The 91st Indianapolis 500 thread.......

[mlittle]

Every major sports and series has its la place de magica, the magic place, where anything can and sometimes does happen in the most interesting of ways.........in NA motorsports, every May, everyone's attention turns to 2.5 miles of central Indiana blacktop, crowned with an historic yard of bricks; it is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. Since Ray Harroun won the very first 500 in his 1911 Marmon Wasp, drivers and teams have traveled to Speedway, Indiana to take on one of the most challenging tracks in the world.

Just coming to the Brickyard, though, is only part of the story......win here, and you will cement your place in racing history, from the ceremonial "kissing of the bricks" at start/finish to getting your visage immortalized on the Borg/Warner Trophy......winning here is comparable to winning at Monaco in F1 or winning at Le Mans in sportscars; win Indy, and people will remember your win for years afterwards.

Here is the schedule for the month of May.....................
~~6-7 May 2007......................Rookie Orientation Program
~~8-11 May 2007....................Open Practice Sessions 1, 2, 3 and 4
~~12 May 2007.......................Pole Day Qualficiations(positions 1-11)*
~~13 May 2007.......................Second Day Qualifications(positions 12-22)*
~~16-18 May 2007..................Open Practice Sessions 5, 6 and 7
~~19 May 2007.......................Third Day Qualifications(positions 23-33)*
~~20 May 2007.......................Bump Day Qualifications*
~~24 May 2007.......................Practice/Qualifications for the Indy Pro Series American Freedom 100
~~25 May 2007.......................Carb Day(final practice session prior to the Indianapolis 500)
~~25 May 2007.......................Indy Pro Series American Freedom 100(40 laps)
~~26 May 2007.......................Indianapolis 500 Drivers' Meeting(open to the public; held in the Tower Terrace next to the Bombardier Pagoda)
~~27 May 2007.......................91st running of "the Greatest Spectacle in Racing", the Indianapolis 500
*--practice sessions also to be held on those days

Broadcast time for the 500 is 1 pm, 27 May 2007, live on ABC Sports(domestic television; check listings for international broadcasts); domestic AM radio broadcast courtesy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway(IMS) Radio Network; satellite radio broadcasts courtesy of XM Satellite Radio, Chs. 144 and 145(XM Sports Nation and XM IndyCar Racing); shortwave radio broadcasting courtesy of the United States Armed Forces Network

[mlittle]

Playa del Racing will be using a mix of veteran experience and rookie talent in the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500, as they've tapped veteran Jaques Lazier and rookie Phil Giebler for the month of May. Giebler, who passes his IndyCar Series rookie test in late April at Kentucky Speedway, already sounds ecstatic.........

It's an amazing feeling; I've wanted to do this for years. I got the opportunity to (drive) the Indy Pro Series car with Playa del Racing at St. Pete. and we hit it off great. Everybody wants to do the same thing--go to Indy. That really came up fast for me. It's the biggest race, the Super Bowl of racing. I just hope to do well and bring home a good result for the team.

Giebler brings a wealth of experience, having competed in both the IRL Indy Pro Series over the past few years, along with stints in F3000 and the A1 Grand Prix series w/Team USA; he will be driving the #31 Playa del Racing entry.*
*--Giebler will participate in rookie orientation next week at Indy

For Jaques Lazier, brother to 1996 500 winner and 2000 IndyCar Series champion Buddy Lazier, it will be his 7th attempt to qualify for "the Greatest Spectacle in Racing"(his best finish was 10th back in 2000) and will be driving the #21 Playa del Racing entry.

[mlittle]

There are many fine traditions that surround the Indianapolis 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and here are just a few................

~~The 500 Festival Parade. Modeled on the Festival Parades prior to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, the 500 Festival Parade is held on the day before the 500 through downtown Indianapolis; it first began in 1957 on the advice of local columnists for the Indianapolis Star who had seen the festivals at Churchill Downs and wanted a parade of their own prior to the 500.

