Ray

INDIANAPOLIS -- Greg Ray, a much better starter than finisher in the Indianapolis 500, will have a different view of the beginning of this year's race.

The former Indy Racing League series champion qualified Sunday at 227.155 mph and will start 31st among the 33 cars in the May 26 race. In the past four years, he started no worse than second but finished no better than 17th.

"It's nice to start up front, but the object of the game is to finish up front," Ray said.

"The mindset is different, no doubt," he said of starting from the rear of the field. "It's more focused, and I'm not sure that's a bad thing."

Ray started 30th as a rookie in 1997. After that, however, he was among the fastest in qualifications each year, starting second in 1998, '99 and 2001. He won the pole position and led 26 laps in 2000 before a crash left him 33rd.

He led 40 laps last year, but a brush with the wall just after the midpoint of the race forced a lengthy pit stop and he finished 17th, eight laps down.

Ray, fired by Team Menard last August, was let go by Kelley Racing when Al Unser Jr. was hired at the start of this season. He was hired by A.J. Foyt last month after Eliseo Salazar was injured during private testing.

"We have a good game plan and solid chassis," he said of the Dallara-Chevrolets he and teammate Airton Dare will drive.

Dare qualified at 227.760 mph Sunday for a start just ahead of Ray.

"We really thought we would do 228-229. Maybe we could have gone a little more," Ray said. "I was flat out and never lifted. We had great exit speeds (on the turns), so the car was working well. We just weren't as quick as I thought we would be."

Racing conflict
Johnny Herbert, who won three races in 12 years on the Formula One circuit, did not get a chance to qualify for his first Indianapolis 500 because of a conflicting event in Sonoma, Calif.

Herbert was committed to the Champion Audi team in the American Le Mans Series, which also was racing Sunday.

"I'm tremendously disappointed," said Herbert, who first tested an IRL car last summer. "It's been a lifelong ambition to compete at Indy, and when I finally get here I'm faced with about the only obstacle that could prevent me from achieving my goal.

"Unfortunately, the time frame available to accomplish both feats (Indy and Sonoma) is just too tight to make work," he said.

In his place, Duesenberg Brothers Racing gave the ride to Memo Gidley, who practiced but never made an attempt to qualify.

"In these last-minute deals, you kind of roll the dice and work as hard as you can, and what happens, happens," Gidley said.

Happy birthday
Dario Franchitti celebrated his 29th birthday Sunday with a strong qualification run at 228.177 mph.

The 1999 CART series runner-up to Juan Montoya is a rookie at Indianapolis and will join Team Green teammates Paul Tracy and Michael Andretti.

"After all the trials and tribulations, the engine problem last week, it's nice to get a run in, and it felt good," Franchitti said.

"I've been told by guys that have raced here before that it's a heck of an experience to walk out here race morning. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm totally focused on getting ready for the race," said Franchitti, who will start 28th.

Boat crash
The only driver to crash during the final practice Sunday before qualifications was Billy Boat , who spun in the second turn and hit the wall with the rear of his backup car.

"I'm not really sure what happened," Boat said. "The car just stepped out on the entry to Turn 2."

Boat, who wasn't injured, qualified his primary race car last week at 226.589 mph and nervously waited out Sunday's qualifications as the slowest in the field.

"I'm so happy for the whole team. We gambled on pole day and gambled on the weather," said Boat, who earned $20,000 for finishing "on the bubble" as the slowest qualifier.

Bumped twice
Billy Roe accepted a qualification speed of just over 212 mph knowing the only way that would be good enough to make the race would be if it rained.

As it turned out, he was bumped from the lineup not once, but twice.

"If it started to rain right now, we'd be set," Roe said after his four-lap run filled the field. "We were flat out all the way around, but that's all it had in it."

He was bumped by the next qualifier, rookie George Mack, but regained his spot in the lineup -- briefly -- when Michael Andretti withdrew the car he qualified last week. Minutes later, Andretti re-qualified his backup at a faster speed, bumping Roe a second time.

Speedway officials believed it was the first time a driver had been bumped twice in the same car.