THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 : MARIO’S GREAT HOPE : Lone Indy Win Has Never Been Enough for Andretti

INDIANAPOLIS —  Mario Andretti, plagued for years by misfortune in his quest for a second Indianapolis 500 victory, knows no words to describe what winning the race today would mean to him.

“I don’t know how to get it into words,” Andretti said. “Anything I say would be an understatement. Is there another cloud higher than nine?”

Andretti will start the 71st Indianapolis 500 today from the coveted pole position--the inside of the first row--for the first time in 20 years.

His Chevrolet-powered Lola chassis has been consistently the fastest car during practice this month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andretti averaged 215.390 m.p.h. to earn the pole, and had an unofficial track record of 218.234 m.p.h. in practice.

Andretti won the race in 1969, making the Italian-born American the last foreign-born driver to win at Indianapolis. Since then, Andretti’s Speedway history has been frustrating.

In 1971, a four-car wreck early in the race eliminated him after a third-row start. Andretti ran out of fuel six laps from the finish in 1972 and fell from fifth to eighth. The next two years, he started in the second row but was forced out after four laps and two laps, respectively, with destroyed pistons.

So far, the 1980s have been no kinder. In 1980, Andretti led for 10 laps before his engine failed and forced him out after 71 laps.

In 1981, he finished second on race day but was moved into first when the official standings were posted the next day. U.S. Auto Club officials handed Bobby Unser a one-lap penalty for passing during a caution period, giving Andretti the victory. The outcome remained in doubt through a legal battle that lasted more than four months, ending Oct. 8 when USAC changed the penalty on Unser from a lap penalty to a fine, thereby returning Andretti to second place.

The next year, Andretti was the fourth-fastest qualifier but was struck by Kevin Cogan in a three-car crash before the start. An angry Andretti finished 31st.

He finished 23rd in 1983, hitting the wall after Johnny Parsons spun in front of him on the 80th lap. In 1985, he was leading when Danny Sullivan spun in front of him on lap 120. Sullivan miraculously avoided hitting the wall, passed Andretti 20 laps later and kept the lead the rest of the way.

Last year, Andretti qualified at more than 212 m.p.h., but an accident in practice forced him to use a backup car and start in the last row. The car ran 19 laps before mechanical failure ended his day.

Despite the disappointments and pain he has suffered at Indianapolis, Andretti endures.

“I have no more profound hope than to win this race,” Andretti said. “To be here so long and prepare so hard, that is why the reward is so great.”

At some point, Andretti said, luck will favor him.

“The more times I compete here, the more chance I have of luck going my way,” he said. “It’s the law of averages.”

Andretti said his jubilation at winning the pole for the first time since 1967 was symbolic of what the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can do for a driver.

“When I won the pole, I felt so satisfied. The pain of the past was nothing. This super speedway gives and takes from you, but it pays you back for your effort. It has a way of overshadowing the darker moments.”

Andretti and his crew have spent the past two weeks fine-tuning the car into its race-day configuration. Minor adjustments can play major roles in the race.

“This is certainly no time to relax,” Andretti said. “We work every day to get the right setup. I don’t believe the stage is really set. Anything can still happen. I would hate like hell to go in and feel comfortable.”