EARN INDIANAPOLIS 500 SPOTS ON BUMP DAY A.J. Foyt IV, Buddy Lazier and Marty Roth survived a dramatic Bump Day for the Indianapolis 500 as four drivers combined for six qualification attempts in the final 30 minutes.
Roth was the one who could breathe the biggest sigh of relief. The Toronto native was “on the bubble” for the final eight minutes as Roger Yasukawa, a five-time starter in the Indianapolis 500, made an unsuccessful qualifying attempt – his second of the day, and Mario Dominguez crashed after completing the first of four necessary laps at the same time the gun sounded to end the session.
In the end, Roth held the 33rd spot in the starting lineup while Foyt was 31st and Lazier 32nd. Foyt, the grandson of legendary four-time Indianapolis winner A.J. Foyt, and Buddy Lazier, the 1996 winner, had their own drama on Bump Day.
Foyt, who will make his fifth Indianapolis 500 start, was the first driver out when the qualifying line opened at noon. Foyt recorded a four-lap average of 219.184 mph around the historic 2.5-mile oval, temporarily bumping Roth, who had been the slowest qualifier Saturday.
Foyt later crashed during practice when a piece flew off his car. Although he was uninjured, the car would not have been repaired in time for another qualifying effort had that become necessary.
Roth put himself back into the field at 1:30 p.m., knocking Lazier out of the field with a qualifying average of 218.965 mph.
Dominguez qualified at 5:34 p.m. with an average speed of 218.620, but was bumped 13 minutes later by Lazier, who recorded an average speed of 219.015 mph.
Lazier earned a $50,000 bonus from Firestone for being the final driver to qualify for the 500-Mile Race. Dominguez went out with two minutes to go, posting a speed of 219.780 mph on his first lap before crashing. The field for the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 is set with four past winners and 11 rookies. Scott Dixon won the pole May 9.
Drivers have one final opportunity to practice on May 23 before the race on May 25.
*** INDYCAR SERIES POST-QUALIFYING NOTES:- There are four former Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting field: Buddy Lazier (1996), Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Buddy Rice (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005). Between them they have five victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10, in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912. - Dan Wheldon has led 204 career laps in the Indianapolis 500, more than any other driver in this year’s field. Tony Kanaan is the only other driver in the field who has led more than 200 career laps in the Indianapolis 500. Kanaan has led 202 laps. - There is a combined 104 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year’s field. The record is 260 years of experience, set in 1987 and 1992. There were 160 years of combined experience in last year’s field. - The oldest driver is Marty Roth, 49. The youngest qualifier is Graham Rahal, 19. - This is the 10th-closest matched field by time in Indianapolis 500 history. 5.3748 seconds separate fastest qualifier Scott Dixon and slowest qualifier Marty Roth. The record is 3.2422 seconds set in 2001. - Troy Ruttman became the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner when he won the 1952 race at age 22. Ruttman started the 1952 race from the seventh position. Marco Andretti will start the 2008 Indianapolis 500 from the seventh position. Marco Andretti is 21. - Buddy Lazier qualified for his 16th Indianapolis 500. This will be his first start from the Last Row. Previously, his lowest starting position was 28th in 2004. Lazier is the most experienced driver in the field, with 15 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35, set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by A.J. Foyt. - Eleven rookies have qualified for the Indianapolis 500, the most since 13 in 1997. This year’s rookies are Hideki Mutoh, Graham Rahal, Justin Wilson, Alex Lloyd, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power, Oriol Servia, E.J. Viso, Mario Moraes, Enrique Bernoldi and Jaime Camara. Mutoh is the fastest rookie at 223.887 mph. - In addition to the 11 rookies in the race, there are two drivers (Townsend Bell, Bruno Junqueira) who did not start in last year’s race. - There are nine graduates of Firestone Indy Lights in the field. They are Marco Andretti, Jaime Camara, Ed Carpenter, A.J. Foyt IV, Alex Lloyd, Hideki Mutoh, Graham Rahal, Marty Roth and Jeff Simmons. - If a driver is going to win the Indianapolis 500, he or she will most likely do it in either their third or fourth start, based on past results. Thirteen drivers won for the first time in their third start, and 13 drivers won for the first time in their fourth start. The 2008 Indianapolis 500 will be Danica Patrick's fourth Indianapolis 500. - The 2008 Indianapolis 500 will be Tomas Scheckter's seventh Indianapolis 500 start and his seventh start from the fourth row. Scheckter is starting the 2008 race from the 11th position. - Townsend Bell qualified a career-best 12th for the Indianapolis 500. He qualified 15th in his only other start in 2006. - Darren Manning qualified a career-best 14th