INDIANAPOLIS —
Despite threatening weather and a few sprinkles Sunday, veterans and rookies alike turned laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Three-time winner Helio Castroneves paced both the field and Team Penske with a fast lap of 227.046, nearly a mile an hour faster than Scott Dixon, whose Target Chip Ganassi car pulled a 226.202 while his teammate Dario Franchitti recorded a 226.044.
“Despite the weather, with it raining off and on, we were still able to work on some areas to make the car better for the race. It’s always good to be out there learning something. On the fast lap, I just put myself in a good position to get a good draft, and we wound up with a faster lap than yesterday,” said Castroneves.
Dixon agreed that drafting played a part.
“I think everyone had pretty big tows to get to those speeds. I think for the first two days we wanted to maintain that we only ran one set of tires. We’re trying to hold back on the tires a lot for later in the week when we really need to go for speed and can concentrate on qualifying without any sort of drawbacks with not being able to use the tires we want to use,” he said. “We had a couple of runs [Saturday] in the backup car and a couple of runs today in the primary car just to make sure everything works”
Several teams worked on race setup because of the tightened practice and qualifying schedule. Franchitti put less than 30 laps on both his primary and backup car.
“For qualifying and the race, we have to make sure the Target car has a nice balance in it so we can trim it out and run well in traffic,” he noted. “We’ll work on both because of the compacted schedule now. We’re going to be busy; hope the weather cooperates.”
John Andretti, in collaboration with Andretti Autosports and Richard Petty Racing, was another working on setup. “We really focused on running race setups today,” he said. “We haven’t gone into qualifying runs yet. I think we’ve got a really good balance on the Window World Dallara. We got in some traffic, moved around and just tried a couple of different things to test downforce.”
Unfortunately one driver has to have the distinction of being the first to tag the wall at Indy. This year’s recipient was Panther Racing’s Dan Wheldon.
Just before 4:30 p.m., Wheldon did a half spin, then hit the outside retaining wall exiting Turn 4. The car sustained damage on the right side. He bruised his right foot, but will be re-evaluated later.
“I’m not 100-percent sure what happened,” he said. “We’ll have to go back and look at the data. It’s obviously not the way you want to start the second day at Indianapolis. I think when I went into the wall it banged my foot against the side of the tub. Just bruising. Nothing big.”
All seven rookies hoping for a slot in this year’s race completed their Rookie Orientation Program. Of those seven Jay Howard, Sarah Fisher Racing’s second entry, posted a fast lap of 222.789. Simona De Slivestro followed with a 221.370 and Takumo Sato posted a 220.235.
“[ROP] lets us go out there with as minimum cars as possible, get the feel of track and the car. Then for the rest of the month, it’s game on,” said Howard.
Rookies must complete four phases with 10 laps at different speeds, beginning with 200-205 mph and ending with more than 215 mph. “It’s a little frustrating, especially when the car feels so much better when you’re going faster,” Howard said. “But rules are the rules, and we need to abide by them.”
With the ROP behind her, De Silvestro understood a little more about how Indianapolis differs from other ovals. “I’m sure [today] will be pretty different with all of the people around me, but I really enjoyed it. I think the track is really different. It makes a little more sense to me to think that the corners are like really fast road course corners as compared to Kansas, where there was a lot of banking.”
She has not let the hype of five women competing this year to bother her.
“This year has been new to me to be racing against other women drivers. I’ve been racing the past five races with Danica [Patrick] and with Sarah [Fisher] in the last one. It’s not really a focus for me to be beating them. I’m here to do my job and I’m a driver. So, I’m not really comparing what they’re doing to what I am doing.”
A total of 44 cars are currently at the Speedway; 36 have passed technical inspection and two are in the process. Thirty-six drivers have been on the track to date and turned 1,375 laps Sunday and 1,972 laps in two days. Mario Romancini turned 117 laps Sunday, more than any other driver.
Practice continues from noon to 6 p.m. today; gates open at 9 a.m.
Auto Racing
Castroneves leads way in second day of Indy 500 practice
- Auto Racing
-
-
Carpenter arrives as Indy 500 threat
And the crowd went wild.
Not only did Ed Carpenter win the pole for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500, he is the hometown son. Carpenter, the stepson of Tony George, completed his rookie orientation in 2004 and has spent the last several years, proving he deserved to be the IZOD IndyCar Series. There is no questioning his credentials now. -
Carpenter wins Indy 500 pole
Ed Carpenter is on the pole for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500.
The native of Marshall, Ill., earned the No. 1 spot for the May 26 race with a strong run in the Fast Nine competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday. He is the first American driver on the pole since 2006. -
TRACKSIDE: Rain still a pain for Wabash Valley racing organizers
Soggy weather conditions, which have rightfully drawn the ire of Wabash Valley race fans and crews in recent days, continue to plague promoters where it hurts the most — their pocketbooks.
-
TRACKSIDE: Tough to rise from sprint-car racing, especially in challenging financial times
Open-wheel sprint-car racing, whether it be at the national or local level, has earned a reputation over the years of generating its share of thrills and excitement for its fans and a valuable training ground for drivers seeking to hone their skills that someday might elevate them to the “major leagues” of their sport.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose baseball wins another thriller
Rose-Hulman earned its third victory in its last at-bat in the last five days with a 6-5 win over Franklin in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball Tuesday night at Art Nehf Field.
-
East gets jump at SUMAR Classic
In his relatively brief but successful racing career, young Bobby East has at times unfairly been labeled as a driver who could master the pavement ovals but one who was still a work in progress on the dirt.
