(just to have them on record, in case I'm right for once.)
Winner: Helio Castroneves
Place: Dario Franchitti
Show: Scott Dixon
Fourth: Ed Carpenter
Fifth: Townsend Bell
Rookie of the Year: Takuma Sato
Most positions gained: Tony Kanaan
Top female finisher: Danica Patrick
29 May 2010
Moving Through the 500 Field: 1-11
First, I apologize for not completing this yesterday. Between a baseball practice, the end of Carb Day, an extended happy hour and the Burger Bash, I ran out of time in the day. In any case, here is my breakdown of the front of the Indianapolis 500 field, with some award predictions, as well.
27 May 2010
Moving Through the 500 Field: The Middle
With just over three days remaining until Jack Nicholson drops the green flag on the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500, we continue with part II of our look at the 500 field. Today, we look at the middle of the starting grid. (for part I, click here)
26 May 2010
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.
25 May 2010
Want 500 Tickets?
I have four extra tickets to the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500. They are located in Paddock, Section 9, Row DD.
You are just south of the start/finish line, with views of the Pagoda, multiple pits, driver introductions, pre-race ceremonies, etc.
If you're interested, just shoot me an email via the link on the right-hand side.
You are just south of the start/finish line, with views of the Pagoda, multiple pits, driver introductions, pre-race ceremonies, etc.
If you're interested, just shoot me an email via the link on the right-hand side.
24 May 2010
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.
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.
20 May 2010
A Qualifications Primer
Until the 500/600 $20 Million Double occurs (and SI.com's Tim Tuttle nails most of it here), the biggest change to hit the Indianapolis 500 was the overhaul of the schedule for the month of May. With a schedule closer to that of the 1998 500, teams have been prepping all week for the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 and stand to do their qualifying trim on Thursday.
Saturday will mark the biggest changes to the qualifying format - no, Brian Barnhardt will still talk to the drivers momentarily before the head out for their qualifying effort - with a "Pole Day Shootout" scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m..
From noon-4, the first 24 slots will be filled, based on speed. After a half-hour break, the top nine speeds will then have a window in which to attempt to qualify for the pole.
The new format blends a bit of the "Firestone Fast Six" road/street qualifying format that fans have enthusiastically endorsed with the tradition of late-day pole runs at Indianapolis.
Now, whether or not this draws fans back to Pole Day remains to be seen. While I don't see the massive crowds returning for qualifications until drivers are pushing 240-250 mph, last year's crowd appeared to be up from the previous year. For the most part, the qualifying was good, albeit too spread out, as Alex Lloyd put together a late run to qualify in the top 11 in his Sam Schmidt/Ganassi car.
With two Ganassi machines (and a third in Townsend Bell's Schmidt/Ganassi effort), at least one quality KV machine (Mario Moraes), three solid Penske cars, two-five Andretti Autosport efforts (Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan have shown the most speed) and a Tagliani (he's been surprisingly quick in practice), some quality drivers are going to be left out, leaving some to scramble around 3:30 to try and make a run into the first three rows of the 500 field.
In any case, it should make for a more interesting Pole Day, with track activity guaranteed far more than in the past.
As for Bump Day, filling the final nine spots in the field should take little time, provided the weather cooperates. And unlike past years, we won't see Jimmy Kite and P.J. Jones as the only cars attempting to bump their way into the field (now, after experiencing a two-seater ride, I have an immense amount of respect for any of those drivers, especially the ones trying to bump their way in with an ill-handling machine).
Based on the speed charts thus far, it looks like everyone's favorite driver, Milka Duno (hey, she is great with the fans, I'll credit her that), will be squarely on the bubble come Sunday. And if that happens, keep a close eye on the AJ Foyt Racing garage, where I wouldn't be surprised to see another car prepared if Milka was sitting on the bubble late in the day.
Saturday will mark the biggest changes to the qualifying format - no, Brian Barnhardt will still talk to the drivers momentarily before the head out for their qualifying effort - with a "Pole Day Shootout" scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m..
From noon-4, the first 24 slots will be filled, based on speed. After a half-hour break, the top nine speeds will then have a window in which to attempt to qualify for the pole.
The new format blends a bit of the "Firestone Fast Six" road/street qualifying format that fans have enthusiastically endorsed with the tradition of late-day pole runs at Indianapolis.
Now, whether or not this draws fans back to Pole Day remains to be seen. While I don't see the massive crowds returning for qualifications until drivers are pushing 240-250 mph, last year's crowd appeared to be up from the previous year. For the most part, the qualifying was good, albeit too spread out, as Alex Lloyd put together a late run to qualify in the top 11 in his Sam Schmidt/Ganassi car.
With two Ganassi machines (and a third in Townsend Bell's Schmidt/Ganassi effort), at least one quality KV machine (Mario Moraes), three solid Penske cars, two-five Andretti Autosport efforts (Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan have shown the most speed) and a Tagliani (he's been surprisingly quick in practice), some quality drivers are going to be left out, leaving some to scramble around 3:30 to try and make a run into the first three rows of the 500 field.
In any case, it should make for a more interesting Pole Day, with track activity guaranteed far more than in the past.
As for Bump Day, filling the final nine spots in the field should take little time, provided the weather cooperates. And unlike past years, we won't see Jimmy Kite and P.J. Jones as the only cars attempting to bump their way into the field (now, after experiencing a two-seater ride, I have an immense amount of respect for any of those drivers, especially the ones trying to bump their way in with an ill-handling machine).
Based on the speed charts thus far, it looks like everyone's favorite driver, Milka Duno (hey, she is great with the fans, I'll credit her that), will be squarely on the bubble come Sunday. And if that happens, keep a close eye on the AJ Foyt Racing garage, where I wouldn't be surprised to see another car prepared if Milka was sitting on the bubble late in the day.
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