North Las Vegas team struggling to make it into Indianapolis 500 field

Friday, May 18, 2001 | 10:45 a.m.

Thursday marked the 10th day since teams began preparing for the 85th running of the Indianapolis 500. Ten days in which teams have pursued speeds in excess of 220 mph.

But for Team Zali and car owner Eric Zimmerman of North Las Vegas and driver John Paul, Jr., Thursday actually marked Day 1 for their on-track preparation. The team has been assembling their G-Force machine piece by piece over the past week-and-a-half, completing the chore early Thursday afternoon.

"It's taken some time to get things together because we didn't have a complete package when we arrived at the Speedway," Paul said. "But I have to hand it to the crew. They didn't rush and make mistakes. They took their time and put the car together the right way."

Paul took seven laps Thursday, breaking the car in at just over 117 miles an hour.

With just two days of practice remaining before Sunday's final round of qualifications, time might appear to be running short for the Zali team.

"I really just need one day to get up to speed," Paul said. "I'll take about 10 laps to get up to 200 miles an hour and make sure everything on the car is solid. Then we'll spend the rest of the day working on reaching a qualifying speed."

Practice continues through Saturday. Sunday is the final day of qualifications to set the 33-car starting field. Thirty-two are now qualified for the May 27 classic.