Indy drivers adjust to the times
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The
classic image is of the In
dianapolis 500 winner on the
victory stand swigging happily
from the traditional bottle of
milk, his hair mussed, a white
T-shirt, a pair of work pants
and dusty, nondescript black
shoes.
But those days are long
gone.
Today’s drivers,
businessmen and engineers,
have clean hands, wear
tailored, fire-resistant
uniforms, specially fitted
lightweight shoes and full
face helmets — the latest
thing in safety equipment.
They are articulate and, in
many cases, well-educated.
For the first 50 years of the
Indianapolis 500 — the open
cockpit years from the open
ing of Indianapolis Motor
Speedway opened in 1909 as a
test track through the ‘50s —
the winners often fit the ac
cepted public image of under
educated grease monkeys.
Most worked on their own cars
and took pride in the fact that
the dirt under their fingernails
showed their belief in the
American work ethic.
But the front row qualifiers
for this year’s 68th running of
the Indy classic, Sunday, in
cludes two drivers — pole
winner Tom Sneva and team
mate Howdy Holmes — who
are college graduates.
In fact, of the 33 starters in
this year’s event, 17 have
spent at least one semester in
a university, college or junior
college and 11 have earned
either a four-year or associate
degree.
Patrick Bedard, a second
time starter, has a bachelor’s
degree from Iowa State and an
advanced degree in
automotive engineering from
the Chrysler Institute.
Italian driver Teo Fabi has a
degree in aeronautical
engineering from the Institute
of Technology in Milan.
Of course, racing, too, has
changed, with more drivers
buying rides than earning
them on the merits of their ap
prenticeships in lesser series.
‘‘You have to be a
businessman today,” says
Dick Simon, at 50 the oldest
starter in the race. “You have
to be able to sell yourself and
your team to a sponsor so that
you can go racing.
“There aren't many guys
around who have enough
money to run their own racing
team.”
Reflecting that change,
many of the drivers — like
athletes in other sports —
have business managers, read
financial newspapers and
magazines and even show up
at some meetings in three
piece suits.
“Boy, I don’t really unders
tand what’s happened,” said
Dick Ferguson, who finished
31st in the 1980 race but failed
to make the field this year. “It
used to be that you saw
drivers hanging around the
garage and helping out with
the cars at night. I was here
with my crew the other night
and the only other driver I saw
hanging around was A.J.
(Foyt).
“Now, the track closes at 6
and the drivers are walking out
carrying their briefcases at
6:05,” he added. “I’d like to
know what a race driver carries
in a briefcase when he leaves
the race track.”
US Olympic official blasts Soviets;
claims 50 countries could boycott
NEW YORK (AP) — Calling
the Soviet-led boycott of the
Summer Olympics “a blatant
political decision,” the ex
ecutive director of the U.S.
Olympic Committee predicted
Tuesday there would be as
many as 50 nations absent
from the Los Angeles Games.
Despite the boycott of the
Soviet bloc nations, Col. F.
Don Miller predicted the Olym
pics would be “a complete
success.” He termed the
Soviet-led boycott “political
overtones of self-serving
nonsense,”
Miller also predicted that
the Soviet Union would com
pare the medals earned by the
United States this year with its
medals in the 1980 Moscow
Games, boycotted by the
United States.
Meanwhile, Romania, the
only Warsaw Pact nation that
has yet to join the boycott,
delayed its decision on
whether to attend, and the In
ternational Olympic Commit
tee denied reports that
negotiations for television
rights to the 1988 Summer
Olympic Games in Seoul,
South Korea, have been
suspended because of the
Soviet pullout.
Miller’s comments came at
a luncheon following a sym
posium to address the impact
of the USOC Training Centers
and the preparedness of U.S.
athletes. He said that
regardless of talk about the
Soviets reversing their deci
sion: “They’re not coming.”
Miller said, however, that
there would be represen
tatives from the Soviet Union
and its allies at the Games,
just as there were U.S. of
ficials in Moscow four years
ago.
He said credentials would
be issued to representatives
scheduled to attend the
meetings of international
sports bodies traditionally
held during the Olympics, and
to some members of the
media.
But he lashed out at the
Soviets for initiating the
boycott, which has been join
ed by East Germany, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, Poland,
Hungary, Laos, Vietnam,
Mongolia and Afghanistan.
Cuba is expected to an
nounce its decision
Wednesday.
Miller said he came to the
conclusion that the number of
boycotting nations would in
crease after last Friday’s
emergency meeting of the In
ternational Olympic Commit
tee at Lausanne, Switzerland.
He said the number could
reach 20 or 25, and it could be
50 “depending what the
African nations do,” if Britain
adds South African-born run
ner Zola Budd to its track and
field team or if it competes, as
scheduled, against South
Africa in a rugby match.
About 25 nations boycotted
the 1976 Montreal Olympics
after a rugby team from New
Zealand played against a
South African team.
Miller noted that politics
has intruded on the Olympics
since 1932 — the last time
they were held in Los Angeles
— but noted that the political
intrustion has grown in
intensity.
‘‘Now, in my judgment, the
total Olympic movement has
been eroded, he said. “The
athletes of the world are being
used as sacrificial pawns.
“We are not blameless. We
^participated (in a boycott) in
1980.”
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