By Dave Lewandowski
indy500.com
Friday, May 9, 2008
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Scott Dixon's best-of-the-month lap (39.6531 seconds; 226.968 mph) on Fast Friday confirmed Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver Dixon's outlook three days earlier.
"We are going to be trying extremely hard for the pole or, at the very least, the front row," Dixon said.
He'll have company as drivers attempt to win the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by AutoZone - and its $100,000 prize - on Saturday, May 10 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first 11 spots for the 92nd Indianapolis 500 will be locked (noon-6 p.m. ET), with bumping occurring once those positions are filled. Positions 12-22 will be filled May 11.
Thirty-three cars totaled 1,033 laps on a day sliced almost in half because of rain for the third consecutive day. The first (Dixon) and 11th (Helio Castroneves; 40.1757 seconds/224.016 mph) best times were separated by 0.5226 of a second, and there was only a 0.8701 of a second difference between first and 22nd (EJ Viso; 40.5232 seconds/222.095 mph).
That doesn't surprise Team Penske owner Roger Penske.
"I think the new format is very positive with 11 cars," said Penske, whose other driver, Ryan Briscoe, checked in with the fourth-best time (39.7978; 226.143). "So you're really going to bunch it up and with the opportunity to go back out again, pull out of line. I think you're going to see speeds be very, very close at the top."
Dixon has started from the inside of the second row the past two years at Indianapolis, and three times in his five years. He's started either first or second on the three ovals in the early part of the IndyCar Series season.
"To be fast on Fast Friday, I've been in that spot before, and it didn't work out well in the past," Dixon said. "Hopefully, we don't carry that tradition on. Today was kind of a tow-fest. I maybe had a couple of clear laps the whole day today and I think we could see everybody's speed fell off when they were by themselves.
"Most people are going to throw one (qualifying run) in the bag try to put up a good, solid effort. I know we did that last year. This year is going to be such a mess. The problem isn't going to be us running for the pole. The problem for our teams and people in our same situation are the 20 or 22 or more cars running for 11th spot. They're going to clog up the lines, so we're going for a safe one early on and then we'll come back and gamble later. But that's if we're happy with the first attempt and then feel like we can come back later. The weather is going to be cooler and the track condition will be nice, so you may see some big-time numbers later."
Marco Andretti, who posted the quickest time on May 6 (the previous day cars were on the track), was second quickest (39.6983 seconds; 226.710 mph) in the No. 26 Indiana Jones car for Andretti Green Racing.
"I just want to get in on the first day, and winning the pole would be huge," said Andretti, who finished second in the race in his rookie year, 2006.
Teammate Tony Kanaan (39.7022; 226.688) was third in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car, while the other two AGR cars were fifth (Hideki Mutoh, 225.990) and eighth (Danica Patrick, 224.744). Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dan Wheldon (225.674) was sixth, Panther Racing's Vitor Meira (224.811) seventh, Luczo Dragon Racing's Tomas Scheckter (224.712) ninth, and Rahal Letterman Racing's Ryan Hunter-Reay (224.125) 10th.
"There are some very stout cars out there, but we were able to run pretty close to them," said Buddy Rice, the 2004 pole sitter and race winner. "The Ganassi cars are really strong. They should be the favorites for the pole. I thought it would take a 225-plus to win the pole. But now I think it will be a 224.5 to win it. I think we both have a good shot as first-day qualifiers. That is our goal."
Others not far outside the top 11 included Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Buddy Rice (12th at 223.593) and Townsend Bell (14th at 223.518), along with Rahal Letterman Racing with Chip Ganassi's Alex Lloyd (13th at 223.549). Lloyd, however, brought out an extended yellow flag when his No. 16 car made contact with the Turn 1 SAFER Barrier. Lloyd remained at Methodist Hospital for observation in the early evening after X-rays of his neck showed no fractures.
Mario Dominguez, driving the No. 96 Pacific Coast Motorsports car, was checked and cleared to drive after the car made contact with the inside retaining wall at the pit lane exit.
"I am really disappointed," said Dominguez, who had a best lap of 41.200 seconds (217.918 mph) of his 16. "I was returning to the track for our second full run, and I exited too fast coming out of the pits. I lost the rear of the car and crashed into the inside wall. Everyone is telling me to keep my patience. We are already behind, and I guess I was trying to rush it back out there. We are working hard, and we have a lot of work to do."
***
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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