~~"Back Home Again in Indiana". Maybe it's just me, but you cannot help but get choked up a bit hearing that song being sung iduring pre-race activities, with the Purdue University Marching Band providing the background music. First begun in 1946, the list of singers have included James Melton, Mel Torme', Dinah Shore, Vic Damone, Ed Ames, Dennis Morgan, Johnny Desmond and Jim Nabors, who's been singing those immortal words since 1972.

~~The Balloons Before the Start. First begun in 1947, the release of the 10,000+ red, white, blue and checkered flag balloons was timed to coincide with the singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana" on the advice of Mary Fendrich Hulman, wife of the then-Speedway president, Tony Hulman(grandfather to the current IMS CEO, Tony George).

~~The Borg-Warner Trophy. Perhaps no trophy in all of international motorsports quite exemplifies the honor given to the winner of the Indianapolis 500-mile race than the Borg-Warner Trophy, named for the Borg-Warner Automotive Company. What makes the trophy so unique? Just look at the visages of all the 500 winners on it, from Ray Harroun in 1911 to Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006.

~~Bump Day. Technically, this is the day of qualifying in which, once there are 33 cars on the grid for the Indy 500, drivers not in the race will attempt to make last efforts to qualify, in the process "bumping" the slowest drivers out.

~~Carb Day. Once known as "Carburation Day", this is the last day drivers and teams have to dial in their racecars prior to the 500; once the 6 pm gun goes off, the cars have to placed into, essentially, Indy's version of parc' ferme, not to be touched before they're wheeled out onto the front-stretch prior to the race. Ironically, the term referred to the fact that, prior to the 1950's, virtually every racecar used a carburator in the engine rather than the ubitiquous fuel-injection systems used since. For the record, it was the Lotus-Ford entries of Jim Clark and Dan Gurney that were the last to use carburators, back in 1963.

~~Gasoline Alley. This is simply the reference to the garages and paddock areas behind pitlane; the name harkens back to the time when gasoline was used as fuel for the IndyCars(something that hasn't occurred since the early 1960's).

~~The Pagoda. Officially known as the Bombardier Pagoda, this pagoda-style building stands alomst mid-stream along pitlane houses race control, timing/scoring, media offices and other facilities; the design harkens back to the original Japanese-style pagoda buildings which stood at the Bombardier Pagoda's spot beginning in 1956(the idea for the pagoda came from visitors to the Brickyard who had served in the U.S. military during the post-WW2 occupation of Japan); previous buildings located there had existed since the Speedway's existence.

~~"The Greatest Spectacle in Racing". During the 1950's, listeners to WIBC AM-1070(flagship station for the IMS Radio Network) wanted to know when to listen to the race; station officials began looking at ways to let listeners know when to tune in between commercials(a/k/a the "out cue"). Although popular myth has it that radio announcer Sid Collins came up with the phrase, it was station assistant Alice Greene who came up with those famous words......

(Stay tuned for) the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

~~Drinking of the milk. One victory lane tradition, besides the winner's wreath of roses and carnations is the drinking of the milk. Back in 1936, after winning his third 500, Louis Meyer drank from a bottle of buttermilk in Victory Lane; dairy executives noticed this, and began offering bottles of milk to the racewinner. Revived in 1946 following World War II, the tradition of the racewinner drinking milk in Victory Lane didn't become officially enshrined until 1956. Tradition has it that, once the grid is set, all 33 drivers are asked what kind of milk does he or she want should they win the 500; the choices in 2006 were: whole milk, 2% milk, 1% milk, 1/2% milk, skim milk, soy milk and lactose-free milk.

~~The Yard of Bricks. The Speedway didn't get the nickname "the Brickyard" for nothing; when the track was built at the beginning of the 20th century, the racing surface was actually made of over 3.2 million bricks, carefully handcrafted by the Wabash Valley Clay Co. of Veedersburg, Indiana. However, when track officials noticed how the bricks didn't seem to hold after following the first few 500's, they began paving over the bricks; by 1961, all of the racetrack sans the start/finish yard of bricks remains. Tradition dictates that whoever wins the 500 has to do the ceremonial ritual of "kissing the bricks" in honor of past 500's and those who've raced there.

