May 20, 2007 5 min read

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – An Unser and another Andretti are in the field for the 91st Indianapolis 500 – naturally. Except this isn’t the heyday of open-wheel racing, when those two families were the biggest names in the sport and their inclusion in the big race was all but a foregone conclusion.

This time, Al Unser Jr. and John Andretti had to drive other people’s backup cars and put them into the lineup on the second weekend of qualifying.

Unser, 45 and a recovering alcoholic, climbed into A.J. Foyt’s second car last week and had one qualifying run bumped out of the tentative lineup last Sunday. He came back Saturday, the third of four days of time trials for the May 27 race, to post a four-lap, 10-mile run of 220.876 mph that assured him of starting his 19th 500.

“The run was pretty good,” Unser said, smiling. “I’m a tenth (of a second) slower than I was last Sunday, but the conditions were a little bit worse today, with lots of wind in turn one and real loose (conditions) in turn two.”

His first three laps were very consistent, between 220.2 and 220.8. But the two-time Indy winner’s final lap jumped to 221.6.

“The last lap, I let it loose, opened it up and ran a good lap,” Unser said. “I was happy because we were getting faster every lap and I’m just glad it’s in. I was a little careful with it because I could go out there and run a 225 and start 24th. We’re in back, so I was a little careful with it in the wind.”

Andretti, who has spent the past 13 years racing in NASCAR, didn’t get his ride in the third Panther Racing car until earlier this week. With some help in setting up the car from teammate Vitor Meira – who is already in the field with Kosuke Matsuura, the third Panther driver – Andretti was even stronger. He turned an average of 221.756 to qualify for his eighth Indy start and first since 1994.

The two veteran racers were among 10 drivers who qualified Saturday, leaving one more position to fill in the 33-car Indy lineup Sunday, the final day of time trials.

Once the field is full, any non-qualified cars will still have a chance to bump out the slowest qualifiers until the end Sunday’s session.

Other third-day qualifiers included Roger Yasukawa at 222.654, Alex Barron at 220.471, Jon Herb at 220.108, Jaques Lazier at 219.409, rookie Milka Duno at 219.228 – joining Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher in the lineup, Marty Roth at 218.922, Roberto Moreno at 216.229 and Jimmy Kite at 214.528.

After an early flurry of qualifying during Saturday’s six-hour qualifying session, the track was open for practice most of the afternoon. Finally, with about 45 minutes remaining, Barron, Lazier and Herb, who waved off an attempt at over 218 earlier in the day, went out one after the other.

Rookie Phil Giebler followed and ran three laps at more than 221 before he lost control and slammed hard into the wall on his fourth and final qualifying lap. He was not injured, but the team has no backup car available.

Moreno, who just got his ride on Friday, and Kite decided to take what they could get, knowing they could try again on Sunday if they get bumped by faster cars.

Each car is allowed up to three completed qualifying runs on each day of time trials. Each of the first two speeds must be withdrawn if a driver chooses to try again.

Unser joined Foyt’s full-time driver Darren Manning, one of 22 first-week qualifiers, in the lineup. Foyt, who drove to four Indy wins and was owner of another winning car, is celebrating his 50th year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“With A.J. Foyt working on my car, we’re having a lot of fun,” Unser said. “Getting to talking to him and work with him is something I really am enjoying.”

The 44-year-old Andretti, the first of several drivers to run both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, has been hoping to get back to Indy in May since that day in 1994. But it didn’t take him long to get back into the swing of things on the tough 2.5-mile oval.

“It’s one thing to want to do it, but it’s another thing to get all the pieces to come together,” said Andretti, who joins cousins Michael and Marco in the field.

“Vitor set up the car and made it very easy for me,” he added. “This team is so well-prepared. They just said, ‘Here’s your car. Tell us what you need. The car’s right there.’ It’s such a solid starting point.”

Asked how tough it is to be back in an IndyCar after such a long absence, Andretti shrugged and said, “I’ve been racing. It’s not like I’ve been sitting idle for 13 years and just decided to come back racing. It’s just learning the cars, just learning everything in the cockpit to be comfortable.”

Unser, who won here in 1992 and 1994, said Andretti will do just fine on race day.

“I think he’s going to enjoy it,” Unser said.

“The formula of the cars we drive now is very different. They do handle better than the cars that we ran back in the ’90s. You can feel these cars and feel when they’re going off, and they’re safer in every aspect.

“For John, he’s going to have a good time out there and enjoy himself.”

Drivers hoping to get into the field Sunday include P.J. Jones, son of 1963 Indy winner Parnelli Jones, and Richie Hearn, who was signed to drive for Hemelgarn/Racing Professionals on Saturday and did not make it onto the track. Larry Foyt, A.J.’s son, took his physical Saturday and said he might get into his father’s third car on Sunday.