142 replies to this topic

[HandyNZL]

I now know what mouser.com is.  Thanks Mr Tung.  I don't need any of it, but thanks anyways.

[lewisthegreat2]

My excitement when the Ganassi boys had a little less fuel than they needed was massive.

ALEX TAGLIANI GOT THE POLE!

How about that?  Two underdogs on the front row.  Two guys who had doubtful funding for the year; Tagliani wasn't going to be able to race this year until Schmidt saved the team.  What a story.  What a drive.  Opening at 227.7 sealed the deal.

Going to be a great Bump Day and a glorious race.

[HandyNZL]

Whats the top ten then bro?

[lewisthegreat2]

Row One
1. Alex Tagliani
2. Scott Dixon
3. Oriol Servià

Row Two
4. Townsend Bell
5. Will Power
6. Dan Wheldon

Row Three
7. Buddy Rice
8. Ed Carpenter
9. Dario Franchitti

10-24 times stand; spots 25-33 filled tomorrow but drivers 10-24 can still FTQ.

[lewisthegreat2]

What the winners are saying:

Alex Tagliani said:

Like I said before, the one thing that also makes me very happy is that  I'll be able to get rid of some beers that I have in the bus.

Alex Tagliani said:

Well, you know, it's difficult to explain. A lot of sacrifice and tears  and pain through my career, but you know, I think for this team, just  the fact that everybody is still intact, and they accepted my offer to  be part of this adventure last year, and they take the risk to lose  credibility if the driver is no good and if the resources are not there;  and for Joe Atkins from Bowers & Wilkins after a 20-minute phone  call, he said, 'OK, I'll sponsor you,' and he got hooked to be the  sponsor of this team; and for Sam that looked at it and said this is an  entity that is good and deserves to continue; and just for the boys.  Like I'm at the shop most every day, and I see how much passion they  have to build this car. You know, it's good already. We sit on the top  most of the week, but every time you go into our garage, you know, they  always do something on it, and I think that shows how much they care and  how much they want to have results.  

Alex Tagliani said:

I think Scott [Dixon] realized that we don't have the luxury to go out there  and risk a car that is capable of being on pole, and it was the smart  approach.  I think knowing it from the NASCAR guys, when they have a car  that is very good, they just never run it other than at that track, and  that's why they keep accumulating cars in their shop, because they're  just getting paranoid that that car is just good at that particular  track. So this car is the car I drove last year. It was fast. It  unloaded fast. If you feel that you have a shot to be on the pole for  the 100, you're not going to go out there and draft people and put  yourself at risk.

Sam Schmidt said:

I don't know how long people have known Alex, but I don't think he has a  problem with that as far as a positive attitude. For me when something  like this happens you can either choose to stay at home and watch ESPN  all day or you can get out and do something with your life. For me, I've  done a lot of things in my life. The thing that made getting up every  morning worthwhile, beyond my faith and my family pushing me, was the  ability to come out here and compete. I make no bones about it; I'd much  rather be in the driving seat rather than in the owning seat, but this  is definitely the second-best thing, and this is really special because  at the end of the day, as Alex has said a couple times, it's much more  difficult to put the right group of people together, and it's much more  challenging. To get this all to work is really difficult.  

Alex Tagliani said:

And the other day, it started like being a bad day. It was last  Friday, and I opened my phone, I get like this $2,600 invoice, my pool  is broken, the pool guy has to repair it and all kinds of things, and I  was like, 'Oh, I really hope that we'll stay on the top; maybe I can get  a bit of money and pay that invoice.' And then Castroneves goes out and  starts drafting just to be like ‑‑ I was p**sed; I said it right here,  give me my five minutes of fame and my check. But now it's a much bigger  check.  So I'm happy for this team and for Sam and for all the guys. I  think more than the money and all of that, I think it's the timing is  great for what we've done this week.

