Pole Day Thread !!!

[ChicagocrewIRL]

This is it !!! I am totally excited. Can't explain it but my heart is going a million miles a minute. It's Pole Day ! The new format should be very interesting. Wish I could be there in person :( . But oh well I have my big screen HD TV at home a cold one in one hand, my IndyCar live timing and scoring on my computer, and Tivo set up to catch the parts I miss.

Good luck to all the drivers !!! I'm cheering for Ryan, Danica,Marco,Dario,Tomas, and Scott D. !!!!!

It's 9:32 Chicago time speeds ARE UP !!! 226.236 for Tony Kanaan

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Milka didn't practice this morning. I wonder if they didn't get her car back together or if they didn't have the T car ready to go ....

[ozrevhead]

Can we see it on the net with either timing or live feed

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Can we see it on the net with either timing or live feed

yes go to Indycar.com you must use internet explorer though. Not Mozilla Firefox

[Alexamateo]

I think it will be avail. at Indycar.com or Indy500.com (Timing I know, Live feed too, but I don't know how the tv influence comes into it.)

Kanaan fastest in morning practice, Danica 2nd. 22 cars took practice. Milka and others with no real shot are probably going to wait til Sunday at the earliest, but if they are only going to qualify 22, She and others are going to be hard pressed regardless to get that far up the grid. It's not like Nascar used to be is it? i.e. you could post a time today and "stand" on the time tomorrow, back when they had multi-day qualifying.

[ozrevhead]

i just checked my guide for PayTV here and ESPN has it live :D

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Glad to hear it !!! should be an awesome quals session !!

[ozrevhead]

how does qualifying work?

[cos]

how does qualifying work?

Your print-out-and-keep guide to the Indy500 qualifying procedure:
http://www.indy500.com/modules/pdf/2007QualProc.pdf

[ozrevhead]

thanx :D

atmo Ryan has pole but we only have 5 runners so far

[ozrevhead]

bugger - too good to be true

Great effort nevertheless - give him a great chance for a podium

[gshevlin]

Well, with the track temp over 110 degrees and the outside ambient already above 80, downforce and power are down, as can be seen by Marco Andretti barely breaking 223 on his run. We won't see much action until at least 5.00, after which time it may get real busy...
Although the broadcast guys are having to talk to fill up time, I do find it sad when the word "bump" gets modified to talk about people being bumped off a grid position to a lower one. Talking about somebody being bumped from 11th on the grid is a devaluation of a term which in past years meant that you were out of the race...

[Jonesi]

Well, with the track temp over 110 degrees and the outside ambient already above 80, downforce and power are down, as can be seen by Marco Andretti barely breaking 223 on his run. We won't see much action until at least 5.00, after which time it may get real busy...
Although the broadcast guys are having to talk to fill up time, I do find it sad when the word "bump" gets modified to talk about people being bumped off a grid position to a lower one. Talking about somebody being bumped from 11th on the grid is a devaluation of a term which in past years meant that you were out of the race...

Would you prefer the term "Nudged"? ;-)

[Jonesi]

yes go to Indycar.com you must use internet explorer though. Not Mozilla Firefox

Works ok with Netscape 7 too.

[indycool]

They've gone through the line, Penske pulled his cars out to wait till later and Franchitti is currently on the pole. Looks like a "wait till 5" day. Wheldon and Dixon are now on the second row and I can't imagine Ganassi would be content with that, so they'll probably go again with the new rules. Matsuura and Jeff Simmons might, too. And Michael Andretti, if he gets bumped, but so far, all five of his cars are "in."

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Just watched Sam's second attempt. INCREDIBLE. I love this new qualifying format. IT'S A KEEPER

[indycool]

Yep, sure is. Yiu gotta believe Wheldon and Dixon are going to go again, Danica practiced at 225, Kanaan is stomping around and Foyt's keeping Darren Manning "hidden" right now with Michael ANdretti on today's "bubble." This is fun!

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Whew !! I am breathing again. I held my breath for Helio's 4 incredible laps. GO HELIO !!!!!! Let's see if it holds up... I think we may be out of time .

[Jonesi]

Just watched Sam's second attempt. INCREDIBLE. I love this new qualifying format. IT'S A KEEPER

It took three years for the first weekend to be run to the new rules. It seems to add some excitement, but would not have worked in the healthy entry CART years, or in the days of multiple engine suppliers with short mileage qualifing engines.

[xtlm]

That was thrilling!!!

I was thinking "Man Helio got off that last corner FAST" and he proved me right when Kannan could not match that last front stretch speed.

I watched this thing all day....i'm an addict, lol


man, do they ever wait for the very last second....the ones that didnt get another go around should have went out 15 min sooner...when nothing was going on....I know about the track temps and all....but its better to try again than not to go at all (if that is what u want to do)


Brisco had a nice showing too!

