INDIANAPOLIS 500 / DAILY REPORT : Veteran Carter Asks Out of Car, Saying He Can’t Give It Full Attention

Pancho Carter, a veteran of 17 Indy 500s and the pole-sitter in 1985, withdrew from this year’s qualifying after telling car owner Dennis McCormack that he could not give 100% and no longer wanted to drive the 1993 Lola-Ilmor.

McCormack said he expected to fill the seat before time trials resume today.

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Front-row qualifier Raul Boesel spent an unusual day off when he visited the Geeslien quarter horse farm near Indianapolis and gave onlookers a treat by riding Zeke, a 9-year-old thoroughbred show horse, over a series of jumps on the obstacle course.

Before Boesel became a full-time race driver, he was an accomplished horse jumper in his native Brazil.

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Galles Racing International lived up to its name when the La Jolla-based team played host to a group of Rotary exchange students at a pre-practice breakfast where students were paired with drivers from their country.

Participating were Galles’ driver, Adrian Fernandez, from Mexico; Hiro Matsushita of Japan, Stephan Gregoire of France, Jacques Villeneuve of Canada, Roberto Guerrero of Colombia, now a U.S. citizen, and Fredrik Ekblom of Sweden.

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Four-time 500 winner Rick Mears, now a consultant on Roger Penske’s Mercedes team, is the Indy 500’s all-time money winner with $4,294,398.

Ray Harroun collected $14,250 for winning the inaugural race in 1911.