2006 IRL Rd. 4--The 90th Indianapolis 500

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Note: the following order applies for all four qualifying sessions; although each driver has a primary/backup car, only the primary is listed for purposes of the qual. list.

1}#92 Jeff Bucknum, Hemelgarn Racing D/H
2}#90 Townsend Bell, Rock & Republic/Vision D/H
3}#4 Vitor Meira, Network LIVE/EcoNova/Pennzoil D/H
4}#25 Marty Roth, Roth Racing D/H
5}#31 Al Unser, Jr. A1 Team USA/GEICO D/H
6}#7 Bryan Herta, XM Satellite Radio D/H
7}#3 Helio Castroneves, Marlboro-Team Penske D/H
8}#41 Larry Foyt, Texas State Bank P/H
9}#61 Arie Luyendyk, Meijer/Coca-Cola P/H
10}#88 Airton Dare, OCTANE Motors/Sanitec/SSM P/H
11}#55 Kosuke Matsurra, Panasonic/ARTA D/H
12}#2 Tomas Scheckter, Rock & Republic/Vision D/H
13}#51 Eddie Cheever, Jr., Circle-K D/H
14}#52 Max Papis, Sport Clip/Circle-K D/H
15}#15 Buddy Rice, Argent/Pioneer P/H
16}#1 Michael Andretti, Jim Beam/Vonage D/H
17}#9 Scott Dixon, Target D/H
18}#21 Jaques Lazier, Playa del Racing P/H
19}#48 (driver, sponsor, chassis tba)
20}#27 Dario Franchitti, Canadian Club/Klein Tools D/H
21}#93 (driver, sponsor, chassis tba)
22}#11 Tony Kanaan, Team 7-11 D/H
23}#20 Ed Carpenter, Rock & Republic/Vision D/H
24}#18 Thiago Medieros, STP/Royal Spa P/H
25}#8 Scott Sharp, Delphi D/H
26}#16 Danica Patrick, Argent/PEAK Antifreeze P/H
27}#26 Marco Andretti, NYSE D/H
28}#91 P.J. Chesson, Car-Melo D/H
29}#22 (driver, sponsor, chassis tba)
30}#6 Sam Hornish, Jr., Marlboro-Team Penske D/H
31}#12 Jon Herb, Playa del Racing P/H
32}#10 Dan Wheldon, Target D/H
33}#17 Jeff Simmons, Ethanol P/H
34}#5 Buddy Lazier, RollCoater/Escort Radar Warning D/H
35}#14 Felipe Giaffone, ABC Supply Co. D/H
36}#97 Stephan Gregoire, Effen Vodka/Team Leader Special P/H
37}#98 P.J. Jones, CURB Records/Team Leader Special P/H

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Once again, rain has wreaked havoc on the schedule for the month of May, as Pole Day Qualifying was cancelled due to the continued rain at the track........the revised Mother's Day Schedule for Sunday goes as follows....

9:30 am-10 am for IndyCar Series Group 1
10 am-10:30 am for IndyCar Series Group 2
10:30 am-11 am for all IndyCar Series drivers
(Note.....the groups are set by the qualfying draw, Group 1 being those in the top-half of the draw, and Group 2 being those in the bottom half of the draw.)

1}Fast fact of the day......it was the 86th running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" that saw the debut of the SAFER barrier, now in use at virtually every major oval-racing facility in North America. The steel-and-foam barrier helps dissipate the impact from crashes into the outside wall, and has allowed numerous drivers to walk away from what used to be serious crashes.

2}More press conferences.........here are the links to press conference transcripts from Andretti-Green Racing and Target/Ganassi Racing....

www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6560 (AGR press conference)
www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6558 (TGR press conference)


Well, the rain's still coming down.......time to find a dry spot in the paddock and wait 'til tomorrow.....

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For the third consecutive day, the schedule for the month of May has been revised. What started at noon as very light showers became, by 2:30 PM, a steadily increasing rain that halted practice during the day.....the result: on May 20th, all 33 spots on the grid for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" will be on the table. No official times were posted, as not all the drivers were able to get a full 30-minute practice in before qualifying(that is, had qual. occurred!)

The current schedule for this week: the track will be closed Monday and Tuesday, then three days of practice May 17-19, then qual. on May 20th, and Bump Day on the 21st.

Fast Fact of the Day: Did you know that five past Formula 1 World Champions have also won "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing"? They are:1}Jim Clark(F1 WDC--1963, 1965/Indy 500 winner, 1965), 2}Graham Hill(F1 WDC--1962, 1968/Indy 500 winner, 1966), 3}Mario Andretti(F1 WDC--1978/Indy 500 winner, 1969), 4}Emerson Fittipaldi(F1 WDC--1972, 1974/Indy 500 winner, 1989 & 1993) and 5}Jacques Villeneuve(F1 WDC-1997/Indy 500 winner, 1995).

