Columnist Davey Hamilton: Getting off to a slow start at Indianapolis

Davey Hamilton

Tuesday, May 12, 1998 | 9:36 a.m.

DAVEY HAMILTONof Las Vegas is bidding to start his third Indianapolis 500 in a G Force/Oldsmobile Aurora V8 fielded by Nienhouse Motorsports of Albuquerque, N.M. This is the first in a series of columns he will write for the Sun during the two weeks of practice, qualifying and the race.

TO GO FAST at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I have to attain a comfort level. Basically, that's what the Nienhouse Motorsports team worked on during the first two days of practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Speed on the first day of practice was not our objective. I wanted to shake down the car, get it up to good speed and make sure that I felt comfortable in the car. By the end of the day, I was comfortable with the car and the track.

Speeds will be increased this year for the Indianapolis 500. My fastest lap Sunday was 216.570 mph just before 5 p.m. and was seventh fastest of the day. The car had a bit of understeer (pushing toward the wall) all day but that's how we came to the track. On Monday, I turned a lap of 217.696 mph, good for 13th position on the day.

Getting comfortable was the main goal. I had the same problem with head buffeting that I had before the season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando. My head was shaking all over because of wind buffeting. This made it very difficult to focus on a line to get into the corner. It was a problem the team had not anticipated at all. It caught us off guard.

I have all the confidence in the world in this team. They worked very hard to make sure I was comfortable. If anyone came by the garage around 12 noon, they would have thought we were shooting craps on the floor. Nine crew members were working to improve the padding in the upper cockpit area that supports my head. We were on the floor and they were cutting pieces of foam to give me that additional padding. It took about an hour but it eliminated the buffeting I had experienced earlier in the day.

As a team, we are still trying to learn each other and work together. I honestly believe it takes a full year to come together, learn each track and be able to return to that track with more confidence. I enjoy being the only driver on the team, although with two drivers a team can double its input of information. This team's roots are with (Rick) Galles (the veteran Indy 500 car owner) and they know what to expect here. Galles taught them how to do things right.

The comfort level I am at now will enable me to slowly work up to speed. The team is concentrating on a race-day setup early in the week. We will get the car in trim later for a run for the pole Saturday. Getting the car right for the race is the primary goal and putting the car in the front row is a secondary goal. I would rather win the race than be on the front row. But we are trying to accomplish both.

I was on the track during a very special event that I regret missing for the first time since coming here in 1991 -- the 18th annual "Save Arnold" barbecue which benefits Special Olympics of Indiana. I walked over there and the activities had ended, although Phil Nienhouse represented the team. The event has raised more than $4 million for Indiana Special Olympics since the barbecue started in 1981.

I'm sorry I missed it because it is so enjoyable to put a smile on children's faces, especially for youngsters who don't have the same opportunities as others. It's a big accomplishment to make one kid happy and put a smile on a face. They have dreams, too. It makes me realize how fortunate I am to be able to attain my dreams.

My dream was to become a race car driver. It would be great to make a living from that, and then just to be able to race in one 500. Every time I drive a race car around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I know that my dreams have come true.

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