Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick. OK, these two AGR drivers have to be mentioned. They’ve won at other tracks…and have found their way to the front of the field at Indy in the past couple of years. They both seem to have a knack for this track. An Indy victory by either of these two drivers would be unbelievably tremendous for the series. Marco, a third-generation American driver from a legendary family whose miserable luck at the IMS is well-known…a big plus for the IRL. If Patrick would take the checkers, it would be a landmark…historic…sheer bedlam… the answer to the IRL’s dreams. But both have been off the radar this month, and this may not be the year for either.
But if others have bad days …
Friday - Carb Day@Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
From David Carr's @Speed Report: A large crowd attended the Carb Day festivities at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. Track officials reported this was the earliest infield and North Forty parking had filled up since Carb Day was shifted to Fridays a few years ago. The crowd should be big. For $10 they enjoyed warm weather, a caution-free Carb Day practice session, Team Penske dominating the practice speed charts and the pit stop contest, an entertaining Firestone Indy Lights 100 race, a parade of vintage cars and a free concert from “Three Doors Down.” Certainly a lot of value for your entertainment dollar.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves set the quick time of the practice session, a 223.920mph circuit that bested everyone but team mate Will Power by nearly a mile an hour. Power was second quick at 223.560mph in his Verizon sponsored machine followed by encouraging performances by ...
More ...@Speed Open Wheel Forum
Danica Patrick talks to one of her crewmembers during Carburetion Day, the last day of practice for this year's Indianapolis 500. Patrick was far down--23rd--on the day's speed chart.
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Marco Andretti and his crew enjoy the antics of the fans in the stands during the annual pit stop competition. We won't say exactly what they were staring at, but if you think it has something to do with inebrieted young women doffing their clothing, you might be right.
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Spain's Oriol Servia gestures to his crew during Carburetion Day practice.
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Helio Castroneves gives a thumbs up to madly cheering fans on his way to winning the annual pit stop competition. Castroneves and his car #3 Team Penske crew set the quickest time in the 32-year history of the contest during the semi-final round with a 7.636 second stop against their teammates, Ryan Brisco and his car #6 Penske men.
It was a great day for Castroneves. The polesitter for this year's Indianapolis 500 was also the fastest during the final practice session, with a speed of 223.960mph.
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Bump Day@Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
On Bump Day, the fourth and final day of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500, Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified, got bumped from the provisional starting field, and then made a bonzai run to re-qualify back into lineup as the 6pm “gun” sounded to end the day. Hunter-Reay won the $50,000 from Firestone Tire as the last qualifier for the race. The money will come in handy, as there is a wedding to pay for. The Floridian recently announced his engagement to Beccy Gordon, sister of race driver Robby Gordon.
While some are elated, others are deflated after Bump Day. The 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2000 Indy Racing League champion, Buddy Lazier, shown with wife Kara, was bumped out of the race thus ending a 14-year Indianapolis 500 qualifying streak.
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Almost overlooked in the bumping finale frenzy was Tomas Scheckter’s terrific 221.496mph re-qualifying effort. After E.J. Viso bumped John Andretti and put Scheckter “on the bubble,” Scheckter withdrew his Saturday qualification speed and chose to make another attempt. His second try landed him in the middle of row 9.
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The Indy 500 Field Is Full - Bump Day Tomorrow @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
The provisional field is now full. Others qualifying for the race today include Townsend Bell, Oriol Servia, Tomas Scheckter, Mike Conway, E.J. Viso, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Milka Duno and Nelson Phillipe. 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier also qualified, but was bumped from the field.
Alex Tagliani is greeted by his mother after qualifying his Rexall Edmonton Indy car for this year's Indy 500. The Canadian's 220.553mph run puts him in the middle of the ninth row.
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Robert "Bobby D" Doornbos gives a thumbs up after posting the fastest qualifying speed--221.692mph-- on the third day of qualifications for the 2009 Indianapolis 500. Doornbos' two crashes this month has had his Newman-Haas-Lanigan crew working overtime, but he will start in the middle of the eighth row on raceday.
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More shuffling in the lineup will probably occur tomorrow on the last day of qualifications, or "Bump Day." Drivers not yet qualified will be trying to go faster than those who are currently the slowest in the provisional lineup--and "bump" their way into the field of 33.
John Andretti was all smiles during Saturday's rain delay. Andretti qualified for this year's Indianapolis 500, but his speed was only good for the last row--and it may not hold through bump day.
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Castroneves Grabs the Pole for the Indy 500 @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
The 2009 Indianapolis 500 polesitter, Helio Castroneves, and his girlfriend Adriana Henoa snuggle for the cameras during the official qualifications photos.
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Danica Patrick was not happy with her qualifying run. She was the second slowest of the 11 qualifiers on pole day and will start on the inside of row four.
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Helio Castroneves and crew celebrate winning the pole for the 2009 Indianapolis 500.
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Tony Kanaan (M) and his Andretti-Green teammate Marco Andretti (R) react to the announcement that Kanaan's first qualification run was disqualified because his car was underweight.
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For more info, check the @Speed Open Wheel Forum.
Scott Dixon Wins The 2008 Indy 500 @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
New Zealand’s Scott Dixon, winner of the 92nd Indianapolis 500, kisses the bricks on the start finish line at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Scott Dixon is “#1” in victory lane at the Indianapolis 500. Dixon led 115 of the 200 laps of the race and held off Vitor Meira and Marco Andretti at the end.
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Scott Dixon and his new bride Emma enjoy the post race activities after winning the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. The couple were married after the 2007 season.
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Scott Dixon swigs the winner’s traditional drink of milk in victory lane Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Who Will Win The Indy 500 @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Eventual Indy Pro Series winner Dillon Battistini leads Richard Antinucci, Wade Cunningham and Robbie Pecorari down the Indianapolis Motor Speedway main straightaway toward the white flag.
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England’s Dillon Battistini holds the winner’s trophy high in victory circle after claiming the Indy Pro Series’ Freedom 100 race for Panther Racing.
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J.R. Hildebrand comes back into pit lane with a bent front wing following his altercation in turn one with James Davison on lap 30 during the Indy Freedom 100.
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Jeff Simmons takes a swig of water after finishing eighth in the Indy Freedom 100. Simmons is the only driver doing “double-duty” this weekend, driving in both the Indy Pro Series race and tomorrow’s Indianapolis 500.
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Who will win?
He’s merry, and extremely popular among his fellow drivers; always joking, it seems, except when he’s behind the wheel. He’s modest and self-depreciating, always poking fun at his own rather prominent nose. Rarely have I seen this man angry. But I have seen him dejected, utterly distraught, after the last two Indianapolis 500s. He’s come so close, victory in his grasp, only to have it slip through his fingers. He wants this race!
Penske teammates Ryan Briscoe (L) and Helio Castroneves (R) try to interpret
hand signals from friendly rivals, ...
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... Andretti Green Racing teammates Danica Patrick (L) and Tony Kanaan (R) just before the Driver’s Meeting.
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But tomorrow may be his day. This might be the most unpredictable Indy 500 in years. It’s hardly seemed like May all month. It’s been chilly and rainy—no shirtsleeves in sight and certainly no “farmer’s tans.” Everyone’s been bundled up in thick coats and layers of sweatshirts—and toting umbrellas.
With the worst weather in memory, track time has been very limited for the Indy 500 veterans. Those much needed practice days for the rookies
Polesitter Scott Dixon waves to the crowd during his introduction at the Driver’s Meeting.
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and “transitional” drivers coming over from the Champ Car Series were cut to a precious few.