[mlittle]

Indy 500 Firestone Report...........

--Race distance} 500 miles, 200 laps
--Tires to be brought} 5, 175 dry-condition Firestone Firehawk racing slicks
--Stagger settings} In order to allow racecars to turn better on ovals, Firestone deisgns their tires with different staggers on the right-side tires as opposed to the left-side tires; this year's tires have a right-side stagger of 0.35 & 0.44 inches
--Teams participating in the full month's activity are alloted 35 sets(140 tires total) of Firestone Firehawks; teams beginning activity in week 2 of the month of May are alloted sets on a pro-rata basis
--Tire formula} The tires to be used in the 91st Indianapolis 500 first saw use at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February's Open Test; they were also used a few weeks ago at Twin Ring Motegi

[mlittle]

A few more drivers have added their names to the list of competitors entered for "the Greatest Spectacle in Racing"...................

~~2 of the biggest names in NA motorsports, Foyt and Unser, have joined forces, as 2-time 500 winner Al Unser, Jr. will return to the Brickyard, driving the #50 A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda for A.J. Foyt Racing
~~When he was severely injured following a crash 2 years before the horrifyingly similiar one Kenny Brack suffered at Texas, everyone thought Davey Hamilton's career was over.........after long, long efforts in rehabilitation, Hamilton's returning to the cockpit a/la Brack, as Vision Racing will field an entry for Hamilton as he attempts to qualify for the 500
~~Veteran journeyman driver Jimmy Kite, who last drove for Hemelgarn Racing(a/k/a Ethanol-Hemelgarn Racing) in 2005, has signed a one-off deal to drive w/PDM Racing in the 500

[mlittle]

Unique amongst the great racing events on the planet, the Indianapolis 500 is unique in one other regard......before you're allowed to take laps at speed on the track, you must pass a 4-phase program known as "Rookie Orientation". During rookie orientation, drivers must show that they can drive at a set speed for a minimum of 10 laps, then they progress to the next phase and so on, through the 4th phase.......those phases are as follows..............
~~Phase 1, 195-200 mph
~~Phase 2, 200-205 mph
~~Phase 3, 205-210 mph
~~Phase 4, 210+ mph

Pass the fourth phase of ROP and you are granted rookie status for "the Greatest Spectacle in Racing". Simple,. really.......

~~Drivers who must complete ROP} Milka Duno, Phil Giebler
~~Drivers allowed to use both ROP days for refresher time} Al Unser, Jr., Michael Andretti, Stephan Gregoire, Jimmy Kite, Davey Hamilton, Jaques Lazier and Ryan Briscoe

[mlittle]

With about 30 minutes remaining in the day's activities, here is a brief recap on what has been occurring...............

~~1 passed, 1 still waiting.....while Phil Giebler has yet to make it through ROP, Milka Duno passed ROP and can now practice full-bore on Monday.


~~Current practice speeds............
1} Michael Andretti............................219.871 mph
2} Ryan Briscoe................................218.216 mph
3} Davey Hamilton............................218.022 mph
4} Jaques Lazier................................216.467 mph
5} (R)Milka Duno...............................214.128 mph

~~Look who returned to the Speedway..............1999 Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack, who last raced at the Brickyard in 2005 in a one-off for an injured Buddy Rice, returned to the track earlier this month...not to race, but to film a music video with his rock bank, which, ironically, is named Brack. And why were they there? To pay homage to the original "Legend of the Speedway", 4-time 500 winner A.J. Foyt, with a music video entitled, 'Legend of the Speedway". In the background behind Brack's band(in which Kenny himself is the lead guitarist) were the five cars Foyt has either driven to victory in or owned(the fifth one is the one Brack drove to victory in 1999). Oh, and Foyt himself was on hand to watch and listen to the video as it was being filmed.....and what did he think of it?