for the Indianapolis 500. His previous best was 15th in 2004 and 2007. - Davey Hamilton qualified 18th, his best start since starting 11th in 1999. Hamilton started 20th, 26th and 28th in his last three Indianapolis 500s (2007, 2001 and 2000, respectively). - Milka Duno qualified 27th, bettering her rookie effort of 29th last year. *** INDYCAR SERIES POST-QUALIFYING QUOTES: A.J. FOYT IV (#2 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): (Does it feel good to finally get it in?): "Yes, it does. I have always had exciting qualifying runs around here. I put four laps in the books; it still is not 6 o'clock yet, so I am not in the show." (How hard is it to put in four good laps around this speedway?): "It is not easy. Each corner you have to approach a little bit differently. It is really tough, especially the speed that you carry around here, is not easy at all." (Describing the last 24 hours here at the track): "Yes, it was very frustrating the last 24 hours. That is the way it works around here. Just glad to get out there and put four laps in. (Describe this month, what have been the issues?): "It's been hard to get a hold of. The weather conditions, just when you think you are going to get some track time, it starts to rain. We just never had a good grip on the track. W e need the track time that we were missing, but that is the way it works. We finally got a handle on it, put in four decent laps, and we will have to wait to see what happens." (About working with your teammates): "We have been working really well together. Every car is a little bit different, every driver likes something a little bit different, so you can't just totally copy what they are doing. Pretty much our cars are the same, the exact race setup they have on their cars to qualify with. It is good having those two teammates out there doing race setups because we've have not had much time to do it, get us a good head start doing that.” (How much of a relief is it to get the qualifying run done early in the day?): "It is a big relief, as we all know the weather just starts getting worse. It gets hotter, the track conditions get even tougher the more the day goes along." MARTY ROTH (#25 Roth Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “My guys did a great job putting the car out. They’ve been working hard. They haven’t slept in the last two days. Today we wheeled out a car that’s pretty solid. The changes we made made a lot of sense. The car has been consistent. Right now our focus is trying to get out in traffic, put some downforce on it and make it a race car. Hopefully we can get away from the qualifying side of this month.” (You were able to get more out of your car this time. Did you leave anything on the table?): “There is a lot of trimming left on this race car; we went out with a lot of downforce. We’re not focusing on a track record here, folks. Just focusing on the bottom two rows where bumping is going to take place. We just have to play it safe. It’s just being responsible and not going crazy, crossing the line resulting in a crash and missing the show. If you wad the car up at this late of a date, you are not in the show. Right now we are being very realistic, with a lot of downforce on the car to deal with the wind. If we have to, we can peel some off. Right now we are after a 219 mph, and we are pretty much there. I feel that, that is the responsible thing to do at this late date, is to get it in the show.” (Are you relaxed at all or still on the edge?): “I’m relaxed. I was definitely pumping away at it after rolling off the scales. You realize the gravity of it, if you don’t make the show. It’s huge.” (How were you adjusting to the high winds?) “It was tough, just constantly battling a push, adjusting your lines in every corner. They are not the optimum lines you would run if it wasn’t for the wind. Especially with the gusting, it might not be the same line the next time you come around. It’s quite a little bit of adjusting and anticipating where things are going to be.” MARIO DOMINGUEZ (#96 Visit Mexico City/PCM Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): (Can you describe how you’re feeling now?): “No. It’s not possible. I feel terrible for me, for my sponsors, for the team. The only thing that makes me feel good is that we tried until the end. We tried as hard as we could. And that’s the only thing that makes me feel good. We gave it our best effort. At the end, we just trimmed the car out, and the car didn’t take that downforce, and I just lost it.” (About team): “It’s a great team. I think it’s the best team out there. We’ve been together since we’ve started the year, and they’ve done a fantastic job. I feel terrible I could not qualify for this race.” MAX PAPIS (#44 Rubicon Race Team/Lifelock Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I can't believe we didn't make the Indy 500. We tried our best. We were plenty fast. The last thought for me was that we were going to be here struggling to make the show. I guess that I learned about the drama of the Indy 500. What can you say? The car was plenty fast. After 30 seconds to go yesterday, when the car turned around and put it in the wall and destroyed the car, we rebuilt