Indianapolis ? George Mack was supposed to be doing interviews and signing autographs Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Instead, he was nowhere to be found, drawing an anxious cell phone call from his public relations person.

“Hey, rookie, didn’t you know you had to be here?” asked Jennifer Smith, urging Mack to get to his garage as quickly as possible.

Rookie driver George Mack rubs his head in frustration following a practice run last weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mack, who qualified for the 86th running of the Indianapolis 500, wants to be thought of as a driver, not as the second black to race at Indy.

Mack doesn’t mind a little rookie ribbing after all, this is his first Indianapolis 500. On the other hand, he scoffs at the notion of being a racial pioneer, even though he’ll be just the second black driver to take the green flag at the Brickyard.

“I don’t want people to think of me as the black, bald guy with a goatee. I don’t want them thinking of me as the second African-American to race at Indy,” he said. “I’m just George Mack.”

Willy T. Ribbs was the first black to race at the world’s most famous track, finishing 32nd in 1991 and 21st two years later.

Mack, making his Indy debut with the unheralded 310 Racing team, bounced back from a practice crash to earn a spot in the 33-car field. He would like to make it to the checkered flag Sunday, then move on to loftier goals.

“After I finish the first one, maybe I could win one or two,” Mack said. “I’d also like to win a season championship.”

While the 30-year-old Mack shrugs off the racial significance of racing at Indy, he’s clearly attracted some fans who might not otherwise be interested. Pamela Burns, who stood in line for an autograph with her 5-year-old son, Larry, noticed the change.

“I see a lot more black faces in the crowd than last year,” said Burns, who is black. “There’s a big difference. He’s got a lot of black fans. He’s certainly got us.”

Mack understands the marketing potential of his skin color, but he doesn’t find it the least bit significant on the track.

“A driver is a driver,” he said. “I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal. It comes down to results and charisma and the fans accepting you as an individual.”

Mack didn’t have much experience in high-speed, open-wheel racing until this year. He won more than 200 go-kart races in his native California between 1986-98, while getting a feel for the bigger cars as a test driver for U.S. Formula 2000, Star Mazda and NASCAR late-model teams.

Mack plays down the big jump from go-karts to the Indy Racing League, where the cars reach speeds of more than 230 mph.

“It depends on what you mean by a big jump,” he said. “It’s all relative. I raced a lot of these guys in karts. I couldn’t imagine this being any different.”

Mack has been rather anonymous through his first four IRL races, starting no higher than ninth, finishing no better than 13th and ranking 18th in the points coming to Indy. On a more positive note, he’s made it to the end of two events and has completed 645 of 825 laps (78 percent) in a car that clearly can’t keep up with those from the better-funded teams.

“I think he’s doing a great job,” said Scott Sharp, who competes for Kelley Racing’s well-financed, two-car operation. “It’s tough to deal with a new team, especially one that’s not super-funded. He doesn’t have a teammate, which makes his job harder. But he’s doing things the right way. He’s turning a lot of laps and getting experience. That’s a real smart way to do it.”

Sharp doesn’t think of Mack as a black driver he’s just another rookie trying to make his mark in the highly competitive sport. Then again, the IRL needs all the help it can get to gain exposure the other 51 weeks of the year. The Indy 500 is still one of racing’s most famous events, but minuscule crowds turned out for races at Nazareth and California Speedway.

“George has got a huge future in this league,” Sharp said. “If that means we end up getting more people to the track, that would be wonderful.”

Mack was attracted to racing at an early age, following in the footsteps of his father, who competed on the modified and figure-eight circuits. Young George started out on BMX bikes and motorcycles, but his mother steered him onto the four-wheelers by the time he was 9 or 10.

“I was fairly aggressive, so I busted myself up pretty good,” Mack recalled. “My mother said, ‘We’ve got to get you into something safer,’ so I went to karts.”

Mack won’t be getting too aggressive on Sunday. In fact, he’s admittedly frightened about what awaits when he takes the green flag in front of some 400,000 fans.

“I’m sure I’ll be scared,” he said. “Anytime I have a new experience, I get scared. It’s good to be scared.”

Mack relaxes himself during a race by singing to his crew over the radio, or by cracking jokes about the drivers he’s racing against. He clearly has a dry sense of humor, so it might be a good idea to bring out the scanner and tune in to Radio Mack.

“Let’s just say it’s some funny stuff,” Mack said, refusing to give a preview of his song list or his joke repertoire. “The crew always falls out laughing.”