Little 500 preview

Gordon eyes 4th "Little 500" victory Saturday.

Saturday's 54th PayLess/Delco Remy "Little 500" offers total paid prizes of over $120,000 and Eric Gordon of Indianapolis, Ind. has his eyes set squarely on the lion's share of that. Last year's race winner would become only the third four-time winner of the race (Bob Frey won five and Tom Cherry four) with a victory in Saturday night's 500-lap spectacular at the 1/4-mile paved Anderson (Ind.) Speedway.

The 500-lap contest starts at 8 pm, but prelims get under way on Wednesday with a "Little 500" practice session from 11 am to 3 pm preceding that night's Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car races. A Thursday practice from 11:30 am to 1:15 pm is followed by first-round qualifying from 1:30-3:30. A similar timetable of practice and qualifying is set for Friday's second and final round.

Jeff Bloom of Bangor, Mich. won the pole for last year's "Little 500" in his 25th appearance in the storied race and is expected to be among top threats for the 2002 pole. Bloom is also a three-time race winner, in 1972, 1977 and 1991.

Drivers from across the country are among pre-entries for the race, including USAC Western Sprint Car Champion Tony Hunt of Fair Oaks, Calif. and former race winners Bentley Warren of Kennebunkport, Maine (1995 & 1997), Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. (1996) and Chet Fillip of San Angelo, Texas (1999).

Included in the pre-entries are drivers from California, Florida, Maine and Texas, as well as Canada. <pre> "LITTLE 500" WINNERS LIST

YEAR    DRIVER
1949    SAM SKINNER
1950    TOM CHERRY
1951    RED RENNER
1952    TOM CHERRY
1953    BOB KING
1954    TOM CHERRY
1955    TOM CHERRY
1956    BOB CLEBERG
1957    JOHNNY WHITE
1958    WAYNE ALSPAUGH
1959    RONNIE DUMAN
1960    RONNIE DUMAN
1961    JIM McELREATH
1962    ARNIE KNEPPER
1963    JOHNNY WHITE/BOB COULTER
1964    DICK GOOD
1965    BOB KING/CHUCK TAYLOR
1966    ROLLIE BEALE
1967    DARL HARRISON/CY FAIRCHILD
1968    KARL BUSSON
1969    BUZZ GREGORY
1970    DARL HARRISON
1971    HERMAN WISE
1972    JEFF BLOOM
1973    DICK GAINES
1974    LARRY DICKSON
1975    DARL HARRISON
1976    DICK GAINES
1977    JEFF BLOOM
1978    DON MACK/CURT KELLEY
1979    WAYNE REUTIMANN/DANNY SMITH
1980    BOB FREY
1981    GREG LEFFLER
1982    MARVIN CARMAN
1983    MARVIN CARMAN
1984    FRANK RIDDLE
1985    FRANK RIDDLE
1986    DAVE SCARBOROUGH
1987    BOB FREY
1988    BOB FREY
1989    BOB FREY
1990    BOB FREY
1991    JEFF BLOOM
1992    JIM CHILDERS
1993    ERIC GORDON
1994    JIM CHILDERS
1995    BENTLEY WARREN
1996    DAVE STEELE
1997    BENTLEY WARREN
1998    ERIC GORDON
1999    CHET FILLIP
2000    JIM CHILDERS
2001    ERIC GORDON

-usac-