Filed under: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IRL, Indianapolis 500
FanHouse's Geoffrey Miller is stationed in plain sight of the famous yard of bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Saturday's Indianapolis 500 Pole Day Qualifications. Follow him all day as 37 drivers compete for the best starting spot in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
6:02 p.m. - Well, that was less than thrilling for a finish. Helio Castroneves wins the pole at Indianapolis -- the fourth driver to win four or more poles at Indy. Franchitti pulled off and aborted his run, leaving the Team Penske front row completely intact. Heading to press conference now, thanks for stopping by!
6:01 p.m - Franchitti tries to break into the Penske front row, but just off after lap one.
6:00 p.m. - The gun has been fired, Franchitti is the last car to make a pole attempt. His warmup lap was almost 223 mph.
5:59 p.m - Dixon times in but can't beat Tagliani, but before we end, Dario Franchitti has one more shot at the pole
!
5:57 p.m. - Dixon has no shot at the pole, will he wave off in favor of giving his teammate Franchitti a chance?
5:56 p.m. - Scott Dixon on course now after Helio waves off his attempt. Castroneves remains on the pole
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5:53 p.m. - Helio comes on course, with nothing to lose. Perhaps an attempt to waste time? He's turning fast laps though. 227+
5:45 p.m. - Power also got close, but again, no cigar. Next up: Alex Tagliani, who's running his standard 226s.
5:41 p.m. - Will Power is close with a 227.334 on lap one, 227.415 on lap two. Still needs more. 20 minutes left in the session.
5:39 p.m. - Same old song and dance. Briscoe actually slowed down, but the rules state that your best attempt in this session remains. Now on track: Will Power for his third attempt. He nearly got Castroneves on his last try.
5:35 p.m. - Dixon didn't have anything impressive, and now Castroneves' teammate Ryan Briscoe is on course. His first lap is 225.914 mph -- not nearly good enough.
5:30 p.m. - Scott Dixon is now on the world's most famous race course. First lap? 225.275 mph.
5:27 p.m. - Will Power JUST misses out on the pole, but he's the closest to Castroneves' time. Power's four-lap average of 227.578 mph is just four-tenths of a mph off of Castroneves. This, my friends, is getting interesting.
5:25 p.m. - Will Power just made things interesting with two laps of 227 mph!
5:22 p.m - Dario Franchitti just edged a little closer to Castroneves with a 226.990 mph average. Castroneves is still on top, though, with a four-lap average around IMS of 227.970 mph.
5:21 p.m. - Franchitti turned the fastest lap of his day one lap one, and the second one was even better. Second lap: 227.027 mph.
5:19 p.m. - Alex Tagliani couldn't find any more speed than his car had during the first run. He remains in fifth with Dario Franchitti coming on track.
5:14 p.m. - Hideki Mutoh's run didn't go as planned, and he aborted after two laps. Mutoh remains 9th.
Alex Tagliani is now on track, trying to best his first average speed that placed him fifth. The track closes at 6:00 p.m.
5:06 p.m. - Ryan Briscoe just became the third Team Penske driver to time in to the top five. Briscoe used a four-lap average of 226.554 mph to slot into third place during the shootout session. The front row now reads Castroneves, Franchitti and Briscoe with roughly 50 minutes remaining in the session.
Ed Carpenter, the ninth-best qualifier earlier in the day, turned in a consistent run of 224.507 mph to place eighth on the sheet. All of the qualifiers have now timed in, with Hideki Mutoh the first to run a second attempt after running the slowest of the nine attempts on his first run.
4:57 p.m. - Nobody can quite decide on who wants to start next to Helio Castroneves.
Dario Franchitti became the third-straight driver to slot into the second spot, following Will Power and Alex Tagliani previously pulling off the same thing. Franchitti's average speed -- 226.688 mph -- was still over one mph off of Castroneves' blistering average.
Graham Rahal, who was somewhat of a surprise with his good qualifying effort earlier in the day, followed Franchitti with four-lap average of 225.519 mph to put him fifth of seven drivers. Two drivers -- Ryan Briscoe and Ed Carpenter -- remain in the inspection line.
4:53 p.m. - Will Power joined the list of those who had nothing for Castroneves' ridiculous speed. Power's four-lap average of 226.415 mph moved him to second-place, just in front of Tagliani.
Dario Franchitti on track now.
Track update: Mostly under sun with scattered clouds shading some parts of the track. The shadows from the setting sun are looming, but not here yet.
4:48 p.m. - The fourth driver of nine in this session -- the 90-minute knockout session to award the pole for the 94th Indianapolis 500 -- has his average speed in the book.
