Moving Through the Indianapolis 500 Field: 12-22

Three rookies, two would-be winners and a three-time champion are among the 11 drivers in the middle of the field for the 100th anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500.  With the 500 just three days away, it's time to focus on the drivers, and see if any of these drivers can become the 20th in 500 history to win between Row 4 and the inside of Row 8.

12. No. 4 - JR Hildebrand (R)Hildebrand was labeled 'Captain America' as he rose through the IndyCar ranks, on one hand for his solid driving (he was the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion), and on the other because he appeared to represent the limited number of young, talented American drivers in the open-wheel ranks. Driving the National Guard car for Panther Racing certainly does nothing to change the monicker, nor does Hildebrand's ability to get up to speed quickly at IMS, qualifying 12th, the best among any rookie drivers.

The car Hildebrand will pilot on Sunday is a known commodity at Indianapolis; Dan Wheldon and Vitor Meira have brought it to second place finishes in each of the last three years.  Expecting Hildebrand to continue that streak, or even to improve upon it may be asking a lot of the Californian, but he appears more than up for the challenge.

13. No. 06 - James Hinchcliffe (R)The Canadian was a scant .0047 second away from being the top rookie in the field. Another product of the Firestone Indy Lights, Hinchcliffe has been a godsend during the rainy days at Indianapolis, conducting numerous interviews with drivers and sharing the lighter side of Gasoline Alley with fans. Plus, he gave IMS planking, which managed not only to kill a rainy Wednesday, but also gave the news media something to talk about when they did exposés on the dangers of planking (seriously).

Regardless, Hinchcliffe and his Newman/Haas Racing team have been quick and relatively under the radar (as much as you can be when planking). With car coloring similar to that of Scott Goodyear's in 1992, Hinchcliffe will be looking for a similar result, albeit crossing the finish line first this time.

14. No. 30 - Bertrand BaguetteBaguette showed well as a rookie last year for Conquest racing, showing some surprising skills on the ovals given his road and street course background. The Belgian did not stay with Conquest, however, but upgraded his ride for the 500, signing on with Rahal Letterman Lanigan, where he has continued to demonstrate his talent on the most prestigious course in the world, qualifying in the middle of Row 5.

Last year, Rahal Letterman delivered a car that appeared to have a chance at winning before a black flag took the legs out from under the team; Baguette will have to make some moves to get to the front, but a top 10 or top five finish is not out of the question for this team.

15. No. 11 - Davey HamiltonHamilton was the first driver out in the 2010 500, with the Idahoan finding the wall on the opening lap. In his fifth consecutive 500 since missing five in a row due to devastating leg injuries suffered in 2001, Hamilton is starting in a nearly identical place to last year, the outside of Row 5 (in 2010, he was in the middle of the same row).

The highest-qualifying Dreyer & Reinbold car on the grid, avoiding trouble is a must if Hamilton wants to replicate his career-best finish at IMS, fourth in 1998. His his four races back at Indianapolis, Hamilton has completed all 200 laps just once, tallying a ninth-place finish in 2007, his first race at IMS since the 2001 edition of the 500.

16. No. 3 - Helio CastronevesThe three-time Indianapolis 500 champion has never started the race so low in the field, surprising many with a qualifying effort that left him on the outside of Row 6. There is good fortune for the Brazilian, however: in his first two wins at IMS, Castroneves did have qualifying runs that left him in Row 4 and Row 5, where he was able to navigate through the field.

Castroneves' modus operandi at Indianapolis has been to largely bide his time, work his way towards the front and then seize control of the race in the final 125 miles. Starting 16th will allow for plenty of time for this strategy to play out, so keep an eye out on the Shell V-Power/Pennzoil No. 3.

17. No. 43 - John AndrettiThe only Andretti Autosport car to make the field of 33 on Saturday, the local product is making his 12th career start at Indianapolis (in the 500). However, since coming back to IMS in 2007, Andretti has yet to record a finish better than 16th, completing 200 laps only once.

Still, Andretti Autosport has been fairly spot on with its setups for the 500, and Andretti figures to have the easiest route to the front, given that three of his teammates start in the last three rows. Asking for a top 10 from the Ritter H.S.-product does not seem out of the question for this team.

18. No. 59 - E.J. VisoThe only thing possibly complicated matters for Andretti (or those in Row 7) may be E.J. Viso, the talented but erratic young Venezuelan.  At times, Viso can be more pinball on the track than car, racking up incidents in two of the first races of the year.  Still, the talented youngster is also capable of running up front, as he did at Sao Paulo this year.

Having never finished better than 24th in three runnings of the Indianapolis 500, the pressure is beginning to amount on Viso to deliver results, rather than repair bills.  Oddly enough, Viso's 500s have all ended after 139 laps; getting past that mark would be the first step in achieving a solid result.

19. No. 22 - Justin WilsonLooking back at last year's 500, it is easy to forget that for a time, it was Justin Wilson who was leading the race. Dreyer & Reinbold's decision to stay out with 39 laps to go in the race came up one more yellow flag shy of potentially putting the Englishman in Victory Lane. A solid, if unspectacular qualifying effort puts Wilson on the outside of Row 7 this year.