it with a lot of effort and tried as hard as we could, and I guess that today was not meant to be. The disappointment is not enough to describe it, the word disappointment. Everyone put in a lot of effort. Lifelock, Geico, other sponsors, everyone put in a lot of effort. Everyone, a tremendous effort. But, you need to put things in prospective though, you know. There are mothers losing their kids in Iraq, there are people dying of cancer, you know, this is a sporting event. Of course, I'm sad about it, but you know, you can always try again. There are some people who would like to try it, and they can't. I guess that I learned another lesson in life, and I learned that Indy can be brutal with you. I'm going to be going to Le Mans 24 Hour in my Corvette, and I'm going to be racing NASCAR the week after Le Mans 24 Hour, so I guess that I will focus on that. I would have 100 percent rather been here, but what can you say? If it's not your day, it's not your day, and again, you need to keep things in prospective. It's just a huge disappointment. We tried it all. We tried everything we could. I would not change a single bit on anything we've done so far leading up to today. When you don't have a backup car and even if everyone helps you, with a small mistake like that and you put it in the wall. Here you go. I guess it was just not meant to be.” (About preparation for last attempt): “We never really t ried too hard on the wing, and the last try was going to be ! the one to count. Unfortunately, when we were getting ready to go, I selected first gear, dropped the clutch and then I'm not really sure what happened. They said it was an input shaft or something like that. It is extremely disappointing. The last thing I thought was that I wouldn't make the show in the Indy 500. I guess my wife (Tatiana) reminded me that even her dad (Emerson Fittipaldi) didn't make it. I guess if there is a consolation, then that is one. It is just a disappointment for all the sponsors and everyone for not making the show. What can you do?" (About his confidence coming into Bump Day): "My last lap on the track, we were 221 (mph). The guys did an incredible job putting the car back together. It is a different call, so it took a while to get it up to speed. We were at 216 (mph) or something like that. The confidence was there. I guess that is not enough.” ROGER YASUKAWA (#98 CURB Records/hhgregg/Real Power Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “We had a good car, actually, at the end. It looked like the wind direction shifted. I thought we were going to be able to do 219.2’s, 3’s, no problem. The wind direction changed, and the best we could do was a 218 average. It’s very disappointing. I feel bad for my sponsors, hhgregg, CURB Records and Real Power, for not being able to make their car in the show. It’s very disappointing, but I must congratulate Buddy Lazier on being able to make the show. He came in really late. He was able to put it together, and I think experience counts quite a bit. Although I have five years of experience, I think a little bit more, especially with the win that he has, you know, I think that played a pretty big role. Congratulations to Buddy Lazier, and I hope to come back next year.” (On the wi nd change late in the day): “Early in the day, we pretty much had a crosswind going from Turn 1 to Turn 2. But the last half hour it seemed like we were getting a headwind going into Turn 3, so that was slowing the car down quite a bit.” GREG BECK (Owner, CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports, #98 Yasukawa): “I think we made a great effort. We waited until we new the conditions were a little bit more conducive. We didn’t have a lot of laps to run on our engine, so we just had to make everything count. We came out this afternoon and felt reasonably good about it. With running on old tires and being able to run some reasonably good times and tried to be smart about changes we made and made them as distinctive as we could. I think what got us at the end was a wind direction shift.” LARRY CURRY (Chief Engineer, Roth Racing, #25 Roth): (Curry was in tears when qualifying ended.): “Well you know, this place is so special … Let’s just say I have been through a lot this month. I’m happy that Marty got into the race, and I hope Dominguez is OK. It’s unfortunate that he got in an accident; he had a plenty quick enough lap to get in. It’s just been a tough month. I’m so happy for Roth Racing that John Andretti and Marty are both in the greatest race in the world.” (About his focus on the race): “I’ve always told everybody in all the years I have been here, the race is really easy compared to (qualifying).” TYLER TADEVIC (Owner, Pacific Coast Motorsports, #96 Dominguez): “It’s disappointing, you know. It’s our first event in the IndyCar Series, and we just went ahead and picked the Indy 500 as our first event. You know, it’s the biggest show on earth, and we didn’t get to make it this year. But it’s just another race just like all the other races we do, and we’ll be in Milwaukee and we’ll represent Mexico City and Mario’s still our guy. You know what, I mean, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Mario’s OK; the