Chesson trying to do Melo proud

Dave Caldwell, New York Times

Published May 27, 2006 at midnight

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INDIANAPOLIS — P.J. Chesson, who will drive in his first Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, has already had a wild week. He had the Indy 500 logo tattooed on his left arm, adding to his extensive collection of body art, and he shot baskets with his new boss, Carmelo Anthony.

Chesson said that Anthony, a Denver Nuggets forward who at 6 feet 8 inches stands a foot taller than he does, is not as good at Pop-A-Shot, the arcade basketball game, as he is at shooting in an NBA game. Chesson won two of eight Pop-A-Shot games Monday.

"But I don’t think he was looking when I beat him," Chesson said with a smile Thursday.

Chesson and Anthony have become the Indy 500’s odd couple. Their Indy Racing League team may not win Sunday, but they have certainly received attention. Four months ago, they did not even know each other.

Chesson, 27, was working on a fishing boat in Miami before he landed a ride on a car co-owned by Anthony, 21, who had been persuaded to invest in Chesson by Gene Simmons, a sports marketer known better as a bassist and singer for the rock band Kiss.

"I think he’s going to do great things," Anthony said of Chesson earlier this week.

Chesson does not stand much of a chance to win the Indy 500, which will be run for the 90th time Sunday. He qualified for the 20th spot in the 33-car field, and he was 28th in the final practice Friday after getting onto the track late.

"I’m hoping to log a finish," he said. "That’s all I want to do."

Chesson said he was still surprised he was even here. Until March, when the deal with Anthony was announced by the team’s other owner, Ron Hemelgarn, Chesson thought he was doomed to spend the summer on a boat that he said was called the Sissy Baby.

He grew up on a horse farm in Far Hills, N.J., and had little experience racing on ovals, let alone pavement, until two years ago. Before this season, he had driven in only 12 races on the Indy Pro Series, a step below the IRL on the racing ladder.

What Chesson had, apparently in abundance, was charisma. He is irrepressible, flamboyant and profane — he boasted Thursday of his sexual conquests since qualifying — but not so much so that he alienates his peers or investors.

"P.J.’s always trying to goof around, trying to put a smile on everybody’s face," Anthony said.

The 33 Indy 500 drivers came to New York on Monday to pose for a shot on the USS Intrepid. They dutifully lined up in their starting positions, but Chesson playfully sprinted to the front of the pack, drawing laughs from the others.

"He’s a crazy kid," said Tomas Scheckter, who will start 11th on Sunday. "So much today, we watch what we say. He’s different in that aspect. And he’s got enough talent that he can make things happen. He needs to be put in that situation."

Simmons, who became interested in the IRL after watching a race in Texas, runs a company with his business partner, Rich Abramson, that serves as the outside marketing arm of the IRL.

The two held a seminar in Los Angeles in January. Abramson said Friday that Anthony’s business managers attended the seminar and told Simmons and Abramson that Anthony liked fast cars. Simmons arranged a meeting with Anthony in February.

Anthony said with a smile that he was not a fast driver, but Simmons sold him on investing in the sport in general and in Chesson in particular.

"When the opportunity was presented to me, I thought it was a thing where you can’t let it slip through your hands," Anthony said. "I love racing. It’s a great thing. We only get 12,000 for our games. They get 500,000 or 600,000."

(He was exaggerating. About 300,000 are expected for Sunday’s race.)

Simmons and Abramson then sold Hemelgarn on Chesson. The deal between Hemelgarn, Anthony and Chesson was announced less than two weeks before the IRL’s season opener March 26 in Homestead, Fla.

"You wouldn’t believe how many people know him," Chesson said of Anthony. "He’s clearly a huge icon in the sports world. You forget that he’s 21 years old. He seems too cool to be 21 years old."

Anthony, who will turn 22 Monday, watched Chesson make his debut in what is called the "Car-Melo." The gearbox broke, and Chesson finished 12th. He has followed that with two 17th-place finishes.

Hemelgarn, who owned the car that Buddy Lazier drove to victory in the 1996 Indianapolis 500, said Thursday that he was encouraged with the progress Chesson had made during practice here. Hemelgarn said Chesson’s flamboyance did not bother him.

"The only thing I’m concerned with is on-track performance," Hemelgarn said. "What’s most important is how good his right foot and his hand-eye coordination are."

Anthony said he would be at the track Sunday. It will be the first Indy 500 he has attended. Chesson, brimming with confidence, will try to do Anthony proud.

"So far, me being me has been a great thing," Chesson said.

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