2011 Indianapolis 500

[DanicaFan]

Race 5 of 17

Race - Indianapolis 500

Location - Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, IN

Date - Sunday, May 29th

Time & TV Schedule - 12:00PM Eastern - ABC

Course Type - 2.5 Mile Oval

Distance - 200 Laps / 500 Miles

Month's Schedule -

Saturday, May 7th - Emerging Tech Day / Allison Transmission - Centennial Era Balloon Festival

12pm -9pm - Public Gates Open
12- 5pm - Emerging Tech Racing
2pm - Yoga 500
8pm - Balloon Glow
9pm - Fireworks

May 8th-11th -No Track Activity
Thursday, May 12th - Rookie Orientation Program 8:30am-2pm - Practice
Friday, May 13th - Firestone Freedom 100 Testing - 9am-1pm - Practice
Saturday, May 14th -Opening Day -Gates Open 9am -6pm
9am-3pm - Celebration of Automobiles
12pm-6pm - Practice
6pm - Condon-Skelly Celebration Dinner
Sunday, May 15-Thursday, May 19th - Practice -Gates Open 9am-6pm
12pm - 6pm - Practice
Friday, May 20th- Fast Friday - 8am-6pm Gates Open
12pm - 6pm - Practice
6:15pm Pole Day Qualifications Draw (Coca-Cola Stage)
Saturday, May 21st -Pole Day/Tom Carnegie Day
6am-6pm - Gates Open
6am-6pm - Pace Car Reunion
11am-4pm - 1st Qualifying Segment
4:30pm-6pm - Fast 9 Pole Qualifying
Sunday, May 22nd - Bump Day -IMS Armed Forces Day
8am-6pm- Gates Open
8am-6pm -Pace Car Reunion
9am-10am - Practice
12pm-6pm - Qualifying
Monday, May 23rd & Tuesday, May 24th - No Track Activity
Wednesday, May 25th - Community Day
9am-6pm - Gates Open
Thursday, May 26th -Firestone Freedom 100 Practice/Qualifying
9am-6pm - Gates Open
9am-9:45am - Firestone Indy Lights Practice
11:45am-12:30pm - Firestone Indy Lights Practice
3pm-4pm - Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying
Friday, May 27th- Miller Lite Carb Day
8am-6pm - Gates Open
11am-12:00pm - Indianapolis 500 Final Practice
12:30pm - Firestone Freedom 100 Race
1:30pm - Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge
3:30pm - Carb Day Concert - Staind w/Papa Roach
Saturday, May 28th - AJ Foyt Day
8am-6pm - Gates Open
8:45am-9am - Chase Rookie Of The Year Candidates Q&A (Coca-Cola Stage)
9am -AJ Foyt Autograph Wristband Distribution
9am-10am - 2011 Starting Field/ Indy 500 winners Autograph Session
9am-4pm Indianapolis 500 Memorabilia Show
10am-11am - Public Driver's Meeting - Tower Terrace
11:30-11:45 - AJ Foyt Q&A (Coca-Cola Stage)
11:55-12:25pm - AJ Foyt Autograph Session -Pagoda Plaza
1pm-1:30pm - Bryan Clauson Q&A - Coca Cola Stage
1:45pm - Bryan Clauson Autograph Session

Sunday, May 29th - Race Day
6am-6pm Gates Open
9am-10:50am - IZOD Presents Hot Wheels Fearless at the 500 Stunt
9:50am - 1911 Race Cars Parade Lap
10am- Indianapolis 500 Winners Drivers' Parade Lap
11am- Past Indy 500 Winners Drive Indy 500 Winning Cars
11:30am -Driver Introductions
12:00pm - Race Starts!

[DanicaFan]

2010 Race Facts

2010 Winner -#10 Dario Franchitti
2010 Pole Sitter - #3 Helio Castroneves - 224.864mph
Length Of Race - 3 hours, 5 minutes, 37 seconds
Average Speed -161.623 mph
Margin Of Victory -Under Caution
Lead Changes - 13 among 8 drivers
Caution Laps -9 for 44 laps
Fastest Lap - #12 Will Power - 225.090mph on lap 15

[DanicaFan]

Map of the track...

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/IMSmap.jpg

[DanicaFan]

Here is the link to the entry list since its so big..

http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/var/assets/I500EntryList.pdf

[Mark Pedersen]

43 cars trying for 33 spots = a lot of crash damage on dump day!!!

Bump day could we well worth watching this year, not that we can live stream it anymore :-(

[TURN3]

Willy P was the only guy with anything in the speed department for Dario last year. He's my pick this year.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

What's the deal with these entries:

#16 TBA / TBA
#19 TBA / Dale Coyne Racing
#57 TBA / Sarah Fisher Racing
#89 TBA / China Racing

Alex Lloyd would be a logical choice for the #19 Boy Scouts car. He was 4th in that car in last year's 500 and he was the 2010 IndyCar Rookie of the Year even though most people think it was Simona.

[mousti]

43 cars trying for 33 spots = a lot of crash damage on dump day!!!

Bump day could we well worth watching this year, not that we can live stream it anymore :-(
For this even I expect someone streaming it hope on Veetle best streaming site probably available :)

[chuck34]

What's the deal with these entries:

#16 TBA / TBA
#19 TBA / Dale Coyne Racing
#57 TBA / Sarah Fisher Racing
#89 TBA / China Racing

Alex Lloyd would be a logical choice for the #19 Boy Scouts car. He was 4th in that car in last year's 500 and he was the 2010 IndyCar Rookie of the Year even though most people think it was Simona.

There are two seperate Rookie of the Year awards, one for the 500 the other for the season. Simona was the Rookie of the Year (maybe better named race or month?) for the 500. Alex got the Rookie of the Year award for the season.

[SoCalPVguy]

What's the deal with these entries:

#16 TBA / TBA
#19 TBA / Dale Coyne Racing
#57 TBA / Sarah Fisher Racing
#89 TBA / China Racing

T B A mean 'The Biggest Account', i.e. biggest check from ride buyer gets the gig.

[NaBUru38]

Alex Lloys has been confirmed at Dale Coyne, but for all 8 ovals! :)


T B A mean 'The Biggest Account', i.e. biggest check from ride buyer gets the gig.
LOL :D

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Alex Lloys has been confirmed at Dale Coyne, but for all 8 ovals! :)

Yeah! So we have 39 confirmed drivers. Could the other three entries be just vaporware? Never mind that, there will be at least six very sad drivers come Bump Day, and we don't know who they'll be. My picks: Tung, Mann, Howard, Jakes, Hamilton, Viso.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

I'm assuming that Tung will be the China Racing entry.

No, he was confirmed a couple of days ago to drive the No. 8 car, a joint Dragon/Schmidt entry.

http://www.hopintung.com/content/hopin.php?taal=1

[Mad_Hatter]

Scott Speed (http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-scott-speed-set-for-indy-debut-with-dragon) is apparently set get a shot in the Indy 500...

[maxmach]

Yeagh, I just saw that on the speed site. Good, I was wondering what he was up to. He has some personality, and can drive well, maybe not great but well. And what has happened to the A1 Summerton(sp) guy, always thought he would make a great addition.

[bugeyedgomer]

when is the speed record attempt scheduled for?

[dataman1]

when is the speed record attempt scheduled for?

From what I've read, BB says won't be in May. Honda has too much to do just supporting 43 entries.

[bugeyedgomer]

that is odd, seeing as Ilmor does all the engine work

[Chris R]

I am planning a trip to Indy this coming weekend. According to DanicaFan's post there is practice on Saturday, according to the Indy website it does not start until Sunday - anybody know for sure? I would love to see Practice but not sure I can hang around for Sunday.....

[Chris R]

nevermind - I finally figured out the IMS website - there is practice on Saturday.... woohooo

If anyone from Indy is reading this, you might want to make your schedule page a little more obvious, if you click through on any one event it does not show you the schedule - only the info about the event... I could not find anywhere that just listed the activities for the day in general.....

[bzcam]

What's the deal with these entries:

#16 TBA / TBA
#19 TBA / Dale Coyne Racing
#57 TBA / Sarah Fisher Racing
#89 TBA / China Racing

Alex Lloyd would be a logical choice for the #19 Boy Scouts car. He was 4th in that car in last year's 500 and he was the 2010 IndyCar Rookie of the Year even though most people think it was Simona.

My prediction is that Katherine Legge will drive the #57 car for Sarah Fisher Racing.

BZ

[DanicaFan]

My prediction is that Katherine Legge will drive the #57 car for Sarah Fisher Racing.

BZ

If she can even make the bump which I doubt she will.

[call_me_andrew]

Scott Speed (http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-scott-speed-set-for-indy-debut-with-dragon) is apparently set get a shot in the Indy 500...

Is this the same Scott Speed that declared IndyCar to be beneath him?

[beachgirl]

If she can even make the bump which I doubt she will.

Well, considering your history of successful predictions....

[Mark in Oshawa]

If she can even make the bump which I doubt she will.

Now don't be cheesy. If Kat gets a car that isn't put together with bandaids and a decent engineer, she has a shot. The problem is, Sarah usually only has one good chassis.....

[GRW1983]

So now that Scott Speed has been confirmed at Dragon, is that now 40 confirmed entries??? I know that the #57 SFR & #89 China Racing entries are still TBA so are those the only remaining seats to be filled, or is there still the #16 seat to be filled. There was talk of a possible Highcroft entry for Pagenaud in partnership with Dragon, but if they have gone for Speed & Tung, is this now dead in the water??? Do we have 42 or 43 entries, as the entry list originally said 42 entries with 83 cars. And also, does Sarah Fisher Racing actually have 3 chassis to give Carpenter 2 cars (primary & back-up) & a third car for a second entry or is that entry totally dependant on Carpenter qualifying his primary car & his back-up car being used as the second entry??? So many questions still to be answered. Anybody got any more info???

My predictions:#16 Pagenaud (if Highcroft find a car, if not then I can't see this entry taking to the track)
#57 Legge (possible, but if it's Carpenter's back-up car & not a separate entry then it would likely be a bump day only effort. Buddy or Jacques Lazier?)
#89 Jacques Lazier (if this is the former Team 3G, then Jacques Lazier drove for them & he always seems to get a last minute Indy ride, so why not)

Any thoughts???

[beachgirl]

So now that Scott Speed has been confirmed at Dragon, is that now 40 confirmed entries??? I know that the #57 SFR & #89 China Racing entries are still TBA so are those the only remaining seats to be filled, or is there still the #16 seat to be filled. There was talk of a possible Highcroft entry for Pagenaud in partnership with Dragon, but if they have gone for Speed & Tung, is this now dead in the water??? Do we have 42 or 43 entries, as the entry list originally said 42 entries with 83 cars. And also, does Sarah Fisher Racing actually have 3 chassis to give Carpenter 2 cars (primary & back-up) & a third car for a second entry or is that entry totally dependant on Carpenter qualifying his primary car & his back-up car being used as the second entry??? So many questions still to be answered. Anybody got any more info???

My predictions:#16 Pagenaud (if Highcroft find a car, if not then I can't see this entry taking to the track)
#57 Legge (possible, but if it's Carpenter's back-up car & not a separate entry then it would likely be a bump day only effort. Buddy or Jacques Lazier?)
#89 Jacques Lazier (if this is the former Team 3G, then Jacques Lazier drove for them & he always seems to get a last minute Indy ride, so why not)

Any thoughts???

