Billy Boat, the pole sitter for the 1998 Indy 500, didn't yet have a car in the field on Bump Day last year. That afternoon, on his first attempt to grab a spot, he crashed, and on his second try his engine failed. Finally, just 30 seconds before day's end, he went out for one more try and made the race easily. Boat is not yet in this year's race, and so when Bump Day dawns today, he will again be part of the weirdness that inevitably colors the afternoon. It does not matter that 32 of the 33 spots available in the May 27 race already are filled.
Nothing is certain.
Most endangered is Roberto Guerrero, who has started this race 15 times and twice finished as high as second. He was the slowest to make the field last weekend, and just in front of him are Airton Dare and rookies Didier Andre, Shigeaki Hattori and Felipe Giaffone. Then there is Unser, who will find himself out of the race if a half-dozen drivers top his average speed of 221.615 mph. That is unlikely to happen, but Boat could make his way into the field and so, too, could Eliseo Salazar. He drives for the legendary A.J. Foyt and is second in the Indy Racing League points race.