[lewisthegreat2]

And what the others are saying:

John Andretti said:

I think the speed will hold, and I'm very fortunate to be with such a  good team. Teams tend to panic in these kinds of situations because you  don't have many places to turn to, you keep digging and talk about  things and see how your teammates are doing. And then you quickly try to  build off of it. They did everything right. And I am really, really  proud of them. Obviously, I don't think that God wants any particular  person in the race at any point in time - but I sure do appreciate Him  holding off the rain until I got my run done.  This is the biggest race in the world. I grew up here. It means a lot to  my family. It started motorsports, in my opinion. So, for me to be in  the race is, especially on the 100th anniversary, I don't have that many  more times to stand at the plate and swing the bat, so it's nice to be  able to do it one more time.

Dan Wheldon said:

To be honest, the speed is a testimony to this team. It's not me; the  guys have done a fantastic job. I know what I want from the race car,  and we're making it work. Being in a race car is what I love to do. My  time off made me realize how much I love motor racing. I'm having a  blast. We will be a force to be reckoned with.

Tony Kanaan said:

I know there are a lot of people cheering for me to start in the back so I can make some passes to the front.

Simona de Silvestro said:

My body's shaking. I was pretty nervous out there. We didn't do many  laps. I really have to thank Nuclear Clean Air Energy for the support  they've given me. The team, too, they worked really hard to get the car  back together. A day ago, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get back in the  car. I was really freaked out about it. But I think I made the right  decision to get back in, and the doctors have taken really good car of  me. After the crash, I was like, 'I don't need this. This  is too crazy. It's way too dangerous.' You know, after a while you're  back to being a race car driver and thinking, 'Nah, I can do this.' And  you suck it up. This morning, I felt pretty good. Then I went to qualify  and thought, 'Ah, I'm not too sure about that.' And especially when  you're sitting and they're showing your crash on  the screen. It's like, really? Thanks. But it's great, the crowd, too.  They've really lifted me up yesterday and today. Because of them, I  really want to do something well here.

[lewisthegreat2]

More:

Paul Tracy said:

I think the most frustrating thing is that we  went out with the exact  same car as Davey, and he ran 225s, but our car  just wouldn't go.  Right now, we're just scratching our heads as to why  two cars that are  identical aren't putting up the same speed. I guess  that's Indianapolis.

Takuma Sato said:

Tony Kanaan helped a lot. He has tons of ideas. We have all been really good in sharing.

Ed Carpenter said:

I really appreciated the fans cheering when I  finished the run. At this place, that means a lot to me.

Townsend Bell said:

It's a really nice race car and full credit to  Tagliani and his  engineering staff that really led the program through  last year until  now. It's just a joy to drive the car.

Marco Andretti said:

We haven't made any improvements. We were slow  when we rolled off the  truck, and we're still slow in qualifying. It's  beyond me. I don't have  an answer, and that's why I'm super-frustrated  right now. I'm really  nervous about qualifying. I think as long as we  can field this car, we  can win. It's just whether we can field this car  right now. We're in a  bad spot. I've been working on qualifying,  trying to find speed all  week. In an ideal world, you bank one today  and work on the race car  tomorrow. But this is going to be the longest  weekend of my life, that's  for sure. I just don't have any answers  right now.

Hélio Castroneves said:

Absolutely;  it's just so interesting how one small change we did turned  out to be  kind of like a big change out there. But this is Indy, baby.

Danica Patrick said:

We just have to buckle down at this point. I  guess we are going to have to risk it a little more come  tomorrow.

[lewisthegreat2]

Warm and humid tomorrow.  Likely means 10-24 are locked in as speeds will be down.

Drivers that need to qualify:
Ryan Briscoe
Danica Patrick
TBA (the 8 car)
Raphael Matos
James Jakes
Alex Lloyd
Scott Speed
Paul Tracy
Ana Beatriz
Marco Andretti
Mike Conway
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Sebastián Saavedra
Pippa Mann
Graham Rahal
TBA (the 57 car...it's Buddy Lazier, by the way)
Charlie Kimball

My predictions?