Nope. My crystal ball's broken.

[DavePI2]

Has anyone ever sat in grandstand h for the 500? I was in h last year for the moto gp and j one year for the f1 race but this is the first year for the 500 for me at that part of the track. H was a great place to watch the moto gp race and it looked pretty good for the 500 also. Just wondering what anyone else who has been in that section thinks. I am close to grandstand j about 2/3 rds of the way up.

david

[call_me_andrew]

Well when you were there before and turned your head to the left, could you see oval turn four?

[DanicaFan]

Here are the results of today's Rookie Orientation Program..

Rank / Car#& Driver / Speed / Lap Time / Best Lap / Total Laps

1. #4 JR Hildebrand / 221.533 / 00:40.6260 / 59/ 68
2. #8 Ho-Pin Tung / 220.477 / 00:40.8206 / 52 / 53
3. #06 James Hinchcliffe / 219.664 / 00:40.9716 / 98 / 101
4. #83 Charlie Kimball / 219.602 / 00:40.9833 / 68 / 73
5. #8 Scott Speed / 219.227 / 00:41.0534 / 36 / 37
6. #36 Pippa Mann / 219.166 / 00:41.0647 / 32 / 35
7. #18 James Jakes / 214.563 / 00:41.9457 / 48 / 51

[NickFalzone]

Not 500 related, but cool to see Chase Austin getting a ride with the new Willy T Ribbs team at the Freedom 100. I remember seeing him do a few races in Nationwide last year and seemed to be a decent talent.

[DavePI2]

oh yes, i could see turn 4 fine, from what I remember it should be a good spot to watch the race

[Nikki Katz]

Is that Tung's first ever time on an oval? Not bad for an otherwise unremarkable driver. Coyne are going to struggle to qualify both of their cars aren't they?

[booger]

So, it's minutes away from the first practice and the live streaming sucks already.

[DanicaFan]

2 hours left in this session..

Ed Carpenter is the fastest at this time with a speed of 224.786. Scott Dixon 2nd, with 224.491

Danica is sitting at 12th with a speed of 222.232

[DanicaFan]

Currently drying the track.

[GRW1983]

I know this is a little off topic with 1st practice going on, but it seems we will have 41 entries with 79 cars according to the latest entry list. Gone are the #16, #16T, #89 & #89T. So, no China Racing then??? Seems Dragon will be running 2 cars, but neither entry for Speed or Tung has a back-up car and the same goes for the 2nd Sarah Fisher entry. At present, that is the only entry yet to be confirmed. My guess is that it will be a bump day only effort with Carpenter's back-up car, unless someone knows something I don't???

[DanicaFan]

Well, another rainy day at the track, no action, it was cancelled. Oh well, I got to hang out in the Andretti garage, always good..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/danicaindy2011001.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/danicaindy2011002.jpg

[Mark in Oshawa]

Danica must be thinking who is this guy and why does he insist on having his picture taken with me?? lmao...

Whatever floats your boat DF....

[SoCalPVguy]

Well, another rainy day at the track, no action, it was cancelled. Oh well, I got to hang out in the Andretti garage, always good..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/danicaindy2011002.jpg

Danica Patrick is 5'-2" that makes you DF, what, about 5'-4" ?

[Mark Pedersen]

LOL SoCalPVguy - i was thinking the same thing!!!

[Hoop-98]

P3 Report

http://i52.tinypic.com/2ighq10.jpg

[Dr. Krogshöj]

What's up with the English dudes (and gal)? Great to see Alex, Graham, Oriol and Vitor up front! Also strong speeds so far from Tracy and Rice. Keep up the good work.

[Anubis]

What's up with the English dudes (and gal)? Great to see Alex, Graham, Oriol and Vitor up front! Also strong speeds so far from Tracy and Rice. Keep up the good work.

No tea in the catering perhaps? Us Brits don't function without it!

[Anubis]

Danica Patrick is 5'-2" that makes you DF, what, about 5'-4" ?

Maybe he's stood in the hole he's been digging for himself in the "33 greatest" thread?

[Mark in Oshawa]

No tea in the catering perhaps? Us Brits don't function without it!

They have iced tea? lol

[Bob Riebe]

Beyond Hamilton, Rice and Speed, how many are born in the U.S. and how many are from North America?

[Mark in Oshawa]

Bob, well there are 3 Canadians, PT, Hinch and Tags, then for Americans, Speed, Hamilton, Rice, Kimball, Carpenter, 2 Andretti's, Hunter Reay, Bell, Patrick and Rahal. Assuming all the North Americans qualify, that would be 14 of the 33. I suppose that isn't enough for some people, but hey, how many Frenchmen are on the driving roster for LeMans? How many drivers of any nation dominate in f1? Maybe 4 Brazilians or 2 Italians or something? No major series is dominated by drivers of one nation as much as NASCAR, but that is because it is a unique American thing. In Indycar, for years it was the same but as the series got more influential, the world noticed. I am thinking this could be seen as a plus if American fans were not as myopic about this. That said, Americans need to be in the hunt to win at least if they are going to have 11 drivers of the 33......and most of the American names wont be in the contention to win.

[Andrewmcm]

Eek. Simona becomes the first driver to bend some machinery this year.

[Nikki Katz]

Is she ok? I've not seen the accident yet, but Autosport said it was nasty and she's suffered burns. I'm sure she'll be back but I hope it's soon, though HVM haven't looked fast in practice yet anyway. Indy's still a very scary place.

[dataman1]

She ended upside down after a long skid, some air time and hitting the fence. She crawled out by herself and walked to the transport vehicle with doctor along side. Have not heard official report from medical. Car is in real bad shape.

[dataman1]

Something broke and you can see the car bottom out just before the spin. The track announcer says she was taken to Methodist for burns on her hands.

[Anubis]

Fearsome looking crash, so glad to hear she's more or less ok. What caused it to go airborne the second time, anyone know? Run up and over a wheel maybe?

[mousti]

Second degree burns on her left or was it right hand?

[TURN3]

Second degree burns on her left or was it right hand?

Not sure but it was either one or the other I think.

[jimispeed]

Not sure but it was either one or the other I think.

Now, that is safe to say!! ;)

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Left.

[booger]

Is it just me or does there seem to be a dearth of information coming from Indy this year, particularly on this website? Nobody is doing a good job of covering it if you ask me. What about the stories of drivers wandering the pits, helmets in hand trying to a deal for the cars that are entered without drivers? And what about some in depth coverage of how all the rookie drivers really feel about the pressure of having to get ready on a short timeline? Pretty saccharine if you ask me. Charlotte's doing a better job of reporting on the stupid goat rodeo they're staging this weekend. Are there no pr people filing from the speedway. In the words of ESPN NFL...Come on man!

[NickFalzone]

Is it just me or does there seem to be a dearth of information coming from Indy this year, particularly on this website? Nobody is doing a good job of covering it if you ask me. What about the stories of drivers wandering the pits, helmets in hand trying to a deal for the cars that are entered without drivers? And what about some in depth coverage of how all the rookie drivers really feel about the pressure of having to get ready on a short timeline? Pretty saccharine if you ask me. Charlotte's doing a better job of reporting on the stupid goat rodeo they're staging this weekend. Are there no pr people filing from the speedway. In the words of ESPN NFL...Come on man!

I'm sure things will perk up a bit once qualifying starts, but I agree.. not much to talk about/get excited about so far. In fact, if I didn't follow some of the drivers on Twitter, I probably wouldn't know much at all about what's happening at Indy this May.

[cos]

Scott Speed just quit Dragon...

[TURN3]

Scott Speed just quit Dragon...

He might as well...he's been Dragon his slow but around the track all week. Lol...that was funny!

[NickFalzone]

He is denying this on Twitter.

[cos]

...or maybe not! Some drama at least between him and Dragon anyway?
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-scott-speed-to-step-away-from-indy-500-seat/

[DanicaFan]

Well, I was hoping Danica would of made her qualifying attempts earlier in the session but instead she will be in the heat of the day. Oh well, she is showing speed, I think she will do just fine.

[garyshell]

Well, I was hoping Danica would of made her qualifying attempts earlier in the session but instead she will be in the heat of the day. Oh well, she is showing speed, I think she will do just fine.

No she isn't showing speed. She ran 22nd in practice today. With 39 cars in practice she is not even in the top 50%.

Gary

[jackmart]

Ok, can some explain the schedule tomorrow. It seems they will be on track from 11-6:30 but VS only shows 11-2 and 430-630. I'm guessing since it is on vs it will not be available online. Is there an order out?

[maxmach]

just saw on espn, Hey, JUST SAW ON ESPN!, Briscoe hit the wall hard, He is ok, but the car is toast.

[DiverDown]

Well, I was hoping Danica would of made her qualifying attempts earlier in the session but instead she will be in the heat of the day. Oh well, she is showing speed, I think she will do just fine.

Just got bumped....that would seem to be great for her and your lower level of standards...

[harvick#1]

its actually very nice to see the big teams struggle (outside of Ganassi) but the small teams are stealing the show!!!! simply fantastic

[beachgirl]

Well, I was hoping Danica would of made her qualifying attempts earlier in the session but instead she will be in the heat of the day. Oh well, she is showing speed, I think she will do just fine.

Not today she's not. And only on one day so far, and then only for 5 laps. Guess it all depends on one's definition of "fine".

[maxmach]

team Andretti is sucking some major air, too bad they can' t lean on Uncle Tony anymore..... oh yeagh, He didn;t do anything, I forgot

[maxmach]

Go Tags, Bell, Servia, Rice, and...........PT, why not.

[NickFalzone]

wouldn't want to be an engineer working for Ganassi today... ouch.

[jackmart]

I'm trying to find a list of who didn't place. I am getting nervous because there are a lot of good drivers on the outside, Conway, RHR, Danica Patrick, Marco, Rafa, Graham, Briscoe. I thinking someone who is a FT driver may not make it to the top 33 smh

[Nikki Katz]

Ah I wish there was some way it was possible to watch this in the UK, sounds like it was good.

Great result for Tagliani, and there's still some really big names that haven't qualified yet.

[Marbles]

Congrats to the hardest working driver in open wheel. Tags deserves this. Biggest point in his career so far. Good for Sam. Nice kudos from Dixon as well.

Wasn't there multiple runs allowed last year in this round?

Are the top 24 places secured?

[Chris R]

Great results - awesome story for Tags and Schmidt!!! - I agree with Jack, at least one or two FT drivers are likely to be on the outside looking in tomorrow night.....

Hasn't anybody told Buddy Rice to get rid of the goofy straight brim hat thing yet!!??

Betchya Graham is wondering why he went to Ganassi "B" team right about now....

Now, in the CNN sports headlines it talks about NASCAR all star race being all wrong but no mention of Indy pole winner :(

[DanicaFan]

I am really shocked that Danica did not make the top 24 today. She had speed all week. Im also shocked how bad the Andretti team did today. Not a good day.

[SarahFan]

Your one of the few

[TURN3]

I am really shocked that Danica did not make the top 24 today. She had speed all week. Im also shocked how bad the Andretti team did today. Not a good day.

If you paid attention like the rest of us you'd realize that she was around 15th all week with tow aided speeds. No surpise. They should be a little better tomorrow now that the most talented driver on the team finally gave them some feedback they could use. Way ta' go cousin John!