car’s OK. We’ll be all right. We’ll be back in Milwaukee. We’ve had this car all of three weeks. To get here and make rookie orientation then get out there and be the last car; we were qualified if we could finish those last laps. That’s how it goes.” *** Entry update: Team Penske has withdrawn car #77. *** At 11:20 a.m., new enlistees were inducted into the Armed Forces in a ceremony held in front of the Bombardier Learjet Pagoda as part of Armed Forces Day activities. The new enlistees were sworn in by Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana. *** American Dream Motorsports owner Eric Zimmerman confirmed this morning that the team will not participate further in the 92nd Indianapolis 500. Driver Phil Giebler crashed during practice Saturday afternoon, suffering pulmonary contusions. The team’s Panoz chassis was heavily damaged. The team considered Saturday evening investigating ways to participate today with driver Jaques Lazier but instead decided to focus on future IndyCar Series events, Zimmerman said. ERIC ZIMMERMAN (Owner, American Dream Motorsports): “We’re going to make an entry to the Texas race tomorrow with Jaques Lazier. We’re going to acquire a new car and take the team to Texas. We’re also doing the (Firestone) Indy Lights program here on Friday, and we’ll take that team to Milwaukee, as well. We’re going to prepare for Texas and three or four more races in the IndyCar Series this year. We’ll have our sponsor Gardner Trucking for the rest of the year and throughout the 2009 season. We’re going to do a full season in 2009.” (About team’s schedule in 2008): “Texas and Chicago, for sure, and we’re only going to do ovals.” (About Saturday’s accident): “Phil is doing better. That’s just the way this game is played, but we are proud of our team. We have a great team and a great bunch of guys. Once we hit 218 mph, we were going to take it to the line and put it in the show.” (On operating with former Playa Del Racing crew members): “We brought in some new guys and we let some of the other guys go, but the American Dream Motorsports team is a fantastic team, and I think we are going to show what we can do in the future.” (About difficulty moving from the Panoz to Dallara chassis): “Everyone on our team now has worked on a Dallara, so the transition isn’t going to be anything to even think about.” (Will the team will re-evaluate drivers after Texas?): “Phil is still our driver, and we back him 100 percent. Until he gets better, Jaques will be in the car, but Phil is our driver.” *** Davey Hamilton talked this morning about his incident in practice, when smoked trailed from the rear of his car. DAVEY HAMILTON: “Well, we were just starting to get into our full long run. Unfortunately, we had an engine failure. First, I have to say that Honda gives us great engines. This engine has been flawless all month. I have not seen anybody that has had any problems. Stuff like that happens sometimes. We’ll go investigate, and the Honda guys will come down and tell us what it was. Thank God that nothing big happened and we didn’t get into the wall or anything.” (How long were you out there before the failure?): “It was my second lap out. My out lap was a low 200 mph then a 217 mph. Then it went. We were just doing race-pace stuff. We were on new tires and a full tank of fuel, we were just getting going.” (You were running second fastest. How did the car feel?): “Our car is pretty good. We were doing race sims all morning with full tanks. We need to work a bit more in traffic. I haven’t been in dirty air as much as I need to this month. We’re not quite where we need to be just yet. But we’re getting closer. Hopefully we can get back out on track later this afternoon with a new Honda engine.” *** A chronology of the rebuilding process of the No. 44 Rubicon Race Team/Lifelock Dallara/Honda/Firestone car driven by Max Papis, which was damaged in a crash during practice Saturday: •Noon-4 p.m. Saturday: Team received parts from several groups, including Dallara and Vision Racing. •Approximately 5 p.m. Saturday: Changed engine. •5-10 p.m. Saturday: Took several parts to Sam Schmidt Motorsports shop in Indianapolis for continued work. •1 a.m. today: Several team members left IMS for the night. Some team members continued to work through the night. •10 a.m. today: Rebuilt car goes through IndyCar Series technical inspection. •10:30 a.m. today: Team continues to prepare car in Gasoline Alley. Rubicon Racing crew chief Chris Griffis has not left the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since arriving at the track Saturday morning. *** Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe was happy with his race car after running just eight laps in practice. RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske): “We went out today with the goal of just running a few laps in our race car to make sure everything was functioning properly. The Team Penske car felt really good, so we called it a day after one run. It's was pretty windy out there, so we didn't want to take any risks by trying to do too much.” *** Indianapolis 500 veteran and IndyCar Series race winner Jaques Lazier is serving as a spotter for rookie Mario Dominguez.