In: 6T, 7, 23, 24, 26, 28, 38, 57, 83
Out: 8, 17, 18, 19, 20, 27, 34, 36

[HandyNZL]

Quote

Scott Speed said:

Sh#t **** a## wank Sh#t ****  **** ****

[lewisthegreat2]

Patrick Carpentier was in Scott Speed's car.  Not sure why Dragon kept going with guys who left open-wheel years ago to be unsuccessful NASCAR drivers.  Speed was still in the Dragon garage so I think the driver was to see if the problem was Speed, or if the problem was the car, like Speed was saying.  The problem was indeed the car, but still no sympathy for how Scott expressed that.  Second year in a row that's happened; Foyt walked out last year after his grandfather stubbornly said there's no way it could ever be the car, but Jaques Lazier in, and Lazier gave the same exact feedback after driving slower.

Carpentier dirt-tracked it off of Turn 1 and hang on.  A few minutes later, he was hard into the wall.  Had trouble getting out.  Car looked miserably loose.

Jay Penske's turn to quit.  That would be two less cars qualifying today, which makes 15, and the 57 hasn't been out...so perhaps only 14 will go for 9.  20 was going home anyway.  57 could make it if it tried.

[lewisthegreat2]

Leaving you guys a radio feed: http://www.1070thefa...ther/player.htm

It rained.

Ana ran a high 223, Rahal a low 224.  Then it rained.  Both slower than Simona so I suspect 10-24 are locked even if we get back to qualifying, which we will.  Because it isn't raining anymore.  Sun's back.  Track being dried.

No 57 in line.  Too bad...but for the best.  Ed's a great driver, but bad luck can hit anyone at Indy, and you'd hate to think he'd need the T car and it's been qualified as the 57.

Edited by lewisthegreat2, 22 May 2011 - 04:44 PM.

[lewisthegreat2]

Drama as the rain returns!  All but one car not locked in has set a time today; Danica Patrick is the lone driver to have not had a chance.  The rules state that if there are 33 spots filled (and there are; in fact, there are 38 drivers on the board) on the second day, even if there are cars that had zero attempts on the second day, the field stands.  What does that mean?  If they can't get back to qualifying, Danica Patrick will fail to qualify, even though she had zero attempts today.

As it stands, drivers like Mike Conway, Raphael Matos, Sebastián Saavedra, Pippa Mann, James Jakes, and Danica Patrick would be going home, leaving two of the five Andretti cars out of the race.

They have until 6:00 PM.  It's expected that they will go back, but for how long, I don't know.  Danica is next in line for her first run; then drivers will go out for second runs if they want to, and obviously the six left in the FTQ position would desire to do so (if Danica goes out and is able to set a time good enough for P25-33, she would bump Alex Lloyd out of the field.  Depending on track conditions, it is very likely Danica would be quick enough to qualify).

Ryan Briscoe, with injured knees and in the T car, sits on top of the drivers who have gone today, in P25 with a time good enough to be a few spots ahead of that (but those positions are unavailable).  All smiles and very complimentary of Sam Schmidt, Alex Tagliani, and all the underdogs who flat-out beat him yesterday.  A great attitude there; still in jeopardy of FTQing and he seems genuinely content that the little guys beat him fair and square, and really happy for the success of them.  Unfortunately, Scott Dixon's coming across as a bit of a sore loser in most of his interviews, taking shots whenever he can, and perhaps bending the truth about when he ran out of fuel (whether it was during his fourth lap or on the cool-down).

Very dramatic day even though no cars are on the track right now.  Plenty of tension as the rules and the weather may leave a legitimate competitor out of the running for the 95^th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

[lewisthegreat2]

Corrections:

Pippa Mann is in the field as of right now.

Paul Tracy is P25, not Ryan Briscoe.

[lewisthegreat2]

An important factor to consider in the drama is that Danica may have gotten out in time had James Jakes and Sebastián Saavedra flagged their runs.  It is considered good sportsmanship for a team to request a yellow flag midway in the run if the driver has no chance.  Both drivers were running well below the speed they'd need such that they would have need laps around 225 just to average it out to a P33 pace.  However, neither team waved the driver, and instead chose to dawdle around for a full four laps, which stalled time and may be the difference.  They broke no rules, and I doubt they intentionally were thinking of ways they could screw someone over (as they wouldn't gain from it; they FTQ either way), but it does go against what would be considered proper sportsmanship throughout Indy 500 history.  They knew rain was coming, and they gain nothing by preventing anyone else from going out as they are out of the show, so it would have been classy to wave the runs as would be the standard of good competitors.

