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Thursday, May 3

CART teams have balancing act
By Jack Arute
Special to ESPN.com

The 85th renewal of the Indianapolis 500 officially kicks off this Sunday with the opening of practice. Its a marathon of daily practice culminating with two races at the end of the journey. The 500 and preceding it, qualifications.

Unlike most other open wheel events, qualifying for the 33-car field is as pressure packed as running the event itself. "Every team and every driver brings his 'A' game to Indy from day one," says 1998 Indy 500 champ Eddie Cheever Jr.

More than 60 driver and car combinations are registered for this year's race including several Indy-only operations. For some of the one race only guys like Michael Andretti, Bruno Junqueira and Nicolas Minassian their Indy effort will mix with their CART commitments at Nazareth and Motegi, Japan.

IRL cars produce more down force than their CART counterparts. CART cars enjoy a sizeable horsepower advantage. The prospects of running flat out around a 2.5- mile flat, four-cornered place like Indy is far different than what the CART drivers are used to. This means that the CART drivers jumping from discipline to discipline must make major adjustments.

The return to two weekends of qualifying increases the pressure on everyone. The past couple of years saw one two-day weekend of qualifications which heavily favored the Indy Racing League Northern Light regulars. They have the most experience with the IRL mandated rules, engine packages and chassis package so their learning curve is far less steep than outsiders.

But, the addition of five additional days of practice and two more days of qualifying levels the playing field for all. Now, teams can wait out conditions. "I've had practice sessions where you felt like you were walking through Jello," says Cheever. "The smallest change in temperature can take a car that's handling well to car that is not handling well at all."

Ask most drivers and they will tell you that much of Indy's pressure is lifted at the end of qualifications. The race itself is an emotional dénouement . That is not to say that the 'Greatest Spectacle In Racing' is not pressure packed.

"I've always viewed the 500 as not a race where I have to beat other racing drivers but a race where I have to make sure that the track doesn't get me," says Cheever.

According to Cheever, last year's convincing win by Juan Montoya and his Team Target Chip Ganassi Racing operation changed things at the Brickyard. "Ganassi's team raised the bar for all of us last year. They spend less time in the pits than anyone. Their pit work and fuel efficiency made all of us change or strategies."

This year's lineup also pits the pride of CART against the Indy Racing League with Michael Andretti's return. There also persists a rumor that Tony may squeeze and Indy 500 effort into his NASCAR schedule.

"I'd be more worried of Tony Stewart than Michael Andretti. Tony has a lot more experience with the IRL cars. When it comes to oval racing Tony has proved time and time again that he is exceptional in anything that you turn left in," says Cheever.

Winning Indy means more than a Million dollar plus payday. It still is considered the ultimate conquest for a racing driver.

"Not only does it make a season," says Cheever. "It makes a career and if you're a racing car driver it makes your life."

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