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Wednesday, May 23  Hearn to stand by, just in case Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS -- The Chip Ganassi racing team hopes it won't need a backup plan Sunday at the Indianapolis 500. If he does, Richie Hearn may wind up replacing Tony Stewart in the driver's seat. Stewart, who drives full time for Joe Gibbs' NASCAR team, plans to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday -- just as he did in 1999. Gibbs allowed Stewart to start at Indianapolis on one condition -- Stewart be in Charlotte, N.C., for the start of the NASCAR race at 5:45 p.m. EDT. The Indianapolis 500 begins at noon EDT and the flight to Charlotte will take a little more than one hour. If there's a rain delay or even a slow race, Stewart might have to leave early -- even if he's leading the race. Ganassi's team has prepared a list of relief drivers, just in case. "We're pretty close to having one," team manager Mike Hull said Wednesday. "We submitted a list of four drivers and the track officials said that any one of those guys would be fine," added Hull, who would not reveal the names. Hearn is the leading candidate, according to a source close to the team, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The deadline for notifying track officials of Stewart's backup is Thursday night. "We wanted someone who had some experience, someone who's been there this month," Hull said. "I think if you look at who's available, you probably could figure it out." Indy Racing League rules require relief drivers to have practiced at Indianapolis this month and to be licensed by the IRL. Other drivers who failed to qualify for the race include Raul Boesel, Roberto Guerrero, Jimmy Kite, Didier Andre, Tyce Carlson, John Paul Jr., Shigeaki Hattori, Casey Mears and Memo Gidley. Stewart, who needs to start the Winston Cup race to earn the championship points for the event, has no complaints about the deal he made with Gibbs. "They're pretty generous in letting me do this," he said. "Saying that at a certain time I have to be out of the IRL car to make sure that I start this race on time, I don't think that is unreasonable." Stewart has not said what time he will have to leave. Gibbs' team has prepared two scenarios for Stewart -- both of which have him boarding a helicopter by 4 p.m. EDT. In both cases, the race is expected to take 3 1/2 hours, but if Stewart finishes among the top three, he will participate in the Victory Lane ceremony, then board a helicopter for a quick trip to a nearby private airport and fly to Concord (N.C.) Regional Airport. That would leave Stewart either 35 or 50 minutes, depending on his finish in Indianapolis, to reach the track and prepare for the second race. The third scenario -- should the Indianapolis 500 not be completed in 3 1/2 hours -- would require Stewart to park the car and leave early, meaning Ganassi would need the relief driver. "We hope that doesn't happen," Hull said.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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