[indycool]

Jonesi, so what?

TK was really close...and if there was time left and TK didn't get Helio, Danica was next in line for a try.

Bump Day with the big kids.

[Jonesi]

Jonesi, so what?

TK was really close...and if there was time left and TK didn't get Helio, Danica was next in line for a try.

Bump Day with the big kids.

I was just saying that what wouldn't have worked without a single spec engine, tire marker, etc, does now. With those things it an interesting concept, with some new stategies.
I think it a shame they didn't adjust the schedule (new DST) to get a real "happy hour" cool off, then there really would have been a shoot out among 6-8 drivers for the pole.

[indycool]

Yeah, everyone in the stands thought one of the most exciting Pole Days in Speedway history was a "shame." You shoulda listened to 'em.

There WAS a "Happy Hour." Hornish blew one lap each on two strikes or would've beaten Franchitti. Castroneves barely did. TK barely missed the pole. Simmons, Carpenter, SHarp and Manning barely missed bumping Michael Andretti from the show. All but Hornish's runs happened in the last 40 minutes.

[Civic]

Why did Kanaan slow on the last lap? The lap tracker just suddenly showed a steep red line. Did TK think that he completed four laps at the end of the third? He could've had the pole!

[indycool]

Someone said he pushed up just a little in Turn 3 on the last lap and that cost him the pole -- by .042 of a second over four laps.

[Alexamateo]

Just getting to the thread because I didn't see it live. I recorded it, and I liked it. It is the bump day drama, but at the front of the field. I like it. Maybe next year up the money they pay and or pay all 11 positions, almost make it like another race.

[tbyars]

Talking about somebody being bumped from 11th on the grid is a devaluation of a term which in past years meant that you were out of the race...

Yep, and "mechanic" used to mean the guy who rode in the second seat.

Things change. Most of us adapt.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

THAT'S IT !! Screw my boss ! I'm taking every weekend off in May next year. This was the most exciting qualifying I have ever watched.

I love the new format and the great thing is, I really care about the guys and gals driving these cars. Helio is hilarious! Tony is class classy classy... Dario is quiet and strong, Scott D. is laid back totally cool, Sam's a nerd, and Dan is cocky and has the talent and results to back it up.

The AGR guys and gals really stepped up and gave Penske and Ganassi a major challenge. GREAT JOB !

For next year, I'm gonna get every IRL fan in Chicago together and take as many busses as we need to get to Pole Day next year. PHENOMENAL !!! The crowd noise above the roar of TK's engine as he crossed the line on each of his final qualifying laps gave me goose bumps. I WANNA BE THERE NEXT YEAR. (if it doesn't rain)

[Hoss Ghoul]

You have to know that with the feud between TK and Helio they both wanted that pole bad.

I think some of the teams did a poor job planning at the end of the day though, they blew about 20 minutes of the last hour just waiting. Now, I realize that the longer they waited the better their shot at pole was, but some simple calculations can tell you only X drivers are going to be able to make a lap, and you're better off taking a shot early in the session than just missing like Danica did. What's the worst that happens, you lose the 3rd or 7th spot and end up 10th or 11th? Maybe you have to qualify the next day and are 12-16th...not that bad a risk considering the potential reward if you ask me.

[indycool]

Hoss, that's been a crapshoot in ANY kind of bumping process for years at Indy. They look at the weather, when they might get a cloud cover to cool down the track, "deke" toward the line, then pull back, and a lot of it is going in at a time to keep SOMEONE ELSE from having the time to do it. It played like it always plays.

[ACTF_ZETT]

Great weekend at Indianapolis. What a fantastic battle on Saturday. I tell ya what, if Danica would of gotten out before the gun went off, we would have seen some fireworks. She has been up on the speedcharts all week.

Suprise that Dixon and Wheldon didnt throw up higher numbers there at the end. Being a Kanaan fan I was going nuts at the end there. Im going to give him a hard time before the drivers meeting Saturday the 26th.

[Indy500'79]

The new format was great in my opinion. You had the battle for pole, and Andretti at #11 sweating his spot. Kudos to Ryan Briscoe - what a great story that team is. I would love to see an underdog win for a a one-off effort like that.

[indycool]

Sunday was little different among those not yet qualified. You had Jaques Lazier trying to bump his brother when the gun went off, although he missed. Al Jr. got bumped and must make the field next weekend. Talk went all through the stands on who'll finally come out in the "second weekend" cars, of which there are 10 registered, next week. To be continued....

[xtlm]

I did not get to see it today....because espn2 had womens golf that went to 3 extra holes........that took an hour.....blarg

I saw Lazier stop his run, and thats it

[ChicagocrewIRL]

stupid women's golf