[djarumdudley]

now what are the odds John Andretti gets pulled if one of the full time Andretti drivers DNQs?

[anthonyvop]

wouldn't want to be an engineer working for Ganassi today... ouch.

Seriously....What Happened to Dario was enough to consider firing the offender but to have it happen to Dixon as well? Wouldn't be surprised if somebody is turning in his Target uniform.

[FormerFF]

wouldn't want to be an engineer working for Ganassi today... ouch.

Someone needs to check the fuel pickups on that car. I can't believe they just didn't put enough fuel in the car, but I suppose it is possible

[jackmart]

now what are the odds John Andretti gets pulled if one of the full time Andretti drivers DNQs?

wow I didn't even think of that. That would be so sad. Didn't something like that happen last year with a 2 car team and the non FT placed but the FT driver didn't so they gave the FT driver the seat.

The ganassi thing was very strange

[NickFalzone]

Someone needs to check the fuel pickups on that car. I can't believe they just didn't put enough fuel in the car, but I suppose it is possible

I'm not an expert on car/fuel terminology. What do you mean by "check the fuel pickups"? Keep in mind that the problem happened with both cars, just a bit later on Dixon so he got the hiccup late on the last lap. Do you mean that Ganassi had some fuel pickup that was meant to burn the fuel quicker - ie more speed - and thus they went through their ideal load quicker than expected? I guess what I'm asking is, did they screw themselves by cheating a little and then not covering it up with extra fuel in the tank?

[NickFalzone]

Someone needs to check the fuel pickups on that car. I can't believe they just didn't put enough fuel in the car, but I suppose it is possible

I believe that was Junquira getting pulled for Tags. So it's certainly interesting to see Tags win the pole after getting in through extenuating circumstances last time around (was it 09 or 10?)

[jackmart]

^^I think it was two years ago because I was out of the country and unable to watch coverage of quals last year.

[harvick#1]

the top story lines so far in Indy have been awesome, Tags nailing the pole and to see Sarah Fisher Racing get in the Fast nine, Ed did all he could to save the car from wrecking but it was great to see they tried.

extremely happy still to see Tags win the pole over Dixon, refreshing to see a face other than a ganassi/penske driver taking the spotlight. Andretti Autosport, they might be lucky to field 2 cars in the field :eek: its great to see the smaller teams taking it to the big dogs this year.

[Oli_M]

I'm aamazed at the emotion some people showed yesterday. It really shows which people are doing this because it is more than just a job or paycheck. The reaction all day from Tags and Sam and the 77 team showed just how much it meant to them. Dario's reaction really shows how much the 500 means to him. Sarah and the 67 team was just amazing to watch. I could go on, Servia's interviews whilst he was sitting on the pole with 2 cars to run, and so many more.

I think bump day will indeed see some big names not qualify, and it is sure to be emotional too!

[beachbum]

its actually very nice to see the big teams struggle (outside of Ganassi) but the small teams are stealing the show!!!! simply fantasticThat is certainly the story line for qualifying, but may also be true of the race looking at practice times.

The first real surprise is the dismal showing of Andretti (with the exception of John). I guess all of the chest beating that TK had nothing to do with their success looks a bit disingenuous with all 3 KV cars easily in the field.

The second was the inability to get Briscoe's backup car up to speed. Very un-Penske like.

Bump day should be wild

[dataman1]

I'm aamazed at the emotion some people showed yesterday. It really shows which people are doing this because it is more than just a job or paycheck. The reaction all day from Tags and Sam and the 77 team showed just how much it meant to them. Dario's reaction really shows how much the 500 means to him. Sarah and the 67 team was just amazing to watch. I could go on, Servia's interviews whilst he was sitting on the pole with 2 cars to run, and so many more.

I think bump day will indeed see some big names not qualify, and it is sure to be emotional too!

Add HVM and Simona to the emotional response group.

[maxmach]

Man, it's good to see everything turned upside down, just didn't expect it at indy. Tags 1'st.....yes, Helio 15'th.....wow. AA, the team gonna have to go to AA if they keep nonperforming like this. Just a bit pissed that PT isn't in. Damn it.
It's gonna be a wild and woolly(?) bump day.

[maxmach]

And, just read that Patrick Carpentier will drive for Dragon in place of Speed. I wonder if this is a "friendly" exchange or not. Basically, wondering if Speed is an AH or if it's just that Indy is a tough place to drive your first Indycar.

[Leo Krupe]

Tags did a great job. I'm happy for him, because that's a strike for the Davids against the Goliaths. :)

Rough for PT though...

[EagleEye]

Just made impact, driver ok. I feel very bad for Jay and the crew. Not sure what options they have left before quals.

In Danica terms it was a great drive, despite the result.

Rain might come in to play, as there is a system about two hours out. If it stays away, it is going to be a very stressful day. I'm so very thankful we have both cars in.

[Oli_M]

Not sure what is going on with Dragon. Just read a report that Scott Speed is still at the track, in the Dragon garage, but Carpentier practised the #20 this morning (but hit the wall). With Ho-Pin not cleared to drive currently following yesterdays accident, it will come down to how many cars they can get built/re-built over the next few hours. Possibly Carpentier will try to qualify the #20 and Speed will try to get the #8 in IF they have enough cars/parts?

Anyone heard any news on the second Sarah Fisher entry? Assuming it was the backup #67, which won't be needed now Ed's firmly in?

[DavePI2]

congrats to alex, great to see, exciting qualifying. Good to see certain favorites having problems. Hoping one in particular doesn't make it today and goes stomping off into the sunset. Have been a big fan of alex ever since the 06 toronto race. Anyone remember when he cornered tracy after tracy took him out. The words alex used on live tv unfortunately had to be edited out but it was fun too see and listen to.

[Will Rogers]

Should we put Danica Fan on suicide watch?

It would somehow be karma if on the day after we were told by wild-eyed fanatics that the world was going to end (and didn't, duh), if Danica was to not make the 500 after all of DF's predictions of "she'll do just fine, she's shown speed all week, she's one of the 33 greatest drivers ever", etc.?

[Anubis]

Should we put Danica Fan on suicide watch?

It would somehow be karma if on the day after we were told by wild-eyed fanatics that the world was going to end (and didn't, duh), if Danica was to not make the 500 after all of DF's predictions of "she'll do just fine, she's shown speed all week, she's one of the 33 greatest drivers ever", etc.?

Maybe he's off comparing notes with Harold Camping as we speak?

[e2mtt]

Sounds like Dragon has major problems building cars that run stable

[EagleEye]

Should we put Danica Fan on suicide watch?

It would somehow be karma if on the day after we were told by wild-eyed fanatics that the world was going to end (and didn't, duh), if Danica was to not make the 500 after all of DF's predictions of "she'll do just fine, she's shown speed all week, she's one of the 33 greatest drivers ever", etc.?


He is so out of touch with reality that in his world even if she does not make the race, she did fantastic despite the result.

Imagine if DF was asked to name the top 33 drivers of all time. What a mess that would be.

I wish we had more fans like, but not exactly like him!

[Jag_Warrior]

He is so out of touch with reality that in his world even if she does not make the race, she did fantastic despite the result.

That reminds me of an old joke about a German doctor saying that the operation was a success... but the patient died.

Bob Jerkins just asked, "Can you imagine an Indy 500 without Danica Patrick or Marco Andretti?" Uh yeah, Bob... I sure can. In fact, I'd prefer it. I'm just sorry that they didn't fire Jenkins on the same day that they showed A-root the door.

[Nikki Katz]

Does anyone actually have Versus? The website's "live feed" is just a black screen with "live feed" written on it, and the occasional sound of a car. But I see that Patrick still isn't in. You reckon they'll pull John if she doesn't make it? Conway's on the bubble too, though I'd be surprised if Jakes, Lloyd, Mann etc could really beat them.

[e2mtt]

You'd think Indycar could make a website that wasn't terrible. A archive of the web commentary would be nice...

[FormerFF]

Not sure what is going on with Dragon. Just read a report that Scott Speed is still at the track, in the Dragon garage, but Carpentier practised the #20 this morning (but hit the wall). With Ho-Pin not cleared to drive currently following yesterdays accident, it will come down to how many cars they can get built/re-built over the next few hours. Possibly Carpentier will try to qualify the #20 and Speed will try to get the #8 in IF they have enough cars/parts?

Anyone heard any news on the second Sarah Fisher entry? Assuming it was the backup #67, which won't be needed now Ed's firmly in?

Apparently they are done: http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/42981-with-two-inoperable-cars-dragon-packs-up/

[DavePI2]

rain, rain rain, rain baby rain

[e2mtt]

So it is raining now? Danica & Conway are not on the grid.

[Jag_Warrior]

Last year The Danica blamed the team for her poor performance. Who will she blame this year, God? There's a lot of lightning touching down, so she might want to be careful going down that road.

[beachgirl]

But I see that Patrick still isn't in. You reckon they'll pull John if she doesn't make it? Conway's on the bubble too, though I'd be surprised if Jakes, Lloyd, Mann etc could really beat them.

No. Way. That's actually a Petty entry through Andretti Autosport, just as it has been the past couple of years. It's not Michaels' "decision" to make.

[TURN3]

I can't quite laughing.

Where is our little buddy? Probably at the track outside Danica's garage whaling and balling. I hope he posts another picture of them together with tears on their faces. At least it would be different than every singel other picture he posts.

[DavePI2]

so her car failed tech, hmmm. You don't think her team tried to do the ohio state two step and try too get her through breaking rules do you?

david

P.S. the new motto in columbus," if you ain't lyin, you ain't tryin"

[SarahFan]

37 minutes


Tick tock

[Will Rogers]

I was a guest of Andretti Green one day-after Pole Day not long ago. They were courting my company a bit, so they wanted their drivers to be nice to me. The Andretti family was having a gathering so Marco wasn't around, but the other three drivers were there. Dario was first--he spent 20 minutes being about a charming as a person could be--I felt like I was made of wood standing next to him as he listened, spoke, laughed, joked, and gave us insights on the car, the track, and the wonder of being a 200+ mph race car driver. We then went into the garage to look at the cars, and in comes Tony Kanan--as big a smile as you'll ever see on anyone not named Robinson Cano. He strode over and offered his hand, and chatted for 5-6 minutes, animated and friendly, then excused himself because his very pregnant wife was waiting for him outside. 5 minutes later, the door to the garage opens and in come two young women--Danica and her sister. They walked over to us very purposefully, and although the garage was quite dark their sunglasses were firmly in place over their eyes. Danica, in the lead, walked over to me ahead of her sister, and when she got to me she stuck out her hand, introduced herself as Danica Patrick, shook hands firmly, then turned without saying anything else and with her sister walked out. I could imagine that someone on the team had told here "There's a potential sponsor in the garage, go in and say hello", and sure enough she did. The contrast to her teammates could not have shrieked louder.

Good thing she's got enough out of touch fans who continue to drink the Kool-Aid...

[Leo Krupe]

It looks like PT's made it, unlike last year. As long as that holds, I'll be happy. PT, Simona, and Ana are among those I'll be watching closely.

As an aside, I hate to get personal on boards -- I've done enough of that crap in the past, but I have to agree with much of what's said about DF. However, I do appreciate his threads about the upcoming races, posting the track information, previous winners, etc. That's pretty useful in my book. Singing the praises of Danica of Arc though....

