Herta the darkhorse for Indianapolis 500 By MIKE HARRIS, AP Auto Racing Writer
Thu May 25, 4:51 AM ET
INDIANAPOLIS - For anyone thinking about a darkhorse Sunday in the Indianapolis 500, look no further than the inside of the sixth row. That's where Bryan Herta will start in a bid to back up three top-10 finishes in the 500, including fourth- and third-place runs the past two years.
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Herta is the least publicized member of the powerful Andretti Green Racing team that won last year with Dan Wheldon — now part of Target Chip Ganassi Racing. But Herta, who turned 36 on Tuesday, has proven before he can win — taking the checkered flags in Champ Car races in 1998 and 1999 and winning IRL events in 2003 and 2005.
Undoubtedly, winning the 500 would be special for Herta, who first came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a spectator in 1992.
"I was 22 at the time, just going into the Indy Lights series," Herta said. "I came here for pole qualifying weekend and sat way up high in turn one. It was an unbelievable experience.
"This is the only track I've ever walked into where the hair stands up on your arm. It's got an aura, a feeling, about it that just gets to me every time I come here."
Once Herta came here to race, he found out it was not just a historic track, but a tough one, too.
"It's the most challenging place in a lot of ways," he said. "And not just the race. It's the whole month. There's just so much expectation from the fans and the drivers.
"You put so much of yourself into it, the work and the risks you take during the month. You really want the payoff, which is a good result. I'm more nervous before this race than any other because of the anticipation and the element of unknown."
One advantage Herta has here, though, is that he gets to work mostly in anonymity as his teammates get most of the attention.
AGR co-owner Michael Andretti, who has led more laps here than any other non-winner, is making a comeback after retiring following the 2003 race in order to race against his son, heralded rookie Marco Andretti.
Tony Kanaan won the pole here last year after finishing third and second the two previous Mays, while Dario Franchitti, the fourth member of the five-driver team, is a longtime open-wheel star who is married to movie star Ashley Judd.
Herta doesn't worry about being in the spotlight, though.
"I've done this long enough that I'm at a point in my career where I realize the person I most have to satisfy is myself," he said. "For a long time, I wasn't very happy.
"I was really down in 2003. I didn't have an open-wheel ride and I went into sports cars and fell in love with racing again. And then, out of the blue, Michael called me about taking Dario's place after he got hurt."
Herta said he had to think about it for a while.
"Did I really want to go back and do that again, with all the pressures and the demands," he said. "But it was too tempting and there were still things I hadn't done in my career.
"The big difference now is I don't let things affect my life as much as they did before."
From the time he joined AGR, Herta was the guy who got the experimental parts and pieces and helped the team develop its chassis and engine combinations. It was an important job, but it also led to a lot of mechanical failures that impacted his performance.
"I enjoy the role and being able to bring new direction to myself and the team," Herta said. "But the happy ending is this year I've stepped away from all that. Development is more a shared responsibility with all the drivers now.
"I want to spend a year just being a race driver again. I hope that I'll be able to show Bryan Herta's true potential as a race car driver."
The elder Andretti said he never had a doubt how good Herta is.
"When I called Bryan, it wasn't because I thought he was going to be a development driver for us, it was because I knew how good a driver he is and that he could win races for us," Andretti said. "He hasn't disappointed us."
After many years of the so-called "Andretti Jinx," with Mario, Michael's father, and Michael trying in vain to win Indy again after Mario's 1969 victory, the bad luck ended last May with Wheldon's win for AGR.
That was sweet for everyone on the team, Herta said. "But, winning it for myself and for Michael and the rest of the team would be even sweeter."
AI