JAQUES LAZIER: “My duties this month actually started up on Thursday to help Mario out and spot for the team over in Turn 1. We tried a couple of things and got close on a couple of deals (to drive), but nothing came to fruition this year. I’m just here now to help out Pacific Coast. I’ve known these guys for a long time. I talked with Tyler (Tadevic), the team owner, at the beginning of the year, and we were trying to work a couple of deals. It’s just been my luck this year. I get close to something, and then it falls apart. We had a sponsor that was really close and we were going to bring them over to Pacific Coast, and then unfortunately it fell apart. I have a good relationship with the guys, and now I’m just doing whatever I can to help out Mario with the lines and try to get him comfortable.”
(About Friday’s disc ussions with American Dream Motorsports): “We definitely had some productive talks, and I know (team owner) Eric (Zimmerman) and all the guys over there. It’s kind of a fraction of the (Playa Del Racing) team it was last year, but the reality is at some point you have to step back and ask yourself if it’s worth trying to go forward and trying to do a banzai-type of run, and the reality of that is no. It’s just too far down and too late in the month. Although we were talking about it, I don’t think the conversations were all that serious, due to the fact that I knew there’s really nothing available right now. There really are no Dallaras, and Rubicon had a very difficult time yesterday trying to find something. Sam Schmidt’s ties in automobile racing and especially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is very, very deep, and if he struggled to find something, I knew we were going to struggle, as well. But we were also talking about long -term for that team. Like I said, I’m friends with tha! t team a nd would love to help them out in the future.”
(About driving the American Dream Motorsports entry at Texas): “That is something that we will have to negotiate further, but we did discuss it a little bit. It’s tough for a brand-new team to come to Indianapolis and try to throw something together last minute. It would be very smart for them, if they want to run full-time in the series next year, to do what they are planning on doing and that’s run Texas, Chicago and even at Kentucky. They need to get some momentum and keep building the team, as well as start to understand the chassis. I have run many miles in the Dallara; I ran them for Menard, Foyt, Patrick and Robby Gordon Motorsports, so I do have a lot of miles in that car. The best thing they can do is hire me. We’ll run a couple of races, and build it into a strong team for next year.” (About his struggles obtaining sponsorship): “We have a lot of people interested in trying to g o forward, but we just weren’t able to find anyone in corporate America right now to open their pocket book.” (Sponsoring a car in the Indy 500) is dollar-for-dollar the biggest bang for their buck that you could ever get in the marketing world, especially right now with the two series coming together, and obviously there is huge interest in the league with a lot of followers we have not had before. The future is very optimistic for the league, for a couple of new teams coming in, and for established drivers.” *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #88 Giebler has been released from Methodist Hospital. He has a cervical sprain and is not cleared to drive. *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #2 Foyt IV has been checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He suffered a first-degree burn to the back of his neck and singed hair. He is cleared to drive. *** Vision Racing will repair the No. 2 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone in which A.J. Foyt IV crashed this afternoon, team manager Keven Kukulewicz said today.
KEVEN KUKULEWICZ: “We won’t have any problem getting the primary car repaired for Race Day. Everything is repairable, and we’re going to try to make an effort to get Anthony in his T-car today to give him some laps. Other than that, we’re just going to take it easy.” (About Foyt physically and mentally, and if the team would have teammates Carpenter or Hamilton shake down the backup car): “I have every bit of confidence in Anthony. This was a failure on a crew member’s part. Anthony is a professional guy, and he processes this stuff well. He’s got a bit of a burn on the back of his neck, but he’s a good ‘ol boy and he’s ready to go back at this.”