Alex Tagliani, who held the provisional pole for much of the first qualifying session, now sits second to Castroneves with an average speed of 226.258 mph. They are followed by Dixon and Mutoh, with Will Power now on track.
Power is Castroneves' Team Penske teammate.
4:44 p.m. - Hideki Mutoh turned in an effort of 223.487 mph, and Scott Dixon came up with 225.382 -- a long way from Helio. Next up: Alex Tagliani.
4:39 p.m. - Helio Castroneves makes a huge statement: 227+ mph
That's the way to defend being the top qualifier.
Helio Castroneves completed two laps above 228 mph -- the fastest turned by anyone all month in Indy -- and used the other to jump his four-lap average speed to 227.970 mph.
Is Helio comfortable with the speed? Well, we don't know. He's staying in the car -- just in case.
Yes, this new format is awesome.
4:06 p.m. - Top-9 set as Moraes bumps in as final qualifier
Helio Castroneves will maintain the top spot as the qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 head into unprecedented territory in its 94th-running with a 90-minute shootout to determine the pole winner. The defending race winner picked up where he left off with a four-lap average of 226.774 to secure the top spot, but he'll have to beat the eight drivers behind him in the final session in order to law claim to the pole.
Those who will chase Castroneves in the final session include, in order of speeds from the first session, Will Power, Alex Tagliani, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Graham Rahal, Hideki Mutoh, Ryan Briscoe and Ed Carpenter. Each driver must make a pole run.
15 other drivers -- for a grand total of 24 -- were locked into the field for the 94th running. Notables include former winner Dan Wheldon in 18th, three of the five female drivers in 18th (Ana Beatriz), 19th (Simona De Silvestro) and 20th (Danica Patrick).
Rookie Bertrand Baguette earned the final spot in the order, while names like Paul Tracy and John Andretti both could never find the speed to get in.
3:37 p.m. - Will Power makes last ditch effort for pole; Andretti too slow
Team Penske's drivers value the pole award quite a bit, it seems.
Will Power just pulled his first qualifying attempt for a shot at teammate Helio Castroneves and the pole, but he came up just short -- despite each lap being faster than the last. Three-tenths of a second separated Castroneves and Power and moved Alex Tagliani to third.
John Andretti attempted to bump his No. 43 Window World machine -- painted just like Richard Petty's old car -- after a few laps of practice above 224 mph.
The qualifying effort, though, wasn't as successful. His first three laps didn't meet the average speed he needed, and the team brought the car in before the attempt finished.
2:44 p.m. - Castroneves bumps to first, was it worth it?
Helio Castroneves just wowed the crowd at IMS with his four-lap run, but it was his first lap that caused an audible reaction among nearly everyone in grandstands.
Castroneves ran 227.319 mph on lap one, easily the fastest lap of qualifying with heavy sun drenching the speedway. His four-lap average ended up being 226.774, enough to knock Alex Tagliani back to second.
The question, though, is this: was it worth it?
Rival team owner Chip Ganassi may have slyly made his point with sarcasm on the track public address.
"I've got to hand it to that Castroneves right there," said Ganassi. "That's a lot to do for one spot in the pits."
Ganassi, of course, is referring to the only reward available to teams before the top-nine session later: race day pit choice. By order of qualifying before 4 p.m., teams will get to choose where they pit come race day. If things hold par, Castroneves will have improved one spot in that picking order.
Meanwhile, E.J. Viso just bumped Paul Tracy from the 24-car grid that will be locked in today.
2:35 p.m. - Castroneves readies for qualifying run
There's one car in the inspection line at the end of pit road with 90 minutes remaining in the regular qualifying session: Helio Castroneves' No. 3.
He's going out in full sun and easily the warmest part of the day. I'd imagine they've added some grip to his car, as he tries to put himself in position to contend for the pole later in the day.
2:10 p.m. - Kanaan, Moraes OK after qualifying crashes
Just before Danica Patrick prepared to walk into the IMS media center, her teammate -- and arguably the best-performing member of Andretti Autosport over the past week -- crashed on the first lap of his qualifying attempt at the exit of turn one. Kanaan's green and white No. 11 snapped sideways very late in the corner, slid through the shortchute and hit the turn two wall with the right side of his car.
Kanaan was released, uninjured, from the infield care center shortly after the wreck. However, it appears any chance that an Andretti machine would be in the now-coveted top-9 at 4 p.m. today for a chance to go for the pole was out the window.
