Bump Day 2007

[weeflyonthewall]

Who won't make the parade on May 27th? The suspense is killing me :o .
All those great drivers (?) who have yet to make the field have one last chance this Sunday. Good luck to Phil Giebler.

[Alfa Fan]

I predict that Phil Giebler and Richie Hearn will both make the field, and that Jimmy Kite will be bumped from the starting line-up.

[Alexamateo]

I hope Playa gets Phil's car back together. I would add PJ Jones to Alfa's list. Roberto Moreno's speed won't hold up, so he'll have to withdraw it or re-qualify after he's bumped. I don't think Kite or Hearn make it in. Hearn I think is going to run out of time to dial the car in.

[Alfa Fan]

Is PJ Jones definetly going to run tomorrow?

[Alexamateo]

He'll run.

[Komahawk]

Giebler! Giebler! Giebler!

[ChampUSfan]

I put my money on Phil Giebler to make the field. But so sad if the beautiful car of Jones isn't in the field! will see

[millencolin]

i'd like to see Giebler get in the field... He was half decent in A1 so good luck to him

[Alfa Fan]

PJ Jones is indeed out in practice before Bump Day.

[indycool]

As I posted in the other thread, P.J. and Hearn have both got big 216s today, Kite's at 213 and still having gearbox trouble and Giebler's bunch is still thrashing.

[EagleEye]

Who won't make the parade on May 27th? The suspense is killing me :o .
All those great drivers (?) who have yet to make the field have one last chance this Sunday. Good luck to Phil Giebler.

Phil's team is indicating they found a tire was going down during his run yesturday, though they did not bring him in as it was a slow leak, and they thought he was going to be able to make it for that last lap. The car is back together, thanks to some spare parts offered from other teams.

Phil is sore today, and missed the morning pratice as he was getting some attention to his sore body. The plan is to get him some practice, and get the car in line for an attempt. They are hopeful that Phil can have another run and get in a solid four laps.

[courageous]

Geibler & Hearn are both safely in, Jones ran laps in practice that would be good enough to join them.

Kite bumped & Moreno next on the list.

Wonder if there will be any last minute supprises (Larry Foyt? 2nd Beck? any T cars?)

[indycool]

Moreno withdrew the qualified car and then ran a 220-plus, so he's in. That leaves Roth on the bubble with P.J. Jones and Kite shootin' at him.

[Jonesi]

Looks like both of them have given up on finding the speed.
Last weekend I was thinking mid 218 might be good enough to be in, and it appears Roths high 218 is.

[Jonesi]

Kites getting ready to go out after all.

[Hoss Ghoul]

The official having trouble firing the gun at the end of qualifying pretty much summed up this Bump Day...

[Colsanders]

Before long, Bump day will will mean the last half dozen (of the 33 car field) "bumping" into TG's wallet just so the 500 can fill the field.

[indycool]

Hear that stuff every year. Most years, there has been bumping. Every year, there have been at least 33 starters. You'd think we'd stop hearing it after all these years of it.

[Alexamateo]

Before long, Bump day will will mean the last half dozen (of the 33 car field) "bumping" into TG's wallet just so the 500 can fill the field.

If you mean that the lowest purse paid by TG for the race will be $200,000, you are right. To put $200,000 in perspective, It is equal to the purse paid for 3 wins in CC

[Jonesi]

If you mean that the lowest purse paid by TG for the race will be $200,000, you are right. To put $200,000 in perspective, It is equal to the purse paid for 3 wins in CC

It's also less than equal to three last place finishes in Nascar Cup. ($76k average last year for lowest purse.)

[indycool]

So, with all the stuff on the other board about Allmendinger, if he finished last in ONE Cup race, his team's prize money would be more than if he WON one CC event.

[Colsanders]

Hear that stuff every year. Most years, there has been bumping. Every year, there have been at least 33 starters. You'd think we'd stop hearing it after all these years of it.

I appreciate your passion...maybe you're alot younger. Us baby-boomers remember the days when bump day at Indy dominated that day's sporting news - not just racing news, sporting news!

Let's face it - drivers NOT qualifying at ANY Nascar race is bigger news than not qualifying at the Indy 500.

[Colsanders]

If you mean that the lowest purse paid by TG for the race will be $200,000, you are right. To put $200,000 in perspective, It is equal to the purse paid for 3 wins in CC

It costs a team 100K to "lease" an engine from Honda. If the prize money was that lucrative, bump day would be indeed busy. To field equipment and team personnel for the whole month of May is much higher than most teams earn in prize money. This is why strong sponsors must be brought back in to the fold. Corporate people do not need to see half-filled seats. Spending a weekend in rural Iowa won't impress them, either, no matter how many fans show up.

No defending CC, either. They are a second rate series as is the IRL without the 500. However, Long Beach, Surfers Paradise, and Toronto will outdraw most IRL race weekends.

The market is there for only one Indycar type series.

TG has taken too much advise from those who now must defend failure. Real long-term fans of Indycar type racing cannot like where the sport is heading.