I'm an hour or so southeast of Indy, and in my area, the clouds are gathering. It looks like the storms the track had earlier today are going to cover us here.

[Alfa Fan]

So whose made the race then? Is Danica in? I can't seem to find a live grid anywhere and the live streaming doesn't work properly for me. How long left of bump day?

[NickFalzone]

I agree, the lack of a live grid sucks. Right now Danica is definitely in it, and Marco is on the bubble. Saavedra and Matos are going to try and knock Marco out. Also Lloyd and Jakes, but I doubt they'll have anything for Marco.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Guys, how about this?

http://indycar.com/multimedia/content/42962/?hide_sidebar=true

EDIT: Oops. I see it's not really working. Sorry.

[SarahFan]

Marco is on track .... But the gun went off before he took the green

Does that count?

[NickFalzone]

Marco is on track .... But the gun went off before he took the green

Does that count?

I was wondering the same thing, guess they're gonna count it tho.

[Anubis]

Good job from Lloyd! As for Marco and RHR, not sure how AA contrived to even be in that sort of mess, but being bumped by your team mate must hurt...

ETA - Rejoice! Danica is in.

[SarahFan]

I was wondering the same thing, guess they're gonna count it tho.

Seems like BS to me....

[markabilly]

what???


did scott speed even do a lap at all at indy? practice otherwise



/

[Leo Krupe]

Good field--Pippa made it in, along with PT and Ana. Man, I'm looking forward to next Sunday!

[FormerFF]

Seems like BS to me....

If you are waved on the track before the gun goes off, you are permitted to complete your attempt. It's been that way for as long as I can remember.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

If i was a DHL exec I'd punch Mikey Whinedretti in the face and withdraw the fricking sponsorship for the seasonl. Good nite.

[markabilly]

If i was a DHL exec I'd punch Mikey Whinedretti in the face and withdraw the fricking sponsorship for the seasonl. Good nite.

For sure.

What an andretti screw up.

maybe DHL wanted its' name shown at all those other IRL races, and could care less about Indy

[NickFalzone]

maybe DHL wanted its' name shown at all those other IRL races, and could care less about Indy

Lol.

[SarahFan]

I have no problem with how that went down .... A racer went out and bumped another from the field .... Been that way for 99 years hadn't it

[mousti]

Baguette made it, not bad at all, I think he didn't almost nothing of competition yet in racing this year, so I think it's not bad at all!

[SarahFan]

If you are waved on the track before the gun goes off, you are permitted to complete your attempt. It's been that way for as long as I can remember.


Doesn't seem correct to me....

Why even have a 6:00 cut off time

Seems to me you have either crossed the line of bricks to start your qualifying run by 6:00 or you haven't

[SarahFan]

The race hasn't started on the warmup laps .... Why would a qualifying run?

[FormerFF]

The race hasn't started on the warmup laps .... Why would a qualifying run?

Don't know, not my rules, but that's the way it's been done at the speedway for at least the last 40 years.

[SarahFan]

Fair enough....

[FormerFF]

I'm not an expert on car/fuel terminology. What do you mean by "check the fuel pickups"? Keep in mind that the problem happened with both cars, just a bit later on Dixon so he got the hiccup late on the last lap. Do you mean that Ganassi had some fuel pickup that was meant to burn the fuel quicker - ie more speed - and thus they went through their ideal load quicker than expected? I guess what I'm asking is, did they screw themselves by cheating a little and then not covering it up with extra fuel in the tank?


The pickups I was referring to are the tubes in the fuel cell that get the fuel from the bottom of the fuel cell to the fuel lines that go to the fuel pump. In a race car, the placement of these is critical to getting all the fuel out of the tank. If they are slightly out of position, not all the fuel in the cell will be usable. Every once in a while you see someone having that problem in a race, and they wind up having to pit earlier than the rest of the field.

I would imagine that they would be in a different place for oval tracks than they are for road courses.

[ykiki]

Don't know, not my rules, but that's the way it's been done at the speedway for at least the last 40 years.

Yup that's the way I remember it since I was a kid all those years ago. On Wide World of Sports, if you got on the track before the gun was fired at 6:00, you got to finish your run. Can't believe people are only having a problem with it now. Where ya been????

[Sateryn76]

Just got back from the track, and I must say this was the best I've seen in a while. The rain was sucky, but it gave everything a gravity it wouldn't have normally had.

I don't like Paul Tracy, but he really showed how it was done on his laps. Sorry to see Matos miss it - it drives me crazy sometimes to see these point slots taken up by part-timers. But, it's in the rules, so be it.

Andretti's team is splintering, but that last 10 minutes was ultra-exciting. And, I am much happier to see Marco in the grid than Hunter-Rhey. I hate that guy. I think Marco needs to get away from his dad - I can't imagine the stress of being Michael's son...

And Conway! Poor Mike Conway! It was clear on his laps that just didn't have the juice.

Has Dario made any comments since yesterday's screw-up?

[hondacom]

If you are a racing fan, why do you hate so many drivers ? It`s OK not to like some drivers but keep it to yourself.

[Sateryn76]

If you are a racing fan, why do you hate so many drivers ? It`s OK not to like some drivers but keep it to yourself.

Why? I'm not allowed to say I don't like 2 of the 33+ drivers?

Weird. Well, I'm new here, so...

[jackmart]

^^I think it is ok. What about them do you dislike so much. I strongly, strongly dislike Power and Castroneves. I have met them more than once and each time they are a big headed and a complete jerk. And I will not be shy when it comes to my distaste for them.

I was unable to follow the end of quals and had my mom following it for me. She got confused and rightly so the website and timing and scoring was very confusing, but she thought Graham did not make it. He and Briscoe are my faves AND I am finally going to see the race and I was going to be crushed if I could not see them race in it. Anyways, I totally started crying when I thought Graham was not in it, but they both made it, yay!!

[Andrewmcm]

Dario said that it was a mistake that someone made with the fuel, rather than a miscalculation. For the pole run they put in enough fuel to make it to the end with the knowledge that some fuel was left in the car from the previous run, so they put in less fuel than would normally be needed for a complete run. Unfortunately the car was drained of fuel during the rain delay, hence both Dario and Dixon's car were short on fuel.

[Anubis]

If i was a DHL exec I'd punch Mikey Whinedretti in the face and withdraw the fricking sponsorship for the seasonl. Good nite.

There's a certain irony to being sponsored by DHL and then failing to deliver.

[Chris R]

There's a certain irony to being sponsored by DHL and then failing to deliver.

ouch!

[dataman1]

I heard from Jenkins and from local Indy radio the same thing (which didn't happen) "Can you imagine an Indy 500 without Danica?" So I would like to hear your thoughts on the topic. My point of view is that being the 100th Indy the media would still be there to cover the race so without Danica other drivers would likely get more coverage. To me that is a good thing.

What are your thoughts?

[dataman1]

If i was a DHL exec I'd punch Mikey Whinedretti in the face and withdraw the fricking sponsorship for the seasonl. Good nite.

I bet that Mikey is on his knees asking how he can put DHL on John, Danica and Marco's cars and keep DHL happy.

[dataman1]

In the versus interview of RHR after he was bumped he revealed that the cars have had a problem for sometime, before unloading for Indy. Add that to the comments made by Marco seems like Team Andretti has some internal problems. I hope they can do some inward analysis and team building to get the problems resolved.

[banshee74]

Does anyone get the idea that in the AA team a little too much developmental and engineering resources, parts, team effort, etc. might be going to support what is arguably the weakest driver on the team???? Anyone who has run ovals knows that the car setup is easily (depending on the track) 70-95% of the qualifying speed, and not the driver.

Why didn't Marco pull his time earlier, go out and bang out a modest qual run (knowing full well that it was his teammate on the bubble), AND then leave time for Hunter Reay to go back out and try and requal? Were they that confident that the car setups are that bad that both Marco and Hunter-Reay would not make the field with the setup, yet Princess makes the field with some room to spare??? Superior driving talent.....GMAFB!

Also, did you note the Versus coverage asking Barnhart for a special exception to the 6 o'clock rule for Princess to qualify??? This is the type of stuff that alienates folks to her career, NOT her gender. BTW.....notice the real female racer qualified easily last week with second degree burns....now that's a racer!!

[bzcam]

What are your thoughts?

She doesn't seem to be as much of a jerk as she used to be. She was almost charming in her interviews on Saturday and Sunday. She got it done when the pressure was on, so I have to give her that. As far as the 500 being without her - everyone is lucky she made it. Like it or not she is still the current face of Indycar. With her out a significant amount of interest in the sport from casual fans would have gone away. With her in, it will still be all Danica, all the time, but we all benefit from the increased coverage and exposure.

I would even bet that if she makes the jump to cup next year, she'll be back as a one-off for the 500.

As for me, I'm going to root for Ed Carpenter and Team Sarah. What a story that would be if he were to win.

BZ

[dataman1]

Banshee74, Noticed in the earlier section of TV coverage that Michael was thinking like a team owner and suggesting to Marco that they pull his time and go set a new one. It was Marco and the TV announce crew that disagreed with Michael. We will likely never know but could Michael have been thinking like you suggest? I think so but his son was too selfish to think like a team mate. IMO.

[Will Rogers]

What are my thoughts about an Indy 500 without Danica? It would be preferable to one with her, because more of the focus would be on the race, and the racers. It's an interesting contrast to golf, in which the participant who draws the most media interest is also the best player. The interest in Danica is like the interest in Anna Kornikova in tennis--despite never winning, she was easily the most popular internet search among men under the age of 30.

How many showers have you taken today, Danica?

[Sateryn76]

She doesn't seem to be as much of a jerk as she used to be. She was almost charming in her interviews on Saturday and Sunday. She got it done when the pressure was on, so I have to give her that. As far as the 500 being without her - everyone is lucky she made it. Like it or not she is still the current face of Indycar. With her out a significant amount of interest in the sport from casual fans would have gone away. With her in, it will still be all Danica, all the time, but we all benefit from the increased coverage and exposure.

I would even bet that if she makes the jump to cup next year, she'll be back as a one-off for the 500.

As for me, I'm going to root for Ed Carpenter and Team Sarah. What a story that would be if he were to win.

BZ

I wonder if that is still true. Helio did a hell of a job on Dancing With the Stars, and I'm guessing he may have generated more new eyes on the races than Danica did.

The problem is that Danica isn't that good, and 99% percent of the time, she displays that pissy attitude that Andretti seems to cultivate. She'll take off her clothes, which the male race fan might enjoy, but she alienates a lot of women fans. If her skills could match her body shape, it'd be different, but for now, all I ever see is someone who gets all the race coverage for being popular outside of racing.

[Sateryn76]

Banshee74, Noticed in the earlier section of TV coverage that Michael was thinking like a team owner and suggesting to Marco that they pull his time and go set a new one. It was Marco and the TV announce crew that disagreed with Michael. We will likely never know but could Michael have been thinking like you suggest? I think so but his son was too selfish to think like a team mate. IMO.

There's a sickness in Andretti. On Saturday, they interviewed Marco after his lousy run, and he was as usual his dour, pissy self. Then RHR did the same. But what I thought was interesting is when, at the end of the day, they interviewed Michael, and he did the same! Just very "we don't know what to do" and "this sucks."