Certainly, the wreck helped add credence to Patrick's later claims that her car, and her teammates' as well, were just skating across the track. Earlier in the week, Kanaan actually drove all five Andretti cars to get a feel and help each set a baseline setup.
Shortly before Kanaan's crash, Mario Moraes had the second crash of the day in turn two (Takuma Sato wrecked hard in practice) when he also spun late on corner exit. After a long slide, his car hit the outside wall during a qualifying attempt. Moraes was also OK.
2:01 p.m. - Things got busy
To not leave you hanging any longer, we had quite a few things happen during the time I went to check in at the Danica press conference. Two crashes, Danica being boo'ed, a really slow Paul Tracy and a few drivers who admitted that going back out just wasn't in the plan.
Right now, there are no more cars that want to qualify under the hot sun, meaning the track is now open for practice. I'm working on a big update for you.
12:43 p.m. - Danica's speed doesn't improve in qualifying
I'm getting ready to head down to catch Danica Patrick's media visit. It could get interesting, as she has to be frustrated with her qualifying attempt.
A four-lap average of 224.217 mph has her currently in the 16th provisional spot.
12:29 p.m. - Size a bit shocking for IndyCar's new Bat Wing... err.. Delta Wing
I got my first in-person look of one of the four new prototypes that IndyCar officials are looking at using for the 2012 season -- the Delta Wing concept -- and couldn't really believe the size.
In so many words, it's a lot smaller than I anticipated.
The car was still painted in its primer gray as it sat just underneath the infield side of the famous pagoda at IMS and fans were able to get up close and personal with the odd-looking race car. The narrow width of the front tires also seems a little unnerving in terms of grip, but there's a reason I'm a writer and not an engineer.
Regardless of its size, I'm still pretty sure about one thing: I don't like the look.
12:22 p.m. - Dario Franchitti jumps into Top-3
Chip Ganassi now has both of his dogs in the fight for the top-9.
Dario Franchitti just wrapped his first qualifying effort of the day with a four-lap average of 226.156 mph, good enough for a provisional third on the grid. The No. 10T red Target machine turned laps under skies that continue to clear -- meaning with a few timely clouds Franchitti might have been faster.
That might be important later in the day as shadows fall across the track, or if the temperature cools before the track closes for good at 6 p.m.
11:59 a.m. - Ana Beatriz first of five women to complete qualifying attempt
Ana Beatriz had completed her first-ever qualifying attempt for the Indianapolis 500.
The Brazilian driver turned a four-lap average of 223.900 mph, just over a week after she officially signed a deal to run the 500. Beatriz formerly drove in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.
11:54 a.m. - Tagliani meets with the media, sun starting show
The temperature is rising quickly at the Brickyard. What were cloudy skies this morning have given way to low-slung but puffy white clouds hanging over the track, allowing the sun poke through and raise the temperature nearly ten degrees since the morning practice.
Alex Tagliani, still on the provisional pole, hardly could hide his excitement for the effort his team put in when he met with the media following his lap.
"I sound like a broken record, but this is a tribute to the great group of engineers we have," said Tagliani. "Now i understand why the engineers room is warmer than the garage because so much smoke comes out of their eear when they think."
With the 90-minute pole knock-out session (We've really got to come up with a name for that) still left at 4:30 p.m. local today, Tagliani then tempered his excitement a bit by acknowledging that he'll be sitting on pins and needles today.
"What's not fun for the driver is fun for the fans," he said of the new qualifying format. "I wish we could have the pole and walk away with the pole right now."
11:28 a.m. Qualifications underway at Indy: Tagliani Out Front Early
Due to some internet-related delay (and, yes, I'll admit a little bit of media lunch-related delay, too) I didn't get to update you on the start of qualifications. It's been an active start to the qualifying session.
A.J. Foyt IV made the first attempt of the afternoon and timed in at 224.112 mph, but Alex Tagliani is stealing the show right now by besting two Team Penske cars and one Chip Ganassi Racing driver.
Tagliani, with a four-lap average of 226.392 mph, sits on the provisional pole after nine drivers have made attempts. Defending champion Helio Castroneves looked to be on pace to beat Tagliani's time but slowed on his final lap enough to fall behind Tagliani by a mere .025 seconds -- an incredibly thin margin for a 10-mile qualifying attempt.
Will Power qualified third with an average of 225.994 mph, but expected to make another attempt before 4 p.m. deadline to be in the Top-9 cars. Fourth was Scott Dixon (225.795), Graham Rahal in fifth (225.617) and Marco Andretti in sixth.