Fast Fact of the Day II: Did you know that eight drivers have won both the Indianapolis 500 and the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona? They are:1}A.J. Foyt, Jr.(Indy 500 winner, 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977/Rolex 24 winner, 1983 & 1985), 2}Al Unser, Sr.(Indy 500 winner, 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987/Rolex 24 winner, 1985), 3}Al Unser, Jr.(Indy 500 winner, 1992 and 1994/Rolex 24 winner, 1986-1987), 4}Mario Andretti(Indy 500 winner, 1969/Rolex 24 winner, 1972), 5}Arie Luyendyk(Indy 500 winner, 1990 and 1997/Rolex 24 winner, 1998), 6}Mark Donohue(Indy 500 winner, 1972/Rolex 24 winner, 1969), 7}Bobby Rahal(Indy 500 winner, 1986/Rolex 24 winner, 1981), and 8}Dan Wheldon(Indy 500 winner, 2005/Rolex 24 winner, 2006).

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Earlier this month, newly-formed Team Leader Mtrspts. announced that veteran driver Stephan Gregoire would return to the Brickyard for another shot at the 500. Earlier today, the team announced that second-generation driver P.J. Jones, son of 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones, will field a second TLM entry for the 500. Here are their entries for the race.....

Stephan Gregoire, #97 Effen Vodka/Team Leader Special P/H
P.J. Jones, #98 Curb Records Team Leader Special P/H

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After several years away from AOWR, Cheever Racing announced today that current Rolex Sports Car Series driver Max Papis will pilot a second Cheever Racing entry in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" alongside team owner/driver Eddie Cheever, Jr. Here is a brief bio on "Mad" Max Papis........

1982--first began competing in karting events in Italy
1985-1988}competed as part of the Italian National Karting Team; won an Intercontental Championship race in Hong Kong in 1987
1989-1992}competed in Italian Formula 3, won at Vallelunga, Monza and Binetto
1993}competed in F3000 and 10th in overall stdgs.
1994}split time btwn. F3000 and testing duties in Formula 1 w/Team Lotus-Mugen Honda and Ligier-Renault
1995}competed in several Formula 1 races
1996}competed in three CART races for Arciero/Wells Racing; also competed in IMSA sports-car competition
1997-1998}competed for Arciero/Wells Racing in CART; best finishes were 8th-Michigan('97), 8th-Toronto('98], 9th-Vancouver('98] and 5th-Houston('98]
1999-2001}competed for Team Rahal(precedesor to Rahal-Letterman Racing); in 1999, he had runner-up finishes at Surfers Paradise and Fontana, along w/a third at Laguna Seca. In 2000, he won the season opener at Homestead-Miami(was one of four drivers that year to notch their first career victory...the others were Helio Castroneves(Belle Isle-Detroit), Roberto Moreno(Cleveland) and Cristiano da Matta(Chicago). In 2001, Papis won at Portland and at Laguna Seca; also had podium finishes at EuroSpeedway in Germany and at Fontana.
2002}competed a partial schedule for Sigma Autosport w/podiums at Long Beach and Milwaukee; subbed for Adrian Fernandez at Mid-Ohio. Also competed in 2 IRL races at Indy and Texas.
2003}competed in 7 races for PK Racing(now PKV Racing).

Besides his open-wheel resume, Papis has also competed in sports-car racing in both the American LeMans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. In ALMS action, he has 8 starts for Corvette Racing, with a career-best victory in the 2004 12 Hrs. of Sebring, as well as two podium finishes in GT-1 action at the 24 Hrs. of LeMans. Over in the Rolex Sports Car Series, Papis has competed in all 6 Rolex seasons, and has 5 Rolex wins, including the 24 Hrs. of Daytona in 2000. In 2004, he and co-driver Scott Pruett won the Daytona Prototype(DP) class title for CompUSA/Ganassi Racing.

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While rain shortened today's practice at the Brickyard, it was a frenetic day as teams scrambled to get in as much track time as possible. Joining the teams from last week were several second-week only qualifiers, who began their quest for speed today. With all 33 spots up for qualifying in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", it is definitely going to be a busy week.

1}Fast Fact of the Day: Safety has always been a major concern at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; in 1935, the Brickyard installed the first yellow-light warning system for racing, and in 1937, was the first racing facility in the world to require the use of helmets for racers on-track.

2}Finally, a change at the top! Although 11 drivers topped the 40-sec. barrier today, the man at the top wasn't Marlboro-Team Penske's Sam Hornish, Jr. Instead, it was last year's 500 winner, Dan Wheldon, who topped the scoring pylon today. But "Silent Sam" wasn't too far off the mark, as he registered the second-fastest time on the combined charts. Stay tuned......the ongoing battle this month btwn. Penske & Ganassi's only going to get better......

