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A marked man Pole sitter hopes to drive into history
Posted: Wednesday May 24, 2000 12:35 PM
INDIANAPOLIS – As sporting events go, the Indianapolis 500 has left its mark on Greg Ray. "The Indy 500 is so historic,” he said. “I mean walking in this place gives you goose bumps because you've seen it as a kid. It's the race of all races, it's the one everyone wants to win. I've certainly dreamed about it and had positive premonitions about it, and prepare myself for it." In 1991 Ray was 25 years old when he decided to step out of the business world and into a race car. He enrolled in a driving school and made it clear where he wanted to be. "I stood up and said, 'My name is Greg Ray, I'm from Dallas, Texas. I guess you can call me an entrepreneur of sorts. I'd like to get my open wheel license because I want to drive in the Indy 500.' And of course everybody laughed. I've kept in touch with a few of those people that I met in 1991 at that drivers school and they're not laughing anymore." Ray powered his way through the open wheeled racing ranks and made his first Indianapolis 500 start in 1997 finishing 25th. In 1998 he qualified a surprising second before a gearbox problem dropped him to18th. And last year he started on the front row again leading the race for 32 laps. But a faulty radio contributed to a pit road accident on lap 120 that ended his day.
"You're out there circulating at 220 miles per hour and something happens in pit lane at 40 miles an hour," Ray says. "It's just Murphy's Law, Bermuda Ttriangle, Catch-22, whatever you want to call it. Wrong place, wrong time. “And the only time it kind of puts a lump in my throat is when you are looking at the old programs or looking at the old billboards and I see my good friend (last year’s winner) Kenny Brack's face up there and you sort of reflect on that we shoulda-coulda-woulda." Ray rebounded after his latest Indianapolis disappointment winning three times and capturing his first Indy Racing League title. And now, he's sitting on the pole at the Brickyard ready once again to try to add racing's crown jewel to his resume. "We have the ability and we have the opportunity to go out and win this race. but I think that God works in mysterious ways, and how you live your life and opportunities, just because it's there doesn't mean can take it. You have to earn the right to deserve it and we're working very hard to do that." And to become an Indianapolis 500 winner less than 10 years after getting his start in racing. "As race car driver, you don't get faster,” Ray said. “But as you go on and win and win a championship, you become more seasoned. I may not be faster this year, but I'm a lot smarter.”
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