Category Archives: Indianapolis 500

Through Six Practice Days…Who Has What?!

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97TH Indy500 LogoThrough six days of practice, the field for the Indianapolis 500 has left spectators with nothing to be disappointed about.  The weather has been cooperative allowing 9,000 some laps to be turned in six days with a full field of 33 cars all gracing the famed Brickyard with their presence.  Single car runs have dominated the early portions of the day while afternoons have seen packs of at least five cars running together.  The field in IndyCar for 2013 is so competitive that there is no clear favorite to win the Pole or the Race and the enigma that is the IZOD IndyCar Series grid in 2013 continues to grant no clarity.

Each weekend so far in the IZOD IndyCar Series has been a complete crap shoot of who will finish on top; a welcome problem for all of us fans who like to think that our favorite drivers have only a few other cars to worry about in a given race.  It used to be that though IndyCar Series races gridded at least twenty cars each weekend that only four or five drivers had a realistic opportunity to win the race.  Not so in 2013 as each member of the IndyCar grid has a realistic opportunity to find their way at the front and win the race.  The stats speak for themselves.

Go ahead and poll anyone who associates with INDYCAR and ask them if they predicted, going into the Indianapolis 500, that Takuma Sato would be leading the points standings and Will Power would be sitting in 18th position with only a single top ten finish in four races with left and right turns.  If they say they predicted such a situation they are lying their pants on fire.  The first four races of Power’s season are no indication of his competitive pace, but rather outside influences hindering his finishing positions.  This only further indicates that mistakes made in IZOD IndyCar Series races this season will cost you dearly because driving through the field is an order as tall as the Eiffel Tower.

Back to the Indianapolis 500, it seems that Chevrolet has the early jump on the speed chart but we’ve read this melodrama before.  Chevrolet easily had its way in qualifications snatching the Pole and eight of the top nine positions.  In fact, only Josef Newgarden was able to make the shootout at the end of Pole Day while the Ganassi operation was forced to start mid-pack.  While Chevrolet was basking in the Champagne of their gross outclassment of Honda in qualifying, their Japanese compatriots were licking no wounds as they had a plan in place when race engines were installed. Ganassi Hondas drove through the field taking it to Chevrolet in the race and captured INDYCAR’s crown jewel.

The bottom line is that through thirty hours of cars turning laps and practicing on track, we have no idea what anybody has stashed in the back of their DW12s for qualifying this weekend.  Teams get extra boost pressure in the turbo tomorrow so stay tuned as teams may, finally, show their hand in preparation for qualifying…but I doubt it.  Rest assured this will be the closest Pole Day qualifying show in the history of the Indianapolis 500 and Honda will certainly ensure they are not left out of the party as they were a year ago.

 

Danica Patrick and the 2013 Indianapolis 500

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As Danica Patrick winds her way through her first full season of competition in NASCAR, the native of Roscoe, Illinois is mulling the possibility of running both the Coca Cola 600 as well as the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend in 2013 thus marking a short lived return to IndyCar racing at the track where she gained notoriety and fame in 2005 when she became the first woman to lead the annual Memorial Day classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Patrick is slated to drive a full 36 race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule next season which will be her priority in 2013.  Patrick gained fans in bunches in 2005 but her last two runs at the Indianapolis 500 saw her burn some bridges with fans due to comments made essentially throwing Andretti Autosport under the bus.  If Patrick elects to attempt the double-duty Sunday she has a long road ahead of her for a number of factors.

Who Will She Run For?

Undoubtedly, the entry for Patrick would be a partnership between Stewart Haas Racing and a current IZOD IndyCar Series team.  Stewart Haas’ alliance with Chevrolet would indicate that Patrick would run an IndyCar powered by the Bowtie and with Chevrolet likely powering half of the field for the Indianapolis 500 in 2013 there will be multiple options for Patrick to choose.  Patrick’s desire to have a competitive car will definitely play into her decision.  Team Penske is the most obvious choice of the Chevrolet powered teams given their storied history at the Indianapolis 500, but an effort with Team Penske is unlikely.  Team Penske will likely field entries for Will Power, Helio Castroneves, and probably a third car that might remain piloted by Ryan Briscoe.  Roger Penske will be hesitant to field a fourth car for the danger of putting too many cooks in the kitchen as their focus for the 2013 race will be on Helio Castroneves as the Brazilian tries to beat Ganassi rival Dario Franchitti to the four-time winner club.  So far in 2012, Andretti Autosport as shown renewed strength in the IndyCar Paddock with Hunter-Reay and Hinchcliffe in the top-5 in the points standings.  Andretti could take on Patrick, but the tumultuous relationship between Patrick and her teammates during the last years of her full-time IndyCar career would be  a deterrent given Andretti Autosport’s renewed mojo in 2012.  Beyond Penske and Andretti, Patrick is left with KV Racing Technology, Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold, Ed Carpenter Racing, and Dragon Racing as Chevrolet possibilities.  All of these teams probably don’t fit the bill that Patrick demands essential for the program to become a reality.

