Legendary Driver Johnny Rutherford Says Dark Horse Will Win Indy 500
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It’s an amazing day at track. T-minus one day until the Indianapolis 500.
The likes of boxer Evander Holyfield and Ashley Judd (whose husband, Dario Franchitti will race) have been sited wandering around with a slew of other celebrities.
Brazilian Helio Castroneves, one of only nine Indy 500 drivers of all times to win this race three times (2001, 2002 and 2009), and is the clear favorite.
A few hours ago I had a chance to catch up with legendary Indianapolis 500 driver Johnny Rutherford, who has been training Good Morning America co-anchor, Robin Roberts, how to drive the pace car for tomorrow’s race. Rutherford is one of the elite nine to win the Indianapolis 500 (1974, 1976, 1980) three times, and only three drivers are in a tie for the most races won ever with four Indianapolis 500 victories since it’s began in 1911 .
Sebastian Saavedra
I talked to dozens of people, other drivers, fans and pit crews about who would win it all, most were on the Helio Castroneves bandwagon. So I was surprised, that Rutherford told me something different.
Johnny Rutherford
“I have a feeling this is a dark horse year,” Rutherford says. “Somebody is going to come from the back of the pack to win. Helio, bless his heart has had a great race here so far, winning the pole and pit stop competition and if he can pull a win off they are going to be unbeatable for a while.”
Which of course that begged the question of who.
Danica Patrick at the track on Saturday.
“It’s going to be interesting to watch Tony Kanaan,” Rutherford told me. “He’s in the back and won’t see him until later in the race and if he’s there he may be a real factor. I think Alex Taglinani looks like he’s got a good chance, but there are some others in there. Danica could if her car responds for her she might be a factor when it’s late in the race. That’s when it all happens.”
Adding: “You only want to lead one lap and that’s the last one.”
Find “Fast Facts” about the Indianapolis 500 with this Washington Post write-up.)
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Old. Hat.
All the good drivers left the Indy circuit a few years ago. I think Slate had a pretty good piece on the dust up. Basically the drivers and management got in a huff, a lot left to join another circuit, and the combination of those two more or less eviscerated both, leaving the sport a shamble. Enter NASCAR popularity to fill the void. Scene.
Well that was pretty much Jeff Gordon’s take on why he wasn’t going to go to the Indy 500 and was going to stick with NASCAR. (I am familiar with what happened. I spent 10+ years working as a sports reporter for various newspapers like the Dallas Morning News and St. Petersburg Times.)
But now that I’ve branched out, I was at the Indy 500 to write about Robin Roberts and had a chance to ride around in the pace car with her and Johnny Rutherford on the track during Robin’s last practice prior to the race.
In response to another comment. See in context »Jeff Gordon was one of THE reasons for the split. He was driving on dirt tracks near Indianapolis, but he couldn’t get a sniff because car owners demanded he bring millions in sponsorship money with him. Tony George, watching Gordon make NASCAR mainstream, decided to break off to form his own series, a fissure that was 17 years coming (when car owners formed their own league, CART).
I’ve been to the Indy 500 for most of the last 25 years as a fan and a reporter. I would say the buzz this year was way ahead of where it’s been since the ‘96 split. It also helps that NASCAR has declined as well, with no new megastar to take the place of Gordon. (It won’t be Danica Patrick, even if she does make a full-time move to NASCAR — something I believe less and less will happen.)
While it would be nice to have more American drivers — which would mean a more extensive development system than exists today — in Obama’s America, the circuit with the female drivers and racers with funny names is gaining more appeal over white boys racing taxicabs. Indy could really take off in 2012, when a new car design comes in, and Indy-car racing goes back to being a center of racing innovation instead of a stock series. I know when the crazy Delta Wing car was on display at Carb Day, people were constantly crowded around it.
In response to another comment. See in context »Well put Bob. Too bad I didn’t see you while we were there.
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