The odds are mounting against him, but Al Unser Jr. still believes he can win the pole for the May 27 Indy 500 when time trials resume today.
A week of stormy weather kept him from approaching the 228.502 lap he turned in a week ago, and then the engine he had hoped would sweep him past Emerson Fittipaldi's 225.301 four-lap average blew up Friday.With more rain forecast for the weekend, it appears he may get just one chance to qualify. So tell us, Little Al, are you going for the pole?
"You bet," he said. "We're here to win every day. I'm a little disappointed I didn't win today."
Little Al, after changing engines in his Valvoline-Lola, temporarily had fast time for this final day of practice with a 224.955 lap. But a minute later, Rick Mears toured the 2 1/2-mile oval at 225.118.
The day came to a violent end when Bernard Jourdain wrecked for the second time in three hours. The first incident was harmless enough, Jourdain spinning his backup Andale Lola at moderate speed in turn one, and knocking the nose cone askew.
But the second crash was frightening. He spun his primary car, the one that would have been first in line for qualifying today, coming out of turn four. He ricocheted off the outside wall, darted nose first into the inside wall, and finally clipped the pit entrance wall with the driver's side.
He was pinned in the wreckage momentarily and eventually taken to Methodist Hospital, where he appeared to be not seriously injured. Not so his race car, which was destroyed.
Little Al gave some mixed signals after explaining he will now attempt to qualify today using his backup race engine. "Hopefully it will get us through qualifying," he said. "For sure the qualifying engine (the one that blew Friday), gave us a better shot."
"Emerson put up some real good numbers and it will be tough to outrun him. The key for us is go out and get in the show."
But then then the competitor in him took over. Reminded he might get just one shot to qualify if rain washed out the weekend, he replied, "Usually I get three attempts at the pole. Now I've only got one attempt at it. We're forced into having it exactly right the first time I go out there, but that's what victory is based on anyway."
Conditions were good but not ideal Friday, with winds gusting up to 30 miles an hour.