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Monday, May 7
Unser Jr. adjusting to IRL cars
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS – Al Unser Jr.'s return to the Indianapolis
500 was a tough learning experience.
He was 29th last year, his worst finish at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway and only the fourth time in his 13 starts he ended
up out of the top 10. He said the switch to the Indy Racing League
from the rival CART series, which began a boycott of Indy in 1996,
played a part in his less than impressive comeback.
|  | | Al Unser Jr. was disappointed after finishing 29th at the Indy 500 in his return to the event last year. |
"We're definitely used to the (IRL) cars more so than last
year," Unser said of his second season with Albuquerque-based
Galles Racing and his bid for a third Indy 500 victory.
Unser was among some three dozen drivers on the track on
Sunday's opening session of practice for the May 27 race. His top
speed was 216.639 mph.
"I'm not with a new team this year and hopefully we'll be able
to take some shortcuts with the car setup, so yeah, I think our
chances of doing well are better than last year," he said.
"It's going to be a more competitive race than last year and
the year before," Unser said. "But the whole level of competition
in the Indy Racing series has been increasing over the last couple
of years. Again this year they took another jump, and I feel the
field is closer than ever."
Lynn St. James took two ceremonial laps after announcing her
retirement before the start of practice. St. James, who began
racing sports cars in 1976, was the second of three female drivers
to compete at Indianapolis. Janet Guthrie was the first, from
1977-79, and Sarah Fisher, who is entered again this year, was a
19-year-old rookie a year ago.
"Sometimes you have to step back and take stock of what reality
is. If you can't be at the top of your game, you can't win here,"
said St. James, whose best finish in seven starts at Indianapolis
was 11th in her first race in 1992, when she was the rookie of the
year. "I've had a wonderful career, and I'm retiring from active
Indy racing with many wonderful memories."
Car owner Chip Ganassi broke the CART boycott last year and won
the race with then-rookie Juan Montoya, who left CART for Formula
One this season. Former CART champion Michael Andretti and car
owner Roger Penske, whose drivers have won a record 10 Indy 500s,
also are returning for this year's race.
Ganassi is back, too.
He entered rookies Bruno Junqueira and Nicolas Minassian but
called a news conference for Monday, where he was announced former IRL champion Tony Stewart and former CART champion
Jimmy Vasser would be his drivers at Indianapolis.
Stewart, who started from the pole as an Indy rookie in 1996,
drives in NASCAR's Winston Cup series and will have to fly from
Indianapolis to Charlotte, N.C., immediately after the 500 to race
in the Coca-Cola 600, as he did in 1999.
Stewart won the Pontiac Excitement 400 on Saturday night, his
10th in 79 career starts, and moved up to seventh in the Winston
Cup standings.
Vasser, who finished seventh for Ganassi at Indianapolis last
year, joined CART's Patrick Racing this season and was fourth in
Sunday's Lehigh Valley Grand Prix at Nazareth, Pa.
The first of three days of qualifications at Indianapolis started Saturday.
Unlike last year, when there was only one week of practice and
one weekend of qualifications, the Indy format has been stretched
to its normal three weeks of preparation leading up to the race.
"It gives us more time to work with the car and make it better
for race day," said Unser, whose last try at Indianapolis before
last year was in 1995, when he failed to qualify. "It gives you
more opportunity to try things. ... The whole mystique of the
place, the whole pressure, all that comes back into play."
Unser's teammates with Galles are rookies Didier Andre and Casey
Mears, nephew of four-time Indy winner Rick Mears.
"We wanted to be somewhere in the top 10 (speeds) on the first
day," said Unser, who ended up 13th quickest. "We came out a
little late (in the afternoon), but everything's looking pretty
good for now. ... We're always looking to be the fastest, and
that's what we're going to work towards for qualifying."
The fastest in practice was Greg Ray at 224.301 mph. Others
above 220 mph were former winners Eddie Cheever at 220.968 and
Buddy Lazier at 220.221, and Cheever's teammate, Scott Goodyear, at
220.084.
Two-time winner Arie Luyendyk, who is coming out of a year's
retirement, had a top lap at 219.481 mph.
Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves, the Penske drivers, also
made appearances late in the day.
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