3}Up, up, and away! For IndyCar Series rookie P.J. Chesson, Monday was an E-ticket ride, as the Carmelo Hemelgarn Racing driver got to ride in the back-seat of an F-16D Fightin' Falcon piloted by Major Robert "Hook" Myer of the 181st Fighter Group, Indiana Air National Guard based at Hulman Field, in Terre Haute, Ind. For the better part of an hour, Chesson got to experience the g-forces fighter pilots face and even got to direct Myer around a bit. The best part, though, was when Chesson got to do what few IRL drivers get to do.......buzz the Speedway at over 350 mph at low altitude. Afterwards, he said he was "extremely thrilled" about the hour-long flight, and added.....

I hope we woke up Tony George and Brian Barnhart. Its' the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. Bungee-jumping and skydiving are nothing compared to this. They're for kids. I think I'm going to get a fighter jet tattooed on my arm.

Top-10 times from the combined practice charts.........
1}Dan Wheldon(#10 Target D/H).......................................228.663 mph/39.359 sec(May 17th; 136 laps)
2}Sam Hornish, Jr.(#6 Marlboro-Team Penske D/H)............228.220 mph/39.436 sec(May 17th; 143 laps)
3}Helio Castroneves(#3T Marlboro-Team Penske D/H).........227.888 mph/39.493 sec(May 17th; 109 laps)
4}Scott Dixon(#9 Target D/H)............................................227.274 mph/39.600 sec(May 17th; 130 laps)
5}Dario Franchitti(#27 Canadian Club/Klein Tools D/H)........226.960 mph/39.655 sec(May 17th; 162 laps)
6}Tony Kanaan(#11 Team 7-11 D/H).................................226.389 mph/39.755 sec(May 17th; 204 laps)
7}Ed Carpenter(#20 Rock & Republic/Vision D/H)................225.262 mph/39.953 sec(May 17th; 127 laps)
8}Bryan Herta(#7 XM Satellite Radio D/H)..........................225.190 mph/39.966 sec(May 17th; 157 laps)
9}Scott Sharp(#8 Delphi D/H)...........................................225.147 mph/39.974 sec(May 17th; 163 laps)
10}Kosuke Matsurra(#55 Panasonic/ARTA D/H)..................225.140 mph/39.975 sec(May 10th; 97 laps)

The next practice session begins tomorrow at 12 pm US EDT and goes from 12-6 PM; qualifying for all 33 spots in the 500 is set for May 20th.

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If there are two near-certainties at the Brickyard this week, they are: 1}the almost-daily rain, and 2}seeing the #6 Marlboro-Team Penske D/H at the top of the day's timing charts. For the fourth time this month, 2-time series champion, Sam Hornish, Jr., appeared at the top of today's timing charts......yet, on the combined charts, it was Penske's nemesis, the #10 Target D/H of reigning 500 winner Dan Wheldon who continues to hold the fastest time of the month. Here are some of the other items floating aboust the Brickyard as the days continue to move towards "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing".......

1}Which setup do we use? Thanks to the rains over the weekend, teams are now faced w/a very monumental decision......do you stick w/the qual. setup, then switch to race trim and full fuel tanks, OR do you throw out the qual. setup, and begin doing full-tank runs in race trim? Easiest way to tell......look at how many laps were run by each driver......Here were the most and least amts.....Most: Scheckter, 59 laps and Rice, 51 laps; Least: Dare and Papis, 16 laps and Herta, 14 laps.

2}Fast fact of the day: In the 89 previous runnings of the 500-mile race, 34 different car numbers have won. Leading the way.....the #3, which is also the number on Helio Castronves' car. Coincidence???

3}New colors on the #16.......One change from last week's practice sessions was evident today, as the #16 P/H of 2005 Indy 500 rookie of the year Danica Patrick now sports the colors of PEAK Antifreeze along with the familiar liberty torch of primary sponsor Argent Mortgage. Earlier today, Old World Industries, which markets PEAK antifreeze across North America, agreed to a multi-year extension w/Rahal-Letterman Racing from this year out to 2008.

Note: there were no changes on the combined top-10 practice charts from today's practice session.

The final practice session before Pole Day Qualifying is Friday, May 19th, from 12-6 PM US EDT(weather permitting). The schedule for Pole Day will be announced sometime tomorrow afternoon.

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There were a lot of goings-on at the Brickyard today, and here's just a sampling of what transpired.....

1}Fast Fact of the Day: The fastest qual. avg. for a 33-car field for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" occurred on this date in 2002, when the 33-car avg. was 228.648 mph., besting the avg. from 1998 which was 227.807 mph.

2}Congrats, guys!! Marlboro-Team Penske engineers Thomas German, Justin Horning and Tom Janiczek were honored for their motorsports work with the 40th annual Borg-Warner Louis Schweitzer Award for an invention that was recently patented. Their device is a handheld wing-adjustment tool that works like a cordless drill. Whenever a rear-wing adjustment is needed on either the #3 or the #6 MTP car, the device, constructed of commercially available components housed in an aluminum billet, provides enough torque to turn the wing actuator screw without having to physically touch the wing. Unlike other IRL venues, where rear-wing adjustments are prohibited, those changes are allowed during the month of May at Indy. It is the fourth time Penske engineers have been honored with the award; previous awards to the team were in 1980, 1982 and 1993.

