Mehl says the new IRL changes will make the Indy 500 a truer test of ability for drivers and their teams. Sunday's Indy will offer two former winners - Luyendyk and Buddy Lazier - and 13 rookies mostly untested in 500-mile races. will pursue CART's Motorola 300 in Madison, Ill. On Saturday, a day before the cars zoom here, former Indy 500 winners Bobby Rahal and Al Unser Jr. 500 in Michigan last year and ran it two hours later than the Indy 500 "because we thought it was really important to challenge that," Craig said. With the wounds of separation still fresh, CART created the U.S. CART's 18-race season (10 more than the IRL) also would pose scheduling complications, according to Craig. Craig called the qualifying restriction "the critical philosphical issue" between his group and the IRL but said that other practical issues mitigate against CART and IRL coming together.ĬART has curtailed speeds and altered chassis only marginally, which would require CART owners to modify cars or buy new ones if they want to compete in the Indy 500. The move brought slight praise today from CART President Andrew Craig. In addition to automotive changes, the IRL announced that next year it will dump its policy of reserving as many as 25 places in the 33-car Indy 500 field for drivers who participate primarily in IRL races. "I'm kind of proud of what they've done," said four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. No pole-sitter had gone slower since Mario Andretti averaged 215.390 in 1987. This year, the cars will not have turbochargers, and their engines are estimated at 700 horsepower (down from about 900) and limited to a maximum of 10,500 rpm (down from 14,000).Ī year since he set one- and four-lap marks of 237.498 mph and 236.986, Arie Luyendyk won Sunday's pole at 218.263 mph. Pieces detached at such speed fly higher and farther. If technology had gone unrestrained, the cars would be traveling faster than 250 mph on Sunday. We feel we have the most raceable oval car available now." If you can reduce the speed 20 miles an hour, survivability increases substantially. There's much less of an opportunity to react.
"And the driver becomes much less of a factor when something goes wrong. "That speed is totally unnecessary from a competition standpoint," Mehl said. Brayton had won the pole by qualifying at 233.718 mph, then blew a tire in practice, struck the wall and died. Safety concerns were heightened by Scott Brayton's death last year. "What we're trying to do is provide a safe car for anybody who wants to buy it, at a fixed price," said Leo Mehl, a former Goodyear tire general manager who now is the IRL's executive director. His philosophies differed from CART's, but for better or worse, the IRL has proceeded as pledged. When he introduced the IRL last year, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George said he wanted to recreate the sport's essence, with viewer-friendly oval speedways, lower-cost race cars and equal opportunity for the competitors.
Although the IRL has announced a change that will make it easier for CART teams to participate in the Indy 500 next year, CART still will hold its own race Saturday. One of those races was held on the same day as the Brickyard's annual showcase.
That gives Sunday's 35 drivers basically the same machines to operate.īut it also leaves the IRL at odds with Championship Auro Racing Teams (CART), a group of open-wheel car owners and drivers who last year responded to new eligibility restrictions for the Indy 500 by breaking ranks and creating their own series of races. The IRL also has placed a $263,000 ceiling on chassis costs, down from more than $400,000 last year. The speed reduction was one of the IRL's two chief changes aimed at preserving competition, improving drivers' chances of surviving a crash and reducing spectators' risks of injury from flying debris.
The average qualifying speed for Sunday's race was 212.286 mph, nearly 16 mph slower than last year's record 227.807. In the name of safety, the Indy Racing League has tamed the engines of its open-wheel cars. Among its innovations this year, the Indianapolis 500 will feature a speed limit.