By Dave Lewandowski
indy500.com
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
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There might be 46 hours of track time available to prepare for the 92nd Indianapolis 500, but you have to take advantage of the present.
So, on the first day of full-scale practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 33 driver/car combinations (31 drivers) combined to total 1,385 laps in a full-scale assault on speed. Marco Andretti in the Indiana Jones-inspired No. 26 Andretti Green Racing car rose to the top with a quick lap of 226.599 mph (39.7177 seconds) on the 2.5-mile oval.
For the record, last year on the opening day for veterans, 25 drivers (27 car/driver pairings) recorded 1,218 laps, and Dan Wheldon topped the speed chart at 225.074 mph. The highest first-day total in recent years is 33 drivers (38 combos) in 1999, when it was a two-week event with one qualifying weekend.
With a 60 percent chance of rain forecast for the next two days, getting through a laundry list of setup explorations and tweaks on a glorious spring afternoon at the racetrack was imperative. There might be track time aplenty, but in racing there's never enough.
"It's like a chess game out here, and today we started playing out our strategy and positioning our pieces," two-time 500-Mile Race winner and IndyCar Series points leader Helio Castroneves said.
Plus, laying down a benchmark speed is good for morale four days from Pole Day. On this day, the top 10 were separated by .4800 of a second, and 29 cars surpassed 220 mph.
"The Indiana Jones car is on it so far, but unfortunately it's still early," said Andretti, who totaled 25 laps. "Obviously, I had a very big tow (courtesy of Castroneves), but I think you need the mechanical balance to be able to stay flat so you can get a (good) time. I've been very pleased with the guys so far. It was a good start but this place changes."
Andretti's teammate, Tony Kanaan, was second fastest at 225.269 mph (39.9522 seconds), while Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (225.011) was third, and Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe (224.804) was fourth. Wheldon checked in fifth at 224.727 mph.
Castroneves, who checked out the Nos. 3 and 3T Team Penske cars, was sixth (224.576). Tomas Scheckter (224.436), Buddy Rice (224.170), Danica Patrick (224.095) and Castroneves in the 3T (223.893) were in the top 10.
"I'm excited about this month; I love coming here," said Patrick, who became the first female to win a major closed-course auto race at Twin Ring Motegi. "We had a decent day today. We got out with a couple of minutes to go and turned our quickest lap of the day on our own. We're pleased and we've got a little bit more work to do."
Among the first-year competitors, Will Power in the No. 8 Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia car for KV Racing Technology was tops in 11th (223.550). Justin Wilson in the No. 02 McDonald's car for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing was 12th (223.461).
"It was a good day considering we started off with pretty bad balance in the KV Racing Technology Aussie Vineyards - Team Australia car," Power said. "We were able to come back at the end of the day with very nice balance, very neutral. The KVRT team has just got to work on the little bits now … try and find little bits of speed everywhere, because I want to get up there and try and qualify in that top11 on Saturday."
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Indy 500 tickets on sale: Tickets are on sale for the 2008 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25, the 92nd running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Fans can order tickets online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or at the ticket office at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (ET) Monday-Sunday during May, with special hours of 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on Pole Day, Saturday, May 10 and 6 a.m.-1 p.m. on Race Day, Sunday, May 25. Online orders can be made at any time.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $20.
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