2010 marked Wilson's first top 10 finish at Indianapolis. Traditionally a strong performer on the road and street courses, Wilson has not been up to his usual strong standards thus far. However, in his fourth run at Indianapolis, Wilson may be primed for a breakout on an oval, especially one where he could nearly taste Victory last year.

20. No. 20 - Jay Howard (R)Howard is in his first 500 in three attempts at qualifying for the 500. Perhaps the most veteran of the rookies at Indianapolis, Howard first arrived at the track in 2008, only to have his ride taken by John Andretti, who brought sponsorship to Roth Racing. Returning in 2010, Howard put his Sarah Fisher Racing car in the field, only to withdraw the time and fail to bump his way back into the field.

The Englishman left no doubts this time, sticking in the middle of Row 7 in a partnership between Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Having achieved his goal of running at Indianapolis, it will be interesting to see how Howard performs; given the pedigree of the teams he has partnered with, he should have a solid car on Sunday, putting him in contention for Rookie of the Year honors.

21. No. 07 - Tomas ScheckterIt has been a career of almosts for the South African. Controlling the 2002 Indianapolis 500, the rookie got high in Turn 4 with 27 laps separating him and a visit with the Borg-Warner Trophy. Consistently fast, Scheckter has never been able to consistently find a ride for more than a year or for one-off deals, bouncing from team to team in a nine-year IndyCar career.

Still, Scheckter remains one of the drivers called when a team wants to put a car in the 500 field, and this year was no exception when he hooked up with KV Racing Technology. Scheckter ran near the front for most of the 2010 500, eventually taking 15th, and KV would certainly be happy with any place above that for Scheckter.

22. No. 82 - Tony KanaanNearly without a ride in the season-opening race, Kanaan was thrown a lifeline by KV Racing Technology, Geico and Lotus. That Kanaan was able to muster a podium finish in his first start with the team shows both the talent of the driver and the potential of the team. Figuring out Indianapolis may present a bigger challenge, but Kanaan knows how to navigate traffic.

Last year, after a hellish weekend saw him start 33rd on the grid, Kanaan nearly pulled off the comeback, sitting in second place before a late pit stop was needed. Frequently one of the hardest chargers in the IZOD IndyCar Series, watching the green and yellow No. 82 (a tribute to Jim Clark's 1965 winning Lotus), will be a treat for fans. Always a fan favorite, sentiment will be with Kanaan to finally collect his first Borg-Warner Trophy.

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.

All in the Family

Listening to the IMS Radio Networks' call of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Jake Query broke the story that John Andretti will drive the fifth car for Andretti Autosport at the Indianapolis 500.  A press conference will be tomorrow at IMS, per Query.

The AA machine was already one of the 500-only programs being counted on, but it's reassuring to see it will come to fruition.  As far as 500 entries go, The Indianapolis Star's Curt Cavin thinks up to 40 cars could be qualifying at Indy.  

Now there's an idea.

Since the public debut of new Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Jeff Belskus did not necessarily go over as smoothly as one would hope (though criticizing the man for lip sweat seems a bit much), the clamor for a different public face to IMS has begun.

Joie Chitwood was a man who at the least, understood the track - what she was, what she is, and what she can be once again (yes, I just personified IMS, and I don't know why IMS is a female. It just is in my literary mind). And he exuded that confidence and spirit every time I saw or heard him in a public forum. My wife, who had the opportunity to listen to Chitwood in May, said the same thing about his speaking skills; and while she isn't the biggest racing fan in the world, Chitwood's vision for the future and his ability to communicate it gave her confidence that the Indianapolis 500 would continue its resurgence.

And since Chitwood is gone, the track needs - no the track (and greater Indianapolis community) deserves someone who can sell IMS and enthuse the average sporting fan with their passion for racing.

So, who can do this? I'd nominate myself, but that seems too arrogant. Though I'd bring a full passion bucket to the job, I can promise that. Let Belskus continue on the business side, I'll face the cameras - done deal.

Now, since I'm not a viable candidate (my bank account weeps upon hearing that news), who else it out there? Curt Cavin, on his twitter page and in his most recent "Ask the Expert" suggests John Andretti.

And yes, you chuckle and say to yourself "little John Andretti?" I did. But if John wanted to retire, it makes a ton of sense. He carries the "Andretti" name with him, which still resonates throughout the racing community.

He has one foot in IndyCar and one foot in NASCAR, bringing credibility to both sides; in fact, he was the first driver to attempt the "double," racing the 500 and Coca-Cola 600 way back in 1994. Furthermore, we're talking about a driver who broke down in tears of joy upon qualifying for the 2009 500 - clearly there is some passion for IMS with John Andretti.

For you Sports Car fans, Andretti has raced those, too. In fact, he's dipped his toe into most forms of racing, so Andretti would bring credibility when sitting down and talking to the leaders of any racing league.

To further his resume, Andretti attended Cardinal Ritter High School and his wife is a native of Indianapolis, too. If IMS wanted someone who would resonate in racing circles and in the Indianapolis community, along with a person who could handle being in front of cameras, doing public relations initiatives throughout the country, and express what IMS means to racing and to general sports fans in a coherent manner, John Andretti is a name to watch.

Yes, he'll probably be more expensive than me (that's my last plug for myself as IMS president - I'd come cheap), but John Andretti would do a better job than me, too, more than likely.