A.J. FOYT IV: “I’m fine, just have a little burn on my neck, that’s all. It wasn’t until I turned into the corner did I know stuff was going bad. It was just a mistake; we left something off the car that was supposed to be on it, and it broke loose going into the corner and that’s what caused the flames. To feel completely out of control is the worst feeling in the world to me, and that’s what happened.” (About his mindset after a frustrating weekend): “I’m fine mentally, and crashes like this where you know what happened and what caused it, you can brush those off pretty quick. It’s when you snap loose and crash and don’t really know what happened, that’s what gets to your head. It’s just unfortunate. It was a brand-new car we brought to Indy, and it’s destroyed right now.” (A bout what is next for the team): “We’re going to get the backup car out. It hasn’t been on the track this month, so they are going to go through it and see what we have to do. We just need to go through the crashed car and see what is going on. We definitely don’t need to rush to get something out there; we need to make sure it’s right.” (About his ability to return to track to shake down the T-car): “I can go out there. After a hit like that, you’re not exactly great, but it’s nothing serious, and I wouldn’t mind going out there and shaking it down.” *** INDYCAR SERIES PRACTICE QUOTES: SARAH FISHER (No. 67 Sarah Fisher Racing): “It was definitely too windy out there for us. The car was moving around all over the place, and I just couldn’t trust it. We have a good race car, and running around the track in these conditions isn’t accomplishing much for us. So as an owner, I had to make that decision to park it for the day. The risk to continue running out there for us was way too high. We’ll be back out on Friday.” JUSTIN WILSON (No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team): “We used today to fine-tune our race setup. We ran in some traffic again, and the McDonald’s car feels pretty good. I’m hopeful that we’ve done all our preparation the right way and have quite a good race car. We’ll just have to sit and ponder it for the next week. We ran in traffic, we ran on our own, and the car felt pretty good both ways. I think we’re in good shape.” GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps): “I think our day went pretty well, especially the afternoon session because the car was really good. I think we can have a really good race and be really competitive here. We have been going back and forth on the setup, and at the end I think we really did find a pretty good race car. That was the goal for today, and that’s what we did. I ran with (Dan) Wheldon and (Ed) Carpenter pretty much the whole last run, and the car felt good in traffic. We’ll just have to see what happens with the weather because I think that’s going to be our biggest curve ball.” *** Buddy Lazier claims the Firestone Final Qualifier Award and its $50,000 prize. A.J. Foyt IV claims the Red Gold Red Zone Award and its $10,000 prize for the fastest single lap during a qualifying effort today. Foyt’s second lap was 219.412 mph. *** The Grand Finale event of Operation Restoration, in which local celebrities have taken up the challenge to spend a night in the IMS infield and forego the comforts of home to raise awareness and funds for Wheeler Mission, will take place at 6 a.m. Monday, May 19. Wheeler Mission officials and local dignitaries will announce Operation Restoration proceeds raised to date and the next phase of the program. The announcement will take place at the Operation Restoration campsite, located at the south end of the infield lake along Hulman Boulevard and directly east of the Media Center. *** Medical update from Dr. Mike Olinger, senior medical director for the Indy Racing League: #96 Dominguez has been checked and released at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive. *** A total of 43 cars are currently at the Speedway and have passed technical inspection. Thirty-eight drivers have been on the track to date and have turned 13,262 laps this month. Will Power turned 114 laps today and has turned 559 this month, most of any driver. There were eight yellow flags for 1 hour, 45 minutes. A total of 96 IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights drivers have passed physicals at the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. *** The next on-track activity is Thursday, May 22.
THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times local): 9 a.m. Public Gates Open 9-9:45 a.m. Firestone Indy Lights practice 11-11:45 a.m. Firestone Indy Lights practice 1:15 p.m. SWE Pole Qualifying
*** The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at noon (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPNDeportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio and .indycar.com. The 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Firestone Freedom 100 on May 23 at Indianapolis. It will be telecast at 4 p.m. (EDT) on May 23 on ESPN2.
