Curt Cavin

IndyStar

Fourteenth in a series of Indianapolis 500 winners

FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. – Arie Luyendyk is looking at photographs hanging in his trophy room at home, and one from CART’s 1995 season strikes him. He notes his hair, then long and flowing, which was his signature for years.

“Sometimes it was a little too over the top,” he admits. “One day me and (wife) Mieke were sitting in a club somewhere in Phoenix. Two guys walked up and asked us to dance.”

He laughs, unable to recall if he was first or second choice.

“My hair was down to here,” he says in illustration, “and they came up from behind. But I mean, that’s bad.”

Luyendyk can trace the changes in his appearance through a series of displays in his home – make that at his home. He says racing has its place, and it’s not in the family's quarters. A few years back, he had an office built in a garage off the main garage. That’s where his trophies, artwork and memorabilia reside.

Interestingly, many of the likenesses aren’t of Luyendyk. Rather, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has treasures from Indy winners before him. He has a Ray Harroun photograph autographed by Harroun's son, autographed photographs from Louis Meyer and Pat Flaherty, and his prized possession: a Jim Clark photograph accompanied by an autograph he fetched himself. To know Luyendyk is to understand what these pieces mean to him.

In 1962, when Luyendyk was just 9 years old, he accompanied his father, Jaap, to Formula One's South African Grand Prix, where Jaap was driving in a support series race. (The Luyendyks lived in South Africa at the time.) Back then, F-1 had significantly fewer restrictions, and Luyendyk was able not only to see his hero — Clark — but he walked up behind him and leaned in for an autograph request. Jaap's camera captured the moment.

Today, Clark's signature on a tiny piece of paper and that photograph are part of a framed display hanging just steps to the right of Luyendyk's desk. Looking at the special moment reminds Luyendyk of his earliest affection for the sport.

“I have a lot of little things like that that have history, and I think my interest in racing history rubbed off on some guys, like Dario (Franchitti),” he says. “Dario has gotten into Jim Clark stuff, too, and I gave him an 8-by-10 picture of this shot of me and Clark. He thought it was really cool."

It was through Clark that Luyendyk was introduced to the Indianapolis 500. With Clark running second in the '63 race, Luyendyk remembers people being upset with officials for not black-flagging Parnelli Jones’ oil-leaking car. Two years later, Luyendyk celebrated as Clark, the soon-to-be double world champion, won his first and only 500.

Luyendyk later became a driver, although success took time to achieve. Surprisingly, Luyendyk started to make a name for himself upon coming to the U.S. in 1984 when he won the Super Vee title. The next year – his first in CART – he was rookie of the year both for the season and the 500. Like Clark, Luyendyk proved to be a natural at IMS, where in 1990 he scored his first IndyCar win.

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Luyendyk went on to win three IMS poles, and he would have had another had May ’96 gone better. After running a breathtaking lap of 239.260 mph on Fast Friday and setting official track records in qualifying, Luyendyk’s car was deemed too light, forcing a disqualification. He re-set one- and four-lap qualifying marks the next day, but the event's rulebook forced the second-day qualifier to start 20th.

In the race, Luyendyk briefly stalled the engine on pit road, forcing an exit alongside Eliseo Salazar, who was only four months removed from a suspension piece driven through his leg and hip in a crash at Walt Disney World Speedway. Salazar later told Luyendyk he couldn't put his foot to the pedal softly, and the lurch of his car clipped Luyendyk's. The damage was enough to force Luyendyk's early exit with a car that remains the fastest in Indy history.

“That’s still one of the most annoying (months), and it kind of bugs me,” Luyendyk says. “We could have the pole easy. We should have won the race. It's funny how one event leads to another.”

Luyendyk began his U.S. life in Brookfield, Wis., where his team was based, but he struggled with the long, cold and often dreary winters. Three months before winning Indy for the first time, he and Mieke moved to Phoenix, where he could train by hiking nearby mountains on 100-degree summer days. Luyendyk isn't as fond of such heat now, at age 62, but he has stayed put.

Luyendyk chose to live in Fountain Hills for its proximity to the lake where he once kept his boat, but he also adores the Sedona-like red rocks and the tall saguaro cactus unique to this part of the world. He might be Dutch, but this is home.

He and Mieke have four children, including twins, but it's a quieter place now for the empty nesters. The home has more room than either of them will ever need again, but he likes that his five IMS trophies – for two wins and three poles – have a proper home away from the home.

Luyendyk's long hair is long gone, although chemicals keep the color alive. If he needs to be reminded of his glory years as a race car driver, he can dance with the spoils all he wants.

Follow IndyStar reporter Curt Cavin on Facebook and Twitter: @curtcavin

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ARIE LUYENDYK

Indy 500 wins: 1990 for Doug Shierson Racing, 1997 for Treadway Racing.

Race facts: In ’90, Luyendyk started on the outside of a front row that included Emerson Fittipaldi and Rick Mears. Luyendyk's No. 30 Domino’s Pizza car, one of the prettiest ever to compete in the 500, was pushing toward the wall in the first half of the race, but the crew helped him straighten it out. Luyendyk led the final 33 laps for his first IndyCar victory, which also was the fastest in 500 history, a 200-lap average speed of 185.981 mph. That race included 11 drivers who either had won or would later win the 500 a combined 23 times. Luyendyk’s second win was easier, though the finish was a lot closer. Amid a controversial last-lap restart – the track's yellow light remained on as the starter waved the green flag – Luyendyk held off teammate Scott Goodyear.

Margin of victories: 10.878 seconds over Bobby Rahal in 1990, 0.570 seconds over Goodyear in ’97.

Winner’s takes: $1.090 million in 1990, $1.568 million in ’97.

Indy career: As significant as Luyendyk’s two wins are, he left his mark in qualifying. He started on the front row five times in 17 races, with three poles, including a win from the pole in ‘97. Luyendyk’s most memorable qualifying effort came in '96 when he set an all-time speed record for one- and four-lap averages (237.498 mph and 236.986 mph, respectively), but he started 20th as a second-day qualifier. His first-day run had been nullified after it failed post-qualifying inspection.

Quote in victory lane in ’90 after setting Indy’s speed record for 500 miles: “I don’t care if we were doing 60 mph average, we still got first place and that’s what matters.”

– Curt Cavin