This guy is the owner, and a former driver? What an absolute lack of leadership qualities! The owner should have been more "We don't know, but we'll work hard and lick the problem! Just you wait!" What a poor example for his drivers - his son is already jaded and arrogant at 24, and Golden Boy RHR is absorbing that attitude as well now. Danica has always been that way - I hope Conway makes it out before Andretti kills his soul too.

[Sateryn76]

I heard from Jenkins and from local Indy radio the same thing (which didn't happen) "Can you imagine an Indy 500 without Danica?" So I would like to hear your thoughts on the topic. My point of view is that being the 100th Indy the media would still be there to cover the race so without Danica other drivers would likely get more coverage. To me that is a good thing.

What are your thoughts?

I think it would be great. The coverage of her drives me crazy - she's not that good, and as noted above, if you need to concentrate on genitals, then there's one with girl parts that drives hard and well - Simona. I have always wondered why she's not getting the press that Danica is - I can only imagine it's her preference for a helmet instead of a bikini.

[nigelred5]

There's a sickness in Andretti. On Saturday, they interviewed Marco after his lousy run, and he was as usual his dour, pissy self. Then RHR did the same. But what I thought was interesting is when, at the end of the day, they interviewed Michael, and he did the same! Just very "we don't know what to do" and "this sucks."

This guy is the owner, and a former driver? What an absolute lack of leadership qualities! The owner should have been more "We don't know, but we'll work hard and lick the problem! Just you wait!" What a poor example for his drivers - his son is already jaded and arrogant at 24, and Golden Boy RHR is absorbing that attitude as well now. Danica has always been that way - I hope Conway makes it out before Andretti kills his soul too.

Michael has never been that type of person and he did have good ol dad around for quite a while during the successful parts of his carreer. Where's his engineering staff??? There should be zero mystery to these cars by now. Maybe someone wants the little guys to succeed this year at Indy to boost Sponsorship opportunities. Ther seems to be an awful lot of small teams and one offs making the top half of the field.

conspiracy alert..... ;)

[Chris R]

I am thinking the AA issues show how weak the driver line-up is in terms of ability to set up and that communication between drivers and staff must be pretty poor...

[bzcam]

I am thinking the AA issues show how weak the driver line-up is in terms of ability to set up and that communication between drivers and staff must be pretty poor...

I think they miss Tony Kanaan more than they are willing to admit. He qualified easily in what was probably lesser equipment. He was the master of the setup. With him gone, they all struggled. Oh well, money still talks in Indycar...

BZ

[harvick#1]

really hoping The Princess would've failed to qualify that would've made alot of people's day. and it wouldve made for a much better 500, now we have to get the Danica update every 5 laps to see that shes still in 27th but still in the hunt.

great to see Pippa make it in, she was one of the few drivers to be actually excited to make the field, something every driver should be, since there are no guarantees.

I hope I'm not the only one that truely wants to see Ed win the race with Sarah Fisher Racing. they seem to be throwing everything at this event and it would just be awesome if they can pull it off.

all I can say is go Ed, Tags, Servia. the 3 guys with prolly the best shot to dethrone the Ganassi/Penske combo. cant wait for next Sunday

[billiaml]

there's a certain irony to being sponsored by dhl and then failing to deliver.

lol! :D

[billiaml]

AA = Andretti Autosport? Alcoholics Anonymous? Alcoholics Autosport?

[Sateryn76]

I am thinking the AA issues show how weak the driver line-up is in terms of ability to set up and that communication between drivers and staff must be pretty poor...

Mario was on Vs. Saturday at the end of the day, and said that the team had fixed the problem, which was due to a "Center of Pressure" issue. I think that's the relationship between force at the front and back of the car. Does that mean something like the driver thinks more downforce is needed, but the techs are not complying or disagreeing? If so, then Papa Michael needs to get that in hand.

Or, maybe the drivers are so bad at communication in general that the techs disregard them or even avoid them if possible. TK may have done well because he's such a nice guy, and willing to look at all aspects of his race, including his own performance.

[Andrewmcm]

If you imagine that the force created by the pressure difference from the aerodynamic surfaces acted at a single point, then that is the centre of pressure.

Maybe their aero balance is wrong. Too much front wing and not enough rear, or vice versa.

[Jag_Warrior]

If her skills could match her body shape, it'd be different, but for now, all I ever see is someone who gets all the race coverage for being popular outside of racing.

I'd say her skills do match her body shape: flat. :D

If/when The Danica makes her jump into full-time NASCAR racing, I think we'll see then just how vital she is to this series' popularity. At one time, maybe she did provide something of a draw. But I don't sense that she is as important to the series as she used to be. And I also believe that the sooner the driver, who is all about superficiality, leaves, the sooner the series can begin marketing itself based on the things that matter: talent, speed and winning. IMO, it's hard to be taken seriously if your poster child is a bikini model. So I was sad to see that RHR didn't make it in... and that Marco and The Danica did.

Listening to the interviews after the F1 race yesterday and listening to Andretti's interview, about why his team was struggling, made Andretti seem like the captain of an amateur club racing outfit. Still that's the most exciting Bump Day that I've seen in a long time (even taking into account that I haven't watched Bump Day in quite a few years).

[Anubis]

Not that I've had bad experiences with DHL, but...

"We tried to qualify your car for the Indy 500, but you were out. Please contact us to arrange a convenient time to re-attempt qualification".

I wish I had Photoshop skills, I really do...

[Will Rogers]

Watching the interview with RHR yesterday after he got bumped, I thought that they hung on to what quickly became a pointless interview far too long--and then it hit me that they were doing it so DHL would get some exposure for all their trouble, because they'll get none next Sunday... We should thank the savvy producer at Versus for throwing DHL a bone, a tiny splash before they drive off into the wilderness with now-empty exposure tanks...

[Alexamateo]

It appears RHR may be getting in at the expense of Bruno. Don't know if they are buying the ride, or paying to have someone withdraw and RHR is in as first alternate.

http://blogs.indystar.com/racingexpert/2011/05/23/andretti-vows-changes-to-struggling-team/

[SarahFan]

sounds like Foyt need the cash...

I wonder if terms will be released...

sad for bruno if it happens

[Dr. Krogshöj]

If this happens, I hope RHR's engine blows up on the first lap...

[SarahFan]

take it easy Doc..... Ryan might not have anything to do with this at the moment......

it could very well be a case of DHL putting pressure on Mikey who picked up the phone a made a call....

[Alexamateo]

Wouldn't be the first time, 1st race I ever went to as a kid was the 1981 Indy 500, and Foyt sold George Snider's qualified car to Tim Richmond after Richmond failed to make the race.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

take it easy Doc..... Ryan might not have anything to do with this at the moment......

I didn't say Ryan had anything to do with this. I quite like him, in fact. But he has no business being in this year's Indy 500 in my opinion. Again, IF the rumor is true.

[jackmart]

I'd say her skills do match her body shape: flat. :D



Was that comment really necessary? :rolleyes: I am not a huge fan of her but she is the reason I started watching Indycar. She may put herself out there in the shoots she does, but there is much more to a person than their body.


Anyways, I am shocked to hear RHR may get a ride and not from someone from AA or RHL racing. Did he race with Foyt? Poor Bruno, second time he would qualify and lose his seat to another driver

[Marbles]

I never cared for Bruno J. back in the CART days but I think this guy deserves way better. Indy has just been play rotten to him and he deserves better. I hope he gets a few bucks out of the deal.

Michael A's management skills are??? Something's rotten at AA. Fire Anderson now or after Indy? Let's destabilize things as much as we can before the big one.

North American blitz by drivers an awesome idea. Tagliani, Hinchcliffe and Tracy front and centre today in Toronto. Go Canada!!!

[Leo Krupe]

Watching the interview with RHR yesterday after he got bumped, I thought that they hung on to what quickly became a pointless interview far too long--and then it hit me that they were doing it so DHL would get some exposure for all their trouble, because they'll get none next Sunday... We should thank the savvy producer at Versus for throwing DHL a bone, a tiny splash before they drive off into the wilderness with now-empty exposure tanks...
I saw that interview as well, and when the camera held onto RHR, he pointed to the car, and the camera followed. Sponsor exposure...

[anthonyvop]

IF the rumor is true.

It's true

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-junqueira-out-hunter-reay-in-at-indy


My favorite part.


“We’ve been competitors for many years but still it’s the kind of relationship when someone is really down and out, you can’t turn your back on them—at least I can’t,” .......... “This is going back to the way racing used to be, where if people were in a lot of trouble, you tried to help each other out. I know it’s a tough deal for Bruno but he understood the situation. I appreciate that more than anyone knows.”

Yea...Right. You help other teams with parts and mechanics. Giving up your slot only means it was all about the Cash!!!

[nigelred5]

I like Ryan and I don't believe for a second that his not qualifying was due to a deficit in his driving skills, but this just plain sucks for Junky.

[NickFalzone]

I know that, to a certain extent, this is a part of racing. On the other hand, for a competition that wants to be called a "sport", this sort of thing really demeans the integrity of it. The fact of the matter is, through talent, or equipment, or luck, or whatever, Bruno got into the Indy 500 and Hunter Reay did not. I like Ryan, but he did not drive fast enough to make it into the 500. That he will get in, and take out a driver that qualified faster, and has literally broken his neck at the place, just seems awful to me. I know there are sponsor issues, etc. that give this some legitimacy to the TEAMS. But to the fans, this is offensive and takes away the integrity of qualifying for the 500.

[Marbles]

"It’s cool to be driving for A.J. again, especially with Michael’s support and encouragement." -- RHR

I might just try and keep Michael as far away as possible at this point in your Indy 500 effort.

[FormerFF]

Why? I'm not allowed to say I don't like 2 of the 33+ drivers?

Weird. Well, I'm new here, so...

You're permitted to like or dislike anyone you want to. It's a discussion board, feel free to discuss.

[Will Rogers]

This is bad for the "sport", bad for IndyCar, bad for the 500, bad for Bruno, good for DHL, and I'm sure let's Michael not feel so bad about himself. I hope Michael hasn't felt this bad since his first ex-wife wore the bolero hat with the dangly balls and filed her nails in the timing stand in 1992 while he led the race until 11 laps to go when his car conked out--and her expression didn't change from lap 185 to lap 200...

[ICWS]

I really hope somebody will give Bruno Junqueira a full-time ride next season. He's shown more than once to be a team player and to cooperate with the owner of his ride and be willing to do what the owner would like for him to do, along with simply being a consistently fast driver and willing to work to make the car better. Hopefully, a team like Conquest Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, HVM Racing, etc. will take him on-board and give him the full-time ride that he's overdue for.

[harvick#1]

damn, Money brings up its ugly head again, Bruno earned his way in, and with a Sponsor pushing to get in, AJ is too greedy to say no, this a major shame for. I think RHR is an ok, but I wish him no luck at all. Bruno earned his spot, its not his fault AA felt they could get in by being a half-assed 5 car operation. all the more reason that I hope a guy like Tags, Ed, Buddy, Servia win the 500 for the little guys

[RJL25]

If Michael Andretti has any decency, part of the deal would be giving Junky a signed and sealed contract to run him in the 2012 Indy 500 in one of the Andretti Autosport cars, even if it means having to run a sixth car, or dropping John Andretti who, to be fair, at 46 has had his chance.