3}Strategy, strategy.......even though all 33 spots on the grid are open tomorrow, each entry gets three attempts to qualify. If last year's qualifying was any example, expect several teams to pull their drivers off the grid and back into the qual. tech line for additional chances at the pole.

Here are the top-10 times from the combined practice charts following today's session......

1}Dan Wheldon(#10 Target D/H)...................................228.663 mph/39.359 sec(May 17th; 214 laps)
2}Sam Hornish, Jr.(#6 Marlboro-Team Penske D/H)........228.220 mph/39.436 sec(May 17th; 262 laps)
3}Helio Castroneves(#3T Marlboro-Team Penske D/H).....227.888 mph/39.493 sec(May 17th; 231 laps)
4}Scott Dixon(#9 Target D/H)........................................227.322 mph/39.591 sec(May 19th; 190 laps)
5}Dario Franchitti(#27 Canadian Club/Klein Tools D/H).....226.960 mph/39.655 sec(May 17th; 284 laps)
6}Tony Kanaan(#11 Team 7-11 D/H)..............................226.389 mph/39.755 sec(May 17th; 305 laps)
7}Scott Sharp(#8 Delphi D/H)........................................225.560 mph/39.901 sec(May 19th; 287 laps)
8}Kosuke Matsurra(#55 Panasonic/ARTA D/H).................225.477 mph/39.915 sec(May 19th; 218 laps)
9}Vitor Meira(#4T Network LIVE/EcoNova/Pennzoil D/H)....225.366 mph/39.940 sec(May 19th; 229 laps)
10}(R)Jeff Simmons(#17 Ethanol P/H)..............................225.287 mph/39.949 sec(May 19th; 296 laps)

Here is the schedule for Pole Day Qualifying Saturday, May 20th........
Group 1 practice: 9:30-10 am
Group 2 practice: 10-10:30 am
All drivers: 10:30-11 am
Qualifying(all 33 spots): 12-6 pm
(Note: all times US EDT; +4 Hrs. GMT)

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All month at the Brickyard, the team to watch was Marlboro-Team Penske, and today was no exception as both Sam Hornish, Jr. and Helio Castroneves will lead the field Memorial Day Sunday in P1 and P2. In all, 32 drivers qualified on the grid for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500. Here is the current running order for the Memorial Day Sunday classic:

(note--all speeds listed are 4-lap averages)

1}Sam Hornish, Jr, #6 Marlboro-Team Penske D/H............228.985 mph
2}(W)Helio Castroneves, #3 Marlboro-Team Penske D/H.....228.008 mph
3}(W)Dan Wheldon, #10 Target D/H..................................227.328 mph

4}Scott Dixon, #9 Target D/H............................................226.921 mph
5}Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11 D/H................................226.776 mph
6}Vitor Meira, #4 Network LIVE/EcoNova D/H....................226.156 mph

7}Kosuke Matsurra, #55 Panasonic/ARTA D/H..................225.503 mph
8}Scott Sharp, #8 Delphi D/H.........................................225.321 mph
9}(R)Marco Andretti, #26 NYSE Group D/H.......................224.918 mph

10}Danica Patrick, #16 Argent/PEAK P/H.........................224.674 mph
11}Tomas Scheckter, #2 Rock & Republic D/H.................224.659 mph
12}Ed Carpenter, #20 Rock & Republic D/H.....................224.548 mph

13}Michael Andretti, #1 Jim Beam/Vonage D/H................224.508 mph
14}(W)Buddy Rice, #15 Argent/Pioneer D/H.....................224.393 mph
15}(R)Townsend Bell, #90 Rock & Republic D/H................224.374 mph

16}Bryan Herta, #7 XM Satellite Radio D/H.....................224.179 mph
17}Dario Franchitti, #27 Canadian Club/Klein Tools D/H...223.345 mph
18}Max Papis, #52 Sport Clip/Circle-K D/H......................222.058 mph

19}(W)Eddie Cheever, Jr., #51 Circle-K D/H....................222.028 mph
20}(R)P.J. Chesson, #91 Car-Melo D/H...........................221.576 mph
21}Felipe Giaffone, #14 ABC Supply Co. D/H...................221.542 mph

22}Jeff Bucknum, #92 LifeFitness D/H.............................221.461 mph
23}Larry Foyt, #41 Texas State Bank D/H........................221.332 mph
24}Jaques Lazier, #21 Playa del Racing P/H......................221.151 mph

25}(W)Buddy Lazier, #5 RollCoater/ESCORT D/H..............220.992 mph
26}Jeff Simmons, #17 Ethanol P/H...................................220.347 mph
27}(W)Al Unser, Jr., #31 A1 Team USA/GEICO D/H...........219.388 mph

