Columnist Richie Hearn: Fresh engine could make a difference

Richie Hearn

Monday, May 22, 2000 | 9:56 a.m.

This is the second in a series of five columns by Indianapolis 500 driver Richie Hearn of Henderson, who will be racing in his second Indianapolis 500.

Our week of practice was really difficult because we struggled to get up to speed. I really didn't get up to speed until Friday. We went from a 210 (mph lap) on Thursday to a 218 on Friday.

We needed a little more experience in the engineering side of the team so we added four or five guys from Derrick Walker's CART team. Their team is also going to do all of my pit stops for the race. They made all of the difference in the world to us. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't even have attempted to qualify.

Although my qualifying run was fast enough to make the race, I was disappointed because I was flat the whole time. I don't know if I had a soft engine or if it was something else. We were running straight out but it just didn't have what it needed down the straightaway. It's not that important now; we'll put a fresh engine in to run the race. Reliability is what matters to us now. On Thursday (Carburetion Day) we're going to run maybe five or 10 laps. I'm going to check my gearing, check for leaks, maybe scrub a set of tires and put it away. I'm hoping my car will be well balanced on race day.

It may get pretty crazy at the start of this year's race. There are some pretty aggressive drivers up front. I'm almost glad I'm starting in the back of the field rather than right in the middle of it. It might get a little hairy the first couple of laps, but I'm looking forward to it.