Sponsorship

In NASCAR, Danica Patrick is sponsored by internet conglomerate GoDaddy.com who also sponsors the Andretti family as well as James Hinchcliffe’s No. 27 Dallara.  GoDaddy would probably move forward and sponsor Patrick in the Indianapolis 500, but will she be allowed to utilize GoDaddy as sponsor if she were to run for a team other than Andretti Autosport?  If not, where would the sponsorship money come from?

DW12

The last time Danica Patrick competed at the Indianapolis 500 was in May of 2011.  The car she competed with was a Dallara IR07 powered by a V8 Honda engine.  In 2012, the IZOD IndyCar Series debut a new car, the DW12.  The DW12 is a completely different animal than the car it replaces.  The weight distribution is further to the rear of the car making it increasingly more difficult to drive around the four corners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  The car is very difficult to dial in and even the best drivers in IndyCar have found difficulty getting a handle on it.  The DW12 is powered by turbocharged 4-cylindar engines and utilizes and hand clutch instead of a normal foot clutch.  The hand clutch has been a serious adjustment for drivers this season.  Patrick would hit the track more than a year behind her competition in a car that, admittedly, is tough to master.

Scheduling

The schedule for the Indianapolis 500 has been scaled back dramatically in recent years for financial reasons and track time is at a premium especially with the unpredictable weather conditions in Indianapolis in May that has a knack for cutting practice days short and washing them out completely in some cases.  Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 takes place on the weekend of the Spring All-Star Race in Charlotte, an event that Danica would certainly be voted in by the NASCAR fan base.  Patrick would need to try and qualify the IndyCar on Saturday before the All-Star Race or the next day where she would start no better than 22nd in the race.  Balancing her NASCAR commitments and the large amount of work that it will take to make an Indy 500 program a reality.

The big question for IndyCar in 2012 other than how to make the racing safer was how would the sport fare without their biggest name?  IndyCar has responded with some of the best racing across all Motorsport in 2012 and found new starpower in James Hinchcliffe and Rubens Barrichello.  For Danica Patrick, contrary to what many predicted, the sport of IndyCar has moved on with very little hiccup.  New cars, races, and stars have assisted IndyCar into its new, post-Danicamania, era.  Patrick decided that her brand would benefit from a career in NASCAR and that is where it should remain.

Indy 500 Recap: Ganassi, Honda Break Through

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The 500 Miles of Indianapolis have been completed and, for the third time in the last five editions, Target Chip Ganassi Racing emerged victorious in the World’s Greatest Race.  Dario Franchitti, carrying the No. 50 in honor of Target’s 50th Anniversary was in the lead coming to the last lap of the race when Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing dove underneath vying for the race lead.  Sato proceeded to the white line on the inside of turn one when the No. 15 MiJack machine touched wheels with Franchitti’s Target red car spinning Sato to the outside SAFER Barrier giving the win to the Scot.  This win places Franchitti in an elite group of drivers that have won the Indianapolis 500 three times joining Helio Castroneves as the only active driver to accomplish the feat.  Franchitti made his way to victory circle for the ceremonial bottle of milk and saluted his fallen former teammate and friend, Dan Wheldon.  Digging further into the final results the top-3 finishers are fitting because they were all former teammates of the late Dan Wheldon, and, in a race so filled with emotion and tribute, finished as it should.  Any of the top-3 would have been a fitting champion in this race.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT’S STRONG MONTH HITS THE WALL

Andretti Autosport was considered, by many in the Paddock, to be the team to beat on Race Day.  Sure, Team Penske won the Pole Position for the race, but Andretti Autosport cars filled the next three positions on the starting grid.  Through the first half of the race, it seemed as everything was going to plan.  Marco Andretti sailed out to the lead and led a race high 59 laps, but spent the second half of the race mired in traffic with a downforce level that made the car difficult to drive in that situation.  His race finally ended on lap 187 when he spun and hit the SAFER barrier ending his run.  Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay ran a conservative race just logging miles and setting up for the final fifty laps to go for the race win when a CV joint broke in the right rear of the car ending his day.  Ana Beatriz and Sebastien Saavedra also suffered difficult runs.  James Hinchcliffe was the lone bright spot for the team finishing 6th in the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

