Ray on Indy 500 pole

Monday, May 22, 2000 | 9:51 a.m.

Determined Jimmy Kite finally provided Blue Print Racing owner Ed Rachanski, a part-time resident of Las Vegas, with a trouble-free qualifying run Sunday for the 84th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Kite qualified a G-Force/OldsmobileV8 purchased Saturday night from Chip Ganassi at 220.718 mph and became the 26th driver to qualify for the 500. The original Blueprint Racing entry sustained heavy damage in a crash Saturday. Kite was not injured.

Kite was the second quickest qualifier Sunday and earned a starting position on the inside of the ninth row in the May 28 race. Moments later, Davey Hamilton of Las Vegas qualified the Team Xtreme G-Force/OldsmobileV8, at 219.878 and will start on the inside of the 10th row. Hamilton has never started farther back than the fourth row in his four previous races.

Other Las Vegas-area drivers in this year's race are Jimmy Vasser, Al Unser Jr. and Richie Hearn, all of whom qualified Saturday. Vasser will start on the inside of Row 3 and Unser from the outside of Row 6. Hearn will start from the middle of the eighth row. (Starting lineup on page 6D.)

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