10:11 a.m. - Danica Patrick didn't look too happy
Because its Danica and because that makes it interesting, nearly immediately after exiting her car at the end of the morning practice, Patrick made a beeline down pit road towards the garage area.
Typically, drivers will get a ride on a small carts they use to pull the cars in and out of the garage, or at least will walk with team member or PR staff. I'd interpret Danica's walk as a sign of major frustration this morning thanks to her best lap of 224.697 being good for just 24th-fastest.
But then again, I'm just interpreting.
10:01 a.m. - Practice wraps; Power quickest; Hamilton Surprising; Qualifying at 11 a.m.
The morning practice is over in Indianapolis, with Will Power the quickest (with a draft-aided lap) at 227.646 mph. The most surprising guy in the top-five? Well, that would have to be Davey Hamilton in the 21T.
I'm not sure if Hamilton got a tow, but he's crediting with a 226.415 mph lap. Takuma Sato's incident was the only of the session
, and qualifying will get underway at 11 a.m.
The first five drivers in the qualifying order likely will be (and I say likely because backup cars are a part of the draw, and others may wait) A.J. Foyt IV, Paul Tracy, Ana Beatriz, Will Power and Alex Tagliani. See you then.
9:48 a.m. - Crowd size, Weather, Eddie Money
With a condensed schedule allowing for just one weekend of qualifying, I expected more of a turnout early today at Indianapolis. Instead, the traffic was non-existent on my way in to the speedway this morning, and the crowd feels light.
Maybe the weather is keeping them away? Clouds are dominating the sky right with the temperature hovering in the mid-60s. It's expected to clear up later.
Perhaps the fans are all stuck around the infield stage that will feature Eddie Money later this afternoon, hoping to get the best standing locations? Something about that -- despite my love for "Take Me Home Tonight" -- seems implausible, though. Thoughts?
Click here to see a
photo of Eddie Money: the man, the myth, the legend.
9:32 a.m. - Tony Kanaan now sixth-fastest at 225.996 mph
The leader of what has been a very quiet Andretti Autosport bunch showed his muscle again with a half-hour left in the morning practice at Indy.
Tony Kanaan, third-fastest this month with a 226.971 mph lap on Thursday, moved his fast to sixth fastest on the time sheet. Meanwhile, his teammates aren't faring so well.
Ryan Hunter-Reay is 19th-fastest this morning, while Danica Patrick is 23rd, John Andretti is 34th and Marco Andretti hasn't been on the track.
9:21 a.m. - Track Reopens for Practice; Franchitti Jumps Up
After a nearly half-hour delay, practice is again underway at IMS. Vitor Meira in A.J. Foyt's No. 14 was first on the track, and is 23rd-quickest on the time chart.
Dario Franchitti in Chip Ganassi's No. 10 has jumped to fourth-fastest on the day with a lap of 226.232 mph.
8:53 a.m. - Takuma Sato Crashes Hard in Turn 2, Transported to Hospital
Indianapolis 500 rookie and former Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato has crashed heavily into the turn two wall 52 minutes into the two-hour morning practice session. Sato exited the car under his own power very gingerly before being transported to the track's infield medical center.
Sato, with KV Racing Technology, was later transported to Indianapolis' Methodist Hospital by ground for further evaluation and x-rays for "tenderness in his back."
Sato, in a green No. 5, appeared to get loose mid-corner, did a quarter spin and backed hard into the SAFER barrier with the left rear of his Dallara. The car then slid nearly a quarter of the way down the backstretch surrounded in flames, though when the car stopped the fire extinguished quickly.
Safety crews spent a few minutes helping Sato emerge from the car, and then spent a considerable amount of time cleaning up heavy amounts of fluid left from the crashed race car in the middle groove of backstretch. The SAFER barrier also appeared to need some repair after Sato's hard hit.
Just a half-lap before, Sato turned his eleventh lap of the day at 224.092 mph. His tenth circuit produced the fastest time of the morning session at 224.206 mph, good for 23rd-quickest on the day.
8:50 a.m. - Morning Practice Nears Halfway Point
While the sun is trying to poke through the clouds, 34 IndyCar teams have been on track around this mammoth 2.5-mile facility this morning. After 50 minutes -- with two groups of drivers splitting into two 30-minute sessions -- Team Penske's Will Power leads the way with a lap of 227.646 mph.
Power's lap is good for fastest of the month so far in Indianapolis, but was likely aided by a draft from another car. In what we'll call the dark horse pole favorite, Alex Tagliani sits second with a lap of 227.512 mph -- also a lap that likely was aided by a draft, though Tagliani turned several laps above 226 mph by himself.
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