TEAM PENSKE STILL SITS AT 15…

For the third straight rendition of the Indianapolis 500 Team Penske has suffered mediocre results, overall.  Team Penske and driver Ryan Briscoe started from the Pole in the 2012 edition with Power and Castroneves starting 5th and 6th respectively in their cars.  Briscoe led fifteen laps early, but faded through the middle portions of the race before rebounding to a fifth place finish to lead Team Penske on the day.  Castroneves suffered through subpar pitstops and difficult handling balance in traffic salvaging a 10th place result in the final box score.  Will Power had, by far, the toughest day for Team Penske.  On lap 79, Power was approaching the car of Mike Conway who had just made a pit stop, a botched pit stop where he slid into the box damaging is front wing.  Conway’s car got loose and spun toward the SAFER Barrier collecting Power ending his day saddling him with a 28th Place finish and a huge dent in the points lead.

LOTUS’ DAY ENDS VERY VERY EARLY

The two cars powered by Lotus were in for a tough day, for sure, but they were hoping that they would last more than ten laps into the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, however, Director Beaux Barfield determined very early that they were unable to keep sufficient pace to warrant remaining on the track.  Lotus’ problems were well documented all month and the race was a culmination of all of these issues.  HVM Racing, the only full-time Lotus team, seems to be committed to moving forward with the European manufacturer, however, if the engine doesn’t make significant progress soon, you could see Keith Wiggins jump to Honda sometime later this year if pressure for better results comes from their sponsor Entergy.

40 YEAR OLD GETS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR…SAY WHAT?

KV Racing Technology driver Rubens Barrichello finished his first Indianapolis 500 in 11th position as the highest finishing rookie, therefore, winning the Chase Rookie of the Year award for 2012.  Barrichello had a consistent day of learning and will return to the Speedway next may with a legitimate chance to win the race in his second start.

DAN WHELDON HONORED, REMEMBERED


UP NEXT:

The IZOD IndyCar Series packs up and leaves the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another year and returns to business as usual.  The car count will be back down to the normal field of 26 as the series loads into the revival of the Grand Prix of Detroit with the race sponsored by Chevrolet.  The race for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship resumes Sunday from the Motor City with Will Power holding the points lead by a margin of 36 over teammate Helio Castroneves.

CONGRATULATIONS DARIO FRANCHITTI AND TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING

WINNERS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

All That’s Left Is 500 Miles!

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TRACK LAYOUT / MAP:

Rookie Orientation Program, Seven days of practice, Two days of qualifications, Carb Day Final Practice with Pit Stop Competition, and 500 Festival Parade…Complete.  All that is left for the IZOD IndyCar Series at Indianapolis is to run 500 Miles and find out whose face is etched on the Borg Warner trophy this time next year.  Storylines are abound on the eve of the World’s Greatest Race!

NEW CARS AND CHEVROLET VS. HONDA

The IZOD IndyCar Series debuts its new DW12 package on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in race competition for the first time on an oval.  The car has gone through substantial testing and modification to bring it to this point.  New rear wings and underwing ground effects have greatly enhanced the car’s ability at IMS.  The car drafts very well and according to drivers being ten car lengths behind in this car is like two car lengths in the car that IndyCar retired after the 2011 season.  This year’s rendition of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race could have to most passes in the history of the event, especially for the lead.  The indications are that this aero package could breed Indianapolis’ version of “pack racing” so hopefully the drivers use their heads and have a safe afternoon.  Double-file restarts have been scrapped for this year’s race for safety reasons which should help the safety factor.  This new DW12 car is still in the development stages and drivers have said that the car can be difficult in traffic so that is something to watch.  The question is which driver/team combination can find the car’s sweet spot over the course of the race’s 200 laps to make their car the best in traffic?

Returning to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 2005 is engine competition.  Series staple Honda along with returning Chevrolet and newbies Lotus have entered cars in the 2012 Indianapolis 500.  Lotus is not expected to be a factor, but Chevrolet and Honda will duke it out until the very end.  The Indianapolis 500 has often proven to be won on a game of fuel mileage strategy and the 2012 edition could be more of the same.  Through the first four races the Chevrolet twin turbo powerplant has been able to get slightly better fuel mileage than their Honda counterparts, however, all these races were on road and street courses so the engines were not constantly on the high end of the RPM meter.  Which manufacturer will emerge victorious?

