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The men who race the cars are generally small,with a tight, nervous look. They range from theearly 20s to the middle 40s, and it is usually theirnerves that go first. Fear is the drivers constant companion, andtragedy can be just a step behind. Scarcely a man inthe 500 does not carry the scars of ancient crashes.The mark of the plastic surgeon is everywhere, and burned skin is common. Sometimes adrivers scars are invisible, part of his heritage. Two young drivers, Billy Vukovich and GaryBettenhausen, raced in their first 500 in 1968. Less than 20 years before, their fathers alsocompeted against one another on the Indy trackand died there. All this the drivers accept. Over the years, they have learned to trust their own techniques,reflexes, and courage. They depend, too, on a trusted servantscientific engineering. Thoughthey may not have had a great deal of schooling , many drivers are gifted mechanics, with a feelingfor their engines that amount to kinship. A few top drivers have become extremely wealthy, with six-figure incomes fro m prize money, endorsements, and jobs with auto-product manufacturers. Some have businesses of their own. McLaren designs racing chassis . Dan Gurneys California factory manufacturedthe chassis of three of the first four ears in the 1968 Indy 500, including his own second placecar. Yet money is not the only reason why men race cars. Perhaps it isnt even the majorreason. Three-time Indy winner A. J. Foyt, for example, can frequently befound competing on dirty tracks in minor-league races, where money, crowds and safety features are limited, and only the danger is not. Why does he do it? Sometimes Foyt answers, Its in my blood.Other times he says, Its good practice.Now and then he replies, Dontask dumb questions. | 