28}Roger Yasukawa, #12 Playa del Racing P/H..................218.793 mph
29}Airton Dare, #88 OCTANE Motors/Sanitec P/H...............218.170 mph
30}Stephan Gregoire, #97 Effen Vodka/TLS P/H.................217.428 mph

31}(R)Arie Luyendyk, Jr., #61 Meijer/Coca-Cola P/H...........216.352 mph
32}P.J. Jones, #98 CURB Records/TLS P/H.........................215.816 mph
33}(R)Thiago Medieros, #18 Ethanol Brazil/Royal Spa P/H....215.729 mph
(note--Medieros qualified on May 21st)

(W)--denotes past winner, (R)--denotes Indy 500 rookie for 2006

Observations later this evening........Congratulations, though, to Marlboro-Team Penske's Sam Hornish, Jr., for he will be the polesitter for the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500, with a four-lap average of 228.895 mph.

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With all the action from today's qualifying session at the Brickyard, here's a sampling of what transpired........

1}Top of the pylon.........when Target/Ganassi's Scott Dixon set the provisional 4-lap polespeed of 226.921 mph, Chip Ganassi could be overheard asking......How long will it last? That was around 12:57 PM........35 minutes later, Dixon's time was dust; on his first warmup lap, Marlboro-Team Penske's Sam Hornish, Jr. was clocked at 227.233 mph. 4 laps later, the Defiance, Ohio native put up a 4-lap average that would survive the session, at 228.985 mph.

2}Disappointing day for AGR.........for the five-car juggernaut a/k/a Andretti-Green Racing, it was a bitterweet day. Although 2004 series champion Tony Kanaan set the 5th-fastest speed today, only rookie Marco Andretti would join him in the top-10, as he set the 9th-fastest time of the session. Meanwhile, Marco's dad, Michael, would find himself mired back in 13th, and the team's elder statesman, Bryan Herta, will start in the 16th spot. But the worst luck of the day belonged to AGR's Dario Franchitti. He used all three qualifying attempts to get into the grid; had his third attempt failed, Franchitti would've been forced to qualify on Sunday, possibly w/a 33rd-place start. On his first attempt, the car couldn't get up to speed and AGR co-owner Kim Green waved off the attempt. The second attempt looked good......until an engine rev-limiter failed, forcing Franchitti to wave off that attempt. On his final attempt of the day, he managed to nurse the car around into the 17th spot. There's some solace, though, for the Scotsman........last year, then-teammate Dan Wheldon started P16.....and won.

3}Surprises abounding........there were a few surprises in qualifying: 1--going into today's session, no one expected any of the Panoz runners to do well, considering how the IndyCar Series' lone works Panoz team, Rahal-Letterman Racing, had been doing this month. Today was different, as the team's veteran drivers, Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice, posted the 10th and 14th-fastest times of the session, their fastest to date this month. 2--their former teammate, Vitor Meira, who finished 2nd last year, will start 6th for Panther Racing.....when asked about his run after the session ended, he quipped,

At least we're not running a Panoz.

3--while everyone expected Vision Racing's Tomas Scheckter was expected to do well in qualifying, no one thought his teammate Ed Carpenter would do well in qualifying. Instead, Scheckter will start in 11th, and Carpenter will start 12th.

4}Who will fill the 33rd spot? In the National Football League's annual rookie draft, the last person taken is known as "Mr. Irrelevant". That could just as well describe anyone in position 33 tomorrow. Who's looking at it? Well, seen at the track were former driver Davey Hamilton, who's been mulling over a return to competition, and former Hemelgarn driver Jimmy Kite, who drove in place of the late Paul Dana back in 2005 after Dana was injured in a practice crash at Indy, as well as former driver Tyce Carlson. This should be interesting........basically, we'll be spending an entire day, watching one more qualifier make the field. Sounds interesting........then again, so does watching paint dry.


Bump Day Qualifying is 12-6 PM US EDT May 21st............although most of the day will be devoted to practice as teams will get in one last day of pracitce before Friday's Carb Day session, a 30-minute final session before the 500.

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And then there were 33........and so, the field for the 90th running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", the Indianapolis 500, is now official. Memorial Day Sunday, May 28th, 33 of the world's best drivers will take the green flag to start the race, and around three hours or so later, one of them will be able to say that they won the 500, their visage forver immortalized on the Borg-Warner Trophy. As for today's activities......

1}Congrats, Thiago!! On Thursday, 2004 Indy Pro Series winner Thiago Medeiros(#18 Ethanol Brazil/Royal Spa P/H) crashed hard going into turn 2, cracking the monocoque chassis and turning an expensive race car into junk. But, in what has been described as a herculean effort, the PDM Racing crew spent nearly 60 hours rebuilding the chassis, even so far as getting assistance from the Panoz engineers and from Rahal-Letterman Racing, the works IRL Panoz team, in rebuilding the car. And all their efforts paid off, as Medeiros clicked off a 4-lap average of 215.729 mph, making his way into the field for Sunday.