PENSKE GOING FOR 16:

Roger Penske, honored at Legend’s Day in 2012, is going for his 16th Win at the Indianapolis 500 as an owner.  Penske has an unmatched record at the Speedway, a record he would undoubtedly like to build upon.  Ryan Briscoe has already won the Pole Postion for Team Penske giving Roger the first bullet fired in the race.  Briscoe is joined in the top six by teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves starting 5th and 6th respectively.  Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet powered Shell V-Power Team Penske car, strives for his fourth Indianapolis 500 win;  A feat only accomplished by Rick Mears, AJ Foyt, and Al Unser while Power and Briscoe look for their first likeness on the Borg Warner Trophy.  Since 2003, when Gil de Ferran gave Penske his third straight win after returning to the race in 2001, Team Penske has won in 2006 and 2009 marking a return to victory lane every three years.  2012 would be three years since the last win.  The numbers add up, but will the results on Race Day?

GANASSI WINS CARB DAY!

The Andretti Autosport and Penske teams handily outdueled the four car Chip Ganassi Racing stable in qualifying, but, if Carb Day is any indication, Ganassi’s team should be a factor on Race Day.  Dario Franchitti topped the speed chart in final practice on Carb Day followed closely by Scott Dixon.  Dixon finished the day for Team Target by winning the Pit Stop Competition, a first for Chip Ganassi in his storied history at the Brickyard.  Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball also showed strong pace on Carb Day practice and with the DW12′s drafting ability these cars could go straight to the front!

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT POISED FOR HUGE REBOUND!

In 2011, Andretti Autosport endured possibly the most difficult month of May at Indianapolis for any team since Team Penske failed to qualify in 1995.  The 2011 Andretti Autosport cars handled well, but had no speed, ending up with Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay missing the 33 car field in qualifying and Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti making the field on Bump Day by the slimmest of margins.  Fast forward to 2012, Andretti Autosport entered the sacred ground of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway loaded for bear qualifying cars in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th separating only Team Penske in the front two rows.  James Hinchcliffe missed the Pole by a total of ten inches.  Andretti Autosport could be the team Favorited to win the 2012 Indianapolis 500 with the pace, talent, and experience of their cars and drivers.  What will 500 Miles hold?

19 YEARS IN FORMULA 1, FIRST INDIANAPOLIS 500

Formula 1 veteran Rubens Barrichello faced a steep learning curve entering the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for IndyCar’s Month of May.  Barrichello has shown well in practice and qualifying by starting 10th, but this race is a 3 1/2 hour, 500 mile marathon of an event.  The learning curve only gets steeper as Barrichello has yet to drive an IndyCar on an oval in traffic for any substantial length of time, and, thusly, has a monumental task in front of him.  Barrichello must approach Indianapolis as he has every other race and test session which is a learning experience.  Barrichello has done a remarkable job through the first four races keeping the car on the track and learning as much as he can each event.  Don’t count Barrichello out if he can keep the No. 8 KV Racing car on the track and the lead lap when it comes down to the finish.

THE…HEAT…IS…ON!!!!!!!!!!

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a history of having a say in who wins this race.  The biggest factor on race day may not be the cars, drivers, strategy, engines, or tires but the SUN!  This could be the hottest Indianapolis 500 on record making the conditions harsh on handling, driver fatigue, and engine reliability.  The drivers will have a difficult time staying hydrated and focused for the 500 miles.  Who can endure the conditions?

BOTTOM LINE:

This field, except for the two Lotus powered cars, is WIDE OPEN with a winner too tough to call and surprises could be abound once the green flag drops at around 12:15 Sunday.  Tune into ABC for all the action at 11:00 AM Eastern time!  Pull up a chair and E N J O Y!

REMEMBER OUR FALLEN HERO

For the first time since 1947, the defending Champion of the Indianapolis 500 will not be able to defend his title due to his death.  The most important part of the 2012 Indianapolis 500 is remembering the great Dan Wheldon.  Dan Wheldon loved this race more than any other and everybody knew it.  Wheldon came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2011 with a small team helmed by former Andretti Green Racing teammate Bryan Herta.  The team became sleepers qualifying sixth and triumphantly crossed the bricks first after JR Hildebrand hit the Turn 4 wall on the final lap.  Nobody thought that win would be Dan’s last.  Wheldon was more than just a top flight racecar driver, he was an ambassador for the sport of IndyCar racing always taking extra time for a photograph or an autograph for a loving fan.  Dan’s death has left holes in the lives of everybody that loves INDYCAR…holes that may never be filled.  Dan Wheldon was a fan favorite, media favorite, and competitor favorite and meant more to our sport than just about anybody.  Wheldon was slated to drive the GoDaddy.com car that James Hinchcliffe now pilots.  Instead of piloting the car, screaming in to turn 1 as the green flag drops, Dan Wheldon will be watching the Indianapolis 500 on May 27, 2012 from the best seat in the house.  Alas, he will not be here with the rest of us and it hurts.  Everybody wear some Orange on Race Day in honor of the late, great Dan Wheldon!  Hope you enjoy this one, Dan, it’s going to be a great race. 

