LOCAL ANGLES: `BEAV' TO HIT INDY 500 BRICKYARD A 32ND TIME

Rituals tell us plenty about who we are and how we got there.

Jerry Beaver wouldn't argue with this. Beav, which is the name he affectionately goes by when he's on deck as manager of the Playdium, has observed a time-honored ritual for 31 years.

It has to do with pitching a tent just a mile-and-a-half from the oval at the Indianapolis Speedway. It has to do with greeting about 30 of his best friends, swapping tales of past Indy 500 races and discussing what might transpire in this year's race.

The Penske team is using these new Mercedes motors, Beav tells me. It will be interesting to see how Al Unser Jr. holds up with one of these motors.

A lot of the drivers are "jockeys" to Beaver. "I call them jockeys because a lot of them fly in, test the car out and maybe offer some input about the race, but don't really go through the whole deal the way A.J. Foyt did," he said. "A.J. would finish with Indy and be right back racing a car in a town like Duquoin, Ill., a few days later," said Beav.

It doesn't take long to realize Foyt was the best in Beaver's eyes. "He worked on the car along with the crew and then drove it," he said. "He's one of the few I'd call a real race-car driver, not a jockey. Dick Simon is like that."

Before long, one realizes there are even rituals within The Ritual. Some of them are not so pleasant. Beav will lower his head and offer respect for a friend who passed away this year. "Greg Nunnelee, who was one of the regulars on this trip, died in April," said Beaver with a trace of sadness and compassion.

And then they'll talk about all the good times they had with Greg. And Mike McKinnis might provide a story. Or Gary Ervin, who now lives in Louisville, could take charge of the conversation. Or Seth Buckner, another good friend who lives in North Carolina, might offer comic relief when it's needed. There's Fred Naeter and Chris Bess and a whole lot more to look forward to.

Remember the first time you saw A.J. Foyt? Oh, you weren't coming here that long ago. Well, scoot your chair closer and I'll tell you all about what A.J. looked like as a rookie in 1958. How about 1961 when Foyt won the whole shebang with an average speed of 138 mph. They rev their engines faster than that today. A.J. was driving a Bowles Seal Fast, whatever that was.

Surely you were around in 1964 when a portion of the track turned into a ball of fire, Jim McDonald and Eddie Sacks perishing in flames. Oh, by the way, Foyt won that year, too. But the tragedy sticks out more than the swiftest car.

"That was the last year they allowed cars to run without fuel cells," said Beaver. "You know, those bladder-like devices that keep the fuel from escaping from the tank and starting a fire."

This ritual Beav and his pals take in is rich. Perhaps it gets richer every year. It involves surveying the old brickyard for the 32nd time, going to Gasoline Alley and moving in closer to see the most famous race-car drivers in the world ready to drive faster than most of us ever will.

"I remember the first time I went was in 1958 when I was with my dad," said Beaver. "He was a trouble-shooter with Sun Oil Co., and they were connected to Firestone, which was a big name at the track."

Beav's dad gave him the coveted pass that enables him to sit with good company each year. He even has a pass to stand in the garage. He goes there during Carburetor Day to watch the drivers test their cars.

He only missed four Indy 500 races, from 1967-70. He was fighting for his country in Vietnam during that span.

Beaver was back to the brickyard in 1971, however, watching Al Unser win with his Johnny Lightning Special. Unser won with the same car in 1970. Somehow the '71 victory is more important.

The day before the race Beav and his buddies will hit the main drag in downtown Indianapolis and take in the sights and sounds of 500,000 people looking for something to do before the big event. Ironically, the game of golf, one of the slowest-paced sports we know, surrounds the fastest sport we know. The contrast seems right.

Of course it's all part of the prelude leading up to the reason for being there. "I tell people who have never gone or are going for the first time it's always a thrill when they say, `Gentlemen, start your engines,'" said Beaver. "The balloons are released, the cannons explode and the hair on the back of your neck stands up. You get goosebumps no matter how many times you see it."

And you hope that this year's winner is made of the same stuff as A.J. Foyt or Dick Simon. It's people like Beav, cherishing this annual tradition with best friends, who can tell the difference between a jockey and a real race-car driver.

It's all part of the ritual, the reason you feel good about who you are and how you got there.

~Bill Heitland is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.