I always kew Kenny could play the guitar, but after hearing the somg I found out he can write too. I thought the some was funny and original, just like Kenny. I really appreciate that he wrote a song about me.

All I can say is.......Welcome Back, Kenny!!!

[mlittle]

ROP Session #1 Times..........................
1st} Michael Andretti.......................................219.871 mph(11 laps)
2nd} Ryan Briscoe..........................................218.216 mph(10 laps)
3rd} Davey Hamilton.......................................218.022 mph(26 laps)
4th} Jaques Lazier...........................................216.467 mph(18 laps)
5th}(R)Milka Duno...........................................214.128 mph(79 laps)*
6th} Jon Herb..................................................211.697 mph(23 laps)
7th}(R)Phil Giebler...........................................209.387 mph(24 laps)**

*--Duno passed all four phases of ROP and is cleared to practice whenever the track is open
**-Giebler passed ROP Phases 1 & 2 on Sunday

Quote of the day.........................
Milka Duno, driver, #23 CITGO Dallara/Honda following completion of ROP on Sunday:

I understand now why drivers say Indianapolis is the most difficult track in the world. Everything happens so quick, so fast. You have to be precise in every corner; all four corners are different. You have to drive with so much concentration and focus and so precisely.

[RE30B#16]

~~The Yard of Bricks. The Speedway didn't get the nickname "the Brickyard" for nothing; when the track was built at the beginning of the 20th century, the racing surface was actually made of over 3.2 million bricks, carefully handcrafted by the Wabash Valley Clay Co. of Veedersburg, Indiana. However, when track officials noticed how the bricks didn't seem to hold after following the first few 500's, they began paving over the bricks; by 1961, all of the racetrack sans the start/finish yard of bricks remains. Tradition dictates that whoever wins the 500 has to do the ceremonial ritual of "kissing the bricks" in honor of past 500's and those who've raced there.

mlittle, thanks for this post. You know what? I wonder if the expression "hit the bricks" which means "to move out fast" came from the Brickyard?

[mlittle]

ROP Session #2 times............
1st} Michael Andretti..................................221.579 mph(43/54 total laps)
2nd} Ryan Briscoe.....................................221.427 mph(52/62 total laps)
3rd} Davey Hamilton..................................220.214 mph(36/62 total laps)
4th}(R)Phil Giebler....................................217.091 mph(52/76 total laps)*
5th} Jon Herb............................................216.753 mph(31/54 total laps)
6th}(R)Milka Duno......................................215.949 mph(74/153 total laps)
7th} Jaques Lazier......................................215.235 mph(12/30 total laps)

*--Giebler passed ROP phases 3 & 4 and is allowed to practice full-bore during the month of May

[mlittle]

For the second consecutive year, A1 Grand Prix competitor Team USA will partner with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; last year saw 2-time 500 winner "Little" Al Unser, Jr. drive the "We the People"-livieried entry.......this year, 2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice will pilot the entry. Here are some quotes from today's announcement...........

Rick Weidlinger, Team Principal, A1 Grand Prix Team USA:

We are excited to return to the Indianapolis 500 as a co-entrant with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team. The Indy 500 is the greatest spectacle in world motorsports and is the most famous race in the world; we feel privileged to have another former (500) winner in Buddy Rice as our team's driver. Rice is one of America's top open-wheel drivers with a vast background in road racing also. Buddy will carry the American spirit of the A1 Team USA and the international appeal of the A1 GP, (the) World Cup of Motorsport.

Buddy Rice, #15 A1 Team USA D/H:

It is tremendous to bring Rick and the A1 Team USA effort to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for this month. I believe we have a strong professional operation that can make the #15 a contender on May 27th. Having won (the 500) in the past, we have the opportunity to race for the win with the A1 Team USA/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry. I am very excited about our efforts.

[mlittle]

Indy 500 Practice Session #1 top-10.......................