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

 


Indianapolis 500: Qualifying Weekend Review

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Qualifying for the 2012 Indianapolis 500 is complete and INDYCAR has filled the 33 car field, but not without trepidation.  Team Chevrolet drivers had all their worries of a dominant Honda opponent in qualifying fade into the sunset when Chevrolet powered cars from Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, and KV Racing Technology all but stomped the rest of the field in qualifications.  It became apparent very early on in Pole Day that Chevrolet was going to be extremely strong, especially with the higher boost levels given to teams for the qualifying weekend.  Chevrolet drivers came out and snagged eight of the top nine positions on the grid setting up the shootout for the Pole.  The only Honda to qualify inside the top nine was Josef Newgarden and all four drivers from Chip Ganassi Racing were shut out of the Pole Shootout.  There were three incidents on Pole Day involving Oriol Servia, Bryan Clauson and Ed Carpenter forcing those drivers to qualify on Bump Day.

DRIVERS MAKING THE POLE SHOOTOUT:

# 2 Ryan Briscoe IZOD Team Penske Chevrolet

# 3 Helio Castroneves Shell V-Power Team Penske Chevrolet

# 5 EJ Viso CITGO KV Racing Technology Chevrolet

# 11 Tony Kanaan GEICO KV Racing Technology Chevrolet

# 12 Will Power Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet

# 26 Marco Andretti RC Cola Andretti Autosport Chevrolet

# 27 James Hinchcliffe GoDaddy Andretti Autosport Chevrolet

# 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay DHL/SunDrop Andretti Autosport Chevrolet

# 67 Josef Newgarden Dollar General Sarah Fisher Hartman Honda

The Pole Shootout began with EJ Viso making a couple laps on his run and waving it off as did teammate Tony Kanaan.  Ryan Briscoe exited the pits in his IZOD Team Penske machine and fired off a first lap of nearly 227 mph and completed his run with a four lap average of 226.484 mph besting James Hinchcliffe by .003 mph to take the Pole.  The first three rows consist of cars from Andretti Autosport and Team Penske.  The highest qualified car from Chip Ganassi Racing is Graham Rahal who will start outside row four.

The dominance of the Team Chevrolet teams may have come as a surprise, but the struggles of Lotus went as anticipated.  Neither car from Lotus made a qualifying attempt on Pole Day and why would they?  The Lotus has consistently shown speeds 12-14 mph off the leader’s pace.  So much, in fact, that Lotus had been considered to keep the extra boost level for qualifying to make them more competitive during the race, however, this has been vetoed by INDYCAR so Lotus has a difficult race weekend ahead of them.  Hopefully, Lotus can find enough pace to remain on the racetrack for the entire event so they can continue their engine development.

A vote of encouragement for INDYCAR to come out of qualifying weekend for the Indianapolis 500 has to be the performance of the DW12 cars during crashes at high speed.  Previous to this weekend, the DW12 endured only one major crash when Marco Andretti got together with Graham Rahal at Long Beach and neither car suffered serious damage.  Crashing on a road course and an oval are completely different things as the speeds on ovals are to the absolute extreme of the IndyCar’s capabilities.  The only incident during practice leading up to the qualifying weekend was a slight brush to the wall by Josef Newgarden.  Oriol Servia, Ed Carpenter, and Bryan Clauson suffered major hits to the SAFER Barrier during qualifying runs while Charlie Kimball tested the car’s crash abilities during practice on Bump Day.  The DW12 passed its first oval crash tests with flying colors as all four drivers exited uninjured ready to fight another day.

This field is incredibly tight and there are so many unknowns as we head to the drop of the green flag on Sunday May 27.  For the first time in nearly a decade, we are dealing with a new car with so many unknowns itself.  How will it handle in a slipstream behind 14-15 cars?  Will the lead be the desired place to be or will the leader by handicapped by the DW12′s apparent ability to draft and pass as shown in practice?  These three engine manufacturers have yet to run these engines at oval speeds constantly for 500 miles so how will the reliability factor into who wins the Indianapolis 500?  It has also been suggested that cars will not be able to pull away from each other creating an Indianapolis version of pack racing which could make for lots of excitement on raceday, but the danger factor could go through the roof.  Hopefully, INDYCAR has the field with enough depth and experience that the drivers will show the same courtesy, patience, and respect that they have shown through the first four races in 2012 to make the Indianapolis 500 a safe race.  The green flag drops just after 12:00 on Sunday May 20, so strap in and pull the belts tight because this one is gonna be exciting!