It's also important to consider that Danica did not pass inspection, and that's why she was at the end of the line.  Not sure what the violation was.

[lewisthegreat2]

John Andretti will not give up his seat if a teammate DNQs, as Conway likely will and any of the others might.

Qualifying could resume around 4:45 my time (23 minutes from now).

I hope they avoid rain for the rest of the day.  Watching the Andretti cars bump each other would be really bizarre, and quite possible with Marco on the bubble to be on the bubble, and Hunter-Reay one slot ahead in P31.  Next bump knocks Lloyd out.

[JHS]

Conway fails to qualify.

[JHS]

Wow! That was exciting! Alex Lloyd bumps Marco Andretti out!

[JHS]

Andretti gets one last run and bumps out Ryan Hunter-Reay. I don't particularly like either driver, so meh.

[lewisthegreat2]

A brilliant day of qualifications once more!

Mike Conway the first to take his third, biting early, knowing they needed to save time for his teammates.  It wasn't meant to be and the fight to return from last year's wreck goes for naught.  Indy will do that to you.  It'll take and take and take and you have to just keep getting back at it.

Sebastián Saavedra seemed to be the one who could bump Andretti, but he didn't, losing two miles per hour from his second run's opening lap and waving the run.  Bullet dodged.  Andretti goes to the end of the line behind Lloyd and Jakes.

From no where, Alex Lloyd into the field with unprecedented speed!  The Boy Scout Special with Dale Coyne Racing will start the Indianapolis 500, and in doing so, they placed Ryan Hunter-Reay on the bubble with Marco Andretti out of the field.

James Jakes went next, with time running out, and was waved after two.  With just seconds on the clock, Andretti went out for one last run, knowing it was either him or his teammate Hunter-Reay going home.  With his pace, it was Marco.

It's impossible to watch qualifying and not feel nervous, not feel your pulse increase.  Whether it's your favorite driver, your least favorite, or someone you have no feelings for whatsoever, the drama, the agony, the glory...it's all there, it all happens so fast.  The strategies, the analysis...nothing can determine anything, nothing predicts who can find that last-minute burst, nothing says what's the perfect plan of action.  And there's just nothing you can do.  It's a spectacle, and I love it.  Your heart rides with Marco, feeling safe only to get bumped, watching the clock and storming off the pit lane, delivering when he had to, and with so much exuberance about his chances come race day.  You just know he won't waste his chance because it's so important and it means so much, and it took so much from him, from his team, from everybody to get in the show.  And yet your heart rides with Ryan, too, bumped out by his teammate, defenseless with the constraints of time, disappointing his sponsors and his fans.

Only one word can describe Bump Day: Indy.

I love this event so much.  Absolutely love it.  Those last fifteen minutes of qualifying were thrilling, even though I don't particularly support any of the drivers involved.  So much relief, so much excitement, so much heartbreak, and so much of it within one team.  Classic Indianapolis.

[HandyNZL]

So whats the line up Eric?

[lewisthegreat2]

Row One
1. Alex Tagliani
2. Scott Dixon
3. Oriol Servià

Row Two
4. Townsend Bell
5. Will Power
6. Dan Wheldon

Row Three
7. Buddy Rice
8. Ed Carpenter
9. Dario Franchitti

Row Four
10. Takuma Sato
11. Vitor Meira
12. J.R. Hildebrand

Row Five
13. James Hinchcliffe
14. Bertrand Baguette
15. Davey Hamilton

Row Six
16. Hélio Castroneves
17. John Andretti
18. E.J. Viso

Row Seven
19. Bruno Junqueira
20. Justin Wilson
21. Jay Howard

Row Eight
22. Tomas Scheckter
23. Tony Kanaan
24. Simona de Silvestro

Row Nine
25. Paul Tracy
26. Danica Patrick
27. Ryan Briscoe

Row Ten
28. Marco Andretti
29. Charlie Kimball
30. Graham Rahal

Row Eleven
31. Alex Lloyd
32. Pippa Mann
33. Ana Beatriz

Failed to Qualify: Ho-Pin Tung, Raphael Matos, James Jakes, Scott Speed, Mike Conway, Sebastián Saavedra, and Ryan Hunter-Reay

[HandyNZL]

And who is going to win Eric?