But Saturday, the day before the race, the sun is finally out. It’s in the mid-70s, warm and not a rain cloud in sight. Tomorrow’s weather prediction is hotter and more humid—a huge change from anything seen all month. Everyone will be behind the eight-ball, trying to figure out how the heat and humidity will affect the cars and how the track will change. The weather may throw the rookies and the Champ Car guys, none of whom have ever driven a 500-mile race, further under the bus than they already are. Some pitsiders fear that attrition, especially of the wrecking kind, will be prevalent. A few are saying the first couple of laps might be a little too interesting. Let’s hope not.
Rookie Mario Moraes of Dale Coyne Racing fires racing T-shirts toward fans prior to Saturday's ceremonial Drivers’ Meeting.
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With the weather and track changes, a handful of drivers who are masters at “chasing the track” will be heavy favorites. Tony Kanaan is one of the best. He’s due—even overdue. And he’s got one of the savviest crews in IndyCar. Andretti Green Racing won it last year. They could win it again with the driver they rely on for most of their set-up knowledge.
Tony Kanaan
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Kanaan's going to get some competition, to be sure, particularly from fellow Brazilian Helio Castroneves, who will be trying to tango past him at every opportunity. A win by Castroneves, even more world-famous since his “Dancing With the Stars” championship, or by fan-favorite and glamour-girl Danica Patrick might be considered “better” by the series brass. A victory by either of these two drivers would launch IndyCar into the stratosphere, enabling the newly reunited and premier open-wheel series to regain some of its former glory-- and do some mighty-needed catching up in the popularity polls to NASCAR.
But look for the # 11 7-11-sponsored racecar in victory circle. And Tony Kanaan will have the biggest grin on his face ever—and that is saying something. In fact, a lot of people, including his fellow competitors, just may be smiling with him.
Carb Day @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Marco Andretti (R) gets a little advice from Grandpa Mario before Carb Day Practice.
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Tony Kanaan gets encouragement from two-time Indy 500 champion Arie Luyendyk before Carb Day practice. Kanaan ended up fourth fastest on the day.
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John Andretti surprised everyone with his 221.699mph speed on Carb Day. Andretti, racing for underfunded team Roth Racing, was fifth on the speed charts.
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Dan Wheldon is all smiles after posting the top speed, 223.934mph on Friday, Carburetion Day, the final practice day before Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
Carb Day practice, scheduled for an hour, was cut to 12 minutes of green time because of rain.
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Smiles All Around For Qualifyers @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Buddy Rice and wife Michelle show off infant daughter Mina after the 2004 Indy champion qualified for this year’s race.
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Car owner and driver. Sarah Fisher pumps her fist after her qualifying run. Sarah formed her own team this year and is the first woman driver owner at the Speedway.
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John Andretti flashes a big smile after qualifying for his ninth Indy 500.
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Proud papa Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner, congratulates his son Graham Rahal. Nineteen-year-old Graham, a rookie, is the youngest qualifier for this year’s race.
Everybody Was Out To Practice @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Roger Yasakawa (R) and his car owner Greg Beck (L) check tires after practice.
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1996 Indy 500 winner Buddy Lazier sits in his car as his crew makes adjustments. Buddy was one of the slower non-qualifiers Friday.
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Max Papis greets his son Marco while mom Tatiana looks on. Marco should have plenty of racing genes, as his maternal grandfather is former F-1 champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fitttipaldi.
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Sarah Fisher smiles as she leaves the pit lane for the day. Sarah was one of the faster non-qualified drivers on the day
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Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk (L) advises rookie Alex Lloyd (C) and his car-co-owner Chip Ganassi.
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Bruno Junqueira lights up the tires as he exits the pit to practice.
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Rain Returns To Spend A Day @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon react to a comment by Ryan Briscoe
during the front row press conference.
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Indianapolis 500 pole winner Scott Dixon answers a question during the front row press conference Sunday May 11.
Rain cancelled all track activity today.
Read more in the @Speed Open Wheel Forum.
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Pole Day @Indy
@Speed Words by David Carr - Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Chip Ganassi's Front Row
Well, two thirds of it.
Scott Dixon (L) and Dan Wheldon (above) swept the top two qualifying spots for Target Team Ganassi on do-overs and were joined on the front row by Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe who also used a second attempt to post his quick time.
Read the whole story in the
@Speed Open Wheel Forum.
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Antron Brown, NHRA
Top Fuel driver, and his
crew chief, Lee Beard visited
on Pole Day.
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Helio Castroneves took only
one bite at the apple around
3:00pm and had to settle
for fourth on the grid.
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Danica Patrick held the pole
early and did not make a
later attempt to try to
get the pole back.
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Finally! Fast Friday @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Max Papis signals to his Rubicon Racing
crew. Papis’ father-in-law, Emerson Fittipaldi,
will be driving the pace car for this year’s 500.
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Raindrops have hindered the first week of practice for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Although all drivers enjoyed a full day of practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were complete washouts. Fast Friday dawned with more precipitation expected by mid-afternoon. With Saturday’s pole day looming, nearly all of the entered driver and car combinations hit the track.
Team Ganassi has been fast all year and Friday was no exception. Scott Dixon was quickest of the day at 226.968mph. Andretti Green Racing’s Marco Andretti, who had Tuesday’s fast time, was second at 226.710. Andretti’s teammate Tony Kanaan was right behind him (226.688).
2004 Indianapolis 500
champion Buddy Rice (in
car) of Dreyer & Reinbold
Racing talks with
teammate Townsend Bell.
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Dixon and Wheldon, who was sixth-fast today, have a chip on the shoulder this year and have extra incentive in aiming for the pole. Last year, despite being at the top of the speed charts most of the first practice week, they were embarrassingly shut out of the front row on pole day.
Friday was marred by several incidents. Rookies Mario Dominguez and Alex Lloyd both hit the first turn wall. Dominguez was unhurt, but Lloyd
is spending the night at Methodist Hospital for observation.
Tomas Scheckter (L) tells his Luczo Dragon Racing
engineer Grant Newberry and 2003 Indy 500 winner
Gil de Ferran how his car is handling.
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In a freak pit accident, longtime mechanic Chuck Bucknam, working this year for Dale Coyne Racing, was jumping out of the way of Marco Andretti’s car—only to be hit by Andretti’s AGR teammate Danica Patrick, who could not avoid striking him. Bucknam sustained a concussion and facial and scalp lacerations.
For more info, check the @Speed Open Wheel Forum.
ARCA Rookie Joey Lagano Wins @The Rock
@Speed Photo by Kevin Thorne
ARCA Rookie Joey Logano held off a late race challenge by Ken Schrader to get the victory driving his Joe Gibbs owned Venturini preped Chevy.
After his battlle with Schrader, Lagano pitted under yellow for fresh tires with ten laps to go, returned to the track in fourth, and a lap
later he was leading and never looked back.
Schrader did not have any new tires left to put on. He won the "Hard Charger" award, starting in position 31 to finish second.
Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., the only other driver who pitted with Logano during that final stop, finished third.
Size Matters @Twin Ring Motegi
Since the 2005 Indianapolis 500, Danica Patrick has faced questions of when she would win an IndyCar Series race.
Patrick, who turned 26 three weeks ago, won in Japan on her 50th IndyCar Series start.
"Finally!" Patrick said in victory lane. "This is a long time coming. It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I know I was on the same strategy as Helio (Castroneves) and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous."
Helio Castroneves, making his 100th IndyCar Series start, was told by his team to let Patrick pass because they were looking at the points to be earned with a finish vs running out of fuel before the end. He finished 5.8594 seconds behind Patrick and Scott Dixon was third. Dixon's Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Dan Wheldon, finished fourth and Tony Kanaan was fifth.