I500StartingLineup

Indianapolis 500 Spotter Guide

Bubble, Bubble, Lotus In Trouble…

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As Chevrolet and Honda powered teams work through their programs leading up to Fast Friday and Pole Day, Lotus is struggling to get their cars up to competitive pace.  Team Lotus drivers Simona de Silvestro and Jean Alesi are very concerned about their lack of speed and their ability to compete in the race.  Fortunately for these drivers, there are currently only enough entries to make the 33 car field so they will make the race no matter what their qualifying speed, however they must keep a race pace within 105 percent of the leader’s speed in order to continue running during the Indianapolis 500 on May 27.  An update to the Lotus engine is in the works to, hopefully, give the marque a boost in power thus increasing the speed, however, it is unknown if such an update will be available in time to make the cars competitive in the Indianapolis 500.  IZOD IndyCar Race Director Beaux Barfield will not hesitate, for safety reasons, pulling these cars off the track if they cannot keep pace.  It is unrealistic to think that Lotus was going to come out and win the Indianapolis 500 stealing it from Chevrolet or Honda, but 500 miles of development will help the brand down the road in 2012 and beyond.  A competitive Lotus engine is very important to INDYCAR so let’s hope that they can right the ship and make some quick progress.

The field is now full for the Indianapolis 500.  Dragon Racing’s severance from Lotus is complete and they are now powered by Chevrolet.  As a result Katherine Legge got her first taste of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as she went out early in the morning on Thursday May 17 to begin her rookie orientation program where she completed Phase 1 of the three phase process.  She will be given extra time in the afternoon to, hopefully, complete Phase 2 with Phase 3 being completed on the morning of Fast Friday practice.  Sebastien Bourdais’ No. 7 McAfee sponsored car should have a Chevrolet engine married to it in time to run Fast Friday and complete his requires refresher course.  Dragon Racing is six days behind the 8-ball but they have strong engines and probably some support from Team Penske so expect them to get up to speed quickly.  They must work fast because they only have three days of track time before Miller Lite Carb Day to get it right.

An oddity of this month’s proceedings at the racetrack, other than the weather being immaculate, is the quiet demeanor of the super teams of Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing.  While Josef Newgarden, Sebastien Saavedra, and Andretti Autosport have enjoyed strong showings each day on the speed chart, the six cars Favorited to win the race have been eerily quiet so far this month.  They have shown good pace, but not lights out, amazingly quick speeds that we are accustomed.  Look for them to turn up the wick tomorrow as the boost levels on the turbo are given an upgrade for the qualifying weekend.

 

Indianapolis 500: Turbos and Lotus Remain Focus at IMS

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Two days of practice complete at Indianapolis and the young guns are blazing out of the gate.  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing topped the speed chart on opening day on Saturday with rookie driver Josef Newgarden while AFS Andretti Autosport driver Sebastien Saavedra led day two.  Honda led opening day while Chevrolet topped the chart on day two.  The speed should not be read into on either day as it is the result of tows on the track so it is unknown what speed the cars are capable running by themselves.

Concern is mounting, however, about the performance of the two remaining Lotus cars in the field which are having difficulty meeting the anticipated minimum speed for the race.  Prior to the Indianapolis 500 Bryan Herta Autosport and Lotus Dreyer & Reinbold Racing severed ties with the European manufacturer and joined rival Chevrolet (DRR) and Honda(BHA) for the remainder of the IZOD IndyCar Series Season.  The fastest speeds are ranging from 218-221 mph brackets while the Lotus cars are just barely scratching 205-207 which is below the 105 percent threshold that the cars must achieve during the race to remain on the track…track time the Lotus engine desperately needs.  HVM driver Simona de Silvestro states that the cars a trimmed out like everybody else, but the engine, for one reason or other, just will not deliver the power to make the cars go fast.  Starting Monday, Lotus has just five days to find some speed.  The weather forecast looks favorable so at least that is in their favor, but it will be a huge mountain to climb in the time available.  A competitive Lotus package is very important to the Indianapolis 500 and INDYCAR in general so a solution is critical and they are running out of time and opportunitites as teams are, undoubtedly, running out of patience.

