Finish Line Unsafe

More than anything, the 76th running of the Indianapolis 500 resembled a war of attrition. Of the 33 drivers who started last week's prestigious annual auto race, only 12 finished. Along the way, slick tires, miserable cold and over-powered engines induced 10 heart-stopping crashes that sent 13 drivers to the hospital and 13 of the $500,000 race cars to the junkyard. But winner Al Unser Jr., 30, whose .043-second margin was the tightest win in Indy history, insists car speed has not outpaced car safety. Says he: "Safety technology is doing great right now." The win was worth $1.2 million for Unser.