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Back in the game Both of Penske's drivers qualify for Indy 500
Updated: Tuesday May 22, 2001 8:49 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Roger Penske won't need a ticket to see his first Indianapolis 500 in seven years. Not after Saturday. Both of Penske's drivers -- Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves -- qualified early Saturday, assuring Penske of two starting spots in the 85th Indianapolis 500, his first entries in the race since 1994. "My worst nightmare was not being able to qualify for the race," Penske said. "But as I arrived Thursday and saw how we were running Friday, my confidence went up." After watching Castroneves scrape the wall in practice Friday, Penske's concern grew. But he didn't need to worry for long Saturday, and he nearly earned a front-row seat -- just like old times. Thirty-five minutes into qualifying de Ferran bumped Arie Luyendyk off the pole by going 224.406 mph. De Ferran was later knocked off the pole by Scott Sharp, but Penske didn't seem to be bothered. "We weren't coming here really considering the pole," he said. "We're really concerned more with the race." Later in the afternoon, Penske received more good news, when Castroneves avoided the wall and clocked 224.142, which also put him solidly in the field. De Ferran will start fifth on May 27, Castroneves 11th. The qualifying runs marked a glorious return to a race where Penske has won a record 10 races, and to a venue he once seemed to own. "I think it demonstrates and shows how good this team is," Penske said, referring to Saturday's qualifying successes. "What we have to deal with now is the race." The race was something Penske didn't have to deal with the last time he was in Indianapolis. After winning the 1994 race with Al Unser Jr. in the driver's seat powered by a Mercedes engine, 1995 proved much more difficult. Penske found himself scrambling just to qualify, and Unser Jr. even resorted to pulling his race-winning car out of the speedway museum. Everything failed. "It was a panic situation," Unser Jr. said Friday. "We were in a panic situation for three weeks in '95, and nothing we did seemed to work." Penske left Indianapolis before that race, and the next year marked the beginning of the IRL-CART split. Penske stayed away for five years -- until his return Thursday. "The track didn't change," Penske said. "Certainly the environment is different. I used to memorize where all the garages were for everyone, but now it's a matter of us just getting down to business."
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