[indycool]

I'm not a lot younger and I enjoyed Bump Day like many people enjoyed Bump Day in years past. Pole Day acted like Bump Day this year with the newer qualifying procedure with Helio getting the pole and Kanaan missing it by a whisker. And that was for the front of the field, not the back. Second day, Jaques Lazier went out to try to bump his brother. Similar moments.

But regardless, the CW mantra about Bump Day all these years is a small part of the month of May. Those of that ilk took a needle in the haystack and tried to turn it into a machete. It may be hot on the forums and with Robin Miller and CCWS and CW, but CC teams could enter the "500" anytime it wants to if its fans don't like Bump Day anymore at Indy. But apparently they don't want to do it, or don't have the cojones because they consider ovals dangerous, or want a trick financial deal to do it with their noses stuck up in the air like they're more important than the competitors who DO enter and show up and have the cojones and run.

EDIT: The Indianapolis Star reported some packages were available to teams for $321,000 that included car, engine, fuel, tires and entry fee to run the second weekend and race weekend. 10 cars took advantage of that package. That leaves $121,000 to cover for pit equipment, crew, etc., with a sponsor, or considerably less than it has previously.

33 starters on Race Day....just like always......

[Colsanders]

I'm not a lot younger and I enjoyed Bump Day like many people enjoyed Bump Day in years past. Pole Day acted like Bump Day this year with the newer qualifying procedure with Helio getting the pole and Kanaan missing it by a whisker. And that was for the front of the field, not the back. Second day, Jaques Lazier went out to try to bump his brother. Similar moments.

But regardless, the CW mantra about Bump Day all these years is a small part of the month of May. Those of that ilk took a needle in the haystack and tried to turn it into a machete. It may be hot on the forums and with Robin Miller and CCWS and CW, but CC teams could enter the "500" anytime it wants to if its fans don't like Bump Day anymore at Indy. But apparently they don't want to do it, or don't have the cojones because they consider ovals dangerous, or want a trick financial deal to do it with their noses stuck up in the air like they're more important than the competitors who DO enter and show up and have the cojones and run.

EDIT: The Indianapolis Star reported some packages were available to teams for $321,000 that included car, engine, fuel, tires and entry fee to run the second weekend and race weekend. 10 cars took advantage of that package. That leaves $121,000 to cover for pit equipment, crew, etc., with a sponsor, or considerably less than it has previously.

33 starters on Race Day....just like always......

OK, Indycool. How do you explain the lack of interest? Why have most of the major sponsors and engine manufacturers gone on to greener pastures?

I love Indy. I long for the event to regain its' place as the world's greatest sporting event. I was in the turn three stands last year - and there were many, many empty seats there. With no change in direction, where will the Indy 500 be ten years from now?

[indycool]

Lack of interest? Your glass is half empty or half full. Has the split hurt everybody? Of course. Are there more choices to make for entertainment in this world today than when you were talking about? Yes. Has NASCAR's surge in popularity had an effect? Somewhat. Has the "ladder" of open wheel oval racing going to NASCAR in the USA and foreign road racers taking their place at Indy disenfranchised grassroots oval fans? Without a doubt.

But the "500" is still the "500." Honda is a major manufacturer involved. Major sponsors ARE involved. 33 starters go to the line Sunday at the world's largest seating facility, which will house more people than any race in the world by thousands....whether there's a few empty seats or not.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I just love the fiction that Indy isn't as big as it was but THAT IS "OK" . If I lived in Indy, I would want to have it explained to me how things have to be the way they are now. Lets face it, the artificial construct that has created two OW racing series where their is barely enough sponsors now for just ONE is just that, an articficial situation that was created by the overblown ego of a few misguided men, the same ones who now oversee a tradtion of "Bump"day being a very unwatchable and boring facsimle of what it once was....

[indycool]

It is truly interesting that so many CC fans chide Indy about Bump Day as if it was the defrocking of a new Pope, but with the new qualifying format, Helio Castroneves took the pole on the next-to-last run, Tony Kanaan then just missed and Danica Patrick was in line when the gun went off on Pole Day. On the second day, Jaques Lazier was trying to bump his brother as the gun went off. Carb Day? Since they moved it to Friday and tossed in a concert, the crowds have gotten bigger than ever.

Poor wittle Bump Day.

[weeflyonthewall]

It is truly interesting that so many CC fans chide Indy about Bump Day as if it was the defrocking of a new Pope, but with the new qualifying format, Helio Castroneves took the pole on the next-to-last run, Tony Kanaan then just missed and Danica Patrick was in line when the gun went off on Pole Day. On the second day, Jaques Lazier was trying to bump his brother as the gun went off. Carb Day? Since they moved it to Friday and tossed in a concert, the crowds have gotten bigger than ever.

Poor wittle Bump Day.

So they did what they could to make it better than Flintstone reruns. What's your point? Even ABC is losing audience when the action doesn't really start until the last half hour. Then switch to ESPN2 to catch the rest.

[indycool]

My point is that much of the Bump Day criticism that has occurred in the last decade from those who follow the CW mantra is so much effort at picking fly crap out of the pepper.