Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Henderson’s Schmidt revs for position in Indy 500

Friday, May 15, 1998 | 10:19 a.m.

BRIAN HILDERBRAND is a Las Vegas SUN sportswriter. His motor sports column appears Fridays. He can be reached on the Internet at bh@lasvegassun.com. For the latest in the world of auto racing, check out the SUN Racing web site at http://www. lasvegassun.com/sports/racing/

Sam Schmidt officially doesn't have an Indianapolis 500 lap to his credit. But that isn't stopping the Henderson resident from thinking big as he prepares for Saturday's pole qualifying for the Indy Racing League's premier event.

"Our goal is (to qualify in) the first three rows and to do that, it's probably going to take better than 220 (mph) and that's pretty much flat out," Schmidt said Thursday from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "Now, we've just got to try to find a balance in the car that will allow us to run flat out."

One of the big surprises of this month's practice for the May 24 Indy 500, Schmidt boasts the seventh-fastest practice lap (221.588) among the 39 drivers attempting to land one of the 33 starting spots for the 82nd running of the Indy 500.

Schmidt was hoping to better his top lap speed during Thursday afternoon's practice session, but an engine change in his No. 99 Best Western Gold Crown Dallara/Aurora on Tuesday threw a monkey wrench into those plans.

"We took the whole day off Tuesday and changed motors," Schmidt said. "That was our race motor ... we put 150 miles on it and then took it out and had it checked out. We went out late (Wednesday) and, surprisingly enough, the motor change had changed the balance of the car pretty considerably.

"It's not normal for it to change that much but we intentionally changed the weight distribution. We just went a little far is all, so we had to go back."

While Schmidt's performance this week has caught some observers by surprise, it comes as no shock to the 33-year-old driver.

"We tested here in April for two days -- not nearly the eight or nine days that a lot of people had," he said. "We ran 221.9 at the end of it all and came away with a warm, fuzzy feeling. We like this place and we knew we were going to do well, it's just a matter of how well everybody else did."

Although he has yet to run a lap in the Indy 500 under the green flag, Schmidt qualified in the 23rd starting position for last year's race and was the third-fastest rookie qualifier. During caution laps following a parade-lap accident, however, Schmidt developed engine problems and was unable to take the green flag.

While he has eight IRL races under his belt, Schmidt said qualifying for the Indy 500 is unlike any experience in auto racing because of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that can take place during Pole Day at the Brickyard.

"It is different because you have the tradition of the whole thing," Schmidt said. "And, there's a lot of chess going on because you draw for qualifying position and if you don't like the time of day, you can pass. But with 45 car/driver combinations, you may not get another shot at the pole. It all depends on where you draw and when your opportunity is and what everybody else is doing with their opportunity."

* NASCAR: The Winston, NASCAR's all-star race, will be run Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile tri-oval. Qualifying for the 70-lap, non-points race with wins following last year's The Winston are Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Ricky Rudd, Ernie Irvan, John Andretti, Terry Labonte, Bobby Hamilton, Sterling Marlin and Bobby Labonte. Kenny Irwin and Rich Bickle are in the field by virtue of their car owners' victories; Darrell Waltrip and Bill Elliott qualified as previous Winston Cup champions; and Michael Waltrip and Geoff Bodine got in as former winners of The Winston. The final spot in the field will be filled by the winner of The Winston Open, a 50-lap race to be held prior to The Winston. ... Tim Beverly, who bought Darrell Waltrip's Winston Cup team last month, said he will put the three-time Winston Cup champion back in the No. 17 Chevrolet beginning with the Aug. 1 Brickyard 400. Waltrip, however, said Thursday that he will get back in the No. 17 car only if Beverly is able to secure a major sponsor. Waltrip, who sold his team after losing his primary sponsor, has been subbing for injured driver Steve Park in the Dale Earnhardt-owned No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet.

* CART: "Inside CART," the weekly Fox Sports television program that airs locally at 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, will be in Las Vegas Sunday to tape a segment with Henderson resident Richie Hearn. There was no word from the show's producer when the segment featuring Hearn will air. ... When Greg Moore won the Rio 400, he became the fifth different winner in as many races, marking only the fourth time in CART history that a season has started with five different winners.

* IRL: Defending Indy 500 champ Arie Luyendyk won the pole for last year's race with a speed of 218.263 mph. That mark figures to be shattered this year, as reigning IRL champion Tony Stewart already has posted a fast lap of 223.703 mph during practice this month. Although the IRL is running the same normally aspirated engines as last year, Luyendyk and Stewart agree that this year's pole speed could reach 224. ... Stewart again posted the fastest speed during Thursday's practice session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, turning a 223.430 mph lap in the final minutes of happy hour. Kenny Brack had the second-fastest lap at 223.264 and Greg Ray was third-quickest at 222.717. ... Jimmy Kite spun and hit the wall hard in turn four late Thursday, shortening happy hour by nearly 20 minutes while track workers cleared the debris. Kite was not injured in the accident, which appeared to be the result of mechanical failure.

* BACKMARKERS: Two divisions of racing have been moved to Friday nights to better serve the operations of the short track program at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to short track operations manager Larry Horten. Beginning Friday night at the 3/8ths-mile paved oval, the Mini Stock Division will run independently. On alternating Friday evenings, the Street Stocks will run their races and will alternate during the month with the Mini Stocks. The two divisions will participate in heat races and main events as part of the weekly test-and-tune sessions at LVMS. Heat races begin at 8 p.m., with main events set for 9:30 p.m.