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Wednesday, March 30, 2005 | 10:57 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Richie Hearn had become accustomed to getting a phone call in May from fellow Henderson resident Sam Schmidt, summoning him to Indiana for a last-minute ride in the Indianapolis 500.

So when Schmidt called Hearn last month informing him that Schmidt was putting together a proper, fully funded effort for this year's Indy 500, Hearn was caught off guard.

"It's pretty much a surprise, really," Hearn said Tuesday. "I'm so used to having to arrive in Indy in May and just walk around until something happens.

"For me, this is the first time I'll actually be on the track on opening day since 1996 -- that year we finished third. Hopefully, I can do that and maybe a couple (of positions) better."

Schmidt announced this week that he has purchased two chassis from Penske Racing and will enter the No. 70 Chevrolet-powered Panoz at Indy with sponsorship from Meijer stores and Coca-Cola.

"We're obviously happy to be there because it is the Indy 500 but, more importantly, we're happy to be there with the support of Meijer and Coca-Cola, which is a totally different program than we've been able to have the last five years competing there.

"We just feel extremely flattered at Sam Schmidt Motorsports to be blessed with this sponsorship ... and the ability to now go to the speedway opening day (with) guns loaded, so to speak, and hit it hard."

This will mark the fourth consecutive year that Schmidt and Hearn have teamed at Indy. Hearn finished sixth in the 2002 race but has been relegated to finishes of 28th and 20th the past two years in underfunded efforts. His best finish in the Indy 500 was a third-place effort in 1996 -- as a rookie -- in a car fielded by Della Penna Motorsports.

Hearn said this year's effort would be his first chance to legitimately contend for the Indy 500 championship since 1996.

"Everything I've driven since (1996) has always been last-minute or jumping in in place of an injured driver and it's really hard to ever get any momentum when you're doing it that way. Hopefully, being on the track right from the beginning ... I plan on qualifying pretty high up and I have high hopes for the team and myself considering the equipment we're going to have and the guys working on the car."

Hearn, 34, has not raced regularly in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series since he competed in 10 events in 2002 and is in his second year as the owner of a Star Mazda Series team, but said he hoped his Indy 500 performance might open some doors for him in the IRL.

"Hopefully, this will carry on to future drives and get me back into the mix," Hearn said. "I'd like to race full time. I started the Star Mazda Series deal as kind of a necessity because I wasn't doing anything else and it kind of keeps me out there ... but it doesn't mean I've ever thought I was done driving.

"I still want to race and I still think I can do a good job and produce some results."

GOOD START: Las Vegas native Matt Jaskol, who drives for Hearn in the Star Mazda Series, finished second to Lee Hatch of Covina, Calif., in Saturday night's ASA Speed Truck Challenge season opener Saturday at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California.

Jaskol, 20, also finished second in his first Star Mazda Series race earlier this month for Hearn Motorsports.

Last year, Jaskol earned four victories as a rookie in the Formula BMW USA series.02

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