I can understand Michael Andretti doing this, at the end of the day DHL is a big sponsor who they will want to hold onto, so getting into the field is a BIG deal, so I can't blame Andretti for doing this, but there should be some sugar attached to it for Bruno.

Just my 2 cents

[I am evil Homer]

They have days to sort cars out and get things set up. Bruno gets in, RHR doesn't. It should be that simple - sadly this is a farce that once again shows how risible open wheen racing in the US is.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

I'm a little confused and can't find the answers on any published articles.... is Foyt withdrawing the 41 and thus allowing the 28 car in as the 1st alternate ??? or.... is Hunter-Reay driving the 41 with DHL and Sun Drop decals and money and with the Foyt crew or the Andretti Autosport 28 crew? I know in either case, he will be starting P33.

[beachbum]

I'm a little confused and can't find the answers on any published articles.... is Foyt withdrawing the 41 and thus allowing the 28 car in as the 1st alternate ??? or.... is Hunter-Reay driving the 41 with DHL and Sun Drop decals and money and with the Foyt crew or the Andretti Autosport 28 crew? I know in either case, he will be starting P33.RHR is driving the 41 as a Foyt entry with DHL sponsorship. The change is in the driver, not the car. Some of the details are a bit vague, but it sounded like the engineering would still be from Foyt, while the pit crew would be supplied by Andretti.

While it is controversial and a real downer for Bruno, there are a couple facts to remember. The 41 was low budget with no sponsor and not really a serious contender. The car was not withdrawn, and no car was added to the field. Unlike most races, at Indy the qualifying time is attached to the car, not the driver. RHR has proven the problem was not the driver but the equipment at AA. RHR helped out Foyt when Vitor was hurt and developed a good relationship with the team. I seriously doubt any other combination of circumstances would have resulted in a driver change.

[Chris R]

this stinks, but it is not without precedent. It is pretty much the way things go and really there is no shame in it. If Foyt got $$ out of it that allows him to run a better team during the 500 and the rest of the season it becomes a good thing from that point of view. A full time team did what it had to to support a full time driver, also a good thing..... I think it would probably be mutually beneficial (and decent) if Andretti were to sign on Junquiera as a part time 5th driver or an "advisor" to help the team with setup as clearly none of the current drivers have the technical chops to do the job right (they might be good drivers but you need to be able to communicate what the car is doing with the engineers - I am supposing that is the issue)...

I also have to observe that if Marco has any of his own talent (I am not sure that he does) he needs to go to a different team. His family connections may keep his ride, but I think they are holding him back from developing as a driver - he just isn't hungry enough/ scared for his job......

I also wonder if the family ties realyl screw up the team dynamic (perhaps they are good setup drivers but everyone feels they have to listen to Marco and/or Danica since they are family and high profile......)...

[Jag_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Sateryn76
If her skills could match her body shape, it'd be different, but for now, all I ever see is someone who gets all the race coverage for being popular outside of racing


I'd say her skills do match her body shape: flat. :D



Was that comment really necessary? :rolleyes: I am not a huge fan of her but she is the reason I started watching Indycar. She may put herself out there in the shoots she does, but there is much more to a person than their body.

Sorry if you were offended by that - just addressing a point made by another poster. And it's cool if you like (liked) Danica. To each his own. But I've followed racing since the early 70's and all I see is a PR creation with one lifetime victory in an automobile... who relies on sex appeal to drive her popularity and Q rating. Danica can easily prove me, and all of her other critics, wrong by winning this year's (or any year's) Indy 500. I'm prepared to eat crow if she does that. But I have few worries that I'll be pulling any feathers out of my mouth anytime soon.

BTW, I have nothing against attractive women in racing. My favorite drag racer was Angelle Sampey. I've met her several times and used to chat with her when she had her message board up. She's a genuinely sweet person and a REAL talent. And though I agree with you that there is more to a person besides their body shape, I must say... Angelle was "blessed". ;) But unlike Danica, Angelle refused to use her looks to further her career. To show the fans on her site that she was serious about an upcoming season, she posted a pic of herself in a bikini top on her board. But when some "guests" made a couple of lewd comments, she took the picture down and even apologized if SHE had offended anybody. She only meant to show that she had gotten toned and in shape and was ready to go for ANOTHER championship. She had no intention of going sexy or showing off. We're talking about a woman who's won more pro championships than Danica has won pro races... and she didn't want people to think she was showing off?! I don't watch much drag racing since she retired and I really miss her. I would not miss Danica or her schtick, which IMO, has gotten old (since she has so little to show for all the attention she gets). Without being lewd or further offending you, let me just say... if Angelle had decided to "go Danica" and wear tight outfits and do some cheesecake for the camera, any man who didn't list Richard Simmons as a role model would knock Danica Patrick out of the way to get a look at Angelle in leathers. Brother, let me tell ya! :eek: But that's not how she was... and Angelle was not a member of the Danica Patrick Fan Club either (although she expressed that sentiment in a much kinder fashion than I tend to).

As for the 500, I guess I'm pulling for any non-Penske, non-Ganassi driver... and anyone not named Danica. In fact, I think I'd like to see Simona win it. I like her, plus that might also kill off what remaining Danicamania there is. Double win! :s mokin:

[anthonyvop]

Via twitter:


@OriolServia
As the indystar said,Will AJ give @BJUNQUEIRA the pace car ride? RT @jimmyvasser: Bump day is now officially a joke.Lying to the fans again!

[FIAT1]

Brunos talent is in top 10 of Indy regulars and this is terible what they did to him for 2nd year. Porhaps there is a reason for everything that takes place in life but fact is that he is better racer then Marco,Danica anf Sato combined. Looking forward to see him at RA in ALMS. This is relly ugly and shuld not be allowed in the future. Penske should be perfect example how to be profesional when things don't go your way.

[DBell]

I don't think that the drivers setting up the car was a big factor in the Andretti's disappointing performance. Clearly they had a fundamental problem with the way they prepared the cars for Indy. Kanaan was singing the praises of RHR's setup abilities last year, so I doubt he's forgotten how to do that in a year. The "great setup meister" Kanaan with one of the best engineers managed to qualify in the bottom 3rd in terms of speed. I think this shows that the fast cars come to Indy fast and rarely does a car spend the month in the bottom of the field and find a magical setup or tweak that propels them to the front.

I feel for Bruno and hope he gets some good karma out of this, but I could see something like this coming after the end of qualifying. With one of the few real sponsors in IndyCar not being in the field, I felt that something would happen to get them in field. This race is probably the reason the signed up. It would be a disaster for the series to have them out of the race and maybe leave at the end of the year.

[Bob Riebe]

With one of the few real sponsors in IndyCar not being in the field, I felt that something would happen to get them in field. This race is probably the reason the signed up. It would be a disaster for the series to have them out of the race and maybe leave at the end of the year.IF the racing is in such pathetic shape this is true, better to let it die, than turn it into just money talks, talent walks.

[Chris R]

It has been this way for a long time in many branches of motorsports.....

[anthonyvop]

I don't blame AJ....I would have done the same thing if i was in his position.......Take the cash
I don't blame Michael....I would have done the same thing if i was in his position.......appease a sponsor
I don't blame Ryan.....I would have done the same thing if i was in his position........Drive in the Indy 500


I blame IndyCar for allowing a someone to buy their way into the race.

Remember that is is a series where one of the biggest issues among fans is the amount of ride-buyers and now a driver gets the opportunity to start their "greatest spectacle in racing" not based on talent or performance but on money.

[Bob Riebe]

It has been this way for a long time in many branches of motorsports.....
The Indianpolis 500, is/was supposed to be special, and I do not mean a K-Mart blue light special.

[SarahFan]

Decided yesterday to go the race ..

So my wife (who is also going) asked who was on pole, front row etc

I was giving her a grid rundown when I got go Bruno I explained what was going on with RHR etc

She said "'they can do that?!?!?"

I said yes etc


She said "'wouldn't that be like Kobe losing and then going to play for a team still in the playoffs!?!?!"

I didn't have answer besides .... Yes!

[DBell]

The reasons it was done may differ, but how is this any different from when Mario Andretti was in F1? Someone else would qualify the car and Mario would start the race from the back of the field. In this instance, you have a car qualified by Bruno and it's going to be raced by RHR.

Bruno handled this so well that it makes me wonder if there wasn't some sort of understanding with Foyt from the beginning. Possibly Foyt told him that if a driver and sponsor came to him at some point, that AJ would have to consider it as the car is not sponsored and, presumably, is funded by Foyt himself. Bruno didn't seem surprised by the turn of events.

[dataman1]

I don't blame AJ....I would have done the same thing if i was in his position.......Take the cash
I don't blame Michael....I would have done the same thing if i was in his position.......appease a sponsor
I don't blame Ryan.....I would have done the same thing if i was in his position........Drive in the Indy 500


I blame IndyCar for allowing a someone to buy their way into the race.

Remember that is is a series where one of the biggest issues among fans is the amount of ride-buyers and now a driver gets the opportunity to start their "greatest spectacle in racing" not based on talent or performance but on money.

I agree except we need to blame USAC who put the rule in place 40 years ago. Now the ICS needs to dump the rule and fix it.

[SarahFan]

DBell...

Honest question because I don't know the answer...

Was there cars being bumped from the grid when Mario was starting from the back?

Because if their wasn't that would seem fundamentally different to me

[beachbum]

I don't think that the drivers setting up the car was a big factor in the Andretti's disappointing performance. Clearly they had a fundamental problem with the way they prepared the cars for Indy. Kanaan was singing the praises of RHR's setup abilities last year, so I doubt he's forgotten how to do that in a year. The "great setup meister" Kanaan with one of the best engineers managed to qualify in the bottom 3rd in terms of speed. I think this shows that the fast cars come to Indy fast and rarely does a car spend the month in the bottom of the field and find a magical setup or tweak that propels them to the front.

I feel for Bruno and hope he gets some good karma out of this, but I could see something like this coming after the end of qualifying. With one of the few real sponsors in IndyCar not being in the field, I felt that something would happen to get them in field. This race is probably the reason the signed up. It would be a disaster for the series to have them out of the race and maybe leave at the end of the year.Mostly I would agree with you. But when TK praised RHR it was for his road course setups. Where I disagree is the input of the drivers if the basic initial setup was off. You would think at least one of the 4 regular drivers would have picked up the imbalance issues very early. The fact that a once a year driver like John not only found the problem, but his team fixed it (at least for qualifying) really makes you wonder how sharp the others are at setup or the ability just identify that something's wrong. Why did it take to Saturday night to learn that it was an imbalance problem? Weren't the teams working together?

A small team like Coyne or Conquest could be excused for showing up with a poor setup, but even they managed to isolate their handling issues and run quick enough - in Conquest's case with a driver in their first Indy Car race. Regardless of who is to blame, the whole AA team - drivers, engineers, and management - did a poor job, considering the resources they have.

[anthonyvop]

The reasons it was done may differ, but how is this any different from when Mario Andretti was in F1? Someone else would qualify the car and Mario would start the race from the back of the field.

That was a long time ago and F1 banned it awhile ago. I could maybe accept a driver qualifying a car for another driver if it is announced ahead of the act. Like if Simona wasn't allowed to run because of her burns.

