The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - Robby Gordon barely won his first race Saturday.

He waited impatiently through a steady morning rain and long delay before qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. Then it was a scramble to race No. 2.

The frantic schedule did affect Gordon's qualifying run. He put himself in the field at 216.522 mph - a slower four-lap average than he expected but one he had to accept because he had to be in Richmond, Va., for Saturday night's NASCAR race. He'll start 18th at Indy.

"If we didn't have to leave, we would have waved it off, for sure," said Gordon, who finished 24th in Richmond, three laps down. "We couldn't do that because of the circumstances."

Under Indy's qualifying format, each car is allowed up to three chances to complete a four-lap qualifying run over three days.

Gordon, a full-time Nextel Cup driver and a former IndyCar star, came into May knowing it was going to be extremely hectic after committing to race for the third time in both Indy and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Saturday turned into a nervous day for Gordon, knowing he had to finish his Indy qualifying effort soon enough to return to Richmond in time for the drivers' meeting. If he missed the meeting, Gordon would have had to start the race from the rear of the field, giving up the sixth position he took in Friday qualifying.

Gordon, who also finished 19th in Friday night's Busch race at Richmond, pulled onto the track one minute before his self-imposed Indy deadline.

ANOTHER FOYT: There are two Foyts in the 500 for the first time, and they are the two slowest drivers in the tentative lineup.

Rookie Larry Foyt, the son of car owner and four-time winner A.J. Foyt, qualified for his first start at Indy with an average of 213.277, the slowest among the 22 in the field so far. A.J. Foyt IV, Larry's nephew and A.J.'s grandson, qualified at 214.256.

"It wasn't too nerve-wracking," Larry Foyt said. "Our speeds haven't been nearly what I wanted, so that was frustrating. But I'm glad it's over."

A.J. IV, the 19-year-old son of A.J.'s eldest son, Tony, was an Indy rookie last year, when he finished 18th.

PIT STOPS: Practice before qualifications was delayed more than four hours while the track dried from an overnight rain. ... Tony Kanaan's 223.224 mph in the final practice was the fastest lap all month. He later qualified fifth at 221.200. ... All 22 qualifiers Saturday were slower than the 223.609 of Airton Dare, the slowest in the starting lineup last year.

NASCAR TRUCKS: Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Jack Sprague will start from the pole position in the inaugural UAW/GM Ohio 250 today at Mansfield, Ohio after qualifying was canceled Saturday because of rain.

Sprague got the top starting spot in the 36-truck field at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway as the driver of the 2003 champion truck, a Chevrolet Silverado, previously driven by Travis Kvapil

The majority of the starting lineup was based on last year's owner standings.