By Jan Shaffer
indy500.com
Sunday, May 25, 2003
Editor's Note: Veteran racing journalist and publicist Jan Shaffer is writing a series of stories showing the similarities and differences in the Race Week buildup for the 87th Indianapolis 500 by a large IRL IndyCar Series team, Andretti Green Racing, and a small team, PDM Racing. This is the fifth installment of the series.
Kevin Savoree, co-owner of Andretti Green Racing, sat on a golf cart Saturday morning on pit road as the drivers' meeting took place.
His two sons, Nick, 9, and Nathan, 7, were on the cart along with Tom McGovern, one of the team's public relations representatives.
Savoree pointed to his two sons and said, "They're Robby Gordon in the parade today. I'm just the chaperone."
McGovern chimed in "…and Nick and Nathan would like to thank their sponsors …"
Everyone laughed.
Gordon was the lone driver to miss the meeting because of "double duty" commitments to the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
The Andretti Green garages were virtually empty.
"Some engineers are making final preparations," Savoree said. "Kim Green (another co-owner) is playing golf with some executives. We have go-kart events going for sponsors. Mike (Michael Andretti) has the parade, has the afternoon off and needs to be downtown for a sponsor function, then the party we hold for our sponsors and guests. We expect about 550 for that.
"Everybody's been working so hard, and we've got a lot of activities planned for sponsors today that really get people into the event. There'll be a stirring tribute to Mike tonight at the party that will be pretty special."
Savoree outlined the plan and the feelings of Race Day.
"About 5 o'clock, our guys start showing up, and it's time to go to battle. All the crews have a day-to-day schedule to follow on who's doing what when.
"I'm pretty excited. We've accomplished a lot this month. We have so many sponsors and guests here in town to enjoy the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. To walk out here on Race Day and know I'm part of putting four cars in this field is special. Today, spending time with the family and having them be a part of it is special."
Down the line in Gasoline Alley at the PDM Racing garage, there was a sign on the schedule board that read: "Guys, Make sure you have safety equipment today. Be prepared. Paul."
PDM co-owner Paul Diatlovich held a team meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday.
"We have a lot of people in the pits, and we wanted to go over one last time what their positions are, what to expect and go over all our notes from the month," Diatlovich said. "We use Carburetion Day to get the basic format. When you have 25 people out there, you have to choreograph it so people know and are comfortable. It was important that we do it before we go into battle."
Twenty-four hours before the race, PDM acquired three sponsors - Denny Hecker's Auto Connection, a chain of car dealerships in the Minneapolis area, Active International, a sales group dealing with media credits, and Enginetics. It was a breath of fresh air.
"The thought of trying to run the race without a primary sponsor was frightening," said co-owner Larry Arnold.
The PDM car is ready.
"The car as far as preparation goes is 100 percent ready with no loose ends," Diatlovich said. "Today, (crew chief Paul) Murphy is dedicating himself to putting the final stickers on. It's kind of a kickback day. I want to get everyone out of here by early afternoon. On Race Day, everybody's going to be in at four o'clock so it'll be a long day."
Diatlovich talked about his Race Day feelings.
"Any day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a special day," he said. "This is everything it has been for quite awhile. We don't have a snowball's chance of winning the race, not because we don't have a driver who can do it and not because we don't have a crew that can do it. We know we don't have the horsepower, and we'll do the best we can.
"We're shooting for the top 10. The goal we have in mind is to pay attention to the yellows, get in sync with the race and be as opportunistic as we can to march up the black pole (the scoring pylon).
"Jimmy Kite is an awesome kid. After what happened last year (when the team and Kite were left in line when rains ended qualifying), we came real close to owing him a shot. He was so good to work with. We knew going into the Speedway that we'd only be able to run limited laps, and we wanted someone we were comfortable with. He's good people and a very underrated driver.
"We just hope and pray for a good, clean race and roll this puppy back in with all four wheels still on it and the engine running."
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