INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -The King of stock-car racing got the royal treatment at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, savoring every moment at his first Indy 500 as team owner.
The seven-time NASCAR champion Petty planned to watch the race from pit road and stay as long as his blue-and-red No. 43 car, driven by John Andretti stayed on the 2.5-mile oval. Andretti started 28th, the inside of Row 10.
"It's interesting with all the excitement and stuff around here,'' Petty said before the race. "I've been around stock cars all my life, and you don't always see the excitement on TV. But when you're here, it's really exciting, really fun.''
When the race ends or Andretti goes out, Petty will board a helicopter for the short ride to Indianapolis International Airport, then fly to Charlotte, N.C., for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600.
Andretti, the first man to try the Memorial Day weekend double in 1994, acknowledged the double would be easier for Petty than it was for him.
"He's probably got more people worried about him making the helicopter on time than I did,'' Andretti said. "If he happens to miss the start of the 600, that's not good, but he'll still get there.''
Petty, who attended last year's race as a fan, has not said whether he intends to make another foray into IndyCar racing. Of course, reaching Victory Lane might make a difference.
"I don't know what I'm doing next week, much less next year,'' Petty said, dressed in his trademark cowboy hat and sunglasses. "I can tell you the better John runs, the longer we'll stay.''
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BABY WATCH: Driver Alex Lloyd had one close call before the race even started. His pregnant wife, Samantha, who's due date is Sunday, started having contractions during Saturday's Indy 500 Festival Parade.
Fortunately for the driver of the pink No. 99 car, it was a false alarm.
And Samantha Lloyd still planned to sit along pit road for the race after spending the morning resting in the team's air-conditioned motor home. And Alex Lloyd still intended to be in full blackout mode for the race as he awaits the delivery of their second daughter.
"I think we'll be all right, because she (the new baby) seems to be pretty active at night,'' Lloyd said. "The first one always seemed to be active at night, too, so I think we'll be OK. We were a lot more concerned last night, but fortunately that worked out.''
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AWARD WINNER: David Janquart, chief mechanic for Petty's No. 43 car, received a $5,000 check for winning the Clint Brawner mechanical excellence award Sunday.
"I get a chill when I think about it,'' Janquart said. "It's unbelievable to think I was even considered for the award. It's an awesome achievement that I didn't even expect.''
The 40-year-old has worked with former CART teams Tasman Motorsports and Forsythe Racing, and also worked for owners Adrian Fernandez and Tony George before joining the Dreyer & Reinbold team 1 1/2 years ago. Dreyer & Reinbold co-owns the Petty entry and has four cars starting Sunday.
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