John Paul Jr. was
released from Methodist Hospital at 11:30 AM today. He has casts on
both legs and will be in a wheelchair for the next six to eight
weeks. Paul crashed hard at the Speedway on Friday suffering a broken
right leg and left heel.
Terry Callahan -- The Auto Channel
Car Owner A.J. Foytfont size=-1>
Olds Aurora (left) and Nissan Infiniti (right)font size=-1>
Steve Kinser qualifies for 81st Indy 500font size>