1st} Dan Wheldon, #10 Target D/H.................................39.987 sec/225.074 mph(55 total laps)
2nd} Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske D/H.................40.001 sec/224.996 mph(49 total laps)
3rd} Tomas Scheckter, #2 Indy Vision on Joost D/H..........40.039 sec/224.739 mph(59 total laps)
4th} Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11 D/H............................40.067 sec/224.622 mph(42 total laps)
5th} Scott Dixon, #9 Target D/H......................................40.078 sec/224.564 mph(35 total laps)
6th} Danica Patrick, #7 Motorola D/H...............................40.097 sec/224.457 mph(53 total laps)
7th} Ryan Briscoe, #12 Symantec 360 D/H.......................40.237 sec/223.676 mph(55 total laps)
8th} Sam Hornish, Jr., #6 Team Penske D/H.....................40.238 sec/223.670 mph(62 total laps)
9th} Dario Franchitti, #27 Canadian Club/Argent D/H........40.252 sec/223.591 mph(38 total laps)
10th} Marco Andretti, #26 NYSE Group/i-Shares D/H.........40.316 sec/223.229 mph(30 total laps)


Session notes...................
~~In addition to practicing in the #11, Kanaan also took laps in both the #26 and #7(15 additional laps total) in order to establish a baseline setup for both cars
~~in total, 27 drivers took laps on the track for a total of 1218 laps; only one accident occurred when Jon Herb spun and hit the outside wall in turn 2...Herb was checked at the infield care center and has been cleared to continue

[mlittle]

Practice Session #2 top-10..........................

1st} Dan Wheldon, #10 Target D/H......................................39.754 sec/226.391 mph(26 total laps)
2nd} Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske D/H.....................39.855 sec/225.820 mph(37 total laps)
3rd} Scott Dixon, #9 Target D/H..........................................40.018 sec/224.902 mph(31 total laps)
4th} Marco Andretti, #26 NYSE Group/i-Shares D/H...............40.045 sec/224.745 mph(11 total laps)
5th} Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11 D/H................................40.159 sec/224.112 mph(21 total laps)
6th} Sam Hornish, Jr., #6 Team Penske D/H.........................40.169 sec/224.054 mph(28 total laps)
7th} Dario Franchitti, #27 Canadian Club/Argent D/H.............40.207 sec/223.844 mph(22 total laps)
8th} Tomas Scheckter, #2 Indy Vision on Joost D/H...............40.261 sec/223.539 mph(31 total laps)
9th} Danica Patrick, #7 Motorola D/H....................................40.273 sec/223.476 mph(26 total laps)
10th} Kosuke Matsuura, #55 Panasonic/ARTA/TPR.................40.299 sec/223,331 mph(31 total laps)

Session notes...................
~~the session was rain-delayed for about 4 hrs., meaning drivers and teams had to scramble to get whatever track time was possible
~~26 drivers completed an incident-free total of 680 laps

Combined Practice Top-10 as of 9 May 2007..............
(2)Wheldon, 39.754 sec/226.391 mph
(2)Castroneves, 39.855 sec/225.820 mph
(2)Dixon, 40.018 sec/224.902 mph
(1)Scheckter, 40.039 sec/224.783 mph
(2)Ma. Andretti, 40.045 sec/224.745 mph
(1)Kanaan, 40.067 sec/224.457 mph
(1)Patrick, 40.097 sec/224.054 mph
(2)Hornish, Jr., 40.169 sec/223.844 mph
(2)Franchitti, 40.207 sec/223.676 mph
(1)Briscoe, 40.237 sec/223.474 mph

note......the (...) in the first set of times refers to the number of laps a driver ran in the specific session; the second set of (....) refers to the session in which the driver set his or her fastest lap

[Julian Mayo]

The Briscoe seems to be around about

[mlittle]

The Briscoe seems to be around about

You'd be right; Briscoe's doing a one-off for the Captain(a/k/a Roger Penske) with a "satellite" team, Luczo-Dragon Racing; he's 10th on the combined practice sheets following today's practice