Bell's 'Jeep' Gains Speed During First Day Of Veteran Practice

Townsend Bell's William Rast car features a unique olive-and-orange paint scheme for the 92nd Indianapolis 500.

Indy 500 Notes

By Dave Lewandowski
indy500.com
Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Team co-owner Dennis Reinbold affectionately referred to the No. 99 William Rast car as the "jeep" as it was being towed to pit lane for the first day of practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Well, the olive (with orange accents) jeep with Townsend Bell at the wheel is quite quick on the 2.5-mile oval.

"The people around the Speedway were really into the new paint scheme," Bell said. "The flat green makes the car look like a fighting vehicle. It's a much different scheme than seen on any other car at the track. I think the more people that see the car the more people will like it. You can't miss the car on the track."

The livery was collaboration from another competitive field.

"I was karting in Southern California with Justin Timberlake and a few of his friends for a couple of weeks," Bell said. "We had camouflage hats from William Rast and everyone thought an army green look would be cool on an IndyCar. So I called Dennis and he made it happened. It is definitely a cool look."

Bell, who competed on the streets of St. Petersburg and at Twin Ring Motegi in the car with a different paint scheme, had a quick lap of 222.583 mph (of his 35).

"We went out to get a reading on the car's initial setup," he said. "With a couple of laps, I was flat on the throttle and the car's handling was outstanding. We have found a good starting point of the Month of May. That is always difficult here at Indy. The conditions and wind changes constantly. So you need to have a solid start with the car."

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Camara cleared to return: Conquest Racing's Jaime Camara has been cleared by the Indy Racing League medical officials to resume racing May 7.

The No. 34 car made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1 about an hour into the May 5 session (on his fourth lap). Camara was among the 10 to pass all four phases of the Rookie Orientation Program on May 4.

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Tour by presidential hopeful: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the Sarah Fisher Racing garage before the practice session on the day Indiana voters went to the polls for primary elections.


"I've been a watcher of IndyCar racing and I'm thrilled to be here, and to be part of this historic event is a thrill for me," said the junior senator from New York, a native of Illinois.

Fisher recorded a quick lap of 217.866 (41.3098 seconds) among her 16 late in the day in the No. 67 car.

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Gregoire looking for three in a year: Stephan Gregoire is driving the Indy Racing Experience two-seater during the Month of May. Of course, he'd like to be driving in the 92nd Indianapolis 500.

Gregoire, in his 20th year of auto racing, was seeking to be the first European to drive in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year. In January, he competed in the former. In June, he'll co-drive a Pescarolo/Judd in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Roll Center Racing of England.

"It's something, a goal, that I really want to do," he said.

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Notable: Butler University basketball coach will be the honorary starter May 7. Indianapolis Colts defensive backs Melvin Bullitt and Brannon Condren handled those duties May 6. … Roger Yasukawa, who competed in the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi in the beck Motorsports car, is one of three drivers in the running for the No. 98 CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports car for the '500.' Alex Barron and Jaques Lazier are the others.

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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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