One has to wonder why do some teams even bother to risk qualifying. Just let someone else do it then buy the slot. I am sure there are some teams who would be open to it if was profitable.

[DBell]

That was a long time ago and F1 banned it awhile ago. I could maybe accept a driver qualifying a car for another driver if it is announced ahead of the act. Like if Simona wasn't allowed to run because of her burns.

One has to wonder why do some teams even bother to risk qualifying. Just let someone else do it then buy the slot. I am sure there are some teams who would be open to it if was profitable.

I wasn't talking about qualifying for an F1 race, but qualifying for Indy. I think there were at least 2 occasions when someone else qualified Mario's car at Indy. I know Wally Dallenbach substituted for Mario in 1981. I believe it happened a couple of years earlier when Mario drove for Penske, but I'm not sure on that one.

[SarahFan]

Again ..... A much different situation

It was laid out ahead of time that Mario would race the car

And had wally failed to qualify the car Mario would not have started


It's just different

[hondacom]

It is a sad day for Motorsport when money can buy you a ride after failing to qualify.

[nigelred5]

Decided yesterday to go the race ..

So my wife (who is also going) asked who was on pole, front row etc

I was giving her a grid rundown when I got go Bruno I explained what was going on with RHR etc

She said "'they can do that?!?!?"

I said yes etc


She said "'wouldn't that be like Kobe losing and then going to play for a team still in the playoffs!?!?!"

I didn't have answer besides .... Yes!

Not much different than that late fall trade deadline in MLB when a lot of players are traded to the contenders for the Baseball championship series.

This isn't the only series that allows driver swaps after a car has been qualified. It was far more common when more drivers like Mario raced in multiple series all year long. IIRC something similar had happened at Indy in fairly recent years. Penske didn't buy anyone a ride when his team was shut out at indy, but I'm fairly certain the money was there if he had wanted to.

Junky just doesn't have good luck at Indy.

[Jag_Warrior]

The Indianpolis 500, is/was supposed to be special, and I do not mean a K-Mart blue light special.

There's perception and there's reality. Welcome to reality.

[DBell]

Again ..... A much different situation

It was laid out ahead of time that Mario would race the car

And had wally failed to qualify the car Mario would not have started


It's just different

Yes, the reasons between the 2 are different. But what I'm trying to point out is that this has been the rule at Indy for a long time, if not always. The car qualifies, not the driver. This isn't IndyCar stretching the rules to include a regular driver and sponsor. The possibility for this happening for this reason has always been there and has already happened to Bruno a couple of years ago. Like I said, I feel for Bruno and hope he gets better breaks in future 500's, but I can certainly understand why it's important to Andretti and IndyCar to get one of the few real sponsors in the 500, the only race with decent exposure for the sponsors. Lord knows the Versus ratings aren't going to do the trick.

[Marbles]

I feel sorry for Bruno but I've grown to accept this as something unique to Indy. It adds a certain intrigue and creates this kind of discussion. However, I find it much more palatable when it happens within a team (i.e. Groff\Goodyear... gave us one hell of a race and a major sponsor was appeased and kept a marginal team afloat). Indy really mattered back then and maybe it matters again.

[call_me_andrew]

I'm getting all nostalgic for 5 years ago. http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/05/26/mwaltrip_buy/index.html

[chuck34]

Mario in his F1 days, Goodyear in '92, I'm sure there are more examples. For people to be on here complaining about how this is so horrible for this to happen now, as if this is a new thing, or worse, using this to somehow bash the IRL, is disingenuous at best. This only shows those who still hate anything IRL or Indycar. And those doing the complaining around here are of no surprise to those paying attention. Those people will use anything to disparage Indycar. The only thing I'm surprised about is that they haven't tried to blame Tony George yet.

[SarahFan]

Who is bashing the irl dbell?

I havent read that here on this thread?

[chuck34]

Who is bashing the irl dbell?

I havent read that here on this thread?


I blame IndyCar for allowing a someone to buy their way into the race.

Remember that is is a series where one of the biggest issues among fans is the amount of ride-buyers and now a driver gets the opportunity to start their "greatest spectacle in racing" not based on talent or performance but on money.

I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

[SarahFan]

Fair enough.... Missed that

[SarahFan]

Question for the class regarding the RHR/Bruno swap...

Does anyone think it's time for the rule to be amended?

Personally while I know it's clear this was well within the rules and not done without precedent.... I do feel it circumvents the spirit of the rule...


It seems to me the intent of the rule is to allow a team/car to participate if and when a driver becomes unable go fulfill his driving duties due to injury or illness etc


I have to admit this just doesn't sit well with me....

RHR and AA missed the show ..... Simple as that



So is it time to amend the rule ?

IMO it is


Thoughts?

[anthonyvop]

Mario in his F1 days, Goodyear in '92, I'm sure there are more examples. For people to be on here complaining about how this is so horrible for this to happen now, as if this is a new thing, or worse, using this to somehow bash the IRL, is disingenuous at best. This only shows those who still hate anything IRL or Indycar. And those doing the complaining around here are of no surprise to those paying attention. Those people will use anything to disparage Indycar. The only thing I'm surprised about is that they haven't tried to blame Tony George yet.

Get you facts straight before casting dispersions.

Both were different situations and were prearranged decisions in which everyone, including the fans, knew it was planned that way. And in BOTH CASES the drivers switched seats with drivers ON THEIR OWN TEAMS.
Now we have a team and driver that never showed any speed during practice and qualifying BUYING A STARTING SPOT on the grid with A DIFFERENT TEAM.

Even you should be able to grasp the difference.

[garyshell]

Get you facts straight before casting dispersions.

Get your dictionary straight before casting aspersions.

Gary

[Chris R]

If you see the Indy 500 as the center of all American open wheel racing than the rule should be changed. If you see it as the most important race (by far) in a series, the rule is both fair and sensible.... RHR and AA committed to a full season, are far from a danger on the track and really take nothing away from the field as a whole... Foyt is running a second car for one race with a driver who is not (despite his desire) a full time driver... What is more important, the series or the race? I am on the fence for the most part - but I think the move was not nearly as bad as many here seem to feel... I am not saying it is "good"..... just that it serves a larger purpose.... I would have a lot more trouble with it if they bought out one of the other full timers....

[chuck34]

Get you facts straight before casting dispersions.

Both were different situations and were prearranged decisions in which everyone, including the fans, knew it was planned that way. And in BOTH CASES the drivers switched seats with drivers ON THEIR OWN TEAMS.
Now we have a team and driver that never showed any speed during practice and qualifying BUYING A STARTING SPOT on the grid with A DIFFERENT TEAM.

Even you should be able to grasp the difference.

How is this a different situation? Those teams decided they had a better shot of winning with driver A instead of B. A.J. simply thinks that he has a better shot of winning the race with RHR than Junky. Sure there was also money changing hands, but come on does anyone here honestly believe that A.J. would drop a guy he thought could win?

And my facts are straight. Perhaps you should check your prejudices.

[Chris R]

How is this a different situation? Those teams decided they had a better shot of winning with driver A instead of B. A.J. simply thinks that he has a better shot of winning the race with RHR than Junky. Sure there was also money changing hands, but come on does anyone here honestly believe that A.J. would drop a guy he thought could win?

And my facts are straight. Perhaps you should check your prejudices.

I think AJ thinks the SITUATION is more likely to win - if anything Bruno might be the better DRIVER for the job (although only by the smallest margin, if any - he seems to have a knack for Indy) - however an Andretti pit crew and some extra $$ are going to make a bigger difference to the chances for that car in the race......, I really had not thought of it in that way before but that car could actually be a dark horse- it was reasonably fast and Foyt knows how to do Indy, better pitstops could easily make the difference.....

[Bob Riebe]

Reay could have said- I am not going to buy my way into a race- but did not.

If anyone is to blame, it is he and his reputation is the only thing that could really take a hit here.

[Chris R]

If Hunter-Reay wants to keep his rather enjoyable and probably reasonably lucrative job, he does what he has to (i.e. - what his sponsors tell him to do)... There are those who would criticize him for not wanting to race if given the opportunity - he is in a no win situation.....

Overall it stinks from many angles and that is all there is to it.... It is like the old Howard Jones song "No one is to blame" (or more accurately, EVERYONE is to blame, in this case)

[anthonyvop]

How is this a different situation? Those teams decided they had a better shot of winning with driver A instead of B. A.J. simply thinks that he has a better shot of winning the race with RHR than Junky. Sure there was also money changing hands, but come on does anyone here honestly believe that A.J. would drop a guy he thought could win?

And my facts are straight. Perhaps you should check your prejudices.

I will explain it to you one more time. Try to pay attention.

In the case of both Mario and Goodyear the drivers replaced were both driving for the same teams as Mario and Goodyear and were aware that their job was to get the car into the race.
No seat was Purchased.
No Grid position was filled by the "highest bidder"

In the current case we had a driver receiving a starting grid position for the Indy 500 for a team that wasn't his and until qualifying was over wasn't even planned!

Get it????

[Anubis]

I'm not sure I can agree with the level of apparent outrage some people are displaying about this. Look at HRT last season and the musical chairs between Senna, Chandhok, Yamamoto and Klein. Not exactly the same situation, but still money buying rides and displacing incumbent drivers. It's always gone on and always will. I've no idea what Foyt's funding situation is, but maybe enough cash changed hands to see Bruno reappear later in the season or again next year, who knows? It sucks he's not driving, but then you could argue he's not a series regular and as such was always going to be viewed as disposable. I'm assuming he bought the ride to start with?

[chuck34]

I will explain it to you one more time. Try to pay attention.

In the case of both Mario and Goodyear the drivers replaced were both driving for the same teams as Mario and Goodyear and were aware that their job was to get the car into the race.
No seat was Purchased.
No Grid position was filled by the "highest bidder"

In the current case we had a driver receiving a starting grid position for the Indy 500 for a team that wasn't his and until qualifying was over wasn't even planned!

Get it????

I get it perfectly. RHR, DHL, Foyt, Junky, and Andretti came an amicable agreement which is perfectly legal within the rules as written and the spirit of the rules, and has been done many times before, on who would run in the race. You on the other hand .....

[downtowndeco]

Yup. Another example of "Indycar bad/whatever was before Indycar good." Same thing with the people complaining about low skill level ride buyers. This is something that has always gone on & if you were to go through each and every one of the fields since the race started there is almost always a few no name guys in each race that sort of got in through means other than their raw talent. It has always happened and always will.


I'm not sure I can agree with the level of apparent outrage some people are displaying about this. Look at HRT last season and the musical chairs between Senna, Chandhok, Yamamoto and Klein. Not exactly the same situation, but still money buying rides and displacing incumbent drivers. It's always gone on and always will. I've no idea what Foyt's funding situation is, but maybe enough cash changed hands to see Bruno reappear later in the season or again next year, who knows? It sucks he's not driving, but then you could argue he's not a series regular and as such was always going to be viewed as disposable. I'm assuming he bought the ride to start with?

[anthonyvop]

I get it perfectly. RHR, DHL, Foyt, Junky, and Andretti came an amicable agreement which is perfectly legal within the rules as written and the spirit of the rules, and has been done many times before, on who would run in the race. You on the other hand .....

And I on the other hand thinks the rule sucks and all that manufactured drama on "bump day" was just that....manufactured.

