Luyendyk Jr. gets a ride

INDIANAPOLIS – Arie Luyendyk Jr. waited three years to drive an IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s hoping rain doesn’t delay his debut any longer.

The 23-year-old rookie, son of the two-time Indy winner, was hired Wednesday as driver of the Beck Motorsports No. 98, giving him a chance to qualify for his first Indianapolis 500. The team plans to practice today, if the rain forecast throughout the day holds off.

While Luyendyk is eager to get started, his parents are a bit more leery.

“I think he’s a little nervous,” he said of his father. “My mom is especially nervous. But this morning I woke up and it was like, ‘Wow! I’m going to be starting this race – if I qualify.”

Luyendyk has solid credentials.

He was third in points and had 10 top-10 finishes last year in the Indy Racing League’s developmental Infiniti Pro Series. In 2003, he won two poles and had eight top-10s. In 2002, he passed rookie orientation at Indy and wound up second in points.

Luyendyk figured that would be enough to graduate to the IRL’s IndyCar Series.

Luyendyk hopes to make a name for himself on the 2 1/2 -mile oval where his father holds records for the fastest qualifying lap ever (237.498 mph) and the fastest four-lap qualifying average (236.986). The elder Luyendyk set both records in 1996.

But the younger Luyendyk wants to carve his own niche at Indy.

“I’m ready for the challenge and I hope to give Greg Beck a good run,” he said.

He does have one advantage: his father’s expertise.

The elder Luyendyk is expected to spot for his son, as he has done the last few years.

Wednesday’s hot laps

Twenty-nine cars were on the track Wednesday, completing a total of 2,499 laps. The fastest lap belonged to England’s Dan Wheldon – one of the 22 qualifiers already in the field – at 227.320 mph.

While the drivers already in the field were working on their race setups, several non-qualifiers were searching for speed.

Kenny Brack, the 1999 Indy champ, was the fastest non-qualifier at 225.774, seventh overall.

Brack, replacing injured Buddy Rice, the defending race champion, is coming back from serious injuries in a crash at Texas in October 2003.

Both Brack and Patrick Carpentier, who got up to 220.898, turned 129 laps, the most of any drivers.

The next fastest non-qualifiers were rookie Ryan Briscoe at 222.408, Jaques Lazier at 221.972 and Marty Roth at 220.377.