Knapp named top Indy 500 rookie

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Posted: Sunday July 05, 1998 04:11 PM

At one point Steve Knapp was out of racing for five years (David Taylor/Allsport)

INDIANAPOLIS (CNN/SI) -- Steve Knapp fullfilled a longtime dream Monday night when he was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year at the event's annual awards presentation.

Knapp, 34, started 23rd in Sunday's 82nd Indy 500 and finished in third place behind winner Eddie Cheever and second-place finisher Buddy Lazier.

Of the eight first-year starters in Sunday's race, Knapp secured the best finish, earning $338,750 for his effort, including $10,000 as the top rookie driver. One of his teammates at ISM Racing, Jeff Ward, was the last year's Rookie of the Year.

"It's hard for me to keep from crying, but it's been a long road to get here," said Knapp, who began driving sports cars in 1985, but had never before driven in an Indy-car race. "I just got really lucky with a really good team. They had a solid car under me the whole week. This has been a lifelong dream."

Knapp was a test team coordinator for Mario and Michael Andretti in 1988-90, but was out of racing for the next five years. He won the U.S. Formula 2000 championship in 1996 and drove the Toyota Atlantic Series last year, with a best finish of second at Vancouver, British Columbia. At Indy, he qualified at 216.445 mph for a start in the middle of the eighth row.

"I was prepared really well from the driver's side of it with Jeff Ward," he said. "He gave me all the information he learned last year and then some. He didn't hold anything back."

Knapp said he started the race cautiously, trying to stay out of trouble.

"Then I just started picking them off," he said. "My goal was to be in the top 10 by lap 50, and I think on lap 40 I was seventh and I was surprised how easy it was coming to me. At that point, the team said 'Just keep doing what you're doing.'"

Earlier Monday, Knapp signed a new contract with ISM to run three more races this year and to test with the team for the rest of the season.

"They're trying to put together a full-time program for next year," he said.

Other rookie finishers were Robby Unser, fifth; Andy Michner, eighth; J.J. Yeley, ninth; Jimmy Kite, 11th; Jack Hewitt, 12th; Stan Wattles, 28th; and Donnie Beechler, 32nd.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.