I wonder how many defenders here would feel the same way if instead of RHR we were talking about Milka Duno by a starting spot.

[chuck34]

And I on the other hand thinks the rule sucks and all that manufactured drama on "bump day" was just that....manufactured.

I wonder how many defenders here would feel the same way if instead of RHR we were talking about Milka Duno by a starting spot.

If you think that the Andretti cars sucking was done on purpose to "manufacture drama" ... well then I think we're done here. It's hard to talk to someone with paranoid delusions.

And do you honestly think that AJ would let Milka anywhere near his car, no matter how big the check is? Thanks for proving my point of this being a racing decision, not solely a money deal.

[Anubis]

And I on the other hand thinks the rule sucks and all that manufactured drama on "bump day" was just that....manufactured.

I wonder how many defenders here would feel the same way if instead of RHR we were talking about Milka Duno by a starting spot.

Of course, were there only 28 cars on site, precluding the need for bump day and thus the chance of this sort of drama, you'd be singing the praises of the race wouldn't you? No, you'd be on here whining about the series being weak and how having more entrants than qualifying spots was the hallmark of popularity....

[Marbles]

Bottom line: It's the car that gets qualified. It's a fairly straight forward rule. It can only be driven by a driver who has been qualified to run at Indy. Everbody knows the rules and apparently Bruno, who should be the most upset by this whole affair, is okay with it. He apparently knew the rules going in.


Yup. Another example of "Indycar bad/whatever was before Indycar good."

This rule was around long before IRL\Indycar. Tony George was starting his failed motorsport career on a Big Wheel when it was brought into effect.


I wonder how many defenders here would feel the same way if instead of RHR we were talking about Milka Duno by a starting spot.

If you qualify to run at Indy -- you qualify to run at Indy. I get your point but that's a different issue entirely.

I can live with this rule for this race alone. With the NASCAR like restart rules this year I'm just grateful we don't have those absurd "Past Champions", "Past Winners" and "Best Smoked Ribs" exemptions that make NASCAR qualifying a joke.

[NickFalzone]

Ok, I can live with AJ Foyt changing out his driver, in a car that his team qualified. However, when i hear details like AJ will get to use Andretti's crew, payoffs, etc. it rubs me the wrong way. That driver trades have happened at Indy for a while does not make it any more reasonable to me, and the nitty gritty of this particular deal seems even more unsportsmanlike than the usual. It won't really affect my enjoyment of the race, unless by some chance RHR happens to win, in which case I will be pretty annoyed with Indycar.

[Will Rogers]

You can replace a driver who qualified with one who didn't because it's the car that qualifies--indeed that's the rule, but that doesn't make it right.

Michael Kinsley has postulated the First Law of Scandals, which is that it's not what happens that is illegal that's a scandal--it's what happens that actually is legal. His idea is validated here.

People are too fixated on how long this rule has been in place--slavery was legal for centuries, and it took 55 years after African-American men got the vote before women of any color did. I would love to hear someone claim that it was OK that women didn't have the vote because they'd known for 54 years that was the rule...

[garyshell]

You can replace a driver who qualified with one who didn't because it's the car that qualifies--indeed that's the rule, but that doesn't make it right.

Michael Kinsley has postulated the First Law of Scandals, which is that it's not what happens that is illegal that's a scandal--it's what happens that actually is legal. His idea is validated here.

People are too fixated on how long this rule has been in place--slavery was legal for centuries, and it took 55 years after African-American men got the vote before women of any color did. I would love to hear someone claim that it was OK that women didn't have the vote because they'd known for 54 years that was the rule...


Oh please! This is just a little bit of hyperbole, don't you think? Swapping a driver, slavery and women's sufferage aren't even close to being in the same category.

Gary

[garyshell]

Well if the forecast for Indy is anything like the one for Cincinnati on Sunday (and they usually are pretty close) all the setups are out the window. Predictions are for 90 degree temps by then. This could get even MORE interesting!

Gary

[Mark in Oshawa]

This nonsense over RHR taking Bruno's ride is just a lot of whining. It is a business guys..and this has been done over and over and over and over.....almost every year you would see something like this. If a big sponsor wants into the race and their driver cant get in because he his team screwed the pooch on setup or guessed wrong on air temp, or got caught by rain...well then you saw it.

I always remember reading how someone qualified a car and then got bumped....and it is usually lesser funded teams like AJ's that benefit. What is more, unlike some people (comparing this to slavery or women's sufferage...please kill the hyperbole); I don't see anything wrong with it in this race. Everyone who goes to Indy knows the rules. Everyone when they sign a contract to climb behind the wheel can put a clause in saying they drive or not...and the owners can insist on it and the drivers can make the call then. IT is business..and it is time people quit ignoring that reality.

[beachbum]

This nonsense over RHR taking Bruno's ride is just a lot of whining. It is a business guys..and this has been done over and over and over and over.....almost every year you would see something like this. If a big sponsor wants into the race and their driver cant get in because he his team screwed the pooch on setup or guessed wrong on air temp, or got caught by rain...well then you saw it.

I always remember reading how someone qualified a car and then got bumped....and it is usually lesser funded teams like AJ's that benefit. What is more, unlike some people (comparing this to slavery or women's sufferage...please kill the hyperbole); I don't see anything wrong with it in this race. Everyone who goes to Indy knows the rules. Everyone when they sign a contract to climb behind the wheel can put a clause in saying they drive or not...and the owners can insist on it and the drivers can make the call then. IT is business..and it is time people quit ignoring that reality.But....But...... What are the intardnet experts going to complain about now?

Reading various racing forums I am almost (almost) amazed about how little some "expert" fans know about the rules, the history, and how racing really works. They have forgotten the days when ride hopping on bump day was expected and last minute deals were common. The only unusual thing about this deal was it occurred after qualifying. Had it been announced it at 5:55 Sunday, it wouldn't have even seemed that unusual.

At least it is more transparent that some of the NASCAR deals where a team "buys" the last couple cars in the field to get them to withdraw so some big time team who screwed up qualifying can get back in. Or the "provisionals" that almost every series has or the points buying allowed in NASCAR to get a guaranteed start. Without the points buying, one highly promoted Nationwide driver would not have qualified for many of their first races.

I think one factor that says a lot is that Larry Foyt talked to Bruno before completing the deal. That shows that Foyt at least is a class act.

[Alexamateo]

Yep, and really watch what you complain about, because the solution in this case will be a rule for guaranteed spots for the top 20 or 25 on points(owners) to protect the regulars and their sponsors. I predict that next year there will be a rule in place to do just such a thing.

It might have already happened, but when others in the past like Bobby Rahal and the Penske cars failed to qualify, they were CART drivers in a USAC race, so technically there were no regulars to protect even though CART did actually pay points for the Indy 500 most (but not all) years.

[Chris R]

Yep, and really watch what you complain about, because the solution in this case will be a rule for guaranteed spots for the top 20 or 25 on points(owners) to protect the regulars and their sponsors. I predict that next year there will be a rule in place to do just such a thing.

It might have already happened, but when others in the past like Bobby Rahal and the Penske cars failed to qualify, they were CART drivers in a USAC race, so technically there were no regulars to protect even though CART did actually pay points for the Indy 500 most (but not all) years.

good point - I had not even thought about that un-intended consequence of changing the existing rule... this is, in effect, letting the free market do its job in lieu of socialized allocations of a scarce resource.....

[DBell]

Dixon leads Carb Day. Tags second and Ryan Hunter-Reay is seventh.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91781

[Will Rogers]

I always remember reading how someone qualified a car and then got bumped....and it is usually lesser funded teams like AJ's that benefit. What is more, unlike some people (comparing this to slavery or women's sufferage...please kill the hyperbole);

Anyone who thinks the point of my post was that Bruno getting bumped is the equivalent of denying woman's suffrage...wow, that's some willful mis-reading on a epic scale. My point, which was clear, is that too many posters have claimed that, in essence, the rule under which Bruno lost his ride is valid because it has existed for a long period of time. That's just dumb, and I used some examples of far more important injustices that had existed for a long period of time to illustrate how sad and wrong it is to try to pull the fig leaf of "it's been the rule for a long time" to justify a bad rule. It's OK if you don't agree with me, but it's not OK to make stuff up.

[harvick#1]

no driver should ever be replaced in the starting grid unless they are unable to compete. Bruno was tossed to the dogs after easily Qualifying for the 100th Indy 500. only 33 drivers get to say they were a part of the 100th. Bruno got the shaft because the corporate greed pushed him out and AJ was money hungry. if by some miracle RHR wins, he would know, he really wouldnt deserve it for not even qualifying for the race in the first place.

[billiaml]

I couldn't have put it better myself, h#1. Of course, if RHR doesn't win -- or at least make a really good showing -- he'll have a lot to answer for. I'd say this puts him in a very awkward position either way -- and it's one that they never should have gotten him into.

[garyshell]

Anyone who thinks the point of my post was that Bruno getting bumped is the equivalent of denying woman's suffrage...wow, that's some willful mis-reading on a epic scale. My point, which was clear, is that too many posters have claimed that, in essence, the rule under which Bruno lost his ride is valid because it has existed for a long period of time. That's just dumb, and I used some examples of far more important injustices that had existed for a long period of time to illustrate how sad and wrong it is to try to pull the fig leaf of "it's been the rule for a long time" to justify a bad rule. It's OK if you don't agree with me, but it's not OK to make stuff up.

Then why even bring them into the arguement? You were the one who drew the comparison, and now want to distance yourself from it.

Gary

[Will Rogers]

Gary, you're right--I should have known that people wouldn't be able to make the distinction and would claim I was trying to do something I wasn't.

[SarahFan]

Made perfect sense to me will

[Will Rogers]

Let's get back to talking about the race.

CDW announced they will be the primary sponsor of Oriol Servia's #2 car for the Indy 500. Nice to see them come back into motor sports.

[DanicaFan]

I cant wait for this race. The weather will be great. And come Sunday afternoon, my signature will become truth when Danica takes the checkers!

[TheCountessZ]

I have high hopes that this weekend's winner will not be a Ganassi, Penski, or Andretti team member...that and that no one gets hurt this year! ;) :D

[Chris R]

Let's get back to talking about the race.

CDW announced they will be the primary sponsor of Oriol Servia's #2 car for the Indy 500. Nice to see them come back into motor sports.

Wait, they can't do that after qualifying - they are buying their way into the field!!! :eek:

[Will Rogers]

And into the front row...not like the lame Andretti clan, buy a back-marker slot...

[SoCalPVguy]

I cant wait for this race. The weather will be great. And come Sunday afternoon, my signature will become truth when Danica takes the checkers!

and we will be there to quote you on this !

[harvick#1]

I have high hopes that this weekend's winner will not be a Ganassi, Penski, or Andretti team member...that and that no one gets hurt this year! ;) :D

yep, really hope Tags or Ed can pull out the win, especially Ed because what a major boost would that be for Sarah Fisher Racing

[gm99]

no driver should ever be replaced in the starting grid unless they are unable to compete. Bruno was tossed to the dogs after easily Qualifying for the 100th Indy 500. only 33 drivers get to say they were a part of the 100th. .

Well, Bruno will get his chance to be one of the 33 drivers of the 100th Indy 500 ........................ in 2016 ;)
(while this year is the 100th anniversary of the first Indy 500, it is "only" the 95th running).