DATE: Tuesday, May 13, 1997                 TAG: 9705130472

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   49 lines

JOHN ANDRETTI HAS CAR WAITING AT INDY WITH HIS DRIVER HURT, A.J. FOYT ASKS HIS GODSON TO ADD THE 500 TO HIS MAY 25 SCHEDULE.

With his regular driver, Scott Sharp, too badly injured to run in this year's Indy 500, car owner A.J. Foyt turned south Monday and asked for help from his godson, John Andretti.

Andretti said he'd think about it and announce today whether he'll try to race in both the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25.

``I talked to A.J. and told him I wanted to sleep on it,'' Andretti said through team publicist Denise Wood on Monday afternoon.

Andretti had withdrawn his name from consideration for the Indy 500 after he won the pole for the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and it was rained out, forcing NASCAR to reschedule the race for Saturday, which also was pole day at Indy.

But Foyt's primary driver, Scott Sharp, spun in turn 4 at Indy during practice Friday, pounded the outside wall and rode the wall all the way down the frontstretch almost to the entrance of turn 1. Sharp suffered a concussion that included a small brain hemorrhage.

Although Sharp has been released from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and his condition is good, Foyt on Monday announced that on doctors' advice, he had withdrawn Sharp from the 500.

Foyt still plans to have open-wheel ace Billy Boat attempt to qualify his second car. But he wants Andretti to replace Sharp.

``I'm working with my godson, John Andretti,'' Foyt said Monday in a press briefing at the speedway. ``I talked to Cale Yarborough (Andretti's Winston Cup car owner), and we're good friends. I've asked him for a big favor.''

Yarborough has said that he'll leave the decision on Indy up to Andretti, but that he would prefer that Andretti not try to race in both events.

Andretti said if he does decide to run at Indy, he will fly to Indianapolis today and would attempt to qualify on Sunday - the final day of qualifying for the 500. Andretti has The Winston practice on Friday at Charlotte and will run in The Winston Open Saturday.

Foyt said he hopes Andretti can practice at Indy on Wednesday or Thursday.

``It will be hard getting him back and forth,'' Foyt said. ``Whatever we can work out. We'll have a private jet fly him back and forth.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Anything John Andretti does at Indy on May 25 will be in addition to

driving Cale Yarborough's car at Charlotte. He will announce his

plans today.

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