Stewart shows then goes

In a bizarre turn of events near the end of qualifying, Stewart gave every indication that he was prepared to attempt to qualify one of A.J. Foyt's cars, then backed out while surrounded by reporters on pit lane.

Stewart said contractual obligations kept him from making the attempt in Foyt's car. Stewart's contract with Joe Gibbs' NASCAR Nextel Cup team allows him to race certain types of cars as long as they don't conflict with his obligations to the No. 20 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Other types of cars are banned, but it wasn't clear if the contractual problems stemmed from sponsors, manufacturers or Joe Gibbs Racing itself.

"It was on the stock car side of things," Stewart told a crowd of reporters on pit lane with 45 minutes left in the final session of qualifying for the 88th Indy 500. "There's no doubt in my mind that I can still get around this place in an Indy car. They're not running speeds I haven't run before."

The buzz surrounding Stewart's clandestine appearance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway gained volume after the 33-car field reached its limit shortly after 1:45 p.m. local time. Rain halted track activity for a time, but a contingent of fans waited for Stewart to emerge from the Foyt garage.

During that wait, Stewart was asked what Joe Gibbs, coach of the Washington Redskins, might think of a last-minute run at Indy by one of his NASCAR drivers. "Joe better be working on football players today," Stewart said.

When Stewart emerged from the Foyt garage, the entourage followed Stewart and Foyt's No. 14T car to pit lane, where the interest turned to disappointment when Stewart told a national television audience that he wouldn't be qualifying.

"I've seen more media guys tripping over themselves today than I ever have," Stewart said. "It's great to come back home to Indiana and get this kind of support."

The announcement was a reprieve for Robby McGehee, who would have been bumped from the field had Stewart topped 211.631mph in a four-lap run. Instead, McGehee, who visited the Foyt garages shortly before Stewart's attempt was aborted, held the 33rd spot for next weekend's 500.