2}IMS celebrates Armed Forces Weekend.....as part of the weekend activities, the Speedway honored America's armed forces, a tradition dating back to 1981. Capping off the weekend's activities was an induction ceremony for several dozen Indianapolis natives, who were sworn into military service by Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar(R-IN). In addition to their on-track efforts, American personnel overseas will be able to watch the race on the Armed Forces Network, courtesy of ABC Sports, which will provide the live-TV feed.

3}Well, he did say it.......earlier this week, P.J. Chesson, who will be in his first 500-mile race, said that he was going to get a fighter jet tattooed on his arm. Today, he went one further, getting not just a fighter jet but the 90th Indy 500 logo tattooed on his arm. To make things more interesting, he did all this in public, underneath the Gasoline Alley sign on pitroad.

And so it goes..........while the 33 drivers to compete Sunday, May 28th will get one 30-minute practice on Carb Day, Friday the 26th, their month is virtually over with. All that remains is a 500-mile marathon that will test not only the drivers' endurance, but their crews' endurance. Anything can happen....a stall during a pitstop, a crash, anything........whoever wins next week can truly say they are the best driver in North America. 33 drivers......one goal. Who will win the 90th Indianapolis 500?

Good luck to all 33 competitors, be safe and, in the words of the late Greg Moore.......See you at the front!!!!

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With the Borg-Warner Trophy flanking them on one side and the familiar midtown Manhattan skyline on the other, Media Day began for the 33 starters of Sunday's Indianapolis 500 as they stood on the deck of the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, standing in the rows of three as they will on raceday. New York City Sports Commisioner Ken Podziba, in proclaiming today, "Indianapolis 500 Day in New York City", said to the gathered drivers, officials and media,

It truly is an honor to welcome the great and heroic drivers who will compete in the 90th Indianapolis 500 to New York City. It, (like the Intrepid), is truly an American classic.

In return, Indy Racing League founder and Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George presented Podziba with an IndyCar front-wing autographed by all 33 drivers; he also presented the Intrepid museum's president, Susan Marenoff, with an IndyCar Series front-wing as well. George, noting where they were, added,

Since 1911, we have run the race on Memorial Day Weekend, and we always take time to honor and celebrate the men and women who serve our country. This ship is a place of honor for those who have served and our serving our country.

Then it was off to various parts of Manhattan for the drivers; some traveled to Lower Manhattan to visit where the "Twin Towers"(the World Trade Center) once stood prior to 9/11, while several others, including all five Andretti-Green Racing drivers, rang the opening bell to start the trading day on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Afterwards, it was the usual media frenzy, as everyone jockeyed to interview and talk to all the drivers....in other words, another Media Day.

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With less than three days before the 90th running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", the Indianapolis 500, there were several things of interest at the track today.......

1}New track on the horizon.......series officials announced today that in 2007, the IndyCar Series will be traveling to Iowa Speedway, near Newton, Iowa, for the series' first-ever visit. The .785-mile, moderately-banked(12-14 deg. turn banking, 6 deg. banking in the straights) will be the second-shortest track on the schedule, just after the 3/4-mile Richmond Intl. Raceway. This makes three venues confirmed for 2007 in the event there isn't a merger w/the CC series(the others are St. Pete and Indy).

2}Another new sponsor for the #16.....earlier this month(back on May 18), the #16 Panoz/Honda being driven by 2005 series rookie-of-the-year Danica Patrick would carry the colors of PEAk Antifreeze. Add one additional sponsor to her car.......Rahal-Letterman Racing announced earlier today that they had signed a multi-year deal with Barton Beers, Ltd., in which the #16 will carry the sponsor logo of Barton's signature brand, St. Pauli Girl beer, for the 500(and possibly for additional races this year). In making the announcement, team co-owner Booby Rahal noted that,

We are pleased to establish this partnership with St. Pauli Girl. St. Pauli Girl is just the latest brand incorporating Danica's RLR program and the Indy 500 into their marketing initiatives.

Barton Beer's National Mkt. VP, Fred Graefenhain, added,

St. Pauli Girl beer is pleased to support Danica Patrick and Rahal Letterman Racing in their quest to win the Indy 500. Both Danica and the Indy 500 appeal to St. Pauli Girl consumers, so its' a great parternship for our brands.

My only question on this is.....where will they put the sponsor logo on the car???

3}1 final practice..........tomorrow is the final practice session, a/k/a Carb Day, and it will be the final chance the 33 drivers in the field will get to drive prior to the race itself. Whatever happens, this has definitely been one interesting month of May, and I cannot wait for the race itself.

[mlittle]

And practice is over!! With all the on-track activities prior to Sunday's running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" now completed, here are some of the happening's-on at the Brickyard today.......