Hamlin Expressed Relief After Win @Martinsville
@Speed Photo by Kevin Thorne
Virginia native Denny Hamlin finally broke through. "First Virginia win for me! Finally the curse is over ... I think ... I hope! We've had such bad luck over these first few weeks." Crew chief Mike Ford chimed it "I was more worried about a green white checkered finish with the 24 behind us running 2nd than I was with the fuel pickup issue. We had plenty of fuel in at the end of the day so really wasn't a concern here."
Hamlin started the day second on the grid and overcame some late race difficulties to pass Jeff Burton with 74 laps to go. Hamlin was able to hold off Burton and a late charging Jeff Gordon to score his first victory in the Cup series at Martinsville Speedway.
"I've raced here probably three times in the Late Model Series and their 300 lapper or 200 lappers they run here each fall and that's kind of our Super Bowl race, to come here at Martinsville. So this has always been a big racetrack to me," Hamlin said. "It feels good. It's just been so close so many times (that) to finally break through here definitely means a lot.
Dale Bows Out, Then Hot Times & Burton Wins @Bristol
@Speed Photo by Kevin Thorne
Edwards Dishes Up Win, Then Serves Champagne @Vegas
@Speed Photo by Les Welch
Mark Martin Grabs The Nationwide Moment @Vegas
@Speed Photo by Les Welch
Hometown Favorite Busch On Cup Poll @Vegas
@Speed Photo by Les Welch
Newman & Penske Finally Win the 500 @Daytona
@Speed Photo by Kevin Thorne
Ryan Newman, with a BIG assist (push) from teammate Kurt Busch, crossed the
finish line first to give himself and Penske their first Daytona 500 wins and a one-
two finish for the Penske team, a first for Penske @Daytona. Tony Stewart,
having no help at the finish, had to settle for third while the leader with three
laps to go Jeff Burton got caught in the middle and shuffled back to the 13th spot.
Tony Stewart
Nationwide Series Winner
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Todd Bodine
Craftsman Truck Series Winner
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Duel Winners
Ella Sofia Gordon Gets First Win @Talladega
@Speed Photo by Kevin Thorne
Ella, pictured with her mother, the car owner (far right), and, of course, her driver, celebrated her first win with a look of consternation. She was evidently of the feeling that her driver Dad should have won by two laps!! After all, he sat deep in the field and confessed he even yawned as he drove the race. Ella obviously felt Jeff Gordon should have kept the peddle to the metal the whole race.
Tony Tigers To Second Victory @The Brickyard
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Tony Stewart swept past a fading Kevin Harvick with 10 laps left to claim Brickyard 400 win number two. The Rushville, Indiana native took the checkered flag nearly three seconds ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, who posted his best finish yet as a NASCAR competitor. Jeff Gordon's third-place finish boosted his NEXTEL Cup points lead. Kyle Busch was fourth and polesitter Reed Sorenson, fifth. Harvick fell all the way back to seventh behind Mark Martin.
Stewart showed his muscle all day long and was always in the hunt. His first Brickyard win was in 2005. Stewart is now fifth in the NEXTEL
Tony Stewart and his Home
Depot crew kiss the bricks.
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Cup point standings, behind Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton.
Of the nine yellow flags, six were for crashes--all of them during the first half of the race. Wrecking out were Jeff Green, Ryan Newman, Tony Raines, Kasey Kahne, Jimmy Johnson and J.J. Yeley. There were 14 lead changes among five drivers. Besides Stewart and Harvick, also leading laps were Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle.
Sorenson Surprise @The Brickyard
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Reed Sorenson
contemplated his first
Cup pole as he signed a
hat after qualifying ended.
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Reed Sorenson, who set fast time in the morning, managed to stay atop the speed charts during almost the entire late afternoon qualifying
Fans cheer as Dale Earnhardt Jr.
and car #8 leave the garage area
during the morning practice session.
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Sorenson, in his #41 Target/Maxwell House Dodge was the sole driver to lap at more than 184 mph (184.028) in during the rain-delayed earlier
practice session. Later, with the shadows falling over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, Sorenson, the second driver to qualify, bettered
his earlier mark with his pole winning speed of 184.207. It is Sorenson’s first pole in the NEXTEL Cup Series.
Defending NEXTEL Cup and Brickyard
400 champion Jimmy Johnson heads
out to practice in his #48 Lowe’s
Chevrolet. Johnson starts in the
10th row for the race.
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NEXTEL Cup rookie Juan Pablo Montoya will start alongside his Ganassi Racing teammate in the front row. If Montoya leads a lap tomorrow, he
Ryan Newman and wife Krissie
head to pit lane for qualifying.
Newman will start third on Sunday.
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will not only be the first driver to race in the Indianapolis 500, the United States Grand Prix and the Brickyard 400, but he will also become the first to lead all three races. Ryan Newman will start third, Dale Earnhardt Jr., fourth, and Kasey Kahne, fifth.
Rain Plays Havoc With NASCAR's Schedule @The Brickyard
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Juan Pablo Montoya (front, L) signs autographs
while being interviewed at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Friday. If he qualifies, the
Columbian will make history as the first driver
to compete in the Indianapolis 500, the U.S.
Grand Prix and the Brickyard 400, all at the IMS.
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Friday was a total washout for Allstate Brickyard 400 practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rain started falling about 12:30pm, about an hour before the cars were to take to the IMS oval. It rained steadily until about 5pm, and the safety trucks and track dryers were
Jeff Gordon’s Hendrick Racing crew
pushes the 24 Chevrolet through the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage
area before the rain began. Gordon,
who has won both the NASCAR
championship and the Brickyard 400
four times, is the current NEXTEL
Cup points leader.
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dispatched to dry the oval. But the respite only lasted for 45 minutes. More raindrops forced IMS and NASCAR officials to call it a day around 6pm.
The NEXTEL Cup cars will practice Saturday from 8:30-11am, weather permitting, with qualifying at 4:05pm. There will be no practice after qualifications. The showers also postponed Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at O’Reilly Raceway Park. The trucks will race Sunday morning at 10am at ORP.
Team Speedsport Dodges A Bullet @Augusta
@Speed Photo by Kevin Thorne
On a perfect day for drag racing, a record crowd witnessed over 70 of the top names in the IHBA battle for their part of the crown jewel of
John Haas has the candles lit as he
takes the Augusta Southern Nationals win.
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dragboat racing, The Augusta Southern Nationals. In Top Fuel Hydro the two boats from Missouri battled it out with the St. Louis based Speed Sports team with pilot John Haas taking the win over Kanas City based Hot Licks Bullet piloted by Jarrett Slivey. Top Alcohol Hydro saw Kent Price take the win with Steve Westerfield taking home the trophy in Top Alcohol Flat Bottom. Brutus Utter took home the Pro Mod honors.
Other winners included Dave Lipinski in Pro Comp Eliminator, Randy Reynolds in Pro Eliminator, Charley Wilkie in Top Eliminator, Ron Morton in Modified Eliminator, Tommy Turner in Stock Eliminator, and Skully Alley, Jr. in River Racer.
Plans are already in the works for the 23rd Augusta Southern Nationals to be held July 18-20, 2008. Mark it on your calendar and make your plans now to attend.
The Augusta Southern Nationals is held as a benefit for the Chapter 9 Georgia Special Olympics.
USGP to Hamilton on Historic Day @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
The first turn of the USGP at Indy usually is a melee and this year was no exception. Anthony Davidson’s Super Aguri Honda (upper left) plows through the grass while David Coulthard of Red Bull Racing (center) remains mired there. In the lower part of the picture, Rubens Barichello’s Honda (L) and Ralf Schumacher’s Toyota (R) also are off course and headed for the grass.
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McLaren Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton rewrote the history books Sunday when he won the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hamilton is the youngest Formula 1 driver and the first F-1 rookie driver to triumph at the IMS. Moreover, he became the first black driver to win a major race in the history of the famed Brickyard.
A turn 2 corner worker waves the
yellow flag as Takuma Sato’s Super
Aguri Honda goes spinning
through the gravel.
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Hamilton, from England, edged out his McLaren teammate, two-time defending Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso, by 1.5 seconds. The two
Nico Rosberg makes a fast exit from
his Williams after his engine blew
and the car caught fire near turn one.
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Ferraris crossed the line after the two McLarens, with Felipe Massa finishing third and Kimi Raikkonen fourth. The top four finishers also started the race in the same positions.
Also scoring points on the day were Heikki Kovalainen in fifth, Jarno Trulli, sixth, Mark Webber, seventh and Sebastian Vettel, eighth.
Try as he might, this is about as close as Alonso (R) got to his McLaren teammate Hamilton the entire day.
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Vettel added to the historic perspective by, at age 19, being the youngest driver ever to score a point in a Formula 1 race. Vettel was subbing in Robert Kubica's BMW Sauber as Kubica was not cleared to drive after wrecking in the Grand Prix of Canada.
Lewis Hamilton of McLaren Mercedes waves to the fans after winning the 2007 United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Hamilton led 66 of the 73 laps. The only time he relinquished the lead was when he pitted. Alonso pulled to within a half a second on lap 41 after both had made their second and final pit stops, but Hamilton was able to once again extend his lead in the closing laps.
Rookie Hamilton To The Pole Again @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
It’s obvious that Lewis Hamilton likes racing on North American soil. On Saturday, he became the first rookie to win the pole in the eight
Hamilton sweeps through turn 13 of the
IMS road course which is turn 1 of the oval track.
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year history of the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
An elated Lewis Hamilton
clapped his hands, gave
two thumbs up and waved
to the cheering crowd as
he came into the pits.
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Hamilton drove a quick lap of 1:12:331 and outran his McLaren Mercedes teammate Fernando Alonso by .017 thousanths of a second. It was also Hamilton’s second consecutive pole, as he won it in Montreal last weekend. It will also be the first all-McLaren front row at the USGP at Indy.
The impressive Sebastian Vettel, who will
make his F-1 debut Sunday, is only 19 years old.
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Scuderia Ferrari, which has dominated the USGP at the IMS, was relegated to the second row. Felipe Massa qualified third and Kimi Raikkonen fourth. In the third row will be BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld and Heikki Kovalainen of Renault.
Sebastien Vettel continues to surprise. Vettel, Sauber’s test driver, is subbing for Robert Kubica, who was not medically cleared to race after his horrific crash in the Grand Prix of Canada last Sunday. Vettel, who posted the second-fastest lap in the morning practice, will start seventh alongside Toyota’s Jarno Trulli.
Formula One Cars Hit The Track @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
Fernando Alonso speeds through
turn 9 in his McLaren Mercedes
on his fast lap of the day.
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Defending Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso of McLaren Mercedes toured the 13-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course with a quick lap of 1.11.925(130.375mph) to claim top speed on Friday.
The Spaniard set the time during the morning practice session. He was fastest again in the afternoon, but failed to top his earlier time.
Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren leads
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen through
turn 6 during the afternoon session.
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His teammate, Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, was only .153 of a second behind him. The two Ferraris followed, with Felipe Massa besting Kimi Raikonnen. The surprise on the day was David Coulthard, who was sixth-quickest, right behind Nick Heidfeld. Heidfeld had posted the second-quickest time in the morning round, but fell to fifth in the later practice.
Third-quick on Friday was
Felipe Massa in his Ferrari.
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The only incident of the day - a minor spin
into the turn 11 gravel by Spyker’s Adrian Sutil.
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Formula One "Walkabout Day" @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton gives
a “thumbs up to the fans” while onstage.
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Thanks to Bridgestone, fans at the United States Grand Prix Pit Walkabout Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were treated to the
Another popular moment -
Sato elated fans with an
amusing description of
his amazing pass of
Raikkonen during the
closing laps @Canada.
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unprecedented in Formula One — a nearly three-hour stretch of onstage interviews with almost all the drivers who compete in the series. The
event opened activities for the USGP Sunday on the 13-turn IMS road course.
The crowd cheered for all their favorites, and most of the drivers responded to the fans’ enthusiasm. Chief among those was Formula 1 rookie
Spain’s Fernando Alonzo
of McLaren, F-1 champ
for the past two years,
acknowledges the lively
fans @Indy.
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sensation Lewis Hamilton of Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes. Hamilton, who has led every F-1 race this year, won his first Grand Prix of Canada
last Sunday in Montreal. The engaging Englishman, who said during his interview that he has never been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, currently leads the F-1 point standings.
Nico Rosberg of AT&T Williams,
like the rest of the drivers,
threw hats to the appreciative
crowd around the stage
following his interview.
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The only regular driver missing onstage was Robert Kubica, who was undergoing medical testing to determine if he could race this weekend
at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dr. Gary Harstein of the FIA and the IMS medical director, Dr. Geoffrey Billows, decided against allowing
Kubica to drive, saying it was too risky for him after his vicious wreck at Montreal. Taking his place in the BMW Sauber will be the team’s German test driver, 19-year-old Sebastian Vettel.
The F-1 cars take to the track Friday for practice.
Earnhardt to Hendrick @Mooresville
@Speed Photos & Words by Bob McSwain
Kelly Earnhardt Elledge (Jr.’s sister)
Rick Hendrick
Dale Earhhardt, Jr.
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Ricky Hendrick, the late son of Rick Hendrick, told his father that he needed to sign Jr.
In fact, he had signed Jr. years ago. In a humorous story, Jr. related how at 16 he and Kenny Schraeder were on a trip to the
midwest. At some point in the trip, Jr. and Kenny met Rick and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. At a restaurant Hendrick slid a
...
read more by Bob McSwain
Official Indy 500 Winner Photo Day @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
This year’s Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti and his car co-owner and teammate, Michael Andretti, pose for photographers during the annual victor’s photo session Monday morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Franchitti won the rain-shortened race Sunday.
In the post-race interviews, Andretti hinted that he may once again retire from racing—this time for good. Obviously it wasn't meant to be, to win it as a driver,” said Andretti.
“We won (the Indy 500) as an owner. Two of the last three years isn't too bad,” Andretti noted. Dan Wheldon, now at Chip-Ganassi Racing, won the race for Andretti-Green in 2005.
Also during the photo session, Franchitti kissed his wife, actress Ashley Judd, while one of his sponsors (L) and Judd’s pooch, Buttermilk, looked on.
Be sure and check out more @Speed Indy 500 news on the board!
Or is it now called a blog?
Casey Mears In 600 For The National Guard @Lowe's
@Speed Photo by Kevin Thorne
No one would ever have said that a Rich Hendrick team winning a race was an upset.
Yet tonight Casey Mears won (right), and it should be considered an upset. Even though he drives for Hendrick Motorsports, it was an upset! Mears had never ... read more by Bob McSwain
Kasey Kahne raced to his first Busch Series win of the season Saturday night.
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Dario Franchitti @Indy
@Speed Words & Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Polesitter Helio Castroneves and family head to the garage area after his third place finish
in the Indianapolis 500. Helio had a bad pit stop that caused him to drop to deep in the field, but he battled his way back into contention at the end.
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Marco Andretti shakes the hand of a friend after the Indianapolis 500. The young Andretti's car flipped upside down on the backstretch late in the race, but he was unhurt.
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The Day Before ... Who Will Win @Indy?
@Speed Photos by Annie Miller Carr
Just my opinions, but here are the
main contenders for the 91st Indianapolis 500 ... read more by Dave Carr
The Best Bargain In Motorsports - $10 Carb Day @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
A massive crowd jammed to Kid Rock and enjoyed the annual pit stop competition, won by polesitter Helio Castroneves, in addition to watching the final day of practice for The 500.
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Andretti Green Racing showed their stuff today with Tony Kanaan (R) at the top of the speed charts, followed by Dario Franchitti (C) and Michael Andretti (L).
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Former Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier (R) explains to his car owner Sam Schmidt how his car handled during the final practice. Schmidt, a former 500 competitor who was paralyzed in a racing accident, saw his Indy Pro Series driver, Alex Lloyd, win the Freedom 100 race today.
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Al Unser Jr., a two-time Indy 500 champion, wipes his brow after climbing out of his car after practice.
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Carb Day, and hot weather is upon us in Indy this week. The weather is hot and dry, very similar to what one expects in late ... read more by Len Ashburn
All 33 Starters Practiced On Carb Day @Indy
@Speed Photo by Glenn Smith
Pole sitter Helio Castroneves leads fastest of the day Tony Kanaan through turn one during Carb Day practice for the Indy 500.
Carburetion Day Pit Stop Competition @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
"Spiderman" Helio Castroneves climbs the fence after his pit stop competition win. Castroneves also won the pole position for the Indianapolis 500 earlier in the month.
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Spider Man 3 was recently released in movie theaters setting all sorts of records for opening week theatrical grosses. Helio Castroneves did his own Spider Man routine climbing the fences after his ... read more by Dave Carr
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Helio Castroneves hugs his Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. after Castroneves's pit crew beat Hornish's during the annual pit stop competition.
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Harvick Breaks Johnson's All Star Win Streak @Lowe's
@Speed Photo Ted Seminara
PJ Wooshes Out ... Kite Doesn't Fly ... @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
Richie Hearn gets ready
for his refresher test.
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“Bump Day” at Indy is always filled with elation and tears and remarkable stories. This year was no different from any other.
Richie Hearn climbed into his Hemelgarn/Racing Professionals car #91 at 10:15am and took the car out on the track for the first time this month for a refresher test. By 2:39pm, Hearn and his amazing crew, led by longtime chief mechanic Mark Bridges, had the car into the race with qualifying speed of 218.860mph! Hearn was even the first qualifier of the day, filling the 33-car field.
After qualifying,
a relieved Phil Giebler thanks his crew
for getting the car he wrecked yesterday
fixed in time.
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By 2pm, Mark Weida and the Playa Del Racing crew had Phil Giebler’s #31 machine repaired after Giebler crashed it on the final lap of a
qualifying attempt late yesterday afternoon. Giebler put it in the show less than two hours later. Even though his qualifying laps today (219.637 average) were about two miles an hour slower than his abbreviated run Saturday, it didn’t matter to his exhausted but very happy crew. Giebler bumped Jimmy Kite’s #18 PDM car from the field.
Roberto Moreno was then “on the bubble.” But Moreno had been practicing faster than his qualifying speed of yesterday (216.229). The Chastain
A disappointed P.J. Jones is consoled
by friend and fellow driver Jaques Lazier.
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Motorsports team took a big gamble and withdrew car #77’s qualifying run and Moreno re-qualified the car at 220.299.
While Hearn, Giebler and Moreno were celebrating, others were frustrated. P.J. Jones and the Diversified Team Leader crew just couldn’t get
the #40 “Whooshmobile” up to speed. The team ran out their engine mileage allotment from Honda. Jones and the team admitted they were too
“Bumped” Jimmy Kite gets a “good luck”
hug from the legendary Linda Vaughn
just before his unsuccessful attempt
to get his car back into the 500 field.
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slow and weren’t finding the right combination on the car. They decided to pack up and end their efforts.
Jimmy Kite made a last-ditch qualifying run just before the 6pm closing, but after one lap in the 214.7mph range his PDM crew waved him off.
Between qualification attempts, cars already in the race practiced. Dan Wheldon's top speed of 222.797 was just a tick faster than his Target-Chip
There will be no track activity until Carburetion Day on Friday.
And Then There Was One small spot ... @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
Yasakawa (R) confers with team
co-owner Robbie Buhl after he
posted the fastest qualifying
speed Saturday.
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Ten more cars qualified for the Indianapolis 500 Saturday, leaving one more spot to fill in the 33-car field on “Bump Day.”
Quick qualifier today was Roger Yasakawa, who toured the IMS oval with a four-lap average speed of 222.654mph. Yasakawa occupies 23rd place on the provisional grid. Right beside him, on the outside of row 8, is John Andretti who joins first cousin Michael Andretti and Michael’s son Marco in the race. Comprising row 9 is Al Unser Jr., Alex Barron and Jon Herb. Jaques Lazier, Milka Duno and Marty Roth are in row 10, and in the last row are Roberto Moreno and Jimmy Kite.
John Andretti poses for his
official qualification photos.
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Kite’s speed, 214.528mph, is the slowest. His PDM owner, Paul Diatlovich, indicated that they may withdraw that speed tomorrow and try to qualify car #18 with a faster time.
Rookie Phil Giebler was well on his last lap of a qualifying run late this afternoon when he crashed into the outside wall in turn 2, then spun halfway around and hit the inside wall. The three laps he completed were all over 221mph. Giebler climbed out of the car and was unhurt, but his Playa Del Racing #31 sustained considerable damage to the right side and rear wing. The car is fixable and the crew is thrashing, but it is a question mark whether they can get it ready tomorrow before the expected rain comes around 4pm.
Milka Duno seems to be saying
“I did it!”
after having trouble getting up to
speed earlier in the week sparking
rumors that she might be replaced.
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Yasakawa, Duno, J. Andretti and Al Unser Jr. made the lineup earlier this afternoon, with Unser qualifying at 2:20pm. The rest waited until after 5pm. In the nearly three hours of open practice, many teams worked on their racing set-ups. Dan Wheldon set the pace for the qualified cars at 224.895mph in his #10T backup car.
P.J. Jones did not make a qualifying attempt in his #40 , but practiced at more than 217mph. He is expected to try to qualify tomorrow.
In addition to Giebler and Jones, at least two more cars may make banzai runs to get into the race. Hemelgarn Racing withdrew their entered
Injured driver Stephan Gregoire (R)
advises his replacement Roberto Moreno
during practice. After he wrecked the
car and broke one of his vertabrae on
Thursday, Gregoire had to
relinquish his ride. Moreno qualified the
car late Saturday afternoon.
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car, #91, and acquired 19T from Jon Herb’s Professional Racers team. However, Hemelgarn has re-christened 19T as #91. Richie Hearn is slated to drive the car. He and the Hemelgarn crew intended to get the car on the track today but failed. They will try Sunday.
Also, it was revealed that Larry Foyt, son of A.J. Foyt and manager of Foyt Racing, took a driver’s physical this week. Now that primary drivers Darren Manning and Al Unser Jr. seem safely in the race, the team may wheel out one of their available backup cars for Larry. When asked what the team’s intentions were, Larry sounded as cagey as his father: “Well, you never know what is going to happen here (at the IMS).”
Larry Foyt is right. With more backup cars ready, who knows what Bump Day will bring?
OK, Jacques, here it is.After he saw that I put up a picture of his brother Buddy and Buddy’s wife Kara last week (see below) after Buddy qualified, Jacques made me promise I would put up him and his actress wife Angelique if he qualified today!
Search for Speed Ends @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
Defending Indy 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr.
heads into the pits.
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It was the last full day of practice at Indy--but the first sunny, warm and virtually windless day this week. So nearly all the race teams took advantage of the optimal track conditions to either find more speed to qualify or, for the qualified cars, finalize their race set-ups.
Last year’s 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. of Penske Racing, who will start this year’s race in the middle of row 2 in his primary car, set top speed in his backup car (6T ) at just a tick over 225mph. Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti and Marco Andretti rounded out the top
five of those already qualified. At times today, it resembled race day on the track, as the quicker cars of Penske, Target-Chip Ganassi and
Roger Yasakawa, one of the
quickest non-qualified drivers today.
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Andretti-Green sparred around the oval.
Two non-qualifiers edged over 222mph. Versatile John Andretti dusted off the rust in fine fashion and was the fastest non-qualifier at
Sarah Fisher, one of Yasakawa’s
teammates at Dreyer & Reinbold
Racing, has had a steady month.
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222.830. Roger Yasakawa was right behind him at 222.409. Milka Duno, who struggled with the wind Wednesday and yesterday, had a better day today, inching above 218mph.
On the track for the first time all month was the Beck Motorsports entry driven by Alex Barron. Jimmy Kite’s PDM #18 returned to the track
after his Wednesday crash. Chastain Motorsports announced that Roberto Moreno, who had been rumored to replace Duno if she couldn’t get up to
Scott Sharp’s team works on the Team Rahal-
Letterman #8. The team struggled finding speed
for qualifying, but improved in race trim.
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speed, will instead sub for the injured Stephan Gregoire in the #77.
The remaining 11 machines will be added to the 33-car field tomorrow, the third day of qualifying for the race.
Good News, Bad News & Ugly Rumors on Thursday @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
First the bad news: A brisk, cold north wind blew strongly down the main straightaway Thursday, and the windy conditions may have contributed to the month’s first crash with serious injury. Stephan Gregoire’s #77 Chastain Motorsports car spun and backed hard into the short chute wall around 1pm. Gregoire was taken by ambulance to Methodist Hospital, where an MRI revealed he’d fractured his third thoracic vertebrae. He will spend the night in the hospital and be released Friday. Before his wreck, the Frenchman had just become the fastest non-qualifier at 216.891mph.
The Good News: John Andretti finally climbed back into an Indy car. After his refresher course, John ran 67 laps in his #33 Panther Racing
John Andretti Back In A Car
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machine with a fast lap of 216.737. But the NASCAR habits are hard to break. His cousin Michael told him that he was running too low a line on the track and John violated the pit road speed limit at least twice.
John Andretti is adjusting, but admitted the learning curve is large after so many years out of an open-wheel race car. “I just learned a lot of things today,” he said. “It's a lot to digest, and unfortunately the weather didn't want to cooperate today as much as I'd hoped.” “Old Blue Eyes” is shown waiting to take to the IMS oval after his 13-year absence.
Other quick non-qualifiers were Al Unser Jr. (217.590) in Foyt Racing’s #50 and Roger Yasakawa (217.230). Yasakawa, who, like John Andretti, had to take a refresher test, got up to speed quickly on his first day in the #24 Wellman Corbier/Dreyer and Reinbold third car.
Milka and Al Unser, Sr.
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As for the qualified cars, the Target-Chip Ganassi team topped the charts as they had all last week before pole day’s downfall. Scott Dixon led the way at 219.985 and Dan Wheldon followed with a 219.773. The pair dueled for laps around the track, taking turns at giving each other tow. Darren Manning was a surprise third in the #14 Foyt machine at 219.116.
Milka Duno got some instruction from four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Sr., one of the IndyCar Series driver coaches, after her practice laps today.
By 4:30pm, most teams, perhaps chased by the stiff wind, had exited pit lane. Quite a few had even packed up for the day and left the garage area. With little activity on track, it was time for the rumor mill to work overtime. A lot of talk revolved around Milka Duno. The Venezuelan rookie, who has little oval track experience, is having her difficulties acclimating and it is said she may step out of the #23
PDM team thrashing on Jimmy Kite’s #18
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SAMMAX car. Citgo, who sponsors the car, is owned by the (anti-U.S., anti-free enterprise ... ed.) Venezuelan government. It is speculated that if Duno goes, so does the sponsor. Word spread late today that SAMMAX may withdraw. Others are saying that Duno will be replaced by Brazilian veteran Roberto Moreno and the sponsor will stay.
More last-minute deals are coming together. Richie Hearn in the second Hemelgarn/Racing Professionals entry is said to be sure thing and Greg
Beck Motorsports is expected to run Alex Barron if more money is found. Barron has already driven two Indy car races for Beck this year.
Almost Like Old Times - Andretti, Jones @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
On a blustery, unseasonably cool day, the second week of practice for this year’s Indianapolis 500 got underway with qualified drivers working on raceday set-ups and unqualified ones looking for more speed. A few new driver-car combinations took to the track for the first time: P.J. Jones for Team Leader #40, Roger Yasakawa in a just-announced third car for Dreyer-Reinbold Racing, and Jimmy Kite in the #18 PDM Racing entry. Kite’s day came to a quick end when he hit the first turn wall, sustaining moderate damage to the car’s left front suspension. He was uninjured.
But the most anticipated new driver-car arrival only got halfway there. The third Panther Racing entry made it on to the track, but the driver, John Andretti, stayed in the pits while his qualified teammate Vitor Meira shook down car #33 for him. Afterward Vitor [C) told John Andretti (L) how his #33 Panther Racing entry handled after Victor shook it down. Listening in is Aldo Andretti (R), John’s father and twin brother to Mario Andretti. John Andretti, who’s spent the past 13 years in NASCAR, hasn’t driven Indy cars since 1994 and must take a driver refresher test tomorrow.
P.J. Jones’ car will be a crowd favorite. Painted a familiar screaming STP red, the #40 car is a tribute to Andy Granatelli’s famous 1967
“Whooshmobile,” piloted by P.J’s dad, 1963 Indianapolis 500 champion Parnelli Jones (sitting on the wall waiting for P.J. to take to the track). Parnelli was running away with the race in ’67 when a $6 bearing broke and ended his day just four laps from the finish. P.J.’s car even has “Whooshmobile” on the sidepods.
Top speed of the day, 221.189mph, belonged to Danica Patrick’s Andretti-Green Racing Motorola #7, which will start eighth on race day. Patrick promptly said it was the “happiest I’ve been all month. It felt like a race car.” After posting the quick speed of the day, Danica signed autographs as she left the pits.
Jaques Lazier’s 217.159mph was the fastest for a non-qualified car.
Also returning to the track today was rookie Milka Duno, who wrecked her SAMAX Motorsport #23 last week. But after a few very slow laps, Duno brought the car back in and said it needed more work.
Hendrick Dominates With NASCAR's Design @Darlington
@Speed Photos by Kevin Thorne
Jeff Gordon won the postponed Dodge Avenger 500 on Sunday afternoon to score Chevrolet its fifth-consecutive win for the new Chevrolet Impala SS and the tenth win in 11 races for Chevy. Gordon's victory is his seventh at Darlington Raceway, the track notorious for being "too tough to tame." Hendrick Motorsports has won all of the NASCAR designed "stock car" races since the car's introduction.
"That's the way to win races," said Gordon. "This is an awesome race team. The guys to thank is the Hendrick engine shop. It was a great call by Steve Letarte. What an amazing year we're having. This is so much fun. I'm having a blast. It's unbelievable when you win races."
Gordon led a trio of Chevy drivers to the checkered flag with Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 FedEx Express Impala SS crossing the finish line second and Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson finishing third giving Chevrolet a 1-2-3 finish.
Sunday Qualifying Sees Two Thirds of the Field Set @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
The new qualifying format for the Indianapolis 500 provided more bumping excitement on Sunday. Eleven drivers, the most allowed and a full third of the field, made their way into this year’s race. This is unusual for the second day of qualifying, which normally yields only a few
new drivers into the Indy lineup.
After the day’s allotment of 11 was filled, five bumps happened. Two drivers who were knocked out of the field made their way back in, but
one was immediately bumped out again.
Scott Sharp, Jeff Simmons, Buddy Rice, Ed Carpenter and Kosuke Matsuura, all bumped out yesterday, re-qualified and stayed in the starting field today. Drivers who made their first qualifying attempts today who remained in were Sarah Fisher, A.J. Foyt IV, Vitor Meira, Davey Hamilton and Darren Manning. Sarah Fisher is shown at left being congratulated by her team owner, Robbie Buhl, after she qualified. Buhl, a
former driver himself, was Fisher’s teammate a few years ago.
Marty Roth qualified today, but was bumped out later by Foyt. Jon Herb also made it in, but was bumped by Fisher. Buddy Lazier made the lineup, then was bumped by Rice. Al Unser Jr. qualified, but was bumped by Herb. Lazier later bumped his way back in, ousting Herb again.
Two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. shook hands with his A.J. Foyt Racing teammate Darren Manning after the latter qualified. At the time, Unser was also in the starting 500 field. Later, Unser was bumped.
Buddy Lazier managed to qualify twice and then posed with his wife Kara for his official qualifying photo. Jon Herb, who has qualified and bumped twice, is still out of the field. So is Unser Jr.
Five of Sunday’s qualifiers have faster speeds than Saturday’s slowest qualifier, Michael Andretti.
The track is quiet until Wednesday when practice resumes. Qualifying begins again on Saturday.
Castroneves and Penske Hit Target @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
All week, the two Target-Chip Ganassi race cars of Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon were the ones to beat. On Pole Day, they were just that—beat.
Helio Castroneves claimed the top speed with the second-last qualifying run of the day, then withstood a valiant effort by Tony Kanaan to win the pole for the Indianapolis 500.
Castroneves piloted his #3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval with a four-lap average of 225.817mph.
Kanaan’s #11 Team 7-Eleven Andretti-Green entry was faster than Castroneves on three of his qualifying laps. But Kanaan’s fourth lap was way
short, and Castroneves and his Penske crew erupted into jubilant celebration. With a thumbs up for the cheering fans, Castroneves headed for television interviews which, along with the team's celebration, lasted so long that the official qualifying photos had to be postponed until Sunday morning.
Kanaan’s (right) speed, 225.757, put him second and in the middle of the front row. Kanaan’s teammate Dario Franchitti, who ended up third and on the
outside of row one, held the provisional pole at 225.191 until the last second duel between Castroneves and Kanaan.
Dario Franchitti and his actress wife, Ashley Judd, were all smiles when Franchitti was on the provisional pole. Franchitti was the quickest
early but fell to third at the end of the day’s qualifying.
The Target-Chip Ganassi team of Dixon and Wheldon were relegated to the inside and outside of the second row respectively. Last year’s Indy
500 champion Sam Hornish Jr. Castroneves’ Penske teammate, is in the middle of row two.
In the third row are Ryan Briscoe, Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti, with Tomas Scheckter and Michael Andretti, the slowest of the 11 first day qualifiers, in a partial row four.
Team Ganassi On Top Of Speed Charts All Week @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
Target-Chip Ganassi Racing made it a clean sweep for the first practice week on Friday. The team’s drivers set the pace each day, with 2005
Indianapolis 500 winner and current IndyCar Series point leader Dan Wheldon taking home the prize the first two days and Scott Dixon the last. New Zealander Dixon (right) was the only driver to crack the 227mph barrier this month with a 227.167 Friday at 1:10pm while the sky was overcast.
“On our first run we had a bit of understeer and for our second one, we took some wing out, and it just went quicker,” said Dixon. He also
admitted he got a little help on his hot lap: “We got a bit of a tow off of Sam (Hornish Jr.).
Wheldon was second quick, but a full half a second slower at 226.650. Andretti Green Racing claimed the next three spots with Tony Kanaan in
third, Marco Andretti, fourth and Dario Franchitti in his best showing of the month in fifth (shown waving to fans while talking with Franchitti).
Where was Team Penske? Sam Hornish Jr. was sixth and Helio Castroneves a distant ninth.
The pole day weather forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 76 degrees, a bit cooler than it has been in the past few days.
Thursday Was Dixon's Day To Speed @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
Target-Chip Ganassi Racing is still setting the pace at Indy. Dan Wheldon had been the fastest driver all week, but Thursday, it was his
teammate, Scott Dixon (left), who was fleet. Shown here, he seems to be pondering, “How can I go faster?”
Dixon’s mark, 226.473mph, bested Andretti- Green Racing’s Danica Patrick (right) by just a fraction (226.348). A chagrined Danica checks out the large screen readout of speeds just after she came within a whisker of being the fastest driver of the day. Wheldon, who was third quick, and Tomas Scheckter of Vision Racing were also over 226mph. All the top speeds were set during a frantic final 15 minutes of practice.
Finding even more speed will be the task tomorrow on “Fast Friday,” the final day of practice before qualifying begins on "Pole Day."
Earnhardt, Jr. Announced 2007 His Last Year @DEI
@Speed Photo by Ed Hill
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Vice President and General Manager of JR Motorsports, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge held a news conference to announce that Jr. will end his DEI driving carreer and move to another team in 2008.
Wheldon — Again — On a Rain-Shortened Day @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
Rain kept the cars off the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today until 4pm. But when the cars finally got on the track, Target-Chip Ganassi Racing's Dan Wheldon topped the speed charts for the second consecutive day with a 226.391mph mark.
Wheldon’s early dominance has a lot of teams scratching their heads and knitting their brows--and a lot of pitsiders predicting the #10 car on the pole after Saturday’s qualifications.
But Team Penske may have something to say about that. Perplexed Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish compared notes during “yellow light” time. Castroneves ended up second quick Wednesday at 225.820, allegedly in a race set-up. Wheldon claims his car was halfway between a qualifying and a race set-up.
Michael Andretti and son Marco, looking almost as concerned as Team Penske, huddle with Bryan Herta after practice. Marco was third fastest Wednesday.
Although Herta is not driving in the 500 this year, he is still with Andretti-Green Racing, test driving and piloting the
team’s new sports car effort.
Heat and Speeds Climb @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
Temperatures climbed into the mid-80s and speeds into the mid-220s on Tuesday, May 8, the first real full day of practice for this year’s Indianapolis 500.
Dan Wheldon, the 2005 Indy victor, led the pack at 225.074mph in his #10 Target-Chip Ganassi Dallara/Honda. Two-time winner Helio Castroneves’ #3 Marlboro-Penske was close on his heels…er…rear wing with a 224.996. Twenty-seven cars turned laps, with 19 of them over 220mph.
A.J. Foyt Jr., known for taking things into his own hands at the track, pounds on a mirror from Al Unser Jr.’s race car. Foyt surprised many 
when he tabbed Unser Jr., whose off-track escapades have made frequent headlines, as one of his drivers this year.
While other veterans were finding speed quickly, Al Unser Jr. struggled. The two-time Indy 500 champ’s 206.930 was slowest for the day.
Exclusive Club of Rookies Take to the Track @Indy
@Speed Photos & Words by Annie Miller Carr
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened Sunday for practice for this year's Indianapolis 500, but the first two days were devoted to rookie orientation and driver refreshers for a few veterans.
The only two rookies entered in this year's race are Venezuelan distaff driver Milka Duno and Oxnard, California's Phil Giebler. Giebler was the slowest driver on the track Sunday--nearly 209.4 mph. But he improved considerably on Monday to over 217mph.
Duno (shown describing how her car handled during her last laps on Monday), whose previous racing experience was solely on road courses, racked up 153 laps on the IMS oval. Her fastest speed, set late Monday, was 215.949.
Even Michael Andretti, who hasn't driven an Indycar since finishing third in last year's 500, took the opportunity to practice. He posted the 
quickest lap of the month so far, 221.579, Monday afternoon.
Indy 500 veterans and Vision Racing teammates (L-R) Ed Carpenter, Tomas Scheckter and A.J. Foyt IV joke around during a lull in Monday's practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The three drivers were on hand to watch their fourth teammate, Davey Hamilton, during his driver's refresher test.
Tomorrow the rest of the veterans take to the track and practice begins in earnest for this year's race.
And Again, Jimmie Johnson @Richmond
@Speed Photo by Greg Gage
Cousin Carl, Just Cruzin', Pickin' & Grinnin' @Nashville
@Speed Photo by Kevin Thorne
But that all happened in the second half of the race. Said Edwards, "I felt really confident going in, like it was our race to lose, then they dropped the green flag and we went backward like a rock." But the crew made some big changes in the car and proceeded to lead a race high 74 laps and cruise to victory almost five seconds ahead of David Reutimann. It was Edwards' third Busch win in a row at Nashville and second in a row in the series this year.
Even In Retirement, DW Tears Up The Track @Bristol
@Speed Photos by Kevin Thorne
Busch winner Carl Edwards, Cup winner Kyle Busch, & track distructor Darrell Waltrip
Wings, Wings, Wings, And More Wings @Bristol
@Speed Photos by Kevin Thorne
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The Impala nameplate (but not the car) returned to Cup competition on a high note with Jeff Gordon winning the pole position for Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Gordon put his NASCAR designed Impala SS on the pole with a 15:295 second lap, his fifth pole at Bristol.
Speaking of NASCAR's design, Gordon said "I just didn't think we would run these kinds of speeds. I just definitely didn't think we would run
a .29. That is impressive. We had it set up pretty loose to get through the middle and man it was. But off the corner it is just fantastic.
You aren't going to be able to run a car that loose all day long in the race. But you are going to have to run it loose because these
cars just don't turn in the middle like the old cars do. I think we are going to have to have a compromise of pretty loose on entry, we'll see. We didn't play around with race setups today at all and it paid off for us."
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Gordon doesn't seem to like NASCAR's design. "It's no Monte Carlo. It's an Impala. Ours was the best of the group today and that's really all that matters. But there is no way you're going to get the car to feel like our current car. It has twice as much downforce. It doesn't have the limitations that this car does. It's harder to adjust and it definitely creates some more challenges from a drivers' standpoint. Any time you have something that feels good, it's hard to step backwards."
The Food City 500 is the first event to feature NASCAR's next generation of race cars and takes the green flag on Sunday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Skinner, And Again Johnson & Burton @Atlanta
@Speed Photos by Kevin Thorne
Rick Hendricks' 150th, Johnson's Third Win @Vegas
@Speed Photos by Les Welch
A Slip, A Spin, And A Win @Vegas
@Speed Photos by Les Welch
Waltrip's Toyota Teething Troubles Continue @Vegas
@Speed Photos by Les Welch
Michael Waltrip continuted to miss the handle on the Toyota, spun out on his qualifing attempt and missed qualifying for the race.
NASCAR Motor Corp. Tests Its "COT" Model @Bristol
@Speed Photos by Kevin Thorne
Gordon on Cup Pole @Fontana
@Speed Photos by Gary Nastase & Ron Lewis
Jeff Gordon came out on top in the race for the pole beatin Kasey Kahne by about two tents of second. Gordon's speed was 185.735 mph.
"It feels good to me just to get out from restrictor-plate racing [at Daytona] and have a car that has downforce and be able to drive it
through the corners and work with the teams on the handling," said Gordon. It was a great come back after beig one of those who crashed on the last lap in the Daytona 500 and finished 10th.
Kasey Kahne's speed was 185.519 while Michael Walthrip's Toyota was unable to break into the field again this week.
Harvick Handed 500 Win @Daytona
@Speed Photos by Kevin Thorne
After the heaviest hitter, Tony "Smoke" Stewart exited due to a wiggle followed by a tap which sent both the first and second place cars heading for the outside wall, Mark Martin survived to be the odds on favorite.
Not only was Martin the favorite to win on the basis of performance, not since Dale Earnhardt, Sr. won his his Daytona 500 had there been such a ground swell of positive feelings for a driver to win his first Daytona 500.
But it was not to be. Thanks to a wiggle of his own, a hard charging Harvick passed Martin on the outside seconds after a multi-car "big one" began. It took NASCAR almost 10 seconds to display the yellow flag. Not until Harvic and Martin had crossed the line did the yellow flag come out.
Harvick was declared the winner even though Martin had been in the lead when the crashing began and the yellow should have been displayed.
The 2007 Racing Season Opens "Wet'n Wild" @Daytona
@Speed Photos by Kevin Thorne
In one of the most spectacular finishes in the 45-race history of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the No. 01 TELMEX/Target Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley trio of Scott Pruett, Juan Pablo Montoya and Salvador Duran emerged on top in a three-car battle over the final hours of the race.
While the No. 01 team never fell out of the top-three overall positions in the final 21 hours of the race, the battle came to a head late in the 20th hour with Ryan Dalziel in the No. 11 CITGO/SAMAX Pontiac Riley leading Montoya in the No. 01 and Max Angelelli in the No. 10
SunTrust Pontiac Riley in a nose-to-tail fight for the overall lead. Dalziel managed to keep both vaunted road racers behind him, although Montoya and Angelelli did exchange second place a handful of times.
The battle continued for nearly an hour before Dalziel surrendered the lead to Angelelli when Dalziel pitted for fuel and tires. Angelelli led one lap before Montoya claimed the lead for good in Turn 4 with slightly less than two hours and 45 minutes remaining. At the conclusion of that lap--Lap 578--Angelelli pitted and Montoya moved out into the lead.
Montoya pitted two laps later and managed to maintain the lead of the race. He was pressured from behind by both Dalziel and Angelelli for the better part of another hour before both Angelelli and Dalziel pitted before him to turn their cars over to co-drivers Jan Magnussen and Patrick Carpentier, respectively.
Montoya gave control of the No. 01 machine--and the race lead--to Pruett with slightly more than 90 minutes remaining and the 2004 Rolex
Series Daytona Prototype co-champion steadily pulled away over the remainder of the race, crossing the stripe 1:15.842 ahead of Carpentier to secure the victory. It was the third-closest finish in Rolex 24 At Daytona history.
JJ - 2006 Cup Champion Crowned @Miami
@Speed
