Boat Tries to Survive Another Speed Bump

INDIANAPOLIS — After having survived two of the most nerve-wracking “Bump Day” experiences in Indianapolis 500 history, can it happen to Billy Boat again?

Two years ago, Boat crashed his regular car early on “Bump Day,” found another car and qualified it only to get bumped by Lyn St. James at 5:34 p.m. A.J. Foyt, an old friend from U.S. Auto Club days, offered Boat one of his cars, but it had not had a single lap on the track and time was running out.

Dan Drinan appeared to be the final qualifier when he took to the track at 5:56, but when his car stalled and wouldn’t start, Boat was next in line in Foyt’s car. It was 5:59 and during Boat’s first lap the gun went off signifying the end of qualifying.

Boat’s four laps at 218.872 mph bumped Jack Miller and put the Phoenix veteran in the race.

Last year the scenario was reversed. Instead of being the hunter, Boat was the hunted.

He qualified at noon on the final day at 221.528 mph and at 5:12 he was the man on the bubble. In the next 48 minutes, 12 qualifying attempts were made by eight drivers as Boat sweat out his fate. No one bettered his speed and he started his fifth 500.

This year Boat isn’t on the bubble yet, but he is the slowest of the 24 qualifiers as the final round of qualifying unfolds today. Nine more drivers must qualify before anyone is on the bubble. Once the field of 33 cars is filled, the slowest car on the grid, regardless of its position, can be bumped by a faster qualifier.

Considering the quality of the cars and drivers not yet in the race, such as two-time champion Arie Luyendyk, CART points leader Dario Franchitti and teammate Paul Tracy, former pole-sitter Greg Ray, Formula One veteran Johnny Herbert and 1999 Indy 500 rookie of the year Robby McGehee, it could be another precarious position.

“I won’t feel really good until that gun goes off at 6 p.m. tomorrow,” said Boat after practice ended Saturday. “But the Curb Records team has done everything we can to ensure our position in the 500. Obviously, [Sunday] will be a stressful, hectic day. You know, the unexpected is what you fear.”

Cary Agajanian, one of the car’s co-owners with Mike Curb and Boat, is optimistic that the Agajanian family will again be in the race with the No. 98 made famous by his late father, J.C. Agajanian. That was the number carried by Troy Ruttman in 1952 and Parnelli Jones in 1963 when they won the 500 for Agajanian.

“Last week at this time we were quite worried,” said Agajanian, “but with the weather as cold as it is, and few of the nonqualifiers showing much speed, I think we’re safe. Ten cars would have to beat Billy’s speed for us to get bumped and I don’t see that many on the grounds.”

Boat’s qualifying speed of 226.589 mph was bettered Saturday by only three drivers, Foyt’s pair of Airton Dare, 227.015, and Ray, 226.756, and Team Green’s Franchitti, 226.751.

Oriol Servia projected himself into the picture, two days after learning that he had lost his CART ride when team owner Derrick Walker downsized his team from two cars to one for Scott Dixon. This reduced CART’s car count to 19, one under what is considered an acceptable number for televised races.

Servia had several laps in the 226-mph range in Laurent Redon’s Mi Jack backup car.

The busiest driver was McGehee, who had been recuperating from injuries suffered on the track’s opening day until given medical clearance to resume practice Friday. He took 108 laps, his best being 224.577.

Luyendyk chose not to run in the final full day of practice, saving himself and his car for today’s morning practice and noon qualifying.

“It’s more important to practice Sunday morning and tune the car to the conditions then,” he said. “It seems like the wind direction has changed every day for the last three days so I saw no value in running and tuning the car to [Saturday’s] conditions.”

Pole-sitter Bruno Junqueira also took the day off as Chip Ganassi’s Target crew worked to repair the damage done when Junqueira tapped the wall during practice Thursday. Crew chief Mike Hull said the car would be ready to run Thursday on carburetion day, the last time cars are permitted on the track before next Sunday’s race.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX

*--* Indy 500 Qualifying The Race: May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.5-mile superspeedway. TV: The 500 will be shown on Channel 7 at 9 a.m. PDT. 33 cars in lineup PP NO DRIVER CAR MPH ROW 1 1 (33) Bruno Junqueira G Force-Chevy 231.342 2 (24) Robbie Buhl G Force-Infiniti 231.033 3 (2) Raul Boesel Dallara-Chevy 230.613 ROW 2 4 (21) Felipe Giaffone G Force-Chevy 230.326 5 (17) r-Tony Kanaan G Force-Chevy 230.253 6 (51) x-Eddie Cheever Dallara-Infiniti 229.786 ROW 3 7 (4) Sam Hornish Jr Dallara-Chevy 229.585 8 (8) Scott Sharp Dallara-Chevy 229.486 9 (23) Sarah Fisher G Force-Infiniti 229.439 ROW 4 10 (52) r-Tomas Scheckter Dallara-Infiniti 229.210 11 (31) Robby Gordon Dallara-Chevy 229.127 12 (7T) x-Al Unser Jr Dallara-Chevy 229.058 ROW 5 13 (3) x-Helio Castroneves Dallara-Chevy 229.052 14 (6) Gil de Ferran Dallara-Chevy 228.671 15 (9) Jeff Ward G Force-Chevy 228.557 ROW 6 16 (34) r-Laurent Redon Dallara-Infiniti 228.106 17 (5) r-Rick Treadway G Force-Chevy 228.039 18 (52T) r-Max Papis Dallara-Infiniti 227.941 ROW 7 19 (19T) Jimmy Vasser Dallara-Chevy 227.743 20 (91) x-Buddy Lazier Dallara-Chevy 227.495 21 (22) x-Kenny Brack G Force-Chevy 227.240 ROW 8 22 (20T) Richie Hearn Dallara-Chevy 227.233 23 (39) Michael Andretti Dallara-Chevy 226.780 24 (98) Billy Boat Dallara-Chevy 226.589 KEY-r-rookie; x-former Indy 500 champion

*--*