1}4 in a row.......There was a race held today at IMS. No, not the 500; that's Sunday , it was the IRL's developmental series, the Indy Pro Series, which ran today. And for the fourth time since its' inception, the American Freedom 100 saw the polesitter at the start of the race win. In 2003, current Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter won, then Thiago Medieros in 2004, then Jaime Camara in 2005, and this year, it was Kiwi Wade Cunningham who won from pole, holding off Brit Jay Howard for the win. Who knows.......maybe we'll se these two race for the 500 win a few years from now, hmm??

2}Trading helmet designs now, aren't we? Thank the three Speed Channel F1 geniuses(Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett) for this news item. During Thursday's Speed Channel broadcast of the second practice session for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, Varsha must've had a bad case of brain fade, for he thought for a few seconds that 2004 IRL series champion Tony Kanaan was actually driving one of the Honda Racing F1 cars. Well, leave it to his colleagues to correct him on it. Apparently, if the story's correct, Kanaan and close friend, Rubens Barrichello, have switched helmet designs for this weekend, so it will look like Kanaan's on the Riviera and Barrichello's on the Indiana blacktop. My only thought on this is.....what are the odds that either the ABC Sports team covering the 500(Marty Reid, Rusty Wallace and Scott Goodyear) OR the CBS Sports F1 announce team(Ralph Shaheen, Derek Daly) will confuse the pair?

3}Hot weather ahead! We've had rain, lots of rain, and lots of mild conditions trackside, so teams have adjusted accordingly. Now th every fickle Indiana weather might be throwing spanner wreches into those precious setups. Weather reports for Sunday are for clear skies and temps around 87-88 degrees(F). In other words, it's probably going to turn the track into one big icerink, sans the ice.


With that, there is but one thing left on the calendar........."The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", the 90th Indianapolis 500, is set for Sunday, May 28 at 1 PM US EDT(17:00 UTC 28 May) on ABC Sports. Radio broadcasts will be on the IMS Radio Network(both domestic radio & webcast through indycar.com) and on Ch. 145 on XM Satellite Radio; both radio and television simulcast will also be available on the United States Armed Force Network.

33 drivers.......one goal. Who will make it to the end? Will we see Roger Penske get his 14th Indy 500 win as an owner? Can Dan Wheldon become only the sixth back-to-back winner of the 500-mile race? Could we see Michael Andretti finally win the biggest race in North America? Or could we see a lady atop the victory podium at race's end? I've said it all month long, but it bears repeating.....at Indy, anything is possible, and that is what makes the Indianapolis 500 "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing". Good luck to all the drivers Sunday!!

[mlittle]

All month along at the Brickyard, Marlboro-Team Penske's Sam Hornish, Jr. had one of the fastest cars, and it showed today, as he slingshot his way around Andretti-Green rookie Marco Andretti in the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history, winning the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500.

With very warm skies and an estimated crowd of 300,000+ in the stands, 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong led the field of 33 cars prior to the start, where boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson waved the green flag to begin the 500-mile race, and it didn't take long for trouble to show up. On lap 2, both Hemelgarn Racing cars, driven by Jeff Bucknum(#92 LifeFitness D/H) and P.J. Chesson(#91 Car-Melo D/H) made contact through turn 2 and spun into the outside wall, bringing out the first caution. Most everyone stayed out, while a few of the backmarkers ventured down pitlane to take on fuel, hoping to catch some lucky cautions and make up ground. Several laps later, the green flag came back out, and it was Helio Castroneves(#3 Marlboro-Team Penske D/H) who led them into turn 1, only to be passed several laps later by last year's winner, Dan Wheldon(#10 Target D/H) who began to tear away from the field, while further back in the field, Andretti-Green's Tony Kanaan(#11 Team 7-11 D/H) darted around Castroneves' teammate, Sam Hornish, Jr.(#6 Marlboro-Team Penske D/H) for second.

By lap 25, the first round of stops for the front-runners began, with AGR's Bryan Herta(#7 XM Satellite Radio D/H) the first to pit; he took on fuel and tires. By lap 35, everyone at the front was in for the first of an expected six or seven stops. Top 5 at this point: 1)#6 Hornish, Jr., 2)#11 Kanaan, 3)#26 Ma. Andretti, 4)#10 Wheldon, and 5)#4 Meira. The race continued in the sometimes torrid fashion that the Brickyard can provide; by lap 40, Wheldon had charged back into the lead and looked to be literally running away with the lead, leading by as much as 12-13 seconds. By the quarter-point of the race(lap 50), Wheldon was ahead by almost 14 seconds. Meanwhile, more pitstops, as drivers began to peel off for fuel, tires and wing adjustments. Just as everyone began to start penciling in Wheldon's name as a 2-time Indy winner.......the second caution came out. The reason.....on lap 66, Vision Racing's Tomas Scheckter(#2 Rock & Republic D/H) spun in turn 4, slammed into the outside wall, and then slid into the pitwall entrance. Scheckter was checked at the infield care center and released, but the scariest moment of the race occurred when Jaques Lazier(#21 Playa del Racing P/H), hit a piece of debris, shooting it into the pitstands, injuring 5 spectators, all of whom were treated at the care center as well. Top 5 at lap 75: 1)#10 Wheldon, 2)#9 Dixon, 3)#11 Kanaan, 4)#6 Hornish, Jr., and 5)#27 Franchitti.