[BradSpeedMan]

I'm trying hard to get excited by this thread, but it just aint working.


Sorry guys...


So I've decided...to take leave b4 you guys decide to lynch me....

Edited by BradSpeedMan, 23 May 2011 - 08:16 PM.

[lewisthegreat2]

HandyNZL, on 23 May 2011 - 07:51 PM, said:

And who is going to win Eric?

It's one of the first years in a long time where I genuinely have no prediction.  It's just been that kind of month, and I love to see that.  I'm a fan of Dario and Will, for sure, but I really hope Penske or Ganassi don't win.  This is one of the best chances the little guys have, and there could be some extraordinary stories out of this one.  The other guys can resume winning in a few weeks, but Indy would be something special for so many.

I think Franchitti and Dixon are the safest predictions.  Ganassi's always fast and both drivers know what they're doing when it comes to winning a 500-miler.  But I can't tell myself they'll win when I'm rooting so hard for a Tagliani or a Carpenter or a Servià or a Danica or any other surprise.  And a close finish, too.  I like close finishes almost as much as I love the human drama of this event.

[lewisthegreat2]

BradSpeedMan, on 23 May 2011 - 08:15 PM, said:

I'm trying hard to get excited by this thread, but it just aint working.


Sorry guys...


So I've decided...to take leave b4 you guys decide to lynch me....

It's just so different from F1.  It's more about the human race than the auto race.  That's why I love it so much, but at the same time, I think that's what makes it harder to appreciate for people from the F1 side of things.  The stories aren't the show in F1; it's the cars and the drivers and all that.  None of those factors are absent from Indy, and there's plenty of great action in the races (it may look easy, but some of the best overtakes really do occur there.  The cars run so loose, and for drivers to get through those corners at those speeds and make a pass takes tremendous balls, tremendous feel for the car, tremendous everything really.  A lot of the road course guys learn about oval racing and it's difficulties the hard way), but there's definitely a lot of spectacle to it.  It attracts some (me) and likely deters others.  I get chills when I think about the Indy 500 and the great moments I've seen in my decade-and-change watching.

[BradSpeedMan]

lewisthegreat2, on 23 May 2011 - 08:51 PM, said:

It's just so different from F1.  It's more about the human race than the auto race.  That's why I love it so much, but at the same time, I think that's what makes it harder to appreciate for people from the F1 side of things.  The stories aren't the show in F1; it's the cars and the drivers and all that.  None of those factors are absent from Indy, and there's plenty of great action in the races (it may look easy, but some of the best overtakes really do occur there.  The cars run so loose, and for drivers to get through those corners at those speeds and make a pass takes tremendous balls, tremendous feel for the car, tremendous everything really.  A lot of the road course guys learn about oval racing and it's difficulties the hard way), but there's definitely a lot of spectacle to it.  It attracts some (me) and likely deters others.  I get chills when I think about the Indy 500 and the great moments I've seen in my decade-and-change watching.

Well I can see the passion you have for this particular racing is undeniable, I'm glad you enjoy it as much as you do for it shows in your post...

[lewisthegreat2]

Didn't have time to post the quotes from day two, so here they are.  Huge block for Danica because her interviews yesterday were her most mature yet and among her best ever.  She gets it.

Danica Patrick said:

That's Indy. I've always said that this place is its own person. It  reads you when you're nervous. It reads you when you're not confident.  It reads you when you are. It throws a lot at you, but that's why this  is the greatest racetrack in the world.

I feel like I need a drink. That's really how I feel. I might know after about two of those.

You learn to never take it for granted. That's definitely one thing. I  don't know. Maybe you need to go work on the car constantly to narrow  down what you need in the car. Every time I come here, it's a different  situation, a different story, a different field out there. But every  time I get to participate in the race, I learn more for the next race,  and that's all I can do as a driver is take in as many situations on the  track as possible and go on to the next one. And that's all I can do,  as far as getting the car right and knowing what I need. You would think  after seven years I'd be better off, but I'm worse than ever. I mean,  not ignoring the fact that the competition has only gotten more  difficult. A lot of people have said in their opinions this is the  hardest they have ever seen the field. It's as competitive as they've  ever seen it. I would have to agree.