Dragon Racing has elected not to use the Lotus engine effective after Brazil leaving drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Katherine Legge on the sidelines without turning a single lap on the Speedway as they wait for severance from Lotus to become official and the approval to utilize Chevrolet power.  Legge needs to complete the Rookie Orientation Program while Bourdais must do a refresher course before they are allowed to continue with their programs to prepare for the race.  This is especially important for Legge, who carries the TrueCar sponsorship funding the No. 6 Dragon Racing car she pilots.  Time is running out for these drivers as well.

Behind the apparent parity amongst Chevrolet and Honda powered cars, there is a growing concern that come Pole Day on Saturday that the Turbo modification that Honda was allowed to make to give their engine more competitive horsepower on the road courses could allow them to dominate the starting grid for the Indianapolis 500.  It appears that Chevrolet has a good engine package for the race, however, the single turbo favored by Honda was predicted to be the favorable package on the oval tracks to begin with.  Add the newly approved turbo cover, and Honda could have a serious advantage when it comes to qualifying on Saturday.  The race should be evenly matched, but qualifying could be a landslide in favor of Honda.  Nothing is for certain, of course, but the drivers in the Chevrolet camp are concerned as they work diligently through the week.  Fast Friday is only three days away, but don’t expect any of the top teams to show their hand until then or even until their four lap qualifying runs on Saturday.

Formula 1 veteran Rubens Barrichello is taking to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway successfully so far under the guidance of KV Racing Technology and teammate Tony Kanaan.  Barrichello will, undoubtedly, be methodical in his education on the track during practice and try and trim the car more and more each day gradually bringing the speed up until he attempts to qualify the car on Pole Day on Saturday.  Barrichello with KV Racing and Chevrolet power should qualify this car solidly in the field.  If he can complete all 500 miles don’t count him out as a contender for the Borg Warner Trophy!

DAY 1 PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS:

DAY 2 PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS:

Walk Down Memory Lane: 2006 Indianapolis 500

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This is the first in a Series of looking back at some of the greatest moments in the history of the Indianapolis 500!

The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race has always been filled with storylines whether it be technical innovation, drivers participating, or close finishes, however, the 90th Running on May 28, 2006 may have taken the cake in terms of storytelling.

The 2006 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series season began tragically as talented rookie Paul Dana was involved in a crash during the morning warm-up preparing for the season opening Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  Dana was airlifted to a local hospital where he succumbed to the injuries suffered in the accident.  The race commenced as scheduled with Dan Wheldon capturing his first win with Target Chip Ganassi Racing.  As a result of the crash, Rahal Letterman Racing withdrew the cars of Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick from the season opening race out of respect for their fallen teammate.  A the 90th Running of the Indianapolis 500, almost all cars carried decals illustrating the letters “PD” to honor the Paul Dana at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.  Jeff Simmons was hired by Rahal Letterman Racing to drive Dana’s Ethanol sponsored Panoz/Honda for the race and the remainder of the 2006 season.

Up until 2006, powerhouse teams Marlboro Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing were held down at the Brickyard because they were aligned with Toyota engines which were severely overmatched by rival Honda making Penske and Ganassi underdogs on almost every circuit on the schedule.  Marlboro Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing made the move from Toyota to Honda for 2006 and Ganassi also switched from Panoz to Dallara chassis with the hope that they would be more competitive.  In addition to the engine change, Ganassi also bolstered their driver lineup by adding 2005 Indianapolis 500 and Series Champion Dan Wheldon to team with Scott Dixon.  Marlboro Team Penske loaded into the Speedway with two-time Indianapolis 500 Winner Helio Castroneves and two-time IndyCar Series Champion Sam Hornish Jr. to run for the Borg Warner trophy.  Castroneves’ Indianapolis 500 resume stood on its own while Hornish had never finished all 500 miles of the race and vowed to finish the race in 2006.

With the departure of Dan Wheldon, Andretti Green Racing turned to rookie Marco Andretti to fill the No. 26 Dallara vacated by the 2005 Champion.  This forded the opportunity for Michael Andretti to return, and, on opening day, three generations of Andretti turned laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

These storylines were all ingredients for a great Month of May, however, for the bulk of the month, Mother Nature decided that she was going exude her dominance over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Much of the month looked like this when cars were supposed to be on the racetrack for practice and qualifications:

Instead of roaring by and 235 mph, the cars, instead, sat in the garage and pit lane covered by tarps and umbrellas!

Due to the weather, instead of two weeks of qualifications all cars were qualified on one weekend with Sam Hornish Jr., Helio Castroneves, and Dan Wheldon taking the front row spots on the starting grid.  Scott Dixon started 4th completing the statment made by their teams that they came loaded for bear with their new engine/chassis combinations with the Marlboro Team Penske drivers the only ones to top 228 mph for a four lap average.