When the green flag flew on lap 76, Wheldon once again charged ahead, leading teammate Scott Dixon(#9 Target D/H) by as much as 3 seconds(3.159 secs. on lap 90). While the Target/Ganassi pair contined to lead the field, some of the frontrunners pitted for fuel and tires. By halfway, Wheldon was still in the lead, with Dixon, Hornish, Jr., Kanaan and Patrick rounding out the top-5. Once past halfway, the rest of the frontrunner pitted, including Wheldon, who just edged Hornish, Jr. out of pitlane for track position, while Dixon took the point as race leader. While leading, Dixon would block Kanaan, preventing him from attempting a pass for the lead; race control warned Dixon not to block anyone else or he would receive a drive-through penalty. Then the next caution came out, as the cars of Castroneves and Rahal-Letterman Racing's Buddy Rice(#15 Argent/Pioneer P/H) touched wheels in the short chute btwn. turns 3 & 4, sending both card hard into the outside wall.

When the green came back out on lap 123, Wheldon once again retook the lead, only to have Dixon singshot around 2 laps later to retake the lead. Top 5 at lap 125 were Dixon, Wheldon, Hornish, Jr., Kanaan and Franchitti. The lead for Wheldon, wouldn't last as both Dixon, on lap 127 and Hornish, Jr. on lap 130, each took the lead. For the next 15 laps, Wheldon and Hornish, Jr. ran tooth-and-nail, Hornish leading until 145 when Wheldon passed for the lead. Just as Wheldon began pulling away......you guessed it, another caution. This time, it was 2-time 500 winner Al Unser, Jr.(#31 A1 Team USA/GEICO D/H) who crashed in turn 3. Now things began to get very, very interesting. First up: the #17 Ethanol P/H of Rahal-Letterman Racing, driven by rookie Jeff Simmons. As he left pitroad, he left before the fuelman could remove the nozzle from the car; the same things a little bit later would happen to Hornish, Jr. Both drivers would serve drive-through penalties. As the race passed the 3/4 mark(lap 150), Wheldon was back in the lead, followed by Hornish, Jr.(who was yet to serve his drive-through penalty), Dixon, Kanaan and Franchitti. During the caution, Simmons would drift into the "marbles" in turn 3; by the time he recovered, it was too late, as his car hit the outside wall, ending his day a bit early.

As the green flag fell on lap 163, both Hornish, Jr. and another driver, Townsend Bell(#90 Rock & Republic D/H) would head down ptilane to serve drive-through penalties. Meanwhile, rookie Marco Andretti(#26 NYSE D/H), began to make his way to the front, passing Franchitti for fourth on lap 166, then moving into third several laps following another Dixon block of Kanaan; this time, race control ordered the Kiwi to pitlane for a drive-through penalty, ending Dixon's chances to win. By now, it became a matter of who would blink first and pit. On lap 183, several of the frontrunners, including last year's 500 rookie of the year, Danica Patrick(#16 Argent/PEAK P/H) would come in for a "splash-n-dash", hoping to catch the leaders low on fuel at race's end. That plan went right out the window, though, when Foyt Racing's Felipe Giaffone(#14 ABC Supply Co. D/H), slid into the wall in turn 2, bringing out the caution, effectively ending Patrick and several others' chances of winning. The big surprise, though was when AGR co-owner Michael Andretti(#1 Jim Beam/Vonage D/H) elected not to pit, assuming the racelead with 9 laps to go. Would this be the year when the "Andretti Curse" would end? Could Michael win the biggest race on the calendar?

However, it wasn't to be.....for Michael, that is. When the green flew with 7 to go, son Marco flew past him, taking the lead and bringing the crowd to its' feet, roaring in absolute joy the way Patrick had done so the year before. Unfortunately for Marco, though, one other driver had passed father Michael.....Sam Hornish, Jr. Silent Sam had threaded his back up the leaderboard and began chasing down little Marco. On lap 198, Marco holds onto the lead by .564 secs. over Hornish; instead of Michael, the crowd thought, will the 19-year-old finally break the Curse? On the penultimate lap, Hornish dives down over the curbing in turn 3, but backs off, and Marco still holds on to the lead. As they cross the stripe for the white flag, Marco leads Sam by .945 secs. But it ain't over yet; as they exit turn 4, Hornish, Jr. runs as high a line as possible, and having caught the draft from the #26, begins to make the pass of a lifetime around the rookie, and by just 64/thousandths' of a second, edges out the rookie for the win. It is the second closest finish in 500 history; the closest was in 1992, when "Little' Al Unser, Jr. edged out Scott Goodyear by 43/thousandths'.

I'll have some observations on today's exciting race from the Brickyard later this evening. Meanwhile, congratulations to Sam Hornish, Jr. for winning "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500.