JOHNSTONE IS SECOND; IT SEEMS LIKE A WIN.

Byline: Rochelle Kaplan Daily News Staff Writer

Before his second-place finish at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday, Parker Johnstone was better known for his wit than his speed. After the race, however, Johnstone - who had never placed higher than 11th in his two-year IndyCar career - was at a loss for words, funny or otherwise.

``For the first time in my career I'm speechless,'' Johnstone said. ``It's tremendous. You know, second is as good as a victory for us.''

Although those watching the race were probably stunned by his finish, it was Johnstone who was the most surprised. Having only three goals in mind before the race - ``getting to the first pit stop, getting to the second pit stop and getting to the checkered flag'' - Johnstone instead found himself between the winner of the previous race, Jimmy Vasser, and the defending champion of the Long Beach Grand Prix, Al Unser Jr.

``(When that happened) I thought, `Oh man, this is for second place,' '' said Johnstone of Redmond, Ore. ``This didn't come into my calculations before the beginning (of the race).

``I thought I was going to have Robby (Gordon) and Paul (Tracy) locked with the wheels turned beside me and cars upside down at the start.

``I thought I was going to have to wear my Michael Andretti Driving School for the Blind T-shirt.''

Even though the remark was a jab at Andretti - who is infamous for his on-track mishaps with other drivers - it said more about Johnstone's quick wit and sense of humor.

Johnstone, however, would probably be pleased if people would now concentrate more on his driving skills than his gift of gab.

Unser, who came in third, said Johnstone ran a near perfect race, disputing a report about Johnstone ``not being fast.''

``I reckon he was fast today,'' said Unser, a six-time winner at Long Beach. ``I tried to pass him, but I couldn't.''

Unlike Unser, who followed in his famous father's footsteps, Johnstone wants people to know that he is living proof that someone from a ``middle-class'' family, without a lot of money can make it in Indy-car racing.

Obsessed with racing as a teen-ager in Oakland, he would cut classes on Friday with his girlfriend so that he could drive down to Long Beach to watch what was then a Formula 1 race. It was the crashes, he says, that compelled him to pursue a racing career for himself.

After graduating from California with a degree in engineering, Johnstone went to work as a driving instructor for the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Sonoma with the hopes of someday racing professionally.

For 10 years beginning in 1984, he raced in the IMSA series, garnering several championships, before finally getting a ride in IndyCar.

Every step of the way, though, he remembers the struggle to get to the top. ``Finishing in front of Al Unser Jr. is a tremendous feat for the team,'' said Johnstone. ``Team Penske (Unser's team) is the best in the series, so it's quite a yardstick by which to measure my success.''

Notes: The victory gives Vasser a 23-point lead in the standings over Scott Pruett, who finished 11th Sunday. Vasser has 67 points . . . . Alex Zanardi, who qualifed in the No. 2 position, was knocked outof the race on the 39th lap due to a crash. . . .Christian Fittipaldi, who left the race on the 48th lap after a collision with Greg Moore, was fined $5,000 for jerking Moore's helmet while Moore sat in his stalled car after the crashh. . . .