There's still plenty that drives Indy 500

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff  |  June 2, 2007

They don't call it "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" for nothing, you know?

It is the Indianapolis 500. And no matter what the detractors say, it remains an iconic American sporting event. It still matters -- just like the Daytona 500 still matters -- to American and foreign race fans alike.

Just ask Roger Penske. The successful IndyCar Series owner now has 14 pole victories to go along with 14 wins in his five decades at the fabled Brickyard. Where do you suppose he spent his Memorial Day weekend? It certainly wasn't in Charlotte, N.C., where his NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, swept the front row of the Coca-Cola 600.

Just ask Michael Andretti. Winless in 16 Indy 500 starts as a driver, Andretti has twice visited Victory Lane at Indy as co-owner of Andretti Green Racing's five-car stable. "Two out of the last three years isn't too bad," said Andretti, who announced Monday he would be parking it for good after he came out of retirement for a second time, only to finish 13th last Sunday. "Like I said, when we won it in '05 [with Dan Wheldon], maybe I'm just meant to win 15 of these things [as an owner], huh?"

Just ask Dario Franchitti, the 34-year-old Scotsman who won last Sunday's rain-shortened 91st Indianapolis 500 and earned the right to have his likeness etched on the Borg-Warner Trophy with his boyhood hero, Jim Clark, the 1965 Indy 500 winner.

Or, better yet, just ask Casey Mears, winner of last Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, which won the ratings battle over the Indy 500 (4.5 to 4.3, according to Nielsen).

Mears, the nephew of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, knew what it meant to finally win his first NASCAR Nextel Cup race, on Memorial Day, no less. "Obviously, the 500 still means a lot to me," Mears said yesterday at Dover, Del. "It's a huge race and a huge race in my family, but I felt like now that I've been here for about four or five years I feel so much more at home here now."

So, how did Mears spend the 48 hours after his milestone victory? He didn't go on a whirlwind media blitz of New York, that's for sure.

"I got a chance to spend some good time with some of my friends around the lake on Memorial Day," Mears said. "Tuesday and Wednesday we tested and had a little bit of time off [Thursday] at the house for the first time, returned a bunch of phone calls."

Franchitti, meanwhile, went on a dizzying media tour. After doing several hours of interviews via satellite from the Speedway Sunday evening, Franchitti was feted at the awards banquet Monday, where his take of a record $10,668,815 purse amounted to $1,645,233. He was then whisked to New York, where he did the rounds on the talk-show circuit and stopped by his favorite watering hole, The Parlour, a renowned hangout for Glasgow Celtic supporters.

Franchitti said he frequented the pub when his wife, actress Ashley Judd, was busy doing Broadway plays. "It's a good place to hang out with other Scots who are passionate about their football," Franchitti said.

Although he had never thrown a baseball in his life, Franchitti, an experienced cricket player, flew to Houston Wednesday to throw out the first pitch at the Astros-Reds game at Houston's Minute Maid Park. After playing catch with Astros ace Roy Oswalt, Franchitti's delivery made it across the plate (low and away).

"I'm not used to being the Indy 500 champion, to be honest," Franchitti said. "I think it's gradually kind of soaking in, I guess. At first, in Victory Circle, I was in shock, I must admit. I was just in total shock that it all happened and it all went my way and I couldn't quite believe it."

Two years ago, Franchitti had hoped to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Clark's win with one of his own, but was frustrated when he was unable to do so, and even contemplated retirement. "I was so upset," Franchitti said. "Jackie Stewart came over and watched the race. My old boss, obviously one of my heroes, came to watch me race. It was looking good for a while, but it didn't turn out."

Franchitti, though, wasn't struck by the magnitude of his feat until he saw the Borg-Warner Trophy. "I saw some of the names, including my hero Jim Clark, then I was in awe," he said. "To see the great names that are on there, it's such a humbling experience. It's amazing to think I'm going to be on it. It's such an honor."

Ford Racing Technology, which for the last 19 years provided Robert Yates Racing with engine and technical support, announced yesterday it had extended its relationship with the NASCAR Nextel Cup team for five years.

"Robert Yates Racing is synonymous with Ford," said Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology. "We've celebrated the joy of winning races and championships with them, in addition to feeling the frustration that this sport can dish out. The main thing is that we've gone through all of those times together as loyal partners."

Since becoming a car owner in 1988, Yates has won 57 Nextel Cup races, including three Daytona 500s, and the 1999 series championship.

"We're happy about this being done because there was speculation out there that we didn't have anything or that we were looking elsewhere," Yates said. "It wasn't true, but it's hard to quiet your critics, especially when your competition is trying to shoot you down, so I want to thank Ford for being loyal to us."

In an attempt to be present for the birth of his daughter, due at the end of the month, Jeff Gordon has lined up Mark Martin as his fill-in for the June 24 Nextel Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. If he were to have to back out, Gordon, who owns a 132-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, would forfeit any driver points to Martin, while Hendrick would retain car owner points. "Hopefully, it won't come to that, but I admire Jeff for his commitment to be there when his daughter is born," Martin said. "I really respect him for that." . . . The only person happier than Franchitti after the Indy 500 had to be Davey Hamilton, who finished ninth in a Vision Racing car owned by Tony George. It was Hamilton's third top-10 finish in seven Indy 500 starts and first since his 2001 crash at Texas Motor Speedway, where he suffered catastrophic injuries to his legs, ankles, and feet that required 21 operations over the next four years. After he qualified 20th, Hamilton was asked if he thought he'd ever make it back to the Speedway, "Not at that time," he said. "At that time I was still worried about having legs and hoping I would walk again. As time [passes] and you wish on something and you get it, then you want more. That's kind of where I was. First it was to save my legs, then to walk and get stronger. It was a four-year process doing that. The last two years, I've been ready, but it's been hard getting the funding and the proper situation. It was an emotional roller coaster, that's for sure." . . . Eddie Gossage, president of Texas Motor Speedway, showed up at Indy last weekend and, as he spoke to a couple of reporters, pulled from his wallet a pair of neatly folded cashier's checks worth $50,000 each. It was the sum Gossage had offered Al Unser Jr. and Andretti last year if both agreed to postpone retirement by competing in the IndyCar Series race at his track. Neither driver, however, took him up on his offer. "The offer still stands," said Gossage . . . The Busch East Series, which has visited such far-flung destinations as Greenville-Pickens, S.C., Elko, Minn., Newton, Iowa, and, last night, South Boston, Va., will make its first New England whistlestop Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Conn. . . . Bugs Stevens, a three-time NASCAR Modified champion (1967, '68, and '69) from Rehoboth, is expected to attend the third Norwood Arena Reunion tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bezema Buick, Pontiac, GMC dealership on Route 1 in Norwood, a mile north of the old Norwood Arena Speedway. For more information, call 781-769-4700.

Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com; material from personal interviews, sanctioning bodies, race teams, sponsors, and track publicity departments was used in this report.