This place can whip you into shape - or out of shape. But I was talking  to Hunter-Reay the other day, and he said: 'Bump Day is just  where I am. I'm experienced with Bump Day." And that's when I told him:  'You know what? It is the good memories that make me love this place so  much, and it's unfortunate for anyone who hasn't had those really good  days or really good moments here.' The relief that comes with it,  because the highs are what we go for here. So the lows are really low,  which means that the highs are really high here. And until you've  experienced them, you've never really experienced Indy for all it can be  for you. And I've been there. I feel lucky for that. Hopefully, I can  continue to finish well, and I think our goal will have to be just stay  on the lead lap until the first yellow comes out and go from there.

I was speechless. I can't believe this was happening. But it is exciting.

Alex Lloyd said:

But I had to lift so badly in 3, I thought there's no way we can  do this now. I saw the time for the first lap and thought you know what?  Maybe, maybe. At that point I'm holding it flat, or I'm in the wall.  There's not going to be a lift. The only lift that I am going to be  doing is when I'm backward flying into the SAFER Barrier. So it was all  or nothing, and that's what Indy's about. You know, it's just all credit  to the guys. They work so hard and it's a never-give-up attitude that I  think we all have, and we all kept the faith, what little of it was  left at the end there. But we didn't stop believing. We had a tough run  there, not just the fact of trying to hold it off the wall for those  four laps, the oil temperature went sky high and on the third lap the  engine was vibrating so much, by the fourth lap I couldn't see where I  was going. I was absolutely convinced the thing was going to blow up. I  thought there's no way this thing will last. I've never felt this way; I  was looking in the mirror to see if I could see smoke. But it held on,  and we made it happen. When we saw the crew guys' face when I pulled up and you see not just  what it means for myself but what it means for the whole team, for the  crew guys, for their families, all the effort they put in all year long,  for Dale over there, it felt better than finishing fourth place.

Marco Andretti said:

I wonder if the track just got better, or what. I knew we were going to  be hanging it out at the end there. Our approach was we're going home  anyway. Really, I mean, the way we went out, it was either stick it in  the fence or stick it in the show. So luckily we were on the upside of  that

I think the pair of them [Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay] are two of the best in the business. Ryan has  had terrible luck this year. Fortunately, Mike got a win, but Ryan has  been in a position to win a lot of races this year and came short for  whatever reason. I was just so fortunate to be on the upside of the  circumstances.

Michael Andretti said:

[In] 1995 it wasn't this competitive, in my mind. I just feel that the team and  the quality that was out there this year was just unmatched in the  history of this Speedway, in my mind, from the drivers to the teams. I  think this was the toughest it's ever been.

James Jakes said:

The event is awesome, and this is a great show. Hopefully I can be a part of it next year.

All quotes courtesy IMS PR through Pressdog, one of the best Indy sites around.

[lewisthegreat2]

Ryan Hunter-Reay and his sponsors bought the 41 car.  Bruno Junqueira will not race.

I'm really just not going to comment.  I mean...it's happened before (hell, it's happened to Junqueira before), and drivers I like have done it.  Scott Goodyear nearly won the thing in 1992 in someone else's car.  So, to be consistent, well, it's something I don't like but it happens.  A bit of a downer after the drama of yesterday only to find out that...it didn't mean much, I guess.  Sucks.  But it's how it goes.

[lewisthegreat2]

http://www.youtube.c...c-m-uY#t=08m10s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC1YMdflN2k

http://www.youtube.c...9rR9tI#t=00m40s (Worst commentators for the Indy 500 ever, unfortunately)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT9R8xwu6rY

[JHS]

Hunter-Reay will race.

Can't say I'm a huge fan of that rule. A driver who qualified on merit deserves to be in the race much more than someone who didn't. It's like letting Narain Karthikeyan drive Massa's Ferrari after HRT don't make the 107% rule.

Edited by JHS, 24 May 2011 - 11:22 AM.