Four Laps of Pressure ; The Indy 500's most proficient qualifier tells you exactly What It's Like Out There.

Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 is the most stressful, the most high-pressure situation of anything I've done. Period.

Pole day is the most crucial, the most demanding, because of all the build-up leading to it. Remember: Prior to qualifying you've been at Indy a long time-a couple of weeks at least-working up to this moment. The key is that you run four laps; if you blow one corner in those four laps, you're history.

With most other ovals, you qualify for two laps. There you can hang it out for one lap and if you make a mistake, you then just put another lap in the books. Not at Indy.

The other thing, too, is that if your car is competitive, if you're in the hunt for the pole or for the front row, that adds pressure. If you aren't near the top, then qualifying is just a matter of saying to yourself, ``Okay, let's get four consistent laps in and we'll be happy with putting it in the show and starting the race.''

For me the race was always easier than qualifying because you had 500 miles to get the car sorted. For qualifying, you can't make major changes once you start other than adjustments done from the car or adjustments to your pattern-your line-around the racetrack.

And that's another part of pole day: You sit there looking at the weather coming in, you're looking at the clouds, and you're determining at the last minute what minor adjustments you want to make to get the most out of your car based on conditions at the time. Add to all this whether you stay in the qualifying line, whether you pull out of line, whether you get back in line and go at a different time of the day, or whatever. There are so many variables, so many options that add to the pressure of the day.

I don't think my team owner, Roger Penske, did anything out of the ordinary to get the team on the front row or on the pole. He always played the game very well: He was on top of the situation, figuring all angles and deciding what would be best at any given time.