-
Hurtubise, Sumar races on Action Track slate this weekend
Championship racing is scheduled this weekend at the Terre Haute Action Track with U.S. Auto Club features set for today and Saturday.
One USAC championship will be decided and the spread in the other division could widen or tighten up as a result of the races.
The Jim Hurtubise Classic for sprint cars is today. Only 26 points separate three drivers in the point totals. -
TRACKSIDE: Chase Stockon hopes momentum stays with him in Terre Haute
Momentum, an element that can be as elusive to a race driver as that perfect setup, can spell the difference in winning or running at the rear of the pack.
It’s a force difficult to achieve and maybe even harder to maintain. One learns quickly to make the most of the opportunity when it comes his way.
It’s something Chase Stockon will carry with him coming into today’s Jim Hurtubise Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Only days following the biggest victory of his young and promising career, the $10,000-to-win USAC feature at Lawrenceburg, Stockon followed that up with another rich payday this past weekend at Tri-State Speedway. -
IndyCar celebrates return to Pocono
IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter had the chance to take a drive around Pocono Raceway, and promptly handed the car keys to racing great Mario Andretti.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rain forces postponement of Jim Hurtubise Classic
Rain and the chance of inclement weather forced postponement of the Jim Hurtubise Classic scheduled for Saturday evening at the Terre Haute Action Track.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: USAC points leader Levi Jones out for season
Levi Jones, the five-time and reigning United States Auto Club (USAC) National Sprint Car champion, will undergo season-ending surgery on Tuesday to repair two herniated discs in his neck. While a full recovery is expected, the 12-week rehabilitation period will not allow for Jones to finish out the 2012 season, where he has competed in the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car and TRAXXAS Silver Crown divisions for Tony Stewart Racing (TSR).
-
TRACKSIDE: Stockon takes giant step forward in USAC
One of the more impressive and welcomed storylines of the recently completed Indiana Sprint Week was the emergence of area driver Chase Stockon on the national sprint car scene.
-
JJ joins hero Mears among four-time winners of Brickyard
Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Jimmie Johnson is a master at the Brickyard.
-
Hamlin wins Brickyard 400 pole position
Denny Hamlin captured his first ever pole for the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday.
-
Keselowski gives Penske first stock-car win at IMS
Brad Keselowski made history Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he took the checkered flag at the inaugural Indy 250 NASCAR Nationwide race.
-
Bordais, Popow take checkered flag after downpour
While it never rained a drop during the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Super Weekend at the Brickyard certainly saw its share Friday as both the inaugural Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the Rolex Sports Car Series met with the wet stuff.
-
TRACKSIDE: Indiana Sprint Week rises above heat, rain, poor economy
The 25th annual version of Indiana Sprint Week is now officially in the record books and the latest chapter will go down as one of the most successful in recent years.
-
Red-hot Hunter-Reay goes for fourth straight at Edmonton
Ryan Hunter-Reay goes for his fourth straight victory Sunday in IZOD IndyCar Series action in Canada.
-
Clayton wins at Don Smith Classic
They call Daron Clayton, “The Modern Day Cowboy.”
-
The King of Speed
Born in Terre Haute, Roger Curtis grew up on Franklin Street, moved to Riley with his family when he was in sixth grade and attended Thornton Elementary School and Honey Creek Junior High before graduating from Terre Haute South High School in 1985.
-
Jones occupies driver’s seat: Six-time THAT winner leads Sprint Week series
When you think of USAC’s Indiana Sprint Week, thoughts of Levi Jones shouldn’t be far behind.
-
TRACKSIDE: Late models may have no long-term future in Indiana
Reflecting on what was billed as the biggest week of the summer for dirt-track stock-car racing … while preparing to shift gears for the busiest week of the year for non-wing sprint-car racing in the Wabash Valley.
-
Kenny Wallace realizes Action Track dream
Kenny Wallace won the UMP modified feature, leading flag-to-flag for the victory on Thursday night at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Wallace, a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver from 1990-2008, couldn’t have more thrilled to become part of a racing revival at the venerable dirt oval. -
TRACKSIDE: Summer heat has made this ‘The Hell Tour’
It is fittingly billed as “The Hell Tour” for many of the Midwest’s leading late model stock car drivers and their crews.
-
Franchitti mired in post-Indy 500 slump
Dario Franchitti hopes to get back on track in IndyCar Series action Sunday in Canada.
-
TRACKSIDE: Retired driver LaJoie spreads the word of safety
In his roles as past driving champion and television analyst, Randy LaJoie has rightfully earned the reputation as a major contributor to the sport of auto racing.
-
Trackside: Stanbrough on track at midseason
When veteran driver Jon Stanbrough ushered in a new season in Florida back in February, he found himself facing a pair of unfamiliar challenges.
-
Atchison, Virgilio win weekend races at Crossroads Dragway
Troy Atchison and Tony Virgilio won feature races in weekend racing at Crossroads Dragway.
-
TRACKSIDE: Clauson bucks the IndyCar trend
On the surface, the distance from the dirt oval at Lincoln Park Speedway to the massive, paved Indianapolis Motor Speedway may appear only a few miles apart.
-
Stewart Racing driver hangs on in final laps
Tony Stewart Racing’s Levi Jones passed Robert Ballou with 11 laps to go and held off a charging Jon Stanbrough to take the Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series’ 25-lap feature Tuesday at the Terre Haute Action Track.
- More Auto Racing Headlines
-
Carpenter arrives as Indy 500 threat




