Page 10-Soturday, July l8, 1981- ,The MichiganDoily Michigan 500 gears up 4 Wait her qualifies wi*th day's top speed BROOKLYN (AP) - Salt Walther led second-day qualifiers yesterday for the $500,000 Michigan International Speed- way, turning in a fast lap of 193.876 mph on the two-mile, high-banked oval. The veteran Indy car racer, best remembered for his part in the horrifying crash at the start of the 1973 Indianapolis 500 in which he was badly burned, ran his fast lap in a Cosworth- powered Phoenix racer. WALTHER RECENTLY bought the car, in which Tom Sneva won- last year's season finale at Phoenix, from the team operated by George Bignotti and Dan Cotter. "This is an incredible car," said the 33-year-old Walther, who never has finished higher than fourth ineprevious Indy car starts. "We're the 11th fastest car in the field now, but if we had run yesterday (Thursday), we would have run 199 and been in the second row. The weather .was a lot cooler and the track was a lot faster then. "I KNOW darn good and well if the car runs all day Sunday, if the crew does its job and I do my job, we'll be in the top two or three when it's over." Walther, who was unable to get his car ready in time to qualify during Thursday's opening session of time trials, will start 28th in the field. In all, six drivers made it into the lineup for tomorrow's race, most of them bumping slower cars. None of the other qualifiers yesterday got over 188 mph, with rookie Chip Mead second to Walther at 187.734. CLIFF HUCUL, who was involved in one of two minor crashes during prac- tice yesterday, managed to get his car into the lineup after going out onto the track just seconds before the qualifying period was ended. His fast lap of 180.995 was the slowest among the 33 qualifiers now in the field. Roger Penske, owner of the Michigan track, also announced the addition of a 10-lap promoter's qualifying race today. All the cars at the track which failed to qualify during the first two sessions of time trials will be eligible for the sprint race. STEVE CHASSEY and Bill Tempero, the field alternates by virtue of being the fastest of the bumped drivers, must take part in the qualifying race, but are guaranteed spots in tomorrow's field. The two top finishers, excluding Chassey and Tempero, in the 10-lapper also will be added, raising the starting lineup to 37 cars. The 500-mile race, which will be televised live by NBC, is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. EDT. Track owner Penske talks about race' past and its promise- BROOKLYN (AP)-Track owner Roger Penske readily admits there is no event that is going to challenge the Indianapolis 500 as the crown jewel of auto racing in the foreseeable future. But Penske feels strongly that tomorrow's $500,000 Norton Michigan 500 at Michigan International Speed- way is going to be the start of something big. PENSKE, A New Jersey businessman, who operates the Penske Racing Team and the Michigan track as part of a conglomerate that did more than $200 million in business in 1980, bought MIS in May of 1973. "I bought the track as an invest- ment," Penske explained. "It was probably equally important because I love racing and was interested in the sport, but it gave me the opportunity of tying it in with my businesses and using it as a test facility. "But, when I bought it, the track had a contract for two NASCAR stock car races a year and the Indy cars that were run here were never as successful as the stock car races from the stan- dpoint of attendance. "AND WE'VE had had, some great Indy car races here. The one last Sep- tember was probably the best I've ever seen. There were four of five cars wheel-to-wheel at 190 mph for'150 miles. "But, the moment we announced we were going to have a 500-mile Indy car race here, it was like I had invented a new formula," the dapper, white- haired 44-year-old explained. "The ticket sales jumped almost 100 percent over last year. "Now last year wasn't our best year. We know that the economy in the Michigan area, because of the automotive industry's problems, isn't up to where it could be, and will be, hopefully, shortly. "IT WAS OBVIOUS that the 500-mile race had some real promise," Penske added. "The sponsors (of his team cars) liked it and we were fortunate enough to talk to a television network, NBC. They said if we ran a 500-mile race, they would televise it live. "When I looked at the economics, looked at putting up $250,000 for the purse, we had the television to offset some of that. And, with the ticket sales going up, I said we've really got to get behind that." The purse wound up at a half million dollars, with the winner to get $100,000. That doesn't compare to the $1.5 million purse at Indy and the payoff of more than $200,000 to the winner there. Indianapolis, which ran its 65th edition in May, draws more than 300,000 spectators, while Michigan, which has only about 38,000 seats, will bring in about 70,000 persons tomorrow. 4 4 SPORTS OF THE DAILY: 4 Red Wings DETROIT (UPI) - Detroit Red Wings goaltender Gilles Gilbert has renewed his contract for another year, Detroit Hockey Club's General Counsel Robert Cavalieri announced yesterday. Gilbert, 32, came to the Red Wings from the Boston Bruins in exchange for goalie Rogie Vachon in July, 1980, and played in 48 games for the Wings during the 1980-1981 season. Despite injuries and illness - in- cluding a sprained thumb on his cat- ching hand. viral infections and severe headaches - the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Gilbert still led the Red Wings in "first- star selections" and posted a 4.59 goals against average. ,rwtert itra renewe sign goaltender Gilbert Last season was the first year in his advocated the elimination of the third- 12-year pro career that Gilbert had a place game which directly preceded the goals-against average that surpassed championship match. the 4.00 mark. "We are concerned about some ad- NCAA tourney change ministrative problems this change could present for the committee and the MISSION, Kan. (AP) - The third- participating and host institutions," place consolation game of the NCAA Duke said, "but we are more sensitive basketball tournament is now a thing of to the attitude of the student-athletes the past and the tourney field, at least who play in this game." for the present, will remain at 48 teams. F sign Those were the highlights of the NFL draft choices results of the Division I Basketball TAMPA BAY, FLa. (AP) - The Committee's meeting yesterday at Tampa Bay Buccaneers' number one NCAA headquarters. The committee draft choice, linebacker Hugh Green, met earlier in the week in Chatham, signed his contract only hours before Mass. training camp opened. Green, who THERE WAS support among some played his college ball at Pittsburgh, basketball people to expand the field to refused to disclose the terms of his 64 teams beginning next year. multi-year contract, signed just before "The tournament has undergone ex- midnight Thursday. tensive administrative changes in In other draft signings around the recent years, and we did not feel it was league, the Baltimore Colts signed first wise to expand the bracket at this round draft choice Donnell Thompson, time," committee chairman Wayne a defensive lineman at North Carolina, Duke said in a prepared news release. who is expected to take the place of "We have just completed the two most Fred Cook, who has asked to be traded. successful tournaments in history with The Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile, the 48-team bracket and we did not signed second round pick Jarvis Red- determine there was enough merit to wine, a star running back at Nebraska. change this format." Redwine signed three one-year con- Coaches and players alike have long tracts. 4 VIDEO FREAKS-GET EXPOSURE in the Liberty St. Video Festival held in Liberty Plaza 7-22 to 7-25 (ART FAIR!) For your original video work to be shown, please send to: Public Access c/o Street Festival 107 N. Fifth Ave. Ann Arbor, Ml 48107 At the Video Festival there will be % and 2 inch decks. Tapes will be shown continuously from oIam-2 pm, during the Art Fair. Interested in becoming involved? Call 665-4901. Spon- sored by Public Access of Ann Arbor. 4 4