INDIANAPOLIS — Eddie Cheever thought he was headed to the hospital to check on friend and teammate Scott Brayton and give him a hard time for crashing a backup car they shared.
Instead, he was directed to the morgue.
"He looked perfect, like he was taking a nap," Cheever told USA TODAY Sports about finding Brayton's corpse surrounded by his grieving family. "The G loads had been so high, they'd severed his artery."
INDY 500: What you need to know on race day
A week later in the 1996 Indianapolis 500, Cheever turned the fastest lap (236.103 mph) in its storied history.
"I cringe when I hear the philosophy of breaking speed records is necessary," said Cheever, an ABC/ESPN analyst who also won the 1998 Indianapolis 500. "I was told to get out of that car, and 10 minutes later, Brayton was dead. The speeds were too high."
No reminders of the hazards are needed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where there have been at least a few dozen on-track fatalities since its 1909 opening.
SATURDAY: Man charged with murder in shooting near Indy 500 track
But the conditions will be as treacherous as ever in the pack mentality that will dominate Sunday's 98th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
After a record 68 lead changes last season (doubling the previous mark of 34 set in 2012), the Indianapolis 500 again is expected to become a nonstop parade at the point. The 33-car field posted a record qualifying average (229.382 mph), and the difference between pole-sitter Ed Carpenter and last-place starter Buddy Lazier is the closest by time (2.1509 seconds) and second-closest by speed (3.147 mph, just short of the 3.130 mark in 1953).
Cars are being bunched into historically tight packs while running closer together at increasingly high speeds. That should put on quite a show for fans, but it's left some drivers admittedly unsettled by a brand of racing that sometimes laces them in untenable situations — particularly approaching the checkered flag — while racing inches apart at 230 mph.
INDY 500: How some drivers deal with weekend stress
Is there such a thing as too much excitement at a 2.5-mile oval that builds part of its reputation on its inherent danger?
"In IndyCar, the closer you get to another car, the faster your car goes," said Team Penske's Juan Pablo Montoya, who moved over from NASCAR in the offseason and is making his second start at Indy since winning his 2000 debut. "But you can't run side by side. Two cars don't fit through a corner. You barely make it when it's one. It makes it where the timing of the passes is the key to everything."
Five drivers to watch at the 2014 Indy 500
USA TODAY Sports' Nate Ryan breaks down who to keep an eye on at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
As Tony Kanaan proved in whipping by Ryan Hunter-Reay on the final green-flag lap of last year's race, it isn't advantageous to be in the lead coming to the white flag. A slingshot maneuver into the lead could be the key to drinking milk in the winner's circle.
But drivers also have been told they will be given more leeway this year defending their positions, permitting an anticipatory blocking move to the inside.
Isn't that a recipe for potential mayhem?
"Yep," 2008 winner and three-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon said.
"We don't make the rules," Kanaan said.
PHOTOS: History of the Indianapolis 500
But there have been instances in which IndyCar stars have gotten vocal to effect change.
They virtually revolted against white-knuckle racing at high-speed Texas Motor Speedway in the late 2000s, forcing rules updates that separated the packs.
There hasn't been such vocal opposition to Indianapolis — perhaps because of its special place as the series' crown jewel and the most renowned race in the world — but also because its flat layout isn't the same as Texas' 1.5-mile high-banked course. (Dan Wheldon was killed in a fiery airborne crash that resulted from pack racing in the Oct. 16, 2011 race at 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway).
"Texas was more of a pack race than this, by far," Kanaan said. "We used to race there side-by-side, we can't do that here. You can always look and say, 'This is the Indy 500. You are leading the race and you have the right to lead.' I don't think it's fair enough sometimes to the leader that he'll be exposed and going to lose the race because he was in the lead. It doesn't make any sense. From that, I would say the leader should have the right to defend.
"It can be dangerous, for sure. Racing was never safe. I don't think the fans would appreciate if we go, 'Oh, please, go ahead, it's your turn (to lead).'"
If this sounds like the same type of conundrum that NASCAR drivers find themselves in the inherent chaos of Talladega Superspeedway, you're correct — with a catch.
"This is Indy-style restrictor plate at 236 mph," Cheever said. "And you can't bump into anybody."
PAST TO PRESENT: Indianapolis 500 hoping to recapture lost luster
So why has Indianapolis' palace of speed become such a playground of parity?
--The cars are virtually the same. This is the third season of Dallara's DW12 chassis, which was sold as a concept of cost-saving standardization that still would afford teams and manufacturers opportunities to differentiate the cars. That would be achieved through "aero kits" — add-on bodywork that gave a unique identity while also offering potential performance advantages.
But a three-year implementation delay will keep aero kits from making a debut until next season, leaving IndyCar as virtually a "spec" series because of its exclusive chassis supplier.
--The ebb and flow between engine manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda has evened considerably. A year ago, Chip Ganassi was grumbling about Honda being down on horsepower, and he moved his Target cars to Chevy this year. But with Andretti Autosport emerging as its new flagship this season, Honda has rediscovered speed.
--In terms of driver talent and organizational depth, this might rank as the strongest field since IndyCar fractured into two series two decades ago (the split was restored in 2008). Ed Carpenter will start from the pole position for the second consecutive season in a Chevy fielded by his underdog team, and Sebastien Bourdais, Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden also could be dark horses with upstart organizations.
But the powerhouse trio of Penske, Ganassi and Andretti also will be formidable with its affiliations touching a third of the field (including NASCAR crossover Kurt Busch, who has shown promise in attempting to become the fourth driver to run the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day).
PHOTOS: Kurt Busch Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double
"Last year, you could pick nine guys that could win," said Kanaan, who moved from KV Racing last year to Ganassi's No. 10 in place of retired Dario Franchitti. "Now it's double that."
Said veteran Oriol Servia: "It's not like you just pass guys with bad cars. There are no bad guys. The depth has been ridiculous. Anyone can win. It's very tight, very competitive. There are at least 20 legitimate cars with a top possibility of winning."
But the strategy probably will revolve around a form of sand-bagging for the first 150 laps. With strong cars able to use the draft to scoot to the front at will, the first half of the race likely will be a litmus test.
"It doesn't matter where you are," Kanaan said. "You'll see how the car is in traffic and maybe lead to see how strong you are. Nobody is going to pull away. I don't think anybody is going to want the lead either."
VIEWERS GUIDE: A look at Sunday's marathon day of racing
The Brazilian estimates a driver can use a slingshot pass to hold the lead for about a half-lap before facing another stiff challenge for first.
That makes for a see-saw battle that borders on a game of chicken in which drivers try to force one another into the lead.
"I think it would be healthier if it was possible for the cars to break away (and) get a 15-foot gap," Cheever said. "But the way the rules are written now it's impossible to do. You could have a 10th place guy who could pass the first-place guy because these cars punch such a big hole in the air, and suddenly you have 50 more horsepower (when approaching from the rear in the draft). No one is going to stop 50 more horsepower, so the guy in front is a sitting duck."
But Cheever believes the risk-to-reward ratio still is better than the era in which Brayton died in 1996. Tony Renna, who was killed in a testing crash in 2003, is the only fatality since then as the track has added SAFER barriers and the series has improved the safety technology of its chassis, helmets and seats.
"Maybe 240 mph now is safer than 230 then," Cheever said. "Safety always evolves. Everyone gets all euphoric about these records until something bad happens. Then it's human nature to wring your hands and go through the, 'Why did we do that?'
"But the uniqueness of this sport is about speed. It's something the drivers need to be comfortable with."
Follow Ryan on Twitter @nateryan
No comments:
Post a Comment