 

On race day, Mother Nature showed her mercy with a sun splashed day with no rain in the forecast to inhibit the 500 miles to be run.  The race began as predicted with Sam Hornish Jr. and Marlboro Team Penske snaking out to an early lead, but, during a late race pitstop under caution, Hornish’s crew made an error on pit lane causing Hornish to leave his pit box with the fuel probe still engaged breaking the hose and spilling fuel all over the asphalt of his box.

Such an infraction resultes in a mandatory green flag drive through penalty for the driver involved.  Race strategist, Roger Penske, brought Hornish to pit lane at the tail end of the caution period to top the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara with fuel to attempt to make the race distance without having to make another pit stop.  The challenge for Hornish was to save enough fuel to make the distance while not losing a lap.  While all this drama with Hornish was going on, another storyline was unfolding.  Rookie Marco Andretti was in position to win the first Indianapolis 500 for the Andretti family since Mario’s win in 1969.  Coming to the final restart Michael Andretti was in the lead with Marco following close behind.  A few cars back was none other than…Sam Hornish.  In a brilliant drive by Hornish, the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske car zoomed past Marco Andretti on the front stretch for the win in one of the closest, most dramatic finishes in the history of this race.

The picture doesn’t tell the tale of the closing laps, so kick back and watch this amazing finish unfold!  Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, and Rusty Wallace have the call for ABC!

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Month of May!

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May 9, 2012 marks the official start of the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Rookie Orientation program.  The program should be more interesting this year than in the past due to a few factors.  The first, without doubt, is this new DW12 IndyCar that will make its debut at the Brickyard in competition.  For the first time since 2003, the car is the big unknown entering the famed Month of May at the Speedway and nobody really knows exactly what it will do.

Testing in April of the new Speedway aerodynamic package made great strides with the car balance and performance, but, according to Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti, the car is a difficult enigma to nail down in traffic.  The testing phase is over and it is now up to the teams and their drivers to develop the setups that work at Indianapolis.  Throw the three engine manufacturers into the mix and you have a recipe for drama.  If the open test at Texas on Monday is any indication, Honda most certainly has the horsepower advantage on the ovals, however, through the first four races the Chevrolet has outshined their Japanese competitors in the game of fuel mileage which always plays a prominent factor in determining who drinks the milk in Victory Lane as Winner of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The struggling Lotus powerplant enters the Month of May with, likely, only two cars.  Bryan Herta Autosport and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing were released from their Lotus contracts before Brazil and it certainly looks like Dragon Racing is headed for Chevrolet starting with this week’s Rookie Orientation leaving Lotus with Simona de Silvestro and Jean Alesi only.  Perhaps less could be more, however, as it will give Lotus only one full-time team to worry about and focus on and could, possibly, place their engine development program into the fast lane.  Panther Racing has formed a technical alliance with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing as DRR has moved to Chevrolet power after their release from Lotus.  Bryan Herta Autosport will align with Honda for the Indianapolis 500 onward through the 2012 season.

Among the storylines of Indy including the engine competition, uncertainty about the car, and driver storylines, there is also the rookie class for 2012.  This could be the most interesting Rookie class in years simply because it includes Formula 1 veteran Rubens Barrichello who took the DW12 onto an oval for the first time on Monday in Texas.  Barrichello will join Jean Alesi, Katherine Legge, James Jakes, Wade Cunningham, Simon Pagenaud and Bryan Clauson in the Rookie Orientation Program on Thursday while Sebastien Bourdais is being asked to do a refresher course as he has not competed on the Brickyard Speedway since 2006.  Do not count Barrichello out because he has a whole month to learn the car and its intricacies and he has one of the best out there, Tony Kanaan, as his teammate and mentor.

The Indianapolis 500 field for 2012 is bound to be one of the most competitive and evenly matched in history.  It took four years, but the best of CART/Champ Car and IndyCar will all finally be on the grid at Indianapolis.  There may not be any Bump Day this year, but the quality of the drivers in the race will make for an epic show on May 27.  In case you forgot what Indy is all about, just watch the opening video from 2011:

2012 INDY 500 ENTRY LIST: 

Indy 500 Entry List

The most important thing about this Month of May is that we as fans, competitors, and media remember the life of the great Dan Wheldon.  Nobody thought when the Checkered Flag fell on Dan Wheldon’s # 98 William Rast Bryan Herta Autosport car in last year’s Indianapolis 500 signaling that he was the winner that it would his final time crossing the line first.  Everybody take some time in the Month of May to wear some orange and remember what Dan meant to our sport and the legacy that he leaves behind.

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON