Et Tu, A.J.?

Forgive IndyCar fans for spending much of the night and waking up this morning asking "Et tu, A.J.?" or "Et tu, Michael?"  The notion that two of the names most synonymous with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would team up to replace a driver who qualified for the Indianapolis 500 (and not just any 500, either) is tough to wrap around the mind.  Unfortunately, their union is also a sign that IndyCar is still working its way out of economic quicksand.

A.J. Foyt is a man's man.  Winning the Indy 500 four times, running the race in 35 straight years, one doesn't earn the nickname "Super Tex" my accident.  And Foyt hasn't really slowed down since retirement, punching Arie Luyendyk in Victory Lane, surviving a bee attack and the sinking of his bulldozer on his property (in which a water moccasin swam by Foyt as he was swimming to shore).  

If anyone represented the notion that the 33-fastest cars would enter the 100th anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500, it would be Foyt.  He is so respected that following the Donald Trump pace car fiasco, it was Foyt who was tabbed to bring the 2011 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 field up to speed.  

Unfortunately, Foyt's No. 41 car was also being funded solely out of Foyt's pocket.  In an era in which a four-time champion at Indianapolis (five if you count his win as an owner in 1999) cannot find consistent sponsorship for a second car, Foyt was vulnerable when Michael Andretti went looking to find a way to place Ryan Hunter-Reay in the field.

For Andretti too was feeling heat, not from having to run a car out of his pocket, but in having two primary sponsors who were less than pleased at receiving the bang for their buck of running in the Indianapolis 500.  At Hunter-Reay's suggestion (according to a release from Foyt Racing), Andretti turned to Foyt, where they brokered a deal to benefit both parties.  Foyt's No. 41 car will still be run, and his sponsors of ABC Supply and Alfe Heat Treating will still receive prime real estate on the car.  Andretti gets to put his driver, Hunter-Reay, in the car, along with the No. 28 machine's primary sponsors, DHL and Sun Drop Citrus Soda.  And given the hullaballoo this move has caused, the car is sure to be shown on multiple occasions during ABC's broadcast on Sunday.

At what cost does this come, though?  Both the reputations of Andretti and Foyt take a hit.  Andretti for buying out another team's ride because his five-car operation at Indianapolis could qualify just three of its cars.  Foyt for selling out at Bruno Junqueira's expense.  All Junqueira did was take a car that was ill-handling on his first qualifying run and go faster on next attempt, solidly qualifying 19th.  But for the right price, it appears, Foyt was willing to let him go.

Both men, Andretti and Foyt, given their storied histories at IMS, should have been expected to uphold the tradition and values of the Indianapolis 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  And in this instance, in the fans' eyes, they largely failed.  Yes, drivers have taken other rides before; Alex Tagliani being the latest case in 2009, again at Junquiera's expense.  It is a part of the sport that exists, but one that fans and teams alike prefer to ignore because it exposes the ugly financial underside of things.  Instead of the 33 fastest drivers and cars in the biggest celebration ever seen at IMS, two of the biggest names in the sport have created a maelstrom, leaving fans feeling like their icons stabbed them in the back.

Moving Through the 500 Field, 23-33

Now that the IZOD IndyCar Series has taken the field of 33 through an east-coast media blitz, it's to refocus on the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500, and breaking down just who can come away with the Borg-Warner Trophy.  Over the next three days, we'll move through the field, breaking down the chances (or lack thereof) of each driver.  Today, we look at the last 11 drivers in the 500.

Exhaustion (and how Paul Tracy Helps Legitimize Indianapolis)

I turned zero laps over the weekend.  But, like any strong competitor, I tuned up my body for May 30 and the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500.  Mainly by sitting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for nearly eight hours over Saturday and Sunday with a box lunch and a beer or two.

There was zero tracking down of interviews, or autographs (until late Sunday).  Just venturing to Box 13 in the Paddock and catching some sun, playing "I am Indy," and enjoying the sights and sounds of IMS.

When Robin Miller says the Pole Day crowd was the largest he had seen since 1995, I'm inclined to believe him; turn 1 was nearly full, while the portions of the infield stands and paddock that were open we full of people.  40,000 (Curt Cavin's estimate) sounds about right.  The combination of great weather and an exciting new format seemed to bring more people to the track; around 4:15, it seemed like more people showed up prior to the "Pole Day Shootout," though they could have been arriving from the Eddie Money concert, too.

(Quick aside: the Money Man has some hits.  Don't sleep on that guy for a go-to 80's hit.)

More proof that fans want to see the big speeds return to IMS: the biggest cheer of the day was when Dave Calabro announced Helio's first lap at more than 228 mph.  An audible gasp went through the crowd as Helio figuratively gave the finger to the other eight competitors when dominating.

After Helio gave the shootout and Pole Day the much sought-after boost, Tony Kanaan did his level best to spice up Bump Day.

The Sunday crowd was definitely down from Saturday, though to be honest, the 90-degree temperatures might have played a small role in that.  Saturday saw plenty of people using the paddock boxes in which to catch some sun; Sunday saw virtually everyone in the shadows as the temperatures climbed.

The crowd was given a few things to cheer about early - local favorite John Andretti (the man is so down to earth, he shuns the golf cart to walk down pit road, helmet in hand) qualified early, while the Junk Man dropped a massive qualifying effort after just seven practice laps (he is a serious dark horse candidate, in my opinion).

Now, I'm a Kanaan guy - the hat and koozie reflect that - and it seemed like most, if not all of the crowd was pulling for the nine-time starter.  As the day crept along, Kanaan did not have the speed to get into the 500; my wife was pretty sure TK would not be in the race.  Bob Kravitz had the same thought in The Indianapolis Star today.  But the crowd would not be denied, as their biggest cheers of the late afternoon came for Kanaan whenever his car went down pit road.

However, by 5:00, Kanaan had found some speed as he turned a few laps in the high 224s.  He immediately put the car into line and qualified it.  Still, he was on the outside of row 10, and after Takuma Sato qualified his Lotus ahead of him, it appeared that TK might eventually be on the bubble.

By the end, both Paul Tracy and Jay Howard attempted to decide their own fates, with neither achieving their desired result.  And since I was critical of Alex Tagliani last year for sitting on his hands and not doing anything to defend his bubble spot in 2009, I can't fault Tracy nor Howard.

The tweets began pouring in shortly after 6 p.m., talking about Paul Tracy's emotional press conference.  And it's good to see just how much Indianapolis means to Tracy.  In an odd way, his not making the field of 33 helps further legitimize the race.  In 1996, the 500 was mocked for its field, versus the US 500's field (though that opening lap crash looked fairly silly for CART); as teams gradually came back to Indianapolis, the complaints about the field quality diminished, but grumblings about the 2002 500 remained among loyalists of one series or another.

And now, the face of the old guard, Paul Tracy, can't make the 500.  It's one of those shocking misses, not on the 1995 Penske level, but a big enough name that reminds everyone that Indianapolis cannot be taken for granted (not that Tracy did).  No gimmicks, amount of owners points, top 35 rules or anything like that can get you into the Field of 33.  It's pure speed, the way God intended it.

Seize the Day, or Seized by the Day?

I was driving in to work this morning when the news update said that Alex Tagliani, who was the last man eliminated on Indianapolis 500 Bump Day, would be replacing Bruno Junquiera, who qualified 30th in the second Conquest Racing car.

I have mixed feelings on this, as I think Conquest put themselves in a position in which they did not need to be. On Conquest's side, it's understandable that their primary sponsor, the Rexall Edmonton Indy race, would want Tagliani, a Canadian, in the Indianapolis 500 to promote the race in Alberta (on Sunday, July 26).

Junquiera, who had secured sponsorship from All Sport (who sponsored a NASCAR ride, but wanted IndyCar sponsorship when their NASCAR driver failed a drug test) apparently knew that this was a possibility, saying to the Indianapolis Star:

"I knew coming into this that Alex is Conquest's primary driver and that if something happened to the first car that I would likely give him my place."

It was tough to watch the end of Bump Day, with Tagliani in line with a car that would likely be able to bump Ryan Hunter-Reay, as the gun fired to mark the end of the day and tears welling up in the 36-year old Canadian's eyes. Despite being a veteran driver, Tagliani has never participated in the Indianapolis 500, and this decision will allow him to realize a dream.

On Junqueira's side, it's tough to watch a man who has never gotten the right "break" at Indianapolis. After qualifying on the pole in 2002, he broke his back in an accident with A.J. Foyt IV in 2005, costing himself a shot at the 500 and a probable ChampCar series title.

Moving into the Conquest stable on Friday, Junqueira qualified easily on Sunday on his first run. And while numerous drivers pulled their car out of the field and requalified at higher speeds (due to better track conditions on Sunday than on Saturday), the Conquest team felt confident enough to not do so with Tagliani.

In fact, the team pulled Tagliani out of line twice in the final moments of Bump Day - directly going against what everyone else was doing on the day. Had Tagliani and Conquest pulled out of the field and requalified at a higher speed, say at, 5:45 p.m., they would have eliminated all doubt about being bumped. As Clive Davis once said:

You've got to seize the opportunity if it is presented to you.

Conquest Racing did not seize an opportunity; rather they were seized up by the opportunity, and by doing so, they cost themselves the monetary rewards of having two cars in "The Show." And while Tagliani was guaranteed $300,000 despite not qualifying, the team, with a respectable showing in the 500, would have boosted their overall profile and kept all of their sponsors happy. By removing Junqueira in place of Tagliani, hopefully Conquest has a plan to get All Sport some publicity on Tagliani's King Tut/Rexall car.

And next time they have two cars capable of making the 500, hopefully Conquest Racing takes advantage of it to make sure they're both in the race, rather than kicking a perfectly good driver to the curb because of their failures to act decisively.